The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-08
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 10.
WORLDS TEMPERANCE suNn.x
LESSON TExT--Hosea 7.

LESSON TExT-Hosea 7
GOLDEN TEXT-"Woe unto than
rise up early in the morning thai .sH hat
may follow strong drink, that tarrv ~
INTO h night, till wine inflaue fbs, =
Isaiah sci.
We turn aside today from studying
the life OF Christ to consider ons ~
n things that caused the downfaI1
OF Ephraim, that is the northern king.
dom, and also OF Israel, |, g.. thoa.
who composed the southern kingdom
The chief counterfeit of the HoIv
Spirit employed by Satan is the in.
spiration and the intoxication pro.
duced in the use Of liquors, and we
DO well to pause and consider thu
works Of him whom Jesus came Ia
destroy. (Heb. 2:14).
The lesson naturally divides itself
into two divisions, w. II and w.
Sic. This entire section really bau
gins in chapter six verse four ana
contains the response Of Jehovah ia
the cry Of the remnant of Israel and
Of Ephraim in the last days. In tho
first half WI see the iniuuity Of
Ephraim and Israel discovered" l. e..
revealed, and in the second section
there is discovered or revealed to us
Gods wrath against them for their
hypocrisy.
]. God declares that it was his de-
sire to heal them both, " u. II ID
not Gods will that any should perish.
he has no pleasure in the death Of the
wicked, (Ezek. 33:11, 1922.
But while Jehovah would have
healed them they would not be healed,
(cf. Matt. 23:& and Luke 1884, and
hence 1t is that his love serves to re-
veal their wickedness. DIR. Torrey
points out eight charges brought
against the common people "Ephraim"
and the court and city "Samaria," for
this evil attacks both alike.
Never Hidden From God.
(1) "~Falsehood" ". ~. Nothing ID
more common among the evils Of la.
temperance than %falsehood; as .
have suggested It is the Devils false
imitation of true inspiration. ~ "a
thief comes in" Intemperance steals
not only a mans money but his repu.
tAtion, love for his family, in fact any
and everything a sober man will hold
dear. ~ They consider not In their
hearts" Like Rip Van Wrinkle, men
say this last doesn't count" forget,
ting that 1t does count and that God
remember all of their wickedness. A
violation of his law will receive pun
ishment In due season. America ~
paying the price of a manifold In
crease in taxation, in murder, in i'm
beeility, In divorce and suicide. the
overwhelming portion of which can Be
traced to intemperance. God is re-
membering all w~ickedness and
verify a troop of robbers are strip
ping us ". u.
We ofttimes hide our evil deeds
from man but never from God, and 0
mans sins will find him out psalm
9:16). These people made the king
glad ". 81 t. e., the king delighted ID
this ~wickedness. Let us not forget
that righteousness exalteth a nation
and sin Is a reproach to any people
az They are all adulterers," ", ~
OF course In this connection we know
there was a remnant Of true follow
ers, but the prevailing vtleness was
such as to call forth this terrific IN
dictment. We need to remember thai
the connection between the liquor
traffic and white slavery is so close as
to defy separation. Why do politicians
and police officials connive at the 50
cial evil that is far worse In Its raw
ages each year than any epidemic o.
the past centuries? Simply because y
the profits that accrue, Like as ~
oven heated by the baker, so Is tha
fire Of lust and of appetite and o
avarice. In many quarters we seem
to be fastening on toward a sirlilai
condition of society. Is the world
then getting no better? Certainly
The good is better but the eVil y
more refined and subtle, hence worse
The millennium will not come through
the development of present day pow
ers. 1t will come only when he shal
come to set up his throne whose rlgm
It is to reign. 90 "The princes nav
made themselves sick with the pea,
Of wine," ". S r. W The physlcs,
rayages of intemperance are so Weh
known as to call for no comment. BY
the moral sickness seems to be hil
den from, or'else ignored by myrlaaa
Judges give their testimony as 70 "
percentage of crime attributable
liquor.