& Manual for Christian instruction SEtlson &. Buxton JFor nse bg -v Pastors' framing Classes »%w StJult Suntjag-Srfjool Classes '-r "Z -> l^ung people's Societies anli II *D > g 4 JK. &♦ Associations Class uD^jL^ Book.. , l5R fojpghtN? COPVRIGHT DEPOSE A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION BY WILSON R. BUXTON Minister of the United Congregational Church Little Compton, R, I. BOSTON TLbc pilgrim press CHICAGO #w $1 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Two Copies Received MAR 23 1903 Copyright Entry CLASS &/ XX* No. COPY ». Copyright, 1903, 15 v Wilson R. Buxton. Eo fHg Mitt GCfjfe little book is gratefullg ingcrftrt PREFACE This Manual is not intended for children. There already are in use a number of excellent elementary catechisms. This Manual has been prepared for those who, because of their previous instruction in the fundamental truths of religion, are prepared for a larger understanding of those truths and their practi- cal application to the problems of life. In addition to the many adults who are in need of definite instruction in Christian teachings, there is a large class of youth passing through their teens who have a vigor of mind that ought to be turned to ad- vantage in the assimilation of spiritual truth just as readily as it is utilized in the reception of what is called secular knowledge in the public schools. For such this little book has been written. The purpose of this Manual is to inform, suggest and stimulate. The writer has, therefore, endeavored to ask and answer those questions that will start the most fruitful line of discussion and inquiry. This has necessitated the asking of leading questions only, to each one of which the teacher is to bring his class by putting to the members questions, simple and practical, of his own framing. If the teacher is not already familiar with them it VI PREFACE is suggested that in connection with the instruction of his class he will find help in reading portions of the following : " Present Day Theology," by Stearns ; "The Character of Jesus," by Bushnell ; "Through Nature to God," by Fiske ; " Outlines of Christian Theology," by Clarke ; " The Christ of To-day " and "The New Epoch for Faith," by Gordon; "The In- carnation of the Son of God," by Gore ; "The Life to Come," in "Studies of Religion," by Martineau ; and " The Holy Father and the Living Christ " and " Christian Perfection," by Forsyth. The Scriptural quotations are from the American Revised Version. Six questions and answers, with little change, have been incorporated from the West- minster Shorter Catechism, since material improve- ment was not deemed practicable. To a number of leading clergymen in Providence, Boston and vicinity, to whom the writer read the manuscript, and who made helpful criticisms and suggestions, he desires to acknowledge his indebtedness. The Manual assumes that, while God has in other ways revealed himself to man, his revelation in the Holy Scriptures furnishes sufficient data for an ade- quate sketch of his living purpose with reference to man. It therefore opens with a brief consideration of the redemptive revelation — the fact of that reve- lation, and the record as we have it in the Bible. From the record or outer court, the argument passes to the spiritual content, the Holy of holies, the living teachings of revelation. PREFACE Vll These teachings disclose God to the soul — his nature, attributes, and modes of existence and mani- festation. But the great burden of the teachings have to do with God in his relation to man. So, grant- ing that man is within the movement of the infinite pur- pose of God, the writer has raised and endeavored to answer three great questions : What is the end of man ? In what ivays does God help man attain his end? What is man to do that he may appropriate the helps divinely provided, and thus press forward toward his goal ? Now, since it must be assumed that from the first, in his education of man, God has been working toward rational ends, these facts are evident : That God's goal for man was foreshadowed in man's orig- inal spiritual constitution at creation ; that God's teachings from the first matched that spiritual consti- tution ; that the noblest souls of the earlier dispensa- tion to a degree exemplified these teachings, and that in the complete man, Christ Jesus, there was the final and absolute realization of humanity's goal. So we state the answer to the first question thus : The end of man is perfection according to God's laws of life stamped on man's being at creation, very early revealed in the Old Testament, and completely mani- fested in Jesus Christ. But not only did God appoint this high end for man ; from the beginning, God has been helping man to realize his supreme purpose. He has so ordered the world as to make it a theater adapted to the Vlll PREFACE struggle for perfection. He has put man under the sway of powerful motives to right living. He has ever bestowed upon the willing recipient his Holy Spirit. He has evolved social institutions through which man's life on earth can manifest itself. So we state the answer to the second question thus : God helps man attain his end by so ordering his con- stitution and that of the world as to make progress toward perfection possible ; by placing him under the sway of motives that enhance the value of the soul and make right living desirable ; by bestowing upon him his Holy Spirit, and by providing him with in- stitutions in and through which man's life he.7'c is to reveal itself. Finally, since man is God's free child, it follows that he has a part to perform in the grand ethical drama of the individual life. That part is summed up in the one word " Faith ; " but it is a faith that through the years of man's pilgrimage is ever unfold- ing into definite forms of Christian experience and activity, which may be designated as repentance, growth and service. So we state the answer to the third question thus : Marts part is to cooperate with God by responding to the divine overtures to him, and thus, through appropriation of the help vouch- safed, to press forward toward the mark of the prize of his high calling. Wilson R. Buxton. Little Compton, R. I. January, 1903. SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION A. THE FACT. B. THE RECORD. C. THE TEACHINGS. I. God: His Nature, Attributes, Modes of Existence and Manifestation. II. Man: /. The End of Man is Perfection. a. The Primacy of the Ethical. b. The Two Elements in Final Type of Character. c. This Type Completely Realized in Jesus. d. Man to Reproduce the Christ Character. e. Value of the Christ Character to Human Society. 2. God Helps Man to Attain this End. a. An Ordered World. i. Man endowed with possibilities of sin and righteousness. 2. Is placed in a world where he can bring out either possibility. 3. Disobeys God, and sin enters. 4. With entrance of sin come suffering and sorrow. 5. Ethical meaning of the world's suffering, sin and strug- gles. b. Influencing Motives. 1. Degeneration and growth. 2. The love of God. 3. The future life. c. The Holy Spirit. 1. His work in man. 2. Tests of his indwelling. 3. Scope of his operation. d. Institutions. 1. The family. 2. The state. 3. The Church. 5. Man Cooperates with God and Presses forward toward His Goal. a. Faith. b. Faith's Unfolding. 1. Repentance. 2. Growth. 3. Service. A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION i . In what ways has God revealed himself to man 7 God has revealed himself to man in the universe l that he made, in the humanity 2 that he created, and through his servants 3 and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 i. Ps. 19 : i, 2. The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. 2. Gen. 1 : 27. And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. 3. 2 Pet. 1:21. Xo prophecy ever came by the will of man : but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. 4. John 1 : 14. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. 2. I That is meant by God's revelatio?i of himself in the universe f By God's revelation of himself in the universe is meant the manifestation of his power, wisdom and goodness in the vastness, history, structure and laws of creation. 1 Astronomy, geology, physics and phil- osophy are " a translation of the Creator's thought into human language." a 2 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION i. Rom. i : 20. The invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made. Ps. 148:3-10. