Class ~B)(%oib Book -S^ BIBLE TEACHINGS: A STJMMAET YIEW OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AND CHRISTIAN CHARACTER, DRAWN FROM THE WORD OF GOD. BY JOSEPH STUMP, A.M. FIFTH GRADE TEXT-BOOK IN THE LUTHERAN GRADED SYSTEM FOR INTERMEDIATE SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. PHILADELPHIA : GENERAL COUNCIL PUBLICATION HOUSE, 1522 Arch Street. 1904. #f. 61 Copyright, 1902, by the Board of Publication" of the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America. By trwutar Whii PEEFAOE This Text-book aims to present the doctrinal and practical teachings of the Bible in a form suited to the comprehension of the intelligent youth of our Church. It is to be borne in mind, that the book is intended for use in the Fifth Grade of a complete course of Biblical instruction, and that it presumes on the part of the pupil a somewhat advanced intelligence and an acquaintance with the four books which precede it in the series. Fifteen years may be taken as the average age at which the pupil is supposed to reach this stage of the Graded Series of instruction. The book presents Christian doctrine and Christian character, as both are drawn from the words of the Bible. It sums up the Biblical teachings concerning divine truth and human life, and presents the principles of the Christian religion both for the guidance of faith and intellect and for the formation of character. It endeavors to concentrate both the doctrinal and practical strength of God's Word, and to give the substance of dogmatics and ethics in Biblical and popular form with sufficient com- prehensiveness to enable those who use it faithfully "to give a reason ,of the hope that is in them," and to train up the youth to an appreciation of the substantial, adequate and life-controlling character of the doctrines of God's Word. Throughout the work the aim has been to draw the teachings of the Bible directly from the sacred record itself. Technical theological terms have been introduced only where it has been deemed necessary to make their meaning clear to the pupil. It iii IV PEEFACE. is hoped that the Scripture references cited in the margin will lead many to an earnest searching of the Holy Book for its words of truth and life. Whatever aspect of a Biblical doctrine promised to be most helpful to the pupil has been adopted. It will be found, there- fore, that some chapters are prevailingly doctrinal in character, others are critical and apologetic, and still others slightly histori- cal ; while the ethical and parenetical element has been permitted to pervade many parts of the book which are more strictly doc- trinal in character. The order followed is that suggested by the doctrines themselves. The first half, or doctrinal part of the book, will be found to cor respond in a general way with the threefold division of the Apostles' Creed, though a strict adherence to its order has not been found feasible. In the second half, or practical part, which treats of Christian character and life, reference is made at proper points to the corresponding commandment of the Decalogue. May the Lord, whose work this book is intended to do, add His blessing as it goes forth upon its mission. J. S. CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I. JONCERNING GOD. THAT GOD Is. WHO AXD WHAT HE IS 1 How We Know that God is— Conscience— The Order of the World —The Bible Needed— The Three in One— God a Spirit— Eternal —Unchangeable— Omnipresent— Omniscient— Omnipotent— Holy —Just— All-wise— Merciful— Love Itself— Faithful and True. CHAPTER II. God Made, Maintains and Rules the World 4 God made the World— The Manner— Creation of Man— God Maintains the World— His Care for Man— His Particular Care for the Godly— Rules the World— Blesses the Good— Overrules the Evil. CHAPTER III. God Made Man in His Own Image. How Man Fell into Sin and Became a Lost Being 8 Man— Made in God's Image— His Body— His Soul— The Fall into Sin— Consequences of the Fall— Inherited by All— Bodily Death— Spiritual Death. CHAPTER IV. The Justice of God Must Demand Man's Condemnation 11 God's Will is the Law— How He gave Men His Law— Its Substance — How God Threatens Transgressors — Man Has Broken God's Law— All Men Guilty — All Deserve Punishment — Punish- ment Necessary— God will Punish— In this World— In the Next World. CHAPTER V. The Love of God has Prepared a Way for Man's Salvation 16 God Must be Just— But He Loves Man— From All Eternity— His Love Met the Demands of His Justice— Greatness of God's Love— Includes All— Must be Accepted— Bears Long with the Impenitent— Those who Despise God's Love are Lost. CHAPTER VI. The Old Testament Prophecies Concerning the Saviour 20 The Saviour Promised— The Seed of the Woman— The Seed of Abraham— Of the Tribe of Judah— The Son of David— Prophet, Priest and King— A Substitute for Us— Events in His Life Foretold. v vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. Gob Sent His Only Son into the World to be Our Saviour 23 Sent in the Fulness of Time— Jesus, True Man— True God— The God-Man— Why the Son of God Became Man — Jesus Hum- bled Himself— Obedient to Death— His Significant Names. CHAPTER VIII. The Miracles of Jesus 26 Power of Jesus— His Many Mighty Works— Real Miracles— What the Miracles Were— Why Performed— Not Needed Now —What They Proved— Led Many to Believe. CHAPTER LX. The Teaching of Jesus 30 Part of Christ's Office— The Great Teacher— What He Taught— The Law— The Gospel— Concerning Himself— Concerning the Kingdom of God— His Parables— His Moral Precepts. CHAPTER X. The Holy Life of Jesus 34 The Holy and Just One— Tempted, yet without Sin— Perfectly Fulfilled God's Law— Toward God— Toward Man— Wbat His Holy Life Proves— An Example for Us— Fulfilled the Law for Us. CHAPTER XI. The Significance of Christ's Sufferings anb Death 37 Sin Must be Atoned for— The Old Testament Sacrifices for Sin— What Jesus Suffered— His Sufferings and Death Voluntary —Why He Suffered and Died— His Death Sufficient for All- God Reconciled— The Atonement Made ours by Faith. CHAPTER XII. The Bible Teaching of the Resurrection of Jesus 41 A Real Return from Death to Life — A Fact— Jesus Appeared often to His Disciples— A Great Change in the Apostles— The Importance of the Resurrection— A Proof of Christ's Atone- ment—A Proof of Our Resurrection. CHAPTER XHI. The Significance of Christ's Ascension into Heaven. His Sitting at the Right Hanb of the Father 45 The Ascension— Christ Exalted— Exalted as Man— At the Right Hand of God— Christ still God and Man— Pleads for Us— Rules over Us— His Kingdom of Power— His Kingdom of Grace — His Kingdom of Glory. CONTENTS. vii CHAPTER XIV. The Holy Spirit and the New Birth which He Produces in Man 49 The Holy Spirit— True God— A Person— His Work— The New Birth— Why the New Birth is Necessary— Wrought by God— The Means— The Word of God— Baptism— Human Instruments. CHAPTER XV. How the Holy Spirit Converts Men or Brings Them to Faith 53 Who need Conversion— What Conversion is — Repentance — Remorse— The Holy Spirit Calls Men— He Enlightens Them— Through the Law — Through the Gospel — He Gives Power to Obey the Call— He Leads to Repentance— To Faith— Sudden and Gradual Conversion— Wilful Resistance — Death-bed Re- pentance. CHAPTER XVI. What Faith Is. 57 Faith Necessary to Salvation — All Men Exercise Faith in Earthly Matters — Christian Faith a Matter of the Heart— Based on Knowledge — Belief of the Facts — Trust in Christ— Preceded by Repentance— Faith is Certainty — Doubts— Faith should Grow— It should be Permanent— It may Decay and Die. CHAPTER XVII. We are Saved by Faith Alone Without Works 62 Salvation Accepted by Faith— Grace and Faith— Saved by Faith —Why Faith Saves— Justified by Faith — What Justification is — Not Saved by Works— By Faith Alone— In Old Testament Times. CHAPTER XVIII. The Holy Life of the Christian 66 The Christian a New Creature— A New Life— A Holy Life Necessary— Christ Demands it— Involves a Conflict— None Per- fectly Holy — The Christian Aspires to be Holy— He Grows in Holiness— What We Must Do to Grow — Our Motives— Christians Freed from the Law— The Law not Abrogated. CHAPTER XIX. Concerning Satan the Tempter 71 Who Satan is— How Described in the Scriptures— His Names —A Chief— His Power— His Aim— Seeks to Prevent Men from Believing— To Destroy the Believers— Is the Tempter — How He Comes— Must be Resisted— The Means to be Used. CHAPTER XX. The Christian Church 75 Founded— What the Church is— Invisible— In What Sense Visible —On Earth and in Heaven— But One Church— Its Names — Christ and the Church— Believers United with Christ— With One Another— The Church's Work— Its Tools— Its Workmen — Ranks in the Ministry— Duties of the Ministry. viii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXI. The Bible is the Word of God ,, 80 Why the Bible is Needed— What It Contains— God's Word- Inspiration of the Old Testament — Of the New Testament — Peculiarities of Style— How Written— The Gospel Records— The Bible and Science — The Bible Its Own Best Witness— Why Written. CHAPTER XXII. Baptism ■ 86 The Command of Christ— What Baptism is— What It Does— Wby Necessary— The Mode of Baptism— Meaning of the Word — How the Apostles Baptized— How Jesus Was Baptized — Chil- dren to be Baptized— They Need Baptism— Faith Necessary- Baptism Permanent — Confirmation. CHAPTER XXIII. The Lord's Supper ..... ... 92 Words of Institution— What the Lord's Supper is — The Earthly Elements— What is Given through Them— False Doctrines— A Mystery— How to be Received— Its Name— The Confessional Service. CHAPTER XXIV. The Death of the Body and its Resurrection ox the Last Day .....=.., 96 Why Men Die— How and When— Our Days Numbered— The Terrors of Death— Its Terrors Lost for the Christian— Why Be- lievers also Must Die— The Resurrection of the Body— Its New Properties. CHAPTER XXV. Jesus wild Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead 100 When Christ will Come— No One can Compute the Time— Signs of His Coming— How He will Come — How Regarded by Men —The Judgment— The Account— The Separation— The End of the World. CHAPTER XXVI. The Eternal Destiny of Believers and Unbelievers 104 Eternal Life or Eternal Death — Men Shape their Own Destiny —Hell — Its Torments — Degrees of Punishment — Punishment Eternal— Heaven — Degrees of Glory — Happiness of Heaven- Freedom from Every Evil— Dwelling in God's Presence— The Heavenly City. CHAPTER XXVII. The Christian Law of Life log Living according to God's Will— The Moral Law— The Law of Love— The Law in Us— Religion and Morality— Obedience from Love— Avoiding Gross Sins— Doing the Right— The Reward of Well-doing. CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER XXVIII. Love to God. 112 God above All— Other Objects Subordinate— A Result of God's Love to Us— He is Our Father— Promises to Those who Love God— How Love to God is Manifested— Fear and Love— Love Prompts to Obedience— Makes Obedience Easy — Example of the Apostles— Christ our Perfect Example. CHAPTER XXIX. Humility .. 117 Necessary in the Christian— Christ was Humble— Toward God and Man— We are to be Humble— What Humility is— Its Im- portance—Weakness and Strength— Humility toward Others— In Speech— In Actions— Prevalence of Pride— How seen— We should be Ready to Serve— Humility and Leadership. CHAPTER XXX. Thankfulness...: 123 Reasons for— God's Goodness— Temporal Gifts— Spiritual Gifts- Example of Christ— We should be Thankful— Giving Thanks Always— The World Ungrateful— Only Believers Thankful — Not always sufficiently— God's Mercies Uninterrupted— Thankful in Heart— In Words— In Life. CHAPTER XXXI. Trust 128 Children of God— Child-like Dependence— How Trust in God —Why — Safety in Danger— Freedom from Worry — Contentment -—Patience and Cheerfulness— Courage and Hope. CHAPTER XXXII. Prayer 133 Necessary— Occasions for— Christ Prayed— What to Pray for— The Manner — Prayer-Books— Our Posture — When We should Pray — Always— Stated Times— In Christ's Name— The Answer to Prayer. CHAPTER XXXIII. Self-Defense 138 Against Enemies of the Soul— The Good Fight— What is at Stake Temptation — Effort Necessary— The Flesh — The World — The Devil— Temptations are Trials— Permitted by God— Help in the Conflict. CHAPTER XXXIV. Self-Denial 143 Required by Christ— What Self-denial Means— Crucifying the Flesh— Its Deep Significance— What it Involves— Its Necessity— The Sin of Self-indulgence— Acts of Self-denial and Self-sacri- fice—Joy of Self-sacrifice— Example of Christ. X CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXV. SELF-CONTROD 148 Victory over Self— Mind and Temper to be Christ-like— Anger —Its Evil Consequences— The Tongue — Profanity— Falsehood and Slander— How Tame the Tongue— Temperance— Drunken- ness— A Dreadful Slavery— A Warning— Gluttony— Sensuality- Intemperance of Any Kind a Sin. CHAPTER XXXVI. Sorrow and Pain 154 Bearing our Cross — The World Full of Sorrow and Pain — Suffering and Punishment— A Chastening for Believers— Chast- ening Necessary— God's Ways Mysterious— Some Uses of Afflic- tion—Blessings in Disguise— When We Shall Understand— Bravery— Cheerfulness. CHAPTER XXXVTI. Service, Work and Daily Occupation 160 Men meant to Work — Necessary— Each in His Sphere— Dignity of Labor— Choice of Occupation — Serving God in our Calling —Industry— Idleness a Curse— Diligence— Faithful Work— Em- ployers. CHAPTER XXXVIII. Pleasure and Enjoyment 165 A Religion of Joy — Enjoying God's Earthly Gifts— Recreation — Games— Dancing— The Theatre— Music— Painting, Sculpture and Architecture— Nature— Conversation— Reading. CHAPTER XXXIX. Character 172 What Character is— The Ideal of Character— The Foundation of Character — The Formation of Character — Habits — Con- scientiousness and Moral Courage— Conscience— Always to be Obeyed— An Enlightened Conscience Needed— Perfection— Our Friends and Companions— What We Read. CHAPTER XL. Love to Add Men 178 The Universal Brotherhood of Man— Our Neighbor— Love to All— Importance of Charity— How It is Manifested— Love to our Fellow-Christians— Loving our Enemies— Forgiving— Politeness —Helpfulness— Mercy— A Good Example— The Golden Rule. CHAPTER XLL Duties in the Famidy and Home 183 Importance of the Family— Parents— Providing for the Family — Training the Children— Punishment— Duty of Children— Hon- oring Our Parents— Loving Them— Obedience— Serving— In Later Years— Behavior at Home. CONTENTS. xl CHAPTER XLII. Duties in the Church 188 Faithfulness— Our Highest Duty— Love for God's Word— The Sacraments— A Right Life— Relation to Other Members— Rela- tion to the Pastor— Deacons and Deaconesses— Care for Those outside of the Church— The Lutheran Church— Her Confessions —Denominations around Us — Relation to our Own Church — To Other Churches. CHAPTER XLIII. Duties of the Lord's Day 196 Importance of its Observance— The Sabbath— Sunday— A Day of Rest— Unnecessary Work Forbidden— Works of Love— A Holy Day— The Public Service— Attendance at Church— Behavior in Church— The Sunday-School— The Lord's Day Profaned— The Church Year. CHAPTER XLIV. The Study of the Scriptures 202 The Book of Books— The Food of the Soul— The Importance of Bible Study — The Example of Christ — Daily Reading of Scripture— System in Reading— Reading with Devotion— Regu- larity— Memorizing Scripture— Family Reading of Scripture — Use of Scripture in Church— In the Sunday-School— Systematic Study— A Biblical Library. CHAPTER XLV. Truthfulness; , 208 Truth is of God— Its Importance — The Sin of Lying— Truth as exemplified by Christ— Seeing Right— Sincerity— The Gift of Speech— Truth about Thtngs—OuT Convictions— Promises— Ex- cuses— Apologizing— Secrets— Truth about Persons — Judging Others— Avoiding Slander— Praising Others. CHAPTER XLVI. Property , 213 Of What it Consists— How Acquired— Unequal Division— Com- munity of Goods— God's Purpose — The Love of Money— Riches — Temptation of Riches— Responsibility of Riches— Poverty — Relation of Riches and Poverty to Salvation— The Most De- sirable State— How Treat Rich and Poor. CHAPTER XLVII. Honesty 220 Dishonesty Forbidden— Gross Dishonesty— Other Forms— Pre- valence of Dishonesty— Its Source— The Curse of Dishonesty- Returning Stolen Property— Strict Honesty Demanded— Caring for Others' Interests. xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XLVHI. The Right Use of Money and Power „.„ 224 Stewards of God— Money a Power for Good or Evil— Our Earthly- Needs— The Church— The Needs of Our Fellow-men — The Poor —Missions— Proper Giving— Liberality— According to Ability- All Our Powers. CHAPTER XLLX. The Sacredness of Human Life 230 Why Sacred— Causes which Lead to Murder— Other Forms of Killing— Hurting or Injuring Others— Self-defense— Wars— Duels —Hurting or Killing the Soul— Guarding and Preserving Human Life— Suicide— Causes which Lead to It— Foolish— Cowardly- Shortening our Life— Giving our Life for Others— Martyrdom. CHAPTER L. Purity of Body axd Soul 236 Required— In Heart— In Words— In Deeds — The Curse of Un- cleanness — How Guard Against— Marriage— Its Object — An In- dissoluble Bond — Harmony of Ideas —For Love — Parents' Consent— The Blessing of the Church— Relation of Husband and Wife— Divorce. CHAPTER LI. Duties as a Citizen 241 Government Divine— Its Object — Obedience to Its Laws — God's Law Higher— Other Duties to tne State— Church and State— A Christian State— Public Officers— Voting — Honoring Those in Authority. CHAPTER LIL The Christian's Life a Daixy Repentance 247 Need of Daily Repentance— Retaining God*s Grace — Self-ex- amination — Our Sins — Repentance — Looking Forward — Our Progress— Testing Our Progress— Praying for Strength— Perse- verance. MWt Ceacftings BIBLE TEACHINGS CHAPTER I. CONCERNING GOD. THAT GOD IS. WHO AND WHAT HE IS. It is only through the Bible that we can learn to know God. Conscience. — It is true, men know even without the Bible that there is a Higher Being. The belief in the existence of God is implanted in every heart, 1 and is found among all i Rom. 1 : 19. nations, even the most barbarous and degraded. All men have a conscience which teaches them to distinguish between good and evil, and bids them expect punishment from a divine judge if they do wrong. 2 2R m. 2: u, The Order of the World. — The works of nature confirm this natural belief in the existence of God. " The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork." 3 The very fact that the world exists demands 3 Ps . i 9: 1. that there be One who has created it. And in the variety, order and beauty apparent in nature on every hand, in the alternation of day and night, in the succession of the sea- sons, and in the marvelous manner in which the earth is adapted to supply the wants of the creatures who dwell upon it, there is so evident a proof of wise and beneficent design, 4 that none but a fool can say, "All this came into *ps. 104 : 24 existence by itself or by chance." 5 5p s . 14 : 1. The Bible Needed. — But neither conscience nor nature can give a sufficient and saving knowledge of God. Left to this natural knowledge, men became idolaters, and " changed l BIBLE TEACHINGS. 6 Rom. 1 : 23. 7 Exud. 20 : 2, 3. 8 Quoted from the Athanasian Creed. See Church Book p, 10 Matt. 3 : 16, n Johu 4 : 24. the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things." 6 It is not sufficient to know that there is a God. We must know what kind of a God He is, how we can be received into His love, and how we should live in His sight. This we can learn only from the Bible. Let us see, therefore, what the Bible teaches about God. The Three in One. — There is but one God. When He gave His commandments to men, God said, "/am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before Me." 7 But, although there is only one God, there are three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Hence we speak of God as the Trinity, or the Three in One. Of these three Persons, none is greater or less than the other, but all are equal in every respect. " The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet there are not three Gods, but one God." 8 This is a mystery which we cannot com- prehend. It is not to be expected that we should. The finite is unable to comprehend the infinite. There are many things in the world around us which we cannot under- stand. How can we understand Him who created the world ? What we can and are to do is to receive the know- ledge of God as He Himself has revealed it to us. The three Persons of the Holy Trinity are named in Christ's command to His disciples, when He said, " Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." 9 And they are revealed at Christ's baptism, where the Holy Ghost descended on Christ in the form of a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven and said, " This is My beloved Son, in 17. Whom I am well pleased." 10 What God Is. — God is a Spirit. 11 He therefore has no CONCERNING GOD. 3 body and no limbs and senses as we have. We sometimes speak of God's almighty arm and His all-seeing eye. The Scriptures themselves sometimes speak of Him in this man- ner. But this way of speaking is used simply to accommo- date our idea of God to human ways of thinking, because for us power to do lies in the arm, and power to see in the eye. God is a Spirit of infinite power and majesty, without limits or bounds, 12 and of absolute perfection. 13 " He fills is Matt!?: 48. heaven and earth." 14 1. He is Eternal. There never was njer. 23: 24. a time when God was not, and there never will be a time when He is not. He is from everlasting to everlasting. 15 15 p s . 90:2. 2. He is Unchangeable. He Himself declares, " I am the Lord, I change not." 16 He is the same yesterday, to-day MMai. 3: 6. and forever. 17 What He now is He always has been and h Heb. 13 : 8. always will be. 3. He is Omnipresent, that is, He is pre- sent everywhere at the same time. There is no nook or corner of the wide universe where God is not. 18 He is ever is p s . 139 : 7-10. beside us, wherever we may be. 19 4. He is Omniscient, that 19 Matt. 28: 20. is, He knows all things. Past, present and future are equally present to His view. Nothing can escape His know- ledge. He reads and knows every thought, desire and pur- pose of our hearts. 20 5. He is Omnipotent or Almighty. 20 p s . 139:2. His power is unlimited. Nothing is impossible with God, 21 21 Luke 1 : 37. though of course He cannot do anything which is in conflict with His own nature, such as to lie 22 or do evil of any 22 Titus 1 : 2. kind. 23 23 1 Pet, 1:15, 16. In His Relation to Us. — 1. God is Holy. The angels who stand before His throne continually sing, " Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory." 24 He is holy Himself and demands that we be 241s. 6: 3. holy also. 25 2. He is Just. He requires the fulfilment of 25 Lev. 19:2. His holy laws, 20 and will punish the guilty, rendering to 26 Ga i. 3 •. 10. BIBLE TEACHINGS. 27 Rom. 2 : 6. 28 Col. 2: 3. 29Eph. 1: 8. 301 John 4: 8 31 Matt. 5 : 45. 82 Lam. 3 : 22, »3Ezek. 33:1 34 John 3: 16. 35 Rom. 2: 4. 36 II Tim. 2: 13. 37 Numb. 23: 19. ! Ps. 100 : ; Rom. 10 : every man according to his deeds. 27 3. He is All-wise!® He always knows what is best to be done, and what is the best way to accomplish His ends. 29 4. He is Kind and Merciful. He is Love itself. 30 He is kind even to the unthankful ; for " He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." 31 23. His mercies are new unto us every morning. 32 He has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked i. turn from His way and live." 33 His love to the world is so great that "He gave His only-begotten Son that whoso- ever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlast- ing life." 34 He bears long with the impenitent and desires to lead them to repentance by His goodness. 35 5. He is Faithful 86 and True. 37 He will do all that He has threat- ened or promised. He is the one Being in all the universe on whom absolute reliance may be placed. 38 ii. CHAPTER II, GOD MADE, MAINTAINS AND RULES THE WORLD. i Ps. 102 : 25. 2 Ps. 90 : 2. 81 Cor. 8: * Rom. 11 God 'Made the World. — The world did not always exist, nor did it come into being by itself or by chance. It is the work of God. 1 He alone is from eternity: 2 all other things had a beginning and have their source and origin in Him; 3 for "of Him and through Him and to Him are all things." 4 He willed that the world should be, and it came into being. "He spake and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast." 5 The Manner in which God made the world is des- GOD MADE, MAINTAINS AND RULES THE WORLD. 5 cribed in the first two chapters of the Bible. " In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." 6 He •oen.i:L made them out of nothing. 7 The heaven and earth thus T H eb.ii:3. created were not, however, the beautiful heaven and earth we now behold, but a formless, shapeless mass, — the raw material out of which God subsequently in six days fash- ioned the world as it now is. At first "the earth was with- out form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." 8 But "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of 8Gen. 1:2. the waters, "9 preparing the shapeless, lifeless mass for the 9Gen. 1:2. creative Word. And then in six successive "days" God (1) created the light and separated it from the darkness, (2) made the firmament, (3) divided the dry land from the sea and covered it with plant life, (4) set the sun, moon and stars in their places, (5) made the fishes and the birds, (6) the beasts of the field and finally man. 10 On the seventh ioGen.i:s-n. day God rested from His work, and hallowed the day. 11 u Gen. 2 : 2, 3. The Creation of Man was the last and crowning work. For "God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him ; male and female created He them. " 12 12 Gen. 1 : 27. He "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soul." 13 Woman was made to be a helpmeet for man, and 13 Gen. 2: 7. was created by God out of a rib taken from man's side while 1 t 14 1* Gen. 2: 18, 21, ne was asleep. 14 22. Creation is the work of the Triune God. The Son 15 and :5 L c ° r - 8: Q 6 - Eph. 3 : 9. the Holy Ghost 16 took part in it with the Father. But it uoen. 1: 3. is ascribed to God the Father by pre-eminence. It is thus ascribed to Him in the Apostles' Creed. God Maintains the World. — God did not create the world and then let it exist by itself, nor let it run like a watch or clock till it is worn out. He constantly main- BIBLE TEACHINGS. W Acts 17 : 28. is^eh. 9: 6 19 Ps. 145 : 9. Matt. 6 : 26, 29. Acts 17 Gen. 1 23 Ps. 145 : 15,16. «4 Ps. 33 : 18, 19. 25 1 Pet. 5 : 7. -Matt. 6:26,30. Matt. 10 : 29. -8 Matt. 10: 31. tains and preserves what He has made. If He did not, the world would at once fall into ruin. For what the apostle says of men is true of all created things: "In Him we live and move and have our being." 17 He who made "the heaven and the earth and all things that are therein, pre- serves them all." 18 His tender mercies are over all His works, 19 from the largest of the fixed stars of the universe down to the birds of the air and the grass of the field. 20 God's Care for Man. — While God preserves and watches over all His works, He exercises special Providential care over man. He is not far from every one of us. 21 "When God created man He promised to supply his wants. 22 And He has done so ever since that time. The farmer sows the grain, but God makes it grow. The eyes of all wait upon Him, and He gives them their meat in due sea- son. It is He who opens His liberal hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing. 23 God's Particular Care for the Godly. — The care which God exercises over men in general, He bestows in special measure upon the godly. "The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him ; upon them that hope in His mercy : to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. " 2i Believers are told, therefore, to cast all their care upon Him, because He careth for them. 25 He who feeds the fowls of the air and clothes the lilies of the field will much more feed and clothe His children. 26 He, without whose knowledge not even a sparrow falleth, 27 watches much more closely over the believers, because they are of more value than many sparrows. 28 So full and minute is His care and forethought for them, that even the very hairs upon their head are all numbered. 29 God Rules the World. — God reigns supreme over the GOD MADE, MAINTAINS AND RULES THE WORLD. 7 universe which He has made. 30 He is Lord over all, 31 "pJSji 1, the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Jl Rom " 10 : * the Lord of lords. 82 He rules over nations 03 and indivi- Zl^^'V 15 33 ps. fifi ; i . duals. 34 While there are many things in His government 34j bi4:5. which are not clear to us in this world, 30 and His thoughts raicor. is- 12. are not our thoughts nor our ways His ways, 30 He sees to asisa. 55: s,9. it that "all things shall work together for good to them that love Him." 37 He permits many things to happen which 37Rom. 8:2s. He does not desire. Thus He permits men to sin, if they will, because they are responsible moral beings and not mere machines. But beyond the limits which He lays down no creature can go. 38 He often, for His own wise purposes, ' 8 £^'g : . g 2 ' 10 permits the wicked to prosper and the godly to suffer. But He sets bounds to the suffering of His children, and permits only so much to come upon them as will conduce to their final good .39 - ,9 s:™. God blesses the undertakings of the godly. 40 On the 4o Ps . 37:5 . other hand He frequently hinders the purposes of evil men. He prevented Laban from injuring Jacob, 41 and Balaam « Gen. 31:24. from cursing Israel. 42 And He frequently overrules men's &Num.2z:i2jgr. action so as to bring good out of evil. Thus he made the selling of Joseph into slavery by his brethren the means of saving Jacob's family as well as the whole population of Egypt from death by famine, 43 and the crucifixion of Jesus 43 G en. 50 : 10. by the wicked Jews the means cf redeeming the human race from destruction. 44 « Acts 4; 27,28. CHAPTER III. HOW GOD MADE MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE. HOW MAN FELL INTO SIN AND BECAME A LOST BEING. Man Made in God's Image. — Man, who was the last is ips. 8:5. also the highest and noblest of God's earthly creatures. 1 sjas. 3: 9. He is so, because he " is made after the similitude of God " 2 ai cor. ii: 7. and "is the image and glory of God." 3 For when God had done everything necessary to make the earth a fit and pleas- ant abode for man, and had made the inferior creatures, He *Gen. i: 26. said, " Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." 4 It is this image or likeness of God which places man so far above the brute, and which makes the slaying of a human 6Gen. 9: 6. being a crime that is to be punished with death. 5 Man's Body. — This image or likeness of God in which e John 4: 24 man was created was not a bodily one ; for God is a Spirit 6 and has no body. On the physical side of his being, man is akin to the beasts. His body like theirs was made of the t Gen. 2:7. dust of the ground. 7 Though it is a most marvelous piece ep s . 139: 14. of divine workmanship 8 and is vastly superior to the bodies of the lower animals, it is only the tabernacle in which the •ii cor. 5:i. soul dwells. 9 Yet the body also possesses a dignity of its own ; for it is the handiwork of God, it was assumed by the wjohni: 14. Son of God when He became man, 10 and, in the case of the n i cor. 6: 19. believer, it is the temple of the Holy Ghost in this world 11 12 1 cor. is: 42-44. and shall be transformed and glorified in the world to come. 12 Man's Soul. — Man's real self is his soul or spirit, 13 which God breathed into him at creation. 14 It is this soul that was made in the image of God and was a likeness or reflec- tion of Him. Man, being a creature, could not, of course, be made like God in all things. Only the Son of God, 13 Matt. 16: Matt. 10 : UGen. 2: 7. 2fi. HOW GOD MADE MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE. \) Jesus Christ, is the image of God in this full and complete sense. 15 He is "the brightness of God's glory and the ucbLi:i& express image of His person." 16 But man was created in i6Heb. i-. 3. the image and after the likeness of God ; that is, God gave to man in a limited and finite measure those faculties and powers which He Himself possesses in unlimited and infinite measure. For God created man with reason and under- standing, with a free will, with power to do what was good, with immortality, with dominion over the other creatures, and especially with a clear knowledge of God, 17 perfect i7coi.3:io. righteousness and true holiness. 18 In his original state man is E ph. 4: 24. was a perfect being, 19 who enjoyed God's favor and bless- "^"'V. 31 * ing, 20 and who was perfectly happy. zoGen. i: 2a Man's Fall Into Sin. — Man was placed by God in the gar- den of Eden to dress and keep it, 21 and was given permission 2i Ge n. 2: 15. to eat of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 22 Of this tree he was forbidden 22 Ge n. 2:16,17 to eat on pain of death. 23 His obedience to God was now 23Gen. 2: 17. put to the test. He was not to do God's will by compul- sion, but voluntarily. He was created with a free will and was now to choose between obedience and disobedience. Had he chosen to obey, all would have been well. But the devil, who is the source of all evil, 24 came to Eve under the M .J j^S^sti guise of a serpent 25 and deceived her. He persuaded her 25 oen. 3:1. to doubt God's threat of punishment, filled her soul with a longing to taste of the forbidden fruit, and prevailed on her to eat of it. 26 Eve then gave some of the fruit to her 26 Gen. 3: 4-6. husband ; and Adam, though not deceived as she had been, 27 271 T im. 2 : 14 listened to the persuasions of his wife 28 and ate also. 29 J^J; 1 J- The Consequences of the Fall. — By this sin man fell from his state of purity and happiness, was expelled from Eden, brought upon himself bodily and spiritual death, 30 and 30 Bom. 5:12 10 BIBLE TEACHINGS. si Luke 19. 10. became a lost being. 81 And since all men are descended from Adam, they all inherit from him the consequences of 32 Rom. s. i9. the Fall. 32 Bodily Death. — God had said to Adam, " In the day that »3 Gen. 2: it. thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." 83 And although Adam was permitted to reach the age of 930 years before 34 Gen 5 5. he died, 84 he became a dying creature from the moment when he disobeyed the command of God. Man's body is now a mortal body, and shall return to the earth from which 36 Gen. 3:19. j^ ^ yas taken. 85 It is appointed unto men once to die, 36 36Heb. 9:2,. r * > though they know not when nor where, because they know 37j as . 4: i4. not what shall be on the morrow. 37 Their life is frail as a 3s job i4:i, 2. flower and fleeting as a shadow. 38 If it is a long life, it reaches seventy or eighty years, and at its best it is full of 39 p s . 90:io. labor and sorrow. 39 The whole human race has inherited the curse which God pronounced upon Adam and Eve 40 Gen. 3: i6-i9. immediately after their transgression, 40 together with all the ills, pain and disease that are inseparable from a mortal 4ijob5:7. body. 41 Spiritual Death. — But the most direful effects of the Fall are felt in man's soul. He still has, indeed, reason and understanding ; but they are by no means as strong as they were before the Fall. He still possesses dominion over the inferior creatures ; but it is very much limited. He still has a free will in earthly matters and can decide for himself what he will do in things that concern this world ; but he has lost his free will in spiritual matters and can no longer by his own power do anything but that which is evil. The 42 Gen. s: 2L imagination of his heart is evil from his youth. 