The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-20
CAIN AND ABEL.
REV. Or. COURT ON THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR IAN. q.

der, which Was Committed Without
Being Tempted by an Evil Example
and After Gods warnIng-Judged by
Jehovah.
Golden text BY faith Abel offered n
more excellent sacrifice than CAIN
Hebrews XII T.
Lesson: Genesis iv. 3-l3.
Exiled from Eden the first pair enter on
their lifetime of labor and sorrow. Two
sons are born to Eve. There may have
been daughters born before the sons. One
of the sons is called Cain-acquisition,
Eve saying, have acquired man from
the Lord. AS If disappointed with Cain
as boy, Eve called her second son Abel,
vanity. Cain was farmer; Abel was
shepherd.
I. THE RESPECTIVE SACRIFICES OF THE
Two BROTHERS. VERSES 3-5)
L. The bloodlcss sacrifice. (a) The
phrase ..in process of time Is literally,
'from the end of days" An interval OF
time is meant; but commentators differ
as TO whether definite or an indefinite
time is meant. A similar phrase Is used,
in Samuel xiv. 90, and is translated in
the Vulgate "fiom year to year" Why
not also definite here2 Why may 1t not
mean the regularly recurring season OF
worship--the weekly Sabbath instituted
by God and given to man for rest-day.
Iencrmant renders latter series OF
days." a sense that agrees we'll with the
weekly period. Some take ii to mean the
Thanksgiving day at the end of the
natural year.
Al. rosx ant mt
from the presence of the Lord"-there
seems to have been an appointed place OF
worship, where Jehovah revealed Himself
to His human creatures. (See verse 16)
1t would be quite in accordance with
this that Jehovah should have
taught the first man and woman
the principle involved in sacrifice, as
illustrated by the clothing of the SHINING
pair with the skins of slain animals, teach
ing them that the innocent substitute
would have to- die for the life OF the
guilty. When, therefore, the two brothers
approached TO sacrifice 10 the Lord, what
is 20 hinder us from believing that they
came together mt set time, at
set place, for set purpose,
even worship by sacrifice, as taught them
by Jehovahy o. Cain brought blood
less sacriice-the fruits OF the ground.
OF the childhood Of Cain nothing Is said.
Probably anger and envy were traits OF his
boyhood that may have vexed his mother
when, in token of her disappointment
with Cain, she called his brother vanity"
(c) Gains offerings were fruits and
probably cereals--a Thanksgiving Offering
for the good harvest--an unbloody obla-
tion, elsewhere called IA meat Offering"
"meat" meaning flood" (See for its ma
ture Leviticus ii. 12-l4) The word
mincha, or Offering, although in
later times restricted to such offer
ings as Gains, is here applied to the
offerings of both brothers. Such an offer
ing might well become a sinless creature,
but scarcely be proper for one who con-
fessed his unworthiness as sinner in the
presence of n holy God, such as Jehovah
is revealed to be. Yet, no doubt, had
Cain presented it in love and gratitude it
would have been accepted for what it
meant-a thanksgiving service.
2. The sin-ofTering. (a.) Abel brought
of the first-born-the best of his flocks, the
maturest, the choice animals. Keil says
that the words translated land of the
first thereof means that Abel picked the
fattest of his firstlings and not merely
took the first that came to hand, while
Delitzsch says that 'the fat pieces" Of
those animals that Abel brought are
meant--"thus depriving himself in Gods
honor of the first and the best" Either
view shows Abels care TO give of the very
best that he had unto God. He would not
insult God by giving of his worst, as some
did afterwards, when they offered blind,
lame, sick and torn animals in service to
God. They were lambs without blemish
that Abel offered in sacrifice TO Jehovah,
at ono n type of Christ and an example
TO us TO give our best unto God. (Be sure
to read Leviticus xii 20, "a; Deuter. XIV.
2l: Nehem. v. IA, 10; Malachi !. 8, 13) (b)
The Dean of Canterbury while taking
the modern rationalistic view that Abel
knew nothing of the later view Of sacri-
| fees as vicarious, says that abel may
| also have shown deeper faith in the
| promised Deliverer by Offering an animal
sacrifice: and certainly the acceptance of
| his sacrifice quickened among men the be-
| lief that the proper way OF approaching
| God was by the death of victim" tc)
| Light is thrown on Abel's sacri-
| flee by the statement, i'm Hebrews
| XII A. that Abel's sacrifice was i'm itself a
"more excellent sacrifice" than that of
| Cain. Something i'm the sacrifice, not
better. Whence has the universal prac-
| tce of sacrifice originatedY is il because
! of mans invention or Gods prescription
| That it is everywhere the same points TO a
| Irvine command a. first. God invented
sacrifice i'm Eden, as we have seen, in
/ clothing with SKINS the SHINING pair.
| Abel follows the revealed precept, offers n
| dying lamb, confessing that the sacricer
deserves to die but that God, In mercy,
| appoints and accepts substitute. 1.-The
| fact that he offered more abundant
sacrifice shows fuller sense Of the claims
| OF God, ;" as Westcott says.
| 3. The bleeding sacrifice accepted. (a.)
Jehovah-the covenant of God as
Redeemer--is the umpire as 20 which
sacrifice was the better one BY some
sign lie would show His pleasure or dis
| pleasure. Many writers suppose that the
sign was fire, coming down from heaven
and consuming Abcls sacrifice, as in the
case of Elijah. This, however. is only a