The Tupelo journal., 1913-11-07
INTERNATIONAL
NMMSCnOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 8.
ABSTINENCE FOR OTHERS SAKE
(By e. o. SELLERS, Director of Evening
Department, The Moody Bible Institute,
Chicago.)

LESSON FOR NOVEMBER g.
ABSTINENCE FOR OTHERS SAKE.
(WorId's Temperance Sunday.)
LESSON TExT-Rom. 14:7-21.
GOLDEN TExT-'It Is not good to eat
thing whereby thy brother stumbleth."
Rom. 14:21.
Paul was In Corinth, q city Of lux
ury, learning and Righteousness when
he wrote this letter to the believers In
Rome, a letter of profound logic and
ethics 10 we'll as a profound study in
psychology and philosophy.
!. None Of Us Ilveth to himself"
w. III. Paul begins this chapter by
giving a caution as to doubtful dispu-
t~ations. judgments upon thoughts"
whether 1t be In the matter of eating
herbs or meats, or in the observance
Of set days. Who are we but fellow
servants ". A. of God? About such
things as habits and observance of
days we must each be assured in our
own minds, ". 81, but while that is
true yet, none liveth to himself"
". y. for I'VE are the Lords" ". 81.
He Is the universal Lord. both Of the
living and the dead. ". 81. What folly,
therefore. for any believer to set him.
self up In Judgment upon hts brother.
-Four Thiaos Suggested.
II. sGive a. account to God" w.
1918. Verse IL suggests fonr things:
(1) A universal summons, each
of US" great and small, obscure or IA
nous. each must appear, none
overlooked, none excluded. none en-
cused- ea A particular summons,
leach ons Of U.s." not en- masee, but
II sapaRate units. 60 A purposeful
others bat each Of himself. Il Will not
be "bland Justice" that shall await US
there, but q hoty God. one who knows
all. sees all, esery thought and imagi-
nation OF tho human heart f0en. 6:6)
and whose Judgment viii be righteous.
a. A rdEhtful summons because Of it's
source, before God" and shall not the
Judge OF the whole earth do right?
No excuse because OF the failure Of
others VIII avail, no subeerfoee be ae-
ceptabee, strict Justice will condemn.
Man+mads Laws and ordinances as to
what w eat o. what days we may OBJ
serve viii then be revealed IN the
white light Of the God whose name is
love. In the light Of such a prospect
how pertinent therefore that we turn
". 13), from tofging others and look
well to our own conduct, lest that con-
duct become a rock Of stumbling to
other and weaker brethren.
Another Law.
NJ. "Fotacsx afser things which make
for peece,s w. 1923. To follow that
which shall edify is to exercise the
Flaw Of liberty" James IN his epfstle
Q:26, 2.12) tells US to look into this
law and to continue therein for by 1t
we shall be tsdeed. yet there 10 stiIl
another law, "the royal law" cas-,
Matt. 23:36403, the fuff3ftns of which
will settle every question Of mans re-
lattoo to man. We should 50 use our
liberty that II be NOT evil spoken Of
or become q rock of stumbling 10 any.
Whether or not the Kingdom of God
be In Ne, a No In the kingdom, de-
ponds not upon the ecrupu3oas observ-
ance Of ordinances either as to eat
ing. or the observance Of days, but
rather In the manifest righteousness Of
our lives and In having peace in our
hearts, Oh. 1913, being flied with "joy
In the Holy Spirit" v. II. Therefore,
II to eat meat shall cause my brother
to stumble or to be made weak ". 21)
II will eat no flesh for evermore,"
I. Cor. S:13.
All of this leads up to the true prin-
ciple of total abstinence as revealed
in verse Fl, at is good not to eat
flesh, o to drink wine, nor to do
anything whereby thy brother STUN
bleth or is offended" This does not
alone apply to the Great American
J~uggernaut, the commercialized liquor
traffic, which, according to the United
States Supreme court, has no legal
ground upon which to stand. When
the members of the church of God
in this "land of liberty" shall each
be governed by this principle it will
not be long before the liquor problem
any many other questions that are
troubling us will be settled. The real
question will not be us it wrong?"
but rather, How will it affect my
brother?" All meats are clean, we
know that, Acts 1915, but we also
know that many cannot eat, cannot
participate in our acts, with a clear
conscience because in so taking part
there comes before the mind of the
weaker brother the evil associations
and practices which SO frequently &C.
company such acts or such eating.
Our indulgence, no matter how inno-
cent and entirely harmless it may be
to us, is therefore not to be thought
of. This settles the drink question,
the tobacco habit, dancing, card play
ing. theater going, and all question