The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-02-28
! ABRAHAM PLEADING
: For S0D0M
Sunday School Lesson for March 3. 1907
Specially prepared for this paper.

sl ssssss
LESSON ThAT.--Gensis IS si6-33 Nom
Dry VtisrS. 2, 26
GOLDEN TEXT Men ought always
to pray and not to faint Luke 1871
TIME. About IL years after last les
son
PLACE. Tho oaks Of Memte at He
bron
SCRIP11'IihL REFERENCES Inter
cessoiy Prayer Ex 70 n. ~. $40. Josh.
7:s; Judg n: 2 Sam "a u. Kings 1928.
90 3S. 80. I Chron. 20 is. 10: 2 Chron.
i01S; lisa. 621: Dan 0-l7; Luke. 23:%.
Acts 7;G0' Rom. 1871. Eph i.l6-i9: Col.
/ .. Heb. 1920, etc AllUsons to Sodom /:
Dcut. 2a.23 comp ~ 3Y: lisa. 10: 39:
Icr 23:ii. t9.lS. 5O:4o: Lam &C; Ezek
i6'4G. u.s. SO. 55 Amos i:il. Zcph 30.
Matt ~ IS comp Jude I: Pet. 2.6)
Matt II "a; Mark en- Luke l012; II 20
commen, and Suggestive Thought.
In this story we have an example Of
ono way in which God trained the
world to know and TO realize that he
is in The world and knows and is con
cerned with all that II going on here.
Angels. one Of them being the angel
Of Jehovah" came in human form to
Abraham sitting at his tent door to
bring him n message Of assurance. and
to soc the great wickedncss of the
cities Of the plain
There is nothing improbable In God
appearing in human form in the early
ages Of teaching spiritual things to
men. any more than in his coming in
the human form OF Jesus Christ and
for the same reason. namely. to i'm.
press indelibly and vividly upon the
human race the reality Of the presence
and power and character of God. They
are object lessons teaching great
truth.
" has been q hard lesson to learn.
and many even now have not learned
II. that God Is a living power among
the affairs OF men. and participates In
them that the word is true. Are
they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to do service for the sake of
them that shall inherit salvation?'
tfIcb. 1:1D. and that he "maketh
winds his messengers. his ministers a
flaming fire" tPsa 1880.
Answer to Abraham's Prayer.
First AS in all true prayer. It was
by praying and the answer to prayer
that Abraham became closer friend
II God. became acquainted with him.
Thus We become acquainted with
others by seeking the same end, coun.
selling together asking and receiving:
rs n son with his father.
Second 1t was answered in the es.
cane nr Lot. the ono righteous man in
thc city He escaped. hut lost his
home. some Of his children. his flock
md herds. and all his property. He
escaped a poor. forlorn, seemingly
broken down man The poorest invest.
mCnt he ever made was in property
IN Sodom He was an illustration Of
nc Hnostle's appeal I'm Cor. 3:12.l5.
Listen to the angels warning, Stay
not in all the plain II is not enough to
20 outside OF the walls of the Sodom
If Migrant acts Of sin, open crimes,
nd disreputable and degrading vices
wi we must not stay in that region,
pni keep as far away from sin as
'osSihle. from thunghts of sin. from
'ocrpt sin.
listen to Christ's warming. remem-
her Lots wife Look not back Make
70 delay in escaping from sin Let no
rcgrcts al The pleasures of sin stop
yomr onward course to the place Of a
holy life and heaven
She did not merely turn her head
ana look while hasiing away. hut
stopped behind. and the fiery storm
and eruption of liquid saline mud over.
ook her
Third -Abraham's prayer was an.
swered in the destruction of Sodom
'0r that was essential to the promotion
# righteousness which Abraham had
most at heart. and also essential TO
he best good of his nephew Lot. God
)ftcn answers the soul Of our prayers
while DENYING the form When a little
child asks his father for the moon,
linking II briaht plaything, the
'ather answers tho child's prayer by
living him the plavthing which he
really wants. and not The moon, which
Ne does not want. for the gift would
rush him to death. Giving him the
| moon would not he answering his
| ravor
God wants all men to be saved,--
saved first Of all from their sins. for
| I'll other salvation depends upon this
| Te longs for sinners to repent He
lcsires with all his nature that all
men would so live that II may be pos
sible tn save them. But they must be
saved from sin and not in sin. There
| fore he sent his only begotten Son
The one deadly enemy to the coun-
~ is unrighteousness The ancient
viizations have perished by this
1oison Greece and Rome did not fall
| IN they were permeated with unright'
aousness And il ever there comes to
nass Macaulay's vision of some trav,
aler from New Zealand" who shall
N the widst Of vast solitude, stand on
} broken arch Of London bridge To
ketch the ruins OF ST Pand's," or on