K BS 2615 .F73 I914 Foulkes, Willi 3m Hiram, 137 living bread from th^ r. GosDei ^^® Fourt LIVING BREAD FROM THE FOURTH GOSPEL BY Rev. WILLIAM HIRAM FOULKES, D.D. COPYRIGHT, I914 BY WILLIAM HIRAM FOULKES THE BIBLE TEXT USED IN THIS VOLUME IS THAT OF THE AMERICAN STANDARD EDITION OF THE REVISED BIBLE, COPYRIGHT, IQOI, BY THOMAS NELSON & SONS, AND IS USED BY PERMISSION TO MY SAINTED MOTHER WHO EARLY TAUGHT ME THE WORD OF GOD I DEDICATE THIS BOOK "Lord, evermore give us this bread." — John 6 : 34. INTRODUCTION AM indebted to my wife for the impulse which has led to the preparation and publication of this devotional study of the Fourth Gospel. "^ For many years she has found blessing in the daily study of the Word of God, under the guidance of some simple devotional commentary. Spurgeon's "Cheque Book Upon the Bank of Faith" is a commentary that has given her peculiar profit. For some time, instead of reading the Bible at random, we have been studying it together in connected portions. The Fourth Gospel brought such a wealth of spiritual refreshment to us that I was led to prepare in form suitable for publica- tion the meditations that have been a part of our Christian experience. The method of this study, as will be seen, is that of taking verses, in consecutive order, one for each day of the year, followed by a short exegetical and devotional comment and a brief prayer. Many equally important and fruitful verses have been omitted, it is true. It should be stated, however, that without mechanical selection or arrangement of-'the texts, the Gospel record exactly covered the year. I am also greatly indebted to my friend, Charles Gorman Richards, D.D., of Auburn, New York, who has generously reviewed the manuscript of the book. INTRODUCTION This one more of the "many books" about the things that Jesus said and did, is sent upon its untried way, with the author's prayer that its use may awaken in others the same deepening hunger for the Bread of Life that has come to him, and may also be the means of breaking unto them, day by day, the "bread . . . which cometh down out of heaven." WILLIAM HIRAM FOULKES SWARTHMORE, PeNNA., October 1,1914 LIVING BREAD FROM THE FOURTH GOSPEL JANUARY ONE 3rof)n I; I. 3n ti)c faeginning toas ttje N the beginning of beginnings! There is only one true beginning; all others are events flowing from the one eternal source. Laws are dated upon statute books, but law is the will of God. Truth has had its sages and seers in all the ages. It was born in the beginning of eter- nity. A new-found love springs from the breast of every mother who looks upon the face of her new-born babe; yet love began when, in the be- ginning, "God so loved." The miracle of life has been wrought a myriad times, yet life had its beginnings in the beginning with the living God. In the beginning of time and of eternity was the Word. In every temporal beginning of truth and love, he is the eternal beginning. The years are his; the cycles and the days. He is the eter- nal Alpha. Shall the redeemed children of God dethrone the Word from his seat of majesty in the beginning? He must have not merely emi- nence or prominence but "in all things . . . the preeminence." Put him first, this dawning day of the year that is to be; first in the heart and the home; first in trust and first in service; first in everything and everywhere. tftou taf)o art before all beginnings, grant tJjat ti)ii pear notn begun map be tontinueii anb enbeb in tijee, ttrougt) ^csua €l)ii6t out ICorb! JANUARY FOUR SToijn i : 4. 3n ijint toad life. y{ T could be said of any man that "life was in him," When did he live, and where, and to what profit? — that is the terse biography of '^ every man, and the epilogue is written by an unbidden hand, "he died." Of only One can it be said, "In him was life." He was its source and its content; its fountain and its fullness. We do not measure him in terms of life. We measure life by him. "In him was life." While it is fair to pluck the "flower in the crannied wall" and to "know what God and man is," there is a better solution of the mystery of life. The larger contains the less. The Cross reveals more than the cranny. The Lord of life, in whom all its fullness dwells, does not defraud the meanest serf in all His domain of the fullest life he is able to enjoy. The life he lives, he gives. I would not refuse to