42 He has lost the knowledge of God and the righteousness and holi- i3( ^\ 5 'l}% n ess which he originally possessed. 43 And now all men are 44 ps. oi:o. born with a sinful nature 44 and an inherited inclination to THE JUSTICE OF GOD. 11 45 Rom. 8 : 7. evil. 45 This corruptness of our nature is called original sin. It leads to actual sins as soon as men are old enough to act. 46 «Ecci.7:2o. It grows into evil deeds as naturally and inevitably as the acorn grows into the oak. 47 Separated by the Fall from 47Prov - 4:23 - God who is the source of all life, man is spiritually dead 48 48Eph. 2: i. and doomed to eternal destruction, 49 until he is born again «Matt.25:4i. by the grace of God 50 and is renewed after the image of God 5o JO hn 3-. 5, 6. in righteousness and true holiness. 51 And even then the old 5i E ph. 4: 24. sinful nature remains as a law in the flesh that wars against the law of the spirit, 52 — a law which must be fought against 52 R 0m . 7 = 21-23 and overcome more and more in this world, 53 but which will &3 Rom. 8:12,1a never completely disappear till we are transformed and glorified in the world to come. 54 64icor.i5:48,4a CHAPTER IV. THE JUSTICE OF GOD MUST DEMAND MAN'S CONDEMNATION. God's Will is the Law for all His creatures ; for He is King and Lord 1 over all. Human life and development 11 Tim. 6: 15. according to God's will would have meant perfection and unbroken happiness to the race. How God Gave Men His Law.— God wrote His law in man's heart 2 at creation as part of the image of God. But 2nom.2i is. this original knowledge of God's will became more and more obscured 3 after the Fall into sin. Therefore at Mt. Sinai 3 Rom. 1:21. God gave men His law anew, 4 written on two tables of *Exod. 20:1. stone. 5 This law is known as the Moral Law or the Ten 5 Exod. 31 •. is Commandments. It is also called the Decalogue. The sum and substance of this law, as Christ Himself tells us, is : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 12 BIBLE TEACHINGS. « Matt. 22: Exod. 20: 5. Gal. 3: 10. Deut. 27: 26. 9 Horn. 6: 23. lOEzek. IS: 4, 20. HI John 3: 4. 12 p s . 51 : 5. 13 Job 14 : 4. "John 3: 6. ISEph. 2: 3. 16 Rom. 8: 7. n Ezek. 36 : 26. isjer. 5: 23. 19 Rom. 3: 18. swjer. 17: 9. 21 Matt. 15 : 19. 22 Ps. 40: 12. 2:Ps. 19: 12. heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," and " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 6 How He Threatens Transgressors. — God requires men to keep His law on pain of punishment. When He gave men the Ten Commandments, He said, " I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me." 7 And elsewhere in the Bihle He says, " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the things that are written in the book of the law to do them;" 8 "the wages of sin is death;" 9 and "the soul that sinneth shall die." 10 Man Has Broken God's Law. 11 — Man is sinful and guilty in God's sight. 1. He is a sinful being by birth ; 12 for he is born of sinful parents, 13 and " that which is born of the flesh is flesh." 14 He is by nature a child of wrath. 15 His mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to God's law. 16 His heart is a hard, stony, 17 and rebellious 18 heart, lacking the fear and love of God, 19 and filled with the love of self and the world. It is deceitful above all things and des- perately wicked. 20 It is a foul fountain of sin and in- iquity. 21 2. He sins against God daily by thought, word and deed. He does many things which God has forbidden, and omits many things which God has commanded. His transgres- sions are innumerable. 22 He often does wrong without even knowing it. Therefore the Psalmist prays, " Cleanse Thou me from secret faults." 23 As long as the fear and love of God are absent from man's heart, everything that he does is sinful, 24 because he does not act from the right motive. The only kind of actions that are pleasing to God are those THE JUSTICE OF GOD. 13 that are done out of love to Him; for a love is the fulfilling Of the law. " ^ * 25 Rom. 13 : 10. All Men are Guilty. 26 — There is no difference 27 between 2 ^lTz%l 9 ' men with respect to God's law. " All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 28 " There is not a just 28 RO m. 3-. 23. man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not." 29 The memo, 7: 20. only sinless Being who ever trod the earth since the Fall into sin is Jesus Christ our Lord. He " did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." 30 All others are sinful in 30 i p e t. 2: 22. heart and life. " They are all gone out of the way," and " there- is none that doeth good, no not one." 31 Some have siR m. s-. 12. gone out of the way farther than others, and have committed more flagrant sins. But " there is none righteous, no not one." 82 The best man, as well as the worst, is a breaker 32 RO m. 3: 10. of God's law and guilty in His sight. 33 The Pharisee, who 33i sa . 64: 6. thought himself holy and thanked God that he was not as other men are, was a sinner as well as the publican who stood near him. 34 The Jews, who boasted that they were s* Luke is : 9-14, the children of Abraham and had the law, were sinners as well as the Gentiles whom they despised. 35 And "if we say 3 6 R m. 3: 9. we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in US." 36 36 1 John 1: 8. All Deserve Punishment. — Being transgressors of God's law, men deserve to be punished. Punishment is the just and necessary outcome of sin. 87 Earthly governments do woai. 6:7. * The prevalence of crime, drunkenness, impurity and divorce ; the eager desire to get rich, the unlawful power of money, the corruption of politics, the selfishness and utter lack of consideration for others so often manifested in business life, the crushing of the individual on the stock exchange, the cruelty of competition ; slyness, deceit, pride, inordinate self-esteem, revengefulness, malice, hatred and envy in people who are usually regarded as comparatively good ;— all this, and much more which might he mentioned, illustrates the truthfulness of the Bible's description of the depravity of the natural heart and life. 14 BIBLE TEACHINGS. !Eom. 13: 3, 4. I Pet. 2 : 13, 14. 'Prov. 14: 9. and must punish offenders,* 8 if they would not be unjust to those citizens who keep the laws. Who would want to live under a government that permits the thief and the murderer to go unpunished ? Just so the justice of God, who governs the universe, requires the punishment of men, because they have broken His laws. If He did not inflict that punish-, ment, He would not only break His own word which says that He will punish, but also be unfair and unjust to those of His creatures who, like the good angels, keep all His laws. To make light of sin is, therefore, the part of a fool. 39 40 Matt. 25: 41,46. Sin inevitably exposes men to the everlasting wrath of God. 40 4iEcci. ii: 9. It will not be overlooked or excused by Him. 41 " For the 42 p s . 129: 4. Lord is righteous ;" 42 "justice and judgment are the habi- 43 ps. 89: i4. tation of His throne." 43 God Will Punish. — Men may deceive themselves as to th< •Gafe^? 1 " 8,4 " consec l uences of their sins. 44 But " God is not mocked. " 4i His wrath will certainly come upon the children of disoiedi- ^npe/s-Yio ence. 46 It may be delayed, but it will come at last. 47 In This "World. — God frequently punishes men iu this world. He punishes them through the pains and sufferings which, though delayed, sooner or later come as a retribution upon those who break the laws of nature and of nature's 48 jer. 17:10. God. 48 Men cannot sin with impunity. Drunkards and licentious persons bring misery upon themselves and upon others, and shorten their own life by their sins. Children often are made to suffer in body, mind and property on account of the sins of their parents. God punishes the criminals through the penalties which earthly governments inflict for crimes ; for earthly govern- ments are His ministers "to execute wrath upon him that 49 Rom. i3: 4. doeth evil." 49 And He often sends punishment in the form of special judgments, 50 such as accidents, sickness, or 'm I Cor. 10 : 5. THE JUSTICE OF GOD. 15 reverses of one kind or another. Famine, pestilence, con- flagrations and the like are frequently a punishment which God sends upon whole communities for their sins. The flood, 51 the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 52 and of the £§|£; 5. 9: 22. demanded man's condemnation. If He would help and save man, He could not do it by being lenient and relaxing the law. For if He had done that, He would no longer be just, and man would have been encouraged in his wickedness. The only way to satisfy justice and the only way to make man a better creature was to execute the punishment in full. But this would have meant the eternal destruction of man. Therefore God determined that He Himself, in the person of His only Son, would suffer the punishment in man's place. This loving purpose, formed from all eternity, was carried out when the fulness of time came. 14 For then i4j hn3:i7. " God sent forth His Son, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law ;" 15 and " made Him to be sin »GaL 4: 4, 5. for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the right- eousness of God in Him.' ' 16 »n cor. s-. 21. The Greatness of God's Love. — The gift of His only begot- 18 BIBLE TEACHINGS. it Rom. 5: 10. 'John 15: 13. is Rom. 5: 20 1 John 4: 21 Ez. 33 : 11. 22 John 1 : 29. Rom. 11: 32. 24 1 Tim. 2 : 4. 27 Isa. 1 : 18. 28 1 John 1 : 7. £9 Rom. 5 : 20. ten Son for our salvation is the crowning proof of God's love. For in giving us His Son, God not only gave us the greatest gift which it was in His almighty power to bestow, but He gave that gift to men who were His enemies 17 and who deserved His everlasting wrath. " Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 18 " But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." 19 Truly, " God is love." 20 God's Love Includes All Men. — God desires the salvation of all men. He has " no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from His way and live." 21 He gave His Son for the sins of the whole world, 22 and His gracious plan of salvation is meant for all men without exception. 23 It is this fact which makes Christianity the world religion. For unlike heathen religions, it is not meant for one race, or for one age, or for one part of the earth's surface. And it includes all men of every class and description, whether they be high or low, rich or poor, learned or ignorant, respectable or disreputable. " God would have all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth ;" 24 and He " is not willing that any should per- ish, but that all should come to repentance ' ' ffi and live. Therefore God " now commands all men everywhere to repent." 26 No matter how deeply they may have fallen into sin, God loves them all and is willing to save them all, if they will only repent and believe in Christ. If they believe in Him, then " though their sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 27 For cleanses us from all sin," 28 and great as our God's grace is greater. " Where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound." 29 " the blood of Jesus Christ reat as our sins may be, THE LOVE OF GOD A WAY FOR MAN'S SALVATION. 19 His Love Must be Accepted. — If men would profit by the wonderful love of God, they must believe in Christ. 30 If 3oj hn3«. 14,15 they do not believe, they receive the grace of God in vain. 31 31 ^ Cor - 6: *• Only those who are in Christ by faith 82 share in what he 32ij hn5:2o. has done for men's salvation. Those who do not believe Shall be lost. 33 33 M arkl6: 16. He Bears Long With the Impenitent. — God is gracious and long-suffering, 34 slow to anger and of great mercy. 35 He ^p S * 86: . 15, does not at once send upon men the punishment which they deserve, 36 but withholds it, so that they may be led to 36 Ps . 103: 10. repentance by His goodness. 37 He spares no efforts to 37R m.2:4. reclaim them from the error and destruction of their way. 38 ssMatt. 22: 4, £ Those Who Despise God's Love are Lost. — If men refuse to repent and believe in Christ, even the love of God, infinite as it is, can do no more for them. 39 They are then irrecov- 391^.5: 4,5. erably lost. 40 The love of God has gone its utmost length 4o L ukei9:4i^ in Christ. God cannot do more to save sinful man than He has already done in giving His Son. 41 If this love is 4iu hn4:9. despised and rejected, men remain under the wrath of God and are doomed to eternal destruction. 42 For "how shall 42i JO hn5:i2. we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" 48 Jesus 43Heb. 2:3. Christ is "the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him." 44 " Neither is there 44j hni4: 6. salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." 45 45 Ac ts4: 12. CHAPTER VI. THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE SAVIOUR. During the long centuries that preceded the birth of Christ, God prepared and sustained mankind by the prom- ise, given to a faithful few, that the Saviour would certainly come into the world and take our life and flesh upon Him. And the godly men of Old Testament times looked forward i Luke io: 24. with longing to the time when the Messiah should appear. 1 The Seed of the Woman. — Immediately after the Fall, even before He pronounced the sentence of condemnation on man, God promised that a descendant of that very Eve whom the devil had deceived into disobedience, would, at the cost of suffering to Himself, destroy the work of the devil. For God said to the serpent, " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall «Gen.3: is. bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." 2 The Seed of Abraham. — When Abraham was chosen to be the ancestor of a special people of God, the Lord promised that he should also be the ancestor of the Saviour. For God said to Abraham, "In thee" and "in thy seed shall a ?. en " ™ : \ a H the nations of the earth be blessed." 3 Gen. 36 : 4 Of the Tribe of Judah. — Among the sons of Jacob, who were to be the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, Judah was selected as the one from whom the Messiah or Saviour should be descended. The promise of God, given through Jacob on his death-bed, was : " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor a law-giver from between his feet until Shi- loh come ; and unto him shall the gathering of the people «gpd.4%- o. be." 4 20 OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES. 21 The Son of David. — When David had become king over Israel, God gave him the promise, " I will set up thy seed after thee " 5 and " I will establish the throne of thy kingdom m sam. i-. 12. forever." 6 The son of David was a name by which Jesus ejisam 7: 13. was frequently addressed. 7 And because He was the 7Lukei8:38. descendant of David, the Jews expected Him to set up an earthly kingdom like that of David. 8 8j hn6: 15. Prophet, Priest and King 1 .— According to the Old Testa- ment prophecies, the promised Messiah would exercise a threefold office. He would be Prophet, Priest and King. He would be a Prophet and teach the people. For God said to Moses : " I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and I will put my words in His mouth, and He shall speak unto them all that I com- mand Him." 9 QDeut. 18: 18, He would be a Priest. For in a Psalm which refers throughout to the coming Saviour we are told, that He should be " a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." 10 10 p s . uo : 4. The priesthood of the Old Testament and its sacrifices for the sins of the people, and especially the High-priesthood, were a type and shadow of Jesus, the great High -priest, and His all-sufficient sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the World. 11 HHeb. 9: 11-14. He would be a King. For the Psalmist said of Him : " He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the end of the earth;" "His enemies shall lick the dust;" and " all kings shall fall down before Him." 12 i2p s .72:8, 9, 11 A Substitute for TJs. — The coming Saviour would be a substitute for men and bear the punishment of their sins in their place. The sacrifice of animals in Old Testament times was accepted as a temporary atonement. 13 But as an »Lev.i: 4. animal cannot really take the place of a man, and "it is 22 BIBLE TEACHINGS. iSHeb. not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take HHeb. 10:4. away sins," 14 the sacrifice of those animals was meant to prefigure and point forward to Christ who would make the true and real sacrifice for sin. 15 Thus the prophet Isaiah, looking forward into the future and beholding the sufferings and death of Jesus as if they had already taken place, said : " He was wounded for our transgressions ; He was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." 16 Events in His Life Foretold. — Many of the events and cir- cumstances in the Saviour's life are accurately foretold in the Old Testament. He should be preceded by a forerun- ner to prepare His way. 17 He would be born of a virgin 18 at Bethlehem. 19 Gentiles should come and worship Him, and bring Him gold and incense. 20 He would give light to those who walk in darkness and who dwell in the land of the shadow of death. 21 He would have miraculous power, and open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, cause the lame to leap as the hart, and the tongue of the dumb to sing. 22 The kings of the earth would set them- selves and the rulers take counsel together against Him. 23 He would ride into Jerusalem as a King, though in poor and lowly state. 24 He would be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 2 ' 5 He would be betrayed by His own friend 26 for thirty pieces of silver. 27 He would be deserted by His disciples. 28 He would be counted with the malefactors. 29 He would die in great agony 30 while the sun became darkened at noon-day. 31 He would pray for His enemies, though reviled by them. 32 His bones should not be broken, 33 He would be pierced with % i" Isa. 40: 3. is Isa. 7: 14. WMicah 5: 2. 20 isa. 60: 3, 6. si Isa. 22 Isa. 35: 5, 6. 23 Ps. 2: 2. 24Zech. 9: 9. 25 Isa. 53 : 3. asps. 41: 9. 27 zech. 11 : 12. 28Zech. 13: 7. 29 Isa. 53 : 9, 12. so P S . 22: 14, 17. si Amos 8 : 9. 32 Ps. 109 : 2-4. «Ps. 34: 20. GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON TO BE OUR SAVIOUR. 23 spear. 84 He would be buried with the rich. 85 He would L 4 Is e . c 53 ': 9. : rise again from the dead, 36 ascend into heaven, 37 and sit at JJ^" Jjj: JJ; the right hand of God. 38 3sp s . n 0: 1. CHAPTER VII. GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON INTO THE WORLD TO BE OUR SAVIOUR. When the fulness of time came, God sent the Saviour whom He had promised. 1 That Saviour is Jesus Christ, the only ioai. 4:4, 5. begotten Son of God, 2 who became man, 3 and lived and suf- IJ°£[[J{ f" fered and died on earth, that He might redeem us from our SmS. 4 4 1 Tim. 1 : 15. Jesus, True Man. — " Conceived by the Holy Ghost 5 and 5 Luke 1: 35. born of the Virgin Mary," 6 Jesus was in every respect a « Luke 2: 7. real human being such as we are ; only, he was without sin. 7 1 1 pet, 2: 22. He had a human body 8 and a human soul. 9 He called l^ eh - 2 '' 14 ' J 9 Matt. 26 : 38. Himself the Son of man, 10 and thus indicated that He was 10 Matt. ie : 13. true man, yet was distinct from other men by reason of His absolute perfection. The whole history of His earthly life, as given by the evan- gelists, records a process of growth and development such as n Luke 2: 7. is common to men. He was born, 11 He grew to vouth , 12 He " u , e ' ' a J ~ 13 Luke 2 : 52. increased in wisdom and stature, 13 and reached the age of 14 Matt. 4:2. manhood. He became hungry, 14 thirsty 15 and weary. 16 He i6j nn4: 6. was tempted, 17 He was moved with joy, 18 with sorrow 19 and u Luke 10': 21. with indignation. 20 He wept, 21 He prayed, 22 He was mal- l^dt-n%. treated, 23 He suffered , 24 and He died. 25 And these things 21 John n : 35 - 7 7 & 22 Matt. 26 : 39. He could not have done, if He had not been true man. *» Matt. 26: 67 - 24 j ppt 2 • 23 Jesus, True God. — Though He was true man, Jesus was 25Matt.27:*5o. 24 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 20 Rom. 9 : 5. s» John 3 : 16. 23 Matt. 3 : 17. 29 Matt. 17 : 5. 30 John 17 : 5. si John 1: 1. 32 John 8 : 58. 33 Col. 2 : 9. 34 John 5 : 23. 35 John 10 : 30. 36 John 10 : 38. 37 John 14 : 9. 38 Rom. 1 : 3, 4. 39 John 1 : 14. 40 Heb. 7 : 24. *i I Tim. 1 : 15. also true God. 26 He is the only begotten Son 27 of the Fa- ther. At His baptism 28 and at His transfiguration on the mount, 29 a voice spoke from heaven, and said : " This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." Divine glory like that of God the Father belonged to Him before the foundation of the world. 30 He is " The Word " who was in the beginning with God and who was God. 31 Before Abraham was, He is. 32 " In Him dwelt all the ful- ness of the God-head bodily." 33 He is equally God with the Father, and " all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. " 34 He and the Father are one. 35 He is in the Father and the Father in Him. 36 He who hath seen Him hath seen the Father. 37 Jesus, the God-Man. — Jesus Christ is true God and true man in one person. 38 He is God Incarnate, or God be- come man. For "The Word," that is, the Son of God, "became flesh and dwelt among us." 39 He is still God and man even now, when He sits at the right hand of God the Father ; and He will remain God and man to all eternity. 40 Why the Son of God Became Man. — This incarnation of the Son of God, or the permanent union of God and man in Jesus Christ, is the greatest miracle of all time. It is a mystery which we cannot understand. But on it our sal- vation depends. It was necessary that the Son of God should become man in order to save us. 41 If Jesus had not been both God and man, He could not have become our Saviour. For if He had been Grod only, He could not have put himself in our place under the law of God, nor have suffered and died for our sins. If He had been ma™ only, then, no matter how perfect and holy He might have been, he could not have saved any one but Him- self. But as God and man in one person, He could and did GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON TO BE OUR SAVIOUR. 25 do all that was necessary for our salvation. 42 As a man He * ^% ft "' lft perfectly fulfilled the law for us and died for our sins upon the cross. And that which He thus did and suffered for us has infinite worth and power to save, because He is God and man in one person. Jesus Humbled Himself. — When the Son of God became man, He did not lose any of His divine power and majesty. He was still almighty. 43 He was " the Lord » of the angels " J J» 5: 18 ' ^ even when He lay as a helpless Infant in the manger at Bethlehem. 44 All power which belonged to Him as God * Luke 2:11. belonged to him also as the God-man, Jesus Christ. 45 45 Heb. 1 : s. But while He lived on earth as a man among men, Jesus did not use all the power which belonged to Him. He did indeed give men glimpses of His divine majesty in His holy life and in the miracles which He performed. But ordin- arily His majesty was veiled. He ate and drank and slept like other men. He was as the lowliest among them. For He was born in poverty, with no room for Him in the inn ; 46 46 L uke 2 : 7. and He was raised in Nazareth, an obscure village of Gali- lee. 47 In His manhood's days He had no place to lay His « Matt. 2: 23. head. 48 In order to pay His taxes on one occasion, he had 48 Matt. 8 : 20. to send one of His disciples to get the necessary money from the mouth of a fish. 49 And although He could have »Matt. 17:27 summoned to His aid more than twelve legions of angels, 50 50 Ma tt. 23 : 53. He permitted Himself to be seized by His enemies, 51 mal- 5i M att. 26: 57. treated and put to death, 52 as though He possessed no more 52 Matt. 27. power than any other man. As the God-man, Jesus might have appeared among men in the full splendor of divine glory. But in order to re- deem us, it was necessary that He should suffer and die. 53 58 Lu , ke 24: 46 Therefore as a man, Jesus "humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." 54 Only 94pwi.2: 8. 26 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 65 isa. 7 : 1 56 Matt. 1 : 5T Matt. 1 : 21. 58 I Tim. 2 : 5. w I John 2 : 1. 60 Rom. 8 : 34. 61 Heb. 4 : 14. 62 Heb. 9 : 25, 2 after His resurrection and ascension did He exercise the full divine power and sovereignty which had belonged to Him all along. The Names of Jesus. — Various names applied to Jesus in the Scriptures are full of significance, and throw light upon His person and work. The name Emmanuel, applied to Him in the Old 55 and quoted in the New Testament, 56 means " God with us," and points to the union of God and man in Him. The name Jesus, given to Him by the angel, was His personal name, and signifies "He shall save." 57 The New Testament name Christ and the Old Testament name Messiah are His official title, and both denote the one who is "Anointed" by God for the work of redemp- tion. He is called the Mediator 58 between God and man, because by His sufferings and death He has mediated and made peace between God and us. He is called our Advo- cate, 59 because He pleads for us with the Father. 60 He is called our Grreat High Priest, 61 because He has once for all offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, 62 and thus made atone- ment for our sins. CHAPTER VIII THE MIRACLES OF JESUS. 1 Matt. 4 : Luke 4 : 2 Luke 4 : Mark 7 : The land of Palestine rang from end to end with the fame of Christ's miracles. 1 The people were filled with wonder and astonishment by His mighty deeds. 2 No man in all the world's history had displayed such marvelous power. The forces of nature, devils, life and death lay in subjection at His feet. The prophets of Old Testament times had performed some miracles. But they had done so THE MIRACLES OF JESUS. 27 only at rare intervals, and never by virtue of any power in- herent in themselves. They prayed to God to do the mira- cles for them. But Jesus did His miracles by His own power. 3 They were His kingly acts, v^ible manifestations 3 Luke 7: 14 of His divine glory. His Mighty Works. — Jesus performed many miracles. 4 * John 11:47. Some of them are recorded in the Gospels. But many others which He performed are not recorded. 5 They were 5j O hn20: 30. so numerous that the evangelists did not undertake to de- scribe them all. His first miracle was the turning of water into wine at the marriage-feast at Cana of Galilee. 6 After e j hn2: 1-11. that, scarcely a day passed during His public ministry on which He did not perform some miracle, and often great numbers of them. Men came to Him for miraculous heal- ing till far into the night. 7 He healed the sick, 8 the lame, 9 \ j£* e 4 ; ^ the blind, 10 the deaf, 11 the leprous; 12 cast out devils; 13 9 John5:i-i6. caused His disciples to make unprecedented draughts of "Mark 7: 31- fishes; 14 stilled the tempest by a word; 15 fed the multitudes 12 i,uke 17:11-19. with a few loaves and fishes ; 16 raised dead persons to life ; 17 J* Luke's- f-n' and rose from the dead Himself on the third day. 18 John 21: e. v . 15 Matt, 8 : 23-27. Real Miracles. — The reality of Christ's miracles is firmly wMatt. 14 : 15- established by the testimony of His enemies. They hated 17 j hn 11:43,44. Him bitterly and were greatly alarmed by the number of 18Markl6: !- 8 - people whom His miracles led to believe in Him. 19 If they w John 11: 47-48. could have thrown any doubt upon the reality of His mira- cles and thus counteracted their effect, they unquestionably would have made haste to do so. They sought to attain this end by ascribing His mighty deeds to the power of the devil. 20 And when they failed of their purpose in this way, 20 Matt. 12: 24. they determined to put Him to death and thus effectually prevent Him from performing any more miracles. 21 But 21 John 11:50. that His deeds were real miracles, they never once ques- 28 BIBLE TEACHINGS. tioned. On tne contrary, they freely acknowledged it even when He hung upon the cross ; for they sought to embitter His last hours by saying, " He saved others; Himself He 22 Matt. 27 : 42. cannot save. ' ' 22 What the Miracles Were. — The miracles were an unusual operation of the laws of nature. Those laws are God's or- dinary way or mode of accomplishing His purposes. They are an expression of His will. But when He sees fit, He can give expression to His will in some other way. In per- forming His miracles, Jesus showed that, as God and the author of the laws of the world, He is not the slave of those laws but their master. He accomplished results which 23 Mark 7: 37. startled the people and filled them with amazement, 23 not by breaking the laws of nature, but by directiDg the opera- tion of the latter in an extraordinary way and through the higher law of His own will. We ourselves modify the law of gravitation whenever we raise a weight from the ground. We do not abolish or break the law by so doing. The law still exists. But in that particular case its operation is modified by the human will. The more we learn of nature's laws, the more able we become to control them for our own use and to make them our obedient servants. And if ive can in some mea- sure control them, Jesus, who is the Son of God, and who not only understands those laws thoroughly but is their author, could do so at will. Why Jesus Performed Miracles. — Ordinarily God does not modify the regular operation of the laws of nature. But when the Son of God came into the world as an unknown and humble person, miracles were needed, so that men might know who He was, and that underneath the veil of His humanity they might discover His divinity. Through THE MIRACLES OF JESUS. 29 the miracles He manifested forth His glory and brought men to faith in Him. 24 He established His power in the 24j hn2iii. only way possible then. That way is not needed now, be- cause His divinity is abundantly proved. Even when He was on earth Jesus never performed miracles without a special purpose. He never did them simply to display His powers. He refused to be considered a mere wonder- worker. 25 25 Matt. 12: 39. The miracles of Jesus always had a moral and helpful meaning for the soul. They expressed the good will and saving power of God to men. He did them in order to strengthen, release or save men's soul. He showed by them that the terrible laws of fate and necessity which seemed to run the world, which appeared resistless, and which make man a mere speck in the immensity of things, can be overcome by the love and power of God. He to whom we pray as our Lord, still has the same power which he exer- cised in His miracles; and He employs it to control all things so that they " work together for good to them that love Him. ' ' 26 26 Rom. 8 : 28. What the Miracles Proved. — The miracles of Jesus proved that He was the Messiah and Son of God. When John the Baptist sent messengers to Him to inquire, " Art thou He that should come or do we look for another? " the answer of Jesus was, " Go and tell John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them." 27 The Old Testament 27 Matt. 11 : 3-5. had foretold that when the Messiah came He would do such works; 28 and the miracles proved that Jesus was He. 28i sa . 35: 4-6. The miracles were extraordinary works which proved the extraordinary claim of Jesus, that He was the Son of God. 30 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 23 John 5 : 3« John 10: 37 John 15 : 24. Matt. 10: 15: 11: 23,24. *3 Matt. 8 : 27. w John 11 : 47-50. They bore witness of Him that the Father sent Him. 29 If men were unwilling to believe His words, they were to be- lieve His works. 30 And if they refused to believe on Him after seeing His mighty miracles, they were guilty of the greatest sin, 31 and would fare worse on the day of judgment than Sodom and Gomorrah. 32 Many Believed. — The very first miracle of Jesus pro- duced faith in the hearts of His disciples. Men were con- vinced that it required far more than human power to do such works. 33 And after He raised Lazarus from the dead, the number of those who believed was so large, that His enemies became alarmed and planned to put Him to death, lest, if they let Him alone, all men would be led to faith through His miracles. 34 CHAPTER IX. i Luke 20 : 1. 2 Luke 4 : 16, 21 3 Matt. 5 1,2. 4 Matt. 13 : 2. 5 John 4 : 5-26. 6 Matt. 5 : 1,2. 7 Matt. 13 : 10. 8 John 3 : 1-21. 9 John 4 : 5-26. io Heb. 1 : 1,2. n John 1 18. THE TEACHING OF JESUS. It was part of the Messiah's office as a prophet to teach men. Therefore wherever He went, in Judea, Galilee or Samaria, Jesus taught the people. TTe find Him teaching in the temple, 1 in the synagogues, 2 on the mountain, 3 by the sea-side, 4 or resting by Jacob's well. 5 Sometimes His pupils consisted of great multitudes ; 6 sometimes of only a few disciples; 7 and occasionally of only one person, like Kicodemus 8 or the woman of Samaria. 9 Jesus the Great Teacher. — In former times God had spoken to men through the prophets, but now He spoke to them by his Son. 10 Coming from the bosom of the Father, 11 Jesus could reveal God's will as no one else could. And He taught with such evident power and authority, that the THE TEACHING OF JESUS. 31 people were filled with the utmost astonishment, 12 and were "Matt. 7:28, 29. convinced that He was a teacher come from God. 13 The i3j hn3:2. teaching of Jesus was the absolute 14 and final truth. It is m Luke 21 • 33. the climax of God's revelation to men. 15 He told them all i5Heb.2: 2,3. that they need to know or will know of God in this world. Even when the Holy Spirit came, whom Jesus sent to guide the disciples into all truth, 16 He simply built on the founda- m John ic : 13. tion which Christ had laid, bringing all things which Christ had spoken to their remembrance and making His words clear to them. 17 njonn 14=26. What He Taught. — 1. Jesus taught the law of God, and made plain its real meaning. This He did especially in His Sermon on the Mount. 18 He freed the Law from the human is Matt. 5-7. traditions 19 with which the scribes and Pharisees had en- 19 Matt. 5 : 43, 44. cumbered it, and showed that it must be fulfilled not only outwardly by deeds, but inwardly in the heart by perfect love to God and man. 20 20M o att - 22: 37 - 39. 2. But His special work as a teacher was to proclaim the Gospel — the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God which He Himself was now bringing to men. 21 His proclamation 2i Luke 4 : 21. may be regarded under two heads : namely, what He taught concerning Himself; and what He taught concerning the Kingdom of God or of Heaven. Concerning Himself Jesus taught, that He is the Son of God who came down from heaven so that men might have eternal life in Him. 22 He would save them by giving His 22 John 3: 13-17 life as a ransom for them. 23 He is " the Way, the Truth, 23 M att. 20 : 28. and the Life ; " 24 and no one can know God 25 or come to l!^? 14 / ~ 25 Matt. 11 : 27. the Father except through Him. Repentance and remis- sion of sins are to be preached in His name among all nations. 26 In order to be saved, men must believe on 26 Luke 24: 47, Him. 27 Whoever does not believe will be condemned. 28 2 John 3 -i?" 32 BIBLE TEACHINGS. » John 5: 22. so Matt. 16 : 27. 31 Matt. 4 : 17. 32 John 18 : 36. 33 Luke 17: 20,21. 34 John 18 : 37. 35 Matt. 4 : 17. 