Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-09-02

view of the Same.
Lesson for Ecptember 8.
Golden Text.-"Ye know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor. that We through his poverty might
be rich."-2 Cor. 8: o.
This lesson is found in 2 Cor. 8: Ill.
After the riot at Ephesus had been quell-
ed by the city Chancellor, as recorded in
Acts 10: 35-41, Paul left the city and
journeyed northward to Troas, where he
failed to meet Titus as he expected. He
went over to the Macedonian Cities Thes
salonica, Philippi and Beroea. While
journeying through that region, Titus
came from Corinth, bringing messages of
comfort, but also reporting that the old
troubles at Corinth had not been fully
settled, but were still agitating the church
u Cor. Z: 5-S). Thereupon he found 1t
necessary to visit Corinth again; but be-
fore he went he sent Titus to prepare for
his coming q Cor. 8: ID, and wrote this
epistle called the Second to the CORN
thians, though as we have already seen
two letters had preceded it. The epistle
is one of mingled encouragement, self
defense and reproof. Some things in the
Corinthian church moved Paul to utter
words of praise and thanksgiving, among
them being the liberal giving which Is the
subject of this lesson. Other things, es-
pecially the bitter and disgraceful attack
on Pauls apostolic authority, move him to
Indignation. We have to remember the
very peculiar state of Paul's mind when
he wrote the letter. His main purpose
just then was to finish the somewhat pro-
longed and tedious work of gathering the
collection for the Jerusalem church we
have mention of in such passages as Rom.
10: 25-2S and + Cor. IS: IA, and to start
with it for Jerusalem. Therefore the
promptness of the Corinthians was very
gratifying to him. But on the other hand,
weary and half sick as he was, the ma
licious and slanderous attacks made upon
him behind his back were extremely try
ing and grievous. These two feelings
strove for the mastery as he wrote, and
peculiar effect is produced, which makes
the letter at times almost disconnected,
but for that very reason intensely human.
Explanatory.
THE ministering to the saints: This
is the collection for the poor at Jerusalem.
The church ut Antioch had aided them
at previous time (Acts IL: 20, 30). Now
more extensive offering was to be taken,
to which many Gentle churches had con-
tributed; some more promptly and LIBERAL
ly than others, but all in an unselfish
spirit.
1.-The forwardness of your mind: that is,
your readiness. Paul had been in the past
so gratified by the remarkable prompt
ness of the Corinthians to promise gen.
erous Offering that he had held them up as
an example to the Macedonian churches.
The danger Is now that the Corinthians
might rest in the assurance of past prom
Uses and not think it necessary to make
fresh efforts to fulfill them. The old fable
of the hare and the tortoise might be re-
peated; the people who were the first and
most eager to make pledges might be the
last to fulfill them. So Paul writes to stir
them up to a sense Of their duty and priv
ilege. He appeals to their sense of pride,
but chiefly to their regard for him.
Paul would much rather have the Corin
thians give what they have promised free
ly than to give it as matter Of disagree
able duty; though the money would have
just as much purchasing power in the one
case as in the other. The word bounty"
is literally blessing, benediction. This
law, that reaping is in proportion to SOW
ing, is so obvious that Paul does not en-
large upon it, as he does upon another
aspect of the harvest in Cor. 10.
According as he purposeth in his
heart: giving has much to do with the
heart. While it should not be iinpnlsive
and nothing more, it is of little worth IL
there is no feeling connected with it.
When we systematic benefcence so far
that all the purpose Of the heart" is TAX
en- out of it, then it will be the time to
call halt and get back to the proper re-
lations Of things.
Here there is an allusion to lisa. 90: 10;
a reminder Of the fact that God is after
all both sower and husbandman and har-
vester, overseeing and making effectual
the labors of his servants.
Teaching Hints.
The lesson has direct bearing on our
own time and churches. Some OF the
points Of resemblance are the following:
(a) The Corinthians were asked to give
for a foreign missionary object; though
not in this instance to spread the gospel,
directly, yet the relief of the temporal ne
cessities of the Jerusalem Christians
would enable them to do more in active
Christian work. The Corinthians were
probably none too rich themselves; for
although Corinth was prosperous COM
mercial city, those who abandoned the
heather faith would have many of the
usual sources of income cut off. But they
not only support their own church, but
were asked to give for a people with
whom they had nothing in common save
the universal brotherhood that Is in
Christ.
(b) The Corinthians had at first been
eager to give, and had promised large
things which delighted Paurs heart. But
now, a year afterward, when he had
about finished his journeyings and had
collected most Of the rest of the Offering,
the Corinthians were still i'm arrears in
their payment. They were not systemat-
ically benefcent. Paul had warned them
in his first epistle Il Cor. 10: q to pre-
pare for his coming by regular weekly,
proportionate offering from every MEM
Der. 1t seems that some, at any rate, had
not taken this excellent advice, and now
that the time was fast approaching when
he was to visit Corinth again to receive
the sum subscribed and depart at once
for Jerusalem, where the funds were sore
ly needed, the Corinthians were still delin-
quent. In all our churches similar state
of things is likely to be discovered when
it is attempted to collect the pledges made.
(c) Paurs main point is that systematic
giving Is not incompatible with that
hearty and cheerful spontaneousness
which alone makes giving beautiful and