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Zurich Herald, 1937-04-29, Page 3NOTICE Due to the.fact that this whole page, next week, will be devoted entirely to the Coronation, we are including next week's Sunday S.houl Lesson in this issue, la L SCH SSON LESSON V.—May 2 ABRAHAM A MAN 01? FAITH. °- (Genesis 11: 27-20, 18.) Printed Text—Genesis 12: 1-9; 13: 14-18. GOLDEN TEXT—By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He- brews 11: 8. . A is vain for us to speculate. We can be confident that God appeared in such a way that Abram knew that it was God who was speaking with him. Though the promise of the land was given to Abram, he himself never possessed Canaan: this was left for his seed, to follow some hundreds of years later (see Acts 7: 5). The Lesson la Its Setting Time—Abraham was born B.C. 2003 and reached Canaan about B.C. 1928. He separated from Lot four years later and rescued Lot B.C. 1921. Sodom was destroyed B.C, 1904. Place—Tht City of Ur was in southern Chaldea. Haran was in Mesopotamia; Shechem in central Palestine; Soziom at the northern end of the Dead Sea; the plain of Mamre, which is Hebron, is located twenty miles south of Jerusalem. Gerar was nine miles southwest of Gaza: "Now Jehovah said unto Abram" —The name "Abram" means "high father.' Later in the narrative we shall find the name changed to Abra- ham (17: 4, 5). "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that 1 will show thee." This is undoubtedly the second call in Abram's life. The first one he had only partially obeyed -(Acts 7: 2-4). God knew that Abram had come to an hour when he was ready to more fully obey God's commands. God never tells us to give up anything that is dear to us unless, at the same time, he gives us a promise of some- thing even more precious that he will bestow upon us. (See Phil. 3: 4-14). "And I will make of thee a great nation"—The Jews have been a great • nation numerically, and are greater today than probably ever before. They have been great in commercial life; they have been greater in arts and sciences, but they have been su- premely great in their spiritual in- fluence, in giving us• the Holy Scrip- tures, and the Son of God. "And I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing." Abra- ham was blessed in being the father of the. Hebrew people, in the privilege of; walking with God, in receiving '`nighty promises from God, in being. Cha father of the faithful; through- out all the ages he has been honored by Jew and Gentile, by Christians and Mohammedans. His place in Christian truth may be judged by the fact that he is mentioned more than seventy times in the New Testa- ment. "And 1 will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I .curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."— (See Zech. 14: 16-19) :— Abraham bestowed a blessing upon the world in being the first great character of the true God. Through hire came that whole race of people who have so mightily blessed humanity by their Scriptures; through him came the Lord Jesus Christ. "So Abraham went, as Jehovah had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered. and the souls that they had gotten in Il:aran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came." Canaan is supposed to mean "mer- cha:t." See, e.g., isa. 23: 11, the "And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto Jehovah, and called upon the name of Jehovah. And Abram jour- neyed, going on still toward the South." —Bethel means 'the house of God,' and is to be identified with the modern town Beitin. It played a most important part in the life of Abram's grandson, Jacob (Gen. 28: 11). Why Abrani continued to move southward we are not told: probably God would have him traverse the en- tire land which he had promised as a possession for his descendants. titin work, delivers us from fear, and creates in us a hope that nothing earl: ever take away.. "For I have known hien, to the end that he may :command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of. Jehovah, to do righteousness and justiee; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."—As it'"was only by obedi- ence and righteousness that Abraham and his seed were to continue in God favor, it was fair that they should be encouraged to do so by seeing the fruits of unrighteousness. So that as the Dead Sea lay throughout their whole history on their borders, re minding .thorn of the wages of sin, they might never fail rightly to in terpret its meaning and in every great catastrophe read the lesson `Except ye repent, ye shall all like wise perish,' They could never at- tribute to chance this predicted judg ment. "And Jehovah said, Gomorrah the ery of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done alto' gether according to the cry of i which is come unto me; and if nq I will know."