Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-02-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERN LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR MARCH 3 M
THE REV.L w. HENDERSON.
Subject: Abraham Pleading For
Sodom, Gen. 1S:1G-33-Goldcn
Text, Luke 1871 - Memory
InrSNs IS.OH

| Sodom, Gen. IS:
Text, Luke 49, - Memory
Verses, 1926.
! Abram is now Abraham. And he
| is still a familiar friend of God. God
| yet appears to him and converses
with him, giving him comfort, in
! spiration, advice. God is his coun.
selor, and his JOY is in Him.
This lesson presents for our con-
sideration four matters of impor-
| tance, i. c., Cod s confidence in Abra-
ham; the consequences of communal
sin; the loving sympathy of Abraham
| with the sinners of q SHINING COM
munity; the mercy and justice OF
God.
God had confidence in Abraham.
He had delegated to him a work that
was to have it's influence upon all
time. And having summoned him,
God doesn't forget that Abraham is
in His confidence. Abram had been
selected by Him, and he had fulfilled
with fidelity the obligations that God
had laid upon him. Abram had been
faithful to his Divine commission.
Therefore God had confidence in him;
therefore God recognized Abraham's
right to know the Divine will and
to receive information Of the Divine
intentions The proof of this lies In
the question of Jehovah, Shall
hide from Abraham that which | do?"
Here God recognizes that Abraham
was called of Himself, that he was
! trustworthy, that he had a claim
| upon the Divine favor.
The lesson shows us also the COnse-
quences of communal sin. 1t de-
scribes to us the end of social in
| iquity. 1t is, in a way, a parallel to
! the stories concerning the conse-
/ Quences of sin that we have had al
ready. Sodom was 50 wicked that, to
paraphrasc verses 90 and 2l we may
say that the very walls cried ont TO
Heaven. 1t was sunk in sin, dead
, with depravity 20 all sense of de-
cenCy. its shame smcllcd to Heaven.
It's iniquity was grievous. And God
stood il as long rs His integrity
would permit and then He visited 4
righteous judgment upon it, He re-
moved its inhabitants from any part
in this worlds affairs, He totally an
initiated its earthly power for cor
! lUpllOH, 1lt NlICt l'iH Iltt'r' 'i' Wv
! map But in Lot waS Il remnant Of
manhood left, and only remnant at
. that. God saved the remnant,
Abrahams "pcradventurc' prayer
/ is remarkable for many things lt
indicates to us that prayer has u
proper place in tho life Of he man
who lives near to COD, that A0raham
had no proper conception Of the itII'
ness Of the character OF Cod, that irN-
plictly he attributed to J2hoYaA
hardness that was unreal, that he telt
that he was on such terms of inti-
macy with Divinity thai he could So
cure favor for others besid" himself.
! These things are perfectly clear rs
! we read the text and they need 10 en-
larging The most remarkable thing
about the prayer isthis that Abraham
had love for Siuaer& who were not
related to him by blood, as we'll as af-
fection for his own kin. It Is evil
dent, of course, that with righteous
Lot as the price he hoped TO strike
sharp bargain with Jehovah. Bat
back of that there lies an appreciation
of the love that GOOd men should
have for sinners outside OF their per-
| sonal acquaintanceship.
The justice and mercy of God are
here revealed. Abraham could not
ask more than God was ready 20
grant. For the sake Of ten decent
citizens He stood ready to let mercy
take the place of exact justice and
give the city another chance to re-
deem itself. That struck even ADra-
ham as a fair proposition. 1t was all
Ia IN I'IiInniIN
ten couldn't be found. Gods mercy
was va!ueless. The city is lost. But
with an exact justice that humanity
has not yet learned to administer,
Lot and his family are spared. Ills
wife disobeyed commands and she
was turned to salt, Lot and his
daughters just escaped 10 the NUS
and that was all. And a study OF the
precious trio will make one wonder
how even they escaped.
The immediate lessons are these:
We may all enjoy Gods favor and
enter into a knowledge of His mind,
as it is continuously revealed, If we
will obey Him. Except this land is
to follow after SOdom and the em-
pires that are dead, we must comport
ourselves in righteousness. Some or
the sin of America smells to Heaven
as badly as Sodom's ever did. Our
social iniquities, CLOSED with the re-
finements of an unprecedented civil
ization and protected by the seal Of
legality, are simply ungodly. We who
arc striving to do Gods will in the
midst of such conditions should pray
Gods patience with those who DEFY
Him. And however hard it may be
for us to understand, sometimes, the
mysterious way of God with His
world we must always remember
that He is iuster than humanity and
more merciful than are we.
These notes may assist:
VS.. is. blessed" CT. Gen. 1913.
VS.. 20. Cry" TIE cities are
spoken of as crying out to Heaven be-
cause of the wickedness within their
walls. Sin Cf Gen. 10.
VS.. 81. "Go-sec." Notice the
anthropomorphic language.
VS.. 23. Consume. The older
| Tsraelite philosophy held that a man S
| fortunes were always exactly propor-
toned to his conduct, so that ii man
suffered it was clear proof that he
| had sinned." This is what worries
Abraham. For Lot was measurably,
| in his time, q good man.
The mercy of God is the greatest oil
all mercies.