Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-03-16


ing strokes In the
opening pagcs O.. the Bible in the per
sons OF the first two men born into
the world. The touchstone OF charac-
ter in the case OF each was not the
fact of sin {fOr both were SinnerS),
but in their attitude toward this fact.
II was the "oifcring" that God had rcS
spcct to In the case OF the enc, and re-
jected in the case of the other.
There were seven kinds OF offerings
cnioincd upon His people by Jehovah,
dating probably from primitive rcve-
lation. Three were products of the
ground and hence bloodless; three
were from the tlocks and herds md
hence bloody sacrifices; and the sew
enth was two turtle doves.
In the Old Testament there reverber-
ates the oft recurring triad Of words
corn, wine, and OIL" The first Of
these Is Il generic term in Hebrew COW
erlng the whole range of cereals"
wheat, barley, rye, ETC., and stood for
agriculture; the second, "wine," was
also q generic term and included be-
sides wine all the products Of the vine,
or viticulture; while finally the "otl," I"
obtained from the fruit Of the olive
tree stood for the products Of horti-
culture.
Thus we have embraced in these
three representative terms the entire
range of mans husbandry of the soil.
They were the offerings appropriate
to offer In mans innocency, and were
a. ,l,4l
man Sinned and came under the con-
dennnation of Goo there We're added
three more, aud these were bloody
sacrifices. They were oxen, sheep und
goats, all domesticated and the objects
Of mans care and possessing two char
acterlstfcs In common; namely, they
split the hOOf RHd chewed the cud.
SO much Of his time and care was be-
slowed upon them that in Il sense they
stood for him, so that when sacrificed
upon the altar 1t was thcit confes-
sion on the part Of the offerer Of his
guilt and need Of atonement. The ami
nal symbolically bore his sins and
suffered In his stead.
"And In process Of time 1t came to
pass, that Cain brought Of the fruit
Of the ground an offering unto the
Lord. And Abel, he also brought OF
the flrstlings Of his flock and Of the
fat thereof. And the Lord had respect
unto Abel and to his offering. But
unto Cain and to his offering he had
not respect. And Cain was very
wroth, and his countenance fell"
1t was not the Offering, therefore, 80
much as what the Offering implied that
counted. The fruits of the soil were
oil right-but not for guilty man to
offer alone. And has It not been 80
from that day to this? Man has ever
sought to justify himself before God
by the works that he does; the last
thing he is willing to do Ia to confess
himself the sinner that he is, abso-
lutely dependent upon God for mercy.
Before pardon there must come con-
fession.. In the sacriflcial lamb that
Abel offered there was confession OF
guilt and symbolic vindication Of the
Justice Of God. "If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just TO forgive
us our SINS"
That this way OF apprOnch to God is
not crudlty peculiar to the dimness
of primeval ages but is in tho very
center Of the teaching Of Jesus Him.
self, Is seen in the parable of the
Pharisee and the publican Luke 18,
verses 10 to ID, ending thus:
"And the publican, standing afar
OFF, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, "God be merciful Tit
orally 'propitiated," that is, "let blood
flow'D to me a sinner"
~ tell you, this man went down to
his house justified rather than the
other; for every one that exalteth
himself shall be abased; and he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted"
How calm the Judgment hour shall pass
For them who do obey
The Word Of God about that Blood
And make that Word their stay,
"The blood Of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin."-I John
1t.