36 Matt. 18 : 4. 37 Matt. 7: 21. 38 John 15 : 5, 6. 39 John 15 : 15. 40 Matt. 13 : 31, 32 41 Matt. 13 : 33. 42 Luke 15 : 3-32. 43 Matt. 22 : 2-14. 44 Matt. 13 : 47-50. 45 Matt. 13 : 24-30. 46 Luke 13: 6-9. 47 Matt. 18 : 23-35, 48 Luke 10 : 30-37, 49 Luke 12 : 16-21. 50 Matt. 25 : 14-30 51 Matt. 20 : 1-16. He is not only the Saviour of men but also their Judge. 29 And He will one day come again to judge and reward them according to their works. 30 Concerning the Kingdom of God Jesus taught, that with His coming that kingdom was at hand. 31 It is not a king- dom of this world, 32 outward and visible, but a kingdom in the human heart. 33 He is its King. 34 Repentance is necessary on the part of all who would become members of it. 35 Those who would belong to it must be humble, and the humblest in it are the greatest. 36 They must be obedient, and not only say "Lord, Lord," but do the will of His Father in heaven. 37 He and His subjects are most inti- mately united like the branch and the vine. 38 He not only rules over them, but loves them : they are His friends. 39 His Parables. — Jesus frequently made use of parables, in order to make His teaching plain. This He did especially in describing the Kingdom of God. By means of illustra- tions drawn from daily life, He shows how that kingdom will grow externally 40 and internally 41 till it extends over the whole world, and exerts a sacred influence over the whole race ; how anxiously God desires that men should belong to it ; 42 how foolishly some despise its offers of grace ; 43 how its rubjects are gathered into it ; 44 and how in it the good and the bad are found side by side in this world. 45 He also shows how its subjects must, like a tree, bear fruit or be destroyed ; 46 how they must forgive others in order to retain the forgiveness of God themselves; 47 and how they should show mercy to the needy. 48 He warns them not to set their heart on the things of this world ; 49 urges them to be faithful in serving Him ; 50 and bids them look for a reward of grace and not of merit. 51 He shows THE TEACHING OF JESUS. 33 them how the godly and the ungodly respectively fare in the next world; 52 warns them of the suddenness with which 52 Luke 16:19-31. He will come to judge the world ; 53 and bids them watch 53 Matt. 24 : 43. and be always ready, because they "know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh." M 54 Matt. 25: 13. His Moral Precepts. — Jesus intends that men shall be saved only by faith in Him. But at the same time, the character and conduct of those who believe in Him is to bear witness to their faith. They are to let their light shine before men. 55 To this end He has given many pre- 55 Matt. 5: 16. cepts, showing what kind of people his followers should be in heart and life. They should aim at a far higher standard of moral excellence than other men. 56 They are to love 56 M att. 5:48. God above all things and their neighbor as themselves. 57 5- Matt. 22 : 37,39. In his dealings with his fellow-men, the Christian is to follow the Golden Rule of doing to others as he would have others do to him. 58 He should be uniformly kind in his treat- ss Matt. 7: 12. ment of them, be wholly free from ill-will or animosity against any one, and never be guilty of unkind words. 59 If 59 Matt. 5 : 21,22. he has wronged any one, he should be ready to acknowledge his fault and make amends. 60 If others have offended or in- «> Matt. 5 123-2*. jured him, he must be ready to forgive. 61 He must not take ei Matt. 6 : 14, 15. revenge, but return good for evil, and love even his ene- mies. 62 He should be kind and charitable in his judgment e 2 Matt. 5: 38-47. and opinion of other people ; he should not pick out their faults and hold them up to view, but be concerned to over- come his OWn. 63 63 Matt. 7: 1-5. He should be pure and chaste in mind and heart as well as in deed. 64 He should be careful in his speech, so as not 64 Matt. 5 :27,2s. only to avoid profanity but also all useless and idle words. 65 65 Matt. 5 :.33-37. He should be ready to help every one that is in distress, 66 but when he has done so, he should not boast or make a show ee Matt. 5: 42 3 34 of it. 67 BIBLE TEACHINGS. es Matt 7- is*a °^ ^ ,67 ^ S re ^gi° us life is to be sincere and earnest, 68 wjiatt. 6-. 5-i8. Du t quiet and unostentatious, 69 free from unbelieving care 70 Matt. 6: 2534. and worry, and trustful of God's Fatherly care. 70 And he should resolutely cut loose from everything that hinders him from securing his own salvation or performing God's « Matt. 5 : 29, 30. will. 71 CHAPTER X THE HOLY LIFE OF JESUS. i Luke 1 : 35. 2 Bom. 5 : John 3 : 3 I Pet. 2 : 22. 4 Acts 3: 14. 5 Heb. 1 : 3. c Heb. 7 : 26. 7 I Pet. 1 : 19. 8 Matt. 4 : 1. 9 Heb. 4 : 15. 10 Matt. 4: 3-10. Luke 4 : 2. 11 John 8 : 46. In the midst of a world of sinful men, Jesus lived a sin- less and holy life. He is the only human being who ever fulfilled God's law perfectly by loving God above all things and His neighbor as Himself. The Holiness of Jesus. — Having God alone for His Father, 1 Jesus was free from that inborn sinfulness and depravity of the heart which all other men inherit in con- sequence of the Fall 2 into sin. And during His entire life He "did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." 3 He was "the Holy and Just" One. 4 He was holy as God Himself is holy ; for He was " the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person." 5 He was " holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sin- ners," 6 and was " without blemish or spot." 7 Tempted, Yet Without Sin. — Being true man, it was possible for Jesus to be tempted. 8 And He was " in all points tempted like as we are." Yet He remained with- out sin. 9 He never yielded to temptation, no matter how strong or cunning or long-continued were Satan's assaults. 10 His bitterest enemies could not point out a single sin in Him, 11 though they would have been only too THE HOLY LIFE OP JESUS. 35 glad to do so if they could. He taught His disciples to pray, "Forgive us our sins." 12 But, although He Himself 12 Luke 11 -. 4. often prayed, He never asked for the forgiveness of His own sins. He had none to be forgiven. And when He died, it was for our sins, 13 and not for any which He Him- 13 1 Pe t. 2 : 24. self had committed. 14 14 j nn is : 38. Jesus Perfectly Fulfilled God's Law: 1. Toward God. — Jesus loved God with all His heart and with all His soul and with all His mind. At twelve years of age,- He was found in the temple " about His Father's business." 15 And throughout His whole life He sought to 15 Luke 2: 49. do " not His own will, but the will of His Father who sent Him." lfi So completely did He do that will, that at the end i» Johns: 30. of His days He could say to His Father, " I have glorified Thee on earth ; I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do." 17 He preferred to worship and serve God in i7j imi7:4. lowliness and humility, rather than receive " the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them." 18 Though the path is Matt. 4: 8-10. in which God's will led Him was one of intensest suffering, He cheerfully walked in it, 19 and "was obedient unto death, 19 Luke is : 31. even the death of the cross. " 20 sophii. 2: 8. 2. Toward Man. — Jesus loved men with a perfect love. This is manifest from what He did and suffered for them. He came among them " not to be ministered unto but to min- ister, and to give His life a ransom for many." 21 21 Matt. 20: 28. He was moved with pity for men's bodily needs and dis- eases. He never refused to help them, even if they came to Him when He was weary with a long day's work. 22 The 22 Luke 4: 40. very sight of suffering or need appealed to Him for help. He frequently helped men without being directly besought to do so. 23 And He did not refrain from helping them, even "Jnta^uSn 36 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 25 Matt. 9 Tit. 2 : 14. 27 Mark 16 : 15. 28 Luke 15 : 1, 2. 2» Luke 23 : 34. when He knew that His act of kindness would be miscon- Matt i2: io-i3. strued by His enemies. 24 He was moved with compassion especially for men's souls. He pitied " the multitudes, because they were as sheep with- out a shepherd." 25 And He willingly endured the greatest sufferings and died the shameful death of the cross, in order that He might redeem them from their sinful and lost con- dition. 26 His love included the whole human race ; for He died for all and commanded His Gospel to be preached to all. 27 It included the lowest, the most despised, and the outcast among men ; for He received the publicans and sinners, and ate with them. 28 He loved even His bitterest enemies ; for He not only never took revenge upon them, but prayed for them while they nailed Him to the cross. 29 What His Holy Life Proves. — No mere man could have lived the holy life of Jesus, any more than a mere man could have performed His miracles. For since the Fall into sin all other men have been born with a sinful heart and a natural inclination to evil. 30 The best men among the heathen sink infinitely below the holiness of Jesus. The prophets of Old Testament times, though they led compara- tively holy lives, had their faults and shortcomings. And the best of Christians, though they derive strength from Christ Himself to lead new lives of holiness, 31 are very far removed from His perfection. 32 He alone was absolutely without sin. And His holiness proves that He is what He claimed to be, the Son of God. An Example for Us. — In leading a life of perfect love to God and man, Jesus has " left us an example that we should follow His steps." 33 He Himself kept the command- ments which He gave us, and thus showed us how we ought 30 Rom Gal. 2 : 20. Rom. 7 : 21-24 M I Pet. 2 : 21. SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS AND DEATH. 37 to keep them. 34 We are to take His "yoke upon us and ^iPet.i: 15. learn" of Hira. 35 If we abide in Him, we are "to walk 35 Matt. 11 •. 29. even as He walked" 36 and love one another even as He 36i Jo hn2:6. loved US. 37 37 John 13 : 34. He Fulfilled the Law for TTs. — The chief significance of Christ's holy life lies in the fact, that by it He perfectly obeyed the law of God for us. 38 The fulfillment of that sa n m. 5 : 18-19 law entitles the one who fulfills it to receive a reward. 39 39R m. 4:4. Jesus did not need that reward for Himself, because He is the Son of God and from eternity possesses all glory. 40 We 40 j nn 17 : 5. need it,, but cannot earn it. 41 Therefore Jesus placed Him- « Rom. 3 : 20. self under the law 42 and won the reward for us. We need 42Q a i. 4: 4,5. not only to have our sins taken away, but also to obtain a righteousness that will fit us for heaven. By his complete and perfect obedience to God's law Jesus has acquired that righteousness. And He bestows it upon all who believe on Him. 43 As by Adam's disobedience many were made *3R m. 3:22. sinners, so by the obedience of Christ many are made right- eous. 44 For Christ is "made unto us wisdom and righteous- «nom. 5: 19. ness and sanctification and redemption. " fi « 1 cor. 1 : 30. CHAPTER XI. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS AND DEATH. Jesus suffered and died in order that He might bear the punishment and make amends for the sins of the whole WOrld. 1 H Cor. 15:3. Sin Must Be Atoned For. — We all know in our best selves, that when an injury or a wrong has been done, the offender cannot expect to have things made right again 38 BIBLE TEACHINGS. until he has made restitution for the injury and suffered punishment for the wrong. Without such a demand for restitution and punishment, all fairness and justice in men's dealings with one another would die away. If this is a fact even in men's relations with one another, how much more must it be a fact in the dealings of a holy, just and impartial God with men. The human heart has always felt that sin demands punishment and cannot be forgiven until an expiation or atonement has been made. This con- viction is confirmed by the Scriptures. For without the sHeb. 9: 22. shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. 2 In the Old Testament God tried to educate Israel up to the deep conviction of the necessity of such restitution, punishment and expiation, by commanding them to make sin 3 Exod. 29: 36-38.; offerings, 3 and especially a yearly atonement by the high- 4 Lev. 16: ii-i5. priest. 4 These offerings of the Israelites were not sufficient 6Heb. io: 4. to make atonement for men's sins. 5 They were only figura- tive, and pointed forward to the real expiation which would be made by Christ the Saviour. 6 But they were accepted by God meanwhile, 7 in view of the atonement which Christ would make. 8 He is the Great High Priest, 9 and the real sacrifice for sin. 10 What Jesus Suffered. — The sufferings of Jesus for us extended over the entire period of His earthly life. He endured all the trials and hardships which are common to men. In addition to that, He suffered the constant perse- nHeb. 12: 3. cution of His enemies. 11 And as a holy and perfect being, He necessarily experienced the greatest mental and spiritual anguish from His contact and identification with a sinful and guilty world. But the climax of His sufferings was reached at the end of His life, in His agony in the garden w Matt' 2 2 6- 47-56' of Gethsemane, 12 His seizure by His enemies, 13 His trial, eHeb. 9 : 23. Heb. 10 : 1. 7 Rom. 3 : 25. Heb. 9 : 9-12. 9 Heb. 4 : 14. io Heb. 9 : 24-26. H Matt, 26 27 : 30. : 57- 15 Matt. 27: 31-50. 16 Matt, 20 : 23. it I Pet. 1 : 19-20. i8X,ukel8: 31-33. io John 10 18. 20 John IS Matt, 26: 6. 53,54. 21 Luke 24 : 46. SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS AND DEATH. 39 maltreatment and condemnation by the Jewish council and Roman governor, 14 and His shameful death upon the cross. 15 Jesus Suffered and Died Voluntarily. — The death of Jesus was not an unforseen accident which spoiled all His plans. It was the very object for which He had come into the world. 16 It took place in accordance with God's eternal purpose 17 and with Christ's own foreknowledge. He told His disciples of His approaching sufferings, and voluntarily went forward to endure them. 18 No man could take His life from Him. He laid it down of Himself. 19 The multi- tudes who came out by night to seize Him could not have done so if He had been unwilling. 20 But He permitted them to capture Him and lead Him away to trial and death, in order that He might suffer all. that we deserved by our sins. 21 Why Jesus Suffered and Died. — The death of Jesus was not intended simply to show us how much God loves us, or how much He hates sin. It was not meant to be merely an example of the patience which we should exercise in suffer- ing, or to show us how nobly and gloriously a man may and should meet even an unjust death. It does do these things. 22 * ^n J But it does much more. Its 'chief significance lies in the fact that it was an atonement for our sins. 23 He offered 23n m. 4:25. Himself as a sacrifice for our guilt, and thus satisfied the demands of God's justice. " He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities." 24 He 24j sa . 53:5 . put Himself in our place, and endured the punishment 25 ^°™ 1 - 5 : 6 'f which we deserved. 25 His sufferings were vicarious. 26 26ip e t.3: is. His Death was Sufficient for All. — The death of Jesus is full atonement for the sins 27 of the whole world. 28 His !IJJ°? n i : l" 28 I John 2 : 2. sufferings and death are the equal of the sufferings and death of all. He not only suffered in our place, 29 but He 29i Pe t. b : is. suffered all that we deserved. 30 «>iPet. 2: 24. 16. Heb. 12 : 2. 40 BIBLE TEACHINGS. *i Luke 22 : 44. 82 Matt. 26 : 33 Matt. 27 : 46. 34 Matt. 26 : 38. 35 Tit. 2 : 14. 36 Gal. 3 : 13. 39 II Cor. 5 : 19. 40 Col. 1 : 14. 41 Rom. 42 I John 1 : 9. 43 Luke 24 : 47. 44 Col. 1 : 20. We cannot fully realize the extremity of Christ's suffer- ings. We see something of their greatness, however, when we behold Him in the garden of Gethseruane wrestling with God in prayer till the sweat rolled from His brow like great drops of blood; 31 when we listen to His prayer, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me;" 32 and when we hear His agonized cry on the cross, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" 33 The whole burden of the world's guilt and of God's wrath against the world's sin lay upon Jesus. And the burden was so great, that even He, supported as He was by all the strength which belonged to Him as the God-man, could scarcely endure it. 34 An eternity of human woe and tor- ment was compressed within the limits of His sufferings and death. Therefore His death is a fall and complete atonement for our sins. 35 He " has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." 36 By "His own blood He has obtained eternal redemption for us," 37 having once for all put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 38 God Reconciled. — As the result of the sufferings and death of Christ, God is reconciled to man. For " God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." 39 The needs of jus- tice are now fully satisfied, and God is free to forgive sins 40 for Christ's sake without ceasing to be a just and holy God. 41 Indeed, now that all the requirements of the law have been met by Christ, God's justice itself unites with His love in bestowing forgiveness upon the believer. 42 All men may, if they will, find forgiveness of sins through Christ. 43 For God " has made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself." 44 BIBLE TEACHING OF THE RESUEEECTION. 41 The Atonement Made Ours by Faith. — In order to profit by what Christ has done, we must accept it bj faith. 45 45 JO hn3: 14, 15 God does not force salvation upon the unwilling. But if men believe in Christ, then God regards and treats them as if they themselves had done all that Christ has done for them. He imputes Christ's righteousness to them. 46 They 46 Bom. 4 •. 22-25 are justified, that is, counted righteous for Christ's sake. 47 47 Bom. 4:5. For " being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," 48 and "shall be saved 4SBom. 5: 1. from wrath through Him." 49 49 Bom. 5: 9. CHAPTER XII. THE BIBLE TEACHING OF THE RESUERECTION OF JESUS. The Saviour always had taught that He was the Resur- rection and the Life. 1 As the Son of God who is alive 1 John 11. as. forevermore and is the same yesterday, to-day and forever, and as the Prince of Life who raised others from the dead, Jesus could not remain in the grave. In accordance with the Old Testament prophecies 2 and with his own predic- 2 Ps . i 6 : 10. tions, 3 He rose from the dead on the third day. He 3 Matt. 16:21. " had power to lay down His life, and power to take it again." 4 4j hmo: is. A Real Return From Death to Life. — As the death of Jesus was not a seeming but an actual death 5 like that of B ?? e ™ : it' a John 19 : 33. any other man who dies, so His resurrection was a real return from death to life. He reappeared to His disciples, not as a spirit, but with the same body which had been put to death on the cross. His body could be touched and felt, and had flesh and bones just as any other body has, 6 It e Luke 24: 37-39 showed plainly the marks made by the nails in His hands 42 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 7 joim 20 : 25-27. and feet. 7 But it possessed new properties and powers. It was no longer subject to the same limitations as our body s Luke 24 : is, si. now is. Jesus could appear and disappear at will, 8 and 9 John 20: i9. could pass through closed doors. 9 His body was a trans- io i cor. is: 4i-45. formed and glorified body, 10 such as ours also shall be after ii PMi. 3 : 2i. our resurrection. 11 The Resurrection a Fact. — The disciples had been so disheartened by the crucifixion, that they had practically 12 Luke 24: 2i. lost faith in Jesus as the Messiah, 12 and had forgotten His promise to rise again from the dead. They never for a moment thought of deceiving the people, as the Pharisees thought they might, by stealing the body of Jesus and then 13 Matt. 27: es, ei. telling the people that He had risen. 13 But if they had thought of it, they could not have done so, because the chief priests and Pharisees sealed His sepulchre, and set a w Matt. 27: 66. guard of soldiers before it. 14 The resurrection of Jesus is a fact. The strongest proof of this fact is, that the disciples themselves were so sceptical about it, and so set in their notion of its impossibility, that they never would have believed it, if they had not been obliged to do so by the evidence of their own eyes. They demanded the strongest and most abundant proofs before they were willing to believe. When they first were told that Jesus had risen, the words of those who brought the news " seemed to them idle tales, and they believed them w Lute 24: ii. not." 15 Thomas, one of the twelve, even went so far as to declare, " Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." But when Jesus showed Him his hands and His side, even Thomas was convinced and cried out, " My Lord and my 16 John 20 : 25-28. God." 16 BIBLE TEACHING OF THE RESURRECTION. 43 Jesus Appeared Often to His Disciples. — Jesus tarried on the earth forty days after He rose from the dead. And during this time He gave His disciples so many and such plain proofs 17 of His resurrection, that, slow as they were it Acts 1 : 3. to believe, 18 their doubts were all removed. The women is Luke 24 =25. who went to His grave on Easter morning found it empty, and were told by the angel, " He is risen, He is not here." 19 19 Mark 16: 6. Mary saw Him in the garden, and mistook Him for the gardener until He called her by name. 20 He was seen by 20 John 20:14-16. Peter, 21 by the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, 22 and ^ Luke 24 • 15 twice- by the apostles as they were gathered together. 23 He 23 j iin 20 : 19-29. appeared to several of His disciples as they were fishing on the sea of Tiberias. 24 He was seen by more than five hun- 24 j hn2i: 1. dred disciples at once. 25 After that He was seen by James, 25i C or. 15: e. and then by all the apostles. 28 He was accompanied by 26 1 Co r. 15 : 7. the disciples out to Mount Olivet, where He ascended into heaven before their eyes. 27 And after His ascension He 27 Acts 1 : 9, 12. was seen also by Paul. 28 23 1 Cor - 15 : 8 - J Acts 9 : 3-5. A Great Change in the Apostles.— These appearances of Acts 22:17-18. our Lord made the disciples so certain of His resurrection that a great change took place in them all. Instead of being discouraged and dismayed as they had been before, the twelve now became filled with joyful confidence, and, having received the gift of the Holy Ghost, 29 went forth 29 A cts 2 : 1-4. everywhere preaching the Gospel of the crucified and risen Saviour. 30 And Paul, who had been a bitter persecutor of 30 Mark 16: 20. the Christians, became a preacher of the Gospel 31 and under- 31 Acts 9: 20. went the greatest labors, trials and sufferings for Christ's sake. 32 Nothing but the unalterable conviction that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead and now reigns in heaven can account for so marvellous a transformation. The Importance of the Resurrection. — When the apostles II Cor. 11 : 23- 28. 44 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 34 Acts 2 : 22-24. John 20 : 28 Acts 2 : 36. chose a man to take the place of Judas Iscariot among them, they were careful to select one who had been a witness of the resurrection. 33 And when they went forth to proclaim the Gospel, they based their preaching on the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead. 84 Without the resurrection, they could not have persuaded men to believe on Jesus. For if He had not risen, He would have been simply a man, even though a holy man who had been unjustly put to death. But His resurrection proves that He is the Son of God. 35 No mere man ever did or could rise from the dead and ascend into heaven as Jesus did. God would not have raised up from the dead one who said He was the Son of God, if He had not been what He claimed. The voice from heaven at His baptism had declared and His miracles, teaching and holy life had shown that He was the Son of God. And now the resurrection confirmed and sealed all that had been said and done. Jesus could die as other men die ; but He could not as God's " Holy One see corrup- tion." 36 On the contrary, He "was declared to be the Son of Gocl with power by His resurrection from the dead." 37 A Proof of Christ's Atonement. — The resurrection proves that the sacrifice which Jesus made for us on the cross satisfied in full the demands of God's justice. He suffered all that we deserved by our sins. 38 And the resurrection is God's testimony that He has done so. If His sacrifice had not been sufficient, Jesus would have remained in the power of death. But He arose from the dead, and thus proved that His atonement is complete and our ransom fully paid. 39 "He was delivered for our offences, and rose again for our Eom.4: 25. justification." 40 He has conquered sin and death and hell ii Tim. i:io. for us, and has "brought life and immortality to light." 41 A Proof of Our Resurrection —As surely as Christ rose 33 Acts 2 : 24-31. 37 Horn. 1 : 4. I Cor. 15 : Rom. 8 : 34. I Thess. 1 : 10. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 45 from the dead, 42 so surely will there be also a resurrection 42 *2? rl5 \ 12 '!? ' «/ I Thess. 4 : 14. of all the dead. 48 "God who raised up Jesus from the 43 1 Co r. 15 : 20. dead will also raise up us." 44 The hour is coming in which 44 1 cor. 6: 14. all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of Jesus " and shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resur- rection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. " 45 45 j0 hn 5 : 28, 29. Through the resurrection of Jesus, death has lost its terrors for the believers. 46 It is for them only a sleep 47 47iT°hess. : 4:i3. from which they shall one day awake at His word. Then 14, He will change their " vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His own glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself." 48 afuls: 21. 2 Acts 1 : 12. 3 Acts 1 : 9. CHAPTER XIII. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN. HIS SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER. Jesus remained on the earth forty days after His resur- rection, in order to give His disciples " infallible proofs " l that He was risen. Then He went with them to Mount Olivet, 2 and, while they beheld, 3 " He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God." 4 4 M arki6: 19. Christ Exalted. — Jesus had " humbled Himself and be- come obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,' ' 5 5 pmi. 2 : 8. in order that by so doing He might redeem men from de- struction. Therefore " God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name that is above every name : that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is 46 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 6 Phil. 2 : 9-11 7 John 17 : 4. 8 John 17 : 5. • Heb. 13 : 8. io Matt. 28 : 18. 11 Mark 16 : 19. 12 John 4 : 24. is John 1 : 1-3. 14 Eph. 1 : is I Pet. 3 Lord, to the glory of God the Father." 6 The work which Jesus had come into the world to do was completed. 7 And now He returned to that heaven from which He had come, and occupied the place which belonged to Him as the Son of God. 8 The necessity for His humiliation being past, His exaltation took place. Exalted as Man. — As God, Jesus is unchangeable, "the same yesterday, to-day and forever," 9 and could neither be humiliated nor exalted. But as man He had humbled Himself and refrained from the full use of the power which belonged to Him. As man therefore He was now exalted. He Himself told His disciples immediately before His ascen- sion, " All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." 10 And He ascended into heaven to exercise that power. At the Eight Hand of God. — Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, 11 that is to say, at the right hand of God's power. For God is a Spirit, 12 and therefore has neither a right nor a left hand. But since man's chief strength usually lies in his right hand or arm, we speak of God's power as His right hand. As the Son of God, Christ sat on the right hand of God from all eternity. 13 He is equally God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, sharing in all the power and majesty of God. But as man He did not sit at the right hand of God till after the ascension. Then it was that Jesus, as the God-man, assumed the sovereignty over heaven and earth. For the Father " set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come," and " hath put all things under His feet." u " Angels, authori- ties and powers have been made subject unto Him. 15 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 47 Christ Still God and Man. — Jesus did not cease to be man when he ascended into Heaven and sat on the right hand of the Father. It was only as man that He needed to be or could be exalted. He is therefore still man as well as God now when He sits at the right hand of God, just as He was when He dwelt on the earth. A true human being such as we are, only without sin and glorified, now reigns over all the universe in the person of Jesus Christ, the God-man. 16 16 J^ 9 g. 5 ' 16 Jesus Pleads for Us. — Sitting at the right hand of God, Jesus is our Intercessor. 17 He pleads for us with the it Bom. 8: 34. Father. He shed His blood for the remission of our sins. 18 ucoi. i: 14. And He holds up between us and His Father the merit and righteousness which He acquired for us by His holy life and innocent death. He makes intercession for us continu- ally. 19 We have in Christ a great High Priest who is i9Heb.7:25. passed into the heavens — not a High Priest who " cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but who was Himself tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin." 20 He knows and feels all that we need; for He Him- 20 H eb. 4 : 14, 15 self is also man. As in Old Testament times the high- priest 21 entered into God's presence and interceded for the 21 ex. 28:38. people, so Christ, who is ever in God's presence, pleads for us. 22 The Father Himself loves us and is disposed to grant 22 Heb. 9: 21. us His grace 23 and favor. Much more will He grant it to 23 j0 hn ie us, when His only Son, who shed His blood for us, 24 inter- 24 n m. cedes for us. We are therefore in Christ's name to " come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." 25 25 Heb. 4: i& He Eules Over Us. — Sitting at the right hand of God, . Jesus is King and Lord over all. The Father has given all things into His hands. 26 " And He must reign till He 26 JO hn 13 : 3. hath put all enemies under His feet." 27 His kingdom 2ncor. 15: 25. : 27. 5: 9. 48 BIBLE TEACHINGS. is a threefold one: a kingdom of power, of grace and of glory. His Kingdom of Power includes all things and all men. For He is God over all, 28 and holds dominion over the whole universe. He rules over all men, good or bad, over good and bad angels, and over every other creature. All things have been " put in subjection under His feet." 29 He is "the King of kings and Lord of Lords," to whom be- so i Tim. 6 : 15,16. longs " honor and power everlasting." 30 His Kingdom of Grace includes all the believers while they are in this world." 31 In this kingdom, which is called His Church, 32 He bestows upon the believers all the bless- ings which He has acquired by His obedience and suffer- ings. 33 By means of the Word 34 of God and the sacra- ments 35 He gathers, governs, preserves and defends 36 them as His own. He bestows upon them all things that they need in body 37 and soul, 38 and is with them "always, even unto the end of the world." 39 His Kingdom of Glory includes the good angels 40 and all those men who have died in the faith. 41 The kingdom of grace shall be merged completely into the kingdom of glory at the end of the world. At that time Christ will raise the dead to life. And then those believers whom He has raised from the dead as well as the believers who are yet alive at the end of the world shall be taken by Christ unto Himself in heaven, 42 that where He is " there they may be also." 43 There they shall live and reign ** with Him in glory forever. 29 Heb. 2 : 8. 31 John 17 : 8-11. 32 Col. 1 ; 13-18. 33 Col. 1 : 21, 22. 34 John 17 : 17. 35 John 3 : 5. Eph. 5 : 26. 36 John 10 : 28. 3T Matt. 6 : 33. 38 Bom. 8 : 32. 39 Matt. 28 : 20. 40 1 Pet. 3 : 22. 41 Bev. 2: 10. 42 I Thess. 4 : 17. 43 John 17 : 24. 44 Rev. 3 : 21. CHAPTER XIV. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE NEW BIRTH WHICH HE PRODUCES IN MAN. The Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, is the third person of the Holy Trinity. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, 1 " and with the Father and the Son together is wor- ^nls-S' shipped and' glorified." 2 He is true God as well as the 2 com P . the ni *" & cene Creed, Father and the Son, and equal to them in glory and majesty. When Jesus sent forth His disciples to baptize all na- tions, He told them to do so "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." 3 In the apos- 3 Ma tt. 28:19. tolic benediction which reads, " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all," 4 the Holy Spirit is put on a incor. 13 : u. level with the Father and the Son. He is called in the Scriptures Jehovah, 5 Lord 6 and God. 7 He is spoken of e"^ am,23:2 - as eternal, 8 omnipotent, 9 omniscient 10 and omnipresent. 11 7 Acts 5: 3, 4. He has share in the creation 12 and preservation 13 of the oisa. 11 world. He instructed the prophets and teachers of old, 14 and inspired the writing of the Bible. 15 And the entire "J S-13 ? : I - r o 12 Gen. 1 : 2. work of sanctification, or applying to men's souls the re- 13 Job 33 -.4. i . „ T . .ill?. "II Pet. 1: 21. demption 01 Jesus, is ascribed to Him. 15 n Tim. 3: ic A Person. — The Holy Spirit is not merely a power or energy which God supplies, but is a Person. He is, indeed, spoken of in some passages of Scripture as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ; and this Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ, we are told, should dwell in the believers. 16 i«nom. 8: 9. But it is the third person of the Holy Trinity that is meant, and not simply a mind or disposition such as God wants us 8 49 ' Heb. 9 : 14. Rom. 15 : 19. io I Cor. 2:10-12. 50 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 17 ACtS 2. is Gen. 6 : 3. is John 16 : 8. 20 John 15 : 2«. 21 John 14 : 26. 22 John 16 : 13. 23 Acts 9 : 31. 24 Rom. 8 : 26. 2a Rom. 15 : 16. John 19 : 30. 27 I Cor. 2 : 14. 28 Acts 26 : 18. 29 Mark 16 : 16. 30 John 3 : 5, 31 Tit. 3 : 5. Eph. 4 : 18. Eph. 2 : 1. I Cor. 2 : 14. to have. The outpouring of the Holy Ghost 17 on the day of Pentecost was not simply a filling of the human spirit of the apostles with enlightenment, courage and zeal in the cause of the Saviour, but the coming of a divine person into their hearts. Acts such as only a person can do are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. He strives with sinners, 18 reproves the world, 19 testifies of Christ, 20 teaches, 21 guides 22 and com- forts 23 the believers, helps their infirmities, 24 and sanctifies 25 them. He is as truly a person as the Father or the Son. His Work. — The work which the Holy Ghost does in us is as necessary for our salvation as the work which Christ has done for us. Christ has indeed died for all men, and made it possible for all men to be saved if they will. When He was about to die on the cross, He said, " It is fin- ished." 