Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-30

pie for the church. Teacher, are you GO
ing before your class to-day to render
unto others of the best that is in you and
by Gods grace upon you? Do 1t for loves
sake, says Thomas Carlyle. I'm valiant
suffering for others, and not in slothful
making others suffer for us did nObleness
ever lie. Every noble crown is, and ever
on earth must be, crown of thorns! Go
to God for strength and JOY, and then go
forth to impart it to others. There are
plenty that need 1t.
''Be thou the rainbow to the storms Of
life.
The evening beam that smiles the clouds
= away.
And tints tomorrow with prophetic ray y
Byron.
1t might be well, as giving us hint
regarding Christ's sources of power and
our own, to include the sixteenth verse OF
this chapter just preceding the lesson,
Sand he withdrew himself into the will
derness, and prayed.
1t is worth noting that there was dou-
BILE occasion for this prayer Of Christ. The
prior context hints ut great popularity,
the after context tells of heavy duties ami
something Of criticism. To steady him.
self in times Of affiuence as well as to
strengthen himself against hours of stress
and struggle Christ had resort unto pray
err. 1t is 1.-THE secret Of the Lord"-learn
1t.
One Of the constant demands made up,
| on Christ was for teaching. For this he
needed hours of prayerful repose. "As
he was teaching" it says, more literally
as he was engaged in teaching (present
participle), as of frequent and indeed
continuous exercise, habit and custom
in Chrst's days among the people. What
a privilege to have the Lord of glory for
q teacher!
The Pharisees and doctors were, by the
same construction, habitually sitting by,
watching and consuming him." There are
those who belong to this succession still.
The Pharsee's idle seat has not long been
left empty, the seat of the scorner, albeit,
in the house of God. There are those who
SGT themselves UP as censors and CT ties.
Pharisees and doctors diligently engaged
while Others toll, in sitting by and reason
ing with themselves. Sometimes they
reason out loud. Then men call it grum-
bling.
'1he power Of God was present to
heal" Greek; unto his healing (eis with
the inGnitive) i. G., that he might heal
them. For this or to this end the power of
God was present in Christ. Even so
Jesus said in last Sundays lesson, ''The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me- because he
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to
| the poor, he hath sent me to heal the
broken hearted preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the
! 4 sl,o = baf hr,,t 10
ed a: 1S) Brother, sister, whatever grace
or talent is given TO you is for purpose.
Use it to help and heal.
.They sought means to bring in the
palsied man. Or as the graphic Greek
puts it, they kept seeking means Gmper-
feet tense, frequentative). Doubtless
they tried one plan after another, keeping
on persistently until they succeeded. Was
not this part Of the faith" which Christ
commended in them?
Their faith was strong enough TO press
its way through the throng, and through
manifold discouragements. and through
the thing of the roof itself. We speak
of projectiles that will carry through
three-inch plate. God give us prayer and
endeavor that will pierce roofs and walls
and partitions.
"He saw their faith" 1t was pretty
clear case. Even human eyes could
detect such faith as theirs. God enables
us to make such open, ocular demOnstra-
ton of the faith that is within us. Yet
be sure of this: whether other men see
it or not, Christ does. Wherever there Is
faith he beholds it. Perhaps the multi
tude did not see it thus. To them it may
have been boldness or obstinacy; to the
Pharisees, possibly, curiosity. Christ saw
what their action really meant-faith.
"Who is this which speaketh bias
phemy?" the Pharisees ask. They are
quick to catch at his words. They count
themselves on quite easy ground here.
Presently he is performing deed, putting
the word into act. How suddenly silent
they become!
The argument is this: "You are right:
it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven
thee, than TO say. Rise and walk, because
you cannot see sins remove, but you can
see one step forth and walk. Yet If /
show myself equal to the latter, / am
likewise equal to the former. And now
in order that you may know that the Son
of man hath power upon earth to forgive
sins (he saith to the sick Of the palsy, L
say unto thee, arise, and take MP the
couch and go into thy house." He rises,
walks-and they are speechless.
The end Of it all was God glorifed. As
the man walked, in answer to Christ's
word he glorifed God. Every healed and
Strengthened life gloriies God; every con-
vert glorifies God as he walks in the
strength of Christ. And the people glori.
fed God by open defamation and avowal.
The worlds echo. This kind always fol-
lows the other. When shall the earth be
filed with Gods glory? When the lips
and lives of Christians are first of all
glorious with his praise. All earth will
then take mp the strain, and God himself
shall be with us, making the place of his
feet glorious.
What blessed opportunities we have
about us for the display of the divine
grace! The harder the field, the greater
the possibilities for Gods sovereignty.
Where was the power of the Lord pres
ent to heal? Where the want of man was
present to be helped. Is there need about
you? Do you yourself feel lack? II IL
Gods opportunity to declare his might
and magnify his name. Be glad of it.
Next Lesson-"The Sermon on the
Mount."--Luke G: 41-40.
Odds and Euds.
No man can ever reach henven ovcr