The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-06-28
TEMPERANCE
LESSON
Sunday school Lesson fortune 80. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper


eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth. Rom
1921.
TIME-Paul wrote this epistle. from
Ephesus about A. ID. 81.
PLACE-It was written to the church
at Corinth, one Of the most worldly and
luxurious cities of the time. Paul had
lived and preached there for nearly two
years "a. d. 50. $50, and knew the people
well.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES.-Tem
ance and power: / Cor. 9:25-27; Hos. 4:ll;
Pet lib. Temperance and honor: Prov.
3l:5; 1 Tim. 3;2. 3, s; Tit. 2:2-4' g. Fem
2S:7; Dan. 1924; Amos, Sc. Temperance
and the future / Cor. 6: 10; Matt PAS
81; Luke. 21;34; Gal. 52l; Thes. 5;6;
Pet. Az.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Problem-Before Paul and Be-
fore Us.-The new religion that Paul
preached was. as was said of it, turn
ing the world upside down. 1t intro
duced new tests of conduct and set
up new and exacting standards OF liv-
ing. It banned as wrong, deeds that
| for centuries had been accepted as
proper and even pious. 1t is no Won
! der, therefore, that Paul, writing In
those disturbed times, was often
obliged to discuss questions OF con-
duct that perplexed the Christians
| themselves. Some of these were the
matter of a rest day, whether they
should observe the Jewish Saturday
| Sabbath or the Christian Sunday OF
both; the matter of divorce; the ques
|
should be required to become Jews
But the most generally perpleXlne
question, at least for Christians living
in Gentle cities like Corinth, was
whether they should eat meat that
had been offered to idols.
On the one hand, they should re
fuse to partake of such meats, because
Cd the practice had been forbidden
by the decree of the council at Jeru
salem seven years before (Acts
15:29). (2) Because the act was pc
culiarly offensive to their Jewish
brethen. CD To use the flesh which
had once been offered to a heather
divinity, "even in ordinary circum
stances, would be an encouragement
of the practice of sacrifice; much
more to partake of the banquets
which took place in the precincts OF
the temple itself, and on the scene OF
those licentious orgies with which
the heather worship was so often ac-
companied. STANLEY. (See 1 Cor.
S:9-13) ca There was especial dan
ger that the disciples themselves
would be led not only into the cere-
monial, but the moral pollutions con-
nected with idolatry. (5) There was
danger of leading into temptation
those who were not strong in the
faith, and of inducing them to act
contrary to their consciences.
On the other hand, it seemed right
to partake % The decree at Jeru-
salem given in Acts IS was intended
for special circumstances, and not for
universal rule. The letter contain
ing it was addressed only TO the
churches of Antioch, Syria and Gill
cha. Cambridge Bible. (2) There
was no essential wrong in eating such
meat "An idol is nothing in the
world" IF they abstained, they
seemed to say that an idol was a real
being, and so they gave sanction
to superstition."-F. w. Robertson,
CD The prohibition interfered with
the Christian liberty. and such liberty
is OF the utmost Importance to all
(4) The prohibition would cause a
great deal of difficulty in obtaining
meats for food. 60 Any unnecessary
burdens on disciples hindered others
from becoming Christians. (6) II
compelled the disciples. to keep away
from almost all social and civil as
semblies, and prevented them from in
fuencing their heather neighbors to
ward the gospel. CD Such emphasis
on matters not wrong in themselves
would call attention away from real
sins and crimes. 1t is always danger
GUS to lay as much emphasis on Incl
dental things, as on the great truths
and principles.
The parallel with the modern liquor
problem is very close in all this. The
evil of strong drink Families every
where. There is scarcely a trades
man but may be called upon to work
in the interests of the saloon. News
papers with their advertisements, poll
ticians with their laws, citizens with
their votes, artists with their pictures
poets with their songs, farmers with
their corn and rye, pharmacists with
their drugs. and even confectioners
with their candies-almost every ono
N liable to become involved in the
sin of the saloon. It touches. soon oil
late. every household. Here also. as
in the matter of meat offered to idols
there is the fear of driving men from
Christianity by appearing to be over
strict, censorious, and cranky" How
far shall a Christian go in conformity
to the saloon. and TO a society where
strong drink is such power? This
is an important practical problem fol
.. every one.
J Practical Points.
Eating and drinking are mentioned
meRely because Paul had been talkinl
about them; the principle he lay.
|, down here applies TO sN life. 9TH,