Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON.
Reflections of an RlsvstinG Character
wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scriptural Lesson In
telligently and Probably.
Lesson for April 8.

|
| Lesson for April 8.
Golden Text.-Striye to enter In at thu
strait gate.-Luke 13: "a.
Warning against sin is the subject Of
this lesson, which Is found in Luke Is;
22-30. There IL the sound of the shutting
of door In this lesson that is most dismal
indeed. DIR. Bliss calls attention to the
remark Of Godet In the fall of the house
built upon the sand. duke @: 49, "A
single lost soul is great ruin in the eyes
Of God" Jesus, in closing his discourse,
leaves his hearers under the impression Of
this solemn thought. Each of them, while
listening, might think that he heard the
crash Of the falling edifce, and say with
in himself, "this disaster will be mine, IL /
prove hypocritical or Inconsistent" In
the scripture before us a similar impress
sion is left on the mind. Do we speak
as often as we should of these dreadful
hazards? The peril of eternal loss is re-
vealed in the Word. God help US to hold
up its serious admonition to-day.
Christ was the first great itinerant. HE
went Greek: was going) through the
cities and villages teaching and journey
ing toward Jerusalem" "As ye go,
preach" he had said and here he exempli-
fies it-"teaching and journeying." He
taught as he journeyed, and journeyed as
he taught. Indeed only as he kept on
journeying could he rightly teach the COM
ing of the kingdom. That steadfast set
ting of his face toward jerusalem was
itself strong teaching and preaching.
"Are there few that be saved" literally,
that are being saved? 1t is well to put 1t
so in our lack of apprehension; the finish
| 10 havnnh wi hrig
in God, but we are complete in him. And
it is well that the question be directed
to the Lord Jesus; he only can answer it,
though many others essay so to do. And
his answer puts us always on our good
behavior Strive" he says, ito enter
in" Not work righteousness but righte-
Gus workfulness. "Work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God which worketh in you both to will
and do of his good pleasure" phil.
2: IL, 13.
''The strait gate" What Is 1t but
humble self-surrender and the personal
acceptance of Jesus as substitute and
Saviour? There are many trying the
other road, the broad way Of doing "the
best you can" The parliament of relig-
ions gave forth very chorus of voices in
this behalf. Indeed there are not few
Christian meeting houses that seem to
abut in this way. We heard pulpit the
other day eloquently urging the lenten
congregation to uncover the divinity with
in; that was conversion, just to mind the
better instinct.
How about those who "seek to enter
tain and shall not be able" Does Christ
not, in the first part, urge seeking? Yes,
but seeking by the right, the strait way.
We shall get perhaps better conception
of the meaning of this passage, if we un-
derstand implicitly as added to the verse,
because they do not take the strait gate.
In our own study Bible we have, for con-
venience of interpretation interlined, af-
ter the words "enter in" the expression,
some other way. Alas! how much of vain
seeking there has been. 1t is not seeking
that saves; it is the strait gate, or rath-
er the faith and obedience that enters
there. ,a
There is shut door in the Bible. In
some mems preaching there is no shut
door. Perhaps they refer US to the gates
of heaven that ''shall not be shut at all by
day" REV. 81: 25). But, mind you, it is
after the gate Of the pit has been closed
forever REV. 20: ii, 15).
Yet the controversy that is here de-
scribed seems to picture the great assize
which ushers in this sad separation. 1t is
poetical, gloomily so, in conception. The
words need not be taken as literally spok-
en-. The heart makes its own deliverances
and divulgences. We shall see ourselves
Us we are, 0pr -peglects and refusals aud
! denials, and, according to the heart's
utter and ultimate decision as TO Christ,
in this day of probation prior to the day of
judgment, we shall go to our own. In
short our day of decisive judgment is now,
Gods day of decisive and conclusive judg-
ment is then and there.
Thank God for the cheering word last
spoken in the lesson. There are to be k3
disappointments in heaven. But sur
prises, glad surprises, many. SURPRISES
of redemption from the East! Surprises
of redemption from the West! from the
North! from the South! Marvels, to win
the abundant entrances. Last ones Of
earth, first and foremost on high-first of
earth ending the procession of triumph.
But all who take the strait gate Of
conscious weakness and of self abandon
independence on Gods mercy-for all Of
these an open door-"and there shall be
no night there"
Do we ponder as we should of the judy
4 Iueut! Iue JuugueuC 10 come ana pres
ent day judgment? Mans decision as to
eternity is re-echoed in the great assize
on high. We sing it, do we mean it?
There's great day coming, great day
| coming,
| A great day come, by and by;
When the saints and the sinners will be
parted right and left
| Are you ready for that day to Gomez
Next Lesson-"Parable of the Great
Supper."-Luke IL 1924.
Living for Self Alone.
| The man who lives to himself be-
queaths his own folly and poverty and
| meanness for his monument. He has
benefited nobody, while he has dwarf
ed and warped his own powers, and
senseless stone or marble, however Law
ishly supplied to mark his resting place,
does him no honor. He has lived In
himself, he has died in himself, and all
that he leaves In memory Of himself
speaks no word Of praise In his be-
half, no word of justification. This Is
no true life. 1t is the worst Of failures.
There are glorious opportunities in this
world for service. He who wisely uses
them enriches both his race and him.
self, and dying leaves a monument
which outlasts granite and is brighter
kI,cx