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Jehovah ; for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also established them for ever and ever : he hath made a decree which shall not pass away. Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye sea-monsters, and all deeps ; fire and hail, snow and vapor ; stormy wind, fulfilling his word ; mountains and all hills ; fruitful trees and all cedars ; beasts and all cattle ; creeping things and flying birds, 2. Rom. 8 : 19. For the earnest expectation of the creation wait- eth for the revealing of the sons of God. 3. What is meant by God^s revelation of himself in humanity f By God's revelation of himself in humanity is meant the disclosure of his own nature, wisdom and purpose in the constitution, 1 history 2 and experi- ences 3 of mankind. Biology, psychology and social science are revelations of God's mind and thought to man. 4 1. Ps. 139:14. I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 2. Gen. 12: 1. Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee. Is. 43 : 3. I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead. 3. Rom. 8 : 16. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God. 4. Ps. 139 : 15, 16. My frame was not hidden from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance ; and in thy book they were all written, even the days that were ordained for me. THE REDEMPTIVE REVELAT: 3 4. What is the distinct i: t r of the revelation of God through his servants and his Son Jesus Christ / The revelation of God through his servants and ids Christ is for a practical end, and con- cerns the redemptive work of God. This is inci- dentally true of God's revelation of himself in nature and humanity : but it is predominantly characteristic of his revelation through his servants and his Son Jesus Christ The purpose of the latter is to reveal to man the moral order of the world ; and therefore it relates chiefly to human duty and destiny. It is a disclosure of the heart of God to the heart of humanity. 2 Chron. 24 : 19. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah. Luke 4 : 18, 19. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he i me to preach good tidings to the poor: he hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the : set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the accept- or of the Lord. John 18 : 37. To this end have I been born, and to this end am :rld, that I should bear witness unto the truth. John 10 : 10. I came that they may have life, and may have it 26 : 18. To open their eyes, that they may turn from dark- ness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me. 5. I That considerations lay back of the redemptive .'.it 'ion , making it inevitable f Back of the redemptive revelation were the facts that God is a Person, all- wise and powerful, and there- 4 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION fore able to reveal himself to man ; l that God is love, and therefore desires to see man walk in right ways and be happy ; 2 that man, being made in God's image, can apprehend the revelation of God ; 3 and that man needs a special revelation to supplement the light of reason. 4 1. Is. 40: 26. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath cre- ated these, that bringeth out their host by number ; he calleth them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking. Ps. 147 : 5. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power ; his under- standing is infinite. 2. John 3 : 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. Ps. 103 : 13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so Jehovah pitieth them that fear him. 3. Ps. 8 : 5. Thou hast made him but little lower than God, and crownest him with glory and honor. 4. Jer. 10 : 23. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 6. What was God^s method of revealing himself to man through his servants and his Son Jesus Christ f God sometimes spoke directly and audibly to his servants. 1 He often spoke to them in visions and dreams. 2 At other times his Spirit moved them to speak the word of the Lord. 3 In the fulness of time, he sent forth his Son, through whose life, teachings, sufferings, death and resurrection God was fully re- vealed to man. 4 The message usually bore the stamp of the individuality of the human instrument as well as the impress of the age in which it was spoken. THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 5 i. Ex. 3:4. God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. Matt. 3 : 17. And lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Acts 26:14. I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 2. Dan. 2:19. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Acts 10 : 10, 11. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance ; and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descend- ing, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth. 3. 2 Pet. 1 : 21. Men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. 4. Heb. 1:1,2. God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son. 7. Have we a record of GocTs redemptive revelation to ma?i f We have. The Bible, including the Old and New Testaments, is a partial record of that revelation. 1 Some of God's revelations were not recorded, 2 and some that were recorded have been lost. 3 The Bible, however, is a record of those great spiritual truths, a knowledge of which is essential to man's salvation and happiness. 4 1. Jer. 30 : 2. Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. Rev. 1 : 11. What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches. 2. John 21 : 25. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I sup- pose that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written. 6 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 3. Num. 21 : 14. Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Jehovah. 1 Cor. 5:9. I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators. 4. 2 Tim. 3 : 15. From a babe thou hast known the sacred writ- ings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 8. But are not the sacred books of the other religions records of God^s revelations to man ? God has inspired holy men in all ages and nations ; and they have given the world fragments of his truth : l but God raised up and educated the Hebrew people that through them he could specially reveal his moral and spiritual truth to mankind.* 2 1. Acts 17:28. As certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 2. Deut. 7 : 6. Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. John 4 : 22. Ye worship that which ye know not : we worship that which we know ; for salvation is from the Jews. 9. What is the relation of the different parts of the Bible to one another f The Bible, though composed of many books, is yet, like the human body, an organic whole. 1 The different books elucidate and emphasize the eternal purpose of God in creation and redemption. 2 The Old Testament is the early dawn ; the New Testament, the noonday splendor. 3 The Gospels record the ful- filment of Old Testament hopes and prophecies 4 ; THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 7 the Acts and Epistles are an elaboration and applica- tion of the teachings in the Gospels. 5 i. Luke 24:27. And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets.be interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things con- cerning himself. 2. John 5 : 39. Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life ; and these are they which bear witness of me. . John 5 146. For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me. John 1 : 45. We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote. 3. Heb. 10: 1. The law having a shadow of the good things to come. 4. Luke 4 : 21. To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears. 5. John 16 : 12, 13. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth : for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak. 10. Are all the books of the Bible of equal importa7ice f The books of the Bible are not all of equal impor- tance. They are all necessary ; but, like the mem- bers of the human body, some are more excellent than others. 1 Like the Alps, the books represent varying heights of inspiration. 2 Isaiah is a sublimer revelation than Leviticus. John's Gospel surpasses the Epistle of James. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes contain practical suggestions relative to the conduct of life ; but they do not sound the depths of the re- ligious nature as do the Psalms, nor do they bear witness to the historic work of Christ, or to man's 8 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION great Helper, the Holy Spirit, or to the inspiring motives of God's love and the future world, as do the Gospels and Epistles. 