Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-02-03
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON
Comments BY
Rev. Ernest Bourner Allen, D. D.
For Sunday February 6

For Sunday February s
Lesson Title: "The Spirit if Life"
Lesson Text: Rom. 8: 1890. Mem
orize vss. 16, II.
Golden Text: "As many as are
led by the spirit of God these are
the SOS of God" Rom. 8: IA.
l. A Four-Sided Motto
The golden text, / Cor. 16: 13, is
four-sided motto. Every man who
heeds it will make success of life.
Watch YET" This is a word of
caution and of warning. Men who
can't take advice are bound to get
into trouble. The old sign at the
railroad crossing says, "Stop! Look!
Listen!" 1t is better to be safe than
sorry; better to swatch your step"
:han to fall; better to look ahead and
consider. "Stand fast in the faith"
:alls for courage, for rock-ribbed
convictions, for faith in God and in
nan which cannot be shaken. "Quit
you like men!" Don't be babies
Stop whimpering and whining. Ex-
pect a mans job and all the hard
ship and danger which go with it.
BE Strong" Find the Source of
strength. Cultivate moral muscle.
Don't be satisfied with puny tasks,
puny battles, puny achievements.
Write this four-fold motto on your
shield for the year! Think of it
when you face bit of church work,
of christian service.
II. "The Man. more than Forty
Years Old"
The man on whom this miracle was
performed was "more than forty
years DID," 1t is harder to change n
man past forty than one who is.
younger. He is apt to be "sot" in
his ways. If they are good ways, if
he has been forming good habits,
then his fixed ideas and purposes are
an asset of immeasurable value. The
lesson of the impotent man is that
there is something which can be done
for men when they are past forty or
more, but God can overcome for them
this handicap.
Age ought to bring development,
not degeneration. Victor Hugo was
right when he said, "The wise man
does not grow old, but ripens." The
story is told of philanthropist who
invested 100000 in establishing
business ventures for men over 55.
They made a success of everything
they tried. The story is backed up
by the scientific investigator. In
quiry has recently been made into
the records of achievements of the
worlds leading thinkers and workers.
The work of 400 men, representing
every line, has been scanned. The
age at which they did their best
work is of supreme interest. The
average age at which the master
work was produced was so. No man
ought to limit his achievements. Let
the boys of forty take heart and the
youth of fifty lay hold. Let them
cry, "Up again, old heart"
There is no limit to what God can
do for the men forty years old. The
history of Romanes, Cough, Sam
Hadley, Zacchaeus, Nicodemus and
countless others can be repeated. No
man is set in his ways or so far on
the road to failure that God cannot
make Il splendid success out of him.
Let him take your life and try.
iii. The Dangers of Freedom
1t is much more difficult to be
free man than slave. There are
many choices to make, many open
doors to enter or pass by. You cap
always tell what sort of man you are
by the things you do when you are
'let CO." V. %. The early christians
went "to their own company" so the
Record says. Men do the same thing
today, when released from outward
restraints. They find their moral
level just as water seeks its level.
Some people go to the city and pat
ronize places they would not visit
when mt home. Mr.. Moody used TO
say that you could always tell IA
mans character by what he did in the
dark. The child in the school room is
tested when the teacher leaves the
room for short time! A young
man shows what is really going to
control him, by the way he acts when
he leaves home. He decides, for him
self, where he will go, what he will
do.
What blessing it is that there are
certain things which restrain us when
we are in moral danger. The mem
ory of mothers love, the recollec-
ton of verse of scripture, the power
r Ill