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| The Sunday School |
CAIN AND ABEL.
January 26, 1913. Genesis 4:1-1.%.
Golden Text: "Whosoever hateth
his brother is a murderer."?1 John
3:15.
HOME T)Alf-Y lURf.E TtEimVfiS
M.?Gen. 4:1-15. Cain and Abel.
T.?Jas. 1:12-27. Lust, Sin, Death.
W.?Heb. 10:26-31. No Sacrifice for
Wilful Sin.
T.?Jude 5:16. Judgment Upon the
Ungodly.
F.?Eph. 4:25-32. Grieving the
Spirit
S.?Col. 3-5:11. Putting Away Sin.
S.?Pb. 51. The Great Confession.
SIIORTER CTECIIISM.
Q. 34. What is adoption?
A. Adoption is an act of God's free
gTaee, wheTeby we are received into
the number, and have a right to all
tne privileges of the sons of God.
LESSOR OUTLINE.
Two sons and two daughters, vs. 1-4.
Envy, anger and murder, vs. 5-8.
The murderer judged and punished,
vs. 9-15.
LESSON STUDY.
The Time: A long stretch of time
probably intervened between the incidents
of the last lesson and those of
the present lesson. There is nothing
to guide us as to the length of it.
i uere may uavo wen nunareua or
vears.
The Fruits of Sin: Adam's and Eve's
disobedience bore fruit in the crime of
their first born son, and in the grief
which filled their hearts from the
death of the second son. Sin Is fruitful
of more sin, and sin brings wretchedness
and pain.
The Brothers' Diverging "Views: The
incidents related in the passage doubtless
covered a long period. There mayhave
been long and animated discussion
between Cain and Abel before the
former, yielding to his anger, slew his
rltxTifonita hmtlipr Thf> rmesMnn of
what was acceptable to God was profbably
much debated between them.
In Process of Time: A proper
translation would be, "at the end of
days." There is clear intimation here
of the Sabbath, the seventh day of the
week, whloh was the day appointed for
worship and commemorating God's
Testing from his work and his commanding
that the dary be set apart to
him and his worship. The Sabbath
rwas without doubt the earliest and
most familiar institution of human
hlstorv
A Family Qnarrel: Sin pushes Itself
into the holiest and sweetest of
all the relations of life. It has no
more respect for the home and for
home ties than for anything else.
Oaln, letting sin, like a wild heast,
pounce upon him, paused no more to
take his brother's blood than he would
have paused to kill a kid or a lamb.
Sin's worst ravages are often in the
home where the sinner lives.
The Seqnence In Sin: There is a
marked progress always In sin, and
one grows out of another, each becoming
greater than that which went
before. Here this Is clearly tVhoWn.
Trace Cain's whole conduct, feeling,
attitude, and see how one thing led to
another; sin, unbelief. Improper worship,
discontent, enry, anger, hatred^
murder, lying, Insolenice, defiance of
Clod. "When lust hath conceived, it
brlngeth forth sin; and sin, when It Is
finished, brlntreth forth death."
Natnral Religion: Cain and his
offering represented, 1n effect, natural
religion, the attempt to appease God
THE PRESBYTER1A
by what oneself can do. The fruit of I
the ground, the product of his own
effort and toil, was Cain's offering. He
thought it was good enough, lit was
the expression of hiB relief in himself
and of his conviction that what he
himself had done or made would atone
for his sin, if he had any sin. He did
not believe in the need of a vicarious
sacrifice. Faith had no place in his
creed. His worship of God was hollow.
He had no sense of erin.
Atonement by Blood: "Without shed- ,
ding of blood is no remission." The
heel of the woman's seed must be ?
bruised, in the act of his crushine the
Serpent's head. The skins of animals
slain in sacrifice covered the nakedness
of Adam and Eve. God showed them
that great principle at the very beginning.
