The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-08
The International
Sunday School Lesson
First Quarter. lesson ". Genesis XII

1.e. February TO- 1907.
ADRIAN CALLED TO BE a BLEsslNG.
-Four centuries and quarter had pass
cd since tho Flood Noah himself Ind
been dead only seventy-ave years. Yet
the now race seemed as deeply sunkcn In
sin as the old. The goodness ind severity
Of God in tho Deluge appeared to have
Leen In vain. In tho midnight gloom OF
E II general dcgenerncy some few tapcrs,
like that of Nclchsedcc's on Zion, were
yet Il light: but even these were in danger
OF extinction by tho violence Of the
wicked.
The race was IN revolt against God.
1t had built It's defiant tower, whose
lofty stories were to be refuge in case
OF q second flood. 1t seemed to have
learned nothing by the sudden Judgment
which COMPOUNDED It's language and scat
tered It abroad. The first chapter OF the
Epistle to the Romans gives a faithful
portraiturc Of the moral condition OF the
race ut this period. Though they knew
God they glorhed Him not as God, were
thankless, and changed Ills glory into an
Image.
with their theoretical errors the
stream OF their practical transgrcssions
rose to fearful height" The remains
Of these eldest cities of the Euphrates
Valley, now being dug up, show the peo-
pie given to those gross mroralitios
usually attendant upon heathenism. The
peril was extreme that the knowledge Of
God would be entirely lost and that too,
not by accident but by design. They
did not like (wish or care) to retain God
in their knowledge. so the foolish heart
of the race was darkened.
At this crisis an cver-watchful Provi-
sdcnce stepped In, meeting the emeryrn-
cy in II manner to excite the admiration
of men and angels. Heslct the stream
OF human life flow on in It's perversc
course. not arrcsting 1t by any further
general Judgments But from the great
torrent foaming out Its shame and cast
in CUP Its mire and Dirt he took aside
a little stream comparatively pure ana
had 1t run In channel He had prepared
for It, much rs water is taken aside In
the race to turn the mill. Here was 0
cnprcous favoritism. The design was
to bless all humanity by blessing one
Of It's families.
The proverb. What God does. Is well
DONE has no finer exemplitcatlon than
in the selection OF the progenltor OF the
new race, His very name Is Significant
Abram exalted father" Physically. in
tellectually, spiritually, he was Gods
man for the hour. His phenomenal vril-
ity has survived in his descendants f,r.
forty centuries. E1e has his inteiiectuali-
ty. He was ready for the glorious an
pearancc that approached him. Then, as
ever the prepared message came to tie
prepared mind.
Abram was the first OF pilgrim
fathers, tho first emigrant impelled by
religious motives. He undertook his
Tourney for conscience sake. He left.
q lovely land-marvelously rich-thc
home of the wheat grain. pomegranate.
apple and grape. He left the highest
civilization OF his day and libraries
with their tile-page volumes. He left
country. kindred. fathers house, to be-
come henceforth a pilgrim and a
stranger.
Well may his name be engraven high
upon that tall obcisk the eleventh
chapter OF the Epistle to the Hebrews.
among the immortal heroes OF faith
for 1t was with faith that he had heard
the Divine call. and by faith he obeyed,
going out. not knowing whittier he
went.
1t pleased God to encourage and sus-
tain his faith with exceeding great
and gracious promises. God undertook
to be his guide promising to show him
| the land, to make OF him q great .nauon.
bless hin, and make him a blessing; to
make his cause his own. 80 that his
friends should be Gods friends. his enc
mics, Gods enemies. Tle should be the
first link in that-lo long chain OF genera
| lions OF which, in the fullncss OF time,
| the Messiah would be born.
| Three verses suffice to describe the
call; the fourth narratcs the obedience.
! So Abram departed a blessed adj
yenturer, lie voyaged across the sea of
sand upon his ship OF the desert. AS
Columbus landing upon the shore of
the new world unfured the stanaar ri
the name Of his kingly patron, 50
Abram, reaching at length the land OF
! promise. built. an altar and dedicated
i the land and It's Inhabitants to Jehovah
ANALYSIS AND KEY.
i. Human degeneracy demans Di-
vine intervention.
\ 2. The Divine method
little stream of human life.
Directed IN special racial
The blessed one to bless all.
| 3. Abrahams fitness to be progenitor.
4 a. The first pilgrim father.
i a hero of faith.
THE TEACHERS LANTERN.
| The genesis Of anything always has a
i peculiar fascination. We never tire OF
/ origins. This season brings us to the foun-
tain-head Of the most important racial
| through history: a stream to whose
mitted for twenty centurles a stream
as Ills type once noated on the Nile. a
\ birds-eye view Of the winding of this
stream, and tho possible important func.
ton 1t may perform in the future of tho
4 kingdom OF God, will prove an attractive
Introduction to tho lesson.
Effort should be made to portray An
raham's exalted character and his fitness
for the purpose for which God employed
i him. Crowd his careet into nutshell
Display Its salient traits-faith resolll.
i ton, courage, military tact, 1nagnanl-
nifty. etc.; admit it's blemlshes but show
them mere spots on the SUM- Abraham
fnV nj a ua.s le
4 was superlatively good for the uRN in
\ which he lived, The Bible deals faith
! fully with tho. characters 1t portrays. II
1 presents Its characters, not ideally, but
< as they actually We're.
Legends concerning Abraham may
be used with good Enthusiastically
tho one from the Koran, which dc.