Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-03-29
THE Sunday SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
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SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
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A scholarly Ex position Of the Lesson
Thoughts worthy of Calm ReHec-
tion-Half an Hour's Study of the
scriptureS-Time Well Spent.
This lesson, 1.-THE Beatitudes," is that
appointed for April !, and is taken from
Matt 4: 25s5; ~. The Golden Text
is Mark 8; S.s Following the call Of
Matthew and the feast Of the publicans
it is usual to place the trip to Jerusa-
lem in connection with which Jesus heal
ed the infrm man at the pool OF Bethes-
da John, chap. -. Whether the feast
to which Jesus went was a passover is a
debated point in gospel chronology. Back
in Galilee .,again (the first three gospels
give no hint of his having left it, he
defended the action of the disciples in
plucking grain 10 satisfy their hunger on
the Sabbath. and healed man with a
withered hand Matt. IL: LA. Then
began the central period of the ministry,
the height of the work in Galilee, be-
ginning with the choosing of the twelve
apostles and continuing until the journey
to Tyre and Sidon; period of some
what less thana year, including the
summer, fall and winter of A. ID. 29-3O.
This period commonly called the second
period of the Galilean ministry, was pre-
dominantly characterized by the preach
ing of the Kingdom and healing minis
nv thu nanrln xuhn fbronnQd IN
hear Jesus, giving him no rest or free
dom. The sermon on the mount is the
characteristic utterance of the period;
the enunciation of deep moral principles
as applied to life. Matthew places the
sermon out of its chronological place,
since his arrangement was topical rather
than chronological. He also adds to it
few sayings that probably were orig
inally spoken on other occasions, as indi-
Gated by the parallels in Mark and Luke.
His version is much longer than Luke's.
1t is not generally recognized by the or
binary reader that there is unity of
thought I'M the sermon. Merely as a col,
lection of moral precepts and principles
it is sublime, but, as arranged by Mat
thew, it becomes the development of a
single central theme around which all the
material is grouped. Though we have
but two lessons selected from it, we
should study the whole sermon.
Explanatory.
The traditional site Of the mount
where Jesus taught is the Horns of Hat
tin, hill near the western side of the
Sea Of Galilee, six or seven miles south
west of Capernaum. There, on the grassy
slopes, many hundreds of people might
gather and hear at least a part Of the
words of Jesus. But the larger part of
the sermon, If not the whole of it, seems
to have been intended primarily for the
disciples Immediately surrounding him,
and probably much of the discourse was
spoken in conversational tones rather
than in a declamatory fashion. 1t was
| teaching rather than preaching, if we use
| the words according to their common
| meaning al present. He stated great prin-
ciples and then applied them. The ele-
ment of appeal of persuasion, is not
prominent. Neither did Jesus on this oc-
casion lay emphasis on the speedy coming
Of the kingdom. He rather laid down
certain laws for the kingdom conceived
as already present or about to be re-
vealed.
The beatitudes are sort of text or in
| PRODUCTION for the sermon. They speak
| Of the blessedness of the children of the
kingdom, singing them out by classes ac-
cording as they excel in one or another
virtue. The beatitudes are therefore a
sort of definition of what constitutes
membership in the kingdom; composite
picture of the hosts Of humble, faithful
souls that shall find their way into this
glorious sovereignty of God. They are
deep, but transparent; simple, but pro-
| found open to the understanding of a
| child, and inexhaustible for the learned
scholar. ~
Blessed are the poor in spirit moth
| ing is better here than Bruce's comment
Poor in their own esteem. Self-estimate
is the essence of the matter, and is com
patible with real wealth. Only the noble
think meanly of themselves. Poverty
laid to heart passes into riches. Poor
in purse or even in character, no man Is
beggared who has a vision of mans chief
end and chief good"
BLESSED are they that mourn" there
| is nothing intrinsically worthy in grief
We cannot suppose that Jesus meant
merely to. utter the commonplace state
| ment that NIL sorrows lose their sharp.
ness by the fight of time. Rather he
| must mean that some positive blessing,
positive cofnfort-that is, strengthening
shall come to those children of the king
dom who are called upon to bear grief
| Sorrow does not necessarily lead men
toward God; more often, perhaps, unless
sustained with an established faith, ii
breaks down the barriers and lets the
soul out into the wilderness of doubt and
| rebellion.
1.-THE meek do not always inherit the
earth in single generation. They are
apt to be oppressed and wronged by the
unprincpled rascals who are always
ready to take all they can get and keep
all they take. But the meek do get q
great deal out of life that no others can
get. Their possessions mean more to
them. There are illustrations in history
Of the victory of meekness. The exiles
Of England and France have made up a
very noble part of our composite Ameri-
can nation. Doubtless the time will come
when the inheritance of the meek will
be more complete and more generally rec
| ognized. ..oa
Hunger and thirst is a strong figure
AS applied 10 the desire for righteousness
it means something more than ordinary
conscientious feeling and uprightness
Not every Christian hungers after right.
eousness. Many of us, so far as we may
be said TO have any spiritual hunger
hunger merely for salvation, that is, In
our understanding of it, for safety from