Passaic City record., 1893-05-13
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
MAY 21.
Lesson Text: EsAgainst Intemper-
ance,o Prov. xiii, 29-35-Gold-
en- Text: Prov. XXX,
Commentary.


Who hath contentious? Who hath babling?
Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath
redness of eyes?" The Golden Text tells US
that ''wine is mocker, strong drink Is rag
ing. and whosoeyer is deceived thereby is not
wise" Yet there are fools without number
who seem to prefer the woe and sorrow and
contention At least they prefer the wine
and strong drink, even though it bring these
things. The woes of Scripture against those
who have to do with wine are not few. "Woe
to them that rise up early In the morning
that they may follow strong drink that con-
tinue until night till wine infiame them
'1Woe unto them that are mighty to drink
wine and men of strength to miagle strong
drink" ''Woe unto him that giveth his
neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him
and maketh him drunken also" lisa. ". ii,
%; Hab H., 15). Then it is plainly written
that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom
of God I Cor. vi, 10), so for this life andthe
life to come it is naught but woe for those
who are slaves of strong drink. But thank
God for deliverance, even for those who are
bound with such chains, for the drunkards
and vile people of Corinth had, many ofthem,
experienced the power of the Grace of God
and become washed, sanctified and justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the
Spirit of our God q Cor. vi, ID.
3O '.They that tarry long atthd wine they
that 90 to seek mixed wine" This ls the
answer to the previous verse. Drunkenness
is invariably associated with trouble. In
verse q it is said that 1.-THE drunkard shall
come to poyertv' The story of drunken
Nabal and of Elah, who was slain while he
was drunken, are among the sad records OF
the Bible. q Sam. XIV, 36, SS Kings XVI.
8-10) But perhaps more sad is the story OF
righteous Noah who forgot himself and his
high calling and became druken, thus bring
ing great humiliation to himself and one OF
his sons and giving great occasion to the
enemy to blaspheme (Gen. TX, 20-25). Worse
- n,x,s a1vft Trto
drunk (II Sam. XII. 13). Surely every man
at his best estate is altogether vanity, but
what can be said Of drunken man except
that he has descended lower than the brrltes!
81. ..Look not thou upon the wine when it
is red, when it giveth his color in the cup,
when it moveth itself Alright. me K. '.
hassfor the last clause, ..When it goeth down
smoothly" Wine has its attractions and its
pleasures, but they are wholly on the side OF
self and sensuality when carried to excess.
There is no manner of use in making joke
of Paul's advice to Timothy to use little
wine for his stomachs sake (I Tim. v. 23),
nor in saying that the wine of the New Testa-
ment was wholly unfermented, forhow could
unfermented wine burst wineskins? But there
Is use in letting the word of God stand, and.
in all humility and teachableness take it to
mean what it says in its plain, literal sense,
unless it is clearly figure or symbol
Happy are those whose StomachS need no
wine happy those who prefer to let even meat
alone if need be, rather than be a stumbling
block happy the church that prefers to use
an unfermented wine at the communion
rather than put temptation before any weak
one. Happiest of all those who can truly
saw, ssNot l. but Christ, who liveth in me. "
32 Sat the last it biteth like q serpent and
stingeth like an adder" 1t is on the prin-
ciple of she that soweth to the flesh shall OF
the flesh reap corruption" (Gol. vi, 81. For
the mind of the flesh is DEATH (Rom viii, 6
r. W. The flesh will manifest itself in
greater or less degree in some or all of the
works named in Gal. ". 1921 and the record
is ''that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God" If man is
simply a natural man. a man after the flesh,
never born from above, he cannot see the
kingdom of God, but must in due time ex
perience the second death, which is the lake
of fire (Rev. Xxx, Is, 14.) Then shall he in
deed know to his eternal sorrow the serpent's
bite and adders sting FCretaSteS OF hell are
in mercy given in this life (let any drunkard
TESTIFY ii perchance men may repent and so
escape the lake of fire.
80. ''Thine eyes shall behold strange
women, and thine heart shall utter perverse
things" Woman in Scripture is the type Of
the very best and the very worst. The church
is spoken of as chaste virgin, espoused to
Christ and as bride adorned for her hus-
band I'll Cor. 2 !; Rev. xxi, D, while all that
is vile and false is described as woman
seated upon a scarlet colored beast, full Of
names of blasphemy (Rev. xxi, -. The
strange woman is described in verses 27, %,
of this chapter, and more fully in chapter ",
3-5 vi, 24-26. The way to be saved from
destruction is to give heed to verse 26, MY
son, give me thine heart and let thine heart
observe my ways" Not only do we need to
be kept from uttering perverse things, but we
need to be kept from foolish thoughts, for the
thought of foolishness is sin Chapter xiv,
81. And since we are not sufficient to think
anything as of ourselves, how utterly help
less in our condition, but our sufficiency is of
God (II Cor. Ill, 81.
"a. ''Yea, thou shalt be SIS he that lieth
down in the midst of the sea or as he that
lieth upon the top of mast. Dangerous
positions surely. Such a one might say. in
deed, what David thought was true OF him.
self, There is but step between me and
death 0 Sam. Xxx, 81. When we know that
death shall usher US into the presence of the
King, that to die is gain and to depart is to
be with Christ, then indeed one has no cause
to fear that enemy. But if ones sorrow have
already begun through wine and women, on
the edge of what fearful precipice does such
one stand But the figure is that of one
asleep in danger. This is more fearful still,
for If one is only awake there is some hope of
escape, but what hope can there be for Sam
son asleep in the lap Of Delilah.
80. ''They have striken me, shalt Thou say,
and was not sick they have beaten me, and
felt it not. When shall / awake? 1 will seek
it yet again. Refusing to receive correction,
they make their faces harder than rock and
refuse to return (Jer. v, 81. They say come
and we will fill ourselves with strong drink,
and tomorrow shall be as this day and much
more abundant Qsa. lvi., 49, Of such it will
doubtless become true, HE that being often
reproved, hardeneth his neck shall suddenly
be destroyed, and that without remedy"
prov. xxx, u. And yet God is not willing
that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance. He has no pleasure in
the death of the wicked, but cries imploring-
ly, Turn ye, turn ye why will ye die (II Pet.
ill.,, 9 Ezek. xxxiii., 1I? How deceitful and
desperately wicked is the human heart =
Lesson Helper.