The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-01-25
THE STORY OF
CAIN AND ABEL
Sunday School Lesson for Ian. IT, 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

GOLDEN TEXT.-"Whosoeve 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 it as b. G.
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
Evil Eyil hating tn the G2od.-Psa ll:2; 1872;
e Mett The iS Aets ms s6s R Ps5 i
TO-. &c. 1921; 19:S-lO; Gal. 5;12; Phil. 2:2-4;
John 2lO. Show how loye is the cure:
that wicked one" q John 3:12), who was
murderer from the beginning" John
SAD: The reason OF the difference in the
cry unto God Jas 5:4; Rev. 6:10). Christ's
blood speaketh better things, or louder
than the blood of Abel CHeb. 1920.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
"The picture of Cain and Abel por-
trays how from the first opposition
has subsisted between good and evil,
between faith and seH-will, between
obedience and lawlessness. The two
brothers brought up in the same fam
lily, became the types, the one of sin,
the other of righteousness" -Ryle.
The Two Sacrifices, True and False
Worship-V 3. I'm process of time"
An indefinite note OF time. 1t prob
ably was many years. Cain brought
the fruit of the ground" The products
of his business, as was natural and
proper. "Sn 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 frstlings of his flock" Either
the first born, which God afterwards
demanded (Ex 1912, or the choicest
and best Job 1919. Cook. And
the fat thereof" Literally, the fat
ness of them, i. e.. the latest of the
firstlings, the best he had, or, as Dill
mann, their fat pieces the part to
be burned. "The Lord had respect
unto Abel and to his Offering" ut is
impossible to know in what way the
Lord showed his favor, but it was, in
any case, visible sign of satisfac-
ton. KEEL.
The Anger of Cain. D 1t was
against his brother. GU 1t was with
out good cause. CD 1t grew out of
envy and jealousy. (4) 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. 60 1t was against God CO 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
continual reproof
V. s. "And Cain talked with Abel
and his brother" Hebrew, And Cain
said unto Abel his brother after
which there is, in many of the Hebrew
copies, a blank space left, as if some
thing had been omitted. 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 in:amed. Others rep
resent Cain as asking his brother to
go away from the home into 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 the result was more
than he expected. we do not know.
Am | Ny Brothers Keeper?-Only
Cain-lke 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 influ
ence. No one lives or dies to himself
And God gives us wealth, position, in
tellect not for ourselves alone, but
chat we may be better keepers of our
brother Cd 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; CD by
considering their welfare in all our
business relations; ca by using every
influence for their good, doing to 9TH
ers in all relations las we would that
| hey should do unto us"
The Voice of Abel Still Heard
The blood that speaketh better things
than that of Abel CHeb. 1920. He
| being dead yet speaketh" (Heb. I'D.
Here is a fine picture of Abel's work.
He is living and speaking down all
the centuries one long triumphal
march, scattering blessed gems of
truth to all ages, like Prince Siddartha
in his fathers dream in The Light of
Asia
Gains punishment consisted Cd in
the strengthening Of his evil charac-
ter He added lying and selfishness to
murder. GU 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. go His life
work was failure. (4) He lost the
blessings of companionship with the
good. He was lonely, estranged from
his kind an outlaw. CD 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 hie Cain nict1Ires him 90