26 And so it was. The holy life had been lived and the punishment for sin endured. Justice was satisfied, and the forgiving love of God could be freely exercised. But men must be made willing and able to accept salva- tion. 27 They must be brought to faith. 28 Without faith they would perish in spite of all that Christ has done for them. 29 It is the work of the Holy Spirit to create this faith in men. In doing so, He produces a great and radical change in the soul. This change is called in the Scriptures a new birth 30 or regeneration. 31 Why the New Birth is Necessary. — A new birth is neces- sary in man, because he is by nature spiritually dead. Sin has cut him off from the spiritual life which he would otherwise have drawn from God. 32 He is " dead in tres- passes and sins." 33 Therefore he has no power of his own to discern spiritual things, 34 to recognize his lost condition, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE NEW BIRTH IN MAN. 51 to repent of his sins, or to believe in Christ his Saviour. He must be born again ; not physically, indeed, but spiritu- ally. 35 Unless he is born again, he cannot see nor enter into 35 j hn 3: 1-6. the kingdom of God. 86 A new spiritual life must be created 36 j0 hn 3 : 3, 5. in him, in order that he may be able to appropriate to himself by faith " the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." B7 37R m. 3: 24. No one but God can produce this new life. It is God that must work " in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure." 38 "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but ssphu. 2: 13. by the Holy Ghost." 39 Those in whom this new life has 39icor. 12:3. been wrought are born of God 40 and born of the Spirit. 41 J ^n3- 5 8 4 ' They are no longer children of wrath as they were by na- ture, 42 but have become children of God 43 and heirs of ever- ^S ph " 2 J « * B ' 43 Rom. 8 : 15,16. lasting life. 44 44R m 8: 17. The Means. — In order to accomplish results, men use means. The scholar writes with his pen, the mechanic works with his tools, the manufacturer uses his machines. God Himself works through means in the realm of nature. He illumines and warms the earth by means of the sun, and waters it by means of the rain. It is natural, therefore, that the Holy Spirit should use means in order to produce and sustain in men the new spiritual life. The means which He uses are the Word of God and the Sacraments. They are called the Means of Grace, because they are the means or channels through which the Holy Spirit brings God's grace to our hearts. Through them he awakens men to a know- ledge of their sin, leads them to repentance and faith, and strengthens and preserves them in the faith to the end of their life. The Word of God. — The chief means through which the Holy Spirit works in men's hearts is the Word of God. 45 45i Pe t. 1:23. Even in the sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, it 52 BIBLE TEACHINGS. is the Word of God, with its command and promise, that gives them their value. It is principally through the Word of God, with its Law and its Gospel, which He Himself « ii Tim. 3: 16. has inspired, 46 that the Holy Spirit accomplishes His work. He is always in that Word, and through it not only tells men what to do but gives them the power to do it. " The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any «Heb. 4:12. two-edged sword." 47 "It is the power of God unto sal- 48 Rom. i: i6. vation to every one that believeth." 48 Through the Holy Spirit who constantly dwells in it, the Word of God regen- erates, converts, renews, and sanctifies all who do not wil- fully resist its power. 49 jo'bn ■% Baptism. — Infants, being by nature sinful, 49 need to be bo John 3: 6. born again as well as adults. 50 But as they are not yet old enough to hear and understand God's Word, the Holy Spirit implants the new life in them through Baptism ; for baptism is " a washing of regeneration and renewal by the si Tit. 3:5. Holy Ghost." 51 The new life thus implanted in infancy is nourished and strengthened in after years by the Word 52 II Tim. 3 : 15. of God. Human Instruments. — The Holy Spirit makes use of men as His instruments in accomplishing His purpose in 63 1 cor. 4:i5. the soul. 53 For this reason He founded the Christian Church and committed to it the preaching of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments. Christians 64 1 cor. 3 : 9. thus become laborers together with God. 54 And as workers together with Him, they beseech men not to receive the 65 ii cor. 6: i. grace of God in vain. 55 Knowing the terror of the Lord and His anger against sin, they persuade men to believe in »6 ii cor. 5: ii. Christ and be saved. 56 CHAPTER XV. HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVERTS MEN OR BRINGS THEM TO FAITH. All who are not living a life of faith, but are impenitent and unbelieving, need to be converted or turned in faith to Christ. This includes all those who have not as infants been regenerated by the Holy Spirit in baptism, as well as all those who have fallen from their baptismal grace into sin and unbelief. What Conversion Is. — Regarded from the divine side, the change which takes place in man when he is brought to faith is called the new birth or regeneration, because it is the implanting of a new spiritual life in him by the Holy Spirit. Regarded from the human side, the change is called conversion, 1 because it is a converting or turning away of i Acts 3 : 19. man from sin and self to righteousness and God. Repentance. — The word Repentance is frequently used to express the same meaning as conversion. In its narrow sense it means sorrow for sin, 2 like the words penitence or 2 Mark 1 : 15. contrition. But in its wider sense it includes faith as well as penitence. It is frequently used in this wider sense in the Bible, and means a change of mind, a turning away of the heart from sin to God. 3 Thus used, the term is essen- 3 Joe i 2 : 12. tially synonymous with conversion. True repentance always leads to faith. 4 Sorrow for sin *ncor.7: 10. which does not lead to faith is not repentance but remorse, and often ends in despair. The sorrow of Peter after he denied his Lord was repentance ; 5 that of Judas after he be- 5 Luke 22: 62. trayed Christ was remorse. 6 « Matt. 27: 3-5. 54 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 7 II Tim. 1 : 9. II Cor. 5 : 20,21. 8 John 20 : 31. 9 I Cor. 1 : 21. lo Matt. 22 : 4. n I Tim. 2 : 4. 12 Eph. 4 : 18. is John 16 : 14 John 15 : 26. is Rom. 2 : 16 Luke 13: 3,5. 17 Rom. 5 : is II Pet. The Holy Spirit Calls Men. — In order that men may be converted from their sins to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit calls them through the Gospel. 7 He has caused the Word of God to be written 8 and causes it to be continually pro- claimed 9 for the purpose of thus making known to men the grace of God in Christ and inviting them to share in it. He bids them believe in Christ and be saved. They are to come and partake freely of God's grace ; for all things are now ready. 10 Every thing that is necessary for their salva- tion has been done, and God wants them all to believe in Christ and be saved. 11 He Enlightens Them. — " Having the understanding dark- ened and being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them," 12 men do not, as they are by nature, realize their lost condition and their need of salva- tion. Therefore the Holy Spirit enlightens them through the law 13 and the Gospel, 14 showing them the peril of their sinful state and the goodness of God which desires to save them from it. Through the Law He reveals to them not only what they ought to do, but also the guilt which they have incurred and the punishment which they have deserved by not doing what they should. 15 He thus makes plain to them that they must perish unless they find a way of escape. 16 Through the Gospel He shows them God's infinite love and mercy, 17 how the Son of God became man and lived on earth and suffered and died to redeem them, and how will- ing God is to pardon them, 18 if they will only repent of their sins and believe in Christ their Saviour. He Gives Power to Obey the Call. — Being dead in tres- passes and sins, men have no power to obey the call of the Gospel. But the Holy Spirit is always in the Word of THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVERTS OR BRINGS TO FAITH. 55 God ; and through that Word, He not only tells them to believe, but also enables them to do so. 19 "Eph. 2: 4,5. When the dead young man at Nain was told by Jesus to arise, 20 he had no power to hear or obey the Saviour's com- 20 Luke 7: 14. mand. He was dead ; and a dead person has no power to do anything. Yet dead though he was, that young man heard and obeyed the command of the Lord. 21 He did so 21 Luke 7: 15. because the word which Christ spoke was the Word of God and brought with it the power which he needed. Just so it is with the Gospel and its command to repent and be saved. It comes to men who are spiritually dead ; but it brings to them the power to obey, because it is the Word of God. He Leads Them to Eepentance. — If men do not wilfully resist His grace, the Holy Spirit leads them to repentance. He teaches them to compare themselves with the require- ments of God's holy law, and thus shows them how sinful and guilty they are in God' s sight, 22 fills their heart with 22 p s . 51 : 3, 4. sincere sorrow for their sins, 23 with a hatred of sin, 24 and ™ p" k 5 ® ^ 62- with a longing to be forgiven. 25 25 1*. 51 : 2, 9. • > Luke 18: 13. He Leads Them to Faith. — Having filled men s hearts Luke 15 : is. with an earnest desire for salvation, the Holy Spirit holds up Christ before them as the Saviour through whom they may abundantly receive the remission of their sins. 26 He 26i J0 hn2:2. shows them what Christ has done and suffered to redeem them, and how willing God is to pardon them for Christ's sake. Thus He prevails on them to trust in Christ and to believe 27 with sure confidence that God has forgiven them all their sins. Who is Converted. — It is not necessary that a Christian should be able to point to the day and hour of his conver- sion. Some can do so ; but many others cannot. Bap- tized in infancy and brought up in the fear of God, the be- 27 Acts 4: 4. Eph. 3 : 12. 56 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 28 II Tim. 3 : 15. Acts 9 : 1-20. 30 Acts 2. 31 Matt. 16 : 16. 32 II Thess. 1 33 Rom. 2 : 5. 34 Eph. 4 : 30. 35 Rev. 3 : 20. 36 Acts 19 : 9. 37 Acts 24: 25 Heb. 3 : 7, 8. 40 II Cor. 6 : ! 41 Jas. 4 : 14. lieving child of God has always lived in a regenerate state, 28 repenting of his sins and believing in Christ. He needs no additional conversion, but has been a saved member of Christ's Church ever since he was baptized. Among the apostles of Jesus none but Paul could point to the exact time of his conversion. 29 The faith of the others was a matter of very gradual growth. Little by little their minds were opened to the truth and their faith developed till, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it broke forth into triumphant confidence in Him. 30 But they believed in Christ long before that time. 31 So it is with many others. Their conversion has been gradual, not sudden and violent; and they cannot, therefore, point to the exact time when it took place. The important question is not, when were we converted, but are we in a converted state : are we penitent and believing. Wilful Resistance. — When the Holy Spirit calls men, He gives them power to repent. But His work may be re- sisted. Men may and often do refuse to obey the Gospel. 32 They harden their hearts in their sins. 33 By so doing, they grieve the Holy Spirit. 34 He is patient and comes to their hearts again and again. 35 But if they persist in hardening themselves against Him, 36 He will finally stay away. Men dare not, like Felix, wait for a convenient season. 37 Such a season will never come. It will never be convenient but We must 38 always a trial to the flesh to turn away from sin. obey the call of the Gospel whenever it comes to us. Those who refuse to repent when the Spirit moves them to do so may find at last no place for repentance, though they seek it carefully with tears. 39 Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation, 40 to-morrow it may be too late. 41 WHAT FAITH IS. 57 Death-Bed Repentance. — Repentance or conversion even in the last hour, if sincere, saves men. This is proved by the example of the thief on the cross. 42 But men dare not « Luke 23: 43. deliberately postpone repentance till that time. They may not have time to repent then. They may not be able to re- pent then, even if they want to do so. The power to repent must come from God. And if the Holy Spirit has been deliberately sent away during the days of health, He may not come to their hearts in their last hour, but let them die in their sins. Out of the many wicked men described in the Bible, the thief on the cross is the only one of whom we are told that he repented in the last hour and was saved. How many on the other hand died as they had lived, in sin and guilt ! One example of repentance at the last hour is given to us, in order that no one may despair if he truly re- pents; but only one, so that no one may deliberately and presumptuously postpone repentance till the last hour. CHAPTER XVI. WHAT FAITH IS. Without faith man cannot be saved. The promise of sal- vation is given only to those who believe. " He that be- lieveth is not condemned; but he that believeth not is con- demned already, because he hath not believed on the only begotten Son of God." * All Men Exercise Faith. — In matters of this world all men exercise faith. A child lives by faith in its mother. A business man lives by faith that he will have custom, that his goods will arrive at a certain time, that his bank will 58 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 2 Heb. li : 6. i Jas. 2 : 19. 4 Rom. 10 : 10. Rom. 10 : 14. 6 Mark 16 : 15. not fail, that his customers will pay him. "We all live by faith in other men. We must take their word for many things which we cannot see ourselves. We believe that they will have for sale what we need to buy in order to live. When we travel we depend on others to have the train on hand at the appointed time, and we trust the engineer, the switchman and the despatcher with our lives. We exercise faith in others every day of our life. We depend on them to fulfil their promises and their obligations. If men re- fuse to believe in God, they refuse to place in Him as much trust as they put in their fellow-men. A Matter of the Heart. — Without faith it is impossible to please God. 2 It is important, therefore, to know what true faith is. It is not a mere intellectual belief in the exist- ence of God or of the truth of the facts recorded in the Bible. Many impenitent men and even the devils them- selves have that kind of faith. 3 But such belief is not faith in the Christian sense. Faith is not only a matter of the head, but of the heart. 4 Based on Knowledge. — Though knowledge of the facts of the Gospel is by no means all that is necessary, knowledge is an essential part of faith. Men must first have know- ledge of Christ and of what He has done for them, before they can believe on Him as their Saviour. 5 This is why Christ commanded His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature ; 6 why the Holy Spirit by inspiring the Bible provided men with a correct record of all that Christ has done for us ; and why the Chris- tian Church in obedience to Christ's command preaches the Gospel at home and sends forth her missionaries to preach it to the heathen. Belief of the Facts. — We must not onlv know the facts WHAT FAITH IS. 59 of the Gospel, but believe them to be true. Faith implies the taking of another's word for the truth of a statement. In this case it is the taking of God's word; for the Bible is His Word. Thus Abraham took God's word and staggered not at His promise, however unlikely its fulfilment seemed from the human standpoint, but was strong in the faith, nothing doubting but that what God had promised He was also able to perform. 7 Faith is accepting the truth of ? Rom. 4=20,21 things not seen. 8 And blessed are they who have not seen a Heb. 11 : 1. and yet believe. 9 9 John 20 : 29. Trust in Christ. — The chief part of faith, however, is trust in the merit and righteousness of Christ. We must not only believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for the sins of men, but believe that He died for us, and that God for His sake forgives us all our sins. 10 Faith ioiTim.i: 15,16. is an individual appropriation of what Christ has done. It believes that through His redemption salvation is really and actually ours. 11 It is trust; it is confidence. 12 It is belie v- JgnSm Via ing for a certainty and without doubt that our sins are all E P n - 3 : 12 - washed away by Christ's precious blood. 13 It is to say with lauonni: 7. St. Paul, " The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for meS y u It is taking God's word as true and as meaning uoai. 2:20. us when He promises for Christ's sake to forgive our sins and make us heirs of eternal life. It Must be Preceded by Repentance. — There can be no true and saving faith in Christ, unless there first be true repentance for sin. The promise of forgiveness is not made to the impenitent but only to those who sincerely repent. The impenitent cannot have faith, because no promise has been made to them. On the contrary, they have been ex- pressly assured that, as long as they remain impenitent, they have nothing to expect but eternal condemnation. 15 Before i5R m. 2: 4,5. 60 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 10 Jas. 1 : 6, 7. 17 II Tim. 4 : 8. I John 3 : 2. Col. 1 : 12-14. Num. 23 : 19. is John 20 II Tim. 2 : 13. 21 1 Pet. 5 : 22 1 Cor. 24 II Tim. 1 : 12. 25 Mark 9 : 24. 26 II Thess. 1 : 3. a man can believe in Christ as his Saviour, he must first see that he needs a Saviour and must desire to have one. Only then can he or will he accept by faith the mercy which is offered to him in Christ. Faith is Certainty. — Faith is the very opposite of doubt. 16 True faith gives men the certainty 17 of eternal life. For it is based on the promise of God. And " God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent." 18 A Christian not only may but should be certain of his salvation. If he believes God's promise, how can he doubt it ? His salvation is not at all dependent on what he may be able to do, but upon what Christ has done for Him, and on God's plain promise to give him everlasting life for Christ's sake. 19 .What Christ has done is complete and perfect, and what God has promised he will certainly per- form. 20 Doubts. — Even true believers have seasons when their faith is tried and doubts assail them. Satan is ever active, seeking to cause them to fall from the faith. 21 He en- deavors to make them doubt God's grace and forgiveness and to lose their confidence in Him. But the Holy Spirit enables them to overcome. He dwells in their hearts 22 and bears witness with their spirit that they are the children of God. 23 When such periods of stress are over, the faith of the Christian grows all the stronger. He again has peace and unshaken confidence in Christ, and can say with St. Paul, Faith Should Grow. faith, even though it be small or weak. But it ought to grow and increase in strength day by day like a healthy plant. We are to pray for its increase, 25 and faithfully to use the means of grace. If we do, our faith will grow ; 26 " I know in whom I have believed." 24 —Faith will save us, if it be a true WHAT FAITH IS. 61 and we shall be rooted and built up in Christ. 27 As a re- 27C01.2: 7. suit of such growth we shall have increasing confidence in God, 28 greater joy and peace in our soul, 29 deeper love to Zb^. 15 ■''is* God 30 and our fellow-man, 31 and greater strength to over- 30 Rom - 5 : 5 - & & 3HThess.3:12. come the world. 5 " 32u hn5: 4. Faith Should be Permanent. — Faith should not be spas- modic or occasional, but a firmly established and continuous condition of the soul. 33 We are to trust in Christ and in 33 coi. 1 : 23. the Triune God not only at times but always. Our whole life is to be one of faith. We are to permit nothing to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, 34 but to 34 R m. 8 : 35-3a be faithful unto death, that we may receive the crown of everlasting life. 35 35 Re v. 2 : 10. Faith May Decay and Die. — If it is fed and nourished on the Word of God, faith grows; 36 but if not, it decays 3 6A cts20: 32. and dies. Some fcr a time believe, but in time of tempta- tion fall away. 37 Many make shipwreck of their faith by 37 Luke 8: 13. deliberately doing that which their own conscience tells them is wrong. 38 Such shipwreck is sure to follow if Christ 33 1 Tim. 1 : 19. is not permitted to rule in the heart 39 and the promptings 39 Epn. 3 : 17. of His Spirit are unheeded. 40 When faith has perished, 40 E P n. 4 : 30. salvation is lost. It remains lost as long as such persons do not again come to true repentance and faith. CHAPTER XVII. WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE WITHOUT WORKS. i II Tim. 1 : 9. 2 Eph. 1 : 7. 3 Eph. 2 : 8, 9. 4 Rom. 4 : 5. 5 Rom. 3 : 28. Gal. 2 : 16. 6 II Tim. 1 : 9. Tit. 3 : 7. i Rom. 5 : 1. 8 Eph. 2 : 8. » I Tim. 2 : 4- io John 3 : 16. 11 Mark 16 : 16. 12 Acts 16 : 31. Those who enter into heaven will do so, not because they have deserved 1 to enter, but because they believe in Christ their Saviour. 2 Salvation is altogether a gift of God's grace. 3 It cannot be earned or merited by our works. We can only accept what God's grace offers through Christ. 4 We are saved by faith alone without works. 5 Grace and Faith. — Salvation is spoken of in the Bible as becoming ours both by grace 6 and by faith. 7 But the same thing is meant by both terms. Salvation is by grace, because God bestows it upon us freely for Christ's sake and without any merit on our part. It is by faith, because by faith we accept the salvation which God freely offers. The relation between the two is expressed by St. Paul when he says, " By grace ye are saved through faith." 8 Saved by Faith. — It is God's will that men should be saved by faith. 9 When in His infinite love He sent His only Son into the world to redeem men, He did so in order that " whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 10 When the Saviour had com- pleted His work of redemption and sent His disciples forth to preach the Gospel to all nations, His words were, " He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that be- lieveth not shall be damned." u And when the Philippian jailor anxiously inquired what he must do to be saved, the answer of the apostle was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 12 Why Faith Saves. — Faith saves us, not because it is re- garded by God as a merit on our part and therefore re- WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE WITHOUT WORKS. 63 warded with salvation, but because it is the grateful accept- ance of what God freely offers. It is no more a merit on our part than it is a merit on the part of the beggar when he reaches out his hand to receive the gift that is bestowed upon him. We are Justified by Faith. — In order that we may be saved, we must first be pronounced by God to be righteous and fit to enter into heaven. 13 This is expressed in the « Rev. 21:27. Bible by the word "justify." To be justified means to be pronounced righteous. We are justified by faith. 14 For "^JJ'Jig by faith we take hold of and cling to Christ and present Him before God as our substitute who has done for us all that needs to be done to make us righteous. 15 If we believe "^J/g. 2 ^ in Him, then through Him we have met the strictest de- mands of God's justice; 16 and when God looks on us, He i« Rom. s : 2, & beholds not our own guilt and unrighteousness, but the righteousness of Christ which we have put on by faith. 17 » phn. 3 : 9. What Justification Is. — Justification is the sinner's ac- quittal from the charges of the law which he has broken. 18 is Rom. 8: 33. It is the act of God in which, as our Law-giver and Judge, He pronounces us free for Christ's sake from the guilt of our sins and from the punishment which we have deserved. 19 19 Rom. 8: 1. We are not by our justification made sinless and holy crea- tures. But by it the guilt of our sins is taken away, God's wrath and punishment are turned aside from us, 20 and we 20R Om . 5:9. are received into His favor. " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 21 21 R 0m . 5: 1. Not by Works. — If men kept God's law perfectly, they would be saved by their works. 22 But no man does or can 22R m. 4: 4. keep it thus. 23 We are born sinful beings, 21 and break *? J ™' 3 : „ 28- r o ' 24 Job. 14 : 4. God's law daily in many ways. 25 By our works we deserve 25R 0m .3: 10-11 not salvation but condemnation. 26 So far as our works are 26Eom. 3:19. 64 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 27 Gal. 3 : 10. Rom. 8 : 3. II Cor. 5: 21. 29 Gal. so Rom. si Gal. 3 : 24. Rom. 3 : 28. Heb. 11 : 6. Rom. 14 23. 35 Rom. 6 : 11. 36 Gal. 3 : 22. 27 Rom. 7 : 18-23. 89 Jas. 2 : 22. 40 Jas. 2 : 23. concerned, we are under the curse; "for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the things that are written in the book of the law to do them." 27 It was because of men's unrighteousness and their utter inability to be anything else but unrighteous, that God sent His Son into the world to acquire righteousness for them. 28 If they could have saved themselves, He would have let them do so, 29 and would not have sent His only Son to suf- fer and die. But righteousness cannot come to us by keep- ing the law. 30 The law simply shows us our sinfulness. It is meant to do so, and thus to become our school-master 31 to bring us to Christ, in order that we may be justified by faith in Him. By Faith Alone. — Our works have nothing to do with obtaining salvation, either before we believe or after we be- lieve. 32 Before we believe, we cannot do any good works ; 33 for whatever is not of faith is sin. 34 And after we believe, we are already justified by our faith before we have any opportunity to do good works. Every one who has faith will do good works. 35 But he will do them not in order to be saved, but because he has faith and is saved. In our justification before God, nothing has any weight but the merits of Jesus Christ made ours by faith. 36 If our works had anything to do with our justifi- cation, they would only cause us to be lost; for the works of even the best Christians are imperfect. 37 When St. James speaks of Abraham as being justified by his "works, 88 he refers to Abraham's works as the outward evidence 39 of his justification; for two verses farther on he himself declares that Abraham believed God, and his faith was counted to him for righteousness. 40 In Old Testament Times. — Salvation by faith alone is not WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE WITHOUT WORKS. 65 taught in the New Testament only, but in the Old Testa- ment as well. Men have been justified and saved from the earliest times by faith and not by works. 41 Men were just 41 Gen. 15 : e. as sinful and helpless by nature then as now, and had to be saved by the same grace of God which saves us. Their faith was counted to them for righteousness, just as ours is. 42 42R m.4:23,24. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab and many others 43 are described in the Scriptures 43 Heb. 11 : 4-40. as people who had faith and were on this account acceptable to God. The Saviour had, indeed, not yet come. But they believed the promise of His coming, and had faith in the mercy of God. It is true, God gave the Israelites His law and com- manded them to obey it. But they were to keep it because they believed in Him as their God 44 and loved Him, 45 and "P"* 1 - 20 : 2 - J ' 45 Deut. 6 : 5. not for the purpose of earning salvation by their deeds. Faith is expressly mentioned as the condition of salvation. 46 46 E^chron.20: And we are told that God spared the Ninevites from the Isa - ? : 9. . . Hab. 2 : 4. destruction which they had deserved by their sins, because they believed the preaching of His prophet Jonah. 47 47 j nah3: 5,1a Although the doctrine of justification by faith is brought out more fully in the New Testament than in the Old, it is taught in the Old Testament also. God's way of salvation has been the same in every age. " The just shall live by faith." 48 Men never were and never will be justified by "j^'a-^ works, but by faith alone. CHAPTER XVIII. THE HOLY LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN. Although the Christian is not justified by his works but by faith alone, he will and must lead a holy life. A New Creature. — The believer has been born again, " not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of i johni: i3. God." x He is therefore " a new creature. Old things are 2 ii cor. 5:17. passed away; all things are become new." 2 His heart has been changed by grace. His mind is no longer " en- 4 Rom i2- 7 2 m *ty a g amst God " 3 but is conformed to God's mind. 4 He now desires to do the very things which God wills that he [JJUJIJ should do. 5 He has new aims and aspirations, 6 new 7 ii cor. 5: i4. motives and principles of action, 7 new desires and hopes. 8 8 Rom. 8 : 18, 23. , r \ J r 9 Rom. 6 : ii. He is dead unto sin, but alive unto God. 9 He lives, yet not he, but Christ liveth in him ; and the life which he now lives in the flesh he lives by faith in the Son of God,who io Gai: 2: 20. loved him and gave Himself for him. 10 nprov. 4: 23. A New Life. — Out of the heart are the issues of life. 11 laprov. 23: 7. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. 12 Since the be- liever's heart has been changed, his conduct is necessarily and inevitably changed also. His holy life is the outward 13 Rom. 6:22. evidence of the change that has taken place within him. 13 He has been made a new creature in Christ Jesus that he might do good works, and was before ordained that he "Eph. 2: io. should walk in them. 14 He therefore puts off " concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts," and becomes renewed in the spirit of his mind, and puts on " the new man which is E P h. 4 : 22-24. after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." 15 A Holy Life Necessary. — Those who are true believers THE HOLY LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 67 do not and cannot live in sin. " How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein ? " 16 Faith is a new life- i6Rom. 6: 2. principle 17 in man and necessarily results in a new life of wEph.2: 5. obedience to God. 18 While our good works have nothing to is R m. 6 : 5, e do with our justification, faith that does not result in good works is dead. 19 It is only a seeming and not a real faith, isjas. 2: 26. Living faith, like a good tree, will bear fruit. True be- lievers are genuinely sorry for their sins, and they cannot, therefore, do otherwise than turn away from their sins and follow after holiness. Christ Demands It. — The Saviour demands a holy life of His disciples. They are to let their light shine before men, that their good works may be seen and their Father in heaven glorified. 20 If they love Him they are to keep His 20 Matt. 5 : 16. commandments 21 and follow His example. 22 Not every one 22i°p nl o. : *?' that says to Him, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of His Father who is in heaven. 23 If men live after the flesh, they shall die ; 23 M att. 7 : 21. but if through the Spirit they mortify the deeds of the body, they shall live. 24 24 R 0m . 8 :. 13. It Involves a Conflict. — To lead a holy life involves a 25 Gal. 5 : 16, 17. constant inner conflict against sin. 25 The frailty of human nature clings to the believer as long as he lives. " The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 26 The old 26 Matt. 26: 41. evil nature is not eradicated, but remains in him alongside of the new nature which God has given him. He delights in the law of God after the inward man ; but there is a law in his members that wars against the law of his mind, 27 and 27R m.7:2i-24. makes it difficult for him to do the will of God. " The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh." 28 The believer often finds with St. Paul, that the 28 Ga i. 5:17. good which he would he does not, and the evil which he 68 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 29 Rom. 7: 19. would not, that lie does. 29 This evil nature must be con- so coi. 3 : 5-io. tinually fought against and overcome. 30 If it is not sub- dued and held in subjection, it will regain the mastery over si i cor. 9: 27. him and cause him to fall from the faith. 31 None Perfectly Holy. — The Christian will never become perfectly holy in this world. The conflict of flesh and 32 Rom. 7: 24. spirit will continue to the end of his life. 32 He will never be entirely free from sins of weakness. He must live a life of daily repentance, that he may be daily forgiven. He will always have abundant occasion to pray each day in the words of the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against S3 Matt, e : i2. us." ^ For " if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us m i John i : 8, 9 from all unrighteousness. ' ' M The Christian Aspires to be Holy. — Though the be- liever's attainments fall far short of his aim, he aspires to 35 Matt. 5 : 48. be perfect as his Father in heaven is perfect. 35 Owing to the weakness which clings to us, we cannot keep God's law perfectly even with our best efforts. But we must try to do so. However lacking we may be in the perfection of our attainment, we must not be lacking in sincere and sepnu. 3: 12-14. honest effort. 36 Our aspirations and strivings are ever to be toward those things which are good and holy. " Whatso- ever things are true, whatsoever are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if 37 phu. 4:8. there be any virtue, if there be any praise," 37 — these are the things we are to think of and strive to attain. And when we fail to attain them, we are to be filled with genuine sorrow for our failure. THE HOLY LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 69 He Grows in Holiness. — When we are brought to faith in Christ and are thus born again, we are spiritual babes. 38 ssicor. 3: 1. But we are to grow till we reach the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. 39 We shall reach His perfection sosph. 4: 13. only after we are transformed and glorified in the world to come. 40 But we are to approach to it more and more even 401 j mi3: 2. here on earth. 41 We cannot do so by our own power; but 41 f^et '^'it we can by the help of God. 42 His grace will support us. 43 42 ncor. 12: 9. * 3 Isa. 40 : 29 31. " He who has begun the good work in us will also perform it" to, the end. 44 He sanctifies us through the truth; His «pwi.i:6. word is truth. 45 The Gospel, when received by faith, be- 45j hni7:i7. comes a power in our hearts and lives 46 to conform us more 4eicor.i: 18,30. and more to a likeness with Jesus our Saviour. What We Must Do. — But in order that this end may be attained, we ourselves must co-operate with the grace of God. We must diligently hear and read God's Word, 47 47j hn5:39. heed its reproof, 48 obey its commands, 49 and accept its con- S^^ 1 J". 12l solations. 50 We must obey the promptings of the Holy Jas - 1:22 - . . ^ 50 Acts 2 : 37-39. Spirit within us, 51 and never deliberately do what is wrong. 51 Rom. 8: w. ' We must watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. 