learn the lesson of life to-day, however taught me, and by whomsoever taught me. The withering leaf, the haunting echoes of a voice that is stilled, the flight of a bird on its "trackless way," all speak of life; but He is life, its all in all. -^^ ti)ou taato tibat lap boton t\)p life for me, take up again tl)p life in me ttjig bap! JANUARY FIVE HTofjn 1: 4. tKfje life teas tf)c ligfjt ot men. ^^HE border line between the great physical forces of life is very faint. It is hard to tell when heat begins and light ends; when the electric wave passes into the X-ray. Nature has not only put at our disposal a wealth of elements, but she has taught us a subtle alchemy by means of which to transmute one force into another. Christ is the great al- chemist. He turns life into light. Rarer than radium is the light of life that emanates from him. He is both the energy and the source of the light that is transformed into life. He is life's secret and its solution, life's cause and its climax. His life became the light of men, and in that life a thousand other transmutations come to pass. Sorrow is turned into joy; pain into peace; care becomes trust and the paralysis of doubt passes into the vigor of holy purpose. If only my life to-day be lived in him, how radiant will be my sky, how cheerful my lot, how serene my sojourning, even in a vale of tears. Clouds may come but they will disappear. Storms may gather, and even break, but they will hide the glory of the sun for only a passing moment. Shall not others, also, see light in me, because I live in him? -^' IListt of #otJ anb lLigl)t of tfje toorlb! tlTfjou art mp life. JRcflect ttpself tftrougj) me ttjis bap into gome cocnec of bacbnescdl JANUARY SIX 3Iol)n I: 14. Sinii ti)t Movti became flcsij. -^' =^HE Prologue of the Fourth Gospel passes from heaven to earth. Having gathered all the glory of the eternal beginnings, of light and life and God, it focuses the flood tide of glory upon the manger of Bethlehem. "The Word became flesh." There is no conde- scension here; no passing from the sublime to the trivial. Five mortal words never before or since compassed so lofty a truth or heralded so glorious a gospel. The sentence is dazzling in the sheen of ineffable splendor. "The Word became flesh." What infinite travail! The un- created God in the throes of birth! The Eternal cradled in the swaddling bands of years! Did one ever "stoop so low to conquer"? He not only drew near to flesh; he became flesh. He not only felt the human soul; he fathomed it. The Lord of life passed under the yoke. He has be- come bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, forever and forever. I may groan under the tyranny of the flesh to-day. Its infirmities and limitations, its cum- bering weights and its besetting sins may break down my imperious spirit and imprison me in the loathsome dungeon of shame. Rise up, my cap- tive soul, the living God hath set free thy flesh by becoming flesh for thee. t{ri)ou ta)t)o tiiint leabe tl)p tljrone anti ti)!* btnglp ctoiun, ttiece is; room in mp l)tavt foe ttjcci JANUARY SEVEN HTofjn I: 14. S(nb btoelt among ui. '^■ 'HAT a holy tabernacle was the body of His flesh! Little did men dream, and as little do we realize, how royal a Tenant dwelt in that tent of clay. It was moved about as the tabernacles of all other human souls. The storms beat upon it, and the noonday sun. It was carried here and there, set up and taken down; at last, torn and broken, it was nailed to a cursed tree and its immortal Tenant was dispossessed, although only for a season. In the last day, we read, the Tabernacle of God shall again be with men. It was but yesterday that he walked and talked and wrought "in the days of his flesh." To-day he dwells among us in the person of the invincible Companion whom he has sent. To-morrow, blessed to-morrow, we shall dwell with him in glory, forever and forever. -^' It is mine to give tabernacle to-day to the in- carnate Christ. I am called to carry with me into my daily toil not only the image of my Saviour but even his very self. The indwelling Christ still dwells with men, with me. ^^ tlTfjou tofto in tbe bapss of tbp flesf) "bitisit btacU among men! IDtucU in me to=bap fap tftp ?