Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON m, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. 81.

r.~& n the Lesson, Gen. ". S-1S-Mem-
- v.,..s s-S- Golden Text. Heb.
n. <-commentary by the Rev. D. n.
stearns.
"And in process Of time lat the END OF
90 ~ r. came to pass that Cain brought OF
he frnit of the ground an offering unto the
rcr5n II is probable that somewhere
near the east of the garden OF Eden, before
the presence of the Lord, manifest In the
Gamino sword between the cherubim, was
Tho Mace where they came to worship Je-
hovab fEx. XIV, %; Ps. Xxx, l; xcix, H. IL
NAV he that up to this time Adam nao
leen in the habit of offering sacrifice on
behalf of his children, as did Job in later
DAYS Job i, 81. This offering OF Cain may
have been the best he had, but it lacked the
essential element of blood, signifying me
laid down. Compare chapter Ill, Il, Win
Lev. xvii, IL; Heb. tx, g.
4. "And Abel, he also brought OF the
firstlings Of his flock and OF the fat there
of. And the Lord had respect unto Abel
and to his Offering" Here is obedience, for
it is written that by faith he did this (Heo.
ri. A.. and inasmuch as faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the Word OF God
Rom. X. III there must have been some
command of God which Abel obeyed In
bringing this sacrifice. 1t is probable that
the Lord accepted Abel's offering by send
ing fire to consume it, for thus He did with
Gideon, Manoah and Elijah. and at the
dedication of the tabernacle and the tenn
nle (Judg vi, 81; xiii, 10, 90; Kings xviii,
"a, SO, 80; Lev. tx, "a; II Chron. vii. u.
S. But unto Cain and to his offering He
had not respect. And Cain was very wroth,
and his countenance fell" His offering lay
unconsumed; no fire fell upon it. 1t was
doubtless much more attractive than AbePs
bloody sacrifice and was perhaps the finest
the earth produced, but it was OF man and
not of God. There was no confession OF sin
and no need of atonement recognized-Just
like those today who insist that if they do
the best they can God will accept them.
6. 'And the Lord said unto Cain, Why
art thou wroth? And why is thy coun-
tenance fallen?" Although Cain is will
fully wrong, yet the Lord condescends to
| reason with him, and if possible win him
to the right way. He is not willing that
any should perish, and He seeks in every
possible way to lead sinners to accept the
| ransom He has provided III Pet. iii, o; Job
xxxiii, "a, 90, so; Isa i, is; ", q.
Z. IF thou doest well, shalt thou not he
accepted? And if thou doest not well sin
| lieth at the door, and unto thee shall be his
desire, and thou shalt rule over him." Be-
| ing the Oldest son, the birthright was his
and might continue his if he would only be
obedient. The word here translated 'sin"
is the word in Leviticus and Numbers 50
often translated ''sin Offering" If Cain
would only confess his sin and offer Gods
appointed sin offering, all would be well.
God has but one appointed way, and where
| that is rejected there is no forgiveness
(Acts iv, ~; l Cor. iii. ~. All religions in
| in the world will come under that of Cain
Or Abel. Cain represents mans way and
| will include all the ways of men. Abel
stands for Gods way, and it is but one and
very simple. Jesus said, II am the way
| John xiv, ". ot 4
| s. ''And Cain talked with Abel, his
brother, and it came to pass when they
were in the field that Cain rose up against
| Abel his brother, and slew him." Here
are the two seeds. the seed of the woman
and the seed Of the serpent, for although
both could call Eve mother and Adam
| father the one stands for the righteous
and the other for the wicked. All are not
children of God, for many religious people
who profess to worship God are all the
while children of the devil John viii, AZ.
| Cain was of the wicked one and slew his
| brother because his own works were evil
and his brothers righteous ..r
| 8. "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where
| is Abel. thy brother? And he said know
not. Am l my brothers keeper" How
sin hardens and deadens to all that is good
and true! Cain is proving himself a good
| child of the devil, for he is now both MUIR
I 4 To1,, T, - IL
| that any of us are guilty in respect of our
brethren in India or China or Japan or
| Africa? And as the question presses upon
us concerning their salvation, do we feel in
clined to ask, Am my brothers keeper"
or try to quiet conscience with the thought
that perhaps the Lord will let Gains offer.
ing suffice for them.
10. And He said, What hast thou done'
The voice of thy brothers blood crieth
unto me from the ground" All sin cries
| to God for vengeance Even if house is
built by fraud, the stone shall cry out OF
the wall and the beam out of the timber
shall answer it (Hab ii, ny. How much
more the blood of those who are slain for
Christ's sake (Rev. vi, 0, 10y. Another
| view of it, more in line of the last verse, is
| found in Eek xxxiii,s 8, where the blood OF
the unwarned is to be required at the
hands of those who know. but do not tell.
In Heb. xii, "a, we are pointed to the blood
which speaketh better things than that OF
Abel. Abel's blood cries for vengeance
and Christ's for mercy, or if it refers to
the blood Of Abel's sacrifice that was a
type of Christ.
II. "And now art thou cursed from the
earth, which hath opened her mouth to re
ceive thy brothers blood from thy hand. "
| This is the first direct curse on man. The
| first curse was pronounced upon the ser.
pent and the next on the ground (chapter
! iii, IA, ~. 1t is suggestive that the last
| word in the Old Testament is the word
course" We fly to Him who pleaded in
vain with Cain and rejoice that Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made curse for us, and we look for
the time when even on this earth there
shall be no more curse (Gal. iii. 10; Rev.
xxi, 81.
12. when thou tillest the ground, 1t
shall not henceforth yield unto thee her
strength. A fugitive and vagabond shalt
| thou be in the earth" Adam was told that
the earth would bring forth thorns and
thistles, and that in the sweat of his face
q L u y II