Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-05-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
REFLECTION.
A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instruct.
i've Lesson, and Where 1t May Be
Found-A Learned and Concise Re-
view of the Same.
Lesson for May 10.

Golden Text-"The publican, standing
afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me,
sinner."-Luke IS: 13.
The Lesson of Prayer is the subject
this week, Luke is: OH.
Prayer What more important subject
could be mentioned? To pray well is to
live well. 1t Is the secret of the universe.
Why should not more time and thought
be given to this greatest consideration,
learning how to pray? In prayer every
thing depends upon the motive or spirit.
There is a kind of benefit which comes
from the mere form of prayer. Verify"
says our Lord, "'they have their reward"
But to pray to the highest ends the heart
must take hold upon God himself, "and
thy father which seeth in secret shall
reward thee openly" Matt. @: g. Let
prayer be on this higher plane. Learn to
talk with God and to God, not with and
to men. Give prayer its true, higher
ranges of desire. Link the soul with God,
and be lifted up and strengthened. How
many a time one has come away from a
service more impressed and comforted
by the prayer, even, than by the sermon.
The discourse may have been excellent
and may have been studiously prepared.
But the preparation necessary for the
offering of acceptable petitions goes fur
ther back. 1t takes hold upon all the life.
1t represents indeed the souls fellowship
with God. The only way to learn to pray
well is to be much with God. We tell our
heart life when we pray.
Lesson Hints.
The whole chapter is about prayer. 1t
begins with the parable of the importu-
nate widow and closes with the incident
of the importunate blind man, Barti-
maeus. Both got what they sought.
Seek and ye shall find.
The verse preceding the lesson contains
the strange query, Nevertheless, when
the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earthW We shall understand it
better if we say, following the Greek
more literally, this faith, e. e., faith in
prayer, faith that God will do what he
has promised, faith to fulfill our part in
the conditions.
The especial direction of this parable,
however is toward those who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and
'despised Others" 1t is this last part that
vitiates in large measure the whole, the
despising others, setting oneself above
others. This and the thought of right
eousness as in ourselves, rather than as
imputed Of God. How, in the first place,
can one who trusts in himself pray to any
being outside of himself? How, in the
second place, can one pray acceptably
who counts others about him, using the
word literally, good for nothing?
And this particularly is to be noted, the
publican makes plea, as it were, out of
what the Pharisee throws away. Even
as this publican" says the latter with
contempt and spurning. YES" says the
publican, that is myself. l am a sinner
and unworthy, n castaway. But God in
heaven, just because of this, have mercy
on me and help me-"
This was, after al, the best prayer he
could offer. For what is prayer but bring
ing our emptiness to Gods fullness, our
uncleanness to his completeness, our sin
to his sinlessness? God be merciful," he
says, ito me sinner" To whom else can
God be merciful? Mercy-seated is the
word the root referring to the cover of
the ark. Where does God sit in mercy
except where he can save confessed sin
ners? In short, the Pharisee asked jus
tice, his just deserts, nothing more; and
he got what he asked The publican
asked for mercy; and mercy he received.
tween the last part Of the selected scrip
ture, the incident of the children, and the
first part. the parable of the Pharisee and
the publican. 1t may afford, however,
something of side-light on the spirit
which should characterize those that
come to God in prayer. Behold Christ
plucking up the little children that gath
cred about his feet. Thus does he give
himself most fully to the simple hearted
and SINCERE. Come to Christ always in
the similtude of child.
Illustrations.
One of the lessons of prayer is patience.
Some one represents a child with dis
sected map, the father standing by to see
it put together. The pieces, not at once
fitting, the petulant child breaks off
corner here and corner there, and some
pieces quite in two to force them into
place. In the end the whole is awry,
marred and confused and the child cry
ing. Then the father gravely reproves
the child for two things; /. for not leav-
ing the parts as they had been wisely
planned; 2, for not appealing to the father
who knew the adjustment from the be-
ginning. In word, patience was needed,
patience to do and keep on doing, patience
TO ask and keep on asking, patience to
wait and keep on waiting.
Another lesson of prayer is submission.
Drummond represents n ship captain
crossing the great ocean with his craft,
three times aDpealed to on the way. Once
small boy wants him to stop the great
ship to get his ball that has rolled into the
deep. He refuses. Another time a little
girl thinks her doll has fallen into the
brine. He goes below, and, finding it in
the engine room, quiets her mourning by
restoring the plaything to her. At last
man falls overheard, and the great en-
ginc is reversed while the lifeboat is sent
to his rescue. At the wharf the captain
brings the boy another ball. In each
prayer or appeal was answered, but differ
emily. according to the circumstances of
the case. Trust the wisdom Of God
Next Lesson-"Parable of the Pounds"
Luke 10: 11-27.
Tt Unites All Graces.
Love is like the diamond-pure