Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-06-24
TEMPERANCE
LESSON
Sunday School Lesson for June ~, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

J..
Jesus Christ. Romans 1874.
TIME.-Probably written early In the
year OF A. ID. SO.
PLACE.-The epistle was written at
Corinth. during Paul's second visit there
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Subject: Temperance Involved in
the Law of Love-"
Introduction.-Who wrote the Epis-
tie to the Romans? 1t is one OF the
undoubted letters of Paul, the most
Pauline of all the writings which bear
Pauls name, fundamental among our
materials for a Pauline theology.
Hastings Bible Dictionary.
The All-Inclusive Debt of Love.-Vs.
$40. How does Paul rank the duty of
loving? He places 1t before all other
duties. He has been urging (Rom.
10: y the scrupulous payment of all
debts, and repeats the command:
lowe no man any thing" or course
this does not forbid borrowing, but re-
quires the payment of all debts when
they are due. There is, however, one
debt so vast that 1t never can be paid
In full: ito love one another" Love
sums up the whole law and perfect
love would make a perfect man. 1t is
obvious that II we love our neighbor,
we shall not kill him, or steal from
him, or bear false witness against
him, or covet his good things. or work
Ill to our neighbor In any other way,
The Temperance Application.-It
would be hard to name an ell to a
neighbor" that is not fostered by in
temperance. I'VE suffer more year by
year from intemperance than from
war, pestilence and famine combined
those three great scourges of the hui
man family. "-Gladstone
Warning from Approaching Death.
VS.. IL, IL. With what argument did
Paul urge the law of love? That the
end of the world was at hand, the close
of the present order of things. And
that" there is good reason for you to
do, namely, keep the law of love, be-
cause you know the critical time" In
which you live. This is reference to
the Parousia or second coming of
Christ, which Paul and the other apos-
ties seem to have believed to be close
at hand.
What conclusion did Paul draw from
the nearness of Christ's coming? That
it was high time to awake out OF
sleep: for their salvation was nearer
than when they believe" (aorist tense,
came to believe, became Christians.)
1.-THE words are as an alarm. or
morning watchbell, awakening a
Christian to his days work. Arch
bishop Leighton.
What are the temperance applica-
tons OF this thought? Intemperance
dulls the physical sense, blears the
eyes, renders the touch less sensitive,
the hearing less acute, the brain less
active. 1t dulls the moral nature.
Drinking men soon lose the nice sense
of right and wrong Conscience be-
comes sluggish. The will becomes
fabby. Wake up! Wake up!" let
every Christian cry to the intemper-
ate.
A Pure Life and How to Live IT.
VS.. 10, IA. How does Paul sum up
these rules of life? Let us walk
chat is, live) honestly as in the day.
when men can see us. The reference
is TO the exteriors of life, but Paul
was the last man to forget that "out Of
the heart are the issues of life" He
is still speaking in parable, and to the
end of the chapter he uses outer raj
ment as a symbol Of inner character
In order to live becomingly what
must we avoid? "Rioting Or. V. rev
elling") and drunkenness, chambering
| unlawful intercourse) and wanton-
ness, strife and envying Or. v. zeal
| ousy").
That is negative; positively, in or
der to live becomingly, what must we
do? Put on Gas garment, continu-
ing the metaphor) the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make not provision for the
| flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" Flesh
in the moral sense: the depraved ma
ture."-Prof. NJ r. Vincent. We are
to plan for physical needs, but not for
sensual Qualifications.
What are the modern temperance
applications of this rule of life? There
would be no saloons IL men put on
the Lord Jesus Christ" Who can
can imagine him as entering those
dens OF iniquity, unless to rescue his
brothers from the snare? Every
saloon is provision for the flesh"
melting to all abominable passions
quarreling, profanity, brutality, muir
ders, indecent speech, plots, licentious-
ness.
Gov. Hanly of Indiana, writing In
The Christian Endeavor World of De
cember 26, 1907, says: THAT alcohol
ism shortens life. and that abstainers
have distinctly greater longevity
than nonabstainers is convincingly
demonstrated by actuarial experience.
The testimony of certain English life
insurance companies, based upon
many years Of experience, establishes