The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-06-26
TEMPERANCE
LESSON

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LESSON TExT.-Romans 1854. Mem
DRY verses, 8, 10.
GOLDEN TExT.-"Put we on the Lord
Jesus Christ"-Romans 1874.
TIME.-Probably written early In the
year of A. ID. IS.
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-"
Notwithstanding 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
Paurs name, fundamental among our
materials for Pauline theology
Hastings Bible Dictionary.
The All-Inclusive Debt of Love.-Vs.
8-10. How does Paul rank the duty OF
| loving? He places 1t before all other
duties. He has been urging from.
10: y the scrupulous payment OF all
debts, and repeats the command:
lowe no man any thing" OF 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 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.-ut
would be hard to name an I'll to 4
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
A Warning from Approaching Death.
Tvs. 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 a 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. OF
morning watchbell, awakening
Christian to his days work"-Arch
bishop Leighton.
What are the temperance applica
tons of this thought? Intemperanc'
dulls the physical sense, blears thu
eyes, renders the touch less sensitive
the hearing less acute, the brain les'
active. 1t dulls the moral nature
Drinking men soon lose the nice sense
, of right and wrong. Conscience be
; comes sluggish. The will becomes
fiabby. Wake up. Wake up!" lie
r every Christian cry to the intemper
/ ate.
: A Pure Life and How to Live IT,
> VS.. 13, IA. How does Paul sum vi
, these rules of life? Let us wall
! THAT is, live) honestly as in the day
when men can see us. The reference
= is to the exteriors of life. but Pau
a was the last man to forget that "out o
| the heart are the issues of life" H
{ is still speaking in parable. and to thu
3 end of the chapter he uses outer raj
: ment as a symbol OF inner character
!. In order to live becomingly wha
r must we avoid? "Rioting (R. v. rev
: elling') and drunkenness. chamberinl
! unlawful intercourse) and wanton
1 ness, strife and envying (R. v. "jeal
S ousy'D.
z That is negative; positively. in OF
4 der to live becomingly, what must W
b do? Put on (as a garment. continr
c ing the metaphor) the Lord Jesu
a Christ, and make not provision for tn
!. flesh. to fulfil the lusts thereof" Files
) in the moral sense: the depraved nj
q ture."-Prof. M. r. Vincent. We ar
Il to plan for physical needs, but not TO
d sensual qualifications.
v What are the modern temperate
a applications of this rule of life? Their
n would be no saloons II men put o
II the Lord Jesus Christ" Who CO
n can imagine him as entering thoe
Is dens of iniquity, unless to rescue hl
e brothers from the snare? Ever
It saloon is provision for the flesh
n melting to all abominable passions
z quareling. profanity. brutality, mu
d ders, indecent speech. plots. ncentiou
" ness.
le Gov. Hanly of Indiana, writing
h The Christian Endeavor World of d
cember &c. 1907. says: THAT alcohc
ism shortens life, and that abstaine'
have a distinctly greater longevii
than non-abstainers IL convincing