The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-10-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. 80.

rs. xNxiv, documentary Prepared
by Rev. ID. Va. stearns.
tCopyright, 1904 by American Press Association
A good title for large part of the
Bible would be The Lord God, the
God of Israel, who only doeth won
drous things and every devout heart
should cry blessed be Ills glorious
name forever, and let the whole earth
be filed with His glory Amen and
amen!' Ps. Xxi, Is, 19). From be-
ginning TO end His name is wonder
full, ana He is ever doing wondrous
things in love and grace for and
through the sinful sons of men.
Elisha. the man OF God, is still before
Us rs sample of what man might and
ought TO be, for while there is but one
perfect pattern, the man Christ Jesus,
there are many who may he followed
as far as they follow God, but the very
blessed way is to see no one but Jesus
only, to run with patience, looking I'M
10 Jesus Mark il, S. Heb. xii, l, p; to
cease from man. and behold the Lord
lisa. ii, 30; iii, u.
The opening verses OF our chapter
tell of the new house by Jordan which
the sons of the prophets started To
build because the place where they
dwelt with Elisha was too strait for
them. Whether there is hint here
or not that Elisha's holy life was too
narrow a way for them l cannot say,
but one cannot forget the incident of
the search for Elijah, because they
were not in full fellowship There is
many holy life today that is too
great a trial even for other believers
in the same household and God does
not compel holiness. so Elisha let them
so and even went with them to help
them, for love is always kind even to
those who cannot see as we do.
Our lesson proper concerns the de
liverance wrought 10y God through
Elisha for the king of Israel, and also
Elishas own deliverance from the
king of Syria, reminding us Of rs.
ii, II; XXSiii. 10, Il. The child of God
may well take real comfort from such
words as these: NO weapon that is
formed against thee shall prosper
They that war against thee shall be
as nothing and rs a thing of naught'
lisa liv. II; XII, ~. The king of
Syria thought to entrap the king of
Israel, but the latter being warned by
Elisha, the man in fellowship with
God, saved himself from the hands of =
the king of Syria more than once, SO
that the king of Syria thought that
there must surely be a traitor in his
camp who in some way communicated
his plans to the king of Israel When
one of his servants assured him that
il was not so, but that there was a
prophet in Israel who could tell the
king of Israel his most secret words,
then he determined to lay hands on
the prophet, and, hearing that he was
at Dothan, he sent thither a great host
of horses and chariots, which came by
night and cOmpassed the city about,
that they might capture the man Of
God, but how vain are the thoughts
and purposes OF men who know not
God. The humble man of God is per
fectly quiet and unmoved, for he sees
another host of horses and Chariots
which ordinary eyes cannot see. His
heart could truly sing. Il will not
fear though an host should encamp
against me" Ps. xvii, 3). Behold,
God is my salvation; will trust and
not be afraid" lisa. xii, p
Not so his servant who cried, Alas
my master; how shall we dOf' AS
Gehazi had become leper, it was
probably some one in his place, yet
even Gehaz might well have been
afraid. for he. too. if child Of God,
was also out of fellowship. Elisha
did not reason or argue with his serv-
ant but with these words assured and
comforted him, Fear not, for they
that be with us are more than they that
be with them" Verse 16). and then
he asked the Lord to open his servants
eyes that he might see. and he, too
saw the mountain full of horses and
chariots Of fire roundabout Elisha.
In Rom. viii, %. 81. 81 we see God
for us, Christ for us, the Spirit for u.s.
and we have the beautiful assuring
words, III GOD be Tor us VINO can
be against u.s. Yet we are slow TO
believe that all things are just as God
says, and we do well to pray that God
would enlighten the eyes Of our under
standing that we may know what is
the hope OF our calling and the riches
OF the glory of His inheritance in us;
that He would open our understand
ings that we might understand the
Scriptures Eph l. Is; Luke xiv, 45).
God can as easily blind as open eyes
so, at Elishas request. He blinded these
Syrians, and Elisha brought them TO
Samaria. to the king of Israel, whom
they were really seeking. for they only
wanted Elisha because he kept them
from the king of Israel. Again at the
request of Elisha the Lord opened
their eyes and they found themselves
in the hands and at the mercy of the
king of Israel, who, instead OF shifting
them, as his own heart suggested, at
the word of Elisha. fed them and sent
them home thus conquering them so
that, for a time at least, the bands of