Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-01-07
Lennon FOR Ianuary nd

Studying the scriptural Lesson In
diligently and Probably.
Lesson for January 10.
Golden Text--''They were all filed with
the Holy Ghost."-Acts 2: A.
The Holy Spirit Is the subject of this
lesson. Acts 2: 1-13. After the ascen-
sion the apostle returned to Jerusalem,
as we read In the last lesson, and re-
NAMED in a "protracted meeting In the
upper room with other disciples, both
men and women. This meeting lasted
ten days. During this time Peter brought
up the subject of appointing some one to
fill the vacancy in the twelve caused by
the apostasy and suicide Of Judas, and
to be with the eleven witness of tho
resurrection. From the two candidates
brought forward, Matthias was chosen
by lot, and from that time ranked as one
of the apostles. At the end of the ten
days prayer meeting came Sunday, May
%, according to the usual reckoning,
which was the time of one Of the three
Jewish feasts.
Explanatory.
"The day of Pentecost" Pentecost is
the Greek for fifty" 1t was the name
applied in Christ's time to the harvest or
first fruits feast held seven weeks and
one day after the Passover. See Lev.
%: 1921 and Deut. 16: 9-12. This feast
of weeks" was not unlike the feast of tab
ernacles which came in the autumn, ex-
cept that the latter lasted a week, and
was celebrated in booths erected in the
open air. Both, however, were joyful
festivals, as contrasted with the more
sober passover. All three of these great
annual feasts commemorated, according
to the record, the escape of the Israelites
from Egypt.
Suddenly" try to imagine the scene.
The 40 disciples were gathered in a
large, low room with rafters overhead and
perhaps with latticed windows; it was
early ON summer Sunday morning
Peters speech came only three hours
after SUNRISE and that was some time
after this. The disciples were weary
with their long vigils; for though of
course during the ten days they had left
the room from time to time for rest and
refreshment, yet they had probably
thought little of bodily needs since that
last vision of Christ ascending in the
clouds. Most of them had probably been
in prayer all night awaiting the dawning
of the feast day. As the light began to
creep in through the windows, and fell
on faces pale and worn with long watch
ing. suddenly, without warning a roar
and rush of sound filed the room, as if 4
tempest were sweeping over the city; yet
the air outside was clear and still. No
timbers creaked, no hinged windows
slammed, no curtain huttered in the
nplv that nj f,,1
sound broke the silence; and every eye
was turned upward to perceive whence
it came. Then a burst of flame filed the
room, dividing as they watched into
tongues of fire that rested upon each of
them, for such is the meaning of "cloven
tongues" "The fire expresses the living.
conquering energy and enthusiasm of
those who were filled with the Spirit"
''They were all filled with the Holy
Ghost we can understand nothing less
than that a new power took possession
of them, quite distinct from that pro-
duced by their love for Christ or their
faith in God the Father; nor can we I'M
derstand this power to be mere influ-
ence, an exalted state of mind produced
by long fasting and meditation and united
prayer. Nothing Of the sort can explain
the events that followed. Only the COM
ing of a person, bringing the power of the
absent Christ and of the Father to the
waiting disciples, can be described in this
account.-"Other tongues" that is,
tongues other than their own, the Ara
maic and the Greek. Many difficult ques-
tons surround this miraculous occur
renee. Some think that the gift was not
Il temporary one, and that the linguistic
powers thus acquired were of service to
the disciples in their future missionary
labors. A ''gift of tongues is mentioned
in the first epistle to the Corinthians,
which seems to have been an ecstatic ut
terance in strange languages. Paul gives
directions for its proper exercise and reg
ulation Il Cor. IA. 1t is difficult for us to
seehow such unintelligible utterances could
edify others, and indeed Paul makes this
criticism Il Cor. IA: ~. The gift of
tongues at Pentecost, however, whether
connected or not with the later phe-
nomena, was of immediate and obvious
value, in calling the attention of the null
titude in Jerusalem to this little band of
fanatics in the upper room.
When they heard the disciples proclaim
ing the praises of Messiah who had
lived, died, and risen again, it was to
them not an idle tale, but "the wonderful
works of God" which they were almost
ready to believe without further proof
Others smiled scornfully as they watched
the shouting men, and, not unnaturally,
concluded that they were intoxicated.
Teaching Hints.
The disciples were prepared for the
coming of the Spirit by their long wait
ing in prayer. They were prepared to
continue that waiting as long as might
be necessary. for they well knew, from
Jesus last words, that they could accom-
plish nothing without that mysterious
Spirit whose nature and work they but
dimly understood. The church of to-
day often fails to comprehend the abso-
lutte necessity for the presence of the
Spirit in any work that il attempts.
The manifestation of the Spirits pres
ence was threefold-the soul of great
wind, signifying energy; fire, signifying
publication power; and tongues, signify
ing speech, communication, preaching, the
spreading abroad of the good news. The
symbols indicate the chief Offices of the
Spirit; the publication and conservation
of the believer his endowment with the
ability to tell others of Christ, aud the
power which accompanies and confirms
his utterances and brings about marvel
Gus results.
Though at Pentecost the coming of the
Spirit was attended with these wonder
full outward signs, il is no longer So The
Spirit convicts men of sin, silently but
surely leads them to the Savior, and then
tlo.. g. nf..I. H..