The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1893-10-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
1DternatioaAl Lesson for October ., 1888
Redemption In Christ Romans

Especially Arranged from Peloubet's Notes.1
GOLDEN TEXT Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that Is in Christ
Jesus.-Rom S:s4
TIE COURSE OF THoCGHE-The subject is,
how men can be saved from sin They cannot
be saved by the deeds Of the law, for as mat.
ter Of fact they have all failed in obedience to
law. What have the Gentiles achieved under
the law OF conscience and of nature-,hese
Roman citizens whose glory Is in their Roman
law: Behold. for answer, the awful picture in
1:2l-32 But the Jews. exalted in privilege, with
their book Of the Law and their divine training,
looking down from this height upon the heather
have they become holy by the law? No; for
they in their measure break the law o: God
Is do the GentileS (cL2p..2). But Is there no adj
vantage in being Jew then and in possessing
the law OF God: Certainly (3:D. But if men
sin in spite Of this Law they are guilty before
God. and must be condemned By Him They can
see their portrait in their own Scriptures
(3:a19). AIlare under sin The whole world is
guilty before God. By the deeds of the law can
no flesh be justified before God Is there NO
remedy then: no salvation: Yes; God has pro-
vided q way in Jesus Christ, who mani;ests the
divine righteousness, who has made atonement
for sin through His blood; and by faith in Him
all who believe are justified, forgiven the past
and made holy in heart and life
LESSON NOTES.
The Need of 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 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 world;
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 every educated per
son in Christendom; under the power
of a law which IS still the basis of civ
ilized legislation; amid the triumphs
Of wealth and luxury. portrayed in
the terrible Indictment of chap. L: 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 says:
There are six indications of the moral
life of community, either of which is
significant; when they all agree in
their testimony, they afford nearly
infallible test of its true character"
1. As to industry. ''All honorable
one half the inhabitants were slaves,
wretchedly treated. The wages of
day-laborer did not exceed twelve or
fifteen cents day"
2. AS to social ha bits. THE accumu-
lation of wealth, in the hands of the
few, was as dangerous a symptom of
decentralization as the poverty, the ig-
norance and the moral degrade ton 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 az
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 honora BILE Chastity
had become perilous virtue"
4. As to the government. 1t was a
military despotism. The evils OF IN
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 Tiberius. Caligula, Claudius. Nero.
Nitellius and Domitian." The senate
was so abject, and the courts so corrupt,
that the people had in them no aid for
overthrowing the bitter despotism
that crushed them.
5. As to education. Such a govern
ment did nothing for the education of
youth. Rome contained nothing APP
proximating to public school sys-
tenn The ability to write well. if
not to read, was badge rather of the
servile than the honorable class
Education was confined to few per-
sons. and limited to few and super
fetal themes
6. As to religion There was almost
no faith in the gods. though temples
were built with increasing splendCr.
and established forms were scrupulous-
" 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 por-
tents and auguries. Religion had no
practical bearing on the moral life ex-
cept to degrade it. Worship and vice
We're not inconsistent" In many cases
worship ministered to vice
Inustrations.-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 the image which for the moment
aroused his superstitious awe. The
gods of Greece and Rome were but gi-
gantic reflections east upon the clouds
by Greek and Roman life. The gods of
Homer and Virgil are not only feasting
gods, but registering. bacchanaliao,
drunken gods. They are not only SEN
suous, marrying and giving in mar
riage: they are openly and grossly Ii
centious: adultery and rape are divine.
They are vindictive. passionate. in
triguing. mendacious. They are DEF
fcations of Ahab and Jezebel. of