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T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Cover my defenseless head W ith th e shadow of Thy w ing.” Have you fled to th e refuge which God has provided?
man, on th e o th er hand, is denied mercy, and stric t ju stice is m eted out to him . The topic suggested for our ad u lt classes, from th is lesson, is “ Our Responsibility Toward Offenders.” The lesson, itself, is a sta rtlin g con tr a s t to th e weak sentim entality, which m arks much of our dealing w ith guilty offenders today. Every day or two one reads in th e paper of some audacious robbery or d astard ly crime comm itted by a crim inal, who is ou t on parole. T h at so rt of th ing is absolutely con tra ry to w hat God teaches in th is lesson. This does no t mean th a t first offenders should be throw n into th e same cell or into th e company w ith hardened crim inals, which ordinary, common sense would tell us was no t w ise; b u t it does mean th a t crim inals who have robbed and murdered, and broken th e law shall n o t be set a t liberty, to prey upon society un til they are arrested , not merely once, b u t usually two or th ree tim es more. III. The Gospel Illustrated. The following points of resemblance between th e cities of refuge and th e salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ, are worth noting: (1) A refuge is needed. Rom. 3:23. (2 ) The refuge is appointed by God and no o ther place will do. John 3 :16 ; Acts 4 :12 ; 1 Tim. 2 :5 ; John 10 :9 ; 14:6. (3 ) The refuge avails only for those who avail them selves of it. John 1 :12 ; 3 :18 ; 3:36. (4) The refuge is ample for all. John 6:37 (la st clau se ); John 3 :16 ; Rev. 22:17. (5 ) The refuge is su re and certain. John 10:28, 29. “O ther refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, O leave me no t alone, Still support and com fort me. All my tru s t on Thee is stayed, i All my help from Thee I b ring;
This lesson will afford many oppor tun ities to speak to scholars concerning God’s laws,— of th e ir necessity, of th e ir purposes, of th e distinction between crimes and th e grad- HEART OP ing of punishm ent for THE LESSON t h e commission o f T. C. H o rton crimes. There are sins of commission and sins of omission. There are degrees of pun ishm ent. H ere is a lesson on a place of refuge for one who is unw illingly a m urderer. H ere is a wonderful oppor tu n ity to p resen t Jesu s Christ as God’s refuge city for sinners. Men are born sinners. By no fau lt of th e ir own were they so born. Men are born w ith a sinful n a tu re and th ere is no power w ithin man or men to change th e law of th e ir n atu re. They are born rebels ag ain st God; born w ith h earts full of h atre d fo r God and for H is laws. They have sinned igno ran tly and wilfully, b u t it is all sin. They have violated God’s laws. They deserve death. There is no escape from th e H and of the Avenger. The law of God is simple in term s, “The soul th a t sin- n eth it shall die.” A guilty world in danger, every unsaved man and woman in danger of w rath , “B u t God commendeth H is love.” (Rom. 5 :8 ). There is no ra n som, no satisfaction. The justice of God is th e avenger. God demands per fect righteousness, perfect obedience. Nothing can deliver from w rath , bu t flight to a place of refuge. To ta rry is to be slain. To do noth ing is fatal. There are th ree w itnesses to testify again st th e sinner,— th e Word of God, th e S pirit of God and th e sinn er’s own conscience. There is a place of refuge, divinely appointed— a city set upon a
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