Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-03-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THOUGHTS WORTHY OF CALM
= ne REFLECTION.
A Pleasant, Interesting, and Instruct-
i've Lesson, aud Where, II May He
Found-A Learned ana Concise sRs-
view of the Same.


y
Golden Text.-"Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and
with all thy mind, and thy neighbor a.
myself. Luxe 10: %.
This lesson, found in Luke 10: 25-37, has
for its subject True Love to Ones Neigh
Dor. The appeal of the lesson 10 to the
rational mind. At first blush 1t might
seem directed mainly to the feelings and
sensibilities-a sympathetic presentation
of religion. But it is rather to the reason
ing faculties. 1t was a certain lawyer,
type of the discriminating mind, that stood
up, tempting him, and it was to the legal,
logical mind that our Lord gave response
in the story of the good Samaritan. Do
you wish, he says, to be fair and just in
your treatment of God and man? Listen
to the story of the man who fell among
thieves, and in the sequel tell which was
truly neighborly and kind in his dealings.
Be honest and right in the settlement Of
questions of duty. 1t is not a matter Of
sentiment, but of justice, rectitude.
"A certain lawyer stood up" j. e., took
a stand. He came out before the throng,
as it were, summoning confidence and
throwing down the gauntlet for an argu-
watch me-" he seems to be saying, "see
how will worst the new teacher" Which
one was worsted, let the lesson show.
Tempted him." the scripture says; lit
orally, put him to the thorough test (tried
ouD. Thank God for the proof thus given
to the religion Of our Christ and the Christ
of our religion Neither was found want
ing. Let men come with their inquiries.
hnt ntIt if.ic emo
Let them put Christ and Christianity to
the test. The religion of the Lord Jesus
courts such investigation as applies itself
to the very heart of things-which Is
Christ Jesus himself.
The Greek Of the lawyers question
reads thus: Teacher, doing what, shall
inherit eternal life:" The accent seems
to be upon the doing. Very well, says our
Lord if il is doing you are anxious about,
will give you the example Of deed, the
doing of which so far transcends ordinary
Conduct that ii is only possible where,
first of all the heart has been changed by
the indwclling Spirit of God. 1t is deed
that the lawyer is asking about, and the
Lord by means of a deed points to prin
cple. the spirit back of the doing, without
which indeed the doing is not to be ex-
pected.
First he. takes his text, and he gets his
interlocutOr TO state il for him, so Impress
ing it on the man, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart and
thy neighbor as myself" Says Christ,
This do (strong accent on the do) and
thou shalt live The man is down at the
very first onset, for who has ever done as
much: You claim TO live by doing, and
/ Gail In, th. Erct IL
ment. You think to inherit eternal life by
performance Of VOWS and like the young
man that came running you ask for some
new vow on duty to perform, saying,
''All these things have 1 kept from my
youth up-tell me something more to do"
And our Lord calmly lays his finger on the
first commandment and says, If 1t is doing
you speak of, suppose you go back and do
this one thing before you ask for other
things to do.
The lawyer takes new tack. He is
worsted, but makes a feint to recover
himself. And who is my neighbour" he
says. Here he lays himself open to the
death thrust. And the work is quickly
finished with the parable of the good Sam
aritan. The point of the story, in the con-
nection, is just this. Here are men claioa-
ing 10 approve themselves to God by their
doing. Here is an opportunity given to
them to do something's poor wretched
man fallen by the wayside. What do they
do? They do the lesser things and let
the weightier things go by. They 1.-THE
mint, annis and cummin, and let the poor
man perish. They keep the law of the
letter, they break the law of the spirit.
They prove, for all time and as an end to
&I.A H.
NAL observance can win eternal life. He
must have, first of all, eternal life within
him, and then out of that shall flow right
observance and right doing. In word,
he must have Christ within. And the
good Samaritan represents, in parable,
the man who has the Christ within, and is
working by a new principle or power from
within. 1.-The love of Christ constraineth."
1t is a very meek and undone lawyer that
gives answer at the last; and it is very
merciful Jesus, thank God, that says for
all such, let us hope in this case effcctual'
ly, $50 and do thou likewise" :.
''Stop and think" so some one has rem.
dered the repetitious word Selah in the
Psalms. 1t is what God wants of us all.
1t is what Jesus Christ comes seeking, a
chance to get at the heart of mems think
ing. "Come let us reason together"
he says. Give Jesus the opportunity with
your doubts and peradventures, even
your cylocisms, that this lawyer gave
him, and something is going to be made
clear for you; clear and beautiful and
blessed.
Christ is the good Samaritan and the
only one. We but remind of him when we
do good Samaritan work. He it is that
lifts the fallen and gives rest and payA
the price of our rest And what pricel
To reach the sinner, fallen by the way.
side. and help him on TO God required in.
finite pains, divine self-giving.
Next Lesson-"Teac ching about Prayer"