Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-10-04
HE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for October =. 1870:
Redemption In Christ Roman

III
Jesus. Rom. SPA
TIE Co--sE OF THOUGHT. The subject ia
how mon can be saved from sin. They cannot
be saved by the deeds OF the law. for as a mat
ter OF fact they have all failed in obedience 20
law. What have the Gentilcs achieved under
the law OF conscience and OF naturc-thesc
Roclan citizens whose glory IS IN their Roman
law Behold, for answer. the awful picture in
i:2i-3e. But tho Jews. exalted in privilege with
their book OF the law and their divine training
looking down from this height upon the heather
-havc they become holy by the lawY No; for
they in their measure break the law of God
as do the Gcntilcs (chap p. But Is there no I'd
vantage In being a jew then. and In possessing
the law OF Godi Certainly C3:D. But II men
sin In spite OF this law they are guilty before
God and must be condemned by Him. They can
see their portrait I'm their own Scriptures
t3:eie). All are under sin. The whole world r.
guilty before God. by the deeds OF the law can
no flesh be justified before God l. there no
remedy then; no salvationi Yes God has pro
yidcd a way In Jesus Christ. who mauitests the
diyin" Righteousness, who has made atoncment
for sin through His blood and by faith In Him
all who believe are justified. forgiven tho past
and made holy IN heart and life
LESSON NOTES
The Need OF "A Way OF Salvation.
Ever since the fall OF man God had
been working in two parallel lines for
his redemption-one with the Gentiles
through conscience and natural law,
the other with the Jews through "A di.
vine revelation and training
First, the Gentiles. The moral con.
dition OF the Roman empire, amid the
glory of its military achievements that
made Rome the mistress of the worlds;
In the height of its intellectual SUI.
premacy, producing works which have
aided the education of the world for
eighteen centuries, and are still part
OF the training of ever Y educated per
son in Christendom; under the power
of law which Is still the basis of civ
ilised legislation; amid the triumphs
OF wealth and luxury,-is portrayed in
the terrible indictment Of chap. 1: 21-32,
which the contemporary literature of
the day fully confirms, as do the start
ling revelations from the ruins of
Pompeii. DR. Lyman Abbott saws:
There are six indications of the moral
life of community, either of which is
significant; when they all agree in
their testimony, they afford a nearly
infallible test OF it's true character"
l. As 20 industry. "All honorable
industry was dishonorable in Rome;''
one half the inhabitants were slaves,
wretchedly treated. THE wages of a
day-laborer did not exceed twelve or
fifteen cents a day"
.. As to social habits. 'The accumu-
lation of wealth, in the hands of the
few, was as dangerous symptom of
decentralization as the poverty, the ig-
norance and the moral degradation of
the many" The excuses of lust can
only be suggested by saying that
they paralleled the excuses of cruelty;
and these surpass imagination"
8. AS to the family. Divorce was as
free and as frequent as the most libidin-
GUS advocate of free-lust in our own age
could desire" Cicero repudiated his
wife because he was short of money
and wanted new dowry." "Prostitu-
ton became honorable" "Chastitv
had become n perilous virtue"
4. As TO the government. II was a
military dcspotism. THE evils of un-
limited power have had many tragical
Illustrations in human history, but
none to compare with that afforded by
the eighty years covered by the reigns
of Tibcrius, Caligula, Claudius. Nero,
Vitellius and Domitian." The senate
was so abject, and the courts so corrupt.
Tor
overthrowing the bitter despotism
that crushed them.
.. As TO education. 'Such a govern
ment did nothing for the education of
youth. Rome contained nothing ap-
proNimating to public school svs-
tenn The ability to write well. IL
not to read, was badge rather of the
servile than the honorable class -
Education was confined 20 few per
sons, and limited to few and super
fetal themes"
q. As TO religion. There was almost
no faith in the gods, though temples
were built with increasing splendor.
and established forms were scrupulous-
ly observed; yet the people laughed in
the theaters at the popular satires Of
the gods whom they worshiped in the
temples. Cicero and Cesar were both
high officers of religion, though both
disbelieved it, As usual with the de-
cline of faith, came the rise of super
stition and belief in all manner OF Dor
tents and auguries. Religion had no
practical bearing on the moral life ex-
cept to degrade it. Worship and vice
were not inconsistent" In many eases
'''''''ii 4 ~ lAAltHA'AN NA W VICE
Illustrations.-The traveller in the
Hartz mountains is sometimes startled
by gigantic apparition in the clouds
which are about him, until he discov-
ers that his every gesture is repeated
by thc image which for the moment
aroused his superstitious awe. The
gods Of Greece and Rome were but pi-
gantic reflections cast upon the clouds
by Greek and Roman life. The gods OF
Homer and Virgil are not only fcasting
gods, but registering. bacchanalian.
drunken gods. They nrc not only SEN
suous, marrying and giving i'm mar
riage' they are openly and grossly IL
centious adultery and rape arc divine.
TlHy arc vindictivc, passionate. i'm
triguing, mcndncious They are del
ticat.ons Of Ahab and Jezcbcl. Of
MachiavelH and Lucrctin Boiria. of
Henry VIII and Catherine dc Mcdici.
Well cried Ne-pasiau ON his death
bed: "Noo BE- mc. for am about 10 he.
SClGNTlFIC EXPERIMENTS.