Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-05-18
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON
Comments By
Rev. Ernest Bourner Allen, D. D.
Pastor of the Washington st.
Congregational Church and the
Marion Lawrence Sunday
School, Toledo, Ohio.
FOR SUNDAY, MAY FL

byN
Lesson Title: "The Cripple of Lys-
ira"
Lesson Text: Acts 4:S20. Me-
morize VS.. $40.
Golden Text: "He giveth power to
the faint; and to him that hath no
might he increaseth strength" Is.
40:20.
l. The Worlds Crippled Folk
Nothing is more pathetic than to
see crippled people seeking help. The
cripple at Lystra is one type of many
today. The world has many crippled
people-TOO many indeed. and we
are set to help them all we can. /
have seen them every ywhere--lepcI's
In Jerusalem, blind children IN Jeri-
cho. self mutilatpd wrecks of men IN
Cairo and AlgierS, militant beggerS at
the docks in Naples. and pan-haudterS
In Denver, Chicago and New York.
Add to these, others who are grirv-
ously i'll, the emaciated, aenemic poor
of our cities. and the self-respcctilig
uncomplaining, helplessly handicap
ped in a thousand homes! They are
of different sorts, all crippled i'll
body, mind or soul.
How shall we prevent raising Il new
army of them in the next generation?
Prevention is a thousand times better
than cure. How far are we respon-
sible for this endless line of mendi
cants, these heroic battlers with linn
tied resources, these uncomplaining
soldiers of infinite drudgery and pain
and weakness? Why should society
continue, the manufacture of drunk
ards and degenerates? How long
can we sit idly by while the saloon
deliberately destroys its thousands
yearly, and mains other thousands?
How long will society permit the de-
fective and degenerate to reproduce
their kind, adding new problems and
burdens for civilization to solve? Why
let ignorance and vice breed more
hopeless cases for our hospitals and
prisons?
What can the church do to help
the ''crippled"? 1t can aid in i'm
proving labor and housing conditions.
1t can further the inspection of foods
drinks and drugs. 1t can help care
for the sick in home and hospital. 1t
can help to secure better control of
cnmmpp hlo liSnoSnS Z nnp holm
to educate the community, till steps
are taken to prevent the reproduction
of the mentally and physically unfit.
the feeble minded. the epileptic, GER
tain classes of criminals, and others
whose children add to the bulk of So
cial waste and form n menace to the
wealth of the community"
The glory of the church is that it
pied folk. They are numerous too
and sometimes physically and men
tally fit. But they cannot endure
temptation. They fail and fall be-
fore the seduction of sin. If men
knew the church could help them
with its message they would turn to
its messengers. If its messengers
and members knew their supremacy
they would turn the world upside
down! For God giveth POWER to
the faint and to him that hath mo
might he increaseth strength" That
is our message of hope!
III. Persisten. Hinderers
Paul and Barnabas were engaged
In the glorious work of bringing help
to the weak. But the angry Jews
followed them from Antioch and Icon
ium to Lystra. They tried to break
up their good work. They melted the
multitude against them, stoned Pau
and dragged him out for dead.
Some people persistently oppose ev-
cry good work in the community
They are always. on the "off side. y
They will tolerate no goodness, nc
service, but their own. They are
continually stirring up strife against
christian people and the church. They
care not who suffers so long as theil
spite is satisfied They ought to be
silenced or themselves driven out
They have no right to cause strifes
sorrow, divisions, disasters. The
church and the cause of Christ are OF
far more importance than they are
They deserve judgment, swift ye
merciful decisive yet humane.