The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-08-11


salonians 5:6-8
GOLDEN TEXT-Wine is moc5cr, strong
drink is raging: and whatsoever is deceived
thereby is not wise-Proverbs POL.
PRIMARY TOPIC-What a Wise Man
Said.
JUNIOR TOPIC-A Wise Mans Way.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
How the Use of Liquor Affects Character.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
How the Use Of Liquor Affects Character.
Childhood remembrance are
commonly sweet and precious-but
some of them are vivid on the pages
of memory because they relate to
dangerous and distressing things.
Among the things decent people
avoided like the pestilence when the
writer was a boy was the saloon.
To be seen entering such places was
to mark ones character, and to be a
frequenter of them was to be lost to
all that was good and holy.
High sounding and very pious
were the assurances that when pro-
hibition was repealed we would new
er see the return of the saloon, but
we have them in multiplied num-
Der, and with shameless appeal
to women as well as men, to our
growing girls and boys as well as
to adults. Clever advertising has
sought to make it Smart" to drink,
and 'manly" to be able to "carry"
liquor. 1t is for that reason that it
is of the utmost importance that we
develop strong and intelligent char
acter in our boys and girls-so that
they may not only appraise the
vicious booze business" for what
it really is, but also have the
strength of character to fight it, not
only for themselves, but for their
weaker brother. They should know
and proclaim that the saloon,
whether it be called an linn" or
a tavern" is always a "bar"-
"a bar to Heaven, a door to He'll;
Whoever named it named it we'll"
/. Developing Strength of Charac
ter prov. 4:10-23).
Solomon, the writer of many of
the Proverbs, constantly stressed
the importance Of gaining wisdom.
A man may be perfect encyclo-
pedia of information and yet may
lack the wisdom to apply that
knowledge to life. DR.. Hight C.
Moore, in Points for Emphasis, pro-
vides a most helpful outline of this
portion of Proverbs 4, which will
assist the reader and teacher. He
suggests that we must CD accept
the challenge of a worthy goal, V.
TO-" by listening as a son to father
to the words which shall give us a
long and happy life. Then we
must (2) ''follow the way of wis
dom, W. lib" 1t is a way that
has been tested by those who have
preceded us, and they have found it
to be the right way. This will en-
able us to CD "avoid the way of
the wicked, w. 14-17." Note the
dreadful picture of those who not
only do wickedness but delight in
leading others into their evil paths,
in fact they cannot sleep unless
they have misled some poor soul.
Shun that path, and az ''irradiate
the path to the larger life, w. 10,
49," The way to life is a light path
that shineth more and more" The
way of the wicked is stumbling and
darkness. The devil and his fol-
lowers are trying to make young
people believe just the opposite.
Let US teach them the truth that
they may 90 ''heed every syllable
of all the words of God, Wv. 20-23."
Give attention to Gods Word, lis
ten to it, read it, keep it hidden
in your heart. The heart in Scrip
ture stands for the very center of
mans spiritual being, out of which
are all the issues of life. Evil
thoughts, unholy desires and ambi-
tons hidden there will ultimately
be revealed in overt acts of ungod-
illness. Even so the Word of God
hidden there will bring forth life in
all its abundant beauty and
strength.
The young man or woman who is
thus taught Gods Word in the home
and the church will have an i'm
pregnable defense against the wiles
and temptations of the world, the
flesh, and the devil.
III. Exhibiting Strength of Char
acter Il Thess. 1853.
The Lord is coming again! Paul
was constantly looking forward to
the day of His coming. 1t was not
his lot to live until the Lord came.
but he was not mistaken in looking
for Him. The Lord has tarried,
why only He knows, but it is the
judgment of many excellent Bible
eXpositors that the next great event
to take place in divine history is
His return. What a glorious hope!
But while we await His coming
we are not to sleep as those round
about us. Watchfulness, sobriety of
life, these become the Christian. Ger
tainly nothing Of the drunkenness
of our day is to enter into the life
of the Christian. He who be-
longs to Christ does not drink
of the devils ''fre-Water." But far
more than that is in mind here. for
the Christian is to 60 on in faith.
love, and hope until he becomes
ION fire" for God, burning with the
passion of the Holy Spirit, not only
for his own life, but for the saliva
ton Of the lost and for the develop
ment Of true Christian character in
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