Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-05-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
a scholarly Exposition Of the Lessos
-rhoughts Worthy ef Cain Rsase.
tion-Haif IN Hour's study Sf the
ocriptures-Time Well Spent.

ocripturss-Time Well Spent.
The lesson for May Z Is upon the sub
ject, "The Vine and the Branches" text,
John 10, Ill. This is the last lesson
taken from the events Of the evening OF
the arrest OF Jesus, previous to that event.
Therefore 1t should be taken In connec-
tion with. the following two chapters--the
further discourse and the intercessory
prayer. The exact time when Jesus spoke
about the vine is, Of course, not certain.
1t seems from ID: 81 that they had left
the upper room and started on the walk
that ended in Gethsemane. Some sup
pose that the reference to the vine was
suggested by vineyard passed on the
way; others, by the wine they had been
drinking; others, by the great golden vine
Of the temple. 1t hardly needed to be sug-
gested by anything. The vine was one Of
the most familiar objects in Palestine,
and is still to-day in some parts of the
country. Most OF, the Jewish colonies es-
tablished during thes past few years in
Galilee. and other regions are given chief
ly to the cultivation Of vineyards.
Explanatory.
81 am the true vine": that is, the per-
feet, the ideal vine. He is the culmina-
tion Of the spiritual suggestions and anal
ogies found in the material vine. Such
comparison would be perfectly ineligible
to an oriental. One of the commonest OF
all rhetorical figures in oriental literature,
both poetic and didactic, is metaphor,
which when developed becomes allegory.
The Hebrew and allied tongues prefer
nouns to adjectives. Instead Of saying
that man is strong, they prefer to say
that he is a rock, or an oak tree, or he
is strength" They prefer the concrete to
the abstract. Instead Of saying that cer-
tain men are related in dependent way
to a teacher or q ruler, they prefer to say
that he is the spring and they are the
brooks; or that he is the father, and they
the sons; or that he is a vine and they the
branches. The fact that the analogy was
not perfect--as, for instance, that the
branches of vine cannot voluntarily at
tach or detach themselves-would not him
der the comparison. ,
The ''husbandman" or owner of the
vineyard Is the Father. The allegory rep
resents him as exercising fatherly care
over all the disciples Of his Son, helping
them to produce more fruit. The limita-
tion Of the metaphor forbade the distinct
addition Of the Sons own free and volun-
tary part in this process of growth and of
the SPLITS work. We cannot get whole
system Of doctrine into q single allegory.
A branch that bears no fruit is not receiy-
ing the vital power of the vine into its
sap-ducts, and is not properly breathing in
it's sustenance for the air and water.
Nothing can make it fruitful except to
meet the conditions. Anybody can tie
bunch of grapes on a barren branch as the
cheap sidewalk flower dealer ties his
short stems to wires or splints; but the
cheat is easily discovered when the flow
ers wilt prematurely. ''He purgeth it,:
a general term, including both the wash
ing of leaves and stem to remove dust and
possibly harmful insects, but also the
pruning to keep up the quality of the fruit.
So do human characters, if we may trust
the constant witness of the scriptures and
of life.
"Men gather them, and cast them into
the fire.: withered vine-branches are use
less except for fuel. They have not even
the virtue of ordinary dead tree-to be
used as wood in building. They are sim
ply rubbish.
''Ye shall ask what We will" but the
of the request is conditioned on abiding.
When our requests are not granted, 1t is
often easy to see that the request itself
should not have been made. -
THAT We bear much fruit" this is the
glory of both Father and Son, and of
the disciples as well. We are told often
that we must not strive after, fruit-bear-
ing. We must simply live in close COM
munion with Christ and the fruit will
come. That is true; it should not allow
any one to be Indifferent as to the fruit.
A Christian who cannot be distinguished
from an unbeliever has very doubtful
right to the name, whatever opinions he
may profess.
IF We keep my commandments, We shall
abide in my love-" this is the most impor-
tant verse in the lesson; for it is the key
to all the rest. Without it the allegory
might discourage weak Christians who
feared that they were not in vital relation
with the Vine because they lacked the
feelings which they supposed should go
with that relation. But here all is made
simple. 1t is obedience that keeps us on
the Vine. To obey is to abide; to abide
is to obey.
Teaching Hints.
Children, at any rate some children, I'M
derstand SMILES more readily than met.
aphors. Things should be compared for
them. In approaching such lesson, one
may begin by discussini the growth of
plants and trees at this time of year. Ask
some one il the leaves look as just they
did last week or the week before. Will
they look the same next week? Why do
they change? Cut off a twig; will its
leaves unfold and grow? Why not?
Where does the tree get its life? Some
will answer from the trunk; others, from
the root; others, from the ground; few,
perhaps, from the air; and by careful
questioning some will probably answer,
from God. Then the growth of the soul
can be taken up, and it may be shown how
that too depends on God. Like the twig,
the souls life grows partly by contact
with the air, with the trunk (the family,
but cannot grow perfectly unless somehow
it is connected with God. He Is the only
real source Of life and growth. If we
want the best and the fullest we must
join ourselves by faith to Jesus Christ.
Next Lesson-"Christ Betrayed and Ar