52 & 2 Matt. 26 : 41. And we must constantly seek help and strength from God 53 53 coi. 1 : 9. to overcome the sinful promptings of our own heart, the allurements of the world, and the whisperings of Satan. His Motives. — The holiness of the Christian is not a matter to be settled between him and the law of Moses. Believing in Christ, he has through Christ fulfilled that law and is free from it. 54 It is not the old law of Moses that 54 ?°™:* : J£ Gal. 3 : 24-26. constrains the Christian to lead a new life, but the new law of the Gospel, a law operating, not from without, but from within. It is a law which says, not like that of Mos'es, " Do this or omit that under penalty of punishment," but which says "the love of Christ constraineth me." 55 It is esicor. 5:14. TO BIBLE TEACHINGS. ^6 Rom. s : i5. not the fear of punishment, but the love of God 56 implanted in the heart, which actuates the believer to lead a life of holiness. As his faith grows stronger and his love to God deepens, his life becomes more and more conformed to God's will. The Law not Abrogated. — "While Christ has freed the Christian from the Mosaic law, He has not annulled that 57 MatL 5: 17. law 57 nor its decree against sin. It is only he who has Horn. 3 : 31. & true faith and who therefore has truly repented of sin, who is freed from the alternative of fulfilling that law or else suffering its penalty. All others are still bound by it. The » Bom. 6: 23. wages of sin still is death. 58 Sin unrepented of leads to eternal destruction. For this reason the believer dare not argue that because he has fulfilled the law in Christ and is ^g^s^s 16 ' ^ ree fr° m **' ne ma i Y sin ^ tn impumty. 59 If he sins wil- «? Kom. 6: is, 16. fully, he lacks repentance and therefore lacks faith. 60 Such a person is still under the law and subject to its con- demnation. Those who make the grace of God a cloak for an impenitent persistence in sin will find themselves on the day of judgment placed in the same class with those who never professed to believe in Christ, and will share eternal «iRom. 8: 1a punishment with them. 61 CHAPTER XIX. CONCERNING SATAN THE TEMPTER. The Christian must not only contend against the prompt- 'ngs of his own evil nature within him, but against the temptations of Satan. Who Satan Is. — Satan is not an evil principle in man tempting him to sin. For the Saviour had no evil princi- ple in Him, yet He was tempted forty days and forty nights by the devil. 1 Satan is a person, a wicked spirit. He was i Mark 1 • 13. not created evil, but was once a good angel; for everything that God made was good. 2 But he sinned 3 against God J^peJ^ 8 . 1 ^ and became a bad angel, a devil. The Bible does not ex- pressly state what the sin was which he committed; but it probably was pride or a desire to be equal with God. 4 4 Matt. 4: 9. How Described. — Satan is described in the Bible as the originator of sin, a liar and murderer from the beginning. 5 5 j hn8: 44. He is the serpent who beguiled Eve by his subtilty, 6 who 6 Ge n. 3: 4. deceives the whole world, 7 and who seeks to corrupt the r Rev. 12:9. minds of the Christians. 8 He is the one whose power 8ncor.1i: 3, Jesus came into the world to break, 9 and who otherwise 91 John 3: 8. would have continued to hold us in bondage 10 and oppres- ioHeb.2: 15. sion. 11 He is the wicked spirit who works in the children u Acts 10: 38. of disobedience. 12 He is the god of this world whom the i2Epn. 2:2. wicked serve, and who keeps them in his service by blinding their minds so that the light of the Gospel does not shine into them. 13 He is an exceedingly powerful foe, to prevail isncor. 4: 4. against whom Christians must put on the whole armor of God, that they may be able to withstand in the evil hour, and, having done all, to stand." 14 nEph. 6: 11.1a His Names, — The name Satan means adversary, and he 71 72 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 15 I Chron. 21 : 1. is Bev. I 9 . : M II Cor. 6 : is John 14 : 19 II Cor. 4 : 4. 20 Kev. 12 : 21 Mark 5 : 22 II Pet. 2 : 4. 23 Eph. 6 : 12. 24 Matt. 12 : 24. * Matt. 12: is so called because he is the bitter foe of God and man. 15 He is called the devil, or accuser, because he accuses men before God and demands of God's justice that the same pun- ishment which is measured out to him for his sins be in- flicted on men for their sins. 16 He is called Belial, 17 the worthless one. He is called also the prince of this world, 18 because he rules in the hearts of impenitent men; and the god of this world, 19 because he is the master whom they worship and serve by their sin. He is the great Dragon or serpent 20 whose power and subtilty are to be dreaded and guarded against. A Chief.— Satan is not the only fallen angel. Though he is frequently called the devil by pre-eminence, there are many devils. There was a whole legion of them in the de- moniac of Gadara, 21 When Satan fell, he carried many other angels with him, having persuaded them also to sin against God. 22 There is a kingdom of darkness and evil not only in a figurative but an actual sense, — a kingdom in which there are various ranks, principalities, powers and rulers. 23 Satan is its chief, 24 the prince of darkness, who has under him innumerable other spirits. While these wicked spirits are at war with God and pious men, they are at one among themselves; if they were not, their kingdom would fall. 25 His Power. — Satan and his angels by their fall lost the heavenly glory which had been theirs. But just as man retained much of his power after the fall, so the wicked angels retained much of theirs. They still remain powerful spirits, though now their powers are directed solely toward that which is evil. They hate God, and are filled with envy and rage against the good angels and pious men. Their power is exceedingly great, — far greater than that of CONCERNING SATAN THE TEMPTER. 73 man. 26 But it is limited by God. 27 They can do no more "^^.^ than God permits them to do. They are already suffering some of the penalties of their sin. They are banished from the presence of God, cast down into hell, 28 and given 28ri Pe t. 2:4. over to their own evil thoughts and ways. But a greater punishment still is reserved for them. 29 On the day of judg- 29 Juae 6. ment they shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, to be tormented day and night forever. 30 30 Rev. 20 : 10. His Aim. — Satan cannot harm God; therefore he tries to harm men, whom God loves. He brings all his resources to bear upon them to lead them to destruction. He goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 31 He 3ii Pe t. 5:8. endeavors to harm them in body and property as well as in soul. It was he who brought the terrible succession of cal- amities upon Job, 32 and who constantly tormented St. Paul 32 j b 1 and 2. with a physical affliction. 33 In the Saviour's time he fre- 33 n cor. 12 •. 7. quently took possession of men's bodies. 34 But his chief 34 Ma tt.4: 24. aim is to ruin men's souls and thus frustrate God's gracious purpose of saving them. 35 35 Matt - 13 • 19 - He Seeks to Prevent Men from Believing. — Satan en- deavors to harden men in their sins, so that they may not obey the truth 36 of the Gospel. For this purpose he makes seaai. 3-. 1. the world with its business and pleasures as attractive to them as possible, 37 and tempts them to those sins to which their 37 Luke 8 : 14. own natural heart most strongly inclines them. And when they hear the Word of God, he immediately comes and takes it out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 38 w Luke 8: 12. He Seeks to Destroy the Believers. — Satan not only tries to prevent men from believing, but does his utmost to win back those who do believe. 39 He tempts them to sin 39 n cor. 11 : 3. and unbelief. And unless they are constantly on their guard against him, 40 he will lead them to destruction. 4oip e t. 5: 8. tt Gen. 3 : 1, II Cor. 11: 74 BIBLE TEACHINGS. He is the Tempter. — It was Satan who persuaded Eve to doubt God's word and transgress His command. 41 And he has been behind every sin that has been committed since 42 Luke 22: 3i. that time. It was he who tempted Peter 42 to deny his Lord ; who put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray 48 John 13 : 2. the Saviour ; 43 and who filled the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghost and keep back part of the price of his 44 Acts 5: 3. land. 44 It is he who tempts all men and leads them on in the way of sin. How He Comes. — Satan seldom reveals his real purpose when he tempts men. He does not give warning of his approach, but is exceedingly subtle and cunning. The statement that he goes about as a roaring lion is meant to give expression to his power and his thirst for men's souls, but does not describe the manner of his approach. 45 ii cor. ii : i4. He transforms himself into an angel of light. 45 He poses as our friend and well-wisher. He pretended that he was 4« oen. 3 : 4, 5. pointing out to Eve how to attain greater happiness, 46 and 47 Matt. 4-. 3. that he did not like to see the Saviour suffer hunger. 47 He represents the course of sin which he desires us to follow as the very course which will bring us most happiness. He minimizes its sinfulness and danger, tells us we are not ex- pected to deny ourselves all pleasure in life, and points to the example of others who do as he desires us to do. He tempts us through the desires of our own heart, through the objects of sense around us, through wicked men, and sometimes even through those who really mean to be our friends but who are themselves deceived by Satan. 48 EP h.4:27. He Must Be Resisted. 48 — If we resist the devil, he will 49 jas. 4: 7. flee from us. 49 But if we yield to him, he will come to us more and more with his evil promptings and finally bring us completely under his dominion. We must not under- THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 75 rate his power ; for he is the head of a powerful kingdom of evil. In contending against him " we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. " 50 To fight against him so Eph. « : 12. means vastly more than to contend against men. We could not possibly win by our own power. But every believer 51 51 Eph. 6: 16. can win the victory with God's help. 52 52Bo m . 16: 20. The Means to be Used. — The means which we must use in order to overcome the devil are watchfulness, 53 the Word 53 Eph. 6 : is. of God, 54 faith, 55 and prayer. 56 With these weapons Christ 55 E ph. t ■ \l'. was victorious over Satan in the wilderness, 57 and with these ™ J^ 6 4 : . "j L we also can conquer. If we fail to do so, it will be our own fault, because we do not use the means which God places at our disposal. Powerful as the devil is, he cannot harm those who sincerely live by faith in Christ. The Saviour has delivered us from the power of the devil. He gives us power to overcome Satan's temptations; and He shields us against Satan's accusations by holding up His own suffer- ings as a complete satisfaction to God's justice for our sins. CHAPTER XX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. On the day of Pentecost, ten days after His ascension into heaven, Christ poured out the Holy Spirit upon the apostles 1 and thus founded His Church. For it was after iActs2:i-». the outpouring of the Holy Ghost that the Gospel of the crucified and risen Saviour was first preached, that the first converts were made, and the first Christian baptisms per- formed. 2 2 Acts 2: 14-41. 76 BIBLE TEACHINGS. Isa. 55 : 10, 11. What the Church Is. — The Church is " the communion of saints" or, in other words, the fellowship of those who are true believers in Christ. It is the institution through which the Holy Spirit carries on His saving work of apply- ing the redemption of Christ to the souls of men through the Word of God and the sacraments; and in which He gathers, guides and sanctifies those whom He has brought to faith. The Church is found wherever the Gospel is preached in its purity and the sacraments are rightly ad- ministered. For wherever these are found, there are also found some who truly believe. 3 Invisible. — As a spiritual fellowship of believers, the Church is invisible. The bodies of believers can of course be seen, and their faith can be recognized by their works. But as one man cannot read the heart of another, no one can tell just who is a believer and who is not. God alone can tell who are His. 4 Christ knows His own. 5 In What Sense Visible. — The Church may also be re- garded as an external organization. In this sense the Church is visible, and includes all those who are outwardly united with those who profess to be Christians. It is composed of many individual churches scattered throughout the world and belonging to many different denominations, who with more or less purity teach the doctrine of salvation through faith in Christ. It includes many who are not really believers at heart, and whom Christ, therefore, does not recognize as members of the true and invisible Church. There are tares among the wheat; 6 and because of the out- ward similarity between them, they cannot be told apart or separated by man. 7 They will remain side by side until the judgment-day, when they will be separated from s Matt. i3: 39-4i. one another by the angels. 8 4 II Tim. 2 : 19. 5 John 10 : 14. 6 Matt. 13 : 26. ■ Matt. 13 : 29. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 77 On Earth and in Heaven. — The Church, being identi- cal with the Kingdom of God, is found both on earth and in heaven. To the Church in heaven belong those who have died in the faith and have gone to their eternal reward. 9 It 9 Rev. 7: 9,14. is called the Church Triumphant, because its members have won the victory of faith and through the power of Christ have triumphed over all their foes. The Church on earth is called the Church Militant; that is, the Church which is still fighting the good fight of faith. 10 None will ever be- 101 Tim. 6: 12 long to the Church Triumphant who have not belonged to the Church Militant. Unless men are believers they can- not be saved. He who does not fight the battle cannot win the victory. All those in the Church Militant who are faithful unto death shall belong to the Church Triumphant. 11 11 Rev. 2 : 10. Him that overcometh, Christ will grant to sit with Him in His throne, even as He overcame and is set down with His Father in His throne. 12 12 Rev. 3: 21. But One Church. — The Christians are divided into many different churches, denominations and sects. But the Church itself is essentially one. I f is composed of the true be- lievers out of all these churches and denominations. There is one flock and one shepherd. 13 Believers may and do live in widely separated places, and are distinguished by many differences of race, language and custom. But as members of the Church they are one. It is for this reason that the Church is called the Catholic (not Roman Catholic) or Uni- versal Church. Other Names. — The Church is called Holy, because the Holy Spirit is constantly at work in it, seeking to make men holy; and because its members, while by no means perfect, lead holy lives by the grace of God. It is called the Christian Church, because it is composed of those who is John 10 : 16, (b. v.). 78 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 16 Matt. 16 : 18. 17 John 15 : 5. 18 John 15 : 4. i» John 15 : 2. believe in Christ. It is called Apostolic, because its faith " Eph. 2 : 20. rests on the witness and preaching of the apostles, 14 who were with Christ, heard what He said, and saw what He did and suffered. Christ and the Church. — The Church is the body of 18 SY;?' 23, Christ, and He is its head. 15 He is the Lord of the Church. Col. 1 : 18. 7 He rules in it by grace; and He defends it against its ene- mies, so that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 16 Believers United with Christ. — The members of the Church are intimately united with Christ. He is the Head ; they are the body. He is the vine ; they are the branches. 17 They can live spiritually only when they abide in Him by faith. 18 Every branch that does not bear fruit is cut off and cast away. 19 Such a person ceases to be a member of Christ's Church, though he may outwardly continue his connection with the visible Church. United with One Another. — Being members of the one body of Christ, believers are not only united to Christ by faith, but through Him are united to one another. 20 They are, therefore, to dwell together in love, and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 21 Each believer has his own particular work and functions to perform as a member of Christ's body. Each is useful and necessary in his place, even the humblest. 22 One cannot say to the other that he has no need of him, just as the eye cannot say to the hand or the head to the feet, " I have no need of thee." 23 All the members of the Church are to work together in harmony for the accomplishment of the ends which Christ their Head desires. Its Work. — Christ has given His Church a work to do. It is to make disciples of all nations. 24 The apostles to whom the command was given to go forth into all the world so I Cor. 12 : 12. 21 Eph. 4 : 2, 3. 22 1 Cor. 12 : 22. 23 I Cor. 12 : 21, Matt. 28 : 19 (Margin). THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 79 and preach the Gospel to every creature 25 were the repre- 25 M arki6-. is. sentatives of the whole Church, and through them the work was laid on all. The Church is the human instrumentality through which the Holy Spirit carries on His work in the souls of men. Its Tools. — In order to do its work, the Church has been supplied with appropriate tools. These are the Word of God and the two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Sup- per. They are the means of grace. The Church is to preach the Word and administer the sacraments, in order that through them men may obtain the blessings of Christ's redemption. These tools are mighty for the accomplishment of the Church's work, because they are endowed with super- natural power by the Holy Spirit. They are the power of God unto salvation, 26 not because those who handle them 26 R 0m . 1 •. 16. possess such extraordinary skill in their use, 27 but because 27icor. 2si-t the Holy Spirit works through them. It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates, converts, renews and sanctifies men. Its Workmen. — The actual preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments, as well as the exer- cise of the power to declare the remission of sins to be- lievers, 28 is committed to those who are set apart to the 28 j0 hn 20 «. 23. Christian ministry. They are to be properly called and or- dained to the office by the Church. 29 They are not the sue- "^"i" 1 cessors of the apostles ; for while the apostles also exercised all the functions of the Christian ministry, they held a much higher position than the ministry. The apostles were the witnesses of all that Christ did and suffered ; and on their testimony, as given in their preaching and writings, the Church rests. 30 30 Ep h. 21 aa Their Rank. — The New Testament recognizes no differ- ences of rank in the ministry. Presbyters or elders and 80 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 31 Acts 20: 17, 28. (Comp. r. v. ). 32 II Cor. 5 : 20. 33 Luke 10 : 16. 34 II Tim. 4 : 2-5. Acts. 20 : 28. Heb. 13 : 17. 37 I Tim. 3 : 2. I Rom. 3 : 3. II Tim. 2 : 13. bishops or overseers were but different names for the same office and were used interchangeably. 81 It was only at a later period that the office of a bishop was made superior to that of the regular ministry. Their Duties. — Ministers are ambassadors of Christ to beseech men to be reconciled to God. 32 God speaks to men through them. He who hears them, hears Christ ; he who despises them, despises Christ. 33 They are to preach the Word in season and out of season, 34 whether men will heed or not. They are to watch over the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made them overseers. 35 They are answer- able for the souls committed to their charge: and they are to be obeyed as those who have the rule over us. 36 They are to set a good example of holy living. 37 Should any of them be hypocrites, however, their hypocrisy would not invalidate their official acts. The unbelief of man cannot make the promise of God of none effect. 38 CHAPTER XXL THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD. The first and most important of the Church's tools for doing its work is the Bible. Why the Bible is Needed. — Nature tells of the existence i p s . 19 •. i. of God, 1 but does not reveal His will. Conscience tells us 2 Rom. 2: 14,15. something of His will, 2 but its knowledge has become very 3 Rom. i : 2i-23. dim since the Fall into sin. 3 Neither nature nor con- science can tell us anything of God's gracious plan of sal- vation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we are to have any adequate knowledge of God's will, and any knowledge THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD. 81 at all of His infinite love and grace, it must be through a special revelation of God. This revelation has been given to us in the Bible. What the Bible Contains. — The Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments. It contains Law and Gospel, — Law, telling us what we ought to do, and Gospel, telling us how we are to be saved. It contains narratives and prophecies also, which are not strictly a part of either Law or Gospel, but which may be arranged under one or the other head as having a direct or indirect relation to it. The Old Testa- ment is often spoken of as containing the Law, and the New Testament as containing the Gospel. Strictly speaking, there is Law and Gospel in both ; but the Law prepon- derates in the Old, and the Gospel in the New Testament. The Gospel of the Old Testament is prophetical; in the New Testament it is based on an accomplished fact. The Old Testament was preparatory to the New ; and the New Testament is the fulfilment of the Old. The New Testa- ment is the culmination of God's revelation to man. 4 4 ^£. *• JJ- The Bible God's Word.— The Bible is the Word of God. It is not a book of human devising, 5 but was written a by snreti: 21. inspiration of God." 6 It not only contains God's Word, « n Tim. 3 : 16. but it is His Word. It is an inspired Book. The Old Testament. — We have the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself for the divine authority of the Old Testament. He quoted from it as an infallible source of ap- peal when He repelled the temptations of Satan in the wil- derness. 7 At other times also He referred to its divine 1 Matt. 4: 4,7,10. authority. 8 Throughout the entire New Testament the in- 8 ^f l ° : fjf- * **-* JM.£ltt. ZZl o5-40# spiration of the Old Testament is taken as an established fact. Peter and Paul give explicit expression to this fact when they tell us that " the prophecy came not of old time 6 82 BIBLE TEACHINGS. by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they 9 n Pet. i: 2i. were moved by the Holy Ghost," 9 and that " all Scripture io ii Tim. 3 : 16. is given by inspiration of God. ' ' 10 The New Testament. — Christ promised His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all *i John 16: i3. truth. 11 This promise was fulfilled on Pentecost when the 12 Acts 2: i-4. Holy Ghost was poured out upon the disciples. 12 They at 13 Acts 2: i4. once began to preach the Gospel. 13 And ever afterwards they were conscious of speaking by inspiration of the Holy u-i cor. 2 : 13. Ghost, 14 and consequently of speaking that which was in- fallibly true. If even an angel from heaven taught any- thing different from that which they taught, he should be 15 oai. i : s. accursed. 15 What the apostles wrote was identical in substance with what they preached. It was the same Gospel and was uttered by inspiration of the same Spirit. Therefore St. Paul commanded the Thessalonians to hold fast all that they had learned from him, whether by word of mouth or i«iiThess.2: i5. by letter. 16 He commanded them to read his epistle to all 17 1 Tness. 5 : 27. the brethren, 17 and thereby intimated that they were to pay as much heed to it as they would to the same truths if uttered by him in person. He does, indeed, at one place is i cor. 7: 10,12. distinguish between what he says and what Christ says; 18 but he asserts in the very same chapter also, that He has 19 1 cor. 7: 40. the Spirit of the Lord. 19 He expressly declares that what 20 1 cor. 14 : 37. he is writing are the commands of the Lord. 20 And he thanks God that the Thessalonians received his utterances, not as the word of man, but as they were in truth, the 21 1 Thess. 2: 13. Word of God. 21 Peculiarities of Style. — The style in which the various books of the Bible are written bear traces of the character- istics of their several authors. The apostles have left the THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD. 83 impress of their personality upon their writings. This is especially the case with St. John and St. Paul. But this does not argue against the inspiration of what they wrote. They did not write as mere machines. God used them and their diversified talents for the purpose of conveying His will to men. The Holy Spirit put into their minds and hearts what to write, and directed them in the writing itself, so that they did not err in any matter that affected His will. But He did not destroy their individuality. Each wrote in the style peculiar to himself. Sometimes they even added matters of a strictly personal nature, such as Paul's request to Timothy to bring his cloak 22 to him, and 22 n Tim.. 4: u the personal advice which he gives Timothy concerning his health. 23 23 1 Tim. 5 : 2s. How They Wrote. — The writers of the Biblical books wrote as men to men, and often strained every faculty of their mind to the utmost, as is evident from the impas- sioned utterances, elaborate arguments and sudden transi- tions in St. Paul's epistles. But at the same time they wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and produced a correct and unerring record of everything that the Holy Ghost desired to communicate to men, and of all that in any way affects the truth of salvation. The Gospel Records. — The contrast which may be found between the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke on the one hand and that of John on the other is due to their dif- ferent way of treating the history of our Lord. The first three evangelists start with the human nature of Christ and lead us up to His divinity, while John starts with the di- vine nature, the eternal Word, and leads us down to the humanity of Christ. Both narratives give the same history, but from a different standpoint. By taking them together 84 BIBLE TEACHINGS. we have a complete view of the God-man, both from the human and the divine side of His Being. The Bible and Science. — As the Bible does not undertake to teach science but religion, it is to be regarded from the religious and not the scientific standpoint. It is not to be expected to teach the results of human investigation. Its writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit with a supernatural knowledge of religion; but on other subjects they knew no more than the other men of their day. Yet when the facts of science are well established and are not mere theories, they are found to harmonize in a remarkable manner with the Holy Scriptures. The more the secrets of nature and of history are brought to light, the more corroboration they give to the teachings and narratives of the Bible. The Bible Its Own Best Witness. — The inspiration of the Bible is proved by its contents. It contains information which no man by his own power could ever have discovered or known. It foretells events which no uninspired man could ever have foreseen. It contains teachings so exalted, that they could never have originated in the depraved heart of man, and are not even approached by the writings of the noblest among the heathen sages and philosophers. It gives evidence of a divine power such as no book of simply human origin ever did or can possess. Its power is manifest in all the history of the Church's past, and in the Church to-day. Every conversion is a miracle of God's grace, wrought through the Word of God. We cannot hear or read the Bible without feeling and knowing by the manner in which it takes hold on our heart, that God Himself is speaking to us and searching out the innermost recesses of our soul. For " the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD. 85 even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." 24 2* neb. 4: 12. Why It was Written. — The Bible was "written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scrip- tures might have hope. ,,Q5 It is meant to be a lamp unto our 25 Eom. 15 : 4. feet and a light unto our path, 26 to lead us through the dark- 26 Ps . n 9 . 105. ness of this world 27 to our home in heaven. It contains all 27 n p e t. 1 : 19. that we need to know of God in this world, and all that is necessary to lead us to repentance, to faith, and to a right Christian life. Its center and core is Christ, 28 in whom lies 28 Johns: 39. our only but sure hope of salvation. 29 It is an unerring 29 Acts 4 : 12. guide to the truth. It is the final and absolute authority in matters of religion. Before it, all human authority, how- ever great, must bow and give way. Any one who teaches contrary to it is accursed. 30 Any one who adds to or sub- mgoli:9l tracts from its teachings shall be stricken from God's book of life. 31 It is the only revelation which God will give to 31 Rev. 22 : i8,ia men. If its testimony is not accepted, God will not send any one back from the dead to assure men of its truth. 32 We 32L U kei6: 31. must take heed, therefore, to what it says. If we fail to do so, we shall be lost. 33 33 Het>. 2 : i-s. i Matt. 28 : (R. V.). CHAPTER XXII. BAPTISM. When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, He com- manded His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded. 1 Those who believe and are baptized shall be saved, but * Matt, is: is. those who believe not shall be damned. 2 What Baptism Is. — Baptism consists in applying water to a person "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Grhost " in accordance with Christ's command. A distinction must be made between the baptism adminis- tered by the disciples after Christ's ascension and that ad- ministered by John the Baptist. That of John was a bap- s Acts i9: 4. tism unto repentance. 3 It was only an outward sign or symbol of the spiritual cleansing which had taken place in men through their repentance. It did not confer any par- ticular grace of God. But Christian baptism is a means of grace, — a channel through which the Holy Spirit confers special blessings upon us. It is the means through which He produces regeneration or the new birth in the hearts of 4 Tit, s : 5. children, 4 and the means through which He formally intro- duces adults into the kingdom of God as His disciples, after they have been regenerated or brought to faith through the *Matt28:19. ^ rd of God. 5 (Margin). What Baptism Does. — Those who are baptized are re- ceived into the covenant with God, and become sharers in the atoning death of Jesus. They are baptized into Christ's • Rom. 6 •. 3. death ; 6 and all that He has done is thrown open to them BAPTISM. 87 and becomes their possession, if they believe. 7 To the be- TGai.3: 27. liever, therefore, baptism brings the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. 8 It is a washing away of sin, 9 and a J ^ts^ 6 - w* washing of regeneration by the Holy Ghost. 10 It is God's 10 Tit. 3: 5. way of adopting us as His children, and making us heirs of everlasting life. Why Necessary. — Baptism is necessary for all, because Christ has commanded all to be baptized, 11 and because He n Matt. 28: 19. has connected the blessings of salvation with it. 12 Those i2Marki6:i6. who neglect or despise baptism are, therefore, disobedient to Christ, and deprive themselves of the blessings which He has connected with this sacrament. Just as Naaman , 13 the 13I i^ings5:8- ' 14. Syrian, could not have been cured of his leprosy, if he had refused to go to the Jordan and wash when the prophet told him to go ; so men cannot be cured of the leprosy of their sin, if they refuse to be baptized. It was not the w T ater of the Jordan that cured Naaman ; and yet without that water he could not have been cured, because the promise was bound up with the use of the water and would not have availed him otherwise. It is not the water in baptism that cures us of our sins; yet without the water we cannot be cured, be- cause the promise of forgiveness and salvation is bound up with the water of baptism. It is the promise of God that gives baptism its value, and our faith which makes its bless- ings our own. The Mode of Baptism.— -Baptism may be administered either by immersion of the whole body in water, or by pour- ing or sprinkling water on the head. Baptism adminis- tered by immersion is valid baptism ; but it is not advisable, especially in our climate. Immersion is not essential. Bap- tism is just as valid if performed by the more convenient mode of pouring or sprinkling ; and it is thus administered 88 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 14 Mark 7 : 4. 15 I Cor. 10 : 2. 16 Acts 16 : 33. 17 Acts 2 : 41. by the majority of Christian churches. It is not the amount of water, but the application of water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost that makes baptism what it is. In many cases, such as extreme sick- ness, it would be impossible to administer baptism, however greatly desired by the patient, if it had to be done by im- mersion. And yet Christ has commanded all men to be baptized, and certainly wants none to be excluded who sin- cerely desire to receive baptism. Meaning of the Word. — The Saviour did not coin a new word to designate this sacrament. He employed a Greek word which was already in use. That word, from which our English word "baptize" is derived, does not necessarily mean to immerse, but to apply water or to wash. It is so used in the Gospel of St. Mark u where it says that the Pharisees, when they came from market, would not eat unless they washed (Greek baptized). In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul uses the same word in the sense of sprinkling, when he refers to the sprinkling of spray upon the Israelites while they passed through the Red Sea under the guidance of Moses. 15 How the Apostles Baptized. — In the case of the Philip- pian jailor 16 and the three thousand persons who were bap- tized on the day of Pentecost, 17 baptism by immersion was extremely unlikely if not impossible, on account of the scarcity of water for such a purpose. The jailor was bap- tized in the prison; and the three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem, with no stream of any depth nearer than the Jordan, miles away. Though we are not informed by the Bible what mode of baptism was pursued in these cases, it is hard to see how any other but that of pouring or sprink- ling could have been employed. BAPTISM. 89 How Jesus was Baptized. — We are not told whether Jesus was immersed in the Jordan, or ivhether John bap- tized Him by pouring water on His head. We are told that Jesus came up out of the water after He was baptized. 