—There, far down t • valley, lay theguilty cities, still an peaceful. No sound travelled to th patriarch's ears. Quiet though Sodo seemed in the far distance, and 1 the hush of the closing day; yet t1 God there was a cry, the, eery. of th maiden, the wife, and the child, Ther; were the cries which had entered int the ears of the Lord God. Each si has a cry. `The voice of thy broth er's blood crietle unto me.' We mus not conclude from the phraseology o these two verses that God did no know the actual condition in Sado prevailing at this time: su h expree. shins as we have here are used indicate God's a rsolute justice in a his decisions, and to inform us the God never punishes any being or an. community in wrath, but tha. he to fully justified in so doing. Gen. 18: 22-23. "And the mei turned from thence,and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet bel fore. Jehovah. And ,Abraham drew "And Jehovah said' unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, north- ward and southward and eastward and westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and ,to thy seed for ever."—This is the second promise Abraham has been given regarding the ultimate posses- sion of Canaan, only this time the promise has a greater sweep, and its eternal aspect here first appears. God does not tease us by giving our souls visions of ultimate accomplishments, desires for service, but he leads us, near, and said, Wilt thou consume and schools us, and equips us for the the righteous with _the wicked? Peri` attainment of that which he has un adventure there are fifty righteou unveiled to our souls; one vision to withinone and another to another. the city: wilt thou :eonsuni4. "And I will make thy seed as the and not spare the place for the fifty dust of the earth: so that if a man righteous that are: therein ? That be, can number the. dust of the earth, far from thee to do, after .this man. „ then may thy seed also be number - d+, to slay the righteous with th ed"—For a fulfillment of this prom- wicked, that so the :righteous should ise see Nuni. 23: 10; Duet. 1: 10; 10: 22; 28: 62. In Gen., 15: 5, Abra- ham is promised a •seed as numerous as the stars of the heaven, and it has been suggested that the promise that his seed should be as the dust of the earth refers to his posterity accord- ing to the flesh, and the promise that his seed should be as numerous as the stars of the heaven, refers to his seed according to the Spirit, Gal. 3: 29; Heb. 2:'16). "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it. And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an al- tar unto Jehovah." --,Acting immedi- ately, as the heavenly voice directed, Abram moved his tents to the plain of Mamre, who later became his friend and ally (14: 13, 24), near He- bron, twenty-two miles south of Jer- usalem, on the way to Beersheba, a town of great antiquity. Here he built an altar to God. It is not said anywhere that Lot ever built an altar to God. Erecting an altar for the worship of Jehovah in every place where Abram journeyed may be com- pared to • Christian people immediate- ly seeking a church home when they move to a new city; or a travelling man attending divine service every Lord's Day no matter how far from home he might be; or Christian people not allowing themselves, in strange cities, and when living in hotels, to fall asleep at night without hearing the voice of God from the pages of Holy Scripture. LESSON VL—May 9. ABRAHAM A MAN OF 'PRAYER (Chapter 18.) Printed Text Genesis 18: 17-32. GOLDEN TEXT — The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. James 5: 16. The Lesson In Its Setting Time—Abraham's intercession for. Sodom occurred B.C. 1904. Place—Hebron, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem. "And ,Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; See- ing that Abraham shall surely be come a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?"—God always knows what he is going ,to 'do in every cir- cumstance concerning every individu- al and every nation. Some of these purposes he has revealed tows in his Holy Word, indeed thousands xC them. Often by prayer and abiding in the will of God we come to knoW God's specific purposes for us it specific times, as we face certain cumstances. Our knowledge of whit God will do strengthens tis, itis: ux ages us to greater feieven iy in Chr-P• FARM NOTES iConducted by PROFESSOR HENRY (i BELL With the Co -Operation of the Various Departments of the Ontario Agricultural College, QUESTION: `Regarding fertilizers, hat conditions call for a 20% phos - hate? I was wondering If it was the *ice that :seas in its favor. We would lite to sew grain again on land which ad grain last year, Last year's dry ell has thrown our rotation out of rder, Our land is sandy and gravel pam. Would .you recommend sowing 0% phosphate alone? lIow would it o in conjunciion with a light coal manure, or would you recommend ie of the regular fertilizers?" J, IL, Wentworth County. ANSWER.; You say that you would. ike to sow grain again on land which fad grain last year. You also say that the land is sandy and gravelly loam. Cbanecs are the level of available Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid and Pot- ash will be fairly low in this soil for this year's crop. If you can spare it, a light coating of manure, I believe it would be good. In addition, I would recommend that yQ a apply 250 lbs. er acre of 2-12-6 or 2-12-10 fertilizer. would prefer the latter although it would cost a little more: .2-12,10 has given excellent results in our demonstration tests over the Province, giving increases of 10 to 15 bushels per acre over unfertilized. 