South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-21
CAIN WANTED TO
LIVE OWN LIFE
First Murderer the Kind of
Man Who Refused Gods
Teachings.

The Rev. J. a McInturff contin-
ued his straight from the shoulder
talks 20 his congregation at the
First Church Of the Brethren on S.
Michigan st. last evening. choosing
as the subject Of his sermon The
Way Of Cain, in which he warned
all 20 heed the lessons that can be
drawn from the life Of that famous
criminal OF Biblical history.
Cain" he said. lis given TO us in
the Bible as the first great and real
ly terrible offender against the
graces of God and as the son Of our
first-parents. he is noteworthy
character. Cain was obstinate and
wanted TO have his own way: he
had opinions Of his own that did not
agree with those that would conform
20 the laws of God. Just as today
men put their own opinions before
that of their Gods and his com
mands, and so lose grace and all
chance Of salvation.
Gods Way Interchangeable.
we should know that Gods word
cannot be changed or the plan of
His salvation altered by the mere
opinion Of a man, whom He has ere
ated. The slavery conditions that
existed in our own country not so
many years ago is the example Of
the effects of prevented and too sure
opinions, and now all that is known
as an error. and those terrible con-
ditions have been abolished Opin-
ions only count when a man is right
with Christ and then his opinions
OF salvation, sin. and religion will
be the same as those that the Re-
deemer meant all to have"
The preacher said that the evil of
free, careless opinions can be seen
in every day life when we see men
that are turning away from that
which will save them i'm the future
and make them better men, accept
ing the doctrines that are making
them worse. and taking them fur
ther away from the fields of God.
Gains way was also the way of
ignorance" he declared, for il
must be true that Cain did not know
the terrible penalties for his deeds.
or of the ways and means of saliva
ton or he would have hesitated to
do murder. In just that condition
are hundreds of thousands of peo-
pie today, who are SHINING and
wandering from the path of saliva
ton, just because they are really
in the dark as far as any knowI-
edge Of the benefits Of Christianity.
though 1t seems that they are in
reach of the church. yet still are
not touched.
People Today Ignorat.
Even the Christians of today are
ignorant of the great leader and
founder of their faith, Jesus Christ.
Tor not one in 10 of a representative
congregation can successfully name
10 successive events of consequence
in the life of our Lord. The very
children on the street that can tell
you reams of facts about the lives of
Washington. Lincoln or Jefferson.
but scarcely a one can tell the birth
place of Christ. And yet these things
should be taught well and with force
in the home and Sunday school. A
fun knowledge of Christ's life is es-
sential 90 all of us. and if we who
are Christians do not profess that
knowledge. what can we expect of
those who are outside of the
church, and whom we are trying 10
lead 10 the church,
The way of Cain is also the way
OF rejection. for Cain rejected his
God when he murdered his brother
and refused TO repent. And il is al
ways just that way. man rejects
God, and later perhaps, through the
plan of salvation, becomes repentant
and confesses, returning to the fold.
God never rejects but il is He who
accepts when the sinner wishes to
be taken anew.