Cain's offering corresponded to
the fig-leaves of the Garden, Abel's to
the skins with which God covered their
parents. "The life of the flesh is in the
blood ... it is the blood that ,
maketh an atonement for the soul." A ,
life was required for a life. Abel undoubtedly
saw the principle involved ,
here. The Word of God tells us, in the j
Epistle to the Hebrews, that "by faith
Abel offered unto God a more excellent ,
sacrifice than Cain." Faith in the at- ,
oning blood of Chrisft, prefigured by ,
t.h? hlnod of nnimnls ?nrriflr?1 to flo/1
by his own appointment, made the (
difference between Cain's and Abel's (
offerings. ,
Sin Lieth at the Door: This Is the
first record in the Bible of the word ,
"sin." And this first use of the word i
is significant. It represents sin as a i
ravenous beast, lying at the very door
of the soul, ready to spring upon and i
devour it. "The devil, as a roaring i
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour," alert, eager, hungry, wild,
uncaged, uti tameable. But, though
this Tavenous beast desires to possess
the soul, "thou shalt rule over It."
Self-command, resistance of temptation,
fighting in the name of Christ, are
possible, and with them victory. "Resist
the devil, and he will flee from
you." Of all the figures used to tell of
the power and danger of sin, that used
here is perhaps the most forceful and
striking.
Am I My Brother's Keeper? As
Cain asked it, the words do not contain
an inquiry, hut an insolent repudiation
of responsibility and a defiance
of God. Cain toad already
snnken the lie. assertinc that, he knaro
not where his brother was. It was also
a heartless speecli thai fell from his
Hps. It indicated that he did not care.
It was not more heartless, however,
than the attitude which we often take
towards our fellowmen, when we refuse
or neglect to give them tho cospol.
the way of life. Their b! k>.' will
be upon na as was Abel's upon Cain.
"The voice of thy brother's blood erieth
unto me from the ground." Ezekiel's
declaration of the Word of God which
be was commanded to deliver, concern- i
ing the watchman and the trumpet, may
well be remembered here. We are re
sponsible for our brothers' blood If we
give not warnlrvg.
The Mark Upon Cains Under the
lashings of bis conscience and the
curse of God, Cain, went forth from
Eden convinced that he was not only
to be a fugitive and a vagabond in the
earth, but one against rwhom every one
would lift his hand, so that he would
Boon be put to death. Therefore, we
are told, God put a "mark" uipon him,
w.nai "we Know noi, umi wnouia db uie
divine token to men that Cain's life
was not to be taken. "Whether this -was
a matter of frrace to the gmllty man or
a part of his penalty by means of a prolonging
of his miserable life and sufferin
grs, we do not know; It is one of the ,
unsolved mysteries of the Bible.
Seek for the rlg<ht way rather than
for the easiest way.
N OF THE SOUTH
Young People's Societies)
EVANGELISM.
Topic for Sunday, January 26: Mis*
sion Work at Home and Abroad. L
Evangelism. Acts 13:14-44.
y DAILY READINGS.
.Monday: Native evangelists. Matthew
10:5-16.
Tuesday: God's gtflt. Bph. 4:1; 2
rim. 4:5.
Wednesday: The evangel. Luke 4:
16-19.
Thursday: Evangelism at home.
Acts 20:25-35.
Friday: The divine Worker. Mark
16:14-20.
Saturday: Results of evangelism.
Acts 19:13-20.
The word "go" follows immediately
upon the word "cocme" in the Christian's
vocaJbulary.
"Let him that heareth say, Come," is
[tie last command in the Word of God,
before the book is closed.
EJvangelism means telling the good
news, irn its (broadest sense it refers
Lo the duty of Christians in general,
not of any special class.
The evangelistic spirit should ibe in
every herald of the cross, -whether in
the evangelized and organized parts of
the land or in "the regions beyond."
A special set of men has been recognized
in the church in all ages -who
bave set themselves apart or have been
set apart as evangelists.
ThAfin mon a rn horn 1/5"
M.UWV U4VU Ui v nvi aiuo UL UIC V>I UDH
who labor In fields not yet organized,
whose business It Is to preach the gospel
wbere it has not yet been known.
It Is a modern and unhappy perversion
to apply the title to those who
Bimply go around and "hold meetings"
In the places already fully evangelized
and organized.
A large part of our Home Mission
work haB been accomplished >1x5* these
evangelists of the right kind. They
have been the explorers, the pioneers,
the blazers of the way.
It was as such that Paul and Barnabas
and Silas and Timothy, and others,
laid the foundations of the Church in
Asia and Europe. They left behind
tVl/Vrv. o Mnn 1 J -1 '
uuuiu a iiua vt uigauucu tuuruues.
It was through such workers, as
Henry Patlllo anid Hugh McAden in
North Carolina and Gideon Blackburn
in Kentucky and Tennessee that those
regions were made suoh fruitful iields
fcr our Chuich.
