The Tupelo journal., 1907-06-28
TEMPERANCE
LESSON
Sunday SchoolLesson fortune 80. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper

LESSON TEXT Cor. 1o:2s-33. Mem
DRY verse, 81.
GOLDEN TExT.-'It is good neither to
eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything
whereby thy brother standardization.
14:21.
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 ca. d. So, So, and knew the people
well.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES.-Temper.
ance and power: l Cor. 9:25-27; Hos. All;
Pet. lib. Temperance and honor: Prov.
31:5; 1 Tim. SO, 3, s; Tit. 2:2-4, g.. Tenn
perance and wisdom: PROV. pol; lsa.
2S:7; Dan. 1921; Amos, Sc. Temperance
and the future: / Cor. 6: 10; Matt. 24:4S-
51; Luke, 21:S4; Gal. 5:21; / Thes. Sc; 1
Pet. AT.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The ProbIem-Before Paul and Be.
fore Us.-The e 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. 1t banned as wrong, deeds that
for centuries had been accepted as
proper and even pious. 1t is no o
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 or
both; the matter of divorce; the ques-
ton whether the Gentle converts
should be required to become Jews.
But the most generally perplexing
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
% the practice had been forbidden
by the decree of the council at Jeru-
salem V years before (Acts
1920. (2) Because the act was Pc
culiarly offensives to their Jewish
VI CIIlCil. toJ ~ uSC tHC hCoi "hiSh
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 &C.
companied."-Stanley. (See 1 Cor.
S:9-13.) (4) 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. 60 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
a universal rule. The letter contain
ing it was addressed only to the
churches of Antioch, Syria and Gill
cia.'-Cambridge Bible. ca There
was no essential wrong in eating such
meat. can idol is nothing in the
world" eff they %abstained, they
seemed to say that an idol was a real
being, and so they gave a sanction
to superstition.'-F. w. Robertson.
60 The prohibition interfered with
the Christian liberty, and such liberty
is of the utmost Importance to ali.
(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. co. 1t
compelled the disciples to keep away
from almost all social and civil as
semblies, and prevented them from in
luencing 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 one
is liable to become involved in the
sin of the saloon. It touches, soon or
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 a power? This
is an important practical problem for
every one
Practical Points.
Eating and drinking are mentioned
merely because Paul had been talking
about them; the principle he laws
down here applies to all life. "The
modern idea of some acts being re.
ligious and some secular is neither
here nor elsewhere recognized by st.
| Paul.'-Ellicott.
This principle of doing everything