The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-23

In our last lesson we learned that
the essence of Gods law is love. This
furnishes us a good beginning for
temperance lesson as We shall see II
we will turn to PauF letter to the
Galatians. In this letter Paul is urg~
ing his readers to exercise their i'd
erty as Christians and not submit to
the burdensome rules and ceremonies
of the old Mosaic law. But" he
adds, be careful not to use your lib
erty for an occasion to the flesh. You
are free not to sin but to serve.
Therefore, through love. serve one
another. For the very essence OF law
is love. If you love you will fulfil
the law" But-here the lesson text
begins:
The Lesson In Everyday Dress.
Love" says Paul, is the very es-
senee of Gods law. We must live
according to the law of love. Ii you
indulge In backbiting and hatred you
will utterly destroy yourselves--your
own spiritual life and the spiritual
life of the church.
lit is in this spiritual life" he
continues. the life fostered and con-
trolled by the Spirit of God. that you
will find safety, for ii you are ruled
by your higher or spiritual nature as
Influenced by the Spirit of God you
will no longer be Influenced by the
sinful impulses Of your lower or ami
NAL nature. For there is direct con-
fiict between the impulses of your
spiritual nature when dominated by
the Spirit of God and the impulses or
your lower nature. II you walk &C
cording to the direction of the Spirit,
If you will allow him to dominate you
In al Tt n
the law. for you will be guided by the
higher law of the Spirit, and the law,
so far as you are concerned, will prac-
tiCaIly cease to exist. You Will do
right not because the law forbfds you
to do wrong. but because the Spirit
impels you to do right. You can see
the difference at q glance. Look, for
a moment at the sins which spring
from the impulses of our lower ma
ture: adultery. fornication. unclean-
ness, lasciviousness. idolatry witch
craft, hatred. variance, emulations,
wrath. strife, seditions. heresies, en-
wings, murders, drunk enness, revel-
lings, and such like. Then look at the
beautiful fruits which spring from
our higher impulses-the things of
our spirit and the things of Gods Spi-
rtt: love, joy, peace. longsuffering,
gentleness. goodness, faith. meekness.
temperance. 1t is easy to see that
the former will keep any one out of
Gods Kingdom, while the latter are
not condemned by any law. II, then,
we have entered upon the life of the
Spirit--if we have given ourselves up
to be dominated by the Spirit---let us
be guided in all OF our actions by
him, and let us be careful TO avoid all
vain Boosting and everything that may
nf
others
The Heart OF the Lesson.
Nothing is going TO save You from
Your lower or animal self except your
higher or spiritual self reinforced by
the Spirit of God. II you will give
yourself up TO be dominated by Gods
Spirit you will no longer be domi.
mated by your lower impulses. The
Spirit of God coming into your spirit
taking possession of your higher
nature--is the only power that can
save you from your sinful impulses
The law cannot do 1t.
OF course. this is only another way
Of saying that the only way to keep
evil out of the heart is to fill 1t with
good. The only way to escape the
rule of Satan is to enthrone the
Spirit. 1t lie strange that we are so
slow to learn this old truth. The
world is still saying that the way TO
keep evil out of the heart is TO kick
IL out and TO keep a careful lookout
lest 1t return. This IL as foolish az
10 say that the way to keep air out
OF tumbler Is to pump II out and to
keep careful lookout lest 1t return.
You may pump air out OF tumbler a
thousand times day. and at the end
1t will still be full of air. Fill the
tumhler with water and the problem
is solved. The only way to keep evil
out of the heart and life is to pu,
something else in its place. If you
want to keep bad thoughts out Of your
mind you must not only try to avoid