3 i. i Cor. 12: 18. But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him. 2. John 7 : 46. Never man so spake. 3. Matt. 12:42. The queen of the south . . . came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 1 1 . Upon what facts does the claim of the Bible to teach the truth rest f The claim of the Bible to teach the truth rests upon the facts that our Lord has declared its teach- ings to be true ; 1 that those teachings match the spiritual constitution and needs of man, 2 and that the fruit of those teachings is good, since they make people good and true and happy. 3 1. John 17 : 17. Thy word is truth. John 10 : 35. The scripture cannot be broken. Matt. 5 : 18. Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be ac- complished. 2. Deut. 30: 14. The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. Jer. 15 : 16. Thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart. John 1 : 29. Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world ! 3: Matt. 12 : 33. The tree is known by its fruit.- Matt. 7 : 16. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Mark 3 : 23. How can Satan cast out Satan? THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 9 12. What is the relation of the record of revelation to the teachings of revelation . The literary form and characteristics of the books of the Bible are important ; ' and attention must be given to them if we would grasp the living truth of which they are the vehicle, just as a child must attend to the words that convey the parent's thought. 2 It is, however, true that words are but the clothes which the Scriptural teachings wear. Questions about the date, authorship and mode of inspiration of a book are of minor importance. 3 The teachings themselves are alive and spiritual. They thrill, quicken and uplift. 4 Disproportionate emphasis on the letter or garment of the living Word of God, be it in the interest of conservatism or radicalism, is scribism pure and simple. 5 1. John 6 : 63. The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. 2. Jer. 15 : 16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them. Eph. 6 : 17. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 3. 2 Cor. 3 : 6. The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 4. 1 Pet. 1 : 23. The word of God, which liveth and abideth. 5. Matt. 23 : 23. Ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith. Matt. 11 : 16, 17. Whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their fellows and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not mourn. 13. Is the revelatio7i of God as recorded in the Bible a progressive revelation t IO A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION It is. 1 Like the sensible teacher who, in the train- ing of his pupils, discontinues certain methods em- ployed when they were quite young, God varied his methods as his people advanced toward spiritual maturity, and gradually revealed his will to man that he might the better appreciate and use the light given. 2 The law came first ; centuries later, the gospel. 3 Immortality is promised in the Old Testa- ment ; it is brought to light in the New. 4 God's Spirit moved men of old ; but he came with greater fulness after Christ ascended. 5 The apostles, under the leading of the Spirit, amplify the teachings of Jesus. 6 i. Mark 4: 28. First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 2. Gal. 3 : 24. The law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ. 3. John 1 : 17. The law was given through Moses ; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Gal. 4 : 4. When the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son. 4. 2 Tim. 1 : 10. Who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 5. Acts 2 : 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and be- gan to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 6. Rev. 1 : 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice. 14. If the teachings of the Old Testament are divinely inspired, how is it that some of them fall far below the ethical standard of to-day ? In the law that God gave to the Jews he permitted a man to give his wife a bill of divorcement, 1 allowed him to return evil for evil, 2 and regulated human sla- THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION II very. 3 In regard to these and other like practices al- lowed, three things are evident : the divine permission of practices not consistent with an exalted ethical standard, since the ideal could not be enforced ; 4 the grief of God because of the hardness of men's hearts that necessitated this, and his assertion of the higher law for the nobler of the race ; 5 the consequent spir- itual education of the human family through such assertion, and through the application of the higher law by the better souls, just as by such application to the divorce, temperance and like problems is the social conscience to-day kept alive. 6 1. Deut. 24 : 1. When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2. Ex. 21 : 23-25. Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 3. Ex. 21 : 2. If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve : and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 4. Matt. 19 : 8. Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives. 5. Matt. 19 : 8. But from the beginning it hath not been so. 6. Matt. 5 : 14. Ye are the light of the world. 15. What were the occasions and necessities that fro?n time to time called forth from God the ?nessage recorded in the prophecies and epistles ? Those occasions and necessities usually concerned the state of society and the Church. Great political exigencies made necessary some of the prophetic 12 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION utterances. 1 The prophets also spoke frequently against idolatry, 2 luxury, 3 drunkenness 4 and oppres- sion of the poor by the rich. 5 Some of the epistles were written to individual churches to correct irregu- larities and abuses, 6 to enlighten the disciples in regard to questions that were troubling them, 7 or to give them words of comfort and exhortation. 8 i. Is. 37 : 21, 22. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Heze- kiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him. Jer. 21 : 3, 4. Then saith Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah : Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon. 2. Hosea 4 : 13. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and tere- binths. Zech. 13 : 2. I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land. 3. Amos 6 : 4, 6. That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch them- selves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall ; . . . that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils ; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 4. Is. 5 : 22. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink. 5. Amos 4 : 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say unto their lords, Bring, and let us drink. Mic. 2:1, 2. Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds ! When the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and seize them ; and houses, and take them away : and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 6. 1 Cor. 11: 18, 21. I hear that divisions exist among you; and I partly believe it. . . . One is hungry, and another is drunken. rill. REDEMPTIVE REVELATION ! 3 .5:1. It is actually reported that there i.^ fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father's wife, 7. I Cor. 15:35. But some one will say, How are the dead raised? 1 Thess. 4: 13. But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep. 8. Rom. 12 : 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to JilVsent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 16. What is the relation of God" s revelation in the Holy Scriptures to the light of Juunan reason f The revelation of God in the Holy Scriptures aids the reason in the quest after the true knowledge of God and man, just as the telescope aids the eye in the discovery and study of the heavenly bodies. And as by the use of that instrument the eye can reach distances not otherwise possible, so by the help of revelation the human mind ascends up into (i the timeless thought of God," and grasps truths impos- sible of discernment by human reason alone. The revelation in the Bible, however, only supplements the light of reason. Man's rational nature is a gift from God, and' is to be used to glorify him. Ps. 1 19 : 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path. Ps. 119: 130. The opening of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Rom. 15 : 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. 