^Dlp Spirit anb fit me for mp eternal btocUing- place toiti) ti)ee in tt)e Jfatl)er'i$ i)ou&e! JANUARY EIGHT 3rotn I: 14. jFuU of ^xutt anli ttutlj. -^^ 'E can best measure fullness by ex- cluding every lack. Is there a full- ness of light? Then there can be no darkness, no shadow, no dusk, no dimness. So in beholding the fullness "of grace and truth" in Christ, we see it upon the background of our own lack. Measure him by the man of our acquaintance most truthful and most gracious. Instantly defects appear, although not in Him. All that we hope to be and ought to be in contrast with what we are, is disclosed in him. When he appeared, the age-long travail of Truth was over and it had become incarnated in the only begotten Son. With his dawning as the Sun of Righteousness, the day of perfect grace was ushered in. He "dwelt . . . and we beheld," said the eyewitnesses of old. "He dwells and we behold" is still the testimony of men concerning One "whom not having seen [they] love; . . . with joy unspeakable and full of glory." All the grace and truth to satisfy my every need I may find and have in him. He causes me to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" only in order that he may cause me to be filled. He permits me to see the defects of my soul in his holy light that I may long to be like him. -^- (0 tKftou (n fcDfjom all fullnegg btoells! Cobcr tljc nafaebncss of mp goul's; pobertp toitb tfjp Kcamlcstjt robe of ttutfj ani %xatt\ JANUARY NINE fotn I: \7. Jfoc tfje lata fcoas gibcn tbrougl) Jfloscs; grace antJ tcutfj came tbrougt) Icsus Cfjtist. r^HERE is a double contrast here: between the law, and grace together with truth; between Moses and Christ. It is con- trast, but not contradiction. Grace and truth do not destroy the law; they give it life. Christ did not deny Moses; he was that "prophet . . . like unto Moses," yet the Son of God. We are not so much concerned to know how the law came as to know that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The law at best was a broken cistern ; grace and truth are living waters fresh from the fountain, which is Christ. There is no grace apart from him. Just as the hidden coal is but the stored-up energy of the sun, so does every manifestation of divine love and truth trace its source to the Sun of Righteousness. Grace and truth are mine through Jesus Christ. What he came to give to the many, he has freely given to me. The source of all my goodness is higher than the inheritance of race or family, than the power of self-will or self-righteousness. Shall I be an ingrate to-day, and revel in the grace and truth of God, without so much as an upward look to Christ who is its living source? -^• © Cljtigt, tljou art tf)c fountain! Slgguage mp tbirgt tfjis; berp Jjout toitfj Ijeabenlp grace anb truttjl JANUARY TEN Joljn I: 22. JHSfjat £(apest tfjou of tfjpficlf? 'HEN the Jews asked John the Baptist "What sayest thou of thyself?" they really meant, "What sayest thou of Christ?" His direct testi- mony to himself would be the clearest witness as to his attitude toward Christ. "He confessed, and denied not; ... I am not the Christ." -$^ What do I say of myself, in the light of Christ who stands by? Dare I parade my self-righteous- ness, my pride of person or attainment? Will I presume to patronize the Son of God by taking my place alongside of him? It is not enough to "deny not," I must also confess that he is Christ. It is not enough that I should see him in his glory; I must also see myself in his light. What I say of myself, this day, in the home, the office, the school or the shop, will bear silent witness to what my heart says of him. Let me but walk witH the unselfish prophet of the wilderness for one passing hour, and then I will see the increasing Christ as I decrease. When my witness is of him, and not of myself, my witness will be true. €> tf)ou toljoge toap Uias prepared in tf)c toil- berness! tip one of olb! ;^abe mc tljp fore- runner in tj)c tDorll) into tobitlj 3 enter tfjis bap! illap IS confesfg anb benp not t^ou art tije Cljrist! JANUARY ELEVEN HTofjn I: 23. ^)t iaitt, 3 am tljc lioicc o£ one crptng in tlje tuiUjerncgs. '&^ VOICE, conscious of itself and of Christ — this was John the Baptist. His art was not "divine philosophy," or music with its charms. He laid no foundations for temples and builded no thrones for kings. He was only a voice that spent itself in calling; an iconoclastic voice, strident, stinging, scathing. Yet he was the voice of God. God spoke in him and called