The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-03-14
SUNDAY MEDITATION,
A Study of the International Sunday
School Lesson Appointed for March
"a, 1895. -
Subject; Light vs., Darkuess-Conduct
Should Invite the Light. Ro., 10: 8.

subject: Light vs., Darkuess-Conducs
Should Invite the Light. Ro., 10: 8.
Zone reading these ueses shoud first carefully
study Che paragraph fforp the Holy Scriptures a.
indicated aboye.I
INTRODUCTION.
This paragraph is only an enlargement In do
taif1of verse Z" Render therefore to al their
dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom
to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to
whom honor" Here is cure-all for all our do
mestic. educational, civil, political, National
and international difficulties We get from
this verse the elemonts of success in all troub-
lous matters. What we want is spirit of fair.
ness, courtesy truth, mutual charity.
EXPLANATIONS OF PHRASES
I. Owe no man anything. VS.. This IS not
TO be taken in strictly literal sense. We owe
many debts from which We cannot escape.
In a sense, we were not parties even 10 the con-
traction OF the debt. We owe much TO parents.
Church. State society. Rev. Robert CollyeT,
of New York, once said, in an effors to inter
pref st. Paul's meaning: This refers to ow-
ing money or moneys worth. Now. this noble
caution, owe no man anything, has nothing
to do with borrowing on good security; for
that custom, it must be admitted, has become
a great element in tho growth of this Won
derful country of ours, and it is recognized to
be as proper as buying or selling in any
line of trade. Churches. too, arc frequent
ly built on borrowed money ; so you see
the church is no place wherein to question
the propristy OF the thing.
IF it were not for lending, what would
some poor men dof Why. / believe that the
angels sometimes look down with approval on
borrowing for certain objects, so / will say that
/ have nothing against sacred borrowing"
Life Is a sphere Of mutual obligation. The
Rev. DIR. r. r. Swope comments as follows:
"The precept to .owe no man anything APP
piled literally, would interrupt the free in
tercourse of business; but in view of the ten
dency of the age to indulgence in reckless and
unwarranted speculation, by which families
and friends are too often involved in ruin,
the spirit of tho precept may be dwelt upon as
a principle for Christian practice that debts
ought not he contracted beyond the sure
means for their discharge"
No man should owe rather than work. Often
We find man who would rather borrow
dollar than earn it. No man is gentleman
certainly no man is a Christian-who has
not feeling of independence and selfsupport.
To BIO in debt rather than be industrious-to
be content to owe with no effort to pay--to
have conscience about financial obligation
either is sin as well as shame.
The Bible rather implies men may borrow.
but il insists on payment.
The rule, however, should be to pay as You
20.
We have heard successful business men claim
that debt of young man for value received
in a commercial way is real blessing,
as making the young man diligent, econom-
zeal and persevering. 1T serves as stimulus,
they say. Much depends, however, on the
debtor. If the debt be too great there may be
dscouTagement. sh %
Let the aim be to be out of debt. The his
tory of Indebtedness should make one quito
afraid to contract debt.
The frugal and industrious can ordinarily
pay their just debts contracted in a business
way, but we can never get ont of debt in the OBJ
legations Of love- cove no man anything. but
to love one another Who can ever pay his
mother tho debt duer $50 OF many debts of
love. Who can ever pay to Christ the debt due
Him from us on account of bis sufferiDgs in our
interest on Calvary?
9. Works Of darkness, v. IL. Christ re-
ferred to such deeds in st. John, 8: 1921:
This is the condemnation. that light has come
into the world. and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light.
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproyed. Bnt he that doeth truth
comcth to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest that they are wrought in God"
Verses I3 and IA give samples of deeds Of dark
ness.
Tho following works Of darkness are emu
merated. They are provisions Of che flesh. ID.
In the first column the sins; in the second,
the verse containing the respective sins; In the
third. the commandment violated by each sin.