2-12-10 fertilizer at the rate I men- tioned will cost you approximately $3.30• and 2.12-6 will cost $3.00 per a e 20% Superphosphate would cost you $2.50 per acre, but it will not add anything but Phosphoric Acid. This is the kind of plantfood which hastens ripening. 2-12-6 will add Nitrogen rwhich gives straw growth and Potash which promotes the filling and health- iness of; the crop. In our demonstra- tion tests, we Kaye: found that both Nitrogen' and Potash pay well under conditions which :you mention, especi- ally if you are seeding down with alf- alfa or grass mixture. Best applica- marg'n. • "And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem," This is the place where Abram first erected an altar, Shechem lay in the pass which cuts through mounts Ephraim, Ebel, and Gerizim, about twenty-five miles directly north of Jerusalem, in a valley which A. P, Stanley has called "the most beauti- ful, perhaps it might be said, the only very beautiful spot. in central Pales- tine." "Unto the oak of Moreh. Moreh refers to the owner of the oak grove. "And the Canaanite was then in the land. This simply implies that the land was not open for Abram to en- ter upon immediate possession of it without challenge. It also intimates, or admits of the suppositioi. that there had been previous inhabitants who' may have been subjugated by the in- vading Canaanites. "And Jehovah appeared Unto Ab- ram,' and said, Unto thy seed will I. give this land: and there builded he an 'altar Tinto Jehovah, who appear- ed unto him."— Here, for the first time, occurs a phrase that is to have such great significance throughout the . Old and' ,few Testaments,, 'the Lord appeared.' How he actually ap- peered to Abram we are;,not told, air D-3 our whole heart has been poured out before him, pleading with his as a man would plead with a friend. Ilow wonderful for a -mere creature to be on such terms with God as Abraham is here revealed to have been, and yet every Christian believer in Jesus Christ has an even greater right to exercise in entering `into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us.' (Heb. 10: 19. 20). "And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the be as the wicked; that be far. froiri Lord: peradventure there shall be thee: shall not the Judge of all the:' twenty found there. And he said, earth do right?"—This prayer of„ I will not destroy it for the twenty's Abraham's arose from Abraham'. knowledge of ,Gods purposes toward. Sodom, and from Abrahams . ;o; love for Lot, and his feeling' of responsibility forthe son ceased brother, with whom 'fin. many years he had lived -and la.uoeel Furthermore, Abraham knew God He had absolute confidence in God tv one who heard prayer, who always acted reasonably and justly, and to whom he could fervently pour out his if God would preserve it if only ten heart's desires, righteous should be found. And both "And Jehovah said, 3f I find in tines God answered Abraham in the Sodom fifty righteous within , the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."— God accepted the test proposed by Abraham, though not necessarily thereby acquiescing in the absolute soundnets of his logic; God said he would spare Sodom if fifty righteous could be found, not. as an act of judgment, but as an ex- ercise of mercy, because of the claims upon his mercy which grace admits the righteous to prefer. sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet hot this once: peradventure ten shall rrid. And'' he said, T will not i he for the :ten's sake. ,— 'wice 1 again, still clinging: to God for Sodom, does Abraham plead that God might not destroy this wicked city, once asking that it might be preserved if only twenty righteous should be found, and,finally asking "And Abraham answered and said';. Behold now, I have taken upon me to: speak unto the Lord, who am but dustand ashes. Peradventure there; shall lack five of the fifty righteouse'' wilt thou destroy all the city for lack; of five. And he said, I will not des- troy it, if I find there forty and five." Abraham must have known the city of Sodom intimately, and he. probably was convinced . in his own heart that fifty righteous could not be found within the circumference, of that city. He himself certainly never heard of fifty righteous men being there. Yet his heart is moved with pity for his own flesh and blood, who certainlywould be destroyed in such a judgment as is about, to descend upon this city. Accordingly, he asks God if he would not spare the city if only forty-five righteous could be found, and God answered his second petition as he had answered the first. It should be noticed that, in this sec- ond' petition, ec-and' petition, Abraham appears even in deeper humility than in the first peition, as though he had no right to ask God anything, being but dust and ashes himself—he is dust at first and ashes at last. "And he spake unto him again, and said, Peradventure there shall be; forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be. angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. Md. he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there,"—Twice again, continu-` ally rifedufciounI�thwe n1 ieaar o6tdho steb sparethe ciy,does hrham pr.oaah God An behalf of a doomed' community. Here is true persistence' in prayer, not letting go of God until tion of this fertilizer of Course, 1s througn the fertiliser section of the combined fertilizer' and grain drill, The analysis of the soil would of course help us in reaching definite knowledge of the fertility levels of your soil, but since you say It was in grain last year, and since it is sandy a' gravelly loam soil, I believe you would he safe in following the sug- gestion that I have given. affirmative. We are not told that God demanded that Abraham cease his intercession for Sodom: we may assume that Abraham simply thought he dared not ask God for more than he had already requested, and that to. do so would be to presume upon the mercy of Jehovah. Abraham "felt that he had reached the limit of' that liberty which God accords 'the believing suppliants at his throne." Target of Dynarniters a Lawrence Dwyer, 72 -year-old United Mine Workers organizer, telling Senate Civil Liberties Com- mittee fir Washington of attacks made on him in Harlan County. Three Kentucky mountaineers told of dynamite attempt. The time required to see and real- ize a danger singnal and begin to press on auto brakes is about one- fifth nefifth of a second; in that time, at 40 miles an hour, you could travel nearly 20 feet. Takes '?arriage Vows in H spita1 Bride, Seriously I11 Was Engaged For Past Ten Years CUMBERLAND, Md.—Miss Mary Estella Dollard, 49, seriously ill with pneumonia, was married here in a hospital ward to the pian to whom she had been engaged for the last 10 years. . The bridegroom was Harry Jas. Barrett, 45, tin worker. The new Mrs. Barrett, who is a registered nurse, was admitted to the Allegany Hospital in a grave con- dition. Barrett said that, fearing she would die, she asked that the cere- mony be performed. Barrett said he and his bride had been "going together" for 20 years. "But I was always a little bashful when it cane to getting married," he admitted. A turkey at Whitesnade, England, Zoo, has just completed an egg mound 56 feet in diameter and weighing 10 tons. A picture that will endear itself t4. every dog lover in the world and eV_, ery humanitarian, based on that heart warming institution known as "Tilt; Seeing Eye," Is planned by Warne* Brothers. As you probably know, <"Thi$ Seeing Nye," is a school at Morris- town, N•:J„ supported by public sub- scription which trains police dogs to lead blind men. - Started soon after the war by a Mrs, Eustis who had seen what won- derful onderful work was done in Switzerland by giving blind men dog companions, "The Seeing Eye," has trained hun- dreds of dogs, who have completely changed the lives of their formerly - helpless masters. The dogs lead their men through traffic tangles with per- fect safety — but better even than that provide understanding compan- ionship. Far away in Boston making per- sonal appearances, the Ritz Brothers heard that the Twentieth Century Fox studio planned to separate them putting brother Jim into "Last Year's ?F , Kisses" with Alice Faye, Tony Martin, Don Ameche and otters. They com- plained by telegram they howled over long-distance tele- phone, they objected with such embitter- ed frenzy . that the studio had to give in. All three Ritz brothers will appear in picture. The ap- pearance of Alice Faye with the boys should add to the fun of the picture. Alice Faye Gertrude Nieson's first song num- ber in ` Top of the Town," is "Where Are You," her lucky number. Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson wrote it for her three years ago, to use when auditioning for a big commercial ra- dio program. She got the job. Last 'all while 11 Hollywood for a vacation after a strenuous stretch on the ra- dio, she sang it at a party and was immediately offered a screen contract by produce_:s present. While producers of "Gone With the• Wind," ,are still arguing over who should play the leading roles, Para- mount is stealing a march on them. They have bought a story called "Get- tysburg" which has the same setting and similar characters and are putting it into production at once. Waitresses Being Given Lessons In Self -Defence SALT LAKE CITY— Thirty-two women learning to be • waitresses are studying "self - defense" against mashers. "The girls," said Helen N. Gitlin, of the National Youth Admin- istration, "by all means will be taught to take care of themselves. Although we do not intend to have our gradu- ates go into low -class cafes, we will teach them how to reject requests for dates without angering the custom- ers." Recruiting for Royal Air Force has inaugurate the 1937 recruiting campaign of the Royal Air Force, a novel photographic raphicof i display i playthas To -.. g. opened at' the London recruiting depot in way here. fromo lest use la methods of Government symbolizing the Air Force, and is an interesting departure details of the service to possible Air Force service publicity. 'A Royal Air Force lecturer, explaining recruits.