The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-19


Cain and Abel Gen. 4:3-15- The
Golden Text is ''Whosoever Hatch
His Brother is a Murderer" 1 John
3:15.
RY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
One sin begets another. The fathers
fall often trips his son. No worse
punishment comes to some parents
than TO see their early evil habits and
deeds duplicated in the case of their
children. When Cain the farmer in
a fit of mad jealousy, did to death his
shepherd brother Abel, the father of
both. thinking back to his own act
which had brought sin into the world,
might we'll have cried, with Cain. MY
punishment is greater than L can
beari" Thus are lives linked with
other lives. in an endless and inter
dependent chain. mo man Hveth to
SELF
The tragic event in the garden of
mans first estate, when Eve hardened
to the sophistries of the subtle serpent,
upset Gods programme for humanity.
We must go back to it for an explana-
ton of why the times today are SO
badly out of joint. Society is not
beautiful. peaceful. loving, homogene-
Gus mass. in this year of our Lord.
1907. simply because human self-will
and iniquity have been thrust into the
smcothly-moving wheels of a divine
purpose
should dwell together in affection and
harmony. Brothers were meant to
live together in unity and mutual en-
1oyment. and not in strife, jealousy or
self-seeking. There might be diversi-
ties of gifts and callings, but there
should be oneness of honor. He who
toiled and he who governed were stiF
equals before God and in self-respect
Not rivalry, but cooperation, was the
plan which God made and man
SPOILED; and it is the plan which will
be executed increasingly as this earth
returns toward an Eden state.
The Ruddha in Shirt.
Farmer Cain and Shepherd Abel, il:
course of time, brought offerings to
Jehovah This was in obedience to
the deep-seated instinct of man every
where to honor the supernatural.
Every church sDire in Christendom is
a sign of mans recognition of God.
Scattered by tens of thousands over
heather lands are all sorts of temples,
shrines and idols-sometimes an elab-
orately constructed and lavishly
decorated building of immense pro-
portions, and sometimes only a rough
ly hewn stone. Before literally thou
sands of these have seen the offer
ings which reverence has laid upon
their affairs: sometimes only a twig of
green, sometimes a tiny ball of rice a
bean cake, a bit of fruit, a jar of wine.
a fish. a bunch of flowers, a few
trif1ing copper coins. a vase, or some
other priced gift. More than once I
have seen stone and bronze images Of
Buddha decorated~wlth4 cheap calico
hats, bibs. shirts and aprons. How
ever crude and homogeneous the offer
Ing, it represented devotion. and mans
intuitive reaching up toward God, and
may not be ridiculeds
The difference in worship is not in
the manner or the gift, but in the
spirit of the worshipper. Herein was
the line of separation between Cain
and Abel, when they brought their !
offerings before Jehovah. Even old
Plato saw this point. for he said, ut |
would be strange if the gods looked to
gifts and sacrifices, and not to tn e |
soul" Not for an instant is the idea
to be entertained that Abels offering |
was acceptable because he brought of |
the fruit of his flock. and Gains I'M |
acceptable because he brought of the |
fruit of the field.
Like some of the mystery stories, so |
popular of late. in fiction, which prove |
to be no mysteries at all, this much |
magni1ed difficulty is perfectly sim |
pie. There is no need to resort to con- |
lecture as to why Abers sacrifice was |
acceptable and Gains was not. The |
reason lies on the surface of Scripture. |
where God says to Cain (V-7), eff |
thou doest well. shalt thou not be ac-
cepted?" The unfitness of the sacri- |
flee lay in the heart of the giver. God /
cares as much for a sheaf Of wheat I
as for slain lamb; but he does not |
care for an unworshiDful spirit, no /
matter what it's offering. Cain ap-
preached the divine presence with an
evil heart; therefore he was unac-
ceptable, even as is every other per- |
son who does not worship God in spirit
and in truth. even though he may
build a dozen churches, endow a uni |
versity or establish a hospital. What
doth Jehovah require of thee, but to
do justly. and to love kindness, and to
walk humbly with thy God?"
Getting mad with the Drea cher
who shows US our shortcomings is |
only an additional sign of our need |
of admonition. Gains experience
should have caused. not anger but |
determination The unacceptable
ness of his offering should have set
him to searching his heart. But his
later conduct only proved the right
eousness of Gods refusal to accept his /
worship.
With the condescension that is char
acteristic only of himself, God reason |
ed with Cain in the latter's anger. He |
pointed out that the simple way to !
merit divine favor was to do we'll. |