Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
CONSIDERED.
A echoiarly Exposition Of the Lesson
Thoughts worthy OF Calm Rehec-
tion-Half an Hours study of the
scriptures-Time Well Spent.
Lesson for Jan. ~.

Lesson for Jan. AZ.
Golden Text.--Jesus Increased in wis
dom and stature, and in favor of God
and man.-Luke .: ~.
The lesson this week IL found in Luke
2: 4O-J2 and has for its subject, The
Boy Jesus.
Jesus grew. All things that belong to
this life. and are Of healthy sort, grow
We come UP by gradations, sometimes by
ways Of hardness, attaining full develop
meat. Bulwer says regarding the chief
thing, ours is Il religion Jealous In its
demands, but how infinitely prodigal in
it's gifts! 1t troubles you for an hour,
ii rewards you by Immortality" There
fore we rejoice ia tribuIations also; they
help growth. Christ was like unto any
other lad as to his physical, mental and
spiritual growth. The great difference
lay in this: That which was growing
was holy thing" something else and
higher than man. And hence the measure
of this growth in wondrous height and
breadth. Hence also the quality thereof.
At twelve, the earliest hour for ap-
pearance at the sacred courts, we find
Christ there. Why should men and wom-
en- disparage child conversion? Is not
such demur a sign of two things, one or
both; hearts empty of religious enthusi-
asm, homes bereft of religious influence.
DIR. G. w. Northrup, Dr. J. ). Kennard,
DIR. III. G. Mabie. and DR.. w. w. Boyd
were all converted at twelve years Of age.
Christ amid the doctors. All, what u
day that must have been for him, what a
day of truth-unfolding, of self-divulgence!
And look at the other side. What day
ha e., 80
the law! A happy thing for them that
they were at church that day. What il
Anna the prophecies had stayed away
that one day when the Christ child was
brought IN. What if these Rabbis had,
by chance, absentcd themselves? They
would hsve missed what was for them,
perhaps their one day of the Lord. We
can only imagine, and but vaguely, the
thrills and transports of that day of priv
ilege when the Christ, with a new light,
looked out, and up. and in.
Christ again with his parents. Subject
to them, yet calmly giving declaration to
his high motive and mission. Filled with
a consciousness divine he turns his steps
to lowly paths and his back to humble
burdens. He knows God, believes God,
believes in himself. and he can wait.
May our anxious souls drink in the calm
ing lesson of that scene. The God-like
one moving, quickly. obediently, back
Nazarethward. waiting his time. ''He
that bclieveth shall not make haste"
Illustrations.
THE preacher" says DIR. A. Il. Pier
son. should carry the atmosphere Of
heaven to meeting with him." And the
nnnnln shnnl1 in lilo tat MI
temperature. What a gracious atmos-
up to Jerusalem! A lesson for us all
how 10 go to church
God changed their plans Il bit and gave
them something they were not expecting.
Why not thus enter Gods court. always,
with II free and ready heart prepared for
new divulgences from God. Some one
said to DIR. A. ]. Gordon regarding a GER
tain exceedingly orderly and well map
ped-out service there at Clarendon stree.
in the early days of the pastorate, 'Do
you always have program made out
for the Holy Ghost in your church," Ii
was kindly spoken and was the beginning
of new things i'm that church, new and
blessed.
1t was just an ordinary service. but how
much Christ got out of it! 1t was open to
all, but only those took away blessings
who came prepared to receive it, 'Thq
same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him." We go from Gods pres
ence full or empty-handed according to
the heart within. IF you were set free
what would you do?' was said through
the grated bars of the prison. The con-
vict under sentence of death answered
too late that he would shoot the judge
who committed him and the false witness
who testified against him. And the ques-
toner went sadly away to tear up The
pardon he had in his pocket. Let there
be love rather than hate in the heart us
we go into Gods house; otherwise we
shall go away poor and not rich.
Dwight l.. Moody received from a
wealthy lady a beautiful clock. The
origin of it was on this wise: The lady
had become fearful, in her quest after
things spiritual, that she would not be
able, in the midst of trials and tempta-
tions, to attain unto the high mark. Mr..
Moody told her the story of the clock.
The pendulum of n clocb once became
discouraged. 1t did not see how 1t was
ever going to tick out all the hours il was
expected to measure. The clock, rea-
soning with it, said, "Only one tick at
time" and the pendulum took courage
and went slowly but steadily on with its
"tick-tick-tick" The lady seized upon
the idea, herself took heart, and repeat
ing the analogy very often, the people get
to calling her Lady Pendulum. Learn
patience: be willing to wait. Jesus wait
ed three decades.
All, how he loves! Jesus carried our
sorrows from first to last, infant sor-
rows, child sorrows, the growing pains"
of youth, the heavier griefs of manhood,
and the last great anguish of the cross.
He has come all the way with us, loving
us so. He has borne us on his heart OF
hearts. "Isn't the child heavy" they
said, pityingly, to the little Scotch lass
who was carrying the heavy unkempt
babe upon her back. INA, na," she said,
and then with an added accent of surprise,
"Why-hes my brotherv' Having
loved his own, he loved them unto tho
end"
Next Lesson-"The Ministry Of John
the Baptist. Luke 3: 1922.
Seed Thoughts.
One thorn of experience Is worth n
whole wilderness Of warning.-Lowell.