The Tupelo journal., 1907-01-25
THE STORY OF
CAIN AND ABEL
Sunday School Lesson for Ian. ~, 1870;
Specially Prepared for This Paper.


LESSON TExT.-Gen. 4:s-ls; Memory
GoIDEN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES hateth
his brother Is a murderer. John 3:15.
| TIME.-Unknown, although Ussher's
chronology. which Is generally under
stood not to be correct. gives 1t as b. z.
PLACE.-Outside the Garden of Eden.
but probably In the same region, which
whole region was called Eden, near the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. The
1855; Prov. $50; Jer. Ills; Hab. lis:
etc. The C~ure.-John 1884, IS: Rom. 1879.
10. 16, 1921; 1850; Gal. SIP; Phil. 2:2-4;
! John 2:10. Show how love is the cure:
that wicked one" 4 john s:12). who was
a murderer from the beginning (John
$40. The reason of the difference in the
cry into God Jas. 5:4; Rev. $40. Christ's
| blood speaketh better things, or louder
than the blood Of Abel (Heb. 1920.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
1.-The picture of Cain and Abel por-
trays how from the first opposition
has subsisted between good and evil,
between faith and self-will, between
obedience and lawlessness. The two
brothers brought up in the same fam
lily, became the types, the n Of sin,
the other of righteousness."-Ryle
The Two Sacrifices, True and False
Worship.-v. 8. In process Of time"
An indefinite note Of time. 1t prob
ably was many years. Gain brought
the fruit Of the ground" The products
of his business, as was natural and
proper. can offering unto the Lord"
Jehovah, who had made himself
known in the garden, and probably
since.
v. 4. And Abel. he also brought OF
the firstlings of his flock" Either
the first born, which God afterwards
demanded (Ex. 1919, or the choicest
and best Dob 1S:13)."-Cook. "And
the fat thereof" Literally. the fat
ness of them, 1. e., the latest OF the
f%rstlings, the best he had, or. as Dill
mann. their fat pieces" thee part to
be burned. "The Lord had respect
unto Abel and tt his offering" ct is
impossible to know in what way he
Lord showed his favor, but it was, in
any case, a visible sign Of satisfac-
tion."-Keil.
The Anger Of Cain. % 1t was
against his brother. co 1t was with
out good cause. (3) 1t grew out OF
envy and jealousy. CA 1t was inten-
| sified by his own consciousness of be-
ing in the wrong, and the desire to
quiet his conscience by blaming 9TH
ers. (5) 1t was against God. (6) 1t
was violent, ill-tempered, beyond the
control of reason. CD 1t was the feel
| ing of hatred in the wicked toward
those who are better because they are
a continual reproof.
v. 8. "And Cain talked with Abel
and his brother" Hebrew, And Cain
said into Abel his BROTHER after
which there is, in many of the Hebrew
copies, a blank space left, as if some
thing had been onetted."-Bush. He
talked over the matter with his
brother. He went on in familiar inter-
course with him, and it was during
one of these conversations that his
anger was again indamed. Others rep
resent Cain as asking his brother to
go away from the home into a lonely
field for the purpose of doing evil to
him. "Cain . slew him" Whether
he intended to kill, or struck a blow
in anger, and thesresult was more
than he expected. we do not know.
Am I My Brothers Keeper?-Only
| Cain-like men ask Gains question. We
all are our brothers keepers. God has
made the circles of family, friendship.
acquaintance, race, humanity, so that
each of us has an influence in them.
and we are responsible for that infiu-
ence. No one lives or dies to himself.
And God gives us wealth. position, in
tcllect, not for ourselves alone, but
that we nay be better keepers OF our
brother. ID We are keepers of our
brothers, not by debating to them, but
by brotherly love; (2) by helping
them, as the good Samaritan. or as
the righteous in Matt. 25:31-46; (3) by
considering their welfare in all our
business relations; az by using every
influence for their good. doing to 9TH
ers in all relations "as we would that
they should do unto US"
The Voice Of Abel Still Heard
THE blood that speaketh better things
than that OF Abel" (Heb. 1920. He
being dead yet speaketh" (Heb. 11:4).
Here is a fine picture Of Abel's work.
He Is living and speaking down all
the centuries one long trfumphal
march, scattering blessed gems OF
A-..Al A. ~ o-1c J;9yN Drjnon Ciddortho
in his fathers dream in The Light OF
Asia.
Gains punishment consisted "a In
the Strengthening of his evil charac-
ter. He added lying and selfishness to
murder. (2) He set himself in opposi.
ton to God and his laws, changing
from the light of blessings to the evils
that are the necessary consequences
of defying Gods laws. 60 His life.
work was a failure. (4) He lost the
blessings of companionship with the
good. He was lonely, ~estranged from
his kind, an outlaw. (5) Remorse and
the condemnation of his conscience.
Practical Points.
The only explanation of the differ
ence between Cain and Abel lies in
their freedom Of choice. One chose
the way of life. the other the way OF
death.
Byron in his Cain, pictures him as
tempted by Lucifer to unbelief and re
bellion against Gods providence.
"Whosoever natcth his brother is 8
murderer Ct. John 3:15.)