The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-03-22
NNNNIlV~'-'-71"l-
WOES OF
DRUNKENNESS
Sunday School Lesson for March "a 1907
Specially pFspafed Tor this paper

wine take away the NfAlA' AA"'NtN f.tf-
TlME.-About u e. 725 two or three
years after the tragic end OF the north
srn kingdom b. e. 80
PLACE Prophecy was spoken az
Jerusalem 70 Jews there, but with part
reference 20 Samaria and the northern
kingdom.
Comment and Suggestive Thought
A Terrible Object Lesson.-Ns. Il.
The Prophet. seeing the danger threat
ening his own nation from their I'M
righteousness. urged them 70 look be
yond the walls OF Jerusalem over %
the northern kingdom and observe
what was going on and take warning.
First. The Material Observation
Lesson. Palestine lay between the
two great nations Of the then known
world-Assyria on the northeast and
Egypt on the southwest Neither
could reach the other without going
through Palestine Each wanted this
narrow intermediate country. both as
a defense against the other and as a
safe place whore they could gather
their forces for attack. The Assyrians
from the north were az this time IN
northern Israel trying TO capture Sa-
maria and devastating the country
Jerusalem. a strong fortress, a very
Gibraltar, rarely captured. and outside
Of the great highways between tho
two great nations. felt safe Egypt
was making overtures to Judea. and
the latter had made an agreement
with them. which the prophet calls
covenant with deaths and an agree
ment with hell or the grave" because
Il was. in the words OF George Adams
Smith. IAN unhallowed. underhand in-
trigue. accomplished by much swind
ling and false conceit Of cleverness.
"a secret agreement with the southern
power (Egypt). while the open treaty
with the northern (Assyrial was still
IN force" IL was q covenant that
came from moral death, and was GER
tain 70 lead 70 national death and de-
struction But the Jews seemed to be
blind to the facts and unconscious Of
their danger. as Jonah dreaming in
the storm that was overwhelming the
ship: and Isaiah Is calling to them,
Awake. awake thou that sleepest'
Second. The Observations OF Sins
and Crimes Fomented by IntempeE
ance-The moral scOurge was the rea-
son for the material desolation. Here.
as elsewhere. there were two sources
OF wealth The Godgiven wealth was
from fruitful fields cultivated in peace,
from fiocks and herds and orchards,
L. This
God-given wealth was blessed. Il
reached all classes. 1t was possible to
all who we're industrious, moral and
economical
The other source of wealth was the
spells OF the nations they conquered.
They gathered in the focks and herds
of other lands. They brought 10 their
houses the luxuries OF foreign palaces
and the garnered wealth OF conquered
cities This wealth was sudden. I'M
evenly distributed, from unjust
sources. connected with cruelty. sell
fishness. and crime. AS always. the
Cain-mark was on its forehead. IL
bore a curse in its heart. and il
brought an atmosphere of moral pois-
on. II was unblessed The natural
results on character and morals We
learn from Amos and Hosea and
Isaiah. Drunkenness. debauchery. cor
ruption. oppression of the poor. muir
der. profanity. lying. stealing, ran riot
The demon Of drunkenness was
eating out their manhood Samaria is
represented under the three figures OF
the first ripe, premature fg." the
crown pride. and the flower Of his
I glorious beauty. which is on the head
| Of the fat valley"
Learning by Experienee.-V. Z. But
\ they also. The people Of Judah. who
had been specially chosen OF God.
Note the effects Of strong drink pcr-
trayed in this verse. CD Erring. wan
dering into forbidden ways and places.
| f2) Even the religious teachers are
led astray. go They are wholly abb
sorbed in appetite jil They cannot
see things as they are. 90 They can
not Judge correctly The whole life
Is perverted. Have erred through
wine" The American revision trans
l lafpE Keel WIFI Nluts anu stdtktE
with strong drink" But Prof. Willis
]. Beecher thinks the older translation
is more accurate. The point is not
that the mobiles and priests and proph-
cts present disgusting spectacles OF
drunkenness. but that by reason OF
their cornwall habits they take the
wrong road. commit errors, miss the
trail. lose their course. The older
translations are correct. err are
out OF the way are gone astray
"They err in vision" Strong drink not
only perverts the natural vision. but
the moral vision. Intemperance per
verts the vision Of right and wrong
the business judgment, the views o.
truth and duty. Men do under that in
fuence that they would not do 10
their right minG.
When Mr.. Joshua Bailey. Of Phila
delphia, was in London last year, a
representative OF the London Sunday
School Chronicle interviewed him on
the temperance question.
| ..,vx4f.tfop NJ ne. e,-ffs