18 is Matt. 3: 16. But He would have done that, just as much if He stood in the stream while John poured water on His head, as He would if He had been immersed. Children to be Baptized. — Children are to be baptized. They constitute a large and important part of the " nations " whom Christ commanded His disciples to baptize. The kingdom of God is composed of little children 19 and of those 19 Luke is: 16,17, who become as little children. 20 They have a right, there- 20 Matt, is.- 3. fore, to receive that sacrament by which we enter into the kingdom of God. Christ expressly commands that children be brought to Him ; and there is no more effective way of bringing them to Him, than that which He Himself has pointed out in His command to baptize and teach all men. In Old Testament times children at the age of eight days 21 2iphii.3: 5. were received by the rite of circumcision into the covenant made by God with Abraham ; and it is unreasonable to sup- pose that they should be excluded from the New Testament covenant, which is entered by baptism. Peter assured the Jews, "The promise is unto you and to your children." 22 22Acts2:39. And when men believed the preaching of the Gospel, the apostles baptized them and their household. 23 23 Acts 16: 33. Children "Need Baptism. — Though not yet guilty of con- scious and actual transgressions, infants are by nature sin- ful. 24 The germs of sin are in them. And if the children 24 J°^ 4 3 : . 4 g live to grow up, those germs will develop into sinful deeds. Children often die in infancy ; and death is the result of sin. 25 If, therefore, they are to enter the kingdom of God, 25Kom.5: 12. they also must be born again. 26 Doubtless the Holy Spirit 26 j hn 3 : 3. 90 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 27 John 3 : 5 Tit. 3 : 5. 28 Mark 16 : 16. 291 Pet. 1: 4. can implant a new spiritual life in children without the use of external means. But since baptism is a washing of regeneration, we have no right to deprive them of that sac- rament which is the ordinary way in which the Holy Spirit produces the new birth 27 within them. Faith Necessary. — Not all who are baptized will be saved, but only those who believe and are baptized. Those who believe not are lost. 28 God receives us into His covenant and adopts us as His children in Holy Baptism. But as disobedient and rebellious children are disinherited by earthly parents, so our heavenly Father disinherits those baptized persons who live in impenitence and unbelief. They lose that eternal and glorious inheritance 29 which would have been theirs, if they had remained faithful. Baptism Permanent. — Baptism once properly adminis- tered is not to be repeated. It is permanent. It is a cove- nant between God and man. Though man is often unfaithful to his part of the covenant, God never is. His promises are all yea and Amen. 30 The unbelief of men does not make the promise of God of none effect. 31 Baptized per- sons who are lost perish, not because of any change in God, but because of the change in themselves. God's covenant stands. All who comply with its conditions receive its benefits ; those who do not, lose them. Yet if these latter come back to God in true repentance, they are received by God and re-instated in their baptismal privileges. They need not be baptized again ; the old baptism stands. The rebellious son who repents and is forgiven needs not to be adopted again as a son. His reception and forgiveness by his father are all that are necessary to re-instate him in the 32 Luke is: n-24. privileges of sonship. 32 Confirmation. — The rite of confirmation is intimatelv so II Cor. 1: 20. 31 Horn. BAPTISM. 91 associated with the baptism of children. When those who were baptized in infancy have arrived at an age at which they are able to examine themselves, they are to be con- firmed. After receiving from the pastor the further instruction which they need, they make a public confession of the faith in which they were baptized, — a confession involving not merely a recitation of the Creed believed in by the Church, but a declaration of trust in God and His Word such as is taught in the explanation of the Creed in the Catechism. The minister then lays his hand on the head' of each, while he and the congregation pray that God may give His Holy Spirit to each severally to keep him in the true faith and to make him grow in holiness. Those who are thus confirmed are admitted to the Lord's Supper. They were already members of the Church by virtue of their baptism ; but having been confirmed, they become communicant members. While there is no command in the Scriptures for the rite of confirmation, it is a useful ordinance of the Church and is in strict harmony with the spirit of the Bible. Christ has commanded that those who are baptized shall be taught all things whatsoever He has commanded ; and He has said that those who want Him to confess them before His heav- enly Father must confess Him before men. Confirmation is in line with both these commands of Christ; for it is preceded by a thorough instruction in the teachings of Christ, and involves a public confession of His name. CHAPTER XXIII. THE LOED'S SUPPER. " The Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread ; and when He had given thanks, He brake it and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat ; this is my body which is given for you. This do in remem- brance of me. "After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it ; this cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance 11 2?*^ o 3 ; 2 o 5 D ' of me." * Thus our Saviour instituted the Lord's Supper Matt, lo: lb-la. *■ •*• Mark i4: 22-24. r the Sacrament of the Altar. What the Lord's Supper Is. — In, with and under the bread and wine which are used in the Lord's Supper, Christ gives the communicant His body and blood. For He says, "Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you," and " Drink ye all of it ; this is my blood of the New Testa- 2 Matt. 26: 26-28. ment, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." 2 The Earthly Elements. — Bread and wine are used in the Lord's Supper, because these are the earthly elements which Christ used when He instituted this sacrament. It is un- lawful to substitute anything else in the place of either. The wafer so frequently used in Lutheran churches is unleavened bread. The Lord Himself used that kind ; for He instituted the Lord's Supper at the time of the Jewish 3 mke 22:i. passover, 3 when the Jews were forbidden to eat any other than unleavened bread. What is Given Through Them. — Bread and wine are not THE LORD'S SUPPER. 93 all that is given in the Lord's Supper. They are not mere symbols of spiritual things ; nor are they to be partaken of simply in order to bring Christ to our remembrance, though this is one purpose of the sacrament. 4 The bread does not 4icor. m 26. simply represent the body of Christ, nor the wine simply represent the blood of Christ. But they are the earthly elements through which in some way, mysterious yet real, the true body and blood of Christ are received by the com- municant. There is no transubstantiation ; that is, the bread is not turned into the body of Christ nor the wine into the blood of Christ. The bread and wine remain real bread and wine throughout the administration of the sacrament. 5 Their 51cor.1i: 2& substance remains unchanged. But there is a communion of the bread and wine with the body and blood of Christ, 6 so sicor. 10: ie. that when the communicant receives the former he receives the latter also. This communion is not a consubstantiation or combination of the bread and wine with the body and blood of Christ in such a manner as to form a third sub- stance different from both. But the bread and wine become the vehicles through which the heavenly gift of Christ's body and blood, which were given and shed for us for the remission of sins, are communicated to us. 7 It is this that ricqr.ii: 28,29. makes the Lord's Supper a means of grace. A Mystery. — The Lord's Supper is indeed a great mys- tery, just as many other teachings of the Bible are mysteries to us. But it is the part of faith to accept the teaching of Christ and His word, even when, like Mcodemus, we do not understand how such things can be. 8 We must not, s j hn 3 : 9. like some of Christ's disciples, turn from Him, 9 because 9 John 6: 66. some of His teachings are beyond our human comprehension. Its Object. — The object of the Lord's Supper is to give 94 BIBLE TEACHINGS. us the firm assurance of the forgiveness of our sins, and thus to comfort our souls and strengthen our faith. It does this, because the body and blood of Christ received in the sacrament are the " body which was given for us and the blood which was shed for us for the remission of sins." If they are received in faith, they confer upon the communi- cant all the blessings which Christ secured by His sufferings and death. This sacrament is of special comfort, because each individually receives the bread and wine, and thus each individually receives also the assurance that the body of Christ was given and the blood of Christ shed for him. How to be Received. — Those who come to the Lord's io i cor. ii: 28. Supper must examine themselves beforehand, 10 and prepare themselves to partake of it worthily. Both the believing and the unbelieving communicants receive the body and blood of Christ. But the unbelieving receive only a curse from it; for "he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning uicor. ii: 29. the Lord's body." n Just as men fail to receive a blessing, and receive instead only a deeper condemnation, if they do not believe the Word of God in which Christ comes to them ; so they receive all the deeper condemnation also, if they do not believingly receive Christ when He comes to them in the Lord's Supper. Only he who comes to the Lord's Supper with penitent and believing heart, mourning over his sins, desiring forgiveness, and trusting in the grace of God in Christ, receives the blessings which the Saviour desires to bestow. Its Names. — This sacrament is called the Lord's Supper, because it was instituted by the Lord, and was first held at a time when the apostles were eating their supper. It is called the Sacrament of the Altar, because from the earliest THE LORD'S SUPPER. 95 times it was celebrated at the altar. It is called the Table of the Lord, because the Lord here gives us food and drink for our souls. It is called the Communion, because it is a communion of the bread and wine with the body and blood of Christ, a communion of believers with Christ, and a com- munion of believers with one another. 12 It is sometimes i2icor.io:ie,i7. called also the Eucharist, a name derived from a Greek word meaning to give thanks, because the administration of the sacrament is attended with thanksgiving. The Confessional Service. — The administration of the Lord's Supper is preceded by a service of confession and absolution. This service is held, in order that those who desire to come to the Lord's Table may be prepared to come worthily. At this service they make public confession of their sins, of their faith in Christ, and of their determination by the grace of God to lead a holy life. And the minister, using the Power of the Keys conferred by Christ upon the Church when He says, " Whosesoever sins ye remit, they they are remitted unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained," 13 pronounces the absolution upon them. 13 johnao: 2* In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, he declares the forgiveness of their sins to all those who truly repent and believe in Christ, and the retention of their sins to all those who are impenitent and unbelieving. CHAPTER XXIV. THE DEATH OF THE BODY AND ITS RESURRECTION ON THE LAST DAY. 1 1 Cor. 15 : 51. 2 Ps. 90 : 10. a Gen. 3: 19. Eccl. 12 : 7. ♦ Gen. 2 : 17. Bom. 6 : 23. 5 Rom. 5 : 12. e Heb. 9 : 27. 7 Jas. 4 : 13-15. 8 Eccl. 9 : 12. 9 Ps. 90 : 12. io Eccl. 8 : 8. Excepting those who shall be alive at the second coming of Christ, 1 all men must die. 2 The body shall return to the earth from which it was taken, and the soul shall go forth into eternity. 8 But on the last day the body shall be raised to life again and reunited with the soul forever. Why Men Die. — If men were not sinful, they would not have to die ; their bodies as well as their souls would be immortal. But when sin entered the world, death entered with it. Death is the penalty of sin. 4 And it comes upon all, because all are guilty. " As by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, because all men have sinned." 5 For this reason "it is appointed unto men once to die." 6 How and When. — No one knows how long he will live. No one can tell at what moment or in what manner he will die. 7 He may be called away while he is young, or be per- mitted to spend many years on earth. He may die suddenly, or receive long previous warning of the approaching end. He may die through accident or disease. Die he surely will; but God alone knows when and how. 8 We ought therefore to live in constant repentance and faith, that death may not come to us and find us unprepared to appear before God. Our Days Numbered. — Man's days on earth are num- bered. 9 There is a limit set, beyond which he cannot pass. When that number is complete, he must die. All his efforts and those of his fellow-men cannot make him live a minute longer. 10 But while men cannot live beyond their allotted 96 THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. 97 time, they may and often do shorten their life. Through fail- ure to take proper care of their body, by breaking the laws of health, and by a course of wickedness and dissipation, many people scarcely live out half their days. 11 "Ps.55: 23. The Terrors of Death. — Men shrink from death and avoid it as long as possible. For impenitent persons it is an object of unalloyed dread. It puts an end to all their hopes and joys. They live only for this world, and there- fore death robs them of all that is dear to them. It sends them^ forth into eternity unprepared, and doomed to ever- lasting woe and despair. Its Terrors Lost for the Christian. — For the believer death has lost its terrors. Even the Christian may shrink from death through the weakness of the flesh. Death is an unnat- ural thing. It was not meant by God to come upon men. It came as the result and penalty of sin. But the believer does not fear death as the unbeliever does. Christ has robbed death of its sting and the grave of its victory. 12 121cor.15-55.57, He has brought life and immortality to light. 13 Death is i»nrnm.i: 10. really the Christian's friend, because it is the portal through which he escapes from a world of sin and sorrow and enters upon his eternal inheritance in heaven. 14 For this reason i4ip e t. i : 4. the death of believers is spoken of in terms that lack all ideas of terror. They are gathered to their people, 15 they 15 Gen. 25 : g. are taken away from the evil to come, 16 they fall asleep in wis. 57: 1. Christ. 17 «IThess,4:l* 14. Why Believers Also Must Die. — Christ has delivered the Christians from spiritual and eternal death, but not from bodily death. Their bodies are mortal as well as those of the unbelievers. Death in their case is, however, no longer to be regarded as a punishment for their sins. Christ has taken away all their punishment. But their 98 BIBLE TEACHINGS. body must undergo a complete change before it can be fit to enter heaven. It is an earthly, sinful body. It must be made a spiritual body. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incor- i8 1 cor. 15 : so. ruption. 18 The body must die and decay, in order that it isicor. 15:35-38. may be raised from the dead transformed and glorified. 19 Just as the soul must be changed by the new birth before it can be fitted for entrance into heaven, so a similiar change must take place in the body. The soul, having been born again in this world, enters upon its rest at once after so Luke 23: 43. death. 20 But the body must die and decay in the earth, in order that from it as a seed or germ God may raise up at the last day an incorruptible, sinless, perfect and glorious siicoiM5:42-44.body. 21 This is the reason why those who are alive at Christ's second coming shall be changed. They shall not die ; but the same change which has taken place in the others through death and the resurrection shall take place in them in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the w I Cor. 15 : 51-53. last trump. 22 The Resurrection of the Body, — The separation which takes place between the body and soul at death is not per- manent. The body shall be raised from the dead on the last day and re-united to the soul from which it was parted. There shall be a " resurrection both of the just and the 23 Acts 24; is. unjust." 23 " The time is coming when all that are in the si John 5: 28. graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth." 24 Believers and unbelievers shall indeed be raised for a differ- 25 John 5: 29. ent purpose, but they shall all be raised. 25 In the case of the believers it will be a resurrection unto life ; in that of the unbelievers, a resurrection unto damnation. The dead a« i Thess. 4 : i6. in Christ shall rise first. 26 The Body. — The resurrection will be the raising of the THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. 99 bodies that are in the graves, 27 and not the creation of 27j hn5: 2a a new body. It will be essentially the same body which we had here on earth. But a great change will take place in it, even in the case of the unbelievers, and especi- ally in that of the believers. Here the bodies of all men are mortal and corruptible. There they shall be immortal. and incorruptible. 28 This is true of the unbelievers also. For 28 1 Cor . 15 : 42. their body as well as their soul shall be punished eternally, 29 29 Matt. 10 : 28. and must therefore exist eternally. But a far greater change shall take place in the believers. Their body shall not only be immortal and incorruptible, but shall be endowed with new and glorious properties. 30 30 i Co r..i5: 43,44 It shall be wholly freed from all the infirmities, imperfections and limitations to which it has been subject here on earth. It shall be a spiritual body like that of the Saviour after His resurrection. For Christ shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His own glorious body. 31 sip^n. 3: 21. As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 82 The body of the believer 32 icor. is: 40. shall be made a fit tabernacle for the soul that shall inhabit h for all eternity. CHAPTER XXV. JESUS WILL COME AGAIN TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. 1 Acts 1 : 11. 2 Matt. 24 : l Luke 21 : 33. 4 Matt. 24 : 6 Mark. 13 : 32. 6 Matt. 24: 42-44, I Thess. 5 : 2. i Matt. 24 : 37. 8 Luke 21 : 35. « Matt. 24: io II Pet. 3 : 4. ii II Pet. is II Pet. S: 8. The same Lord whom the apostles saw ascending into heaven from Mount Olivet shall come again in like manner as they saw Him go. 1 He shall come in glory and majesty to judge the living and the dead. 2 He will take the believers unto Himself, but will cast the unbelievers out from His presence forever. When He Will Come. — The second coming of Jesus is certain. 8 But the time of His coming no man knows. Of that day and hour knoweth no man, not even the angels, but God only. 4 Even Christ Himself in His state of humiliation withheld from Himself the knowledge of that day. 5 It shall come upon men unawares, like a thief in the night 6 and like the flood in the days of Noah. 7 " Like a snare it shall come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." 8 It shall find men eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, with no thought of the coming of Christ and the final judgment. 9 Because the Saviour delays His coming, many scornfully ask, " Where is the promise of His coming; for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation? " 10 But He delays His coming, in order that men may have opportunity to repent and be saved. 11 What seems a long time to men is not long to God. " One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 12 When the proper time has arrived, Christ will come. No One Can Compute the Time. — It is not possible to 100 JESUS WILL JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. 101 compute the date of Christ's second coming by means of arithmetical calculations from numbers mentioned in Old Testament prophecies or the book of Revelation, or from the chronology given in the margin of the Bible. That chronology is not inspired ; it is not a part of the Bible. It is a careful but not infallible attempt to fix the date of Biblical events, and was placed in the Bible only a few hundred years ago as a matter of convenience to the reader. Books or pamphlets which profess to be able to calculate the date of the end of the world can only mislead, and are therefore to be shunned. The time of Christ's coming is meant to remain unknown to men; 13 He will come when « Matt. 24: 42,44 least expected, and not at the date on which men have calculated that He ought to come. Signs of His Coming. — The second coming of Christ shall be preceded by signs. The Gospel shall first be preached throughout the entire world, 14 and the Jews shall 14 Matt. 24: 14. be converted to Christ. 15 There shall be signs in the sun 15 Bom. 11:25,26. and in the moon and in the stars, 16 deceivers and wicked i6Luke2i: 25. men shall wax worse and worse, 17 wars and tumults shall n Matt. 24: 11,12. increase, the godly shall suffer intense persecution, 18 and is Matt, 24=9. Anti-christ, the man of sin and the human personification of wickedness and opposition to Christ, shall be revealed. 19 19 * 1T i! es :l' 2 ^' 4 ' rr ' I John 2: 18. Though these signs do not enable the believer to tell the day and the hour of Christ's coming, they serve to warn him of its nearness, and teach him to guard himself against worldly security so that he may be always ready. 20 20 Luke 21 34,36. How He Will Come. — The first time Jesus came to earth, He came in lowliness and humility ; He came to suffer and die for men's sins. But when He comes again, it will be to judge the world. He shall come in the clouds with power and great glory, accompanied by all the holy angels. 21 a Matt. 25: 31, 102 BIBLE TEACHINGS. How Regarded by Men. — The coming of Christ shall fill the wicked with terror and dismay. Those who during their lifetime lived in defiance of God, and spurned the offers of His grace, shall then cry out to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the day of His wrath shall have come, and they shall 22 Rev. 6: 16,17. not be able to stand 22 in His presence. The believers on the other hand shall be filled with joy, 23 Luke 2i: 28. because their redemption from all the evils of this world 23 and their entrance on their eternal inheritance is at hand. For them Christ shall come in love and not in wrath. He 34iTness.4: 17. shall come to receive them unto Himself forever. 24 The Judgment. — When Christ has come, all men shall be 26 Matt. 25 : 32. brought before His throne to judgment. 25 For " we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that zencor. 5:io. he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 26 The dead shall be raised from their graves, or from the depths of the sea, or wherever their bodies may lie ; and they, together with all who are alive at Christ's coming, shall be gathered before Him. Believers and unbelievers, great and small, from every nation and clime, shall be summoned there to give an account of their life upon earth. The Account. — Every thing that men have done shall 27 1 cor T' 5 13 ' ^en ^ e ma( ^ e manifest ; every secret thing shall be revealed. 27 Men shall be asked to give an account of all that they have done on the earth, even of every idle word that they have v Matt. 12:36. spoken. 28 And the judgment shall be according to what 29 ii cor. 5-. io. men have done. 29 Christ will render to every man accord- ing to his deeds, bestowing eternal life upon all who by patient continuance in well-doing have sought for glory, JESUS WILL JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. 103 honor and immortality, but pouring out indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doeth evil. 30 He shall reward every man according to his works. 31 ISStM-^J" Both believers and unbelievers shall be found to deserve eternal death by their sins. 32 But the believers shall be 3j P8 . 143:2. justified by their faith in Christ. His righteousness shall cover up all their shortcomings, and shall be counted as if it belonged to them. 33 They shall, therefore, escape the 33icor. 1:30. punishment which they have deserved by their sins ; but the unbelieving, having nothing to plead, shall be sentenced to eternal death. 34 84 Matt. 22: 11-13. The Separation. — Christ shall separate the believers from the unbelievers, and place the believers upon His right hand and the unbelievers upon His left. Then shall He say to those on His right hand, " Come ye blessed of my Father ; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And He shall say this to them, because they have shown by their works that they believe on Him. Then will He also say to those on His left hand, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." He will condemn them, because they have shown by their deeds that they are impenitent and unbelieving. "These shall then go away into everlasting punishment : but the righteous into life eternal. " 35 35 Ma tt. 25: 31-46. The End of the World. 36 — With the coming of Christ to j»Matt. 24: 3. judgment, the present order of the world will come to an end. 37 "The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, moor. 7: si. and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 38 mums: 10. For this reason the day of Christ's coming is called The Last Day. 39 The earth itself has been contaminated by so John 6: 39. sin; it has been accursed for man's sake, 40 and has become Ex.2o:b. punishment; 9 while for the believers it is a law to which their own mind has been made to correspond by the grace of God, and which has, therefore, become a part of them- selves. For when the Holy Spirit produces faith in the heart, He also produces love to God and a desire to do His 1°™' 2 \ 13, will. 10 Believers are free from the law, 11 not in the sense of 11 Gal. 5:1. ' 12 1 pet. 2: 16. being at liberty to sin, 12 but in the sense of being free from the outward compulsion of the law, because the love of Christ is ii cor. 5:14. constrains 13 them to do God's will of their own accord. The more we receive Christ into our hearts by faith, the U Si^ao 6 " 19 ' more com P^ ete ty tne l aw °f God becomes a part of ourselves. 14 Religion and Morality. — Religion and morality must always go together, if they are to be true. Neither of them by itself is pleasing to God. In fact, in their true sense neither can exist alone. If those who believe in Christ do is jas. 2: 17. not lead a holy life, their faith is dead 15 and their pretence i6 Matt. i: 22,23. of religion a hollow mockery. 16 And on the other hand, if those who lead an outwardly moral life do not have faith, they are not keeping the law in God's sight at all, because they have no love for Him. A right life is the super- structure which we erect upon the foundation of our re- i7 1 cor. 3: ii. ligion. 17 Morality without religion is like a house without is Matt. 7 : 26, 27. a solid foundation on which to rest. 18 Many unbelieving persons lead outwardly moral lives ; but they do not do so out of love to God, but out of love for themselves. Conse- quently their morality is not acceptable to God. Obedience. — Our first concern should be to believe in Christ L,nd have a right state of heart toward God ; then the right life will follow as a matter of course. We should seek to be penitent, believing, loving children of our heav- enly Father. Then our life will be one of willing and cheerful obedience to Him, — an obedience that will be ac- THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF LIFE. Ill ceptable to Him because it springs from love. Obedience from fear is slavery. Obedience from love is delightful freedom. Avoiding Gross Sins. — No one can be a Christian and still live in gross sin against the moral law. 19 " For this ye 19 Bom. 6: 2. know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor cove- tous man, who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and if God." 20 Those who lead im- 2o E ph. 5:5. moral lives are not penitent, and therefore are not Christians. Repentance involves the leaving and hating of such sins. When Zaccheus repented, he restored fourfold to those whom he had robbed, 21 and thenceforth lived honestly. When 21 Luke 19 : 8. those who came out to hear John the Baptist preach were converted, John told them that they must leave the sins to which they had been addicted. 22 A Christian dare not live 22;Luke3:9-i4 in sin. If he does he forfeits the grace of God and falls into condemnation. Doing the Right. — Our life is not, however, to be one of mere negative goodness. We are not only to avoid evil, but to live a life of positive righteousness. A good man is not one who simply is not a bad man ; but he is one who has a right state of heart and does good deeds. We are to do our duty toward God and man as we find that duty enjoined in God's Word and enforced by our conscience. We should do everything that the law of love bids us do. Love to God above all things, and love to other objects and things accord- ing to the relation in which they stand to Him, — this should be the constant attitude of our hearts and the motive of all our actions. In all the relations of life, in the family and home, in the Church, in the State, and in our dealings with men in general, this effort to do only the right and to live and act in love toward all should be our distinguishing 112 BIBLE TEACHINGS. characteristic. It is not sufficient to say to Christ, " Lord, Lord;" we must do the will of His Father who is in 23 Matt. 7 : 2i. heaven. 23 The Reward of Well-Doing. — A life of obedience to God will involve on our part a constant conflict against the powers of evil, and many a victory over the promptings of our selfish heart, the world and the devil. It will require a daily denial of self and taking up of our cross to follow 84 Luke 9: 23. Jesus. 24 But we are not to grow weary in well-doing; for 25 Gai. 6:9. in due season we shall reap if we faint not. 25 There is a reward in store for the godly, — a reward of grace, indeed, and not of merit, but a reward nevertheless. They shall be rewarded for all the sufferings which they endure for the 26 Matt. 5 : ii, 12. sake of the Gospel ; 26 for loving their enemies and doing 27 mke 6: 35. good without looking for a return, 27 and even for so small a matter as the giving of a cup of cold water in the name of 28 Matt. io: 42. a disciple. 28 Christ will reward them on the day of Judg- ment according to what they have done in love for Him. For the presence of this love in them proves that they are 29 johu 13 : 35. His disciples. 29 CHAPTER XXVIII, i Matt. 22 : 37. 2 Matt. 22 : LOVE TO GOD. We should love God above all things, with all our heart and soul and mind. 1 This does not mean that we should not or dare not love any one or anything else ; for we are expressly commanded to love our fellow men as we love ourselves. 2 But it means that all other love shall be made secondary and subordinate to the love of God. Our rela- tion to all other objects should be determined by the rela- LOVE TO GOD. 113 tion in which those objects stand to Him. We should love what He loves and hate what He hates. As He loves the sinner 3 but hates the sinner's sin, 4 so are we to do also. I^oTi-i!} This was the love which Christ had to God ; and He is our Zectl - 8: w« example. God Above All. — There is nothing else in all the universe to be compared with God in goodness and perfection. 5 5i 8 . 46:9. He is therefore to be the chief and highest object of our love. To love anything more than God is to make an idol of it by putting it in the place that belongs to Him. Many people thus make an idol of themselves, of other people, or of the things of this world. A Result of God's Love to Us. — We should love God, because He first loved us. 6 The earthly benefits which He e_i j hn4: it showers upon us day by day 7 and the spiritual blessings 7 p s . 68 : 19. which have become ours through Christ 8 are all the gifts 8Eph. i:s. of His love. It is in the nature of love to cause love ; and it always will, if its effects be not wilfully resisted. God's love to us should therefore produce love in return. And it does in all those who believe in Christ. 9 The more we » 1 pet. 1 : & realize through faith His goodness toward us, the deeper our love for Him becomes. He is Our Father. — Through Christ we have been adopted as children of God, 10 and are taught to address Him as our 10 Gai. 4 : 5, & Father who is in "heaven. 11 As a child loves his earthly u Matt. 6:9. father, because his father loves him, cares for him, and pro- tects him ; so we are to love God. We are, indeed, to love Him far more ; for no earthly father loves his children as much as God loves us, or is as worthy of love as God is. For this reason our love to God is to be greater even than that which we owe to our earthly parents. 12 is Matt 10 : 87. Promises to Those Who Love God. — Christ takes it for 8 114 BIBLE TEACHINGS. granted that those who believe in Him will love Him. There- fore He tested the sincerity of Peter's repentance by inquir- M John 21 • i5, i6. ing whether Peter loved Him. 13 For this reason also, the promises of salvation, which are usually given to those who believe, are in some passages of Scripture given to those who love God. Thus we are told that " eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the 1* i cor. 2: 9. things which God has prepared for them that love Him." 14 The promise is made to them, because those who believe in Christ and through Him realize the greatness of God's love will inevitably love God in return. Faith and love is Gai. 5:6. always go together. "Faith worketh by love." 15 The stronger the faith, the greater the love. How Love to God is Manifested. — "By their fruits ye w Matt. 7:20. shall know them," 16 says Christ. Our life will show whether we love God or not. Our love to Him should be n i John 5: 3. manifested by obedience to Plis commands 17 and a willing- i8 Matt. io: 38. ness to suffer all things for His sake. 18 It should be shown by love for the things of God. We should love His Church w John 8: 47. and the preaching of the Gospel. 19 If we do not love His Word, we do not love Him. It is also manifested by our manner of dealing with our fellow-men. If we love God, we will love them also. We are to love one another, even so John 13: 34. as Christ also loved us. 20 Our love to our fellow-men is to be a proof of our love to God. "If any man say I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen. And this commandment have we n i John 4: 20, 21. from Him, that he that loveth God love his brother also." 21 iSRomii: 2o. -p ear an ^ i, 0V e. — As Christians we are to fear God, 22 but xLpll» o I -1. not with a fear such as the slave feels for his master, or such as the unbeliever feels when he thinks of the wrath of LOVE TO GOD. 115 God that is hanging over him. We are children of God by faith ; 23 and our fear of Him is to be a child-like fear — a 23 R m. 8 : 15. fear mingled with love and trust. Perfect love casteth out all slavish fear and terror. 24 Those who have no love for 24u hn4:i8. God and do not seek to do His will have, indeed, every reason to fear and dread His wrath. 