The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-06-16
SUNDAY SCHOOL NOTES
Side Lights on Next Sundays
I Lesson for Teachers and Pupils
Edited by Charles K. Meyers.
June 2O-A Prayer for the Tempted

June ga Prayer for the. Tempted
Psalm al. Temperance Lesson.
We have for our lesson this weel
another of the grand psalms. Agar
we consider words which are remark
able in expression, pouring forth thu
desires OF heart in fear. to God, it,
protector. 1t may be the children in
experienced in the trials of life may
not fully understand all the express
ions used, but they set forth what
thousands OF hearts have prayed many
many times. Thus we can we'll de
vote few minutes to their consider
alton.
We can we'll think of our relation
ship to God like that between parent
and child. In the days of youth we
lave taken all our trials to mother
feeling sure of sympathy and help
The writer OF tliis psalm feels himself
tempted to do wrong, to fall away
from faith and implicit obedience in
God and he cries out in terror, Lord
hear my cry; make haste unto me;
give ear to my voice when ! cry unto
thee" God through Jesus tells us
thus to cast our cares on Him, know.
ing that He will help and aid. 1t is
said in the bible that there hath no
temptation come on us but that we are
able to bear, for God will provide
us way OF escape if we ask Him. The
psalmist was doing this in the words
Of our lesson.
We are told that we come into
temptation, most often by tho way OF
wrong use OF our tongues. The psalm
ist must have understood this, for he
asks that God set watch before his
lips. There are few of us who cannot
we'll make the same prayer, for the
unruly tongue is constantly getting us
into trouble. or course it is the
heart, the source of intelligence. which
directs what the tongue says, and rec
cgnizing this, tho prayer is made in
the lesson, incline not my heart to
any evil thing"
We have seen in recent lessons and
understand from daily experience, thot
there is need to be on guard at all
times to avoid sin and wrong doing.
When we come to the place where we
think we are proof against these
things, we are in great danger. Moth
ing but the keeping power of God can
insure that we never so out OF the
paths of strict right doings. The
psa!mist cries out I'm Thee is my
trust" and this can we'll be the
thought OF every one OF us.
Temptations to wrong doing come
SO often through the desire for liquors
which upset the reason and lead us
away from God. Good resolutions of
reform are almost always unavailing
unless backed up by prayer for divine
strength. In our lesson there IS the
prayer, keep me from the snares
which have been laid for me-" We
hardly like to credit the fact as true
that there are people who deliberately
set 4 snare for our downfall, but such
is often the. case. We must. ever be
< agGard for such. Often greed for
Macy is the moving motive. This
~ f'itimes comes when those engaged
J tsEk 3ing intoxicants try to fastcn an
,ttSD .te for alcoholic stimulation on
saasi .seuith, looking forward to time
!E!iiGm the habit, being confirmed, a
Y 5.lfley making business is built up.
There are other traps to beware Of
We are lured to dishonesty, to nasty,
filthy habits. things which will destroy
both, soul and body.
In the teaching of the lesson of to-
day special stress is to be put on the
evils OF intcmperance and use of Gig
arettes. There is no trouble to find
plenty of examples OF dOWnfalls from
these sources. The evils of intempcr-
ance arc SO plain that at last Il wave
of popular Indignation is sweeping
over the land which means the wiping
out OF the manufacture of intOXicants
in the not SO far distant FUTURE But
above legal restrain comes the deter
mination within ones self to touch
rot the unclean thing. In the Sabbath
schools the best kind of work can be
done for total abstinence. Liquor
drinking is the greatest foe the chris
ton church has to fight. Saloons
stand for everything the religion of
Jesus stands against. Purity of heart
and body do not come by way of sa-
looms, and this everybody knows. Sa-
loon keepers know and condemn the
evils Which so with their business rs
clearly as the temperance people. They
are denouncing the low gr0ggery and
calling for cleaner, better men to join
their ranks to give tone to the bust
ness.
The temperance people of Iowa
should bestir themselves to. have pub
lie sentiment ready to demand strict
enforcement of the rigid anti-saloon
laws which go into effect January
next. Only by a public opinion which
will not stand for weakness in officers
in enforcing them can the laws be
saved from going into disrepute and
becoming q failure. The fact that the
strong laws are on the books will not
eradicate the saloon evil alone. In
everystate there are regulations OF
some kinds and these can only be
kept working by a public opinion
which cannot be downed and lulled to
sleep. There should be pledge sign
ing, arousing of antldrinking senti-
ment which will he felt as result OF
the consideration of the lesson of this
date in all schools using the intcrna-
tioIal system.
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