The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-03-22
WOES OF
DRUNKENNESS
Sunday School Lesson for March "A, 1907
Specially prepared Cor ibis paper



wine take away the helrt"-ll0sca f.li.
TIME.-About b. g.. 11. two OF three
years after tine tragic end of the north
eru kingdom. D.. o. ~
PLACE. Prophecy was spoken no
Jerusalem 90 Jews there. hni Win part
reference 20 samaria aud the northern
! kingdom.
Comment and Suggestive Thought
A Terrible object Lesson.-Ns IA.
The Prophet. seeing the danger threat
ening his own nation from their nm
righteousness. urged them to look be
yond the walls Of Jerusalem over to
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-Assyra on the northeast and
Egypt ON the southwest Neither
could reach the other without goine
through Palestine Each wanted this
narrow intermediate country, both a.
a defense against the other and as q
safe place where they could gather
their forces for attack. The Assyrians
from the north were at this time IN
northern Israel trying 20 capture Sa
maria and devastating the country
Jerusalem, a strong fortress, a very
Gibraltar rarely captured. and outside
Of the great highways between the
two great nations, felt safe. Egypt
was making overturcs TO Judea, and
the latter had made an agreement
with them, which the prophet calls a
covenant with death and an agree
ment with hell or the grave because
It 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 (EgypD. while the open treaty
with the northern (Assyrial was still
in force" II was a covenant that
came from moral death. and was Ger.
tain 10 lead 10 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 lntemper
ance-The moral scourge was the rea
son for the material desolatlon Here
as elsewhere. there were two sources |
Of wealth The God-giyen wealth was
from fruitful fields cultivated in peace. |
from focks and herds and orchards |
and from legitimate commerce. This
God-given wealth was blessed. I'll
reached all classes. II was possible TO |
all who were industrious. moral and /
economical.
The other source of wealth was the
spoils Of the nations they conquered
They gathered in the focks and herds
Of other lands They brought to 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
fshness, and crime. AS always, the
Cain-mark was on its forehead #
bore a curse in its heart. and 10
brought an atmosphere Of moral pois.
on. Il 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 fig the
crown pride" and the flower of his
glorious beauty. which Is on the head
of the fat valley"
Learning by Experence.-V. Z. But
they also. The people Of Judah, who
had been specially chosen Of God.
Note the effects Of strong drink por-
trayed in this verse. CD Erring, wan
dering into forbidden ways and places.
90 Even the religious teachers are
led astray. CD They are wholly abb
sorbed in appetite. CD They cannot
see things as they are CD They can
not Judge correctly. The whole life
Is perverted. "Have erred through
wine" The American revision trans
lates Reel with wine. and stagger
with strong drink" But Prof Willis
J. Beecher thinks the older translation
Is more accurate. "The point is not
that the mobiles and priests and proph-
cts present disgusting spectacles Of
but that by reason Of
heir convivial habits they take the
wrong road, commit errors, miss the
rail, lose their course. The older
ranslations are correct, err are
lut of the way are gone astray.'"
They err in vision" Strong drink not
,nly perverts the natural vision. but
he moral vision. Intemperance per
'erts the vision Of right and wrong,
he business judgment, the views Of
ruth and duty. Men do under that In
luence what they would not do in
heir right mind.
When Mr.. Joshua Bailey. of Phila-
elphia, was in London last year, a
Of the London Sunday
school Chronicle interviewed him on
he temperance question.
Does your conviction Of the evils
( alcohol influence you in the choice
+ workpeople?"
Il am glad you have asked me the
uestion. AS a merchant ! employ
lrge number Of people. bit they are
n total abstainers. II a lad
Tho comes 10 see me about situa-
on tells me that he drinks beer.
-arn him that be Is throwing away
alf his chances in life"