men to repentance and to judgment. By his voice God was heralding the coming of the King. In the hour of great trial, fire or flood or mid- night evil, it is the warning voice upon which most depends. The watchman upon the tower must cry aloud. Are there those whom I shall meet this day, to whom I ought to become God's voice? Will I fear to say, "Repent," to my own soul and to the souls of men about me, as the judgment of Christ draws near? The wilderness may threaten me with its solitude, the crowded marts of men may engulf me in their seething multitudes. Wherever God may cast my lot to-day I would lift a clarion voice in his behalf who has called me into his service crying. Repent, believe, for the King draweth near! ILorb, aptak to mc, tfjat 3 map fipcab in libins cc{)oc£( of ti)v tone ttjis liapl JANUARY TWELVE 3ro!)n 1 : 26. 2fn tfje mitiX of pou stantictJ) one totjom j>e bnotD not. -^^ 7TT is told of an ancient king that he loved to walk, disguised, among his subjects, listening to their conversations, entering into their ^ toil and pastimes. The King of kings also walked among men who knew him not, yet the concealment was not due to him. By every word and work he sought to make known his eternal power and Godhead. God standing in the midst and we know him not! Is not this the tragedy of faith? Not of faith, but of unbelief! If our hearts were fully set upon him, our energies bent upon his will, we would oftener discover the Holy One in the midst of us. Even so, he will not always stand unrevealed. In the hour of trial, when the storm of grief threatens to engulf us, out of the darkness we shall hear his voice, "It is I; be not afraid." How trustfully I ought to live this day! With what courage it behooves me to bear my appointed burden! How chaste and heavenly should be my walk and con- versation, since the unseen Holy One is by my side! © tljou Cfjttst of (^ob! Het no Kin of mine \i\tit tJjp fate from mel c iuitij mc! itlUt tijou not let me tttis tiap abtbe boit^ tt)ce? JANUARY FIFTEEN Jofjn I: 41. I^c finbet!) first \^\i oton. NDREW'S faith was genuine. If he had organized a "Society for the Saving of the Jews of the Dispersion," and had forgotten Simon, his brother, there might have been no Pentecost. When Christ truly finds us, we shall seek to find our own and to bring them to him. Christian fathers, heedless whether their own sons have found Christ; Christian mothers, careless whether their daughters have been saved; Christian masters, more intent upon money and machinery than they are upon men, are not walking in the footsteps of Andrew, who first found his own. The search need not end there, will not end there, but it must begin there. -^^ Have I prayed for China to-day and for India and Africa? Have I made intercession for my native land? It is well and Christian so to do. In the words of Maltbie D. Babcock, "my love has a broken wing if it cannot fly across the ocean." Yet love does not always or even first soar to dizzy heights. It cherishes its nest and its own nestlings even if it does not forever stay in it or with them. First, let me seek and find my own, whoever her may be, and wherever — then my prayer for all the world will be full of power. -^ tfjou tofjo bibst lobe tJjine oton unto tfjc cnb! (@tbe mc a gecbing lobe foe tl)0£(e b)i)om tijou fjaist giben mc! JANUARY SIXTEEN BFotn I: 42. Sfesufi loobcb upon tint. "YfE also looked upon Peter in the early morning of his passion day, and that look broke Peter's heart. He looked upon Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and that look broke his own great heart. He looked upon the penitent thief hanging beside him on the cross, and that look opened Paradise. He looked at Judas, and, behold, "it was night." This time his look was a look of recognition. Later he saw under the distant fig tree an Israel- ite in whom there was no guile, and when the morning brought him face to face with Nathanael, he looked upon him with the look that meant life. What does my Lord see when he looks upon me this day — that which will break my heart or his? Will there be a dawning of judgment or of Paradise in Jesus' look? Will he find guile and unfongiven guilt, or his own goodness hidden >n my heart by faith? I fear to face what he will find. Too well I know the troubled depths of doubt and sin. His holy eyes will hurt me to the quick but they