CHRISTIAN CONDUCT.

Romans XII. 9–15.

From anger, pride, and selfish care,
From want of faith in work or prayer,
From sin that we would rashly dare,
Oh, save us, Lord!

GOLDEN TEXT: Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. - Roм. xii. 9.

1. Will you repeat the Golden Text?

2. Where are these words found, and who wrote them? 3. What is it to abhor evil?

4. What is it to cleave to that which is good?

5. What will help us to hate what is bad, and cleave to what is good?

6. What does Paul next say to the Christians at Rome? That they should love one another as though they were all brothers.

7. To whose great family do we all belong?

8. How then ought we to feel and act towards one another? 9. Do children who go to the same school always feel and act in this way?

10. Against what vice does Paul warn the Roman Christians?

Against being slothful.

11. What is it to be slothful?

12. What harm is there in being slothful?

13. What does Paul next urge the Roman Christians to be? Fervent in spirit.

14. What is it to be fervent in spirit?

To be zealous in our acts and feelings.

15. What does Paul then urge the Roman Christians to do? To serve the Lord.

16. What are some of the ways in which we all can serve the Lord?

1. What precept does Paul give in regard to love? Rom. xii. 9.

2. What does he mean by this?

3. What precept does he give in regard to evil?

4. What does he urge concerning what is good?

5. What would be the result if everybody hated everything bad, and adhered to everything good?

6. What does the apostle say in verse 10?

7. What is meant by "kindly affectioned one to another"? 8. What is meant by "in honor preferring one another"? 9. What does Paul say in verse 11?

10. What is it to be slothful?

11. What are some of the evils arising from sloth?

12. What is it to be fervent in spirit?

13. Why is fervency of spirit needful ? 14. What is it to serve the Lord?

15. Why ought we to serve him?

16. What are some of the rewards of serving him?

17. What does Paul say in verse 12?

18. What "hope" had he in mind?

19. Why is the hope of immortality a source of joy?

20. Why should we be patient in trouble?

21. What is meant by "continuing instant in prayer"? 22. Why should we pray at all?

23. What does Paul say in verse 13?

24. What does "" distributing to the necessity of saints" mean?

25. Why was it especially needful that the early Christians should relieve the wants of their brethren ?

26. Why should we be "given to hospitality"?

27. Is there as much occasion for hospitality among us as there was in Eastern countries in the days of the apostles? 28. What precept does Paul next give? 14.

29. What had Paul himself done about twenty years before? Acts vii. 57-59; viii. 3.

30. What had produced this great change in his character? 31. What does the apostle say in verse 15?

32. Why is it our duty to sympathize with others?

NOTES. Rom. xii. 9. Let love be without dissimulation. "Let love be without hypocrisy." - Revised Translation. "Let your love be unfeigned." - Noyes. "Love here indicates that benevolence or good-will which we are commanded to exercise toward all men. . . . Love without dissimulation is an honest, sincere, hearty love; not a hypocritical pretence, but a genuine affection; not a love which desires the good of men on certain conditions, while it would not be grieved to see them ruined beyond remedy if the conditions were not performed, but a love which desires and which prompts sincere endeavors to secure the benefit of all, even the most abandoned; not a love which seeks to make the good better and the bad worse, but a love which seeks the moral improvement of all, which desires not only that good men may become perfect, but that the wicked may turn away from their ungodliness, that they may become fruitful in righteousness." Paige. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. "The word rendered 'cleave to' denotes properly the act of gluing, or uniting firmly by glue. It is there used to denote a very firm adherence to an object; to be firmly united to it." Observe that the apostle's language in regard to good and evil is the strongest possible. We should so hate what is evil as to be always repelled by it, and so love what is good as always to stick to it.

10. Be kindly affectioned. "To illustrate and impress still further this beautiful sentiment of Christian love, he likens it to the family instinct of fraternal affection. We are to love our fellow-men as if they were our own mother's sons; for are they not the sons of our common Father in heaven?"

In honor. In showing honor, not in seeking it. Preferring one another. "The word 'preferring' means going before, leading, setting an example. Thus, in showing mutual respect and honor, they were to strive to excel; not to see which could obtain most honor, but which could confer most, or manifest most respect. If this single direction were to be obeyed in society, it would put an end at once to no small part of the envy and ambition and heart-burning and dissatisfaction in the world."

