The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-01-11

of going through il once year. 1t IS the
book of all others for lawyers, as well as di-
vines; and / pity the man who cannot find in
it rich supply Of thought and rules of con-
duet"
M. Guizot once, presiding at . meeting OF
the Bible Society in Paris, said: "We French
men have seen the fruitlessness Of century's
philosophical speculation, and Of merely poiitl-
cal constitutions, In rectifying our social state.
We have exhausted our wits, and expended
mighty energies. TO fit man for the duties and
enioyments of time. and we have miserably
failed. And why2 Because man was made
for eternity, and we sought for nothing more
than to fit him for the brief space he occupies
ia time. Let us. then. by disseminating the
Bible, from the first. begin to train man fOF
eternity, and that of itself will adapt man to
the duties and enjoyments of this earthly
state"
GEN., 1913.
This paragraph presents to us heart ps. for
NAL Worship. Christ's death is the essence OF
religion.
We get from the lesson the account of the
Altar.
Murder.
Fratrcide.
First I Religious persecution.
Death.
Martyr.
Candidate for Paradise.
Our last lesson closed with the 18th verse Of
Chapter 3. Then follow the accounts of the
naming of Eve the clothing of Adam and wife,
the expulsion from Eden, the birth Of Cain
and Abel. twins. probably, Cain being the oldest.
1t would DO interesting to know the interval
between the fall of Adam and Eve and the
murder of Cain. Cain seems not to have mar
ried till after the homicide. ". I'D Cain
being the eldest, we may infer Abel was also
without wife. Hence, we presume the youth
ft,Ip of bnth s3afa ha
time from the expulsion from the garden to
the birth Of Cain and Abel. So we have not
the data by which to tx the age of either. We
know the two had become quite in years before
the birth of Seth IS: -. for the murder pre-
coded that event. and we learn Seth was born
in the year 100 A.. M, From :25 we find
Seth represented as a son given Eve to replace
Abel. We may believe this followed soon after
the murder. Eve was then L30 years cid. e.: 81
We may perhaps safely put the murder in the
year 1913 A. NJ. But, if Cain and his brother
were born in the year 2, we can hardly put the
murder mnch beyond the year 20 to 30. Still,
when men lived to be nearly LOGO years old,
persons would be quite youthful at 129.
We cannot state the time between the offer
ing of the sacrifices of the two brothers and
the murder of Abel. The occasion of the
homicide was apparently the difference be-
tween the sacrifices. 1t was probably while
Cain was under the in uenee of the anger then
stirred up that the fatal blow was given. And
God appeared to Cain in punishment probably
not long after the deed OF murder We may
suppose the two sacrifices offered on the same
ueighboriDg affairs. "A tfi c6nceives and gen.
orally represents the two affairs not far from
side to side.
Tradition locates the homicide at Damascus.
and even derives the name of that place from
Hebrew root meaning sack full of blood, az
though the city derived its name from the frat
riPi cd ont of
field, at the spot chosen place of worship,
and many understand it was the day ap.
pointed for rest and worship, practically OH cur
Sunday.
Cain seems to have been farmer, while
Abel was shepherd.
The trouble originated from the difference of
the sacrifices of the two brothers. When God
prom sed our first parents Savior g.: 15), it is
probable he instituted worship by sacrifices
pointing to the coming of the Savior. These
would be of two classes vegetable and animal.
1t would seem Gains was defective in being
only of grains, fruits, ETC. Heb, II: A, shows
his sacrifice was acceptable as far as it went;
that Ahsl brought more Of asacri fee than Cain
did--thst Abel brought what Cain did and
more too. 1t would strike US Cain thanked
God for physical blessings while Abel rendered
gratitude for physical and atOning blessings
A snless being could present Gains Offering,
bnt Abel worshIped as a sinner, shedding
blood typical of Christ's death. Cain in a sense
ignored our Savior, denied him. Cain simply
returned gratitude, while Abel besought for.
giveness.
Other reasons have been given to account for
Gains Offering not equaiing Abes in accept
ance; e. g., AbePs more valnable-Abel's
was presented in faith while Gains was per-
functoTy-Abeps was cheerful service Gains
tardy and reluctant-Abeps was choice, the
best. first fruits and firstlings. st. Cyril de-
ciares Cain retained the plump ears of corn
and other grains, and the spotless luscious ap-
plies, but offered to God shriveled grains and
worm -eaten fruits. In early days preachers
were in the habit Of citing the case of Cain in
illustrating the mean conduct of some (so-call-
ed) Christians who gave to the church sums of
money cOntemptuous in amount, while they
bestowed ample expenditure on dress, style,
equipage. etc.
Some hold that Gains defect was in not rec
ognizng the law of tithing. What st. Paul
says Heb, IL: Al lends some support to this
view. The Septuagent rendering helps this
ex EXPLANATION. Rev. Francis Granger strongly
argues in this line. Hugo de s. Victore. in
comments on Al, says: "God taught Adam
how to worship Him. and Adam taught his
sons to give tithes and first fruity."
Views as to how God showed appreciation
of Abel's sacrifice and dispieasure at Gains
1. God sent fire down and consumed AbePs
but withheld such approval of Gains. 2. God
ceptance of Abel's and declension of Cain's
3. LANCE thinks that God made his choice of
AbeFs Gains known by some physical or
visible indication. The fifth verse shows the
approval of God became apparent in some man
ner. y 4T
Views to his countenance fell" /. He
began evil plottIngs. The attitude indicates
this. tLange and VipeeDt.) 2. He showed
guilt "a. b. p. Tilotsop.tI 3. Intense hatred
became apparent. tKitto and Rev. John Hail.
ID. d. A. Burkhardt says. This is the pos
ture of one darkly brooding, and prevails TO
this day ia the East las sign of evil plot
tings"
Him" in VT probably refers to sin. There
is no neuter pronouni in Hebrew. If Cain
would not reform he would become the ring
leader in evil-a master of sin-such a sinner
as seemingly to have control over sin and to
lead it. Sin would look up TO him and ac-
knowledge Cain as its manager.
Blood in " 10 is persoAiied and represen-
ted as havinga voice and crying. All righteous
bloodshed shall be avenged. This is Gods
law. So, wherever spilled. God shall be pres
ent to punish. He knows all things at the
moment of occurrence. Blood ia never shed
without attracting his attention. Such blood
then in sense always cries out 10 God. 1t is
natural to represent mnrderous blood as though
addressing God. because the result is the same
as in the ease of a successful appeal. God
comes one does when called. We speak of
crimes crying to Heaven. Says Eschylus:
"There Is law that blood once poured on earth
BY murderons hands demands that her blood
be- siied In retrihntion. From the slain
RI "a m 49, call nTn for