The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-11-05
Sunday School Notes
Side Lights on Next Sundays Lesson
for Teachers and Pupils.
Edited by Charles K. Meyers

November 9-Abstinence for the
Sunday. Romans IA, 7-21.
1t is indeed refreshing to have for
q lesson some of the magnificent
thoughts of the Apostle Paul. He is
to my mind the greatest man who
ever lived and wrote, excepting the
Blessed Jesus who was the Son Of
God. We are to consider some of the
strongest words OF the great apostle
and therefore the common man can
but feel most timid in trying to add to,
or explain their import. However, let
us see for time as to some of the
wonderful things told us in the four
teenth chapter OF Romans.
The chapter opens with the state
ment that the strong christians ought
to help bear the burdens of the weak
err ones. and then follows powerful
argument showing the brotherhood of
man and the responsibility of one per-
son for the other. Coming to the first
of the lesson verses we find it said
that no one liveth for himself If you
lived alone where no other human be-
ing knew or cared what you did, then
you might be relieved of the RESPONSE
bility of setting an example for 9TH
ers, but as we live in daily contact
with each other. there is no avoiding
the effect of our conduct on those who
see us constantly.
1t is told how we all live and die
with God and therefore whether we
live or die we are His. Then follows
the certainty of judgment to come as
set forth in the twelfth verse which
says: $50 then everyone of us shall
give account of himself to God" Here
is a most important statement In
the face of it, what should be our
daily conduct? There can be but one
answer, and it is that We must have
our record right. Judgment to come
was declared by Jesus many times
and Paul makes the same declaration.
This thought alone could we'll be made
the subject of the entire lesson.
In connection with the thought of
the judgment of God, Paul gives the
command that We do not undertake to
give judgment on our fellow men, the
rather let God attend to that, our duty
being not to put stumbling block be-
fore our fellow men which might
make them offend divine law. On
this thought base policy of my
life not to assume to say who shall
go to heaven or be excluded, who is
a true christian and who is not, who
is a proper member of the church and
who is not. l am not sinless and
neither are they. do not know what
is in the heart of my brother or Sis
ter directing their conduct and they
do not know as to my heart. God
knows and He will give right judy
ment. 1t is utterly abhorant to me to
hear any man or woman set up to say
in an individual case, as to whether
eternal life of happiness or the re-
verse shall be given as the judgment
of God.
We now come to the part of the les
son which treats more particularly on
a temperance topic. Here ST. Paul
makes an argument which is invincible
in favor of doing nothing. be it harm
full or unharmful to us, which will
cause another to fall. We first note
the great call, destroy not him with
thy meat for whom Christ died." We,
as christians, believe that Jesus came
to earth to die for mankind and that
the benefit of this is the right to have
blessed eternal life, and that to re-
a terrible calamity. Not one of us
want to assume the responsibility OF
keeping any person from attaining |
this salvation. Jesus said it was bet
ter for one to have mill stone about |
the neck and be drowned in the sea,
than to offend one of the little ones
who believe in Him. st. Paul in his
charge to us means to say that for so
small a sacrifice on our part as to
what we eat or drink we cannot at.
lord to run the risk of destroying the
soul of one for whom Christ died. In
another place he says that what we
eat or drink is but small part of life
below, and that the true christian life
should be one of JOY and peace in the
holy ghost.
Standing side by side in Importance
with the call to do nothing to offend
one for whom Christ died is the gold
IN text of the lesson, which reads:
1T is good neither to eat flesh
nor drink wine nor anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth
or is offended or is made weak"
There stands the crown sheath. the
rock, the infallible rule
or determining our conduct, which
will never fail No matter how limo
cent or unharmful to you thing may
,e if it is weakening to your child,
your business associates, your COM
3anions, then stop it. Judged from
his standpoint of view no christian
ought to drink liquor. 1t is the most
fruitful cause for the downfall of our
elbow men. The rule, however, goes