2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17. Every scripture inspired of God is also profit- able for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is 14 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION in righteousness : that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. John 20 : 31. These are written, that ye may believe that jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name. 1 John 5 : 13. These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. 17. Does God speak to his people to-day f God has not become dumb that he cannot speak, nor has he retired from the world so that his chil- dren no longer can have access to him or hear his voice. 1 He is the same God as of old — present with his people, speaking to them, 2 comforting them in affliction, 3 unveiling the wonders of the universe be- fore their eyes, 4 and originating and directing the world's great movements. 5 The transcendent im- portance of the Scriptures is due to the fact that they are the repository of fundamental moral and spiritual truth of which all subsequent revelations have been, and must continue to be, largely an amplification and application. 6 1. Ps. 94 : 9. He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? Matt. 22 : 32. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 2. Matt. 10 : 19. It shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. 3. Matt. 28 : 20. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. 4. John 16: 13. When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth. 5. 1 Kings 18 : 36. Let it be known this day that thou art God in THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 15 Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 6. 1 John 2 : 7. No new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. 18. What does the Bible teach concerning the nature and attributes of Godt The Bible teaches that God is Spirit, 1 infinite, 2 eternal : * and unchangeable, 4 in his Being, 5 wisdom, 6 power, 7 love, s holiness, 9 justice, 10 goodness 11 and truth. 1 - 1. John 4 : 24. God is a Spirit : and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. 2. Job 11:7. Canst thou by searching find out God! Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 3. Ps. 90 : 2. Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God, 4. Jas. 1 : 17. The Father of lights, with whom can be no varia- tion, neither shadow that is cast by turning. 5. Ex. 3 : 14. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I am. 6. Ps. 147 : 5. His understanding is infinrte. 7. Rev. 4 : 8. The Lord God, the Almighty. 8. 1 John 4 : 8. God is love. 9. Is. 6:3. Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts. 10. Ps. 89 : 14. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne. 11. Ps. 100:5. Jehovah is good; his lovingkindness endureth for ever, and his faithfulness unto all generations. 12. Ex. 34:6. Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. 19. What does the Bible teach concerning God^s modes of existence and manifestation f The Bible teaches that there is one God, and one only, in the universe; 1 and that he exists and mani- fests himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 2 l6 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION i. Deut. 6 : 4. Hear, O Israel : Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. 1 Cor. 8 : 4. There is no God but one. Is. 45 : 22. I am God, and there is none else. 2. Matt. 28 : 19. Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor. 13 : 14. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 1 Cor. 12 : 4-6. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministration, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who work- eth all things in all. 20. What does, the Bible principally teach concerning man f The Bible principally teaches, with respect to man, that his end is perfection according to God's laws of life stamped on his being at creation, early revealed in the Old Testament and completely manifested in the man Christ Jesus; 1 that God by divers ways and means helps and enables man to press forward toward this end, 2 and that man's duty is to respond to God's overtures by cooperating with him, and thus en- deavor to reach his goal. 3 1. Matt. 5 : 48. Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 2 Cor. 13 : 9. This we also pray for, even your perfecting. Phil. 1 : 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the clay of Jesus Christ. 2. Ps. 54 : 4. God is my helper : the Lord is of them that up- hold my soul. Ps. 121 : 2. My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven and earth. 1 Cor. 15 : 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am. THE END OF MAN 17 3. Mark 10 : 21. Come, follow me. Matt. 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Acts 16:31. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shall be saved. 1011117:37. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. 21. What is meant by perfection according to God's laws of life stamped on man's being, early revealed in the Old Testament and co?npletely manifested in the man Christ fesus f The perfection of man after this manner is his complete development : being the fulness of God possessing him and revealing itself in his life and con- duct, 1 just as the perfection of the plant is the fulness of the sun's life and energy, possessing and revealing itself through the plant. This fulness is indwelling as an experience, and it is outgoing, in that it seeks to bring the world into harmony with God. 2 Its central principle is ethical, since it is love that holds the primacy in the perfect life, directing all man's powers of body and intellect toward the highest ends. 3 In its action it is responsive to the call of duty from God and from man. 4 1. Eph. 3 : 19. That ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. 2. John 14 : 15. If ye love me, ye will keep my command- ments. John 15:5. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit. 3. Matt. 6:33. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteous- ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. t8 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION Matt. 13:44. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matt. 16:20, 22. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. ... If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Matt. 16 : 24. If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 4. Ps. 40 : 8. I delight to do thy will, O my God ; yea, thy law is within my heart. Is. 1 : 16, 17. Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and plead for the widow. 22. In what ways does maris constitution show that God intended hitn to realize this type of perfection ? God made man an intellectual being with a body ; but he endowed him also with that which gives value to body and intellect, — a spiritual nature. 1 He created man in his own image, able to look Godward and love God, and manward and love man. 2 Human kindness and the feeling after God are coextensive with humanity. 3 God starts every human being in the right way by endowing him with this twofold capacity. This mighty fact is the real basis for his appeal to man to repent and turn to him. 1. Gen. 1 : 27. And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. 2. Acts 17 : 26, 27. And he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. THE END OF MAN IQ 3. Rom. 2 : 14. For when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves. Acts 2S : 1, 2. And when we were escaped, then we knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarians showed us no common kindness : for they kindled a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. 23. /// what portioii of the Old Testament are these great ethical laws of love to God ajid love to man taught f The entire Old Testament is, essentially, an elabo- ration and application of the two principles of love to God and love to man ; l but they are fully and briefly stated in the Ten Commandments. 2 1. Deut. 6 : 5. Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. • Lev. 19 : 18. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matt. 22 : 40. On these two commandments the whole law hang- eth, and the prophets. Micah 6 : 8. And what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? 2. Deut. 10 : 4. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount. Ex. 20 : 3, 4, 7, 8, 12-17. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. . . . Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. . . . Remember the sab- bath day, to keep it holy. . . . Honor thy father and thy mother. .. . Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet . . . anything that is thy neighbor's. 24. What Is reqiiired in the law of love to God f The law of love to God requires us to know and acknowledge him to be the only true God ; ] to wor- 20 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION ship and glorify him ; 2 to keep pure his worship and ordinances ; 3 to use aright his names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word and works, 4 and to keep holy the Lord's Day which God hath appointed for man. 5 t. i Chron. 28:9. And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father. Job 22 : 21. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. 2. Matt. 4 : 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Rom. 1 : 21. Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks. 3. Deut. 12 : 32. What thing soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do : thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Matt. 28 : 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you. 4. Ps. 29 : 2. Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name. Job. 36 : 24. Remember that thou magnify his work, whereof men have sung. Rev. 15 .-3. Great and marvellous are thy works. 5. Lev. 19:30. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary.: I am Jehovah. 25. What is forbidde?i in the law of love to God? The law of love to God forbids us to deny God ; l to refuse the true worship that we owe him ; 2 to give to any other the honor that is due God ; 3 to worship God by images ; 4 to profane or abuse anything whereby God makes himself known, 5 or to be engaged on the Lord's Day with worldly employments or recreations. 6 1. Ps. 14 : 1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. 2. Rom. 1 : 25. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. 3. Ex. 20 : 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. TH1 : MAX 2 I Ps. 44 : 20, 21. I! a e have forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god ; will not God search this out ? 4. Deut.4:i6. Lost ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image. ■ thou profane the name of thy God. 6. Jer. 17 : 21. Take heea to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day. 26. What is required in the .' to man t The law of love to man requires us to give honor to whom honor is due ; l to endeavor lawfully to pre- serve our lives and the lives of others ; - to preserve our nd our neighbor's chastity in heart, speech and behavior : 3 to promote the outward estate of ourselves and others ; 4 to further truth between man and man, 5 and to be content with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of mind toward our neighbor and all that he ha~ 1. Rom. 13 : 7. Render to all their dues. Lev. 19 : 32. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man. Rom. 12 : 10. In honor preferring one another. 2. Prov. 24 : 11. Deliver them that are carried away unto death, and those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back. 3. 1 T _ _. That each one of you know how to possess him- : : his own vessel in sanctification and honor. 1 Cor. 3 : 17. If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy, and such ai 2 Tim. 2 : 22. Flee youthful lusts. Eph. 5:3,4. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or cc ness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints ; nor ness, nor foolish talking, or jesting. 4. Rom. 12 : 17. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. Prov. 27 : 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and 22 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION Lev. 25 : 35. If thy brother be waxed poor, and his hand fail with thee ; then thou shalt uphold him. 5. Zech. 8 : 16. Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor. Titus 3 : 2. Speak evil of no man. 6. Heb. 13 : 5. Content with such things as ye have. 27. What is forbidden in the law of love to man ? The law of love to man forbids us to do anything unlawfully against the honor or welfare of any one \ l to take away our own life or the life of our neighbor unjustly ; 2 to have unchaste thoughts, or speak un- chaste words, or do unchaste acts ; 3 to unjustly hinder our fellow man's wealth or outward estate ; 4 to say anything about our neighbor that is not true, 5 or to envy our neighbor or be grieved because of his success. 6 1. Rom. 13 : 8. Owe no man anything, save to love one another. 2. Ex. 20 : 13. Thou shalt not kill. Acts 16 128. Do thyself no harm. 3. Matt. 5 : 28. Every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Eph. 4 : 29. Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth. Eph. 5 : 12. For the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. 4. Prov. 20 : 10. Diverse weights, and diverse measures, both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah. Deut. 19 : 14. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark. 5. Eph. 4 : 25. Putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor. Ex. 23 : 1. Thou shalt not take up a false report. Lev. 19 : 16. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. 6. Ex. 20 : 17. Thou shalt not covet thy neighhor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid- servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. THE END OF MAN 23 28. Illicit is the relation of love to man to love to God? Love to man grows out of and is dependent on love to God. 1 The interest that man manifests in the wel- fare of his fellow man is very largely the fruit of that love of God that has been shed abroad in his heart. 2 Our present-day philanthropy is the product of the all- pervading faith and love which, in persuading us to be true children of the Father in heaven, has moved us to recognize' one another as brothers. 3 1. John 8 : 28. I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things. . 2 Cor. 5 : 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us. 2. John 14 : 10. The Father abiding in me doeth his works. Rom. 1 : 9, 10. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you. 3. Acts 2 : 43-45. And fear came upon every soul . . . and all that believed were together, and had all things common ; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. 29. Did the best ?nen of the Old Testainent exemplify these two principles of love to God and love to man in their lives ? The best men of the Old Testament were living illustrations of many of these teachings of which they were the exponents. 1 They, however, did not per- fectly live the laws of love to God and love to man in their manifold application. Though strong in many points of excellence, they were weak in others. 2 24 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 1. Gen. 12:4. So Abram went, as Jehovah had spoken unto him. Gen. 5 : 24. Enoch walked with God. Ex. 7 : 20. And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah com- manded. 1 Sam. 3 : 1. And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. Dan. 6 : 10. And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house . . . and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Gen. 13 : 8. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen ; for we are brethren. Gen. 39 : 10. And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. Gen. 18:8. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. 2. Gen. 12:18. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me ? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife ? Num. 20:12. And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Be- cause ye believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the chil- dren of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. 30. Has there ever lived a ??tan who co?nftletely fulfilled in his own life the two laws of love to God and love to man? Jesus perfectly fulfilled in his life the two laws of love to God and love to man. 1 Other men have been strong at some points \ Jesus was complete at every point. His life was the perfect, harmonious response to the call of duty from God and from man.' 2 Believ- ers and unbelievers concede that he was the only per- fect man who ever lived. 3 THE END OF MAX 2 5 i. Luke 2 : 49. Knew ye not that I must be in my Father's house ? John 4 : 34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to aceomplish his work. Luke 4:1,2. And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness during forty days. Matt. 4 123. And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people. 