The Tupelo journal., 1908-06-26
TEMPERANCE
LESSON
Sunday School Lesson fortune 20. 1908
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper


wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with
the Spirit."-Ephesians Sis.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES ON TEN
PERANCE.-Gen. 9:21; Deut. 2l:2O, 81; l
Sam. 25:3e; l Kings 1919; 20:16; Esth. ITO.
IL; Prov. 20:1; 21:17; 1920, q, 29-35; 31:4, 8;
lisa. Sill, u, %; 2S:1, 3, 7; Dan. 1921; 81
S; Hos. All; Amos &c; Neh. 1:1O; Hab.
2:15; Matt. "a: 4S-51; Mark 6:22; Luke Fl:
"a; Rom. 1913; / Cor. 5:11; $40; 9:29-21;
Gal. 5:21; Eph. Sis; 1 Thes. 5:6-S; l Tim
80, 8, s; Tit. 2:2-4. 6, Z; l Pet. 1;l3; Az;
SIS; 2 Pet. 1:6.
TIME.-Paul visited Ephesus twice, the
second time remaining more than TWO
years. This letter to the church he
founded was written from Pauls prison
In Rome, A. d. 59-61 or 60-62.
PLACE.-Ephesus was a splendid city
on the western coast of Asia Minor, south
Of Smyrna. on the Aegean sea. 1t was
the capital of a Roman province. rich.
idolatrous, luxurious, with the immorah-
ties of Rome. 1t had an amphitheater
which would hold 24.5OO persons. and a
magnificent temple to Diana, one OF the
seven wonders of the world.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
1.-THE specific note of this epistle
Is it's idea of the church as the body
of Christ, or, in other words, OF the
new humanity created in him."-Ex-
posftor's Bible. The first three chap
tiers teach the theory Of it; the last
three, in which the lesson lies, teach
the practice of it. The argument OF
the first three chapters Is that Christians
are to live, move and have their being
in Christ; the aim of the last three
is to show how this union with Christ
affects the daily walk and conduct.
The key-word of our lesson is, there
fore, Walk" and it's analysis is:
l. Walk in love Tvs. 1-5).
2. Walk in light Tvs. GID.
8. Walk in wisdom Tvs. 15-21).
To walk in love-" means to go on
errands of love. Let your daily walk
and conversation" be in the atmos-
phere of love. Rejoice in the pros
perity of others, and seek in every way
to increase it. That is what God
does, and living thus is initiating him.
The temperance applications: l. No
one can walk in love" of his brother
man and not be a total abstainer.
2. Intemperance is closely and in
evitably associated with the three
great sins which Paul names: Impur.
ity, c~ovetousness and foul speech.
Houses of evil repute have always
saloons connected with them. The
saloon is kept up quite as much by the
greed of the proprietor as by the ap-
petite of his customers. The profane
and indecent language of ~drunkards il
a matter of common observation.
when the wine is in, the wit is out"
Paul gives many answers how we
may walk as children of light. 1. Seek
the fruits of the light" Or. V. verse 81,
which is "all goodness and righteous
ness and truth" Have high ideals,
drawn from the Bible.
2. Prove what is acceptable Or.
", ~'well-pleasing) unto the Lord ".
10). Take as your standard of pleas,
ure the actions that give God pleas
ure. This is the test to apply to all
doubtful a~musements" - could you
take Christ into them with you?
3. Do nothing that you would wish to
conceal. Live in the open. Ask your
self every night whether you would
be willing for God to publish the en-
tire history Of your day. -
4. Let your light shine into the dark
places Tvs. 12-14). Publicity is one
of the most potent remedies for evils.
Take down the saloon screens, and
the young man will hesitate long be-
fore he will be seer there. Turn the
search-light of public opinion into the
ways of the saloon lobby at the state
house. Cause the railroads to publish
their accounts, and the insurance COM
panies. and the trusts. All evil loves
darkness rather than light, as fungus
and mold luxuriate in dark cellars, and
disease germs multiply in dark bed
rooms. Let in the light!
5. Remember that the light is not
In you: Christ shall give thee light"
Paul is not quoting literally, but is
translating into the terms of Chris
tian experience several passages of
the Old Testament, sucn as lisa. COL.
Walk in Wisdom.-Paul has been
speaking of love" and light as re-
gions through which the Christian
should walk; now he passes on to 0 N
slider the manner in which the Chris
tan should walk: See then that ye
walk cir~cumspectly." R. ", Look
therefore carefully how We walk, not as
unwise, but as wise"
drunkenness may come from any
thing wherein is excess; from over-in-
diligence in society, in pleasure, in
music, and in the delight of listening
to oratory. Fullness of the Spirit
calms; fullness produced by excite
ment satiates and exhausts. The world
of fashion either is or affects to be
proof against surprise and to have lost
all keenness of enjoyment. We want
the vision of a calmer and simpler
beauty to ~tranquillize us in the
midst of artificial tastes; we want the
draught of a purer spring to cool the
flame of our excited life; we want the
fullness of the Spirit which can never
intoxicate!"-F. w. Robertson.
Practical Points.
alcohol is a mighty magician. The
tired laboring mar by it's aid can leave
aching limbs and dull care behind, and
taste, If it be only for a feverish mo
ment, of the joy of bounding life. The
removal of temptation will accomplish
little, unless higher tastes are formed.
Drink was not the curse in the
east then which 1t is with us now.
| But l cannot forget that this same
tolerant Scripture, with it's ample rec
oun;f;op of tho Copia1 side Of hunau