Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-06-20
The SABBATH SCHOOL,
International Lesson Comments For
June u.
Subject: An Hxhortaton to q Temperate Life.
Rom. Wilt, S.A-Golden Text, Rom. KILL,
I2.-Memory Verses, l2.l4-ComMen.
tary on the Days Lesson.

nosed that the apostle meant W Piohio
the contracting of debts on any accoune'
Christians are indeed under the nlgHcsI oD
legations 10 pay all legal demands Titno" ot
reluctance or needless delay ana WIN Hie"'
punctuality, and they should AVOID AVOID oil SaI
poa;nst contracting any debts which they
have NOT a reasonable prospect of DIS
CHARGING. They ought also 20 stand aIo0l
from ali adventurous speculations or rash
engagements, beyond their circumstances,
and whatever may expose them TO Iae
danger and discredit OF not rendering 10
ali their dues. Love one another. III
the preceding verses the apostle has pesn
showing the duty, reverence, ana oDedi-
ence which all Christians, from the high-
est to the lowest, owe to the civil magls-
trate, whether he be emperor, KING, OF
proconSul, or other state officer; here, &c
shows them their duty to one another, but
this is widely differnt from that Whlch
they owe to the civil government; to the
first they owe subsection, reverence, oDedl-
ence and tribute; to the latter they owe
nothing but mutual love, and those offices
which necessarily spring from it.
0. "Shalt not commit adultery, etc"
In this verse the apostle quotes from the
law as though he would say that the per-
feet love which he declares they owe TO
one another will enable them to fulfil cll
the obligations of this law. And what
ever he has omitted, which the law con.
tains, is all covered iii keeping the law OF
love. "Thy neighbor as thyseif." When
this is done in reality there is complete
ness and we keep the whole law. He that
loves another will not deprive him Of his
wife, of his life, of his property, OF his
coed name; and will not even permit
into his heart which
would lead him to wish to possess any
thing that is the property Of another.
The law Of love forbids the use of in
toxicatmg liquor, forOids its sale to others,
and will not permit us to assist those per-
sons who sell liquor to others, either by
lending them money, by renting our bui.d-
ings to them, or i'll any way giving them
our support and showing them favor,
10. "Worketh no ILL.," The law of love
forbids the doing of anything that would
injure myself or others. Where love
reigns the golden rule is praeticed and he
who loves, acts toward his neighbor as
he would that his neighbor should act
toward him, therefore this law Of love can
never work IL toward another, and thus
the law is fulfilled by love. lnterrpcr-
ance is the exact opposite of this. It
causes men to break every commandment.
IL. Knowing the time" The, nature
and character Of the period in which we
live. High time" That is, the hour has
arrived. ITO awake" How many So
called Christians are fast asleep! The
accursed liquor traffic is becoming power
full, bold, defiant; is destroying our best
brains and blood; is running our morals;
is undermining the Christian Sabbath, one
of the pillars on which our nation rests;
is filing the land with paupers, disease
and crime, and yet we sleep peacefully
as though we had no responsibility in this
period of completed and ultimate saliva
ton is nearer than when we first believed
We have only little time remaining in
which to work, therefore awake from tEJ
slumberings.
IL. The night" OF heather darkness,
ignorance, immortality and wretchedness.
Far spent" Heather darkness was
rapidly coming to an end. The full mani
festation OF the sun or righteousness in
the illumination of the whole Gentle
world, approaches rapidly. '"fhe day"
Of the delivcrance from evil, of true
Christian knowledge, Of purity, hapDi-
ness and peace, of eternal blcssadness lis
at hand" Let us cast off" The works
The Christian is obliged to renouncc and
cast off" many things. lie is required
to be separate from the world q John
2: Is, l6), and to touch not the unclean
thing" Cor G: II. "Let US put on"
There are some things for the Christian
to receive and accept. The power of a
living Christ living in the soul will be an
"armor OF light" In Ephesians G: ll-l7
we are exhorted to put on the armor
which God has provided for tho Chris
tian. Protection is provided for every
part but the back, which shows that the
Christian is never expected to fee from
an enemy. "Of light" Light itself IS
an armor. That person whose actions
are open to view, who does nothing in the
dark and under cover, is in a safe posi-
The armor of light" is bis protection.
10. walk honestly" Be decent, or.
derby and sincere in all department, an
example for all eyes to look upon. Men
choose night for their revels of sin and
superstitiouS doings, but children Of
ligh5 Tph. 6: ll.l8J must behave becom-
ingly. and live above such censure. CAS-
In the day" In an open way which
every one may see and know. "Not in
rioting and drunkenness" They are not
to indulge in revels where intemperance
in eating and drinking is common and
where conversation is corrupt. This was
what the heather did whom they so con-
d. lmed. This was not the thing fer
Christians to do, certainly. But they are
to be so fully engaged in pure life and
its duties, that the temptation viii not
overtake them and they be led astray.
The exhortation is strong for them to be
the examples to win those who indulge IT,
such practices, to life of temperance
and honesty "Strife and envying." The
very opposite Of love, but the result of
Sch practices as were mentioned above.
This eXhortation made plain the standard
of Christianity, holding it in contrast with
the heather practices. And if this epistle
should fall into the hands of the Roman
magistrates or others, they would see tho
purity of the doctrine of the Christians.
The apostle wisely puts everything to
prove the value Of virtue and the dark
ness of sin.
IA. put We on Christ" With.
out further comment on heather prac.
tees, the apostle plainly explains what
TIC arrnor. of light might mean. 1t was
plain to be seen what they must put
aside end this exhortation would apply to
a ! who might hear it. Jesus Christ sig.
rifles receiving and believing the gospel.
"The flesh" By flesh here we are TO
understand the carnal nature, the gratif
cation of which led to the denominations
j;st mentioned. Direct none of yor1
attention to the cravings of a corrupt
nt-ture, in planning to provide for its
gr; ;ification. Intcmperance puts OF
Christ and provides for the lusts Of the
fcsh. Christ is able to 50 cor2lete.v
cleanse, the heart from Gn and fill it with
love, that no principle of sin or desire
fQE sin will remain.
Remarkable Longevity.