Time wou'd fail us to tell at such
men as Wilson and Baker in Texas, and
Sylvester Learned in Louisiana, and
Allen Wrighr among the Indians, who
began our own flourshiug Church in
those quar ers.
All these men were true "evangelists."
They went into unexplored
regions. They carried a pure gospel.
They were burning with zeal, and they
Bet afire thousands with whom they
came in contact. They gave a stamp
to the church which .has not yet (been
effaced.
There are regions yet to be occupied,
right ^amongst us, by the same class of
men. In Florida, J?uisiana, Texas,
Arkansas and Oklahoma there are wide
areas to which the pure, free gospel
has not yet been carried, and1 from
which the "Macedonian cry" is today
coming.
iTf \a IrnWtim r? rr?.n?
? w in nuvnu vw iiiau y tuav wiuixj ai c
In Louisiana several large, flourishing,
fertile, and rapidly developing parishes?the
same as counties in other
States?in which there Is not a single
Protestant church, and where idolatry
and superstition reign as much as In
"Mexico or Peru?
Pride, impatience and self-will have
caused the ruin of more lives than any
other sins.
[January 15, 1913
1 The Prayer Meeting
THT BARREN FIG TREE.
Lake 13:6-9. Week of January 19.
It is probable that this parable was
spoken to enforce the warning that is
p?i*cu All lUO VCIOO piCWVUlUK* 1 LI a I
veree teaches that impenitence, -which
implies unbelief, is the great sin that
will bring sinners under final condemnation.
Especially those whose privilege
it was to hear Christ's words?
his invitations and warnings, were
liable to full penalty for their guilt.
The fig tree was planted in a vineyard
where it had every advantage of
culture. The .Master of the vineyard
came three successive years after the
age for fruitage and found no fruit
thereon. He told this to the dresser of
the vineyard and directed that it be cut
down because it was fruitless. It was
worse than worthless because it drew
substance from the soil and occupied
space that might be used profitably.
The dresser of the vineyard interceded,
asking that it might be spared another
year and receive special care in the hope
uiat it might become truitrul. If It -was
still found to be unprofitable It should
then he destroyed.
As In many of our Lord's parables,
the Jewish nation seems to he , the
special Object of the Master's teaching
and warning here. They had enjoyed
many special advantages. God had
borne with them long and patiently.
The crisis -was ncrw approaching.
Would they repent in answer to the
final supreme appeal that he was making
to them hy coming to them and
V.I'tv.OO.1# m.ttV no VI.
lu^utujiug: iiunaoii witu uicui ao uio
own ipeople? They were to be spared
for a time that apostles and evangelists
might warn and entreat them. But the
time of their probation was short.
Special efforts were to be made to
bring them to Tepentence and faith and
holy living. Jlf they continued to reject
him and insisted on being cumberers
of the ground, he would reject them
and they must be destroyed.
Jerusalem, the holy city, would! be
overthrown. The cherished, elaborate
ceremonial worship of the temple
would be ended. The Jewish nation as
such and every impenitent member
thereof would be cast out to make way
for the ingathering of the Gentiles. The
Divine Spirit would not always strive
with these neonle. God had railed and
they had refused; he had stretched out
his hand and no man regarded, but had
set at naught his counsel and would
none of his reproof. The time was
coming when they would call and he
would not answer; they would seek
him early, hut would not find him.
This paraible is (pertinent to ill those
In every age and nation who continue
to be Unprofitable while having gracious
opportunities. They are spared
and are blessed with continued favor
while their unprofitableness is heeom
ing steadily assured untlll at last they
are confirmed in their apostacy and
seal their own doom. Except they repent
and bring forth fruits meet for repentence,
their time will he short and
their doom irrevooalble.
Ministers who "watch for souls as
those who must give account, that they
may do it with joy and not with $rlef"
often hold the place of the dresser ot
the vineyard. Their fears are aroused
that the impenitent within their reach
aTe about to bo cut down. Prompted
by duty and toy Inclination they intercede
that the oumberers may he apared
a little longer and every means used
for their salvation. If, however, there
13 no response the most devoted pastor
must acknowledge the Justice of
the sentence, "Cut it down; why cumbereth
It the ground." The truth applies
to formalists as well as non-professors.