will also heal me. May he see in me his own dear child, and by his look of love give me access to the circle of his true disciples! '^- ^i)ou tuijo, toiti) a loob. titsit atal tije besettnieg of men! 3i tooulb loob unto ti)ee to= bap anb libc! JANUARY SEVENTEEN STobn 2: I. ^nb tlje t^ttb bap ti)txt \oai a macriaBe. T was early in the Master's ministry that he set his seal upon holy love. He complied with the customs of his time and lent his presence to the festivity that surrounded the hour of wedlock. He was no free lance, however, making sport of life's holiest sanctions. By so much as he loved and honored the mother who bore him, did he seek the honor of those who en- tered into the lot of conjugal love. It is not the miracle that he wrought in turning the water into wine that hallows Cana for us. That wonder did not even make a lasting impression upon the most of those who saw it. The abiding blessing of this first social ministry of Jesus is his confirmation of holy love embodied in human relationships. -^ Do I fear to invite my Lord to my wedding feast? Do I hesitate to enter the sacred nuptial circle upon bended knee to him? Is there aught in my heart or in my love that will not bear the light of his discerning holiness? Let me widen the circle of my earthly love and include all those who are bound to me by tender ties. Is my Saviour enshrined in the center of that sacred social circle, his love the radiating energy that touches everyone, even those upon the remotest circumference? -^- lobe bibitte, all lobes excdlins! ilinble mp ijuman lobe anebi at tijp tolp altat! JANUARY EIGHTEEN M; 3fol)n 2: 5. SSaijatfiocbcr l)e saitf) unto pou, bo it. ^ /j^ARY had not pondered all these things in her heart in vain. Out of that "Holy Thing" had emerged One whose stature ■^ surmounted the heavens and whose majesty was the majesty of God. Mother love had passed into adoring awe. How much he knew of which she had never been his teacher! She taught him words and motions and the common things of daily life. As his growing mind expanded to receive each added fact of human experience, she looked within the opened doors of his soul and saw divinity enthroned. His "whatsoever" became her law. "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." This is the counsel of eternal wisdom to the sons of time. All ethics is comprehended in this law — the will of Christ. Kings pass under the rod of his sovereign power. The commonest man is not absolved from the doing of his will. Have I yet learned the lesson of hfe? Do I know that the "whatsoever" of Jesus is law? Do I fancy that there are high seas without the domain of the divine will of Christ? Derelict as my soul may be, without chart, rudder, helm or haven — the law of the will of Christ holds me with bands of steel. €> tf)ou tofjogc bcli'gfjt tnas to bo tfjp Jfatfjcr'ss toiU! %}t\T? me to bnoto, to lobe anb to bo tbp toill tljig bap! JANUARY NINETEEN SToJjn 2: 7. STesug sattfj unto tljem, jfill tlje taaterpots toitfj toatcr. SiniJ t{)cp fillclj tljem up to tt)e bcim. =^HEIR perfect obedience fitted into the perfection of Christ's plan. He wanted the waterpots filled that there might be no room for magic or mixture. Every added drop of water made the dependence upon him more complete. His plan also provided a bounty, as befitted a wedding feast. He supplied the lack, whether from penury or parsimony, on the part of him who gave the feast. The servants filled the waterpots up to the brim, and thus displayed their perfect trust in him. Does not the Lord of life demand like service of us? Inclinations and capacities, which to us are stone waterpots, set for some menial service, he seeks to fill with the rare wine of his own spirit. What miracles of service would still be wrought by the Master, if men would only place themselves unreservedly at his disposal ! Whatever my task or talent, mood or temperament, it is mine to fill it to the brim with the water of willing obedience and whole-hearted surrender. Six stone waterpots — my-time, my tongue, my pen, my purse, my temper- ament, my talents — filled to the brim ; these belong to him. Whatsoever he saith unto me, I will do it. tfjou bountiful gibct of cberp Qooli! iHap 3 piclb tf)ee to=bap an obcrflotoins life of lotic anb ficrbice! JANUARY TWENTY 3fof)n 2: I'l. ^fjig facBinning of fji^f fitgn^f bilj ^Jesus in Cana of