25 But those who 25Kom. 2: 4,5. believe need have no such fear. They are reconciled to God through Christ, their sins are forgiven, and they are sure of His love and favor. Love Prompts to Obedience. — Love to God will fill us with an obedient spirit. 26 Love is not self-centered, 27 but 2??cor h i3% concerned for the good-will and pleasure of the person that is loved. A loving child is an obedient one. If we love God as we should, we will try to please Him in all things. We will forget self and all our selfish wishes in our desire to do His will. Unless there be obedience to God there is no love for Him. 28 We place no confidence in the protesta- 23 j hni4: 24. tions of those who say they love us and who yet manifest no desire to please us. The child who refuses to obey his parents or obeys unwillingly and with grumbling has no right love for them. We cannot love God and at the same time deliberately do those things which He has forbidden, and which we know will displease Him. Love Makes Obedience Easy. — Love lightens toil. What we do for those whom we love is never a hardship. No matter how difficult it is, we do it cheerfully and gladly for their sakes. To those who love God His commandments are not grievous. 29 To the worldly and unbelieving nothing 29 1 Johns : 3. seems harder and more unpleasant than obedience to the commands of the Saviour. They find their happiness in the love of the world and its sins ; and they cannot con- ceive how any one can be happy, if he denies himself these 116 BIBLE TEACHINGS. things and lives in accordance with the requirements of the Christian religion. But one who loves God does not find obedience to His commandments a hardship. Love makes obedience easy. If we love God, we will delight to do His will, and be filled with sorrow whenever we fail to do it as we ought. Love to the Saviour makes His yoke easy and so Matt. 11 : 30. His burden light. 30 If we find that obedience to the will of God is distasteful and burdensome, the fault lies in our lack of love to Him. We ought to meditate much upon all that God has done and does for us, so that our love for Him may increase. Then will the doing of His will be a joy and not a burden to us. The Apostles. — The life of the apostles furnishes a strik- ing illustration of what a Christian's love to God involves and means. We are told of the twelve, that they forsook 81 Matt 19 "y a ^ an( ^ f°ll° we( l Jesus. 31 They sacrificed their property, their ease and their comfort, in order to be with Him while He was on earth ; and after His ascension into heaven they spent their whole life in His service, and suffered all manner of hardships and persecutions for His sake. They counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of 32 phn. 3 : 8. Jesus Christ their Lord. 32 The length to which the Christ- ian's love to God can go is seen most fully in the labors and 33 ii cor. ii; 23- su ff er i ng s of St. Paul for the Gospel. 33 Christ Our Example. — Even the love of the apostles was not perfect ; for no mere man can be perfect. But the love of Christ to His Father was perfect and flawless. He is our example. His holy and sinless life, His absolute obedience to God's will, was the result of His love. He loved God above all things. His heavenly Father was all in all to Him. He never sought to do His own will and w John 4 : 34. pleasure, but the will of His Father, 34 and was obedient unto HUMILITY. 117 death, even the death of the cross. 35 As He loved God, so 35Phu.2: s, we should love Him also. We should forget self, be willing to give up all things, even life itself, and still count our- selves rich in possessing God. 36 86PS.73: 25,26. CHAPTER XXIX. HUMILITY. The human heart is not naturally inclined to be humble either toward God or man. It is a proud and rebellious heart, defiant toward God 1 and anxious to be honored and ip s . 10 -.4. served by men. 2 Humility is a virtue for which the 2 Matt. 20:25. ancients had not even a name. But Christ has made it to be a virtue of the first rank. Without humility no one can be a Christian. Christ was Humble. — As in all other respects, so in this, Christ is our example. He was meek and lowly in heart, and we are to be like Him. 3 When he came to earth, He 3 Matt. 11: 29. voluntarily laid aside His glory and splendor, and walked among men in lowliness and humility. Though He was the Son of God from all eternity, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 4 4Phu. 2: 6-8. There was in Him no sin or shortcoming 5 which could de- 5 John 8 : 46. mand of Him to be humble. But He voluntarily humbled Himself for our sakes, in order that He might work out our redemption, and might give us an example of humility. 6 eiPet. 2: 21. Toward God and Man. — Toward God, Christ manifested His humility in His complete subordination of Himself to His heavenly Father and His willingness to do and endure all things which seemed best in His Father's sight. 7 Toward 7 Matt. 26: 39. men, He manifested His humility in His daily behaviour 118 BIBLE TEACHINGS. toward them, in His forgetfulness of self while He used every opportunity to serve even the lowest among them, and in the patience and meekness with which He bore the scorn and abuse of His enemies. We are to be Humble. — Christ was humble for our sakes ; we have need to be humble for our own. And we will be humble, if we realize as we should the greatness of God and our own insignificance. God is infinite in power and holi- ness ; we are weak, unworthy and sinful creatures. We s jas. 4: io. are therefore to humble ourselves before Him. 8 What Humility Is. — To be humble means to acknowledge our weakness and unworthiness in God's sight and our con- stant dependence on Him ; and to ascribe all the good that 9i cor. is: io. is in us, not to ourselves, but to His grace. 9 It means, also, not to despise or look down upon our fellow-men, but in io phii. 2: 3. lowliness of mind to esteem others better than ourselves. 10 Its Importance. — Humility lies at the base of all true religion. There can be no right relation between us and God without it. He " resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to ii jas. 4: 6. the humble." 11 None can find acceptance with Him unless they have a broken and contrite, and therefore humble, 12 ps. 51 : i7. heart. 12 The publican in the temple, who humbly confessed his guilt and unworthiness and cast himself upon God's grace, was received into favor; but the proud Pharisee, who exalted himself before God and despised the publican who stood near him, went down to his house unjustified. " He that exalteth himself shall be abased; but he that 13 Luke is : 9-14. humbleth himself shall be exalted." 13 * Weakness and Strength. — The humility which is thus necessary for acceptance with God is necessary throughout our life, in order that God may accomplish His purposes in us and through us. It is God who must give us both the HUMILITY. 119 willingness and the strength to do His will. 14 And He u ran. a.* it does this only in those who realize their own weakness and lean in humble dependence on Him. Only when we are weak are we strong; 15 for then God supplies us with His isiicor. 12: m strength. 16 We must feel ourselves to be nothing, and then i«iicor. 12: 9. God's grace gives us strength to be useful in His service. God dwells with those who are of a humble mind. 17 niaa.57: 15. This was the secret of the great work which St. Paul was enabled to do for the Gospel. He was once a proud, self-sufficient Pharisee, who persecuted the Christians. 18 is icor. 15: 9. But God's grace took hold of him and made him humble ; and in making him humble it made him strong, so that he labored more abundantly than all the other apostles, yet not he, but the grace of God that was with him. 19 Weak in wicor.is: 10. himself, he was yet enabled to do all things through Christ who strengthened him. 20 Therefore Paul gloried in his own aopwi. 4: 13. infirmities and in the sufferings which laid bare his weak- ness, that the power of Christ might rest upon him. 21 All 2incor. 12:9. the talents he possessed, and all the good he did for Christ, he ascribed not to himself, but to the grace of God in him. By the grace of God he was what he was. 22 And this is ssicor. 15: 10. true of us all. It is God who implants the new life in us, and who keeps it alive and strengthens it. 23 And the power 23 pwi. 1 : & of the divine life in us is in direct proportion to our humble dependence on God. The more we empty ourselves of self, the more room we make for Christ and His grace in us. Humility Toward Others. — If we have the proper humility toward God, that humility will be manifested in our deal- ings with our fellow-men. There will be an absence of everything that savors of pride, arrogance, self-importance and self-righteousness. If we are specially favored in any way in body or mind or soul, or if we happen to excel 120 BIBLE TEACHINGS. others in good looks, strength, talents, wealth, honors, suc- cess, piety, or any other blessing, we are not to look down upon them on this account, as though we were so much «jer.9:23,24. better than they. 24 We cannot indeed be blind to these advantages, if we happen to possess them ; but when we think of them, it should be, not with feelings of exaltation and pride in ourselves, but in humble gratitude to God to whose grace alone we owe them, and who might, if He had seen fit, have caused us to exchange positions with those whom we now excel. If we permit ourselves to become proud and self-sufficient, Satan will resume dominion in our hearts ; for God dwells only in those who are of humble mind. Humility in Speech. — Our humility is to be seen in our com ersation. When we speak of ourselves or anything we have done, we are to do so without boastfulness and self- glorification. 25 When we speak of others, it is to be with the respect which is due to them. We should not speak despisingly of them or of what they have done. In Actions. — We should never be arrogant in our behaviour toward others, 26 never snub or ridicule them because they do not enjoy the same blessings or advantages as we, but always treat them with proper consideration, and " condescend to men of low estate." We should be patient 27 Eph. 4 : 2. with the faults and shortcomings of others, 27 not indeed making excuses for sin, but seeking to restore the fallen in ss Gai. 6: i. a spirit of meekness. 28 We are not to say, " Stand by thy- self, come not near to me ; for I am holier than thou. ' ' 29 But we are to remember that, if we have been kept from falling into the same sin as others, it is by the grace of God and not by our strength. We also may fall ; and we certainly will fall unless God's strength sustains us. 30 If we are free 25 Prov. 27 : % 26 Rom. 12: 16. 29 Is. 65 : 5. HUMILITY. 121 from the particular faults which we deplore in others, we should remember that we have other faults of our own which require that our fellow -men should be patient and forbearing with us. Pride. — The world is full of pride, — full of people who will not bow themselves humbly before God, and who exalt themselves above their fellow-men. One is proud of his strength, another of his talents, another of his wealth, another of his station and rank. There is a spiritual pride, also, to which Christians are exposed, — a pride that glories in its religious attainments and good works, as though what they have done were their own doing, and not due to the grace of God alone ; a pride that thinks its own good deeds merit God's favor, instead of being only a gift of God's grace. This was the sin of the self-righteous Pharisees : they trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. 31 31 Luke w: a How Seen. — Pride may be manifested by a look, by a gesture, by inordinate attention to the clothes we wear or the style we live in, by a tendency to gaze upon and admire our own person and features, by efforts to obtain places of honor and distinction, and in a multitude of other ways. It is shown by a stubborn insistence upon our own ideas, by a refusal to acknowledge and correct our mistakes, by a readi- ness to take offense at every slight provocation, and by a desire to have others bow to us and honor us. Be Ready to Serve. — The natural man desires to be served and honored by others. The Christian should take pleasure in serving even the lowest and humblest among his fellow-men. True greatnesss consists in humility ; he that is the humblest is the greatest in the kingdom of God. 32 He 32 Matt. is-. 4 that is greatest should be as the youngest, and he that is 122 BIBLE TEACHINGS. w Luke 22: 26. chief as he that doth serve. 33 Our aim should be in all humility willingly and gladly to serve every one for Christ's sake as occasion demands, remembering that Christ has given us an example. For " the Son of man came not to w Matt. 20 : 28. be ministered unto, but to minister. " ^ In order to enforce the lesson of humility upon His disciples, who had engaged in an unseemly contention as to who should be the greatest in His kingdom, He Himself washed their feet, thus per- forming an office that usually fell to the lowest servant of the household. And He tells us that we also should be ready to perform the lowest offices for others, in order to «5 John i3: 12-17. benefit them. 35 Our great aim should be, not to be honored and served, but to be useful in any capacity, however humble and lowly. Humility and Leadership. — A true spirit of humility is not incompatible with courage and leadership among men. On the contrary, while the Scriptures exhort us to be humble, they also exhort us to " be strong in the Lord and in the w Epn 6 1 io power of His might. ' ' 36 We are to be firm and decisive in action, bold in the defense of the truth, and if called to take upon us the responsibilities of leadership in any good cause, we are to be brave and courageous. That these qualities may be united with true humility is apparent from such examples as Moses and Joshua and David and Paul and Luther. All of them had an humble opinion of themselves ; but their faith filled them with such confidence in God, that none were more bold and brave and strong in action than they. CHAPTER XXX. THANKFULNESS. Every blessing that we enjoy in body or soul is the free gift of God, 1 bestowed upon us without any merit or worthi- 1 j a s. i: 17. ness on our part. We ought therefore to receive those blessings with truly thankful hearts, and express our grati- tude both with our lips and with our lives. God's Goodness to Us. — In God we live and move and have our being. 2 He has created us; His breath has given 2 Acts 17: 28. us life. 3 He has preserved us hitherto against the many 3 Jo t> 33 •. 4. dangers that continually beset our existence, 4 and has pro- 4 n Tim. 4: is. vided us from day to day with the necessaries of life. 5 It 5 p s . 145 : 16. is He who " gives rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling us with food and gladness." 6 The air we breathe, « Acts 14 : 17. the water we drink, the health we enjoy, the innocent sources of pleasure and enjoyment, our various powers of body and mind, — these and every other blessing come from God and call for our thanks. But a still greater reason for thankfulness is found in the spiritual blessings which God bestows upon us through His Son Jesus Christ. 7 He has given His Son into death to 7Eph. 1:3-6. save us from sin and eternal destruction. 8 He brings His 8u hn4:9. salvation home to our hearts through His holy Word. He has made all of us who believe in Christ heirs of eternal salvation, having " delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the for- giveness of sins." 9 He has adopted us as His children, 10 as- sures us of His unfailing love and grace, and will bestow upon all who are faithful an inheritance incorruptible, 123 9 Col. 1 : 12-14 10 Gal. 4 : 6. 124 BIBLE TEACHINGS. uiPet. 1; 12 Matt. 15 : 13 Matt. 26 : 26. 14 Matt. 11 : 25. 15 John 11 : 41. 16 Luke 17 : 17. n Eph. 5 : 20. undefiled and that fadeth not away." u These are blessings for which we can never be sufficiently grateful, even if we employ all our powers and give up our life itself in the ser- vice of God. The Example of Christ. — The Saviour Himself has given us an example of the thankfulness which we should show to- ward God. Though He was the Son of God, yet as man He constantly acknowledged His dependence upon His heavenly Father. He gave thanks for the bread and the fish when He was about to feed the four thousand, 12 and also for the bread and the wine when He was about to institute the Lord's Sup- per, 13 thus showing that He was in the habit of giving thanks at meal-time. He thanked God for the progress which the Gospel was making through the disciples whom He had sent out to preach. 14 At the raising of Lazarus He gave thanks to God for hearing His prayer. 15 And if Jesus, who was the Son of God, acknowledged with thankfulness His obligations to God, surely we, who are nothing but sinful human beings, ought to do the same. We Should be Thankful. — When we show kindness to others, we are grieved and disappointed if they are not thankful. Kindness deserves recognition and thanks. Ingratitude of man to man is universally regarded as one of the meanest of vices. Still more mean and disgraceful is the ingratitude of men for the unnumbered mercies and kindnesses of God. God looks for thankfulness. He is grieved when we do not show it. When the Saviour healed the ten men who were lepers and only one returned to give thanks, He sorrowfully asked, " Where are the nine ? " 16 Christians are exhorted to give thanks to God for all things. 17 And the apostles themselves give us an example of thankfulness. They begin nearly all their epistles with THANKFULNESS. 125 an expression of gratitude to God, and they frequently break out into thanksgiving in the course of their epistles. Thankfulness for God's goodness is inseparable from a right state of heart toward God. The godly have always been thankful. The Psalms of the Old Testament are the relig- ious expression of the sentiments of the pious Jews, and they are permeated with a spirit of thankfulness. They abound in expressions such as this: " give thanks unto the Lord ; for He is good, and His mercy endureth for- ever," 18 Psalms of thanksgiving and praise form one of wpg. us: 1. the three classes into which the Psalms as a whole may be divided. The redeemed in heaven and the angels are con- tinually giving praise to God. 19 And assuredly those who » Rev. 5 : 9-14 hope one day to join in that song of thanksgiving and praise around the throne of God should begin here upon earth to acknowledge and praise His goodness. Giving Thanks Always. — We are to give God thanks always and for all things. 20 When God does not send us 2o Ep ii, 5:20. what we desire, we are not to overlook those things which He does send us day by day. If we employ ourselves with thankfulness for the blessings which we enjoy at God's hands, we shall have little time and no inclination to com- plain over those that are withheld, or to grow despondent over troubles and trials which God permits to come upon us. Even afflictions are intended for our good and are, in this sense, a cause for gratitude rather than for complain- ing. 21 Paul was thankful for his sufferings, because they « Rom. 5 : 3. promoted the cause of the Gospel. 22 If we hold fast to the »cul'i; 24. blessedness which is ours by faith in Christ, all other things which may be denied to us should seem insignificant by comparison and leave us ample reason for the deepest grati- tude. Paul and Silas were so filled with thankfulness 126 BIBLE TEACHINGS. for the great spiritual blessings which God had bestowed upon them in Christ, that they not only permitted them- selves to be beaten and confined in the stocks for Christ's sake, but at midnight, while their backs were bleeding from the stripes which they had received and while their feet were fast in the stocks, they began to sing hymns of M Acta 16 : 24, 25. thanksgiving and praise to God. 23 The "World Ungrateful. — The world does not acknow- ledge its indebtedness to God. It receives His temporal gifts from day to day as a matter of course and with no thought of gratitude to the Giver of them all. In His goodness God " letteth His sun shine on the evil and on the 84 Matt. 5 : 45. good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." 24 But the majority of men never thank Him for it. Neither do they give Him any thanks for the love which He has shown in sending His only Son to save them. They spurn that love ; they will not accept the salvation which it offers. And their unbelief is the greatest ingratitude of all. For nothing can be more ungrateful than to refuse and despise this greatest manifestation of God's love to men. Only Believers Thankful. — Gratitude to God is found only among those who believe. They alone stand in the right relation to God. They alone have a mind and heart disposed to acknowledge that every earthly blessing comes from Him and to appreciate the wonderful love which He reveals in the Gospel. But even among them gratitude is not always as deep and heartfelt as it ought to be. God's Mercies Uninterrupted. — If God's gifts were few and far between, if He were sparing of His goodness and dispensed His blessings less bountifully, many men would be more apt to remember that they come from His hands. «5 Lam. 3 : 23. But His mercies are new unto us every morning. 20 They THANKFULNESS. 127 are showered upon us day by day without stint. 26 They so p s . 68 : 19. come to us with every breath of air we breathe, with every cup of water we drink, with every morsel of food we eat. And the very fact that they come so uninterruptedly tends to make men fail to give thanks to the Giver. If God's mercies were withheld for a season, if the sun refused to shine or the rain to fall or the crops to grow, the depend- ence of our race upon God's goodness would be forced home upon many a heart that now is cold and unthankful. But God withholds His mercies but seldom. Our days and years are filled with the gifts of His goodness. And it is sad to think that the very fact that God's mercy is so great should be made the occasion of ingratitude by men. Thankful In Heart. — Our gratitude to God should be deep and heartfelt. We are not to draw near to Him with our mouth and honor Him with our lips while our heart is far from Him. 27 We should meditate upon His goodness 27i sa .29:is. day by day, and call to mind His many mercies, so that our hearts may be truly thankful. To forget to call His gifts to mind is to be ungrateful for them. In Words. — A large part of our prayers at home and in church should be occupied with giving thanks to God for His many mercies in body and soul. 28 We should sing ascoi. 4-2. hymns of praise and thanksgiving. 29 We should dwell not 29 Eph. 5 : 19, 2a only on the earthly blessings, but especially on the spiritual blessings which He bestows upon us. These call for our fullest thanksgiving even in times of greatest earthly dis- tress and calamity. In Life. — Our life should be an expression of our heart's thankfulness to God. If we do favors for our fellow-men, we expect their actions as well as their words to show their gratitude. If they thank us in words and yet deliberately 128 BIBLE TEACHINGS. do what they know will offend us, we conclude that their gratitude is not real. Our life shows whether the praise and thanks which we give to the Lord with our lips are the true expression of our heart or not. True gratitude will manifest itself in a sincere endeavor to do His will. CHAPTER XXXI. TRUST. By faith in Christ we become children of God, and are sure of His Fatherly love and care. We should therefore i ps. 115 : ii. trust in Him, 1 place our confidence and dependence on aprov. 3:5. Him, 2 and be satisfied that He will ever watch over us, 3 ps. 55 : 22. provide us with all we need, 3 and prevent anything from happening to us except that which will result in our final 4 Rom. 8 : 28. good. 4 Child-like Dependence. — Our trust in God should be a child-like dependence on Him. A little child places abso- lute confidence in father and mother. It does not worry about anything it may need to eat or wear, but looks con- fidently to them to supply its wants. And if danger threatens, it runs to them for safety and help. The child trusts in them because it is sure of their love. So we are to trust in God. For "like as a father pitiethhis children, 5Ps. io3: is. so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." 5 How We Should Trust in God. — We should commit our- selves completely into the hands of our heavenly Father, eps. 37: 5. and entrust the entire ordering of our lives to Him. 6 We should accept whatever befalls us as an expression of His spgW. 2 ^ will, 7 cling to Him in every danger, 8 bear patiently and 9 coi.i : ii. cheerfully whatever trials He sends, 9 and be free from un- TRUST. 129 believing care and worry. 10 We should cast all our care ioMatt.6: 25. upon Him, because He careth for us. 11 "iPet.5: 7. Why We Should Trust in God. — What we know of God should fill us with trust in Him. He loves with an infinite love ; for He gave His only begotten Son to save us. And " He that spared not His only Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things " that we need ? 12 He knows our wants even before «Eom. 8: m. we ask Him ; 13 and He knows exactly what is best for us, 13 Matt. 6: 32. and will send it. He is Almighty, and therefore perfectly able to do for us everything to which His love and wisdom prompt Him. He has promised never to leave nor forsake us, 14 and He is faithful to all His promises. Therefore we "Heb. 13 : 5. may boldly say, " The Lord my helper; and I will not fear. ' ' 15 Nothing should ever be permitted to make us doubt » Heb. 13 : 6. His love and the precious promises which He has given us in His Word. And if we cling trustfully to Him, we shall always have inward peace, no matter how dark or mysterious may be the ways through which His providence leads us. 16 wjohnM: 1. Safety in Banger. — No matter what may be the danger that threatens us, no harm can possibly befall us without the permission of God. Even the hairs of our head are all numbered. 17 God marks even the fall of the sparrow , 18 and ! 7 a J la "; 10: 30 - r is Matt. 10 : 29. certainly watches carefully over His children. We must not tempt God and run into danger needlessly. 19 But if we m Matt. 4: 7. incur danger in the path of duty, we may confidently entrust ourselves to His protection. 20 He will be with us. Our 20 p s . 33:29. life is safe as long as God has use for us on earth. The Jews often attempted to kill Christ, but could not do so until His work was done. And then they were permitted to do so, only because a great good was to be accomplished by it, namely, the redemption of man. When the time 130 BIBLE TEACHINGS. il Ps. 23 : 4. M Luke 23 : 46. allotted to us is completed, God will permit us to be overtaken by deatb. But He will be witb us in the valley of the sbadow of deatb, and we need not fear. 21 Like Jesus in His last hour, we may trustfully commit our spirit into the bands of our heavenly Father. 22 When our life according to God's plan is finished on earth, death is no real evil ; for it brings us the fulness and completion of our redemption and blessedness in heaven. Freedom from Worry. — We are not to worry about dangers, real or imaginary, which may threaten us, but commit ourselves to God for safe-keeping, knowing that He keeps guard over us. 23 Nor are we to worry about what we shall eat, or what we shall drink, or wherewithal we shall be clothed. 24 We are not, indeed, to be idle, thoughtless, and improvident, but are to make provision for the future by prudent employment of the present. God expects us to do our duty from day to day. But when we have done this, we are to entrust the rest to God. 25 He has promised to provide for us, and He will do so. His command and promise are, " Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto Matt. 6: 33. you." 26 He who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the Matt, e: 26-29. grass of the field will also feed and clothe us. 27 Therefore we are not to worry about the morrow and its needs, but from day to day accept with thankfulness the provision which God sends us. It is easy to trust that God will pro- vide us with what we need, when we have plenty of money and see where the supply is to come from. But trust in God implies that we trust Him to provide for us and are sure that He will do so, even when we see no way by which it can be done. Contentment. — Trust in God means that we commit the 28 Ps. 42 : 5. *4 Matt. 6 : 25. » Matt. 6 : 34. TRUST. 131 entire ordering of our lives to Him, confident that He will shape them in such a way as shall result in our greatest good in the end. We should therefore be content with our lot in life. We may see others, perhaps very wicked people, who are more prosperous and appear to be freer from troubles and trials than we are. We may be tempted to envy them or to murmur and complain of our fate. But we will not do so, if we have the right trust in God and believe that He orders our lives for the best. 28 We may try by legitimate ™ ps. 37:7. means to improve our condition, and ought to do so. But we are not to grow sour or discontented, because we do not attain as great a measure of temporal prosperity as we de- sire. The very things which we desire most may be with- held in mercy. If granted, they might cause the loss of our souls. We see only the present. God sees all the future, the end from the beginning. 29 We should therefore be con- 29 1 8 . 46: 10. tent with our lot as God shapes it, and bear in mind that He does all things well. 30 The principal thing is not our 30 Mark 7: 37 earthly prosperity but the salvation of our souls. And God shapes our lives in such a way as to make them most favor- able for our soul's salvation. Patience and Cheerfulness. — Since the ordering of our life is in God's hands, and all that happens to us is for the best, though we may not see it at the time, we should be patient and cheerful. Every one's life has its share of vex- ations, disappointments and sorrows. If we are children of God, these things are all part of the process necessary to refine us and fit us for our eternal home. We should therefore run with patience the race which is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who bore patiently and cheerfully much greater trials than we can ever be called on to bear. 132 BIBLE TEACHINGS. Courage and Hope. — The trials of the believer, being sent si i cor. io: 13. by God, are never permitted to go beyond his ability. 31 God gives the strength needed to bear them. His grace is suffi- 32 ii cor. 12:8,9. cient for us. 32 As our bodily muscles grow strong by exer- cise, so does our faith. God exercises our faith through ssKom. 5: 3,4. trials. 33 We should, therefore, be brave and hopeful under the ills, disappointments and sorrows of life, knowing that m Matt. 28 : 2o. God is with us, 34 and that with His help we shall not be taxed beyond our strength. When God's purposes are accomp- lished by any burden or trials which He inflicts, He removes them. But even those ills that last through life should not cause us to lose courage. They will all come to an end at last. Our heart is ever to be filled with hope, — hope for better days to come, either here on earth, or if not here, then certainly in heaven. Patiently, bravely and hopefully bearing our cross, we are to follow Jesus, looking for the 85 Tit. 2:13. glorious appearing of our Saviour to receive His own. 35 The trust which they had in God, and the assurance of sal- vation through Christ, enabled the martyrs bravely to endure even the death at the stake. They looked beyond the present to the future glory which God has in store for * i cor. 2 : 9 them that love Him. 36 CHAPTER XXXII. PRAYER. Prayer is as necessary for the life of the soul as breathing is for that of the body. The prayerless man is not and cannot be a Christian. If we live near God, we must com- mune with Him. There are many things which we have to tell Him and ask of Him as our best Friend. We need to thank Him for the many mercies which He bestows upon us daily, to beseech Him to forgive and wash away our sins, to give us strength to love and serve Him, to watch over us and guard us, and to give us His Holy Spirit to strengthen and keep us in the faith. The occasions we have for prayer will be as manifold as our wants and experiences in life. Sorrow and joy, our own needs and those of others, should prompt us to pray, A spirit of prayer should underlie all our activity ; for only by the grace and strength which God supplies can we live and work properly. We should pray not only for ourselves, but for all men ; 1 for our ene- i Tim. 2 : 1. mies 2 as well as our friends. » Matt. 5: 44. Christ Prayed. — Christ Himself has given us an example of prayerfulness. His whole life was one of communion with His heavenly Father. He began His public ministry with prayer ; and He often retired into solitude for extended periods of prayer and meditation. Early in the morning, before the busy work of the day began, He went by Himself and prayed. 3 At night, after He had worked hard, He again 3 Mark i: 35. retired for prayer. 4 Sometimes He continued in prayer 4 Luke 5 : ie. during the whole night. 5 He prayed while He was engaged 5 Luke 6: 12. in His work ; 6 and He thanked God for the success which « John 11 : 42. attended His ministry. 7 On the night before His crucifix- 7 Ma tt. 11 : 25, 134 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 8 John 17- 1-26. 9 Matt. 26 : 36-39. io Luke 23 : 34. n Matt. 27 : 46. 12 Luke 23 . 46. is Matt. 6 : 9-13. i* Matt 6 : 5. ion He offered up His great intercessory prayer. 8 In the garden of Gethsemane He poured out His sorrow-laden soul before His heavenly Father, praying thrice that, if possible, the bitter cup of suffering might pass from Him. 9 On the cross He prayed for His enemies, 10 cried out to God for comfort in His extreme anguish, 11 and, when the moment of death had come, prayerfully and trustfully committed His soul to His heavenly Father's keeping. 12 What to Pray For. — A model prayer has been given to us by Christ Himself in the Lord's Prayer. 13 It is short and simple ; yet it contains all those things for which all Christians without exception have need to pray. It indi- cates, also, the spirit which should animate us in approach- ing the throne of God. We are to come as His children, sure of His Fatherly love. Our first concern should be for the things of God ; and therefore we are taught to pray first, that God's name be hallowed and honored among all men, that His kingdom may be established in their hearts and that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then comes the concern for our own bodily and spiritual welfare. We are taught to pray for our daily bread — a prayer which includes all that is needful for our earthly well-being, — for the forgiveness of our sins, for grace to prevent us from yielding to temptation, and finally to deliver us from the evil one, the devil, and from all the evil of which he is the instigator. The Manner. — Prayer should be the sincere utterance of mere matter of form or habit. It our hearts, and not a should not be made for the sake of appearances, or to secure a reputation for piety. 14 Such prayers are mere hypocrisy. It does not matter in itself whether our prayers are long or short ; but we are not to use vain repetitions as the heathen do, who think they shall be heard for their PRAYER. 135 much speaking. 