The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-01-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.


y
IHE SECTION or HISTORY includes Gen
si.j
1i1E- According to Usher's Chronology, H.
&. 1913. one hundred and twcnfy-.,c 10 one
hundred and thirty years after the expulsion
from paradise. our last lc1son Adam was one
hundred and thirty years I'D when Seth Wa
born. which event Is ropes rfe3 as not long
after the death 81 Abel Again. Gains com
plant ~. ~ implies taat there was quite q
| population at that tine. cnd this would require
| considerable period
| PLACE Outside o. tts Garden OF Eden hut
| probably in the same region. which whole re-
glon was called Eden. nsar the Tlgrss and Eu-
| pirates rivers
THE POPULATION or Urx WORLD AT this
time, ono hundred and twenty-five years after
the creation OF Adam and Eve. their descend
ants might easily have numbered half a mil
lion. had their children married early as Is
the modern custom. IL was probably much
less than this but easily see how there
might have been vcmote people with whom
Cain could conc In contact
LESSON NorEs.
The First Two brothers and
Abel were probably the first two boys
that ever were born 1. Their Names
Cain means possession" or ''off-
SPRING" We understand Ewes ex-
clamation: II have gotten a man from
the Lord" as kind of joyful eureka
over the firstborn Of the race. as IL in
this seed Of tho woman was TO be req
lized the promise Of the protevangel-
ium recorded in chap. 3:l5 With each
child that comes into the world some
fresh hope is brought The name
Cain expressed this hope. Abel means
breath" transformers" and was
frir x.se Ii 4
pressing her disappointment connect
cd with Cain. or she was feeling tho
trials of her life outside of Paradise.
2. Their Agc.-Probably about one
hundred and twenty-five years at the
time Of the murder.
g. Marriage. -Brothers and sisters
must have married in this first age.
There is an old tradition that Cain
and Abel had respectively twin sisters.
and that the twin of Cain became the
bride of Abel. and the twin of Abel the
bride of Cain.
g. Their Religious Trimming That
they were trained religiously Is evil
den. from the fact that they worship2ed
God by offerings. 1t is not possible
that their parents could have forgotten
paradise. and their communion with
God. and all of his teachings: or that
they could have failed TO teach their
children from their own experience.
Creation and the Creator, innocence,
temptation. sin and its consequences,
the hope of Gods mercy and the prom
Use that accompanied the punishment.
the longing for renewed communion
with God, holiness. and paradise re-
gained. must have beer fruitful themes
in their home training. Their bring
ing offerings implied some place and
mode Of public worship. ! cannot sec
how these early men could have learn
cd that there was only one God, unless
God himself had revealed it. 1t is only
within very few years, even since I
entered the ministry. that the scien-
tifc proofs of the unity Of God were
complete
5. Their busincss--In this early per
iod began division Of labor according
to natural tastes. Cain was a farmer
and Abel was shepherd. Food and
clothing. implements for tilling the
soil. and for some kind Of home, must
have been needed from the first With
ont doubt everything was of the rudest.
and these men used such stone implc-.
flcnts as are found now in connection
with the remains of early man. II
must have been some centuries before
metals were discovered and used f4:.a).
The Bible account thus exactly agrees
with the modern discoveries Of early
man; and the earliest bones OF men.
the tall Cromngnon men. agree with
the giants Of Genesis
G. Their harncters--They doubt
less had natural differences Of disposi-
tion. and vet not so great as to ac-
count for the results They had similar
training and home influences. hut
gradually. by their early choices. by
the working ont Of natural tendencies.
they must have grown very far apart
in character. The only explanation
of the difference between them lies ii.
their freedom Of choice.
The Difference Between the Offer
ings.-Therc must have been some es-
sential difference between the two Of
ferings or the Lord would not have
made 50 marked . difference in his
treatment Of them.
This fundamental difference was
expressed in various ways. as, for i'm
stance. Abel offered the best Of his
lock; but Gains Offering is not spoken
of in that way. lie did not give his
choicest things TO God.
.. The offerings themselves may have
expressed different feelings toward
God. The burnt sacrifice expressed sor-
row for sin, repentance prayer for for
givcncss. while Gains may have been
a mere formal act Of worship. q giving
Of something according to custom. but
without repentance or faith in God.
3 II. rs seems probable, animal sac
Fificcs were appointed by God, then
Abel showed his faith by making the
offering in Gods way. while Cain seems
20 have shown his want Of faith by dis
obedience to Gods appointment.
Lessons FROM THE STORY OF CAIN
AND ABEI~-From the first there
has been some communication be-
tween God and his earthly chill
dren. and this even after the
fall. Every soul needs divine
vr~.1as nfkovx~-sua vr~v. e..