The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-03
The International Sunday School Les
son for August 8 is "PaufS I%nStruc-
tions to the TheSSalOnianS."

" - ~ D
tons to the Thessalonians.'
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
CLAIMANT discussion of old creeds and
new religions fills the air just now.
and it is opportune that the Sunday
schools are to study this week the
first of the group of documents which
make up the New Testament. This
particular bit of writing is not found
at the beginning of the collection OF
books, because the canon is not put
together in chronological order. In
stead of the Book of Matthew being
first, or any Of the four Gospels, for
that matter, the earliest Of the Christ
ian writings that hav come down to
us is with the possible exception Of
the Letter by James) the epistle which
Paul wrote from Corinth, while on
the second missionary journey which
we are studying, to the converts. at
~Thessalonica. 1t is to be borne in
mind that the Thessalonians lived in
What is now the city of SalOnica,
where Turkeys depOsed Sultan, Alb
dull Hamid, sits in Punishment.
A food Of light upon the life of
the early converts is thrown by this
letter. It was written some time
within eighteen months of the authors
\1oA @iAoC So
the length Of his S%Ojourn in Corinth),
SO that all We find reflected of or
ganized Christian life and work had
been the development Of a
lively few IA Those commingled
Jews and heather had been on the
Way-multiplying rapidly, it is to be
noted-only for a short time. Yet how
true to type they are in essentials.
There is no CLOSING of human ma
ture in this letter. The conditions It
reveals were by no means perfect
But Christianity is singular in that it
faces facts as they are, and deals
squarely with the present condition
of mans heart. It stays right where
everybody can observe it's teachings at
work. 1t either gets results from or
binary men and women or it fails to
get them. Anybody can look and see.
contrast this with the multitude Of
speculative PHILOSOPHERS Of the lad
yanced" religions, old and new, tina
bid for mems allegiance. ven some
of the physical sciences. arouse our
impatience by their vagueness. Here
Is an eminent astronomer who tells in
a current just how our
planet is going to smash, a thousand
billion years hence, by humping nto
a star whose light has gone out. Per-
haps 1t is all true-at least the prophet
Is safe from cOntradiction-but no.
49, 'AA oSS L OFS4 II Will o.
thousand billion years leeway. What
normal men and women are more con-
cerned about just now is how to keep
youn people from going to smash in
this year 1909. We want a religion
that will saw from disaster the prec-
ious human spirits that are now liv-
ing. Ihat was the sort of gospel
Paul had preached to the Thessalon-
ians
A Gpoaf HEARTS Colio:<,Jo
AS he watched the leaven which he
had deposited in their midst grow,
we note Paul's solicitude for these
children of his preaching. With Ia
therly tenderness and watchfulness he
yearned over them. Their welfare
became ~inwrought into the very fibre
of his being. Consider the fragment
of his letter which has been especially
indicated for today's study:
But we beseech you, brethren. to
know them that b among you, and
are over you in the Lord, and .admon-
1sh you; and to esteem them exceed
ing highly in love for their works
sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
And we exhort you, brethren, admon-
fish the disorderly, our the
f~ainthearted, support the weak, be
1ong-suffering toward all. See that
none render unto any one evil for
evil; but always follow after that
Which is good, one toward another,
and toward all. Rejoice always; pray
without ceasing; in everything give
thanks; for this is the will Of God
In Christ Jesus to youward. Quench
not the Spirit; despise not prophecy
1ngs; prove all things; hold fast that
which is good; abstain from every
form of evil.
And the God of peace himself sane
tfy you wholly; and may your spirit
and soul and body be preserved en-
tire, without blame at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is
he that caNeth you, who also will do
it."
Probably nothing like the modern
ecclesiastical organizations had been