National Baptist world., 1894-09-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
international Lesson for Septembes
lS94-Daniel's .abstinence-Daniel1 1 Is 2

international Lesson for septembes 23.
1S94-Daniel's s.abstinence-Daniel 1:s-2O.I
Especially Arranged from Peloubet Notes.
t.oLDE3 TEx-.-D Daniel purposed in his heart
that he would not defe himself.-Dan. lis
TIME.-3. C. C05-3 The beginning Of the
seventy years captivity.
PLACE.-BabTlon. on the Euphrates, fve
hundred miles east of Jerusalem.
RULERS.-Jehoiakim, king OF Judah; NeD-
uchadneZZar. Of Babylon.
DANIEL.-At this time fourteen gears old,
born at Jerusalem, of noble parentage, carried
captive to Babylon, where he lived all tho
seventy years captivity. A great statesman,
a learned scientific man. a true prophet OF the
noblest character he lived at least till b. Q,
534. and died at the age OF eighty-tive or more.
VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION.
The Captives.-We learn from the
verses previous to the lesson that King
Nebuchadnezzar ordered that from
among the captives should be selected
a number from the highest families,
and such as should give the best prom
ise of talent and ability to be trained
in the language and literature of the
Chaldeans. The object of this selec-
tion was that they should be held as
hostages Four were selected from the
Jewish captives, the chief OF whom was
Daniel. The others were the Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, who after
wards were cast into the fiery furnace
and escaped unharmed.
The Temptation.-''Purp osed
that he would not defile himself with
the kings meat" What was the
wrong in eating the kings food? ~
The dietary might comprise articles OF
ha Of hHrPS.
ETC., which the law interdicted to the
Israelites Uev. g. (2) The flesh may
not have been perfectly cleansed from
blood, so as to be allowed by the jew
ish law Deut. 12:23-25). Jews, even at
this day, have their own butchers, and
regard as unclean the meat prepared
in the ordinary way. (3) The universal
custom among the heather of conse-
Grating each meal by offering a portion
of it to their idols and pouring out Ii
bations of wine in their honor. (4) The
luxurious diet provided by the king
would corrupt the body and diminish
| the vigor of the mind. ''Nor with the
wine" He has probably seen (D its ef-
feet on others; (2) the bad company and
danger into which it led. Probably
these were far worse at Babylon than
in Palestine.
Tempted to What.-The four cap
! tives were tempted C) to do that which
was debasing and degrading; (2) to dis
obey the law of their God; (3) to deny
their religion and God, and yield to the
popular idolatry of the day; and (4
thus to be recreant to their country,
and their nation, and all the promises
and hopes which belonged to them.
Temptation by What.-W BY appe-
tite The love of the kings luxuries
and wines. (2) By their ambitions and
hopes of success. How could they ex-
pect to succeed with a heather king,
when they were SO set in religion
which condemned him and his
conduct? (3) BY the kings COM
mand. Why should they not yield
as to an inevitable necessity
their very life might depend upon it.
! (4) BY the love of popularity Their
course would make them appear odd,
and subject them to ridicule, and bring
them into many troubles. % They
were tempted by their change of names.
(See v. S. Their own names were all
compounded with the name of God.
Daniel-God is my Judge; Hananiah-
God is gracious; Mishael-This is as
God; Azariah-God is a helper. The
new names were compounded with
those of royalty or Of idols. Daniel
was named Belteshazzar-favored by
Bel or Belts, the great Babylonian god
and goddess. These changes were
doubtless made as one means Of trans
forming them into Chaldean heather,
and to lead them to forget their coun-
try and their God
Note that the temptation is not
merely to strong drink. That is but
one of the strongest and most visible
of temptations. The temptation is to
every bodily appetite and every wrong
feeling of the mind. The question with
every young person is: ''What shall
rule? What shall be king and sit on
the throne of my heart?" Shall passion
and appetite control my nature, subdue
my conscience, guide my life and de-
eide my future? Or shall conscience,
and reason, and love to God and man
! control my body, and govern my whole
i. lower nature? What rules the soul de-
cides its quality and it's destiny. The
} only way to be safe against the tempta-
ton to strong drink is to subdue all the
bodily appetites, and make God our
, king, and his love our life.
THE DUTY OF TEMPERANCE.
/. One fundamental principle Of tenn
perance is not to deflc ourselves.
2. Temperance is not merely total
abstinence from all that can intoxi-
cate, but from all excess, all wrong use
OF the appetites, all indulgence in that
which defles or Injuries the body.
3. 1t is our duty to care for the
health of the body, because it is a
temple of the Holy Ghost and an in
strument for doing Gods work.
4. The advantage of temperance has
been tested by a multitude of facts
TEMPERANCE AND ITS ALLIES, THE WAY
OF SUCCESS.
l. Gods favor to those who love and
obey Him.
? 2. Good character, strong, true to
principle, upright, overcoming tempta-
: ton.
: 3. Amiability, courtesy, wisdom in
dealing with others
] 4. True religion that trusts in God,
and does right under all circumstances.
5. Diligence and faithfulness in
( s. fo,. L.