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11. Not slothful in business. "In diligence not slothful." - Revised Translation. The meaning is that we should not be idle or negligent, but diligently occupied in our chosen pursuit. Fervent in spirit. "Let your spirit glow with zeal." - Conybeare. Fervency is contrasted with the slothfulness mentioned before. Instead of a cold and lifeless spirit, manifesting itself in sloth and inactivity, the apostle exhorts his brethren to cherish a warm, glowing spirit, which will result in active exertions to do good. No man can expect to accomplish much unless his heart be engaged in the work; nor can he influence others to activity while he manifests no enthusiasm." Paige. — Serving the Lord. Service to the Lord always consists in doing the duty which is obviously ours to perform. Too much stress cannot be laid on the duty of carrying religion into daily life.

12. Rejoicing in hope. The great hope of a blessed immortality is what the apostle had in mind. - Patient in tribulation. "Be patient in affliction." Noyes. - Continuing instant in prayer. "Continuing steadfastly

in prayer."- Revised Translation. "Persevere in prayer."-Noyes. "In your prayers be unwearied.” — Conybeare. As though the apostle had said, Pray often and pray earnestly. He regarded prayer as indispensable to Christian life.

13. Distributing to the necessity of saints. "Relieve the wants of the holy."-Noyes. "This duty of rendering aid to Christians especially does not interfere with the general love of mankind. Christians in the time of the apostles had reason to expect little compassion from the men of the world. They were persecuted and oppressed; they would be embarrassed in their business, perhaps thrown out of occupation by the opposition of their enemies; and it was therefore peculiarly incumbent on their brethren to aid them." - Barnes. Given to hospitality. "While it was the duty of Christians to take special care of the household of faith, they were also required by the spirit of the gospel to do good to all men. The duty of being hospitable, that is, of being kind to strangers and ministering to their wants, is repeatedly urged in the Scriptures." - Paige.

14. Bless them which persecute you. "In an age of persecution, when the Christians went forth as sheep among wolves, it was especially needful that they should take with them the loftiest standard of forgiveness, else their hearts would become hard and embittered, and the gospel would die out of their souls. But this sublime precept, so often inculcated by Jesus, so beautifully exemplified by him on the cross, is of no local or transient application, but universal and eternal. Not a day passes when it is not imperatively needed in every position of human life, that the wheels of society may revolve without horrid discord, and that the children of God's infinite love may learn to treat one another as he treats all. . . . What a change had Saul the arch-persecutor of Christians undergone, to become Paul the apostle of the meek and forgiving Jesus, inculcating boundless love and unwearied pity and mercy."- Livermore.

15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. "Chrysostom remarks that it is harder to rejoice sincerely with the joyful, than to weep with the sorrowing; and Rochefoucauld makes the startling remark, that in the misfortunes of our best friends there is something that is not altogether displeasing to us. Of course it could only be an ill-regulated nature that took delight in any one's troubles, especially in those of the near and dear; but there are many ill-regulated and undisciplined hearts even in the purest Christian community; one of the most important branches, therefore, to the general sentiment of love, is here sketched, a sincere and cordial sympathy with our fellow-men in both their joys and their sorrows.' "" Livermore. 'Joy at the good of others is often a surer proof of the sincerity and strength of piety than sympathy in their distresses it may be more free from alloy." - Ripley.

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TREATMENT OF ENEMIES.

Romans XII. 16-21.

Though passion's fires are in thy soul,
Thy spirit can their flames control;
Though tempters strong beset thy way,
Thy spirit is more strong than they.

GOLDEN TEXT: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. ROM. xii. 21.

1. What does Paul say in his Epistle to the Romans about rendering evil for evil?

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Recompense to no man evil for evil.”

2. What harm does it do to render evil for evil?

3. What does Paul say about living peaceably with all

men ?

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."

4. What do you think he means by this?

5. When is it impossible to live at peace with another? 6. What does Paul say we should do if our enemy is hungry or thirsty?

"If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink."

7. What does he say will be the effect of such treatment? "In so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." 8. What does he mean by this?

He means that if we treat our enemy kindly, he will be heartily ashamed of his ill-treatment of us.

9. If we treat our enemy unkindly, what effect will it have on him?

10. What precept does Jesus give concerning love to enemies?

“ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

11. Will you repeat the Golden Text?