2. Heb. 5 : 9. And having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation. 1 Pet. 2 : 22. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. John 1 : 16. Of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. 3. John 1 : 14. And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only be- gotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Luke 2 : 40. And the grace of God was upon him. 3 1 . Explain how the law of love to God was manifested in the character ofjesns. Jesus in his incarnate life as a man was filled with God. 1 The fountain of his life was in God. 2 His nature was open to God. 3 He therefore perfectly- thought God's thought and willed his will. 4 He loved, trusted, honored, obeyed and prayed to the Father. 5 He conformed his life to the command- ments of God. He thus fulfilled our ideal of man's relation to God. 1. Luke 4 : 14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. Col. 1 : 19. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell. 2. John 5 : 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself. 3. John 5 : 30. As I hear, I judge. 26 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 4. Matt. 26 : 39. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Rom. 15 : 3. For Christ also pleased not himself. 5. Luke 2 : 40. And the child grew, and waxed strong, filled with wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. Phil. 2 : 8. Becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. John 9 : 4. We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day. Heb. 12 : 2. Endured the cross, despising shame. Matt. 14 : 23. And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray. 32. Explain how the law of love to man was manifested in the character of Jesus. Jesus was kind and considerate, tolerant and sympa- thetic. 1 He taught those truths that have to do with man's highest welfare. 2 He went about doing good and healing people of infirmities. 3 In his ministry of teaching and mercy, he recognized no class dis- tinctions. 4 He fulfilled our ideal of man's relation to man. 1. John 11 : 36. The Jews therefore said, Behold how he loved him ! Luke 19 : 41. And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it. Luke 9 : 54, 55. Wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from - heaven, and consume them ? But he turned, and rebuked them. 2. Luke 4 131. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day. y Luke 4 : 22. And all bear him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth. 3. Matt. 12:15. And many followed him; and he healed them all. Acts 10 : 38. Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. 4. Matt. 9 : 10. Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. THE END OF MAN 2J 33. Illicit was the relation of the intellectual to the ethical in the character of Jesus t /The Master's intellect was of the highest order, that of intuitional insight and spiritual penetration. His conception of the kingdom of God was sublime. 1 His imagination was responsive to the beautiful in the world. 2 He time and again demonstrated his intel- lectual pecrlessness among the ablest men of his day. 3 His method of teaching by parables was absolutely original. 4 His insight into life was marvelous 5 and his prophetic outlook without parallel. 6 But great as was the intellectual, it was dominated by the ethi- cal. In his life the spiritual was supreme, and kept the intellect in its normal orbit of thought. 7 1. John 7 : 46. Never man so spake. Luke 4 : 32. And they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority. 2. Matt. 6 : 28. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin. 3. Matt. 22:46. And no one was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. 4. Matt. 13 : 3. He spake to them many things in parables. 5. John 2 : 25. He needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man ; for he himself knew what was in man. 6. Matt. 24 : 2. Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 7. John 5 : 30. I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 34. How were the letter and the spirit of duty mutually related in the character of Jesus t The letter and the spirit of duty to God and man found recognition in his character. He was bap- 28 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION. tized. 1 He attended public worship. 2 He kept the passover. 3 He obeyed the laws of his country. 4 But with the letter of duty went the spirit. 5 He taught that worship must have reality, and that prayer must not be vain repetition. 6 Thus the letter and the spirit interpenetrated each other in the character of Jesus. i. Mark i : 9. Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. 2. Luke 4 : 16. And he entered, as his custom was, into the syna- gogue on the sabbath day. 3. Luke 2 :42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up after the custom of the feast. Luke 22 : 15. With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. 4. Matt. 17 : 27. Lest we cause them to stumble, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a shekel: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Matt. 8 : 4. Go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded. 5. Matt. 5 : 22. Every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. 6. Matt. 6 : 7. And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do. 35. How were the sterner and the gentler virtues blended in the character of Jesus f These contrasted virtues coexisted in the most beautiful harmony in his character. He had the strength and courage of the great reformer. 1 He vehemently denounced sin and hypocrisy. 2 Yet he was gentle and lovable. His personality was charm- ing. 3 THE END OF MAN 29 1. Matt. 23:25. Woo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- crites ! Matt. 21 : 12. And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves. 2. Matt. 23:33. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell ? 3. Luke 18 : 15, 16. And they were bringing unto him also their babes, that he should touch them : but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. 36. What relatio7i did the mystic qualities bear to the social and ?nore active qualities in the character of Jesus f Jesus was both a mystic l and a man among men. He enjoyed a nearness to God that made him inde- pendent of man. 2 He directly participated in the life of God. 3 He loved to be alone with the Father. 4 Yet he was no pietistic monk in the cloister. Nor did he shun the society of the rich. He mingled freely with men. 5 He took an interest in the movement of human life about him. 6 1. John 8 : 16. I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 2. John 4 : 32. I have meat to eat that ye know not. 3. John 14:11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. 4. Luke 5:16. But he withdrew himself in the deserts, and prayed. 5. Luke 11: 37. A Pharisee asketh him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. Matt. 9 : 10. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 30 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 6. John 2:1,2. And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there : and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage. 37. If, then, from the first God has taught man that his ditty is to love him with all his heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and to love his fellow man as hifnself '; and if Jesus Christ was the C07nplete fulfih?ient of this two- fold principle, what is the chief end of man f The chief end of man is to reproduce in himself and in others the Christ character. The body and the intellect are to be developed ; but the ethical must maintain the primacy in the life of man. Hap- piness is an incentive ; but the perfection of character is the goal. Eph. 4 : 13. Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Col. 1 : 28. Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ. Gal. 6 : 15. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircum- cision, but a new creature. 1 Peter 2 : 21. Leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps. 38. What is the chief office of the church ? The church educates people, 1 ministers to them through medical missions and hospital service, 2 ex- tends relief to the needy ; 3 but the chief office of the church, including the Sunday-school and all other branches, is to teach the character of Jesus, 4 the THE END OF MAN 3 1 secret and sources of its completeness, 5 and to help God's children, so far as is possible, to reproduce that character. ,; i. Dcut. 6:7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. 2. Matt. 10: 8. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. 