The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-06-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
lesson I'm the International Series
for June - I903-Temperance
Lesson.
THE LESSON TENT.
(Rom.us Ia.S-14l

terry, Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt rot
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Thou shalt not covet; and II there be aIs'
other commandment, Il is briefly cOmpr,
sended in this sayin namely, Thou sha /
love thy neighbor as thyseN.
10. Love worketh no i'll to his neighbor:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
II. And that, knowing the time. that row
II is high time to awake out of sleep: for
now is oIr salvation nearer than when We
believed
IL The might IS far spent, the day is at
hand: let us therefore cast off the works
of darkness. and let us put on the armor
OF light
1S. Let us walk honestly, as In tte,,!ay:
not in rtoting ana drunkenness, not In
chambering and wantonness, not IL strife
and envying.
IA. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.
and make not provision for the nesh TO
fulfill the lusts thereof.
GOLDEN TENT.-Let MS Therefore
east OH the works Of darkness. aud
let uS put ON the Rrmoa of light
Rom. I:,;I2.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURAL SECTION.
The law fulfilled. Rom. 13:S-I0
rms way to walk. Rprn- IL II IA
TlME.-A. ID. IS.
PI.ACE.-Corinth.'
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The People Addressed Epis-
tie to the Romans is his most elabo-
rate work. 1t is thorough serting
forth of the Christian religion, as he
understood it, arranged in the order of
experience. 1t begins with discus
sion OF the ways in which God reveals
himself through nature and through
the law. But AL men have sinned and
need redemption through faith in
Christ. Such faith leads To peace, to
freedom from the law and from bond
age to SIN. 1t is Gods gift TO men, and
those who believe have cause 10 be
grateful that they have been Ted by
God to believe, through the spoken
word which the apostles preach. Paul
had never seen most OF the people to
whom he was writing, though chap
ter l6 shows that he had good many
friends in Rome. The church in
Rome was made up partly of
Jews. and partly of Gentiles. It
probably was quite large, hayin e
different assembling places. but being
really one I'm administration. There
were great differences of opinion, how
ever, both in doctrine and in practice,
and Paul wrote in the hope of making
these differences less. Our lesson is
from the section on practical duties.
which includeschapters 12-15. The vir-
tues on which Paul dwells are sim
cerity, kindness, honesty, purity and
brother1y love. and the manifesto tions
of them which he advises are those
which Indicate forgetfulness Of self
and mindfulness of God and our fel-
low men.
The Law Summarized.-Th chapter
opens with an exhortation to loyal
citizenship, in the course of which Paul
bids Christians pay their taxes Tvs. Q,
Z. as wellNas render reverence to those
who, under God, hold power. The
word "ducs." which ne uses in this ex-
hortation. is the same in origin as the
word "Owe," with which the lesson be-
gins. and the opening injunction is in
serted. because of that association.
IiV VI SouITC. Hol
business debts. without which multi
tudes of people could not live, but is
against the too prevalent habit of liv-
ing beyond ones means and contract
ing bills with no definite prospect Of
being able TO pay them when due.
There is one debt. however. which can
never be paid. That is the debt of
love. The. obligation of love is the
same as the obligation Of law. and the
fulfillment of one OF these obligations
is the fulfllment OF the other. The
proof Of that statement is given clear
~ and convincingly in verses Q, 10. No
law can he mentioned which will not
be fulfilled if man remembers the
command to love his neighbor n him
self.
The Way to Walk.-"And this" re-
fers back to all the injunctions of
chapters 70, -. Some words. like
"you ought to do" are to be under
stood. In other words. what follows
is reason for acting in the manner
Just described. That reason may be
summarized by some such phrase as
"the urgency of life" Salvation, by
which Paul means complete deliver
ance out of the darkness and sin of
the world. is likened TO the dawn Of
day. In this full sense. salvation is at
tanned only in the future life. 1t be-
gins but is not finished here. In or
der that we may be ready for the ap-
preaching morning of Heaven, we
must awake out OF the sleep of sim
It is not enough to be awake in the
morning; one must dress before he Is
really ready for the day. So the cloth
ing of unworthy and careless conduct
must be put off and "the armor Of
light" must be put on. That phrase
suggests manner of living which is
not only worthy of the day, but help
full in doing the days work and over
coming the days difficulties. The third
step, when one is awake and dressed.
Is to go out into the day in such wise
as to appear worthy of the light. Rev
cling and drunkenness and impurity
and strife belong only to the night that
has passed away (verse 1G, sums up
the whole injunction. The suitable