3. Rom. 15 126. For it hath been the good pleasure of Mace- donia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints that are at Jerusalem. 4. Matt. 10:7. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. 28 : 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you. 5. John 3 13. Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 6. Titus 2 : 1-3. But speak thou the things which befit the sound doctrine : that aged men be temperate, grave, sober-minded, sound in faith, in love, in patience: that aged women likewise be reverent in demeanor, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good. 39. JVherein does Christianity agree with the other religions of the world, and wherein does it differ from them f The other religions, in common with Christianity, usually emphasize man's relation to God and his fel- low man. 1 In some of their sacred books there are many beautiful precepts, but no complete ethical sys- tem. Christianity presents a Person, Jesus Christ, in whom this twofold relation is ideally realized in terms of an indwelling and outgoing love. 2 The other re- ligions are powerless after setting before man his chief 32 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION end ; the religion of Christ is a great system of mo- tives and means to the highest end. 3 i. Acts 17: 23. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I set forth unto you. 2. John 1 : 45. We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote. Heb. 9 : 26. But now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. John 13 : 34. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another. 3. Matt. 5 : 10. Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Phil. 4 : 13. I can. do all things in him that strengtheneth me. 40. Does one*s happiness now and hereafter depend on likeness to Christ ? It does. In this present life people are truly happy in proportion as their minds daily and hourly are open to God's thought and love and life, and to man's needs. 1 The one passport to heaven is a character rightly builded in its relation to God and man. 2 1. Matt. 5:3-9. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called sons of God. 2. Rev. 21 : 27. And there shall in nowise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie : but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life ? THE END OF MAN 33 41. What is the fetation of the Christ character to crime and other social disorders t To the absence of this high type of character can very largely be traced unhappiness in the home, cor- ruption in politics and about every other form of crime ; l indifference to the claims of religion, injus- tice on the part of capitalist and laborer, ecclesiasti- cal bitterness and intolerance, 2 as well as the decline and fall of nations, such as the great states of an- tiquity and some of lesser note in modern times. 3 1. Mark 7 : 21, 22. For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covet- ings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness. 2. James 4 : 1. Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? 3. Is. 60 : 12. For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish. Hosea 10 : 13, 14. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity ; ye have eaten the fruit of lies. . . . Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be destroyed. Rom. 1:21,24. Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks ; but became vain in their reason- ings, and their senseless heart was darkened. . . . Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves. 42. What is the relation of the Chi'ist character to the progress of human society ? Reform, 1 philanthropy, 2 the integrity of the home, 3 the progress of the kingdom, 4 the advancement of 34 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION the state, 5 the peace of the world and the fair deal- ing of nation with nation, 6 depend, in the final analy- sis, on the Christly character of the units of human society. Those units are human souls. 1. 2 Kings 18:4. He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. 2. Acts 11:29. And the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren that dwelt in Judaea. 3. Eph. 5 :g. The fruit of the light is in all goodness and right- eousness and truth. 4. Eph. 5 : 15, 16. Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise ; redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 1 Peter 3:1,2. That, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives ; be- holding your chaste behavior coupled with fear. Acts 13 : 2, 3. And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 5. Joshua 1:7. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 6. Ex. 8 : 29. Let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah. 43. Has the Christ charade}' since the time of our Saviour secured a strong hold on 7 nan kind? It has. In the days of the apostles multitudes of men and women loved God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength ; and their neighbor as them- selves. 1 And to-day millions love and obey God, believe the Scriptures, keep the Lord's Day, follow the leading of the Spirit, have been baptized, cele- brate the Lord's Supper, love the Church and would THE END OF MAN 35 be burned at the stake rather than deny their Lord. They are kind to the poor, blind and insane ; are truthful, just, merciful and tolerant; are earnest in reform and the elevation of their fellow men/ 2 i. Acts 2:47. Praising God, and having favor with all the people. Phil. 2 : 12. So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Rev. 2 : 19. I know thy works, and thy love and faith and min- istry and patience. 2. Mark 4:31, 32. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and be- cometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches ; so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof. 44. Is it possible for us to become like Christ and yet retain our diversity as to personality ? It is. 1 The very principle of Christ's life insists on the development of one's personality. God has wisely ordered that, while he desires all his children to be- come like his Son, each is to preserve his own dis- tinctive individuality. 2 The life of God in the soul divests the nature of its crudities, and allows our truest self to glorify God in its own way. 3 John and Peter can both be Christlike, though their characteristics are widely different. 1. 1 Cor. 15 : 41. One star differeth from another star in glory. 2. 1 Cor. 12 : 14. The body is not one member, but many. 3. 1 Cor. 12 : 29, 30. Are all apostles ? are all prophets ? are all teachers ? are all workers of miracles ? have all gifts of heal- ings ? do all speak with tongues ? do all interpret ? 36 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 45. But can man without help grow to the stature of his Master and thus attain his end? Man cannot attain his end in the spirit of self-suffi- ciency. 1 Of himself he is unable to fashion his life and character according to the laws of God manifested in the man Christ Jesus. 2 The tree of itself cannot grow and bear fruit. The elements of earth and atmos- phere are communicated to the tree, that it may fulfill its end. 3 So man cannot evolve from within the means of growth. He needs help from God. 4 1. John 3 : 27. A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. 2. John 15 : 4. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. 3. Is. 55 : 10. The rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud. 4. Ps. 121 : 2. My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven and earth. Jas. 1 : 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. Eph. 2 : 8. For by grace have ye been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Phil. 2: 13. It is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. 46. In what ways does God help man to attain his end and become like Jesus ? God helps man attain his end by so ordering his constitution and that of the world as to make progress toward perfection possible ; * by putting man under the sway of powerful motives; 2 by bestowing upon AN ORDERED WORLD 37 man his Holy Spirit/* and by establishing for man institutions in which his life here is to manifest itself. 4 i. Eccl. 7 : 29. God made man upright. Is. 45 : 6, 7. I am Jehovah, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am Jehovah that doeth all these things. Gen. 1 : 31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. 2. Rom. 2 : 4. The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Heb. 12 : 1. Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 3. Rom. 8 : 26. And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity : for we know not how to pray as we ought ; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 4. Rom. 13 : 1. The powers that be are ordained of God. 47. In order that progress toward perfection may be possible, with what does God endow man at creation ? God endowed man at creation with the possibilities of sin and righteousness. 1 He made him a free moral agent/ 2 liable to sin, but able also to see the path of duty and walk therein. Man at birth is innocent, but he is not holy. He knows right and wrong, not as eternal distinctions, but simply as things forbidden and not forbidden. 3 The story of Adam and Eve is duplicated every time a child is born into the world. 1. Gen. 2 : 16, 17. And Jehovah God commanded the man, say- ing, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat : but of the 38 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it : for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 2. Josh. 24 : 15. Choose you this day whom ye will serve. 3. Deut. 1 : 18. And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. 48. If man knew not what is morally dad, could he recognize what is morally good? He could not. Man knows the good through its contrast with the bad. As the sweet and the pleas- urable are known by their contrast with the bitter and the painful, so the good is recognizable by its differentiation from the evil. Gen. 3 : 5. God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. Rom. 7 : 7. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the iaw : for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 1 Cor. 11 : 19. For there must be also factions among you, that they that are approved may be made manifest among you. 49. Man thus endowed with the possibilities of sin and righteousness is placed by God in what sort of a world? Thus endowed, man is placed by God in a world where it is necessary for him to freely choose his own course of conduct, 1 unfold either the possibility of sin or the possibility of righteousness, gain strength by honest toil and struggle or remain weak through indolence, 2 and move downward or upward in the scale of manly attainment. The world that AN ORDERED WORLD 39 confronted our first parents is, in its essential features, the world that to-day confronts us. i. Gen. 2:8,9. And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food ; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2. Gen. 2:15. And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 50. What arc the objects concerning which man's powers of obedience and disobedience can be freely exer- cised and tested 7 Those objects are the things forbidden and the things not forbidden ; and these include all thoughts, words and acts possible for man in his individual and social relations. 1 In order that one may freely choose the good, the opportunity to refuse the bad must also be present. 2 The line of cleavage between these two classes of objects of choice is made plain by the moral law revealed to the conscience, 3 as well as in the Bible. 1. Gen. 3 : 2, 3. Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat : but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Rom. 12:9. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 2. Deut. 11:26. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse. 3. Rom. 1 : 19. That which is known of God is manifest in them. Rom. 2 : 15. They show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them. 40 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 5 1 . Why did not ' God create a race of beings and place it in a world free froin even the possibility of sin f To make man at all, it was essential that God make him a free moral agent. 1 Without the power of free choice man would have been but a machine. 2 To make man a free moral agent was to endow him with the possibility of sin. Man thus was created on the only possible rational plan, — liable to sin and go down to misery, but able to stand and " lay hold on the higher good, and ascend to immortal glory." 3 i. Gen. 3 : II. Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I com- manded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 2. Ezra 7 : 13. I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee. 3. Rev. 2 : 7. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. Rev. 2 : 10. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. Jas. 1 : 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. 52. Are industry and struggle necessary features of a world adapted to the highest develop7?tent of the human family f While much toil and hardship are the direct result of man's disobedience, 1 it is also true that without industry and struggle this world would lack elements that make for strength of character and for the highest discipline of the soul. 2 Numerous instances AN ORDERED WOULD 41 of moral and intellectual weaklings brought up amid ease and indolence confirm this truth. 3 It used to be a saying among the monks that " an idle monk is be- sieged by seven devils ; a busy monk by one devil." The modern world of industrial movements involving temptations and intense mental strain has its risks, but it also brings with it magnificent opportunities for intellectual and spiritual improvement. 1. Gen. 3 : 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground. 2. Gen. 1:28. And God said unto them, Be fruitful, and mul- tiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. 3. Prov. 21 : 25. The desire of the sluggard killeth him ; for his hands refuse to labor. 53. Thus created an innocent, free moral agent, ana 1 placed in a world adapted to his progress toward perfec- tion, what does man do ? Man begins to exercise his God-given powers on things forbidden and not forbidden ; * and, besought by both the evil 2 and the good 3 Spirit, he yields now to the lower, now to the higher. Sin and righteous- ness as known to man thus make their advent ; and the evil and the good tendencies that in this way have been evolved out of the possibilities perpetuate them- selves in the life of the individual and the race. 4 1. Gen. 3 : 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she .took of the fruit thereof, and did eat ; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. 42 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 2. Gen. 3 : 4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. 3. Gen. 3 : 9. And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou ? 4. Ex. 20 : 5, 6. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the chil- dren, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 54. If God deliberately ereates man. knowing that he will sin, and then permits him to sin, is not sin God's work ? No, sin is not God's work any more than a son's sin is the work of the parent who begot him and started him in the path of duty with the best of moral inheritance and the highest ideals. 1 God permits sin only that he may overrule it for a higher good \ 2 but he never sanctions it. He always condemns it and warns men of its consequences. 3 1. Rom. 3 : 4. God forbid : yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar. 1 John 1 : 5. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 2. Matt. 18:7. Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh ! Matt. 4 : 1, 10, n. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. . . . Get thee hence, Satan. . . . Then the devil leaveth him. 3. Prov. 15 : 9. The way of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah. Matt. 8 : 12. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. AN ORIH'.RKD WORLD 43 55. What has God done to check the progress of sin since it first entered the world t By means of the law God has taught man the awful- ness of sin and its fatal results. 1 He has ever been calling to repentance and peace those who have sinned. 2 He has given his own dear Son to be the propitiation for our sins and to bring us to himself. 3 He has sent his Spirit into our hearts, renewing the corrupt nature and helping us recover his image. 4 1. Rom. 3 : 20. Through the law cometh the knowledge of sin. 2. Is. 1 : 18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jeho- vah : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 3. 1 John 2 : 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 4. Col. 3 : 10. And have put on the new man, that is being re- newed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him. 56. As the result of man's disobedience and the per- petuation of his sin in the race, together with God's in- tervention to check its progress, 1903 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 022 190 330 4