15 We are not to repeat the Lord's Prayer 15 Matt e: 7- or any other prayer a certain number of times, with the idea that so-doing is a merit on our part and will make amends for some shortcoming. It does not matter whether we pray aloud or silently, in our own words or in the words of another. But the Lord's Prayer should generally be added to our own prayers, as a summary of petitions for those things for which as Chris- tians we ought to pray. We will do well to draw largely from that treasury of prayers, the Psalms. Great profit may be derived also from the use of good prayer-books. We may find in them the very prayer which our heart desired to express, but for which it was unable to find the proper words. Such books are aids to devotion, written by pious men ; and they help us to pray for those things for which we ought to pray, but which, without their aid, we might neglect. The same is true of the Church Book, which contains many short prayers, called collects, and numerous other prayers for various occasions and conditions. Such aids to devotion should be diligently used. They are a treasure of the Church for which we ought to be thankful. Our Posture. — The posture which we assume in prayer should be one which indicates reverence for the Almighty God into whose presence we weak and sinful beings come. Ordinarily this should be kneeling or standing, though it is possible, of course, to pray in any position. In the public services on the Lord's Day we stand during prayer, because it is the day of the Lord's resurrection and a day of joy. Kneeling is an attitude of humiliation. It is particularly appropriate as an outward expression of the feeling of humility with which we should approach God's throne. Our prayers are not, indeed, heard because of the posture 136 BIBLE TEACHINGS. we assume. But in so far as the posture is an indication of the spirit in which we come before God, it indicates also whether our prayers are acceptable or not. If we come before the Lord in a proper spirit of reverence and humility, we will endeavor to give outward expression to our inward attitude. Unless there be physical inability to stand, the habit of those who sit while others stand in church is extremely reprehensible and an evidence of the lack of proper reverence for God. When We Should Pray. — The Christian should pray i« Luke 21: 36. always. 16 We cannot, indeed, be always uttering articulate prayers; but our soul should ever be open toward God. We should pray whenever we feel the need of prayer : when we are tempted to do wrong, 17 when we are exposed to danger, 18 when we are in distress and need God's help, 19 when we are bowed down by a burden of guilt 20 or sorrow, 21 when we or our friends are sick : 22 in fact, every time we feel the need of God's help and blessing, or have received 23 pwi. 4: 6. any special tokens of His grace and mercy. 23 24 Dan. e: io. But we ought also to have stated times of prayer. 24 We should pray when we rise in the morning, when we go to bed at night, and when we sit down at the table to enjoy the food which God has provided for us. We should never neglect these seasons of prayer on any pretext of haste or weariness. The head of the family should gather the mem- bers of his household around him morning and evening for * josh. 24: 15. family worship. 25 This is a much neglected custom in these days, but one which, if observed, proves an inestimable blessing to the members of such a household. We should also join heartily in the prayers in the church, remembering that the minister prays not for himself alone, but for the whole congregation, of which we are a part. » Matt. 26 : 41. 18 Matt. 8 : 1 25. 13 Matt. 15 : 22. £0 Luke 18 : 13. Ps. 51. si Ps. 25 : 16 ,17. 22 Jas. 5 : 14 ,15. PRAYER. 137 Praying in Christ's Name. — We should pray in Christ's name. If we do not, our prayers are not heard. But if we do, we have a special promise that they will be heard. Whatsoever we ask the Father in His name will be given tO US. 26 so John 15: 10. To pray in Christ's name means to pray as those who are reconciled to God through Christ. We do not deserve that God should hear our prayers, but rather that He should inflict temporal and eternal punishment upon us. But through Christ we have access to God, 27 enjoy his favor, 28 ^S 1 ^ 2 ^. 1 * and have the assurance that He hears and will answer our prayers. 29 29 j0 hn 16 : 24. To pray in Christ's name means, however, also to pray in His spirit ; that is, to ask for things in the same way in which He asked for them. We should entrust to the wisdom and love of God the doing or not doing what we ask. 30 We must always set His will above our own. No 3ou hn5:i4. matter how ardently we may desire the bestowal of a par- ticular blessing or the removal of a particular burden, we should say with Christ, "Not my will, but Thine be done." 31 We are short-sighted. God alone knows what is 31 ^ att - 26: 29 - ° Matt. 6 : 10. best for us. The Answer to Prayer. — God always hears and answers the prayer of the believer. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much. 32 But we must ask in 32j as . 5-.16. faith, not wavering or doubting. 83 Only faith and not doubt 33 Jas . 1: 6; 7 . receives the answer to prayer. God's answer to our prayer may be delayed, and often is. If so, we should continue to pray unceasingly until we are heard. 34 God decides on the time for answering our 34L "keii:5io; requests. He also decides on the manner. He may answer our prayer in a way altogether different from what 18: 1- 138 BIBLE TEACHINGS. we wished or expected, but in a manner no less effectual. We may ask, for instance, for the prevention of a sorrow or the removal of a burden. Apparently the prayer is unheard ; for the sorrow comes, and the burden remains. But at the same time we are given the strength needed to bear our cross ; we grow spiritually strong. And this 86 it cor. 12: 9. increase of strength is God's answer to our prayer. 35 His grace becomes sufficient for us. In the end this is a greater blessing than that for which we originally prayed ; just as it is a greater blessing to possess the strength of a man and bear easily a burden of a hundred pounds, than to possess only the strength of a child or an invalid and stagger under the weight of ten. God wants us to be strong in the faith ; and He lets us exercise and strengthen our faith by bearing burdens. CHAPTER XXXIII. SELF-DEFENSE. The Christian must defend himself against the enemies of his soul. If he does not, they will rob him of the salvation which has become his by faith. For this reason the Scrip- tures exhort us to work out our own salvation with fear and iiTta? ! 6M2 trembling, 1 to fight the good fight of faith, 2 and to hold fast 3 Rev. 3: ii. what we have that no one take our crown. 3 We must not only become Christians but remain Christians. Only he 4 Matt. 24 : 13. that endureth to the end shall be saved. 4 The Good Fight. — The Christian must fight the good fight & i Tim. 6 -. i2. of faith, if he would lay hold on eternal life. 5 He must defend himself against the enemies who seek to destroy his soul. These enemies are our own flesh, or the old evil nature which remains in us alongside of the new nature im • SELF-DEFENSE. 139 planted by faith ; the world with its enticements and allure- ments to sin ; and the devil, the source and promoter of every evil thing. These enemies constantly tempt us to do evil, and we must fight against them, otherwise they will overcome us and bring about our everlasting ruin. What is at Stake. — On the issue of this conflict hangs the eternal welfare of our soul. If we lose our soul, we lose all. "What will it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul ? or what will a man give in exchange for his soul ? " 6 To make our salvation possi- o Mark 8: 36,87 ble, Jesus died the cruel death of the cross. If our soul possesses such value in His eyes, it certainly should possess the greatest value in our own. And we should spare no effort to preserve it in the faith against every assault of our foes. Temptation. — The form in which the enemies of our soul make their attacks is temptation. And we must defend ourselves against them by resolutely refusing to obey their evil promptings. Temptation must be repelled at once. If we delay, or dally with it, we have already half lost the battle. Temptations come to all from within and without. Some are more strongly tempted than others, owing to their par- ticular disposition or their unfavorable surroundings. But no one escapes temptation entirely. On the contrary, all are tempted severely enough to require all the determina- tion of their will and all the strength they derive from God, in order to overcome. Temptation in itself is not sin ; for the Saviour Himself was tempted. 7 But unless we are con- 7 ^*£'*!i stantly on our guard against it and resist it steadfastly, it will lead us into sin. 8 It often comes in unexpected »ipet. 5:8. forms and at unexpected times. For this reason we must watch and pray. 9 If we do not, we shall be taken unawares, » Matt. 26: «. 140 BIBLE TEACHINGS. as an army is sometimes taken unawares by its enemies and defeated. Effort Necessary. — No one ever won a battle worth the winning without great effort. Men must strive hard for earthly success and reward. And in spiritual things, as in others, victory means effort and determination. If men are willing to strive hard for the fleeting rewards of earth, we ought surely be willing and ready to undergo every 10 1 cor. 9 25. hardship for the sake of winning the crown of eternal life. 10 The victory is worth all it costs. For to those who over- come, it shall be granted to sit with Christ in His throne, even as He also overcame and is set down with His Father ii Rev. 3 : 2i. in His throne. 11 The Flesh. — Our greatest peril lies in ourselves; our most dangerous enemy is our own bad nature, with which 12 jas. i: 14. we were born, and which the Scripture calls the flesh. 12 We must contend against the evil lusts that war against the is i pet. 2: ii, soul 1S as long as we live on earth ; for we shall never be free from their sinful promptings. If we value our souls, we dare not yield our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but must yield them as instruments of righteous- H Rom. 6: i3. ness unto God. 14 We must mortify our members which are it coi. 3:5. upon the earth, 15 and crucify the flesh with its affections io Gai. 5: 24. and lusts. 10 Among the sins to which the flesh tempts are lust, or wicked desires, laziness, gluttony, drunkenness, greed, deceit, malice, dishonesty, hatred, envy and the like. Different persons are tempted differently, according to their natural disposition and inclinations. But in one form or another the flesh constantly tempts us all. It is our natural inclination to evil that makes us so susceptible to the temp- tations of the world and of Satan. The "World. — Our second enemy is the world, that is, the SELF-DEFENSE. 141 people and society that live a worldly life. The world has become estranged from God, and seeks to estrange us from Him. It seeks through our evil nature to turn us aside from the love of God to the love of the sinful things of the world, from the loving of God above all things to the loving of earthly objects more than God. But we must " not love the world, neither the things of the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world." 17 i7ij hn2:i5,i& We are in the world and have our place and work in it, but we are not to be of it. 18 We are to be separated from is j hn 17:15,16. its sin and evil. We are not to seek to escape from its temptations by fleeing away from our fellow-men and becoming hermits or monks, but, remaining in our place and sphere, we are to overcome its temptations by the grace of God. 19 We are to have no fellowship with the i9ijohn5:4. unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to reprove them. 20 *>Eph. 5:11. We are to deny its ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously and godly. 21 Its gains, its sinful indul- 21 Tit. 2: 12. gences, its ambitions, its honors, — none of these things should be permitted to lure us from the allegiance which we owe to God. Its hatred, envy, enmity, violence, injustice, insults and injuries should not be permitted to hurry us into anger, impatience or kindred sins against the Christian law of love. And the example of others who do evil, however great their number, should not be permitted to influence us to a similar course. 22 "Wide is the gate and 22Exod. 23:2. broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many there be that go in thereat ; but strait is the gate and nar- row is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. " ^ 23 Matt. 7 : 13,14. 142 BIBLE TEACHINGS. The Devil. — Behind all the temptations of the flesh and the world is the devil, the great arch-enemy of God and man. The devil uses the flesh and the world as his allies, and is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to tempt •* i Pet. 5:8. us through one or the other. 24 He uses every possible means by which he can hope to incite us to evil. But he delights especially in attacking us at our weakest point, and tempting us to that kind of transgression to which our own heart is most inclined, whether it be laziness, lust, greed, anger, evil-speaking, pride, envy or any other sin. He tempts us to despise God's Word, to fall into doubt and unbelief, presumption, self-righteousness, stubbornness of heart, despair, denial of God and every other species of sin, worldly or spiritual. TVe must be constantly on our guard against him by watchfulness and prayer, and must continue to repel his assaults day after day. ISTo one can serve two as Matt. 6: 24. masters. 25 And if we would be servants of Christ, we must refuse to do the bidding of Satan. Temptations are Trials. — Temptations are meant by Satan for our ruin, but are permitted by God for the trial of our Kjas.i-.i2. faith. 26 Temptation, overcome, makes our faith stronger. God Himself does not tempt us to sin, though He permits Satan to do so. " God cannot be tempted of evil, neither 2:jas. 1:13. tempteth He any man." 27 In the passages in which the Bible speaks of God as tempting any person, the word tempt does not mean a tempting to sin, but a trying or testing. ss Gen. 22 : i. God tempted Abraham 28 and others in the sense of trying or testing their faith. And He permits Satan to tempt us, because temptations serve the purpose of testing and prov- ing our faith. They show whether our faith is true, and whether we really love God enough to refrain from sin for His sake. SELF-DENIAL. 143 We are, indeed, in the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer, taught to pray to God, " Lead us not into temptation." But the meaning of the petition is, that God would hinder the world, the flesh and the devil from tempting us, and give us strength to overcome when they do tempt us. God wants us to do right and not wrong. He would not and cannot therefore tempt us to do evil. Help in the Conflict. — Christ himself was tempted and knows what temptation means for us. He sympathizes with us and helps us when we are tempted. 29 We need His »Heb. 2: w. help. We cannot fight the good fight in our own strength. But His strength is sufficient for us. With His help we can conquer. We should constantly pray for it. God does not permit us to be tempted beyond our ability, but gives strength in proportion to the trial to those who seek it of Him. 30 With His help we can win the victory, and receive soicor. 10: is. the crown of life. 31 «iKev. 2: 10. CHAPTER XXXIV. SELF-DENIAL. If we wish Christ to recognize us as His disciples, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. 1 Without self-denial, no one can be a Christian. iLuke»: 23. What Self-denial Means. — We belong to Christ by faith. We no longer belong to ourselves. We dare not, therefore, follow our own will, but must do the will of Christ. 2 Con- sicor. e: 20. sequently we must decide in favor of Christ's will, when- ever there is a conflict between His will and the desires of our own heart. We cannot do Christ's will and that of the flesh at the same time. One or the other 144 BIBLE TEACHINGS. s Matt. 6:24. must be denied. 3 And we are to deny ourselves and not Christ. Crucifying' the Flesh. — We must not only subdue our sinful passions, and suppress all ungodliness and worldly lusts, but we must willingly sacrifice our innocent desires and our earthly affections whenever they interfere with the performance of the will of Christ. The flesh must be cruci- 4 Gai. 5:24. fied with its affections and lusts, 4 and our whole being be brought into harmony with Him. The love of Christ should 6 ii cor. 5 : M. constrain us 5 in all that we think and say and do. We should be able to say with St. Paul : "lam crucified with Christ ; nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself « Gai. 2: 20. for me." 6 We are to live for Christ and for Him alone. Its Deep Significance. — Genuine self-denial means more, therefore, than the giving up of a pleasure now and then, and the making of an occasional sacrifice for our religion. It means the entire setting aside of ourselves, and the com- plete and absolute subordination of all our own desires and affections to God's will. This denial of self and entire harmony of our being with Christ is but imperfectly accom- t phii. 3:12. plished in us here on earth. 7 We shall not be made per- e i joirn 3: 2. fectly like Him till the day of judgment. 8 But if that complete transformation is to take place in us then, the be- ginning of it must be made here on earth. "What it Involves. — Self-denial involves the giving up of 9 Tit. 2: 12. everything that is sinful, 9 no matter how much the prospect of gain or pleasure may tempt us to pursue it. It also in- volves the giving up all of those things which, though they are innocent in themselves, expose us to temptation, imperil 10 Matt.'5 6 - : 29' our sa lvation, or stand in the way of doing our duty. 10 And SELF-DENIAL. 145 inasmuch as we are to think of the welfare and salvation of others as well as of our own, it means that we should, when- ever it is necessary, forego our own comfort and pleasure in order to promote their welfare and avoid giving offense to them. 11 n I cor. 8: is. Its Necessity. — The life of the Christian is a constant conflict against opposing powers of evil. We must there- fore willingly give up everything that would weaken us in any way or interfere with the performance of our whole duty. Our life is described in the Scriptures as a race for the crown of. life. 12 Anything which would lessen our i2icor,9:24-26. chances of winning should be willingly sacrificed. Self- denial is and must be practiced by those who hope to suc- ceed in earthly contests. The racer, the boxer, the wrestler and all others who take part in athletic contests, dare not gratify every desire, but must deny themselves many indul- gences and subject themselves to the most rigid training in order to win. Their body and mind must be brought to the highest possible state of efficiency. Otherwise they cannot win. They must subdue themselves before they can hope to subdue others. And they grudge no denial or sacrifice which may be necessary to secure the result they seek. " Now they do it for a corruptible crown, but we for an incorruptible" 13 one. We should certainly be willing to uicor. 9.m sacrifice as much for the sake of winning our eternal salva- ' tion as they for a temporary reward. We can win nothing worth the winning either in earthly or spiritual things by taking our own ease, seeking our own comfort, and gratify- ing every desire. The Sin of Self-Indulgence. — In this pampered age of luxury, the virtue of self-denial is very rare. Even many who profess to be good Christians seldom think of denying 10 146 BIBLE TEACHINGS. themselves a comfort, a convenience or a pleasure for the sake of furthering their own spiritual welfare or the cause of Christ. The self-indulgent spirit of the age has infected them also. If they make any sacrifices for their religion at all, it is with much grumbling and complaining about the hardship it involves. Personal ease and comfort are but too often placed above the interests of the soul and of i* pwi. 2: 21. Christ's kingdom on earth. 14 But such self-indulgence is a sin. We are in this world for the purpose of doing the greatest amount of good with our talents and possessions, and not for the purpose of gratifying our own selfish desires and appetites. Acts of Self-Denial and Self-Sacrifice. — The particular acts of self-denial which may be required of us depend very much upon our natural disposition, our station in life, and our surroundings. One will have to deny himself in one way, and another in another way. Every day will bring to light new occasions for us to exercise this Christian grace. We are to be thoroughly unselfish, placing our- selves in the background, and caring above all things for is i cor. io: 24. the will of God and the happiness of others. 15 We are to sacrifice our money, our comfort, our convenience, our ad- vantage and our pleasure, whenever true love to God or man i6 Gai. i : io. requires it. We are not to please ourselves but Christ, 16 17 Rom. is: 2. and are to be ready to serve others always, 17 even though it demands the greatest sacrifices on our part. We are to go on in the path to which duty points without consulting is Gai. i: i6. our own inclinations. 18 We are to do so even at the risk of our life and in the face of certain death. He that saves his life, that is, who places his earthly comfort and safety above the duty which he owes to Christ* shall lose it; but he who loses his life for Christ's sake, SELF-DENIAL. 147 and willingly makes every sacrifice which his religion de- mands, shall save it. 19 He shall receive life eternal. ieLuke9: 24. The Joy of Self-Sacrifice. — The making of sacrifices for the sake of furthering Christ's cause or of rendering others happy, though often difficult at the time, is one of the greatest sources of happiness open to us. To be unselfish, to place the happiness of others above our own, and to sacrifice our own wishes and desires for their sakes, is the surest way to be happy ourselves. It gives us a good con- science and the consciousness of having acted in the spirit of Christ. 20 It gives us the joy of seeing the discomfort aoR m. 15: s. and misery of others turned into rejoicing by our efforts. " It is more blessed to give than receive." 21 And the truth 21 Acts 20: 35. of these words is experienced by none so fully and com- pletely as by those who give themselves, who sacrifice their own strength, time, advantage and pleasure for the sake of extend- ing Christ's kingdom and of doing good to their fellow-men. The Example of Christ. — The Saviour is our example of perfect self-denial. He forgot Himself entirely in His desire to do the will of His Father and to promote the happiness of men. He sought not His own pleasure, honor or glory, but the glory of God alone. 22 To secure our eternal happiness, He 2*j hn8: 49,5a yielded up His life through the cruel death of the cross. His reward was the privilege of seeing the human race redeemed by His sufferings from sin and eternal destruction. It was the prospect of this reward that encouraged Him to go for- ward in His path of suffering. " He endured the cross, despising the shame" for the sake of this a joy that was set before Him." 23 The prospect of our reward should en- ssneb. 12: 2. courage us also. All the sacrifices demanded by faithful- ness to Christ are not worthy to be compared with the reward which Christ has in store for the faithful. 24 This 2* Rom. 8: is. 148 BIBLE TEACHINGS. was the comfort of St. Paul, who was so eminently dis- tinguished for the greatness of his self-denial and self- sacrifice. And he joyfully declares: "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day ; and not » ii Tim. 4: s. to me only, but to all them also that love His appearing," 25 3 I Cor. 9 : 27 * I Pet. 4 : 7. CHAPTER XXXV. SELF-CONTROL. i Tit. 2 : i2. We should subdue and suppress ail sinful passions, 1 and should exercise temperance and moderation in the indul- gence of those appetites and desires which are in themselves 2 1 cor. 9:25. innocent. 2 We must control our body and bring it into subjection; 8 and we must also control our mind, 4 so that we may not be ruled by our natural inclinations, disposition, thoughts, desires and impulses, but hold them all in check. Self-control is absolutely necessary, if we would keep from being hurried into sin by our evil impulses and passions, e i cor .10: i2 an( j ^ enaD l e d to serve God to the best effect. 5 To acquire .Luke 21 : 34-36. * such self-control means to achieve a victory over self. And while we shall never succeed perfectly in this world, we will succeed in a large measure, if we earnestly try. The victory is worth the effort. He that ruleth his own spirit is better «prov. i6: 32. than he that taketh a city. 6 Our Mind and Temper are to become more and more t Phii. 2 : 5. Christ-like. 7 We should therefore bring our mind under the control of our will, curb its propensities to evil, and direct it into right channels. We are to be believing, loving, thankful, peaceable, gentle, kind, contented, tem- 8 ii Pet uw. P erate > patient, brave, cheerful and hopeful. 8 When we feel SELF-CONTROL. 149 any impulses to be and act otherwise, we are to suppress them by the power of our will, and bring our thoughts and feelings into harmony with the requirements of Christ and the example He has given. Feelings of envy, jealousy, pride, anger, hatred, lust, covetousness, avarice and deceit may arise in the heart. 9 If they do, we are not to give 9 Matt 15; i& way to them in word or deed, but kill the evil in the bud. If we do not control these impulses of the heart, they will soon control us and make us their slave. We must keep our heart with all diligence ; for out of it are the issues of life. 10 Many a person has ceased to be his own master, and wprov. 4: 23. has become the miserable slave of his own evil passions. Anger. — There is a just anger and indignation against sin, such as Christ felt and manifested when He found the temple profaned. 11 But all other anger is sinful and to be n Matt. 21:12,13, avoided. 12 Life is, indeed, full of vexations and trials of 1sBph.4-.31. our patience. All are tempted to give way to anger some- times ; and those who are of an impulsive disposition are tempted to give way to anger on very slight provocation. But however great the provocation, we are to keep control of our temper. And when others speak angrily to us, we are to remember that " a soft answer turneth away wrath." 13 isprov. 15: 1. " For the wrath of men worketh not the righteousness of God." 14 Even when we have been greatly offended and ujas. 1:20. injured, we are not to let ourselves be carried away by our feelings, nor seek revenge; "for vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." 15 We are to forgive one another, 15 Bom. 12:19. even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. 16 i6E P h.4: 32. Its Evil Consequences. — To give way to anger is a sin, and leads to other sins. It has often led to murder. 17 And 17 Gen. 4: &s. even when its consequences are not so extreme, it invariably produces evil results. To allow ourselves to be controlled by 150 BIBLE TEACHINGS. anger is to become the helpless tool of Satan. In anger words are said which are afterwards bitterly regretted, but which cannot be unsaid and whose effect cannot be effaced. Anger is nearly always unjust ; it is always harsh. If it tells the isEph. 4:15. truth, it does not tell it in love as the Christian should. 18 It nearly always exaggerates. It leads to profanity. Its effects upon the person who is guilty of it and upon others is very bad. It lowers his respect for himself, and lowers the respect of others for him. It diminishes his influence for good, and wastes a large portion of his energies. It causes others a great deal of annoyance, and often a great deal of misery. We should learn to control our temper, or we shall do and say many things which in our better selves we do not intend, and be hindered from doing things which we really desire to do. A person with a quick and violent temper will, unless he keeps it under control, be a burden to himself and to every one around him. The Tongue. — The tongue is a little member of our body, i» jas. 3 : 5. but a powerful instrument for good or evil. 19 Unless we learn to keep it under control, we shall do a great deal of wrong and cause a great deal of suffering to ourselves and 2oecci. 3:7. to others. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. 20 And we should be careful to do as the occasion demands. Toward God we should use our tongue in praise, thanks- giving and prayer. Toward men we should use it in speak- 21 Eph. 4: is. ing the truth in love. 21 Profanity. — Cursing and swearing are serious and great sins. We must not let ourselves be guilty of them under the severest provocation, much less let them become a habit. The great prevalence of these sins disposes many people to regard them as of no great consequence. But they grossly deceive themselves. Profanity is expressly SELF-CONTROL. 151 forbidden by the second commandment of the Decalogue. And that commandment has a special threat against trans- gressors : " The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." 22 To take the holy name of God in ssExod. 20:7. vain is and can be no light matter. For every idle word that men speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. 23 What then will become of those who » Matt. 12: 36. recklessly take the name of God in vain ? Falsehood and Slander. — A lying tongue is an abomina- tion, unto the Lord. 24 We are to put away lying and speak 24Prov.6:i6,i7. the truth to our neighbor. 25 We are to be especially on 25Eph.4:25. our guard against speaking evil of others. We are expressly forbidden by the eighth commandment to bear false wit- ness against them. 26 We must not slander them nor take 26 E xod. 2o:ie. delight in hearing and repeating evil reports concerning them. We are to judge charitably of other people, 27 and 27 Luke 6 : 36,37. so far as possible speak well of them. We are not to excuse or make light of sin ; but whenever possible we are to ascribe good and not evil motives to others. If we can- not speak well of them, we had better not speak of them at all. To speak evil of others is a great sin, and creates an enormous amount of misery in the world. Evil words once uttered cannot be unsaid, but pass with aston- ishing rapidity from one mouth to another ; and what was at first a little flame becomes a great conflagration. 28 28 jas. 3: 5. How Tamed. — An unruly tongue is full of deadly poison. 29 29 Jas . 3 : 8. Unless we bridle our tongue, our religion is vain. 80 To use sojas. i: 26. the tongue for the purpose of slandering or cursing our fellow men and at the same time for praising God is the greatest hypocrisy. 81 God cannot accept such praise. If 3ijas,3: 10. we value our salvation, we must keep our tongue under control. No one can tame our tongue but we ourselves. 152 BIBLE TEACHINGS. But we can do so, if we will, by the grace of God. We must do so, if we would avoid bringing misery upon others and trouble upon ourselves in this world, and would escape eternal condemnation in the world to come. Temperance. — While on the one hand we subdue and suppress all those desires, appetites and impulses which are in themselves sinful, we are on the other hand also to keep in control those appetites and desires which are in themselves lawful, and indulge them with moderation. We are to be temperate in all things : in eating, in drinking, in our cloth- ing, in our pleasures, our ambitions and our pursuit of gain. Intemperance of any kind interferes with the performance of our duties in life. Drunkenness is a very prevalent evil and a great sin. A 'i cor. 6: 10. drunkard shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. 32 He lowers himself below the brute, deliberately robs himself of the use of that reason and understanding which ought to be his particular glory as a man, wastes his money, impov- erishes his family, brings disgrace upon himself and others, and, unless he repents, casts away the salvation of his soul. A Dreadful Slavery.— Those who have become the slaves of drink find it very hard to free themselves from their bondage. The liking for strong drink which they have acquired, the associations and companionships which they have formed, and the hold which their habit has upon them are so strong, that it is only by the grace of God and the utmost power of their will that they can return to habits of sobriety. A Warning. — We are, therefore, to take warning against the formation of this habit, and should withstand the first temptations to such an evil. The Bible warns us against the perils of strong drink : " Wine is a mocker, and strong drink 36 Phil. 3 : 19. I Pet. 4 : 3. SELF-CONTROL. 153 is raging : and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." 33 ssprov. 20 l " Who hath woe? who hath sorrow ? who hath contentions? who hath babbling ? who hath wounds without cause ? who hath redness of eyes ? They that tarry long at the wine ; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder." 34 We should care- 34 p r0 v. 23:29-32 fully avoid the places and the companions that would tempt us. Many will find it best and safest for themselves to ab- stain from all use of strong drink; and all should abstain, whenever a contrary course would give offense to others. 35 ssicor.s: 13. Gluttony. — Intemperance in eating is as much a sin as drunkenness. 36 Overindulgence in food breeds disease, and unfits body and mind for work quite as much in the long run as intemperance in drinking; though its immediate effects are not so apparent. Many persons would have lived much longer and have been far more effective for good in the world, if they had been temperate in eating. Sensuality. — We should control and subdue every prompt- ing of our nature to lust or sensuality. Evil and unchaste thoughts should be suppressed as soon as they appear in our minds. We should never harbor them or take delight in them. And every word or deed of impurity should be shunned. Those who yield to lust and lewdness enfeeble their body and mind, unfit themselves for the right perform- ance of life's duties, and bring upon themselves the accusa- tions of their own conscience and the curse of God. They shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. 37 Only the wicor. 6:9, pure in heart shall see God. 83 38 Matt. 5: 8. Intemperance of Any Kind a Sin. — We are to use this world as not abusing it. 39 Used in moderation, "every 39icor. 7=31 154 BIBLE TEACHINGS. creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it be « i Tim. 4; 4. received with thanksgiving." 40 But intemperance in the use or pursuit of any earthly blessings, however innocent in themselves, is sinful. It is a proof of an inordinate love of those earthly things, a placing of them above the love and duty which we owe to God. It is idolatry ; for what- ever we love more than God we make our idol. We are « phii. 3 : i9. not to make a god of our stomach fl or of money or of pleasure, nor find in the gratification of our desires the chief object of our life. We are placed in this world for quite another purpose than to get the greatest amount of pleasure out of it. Our chief object should be the employment of « Matt. 6: S3, our powers to serve God and man. 42 And for this reason we should shun intemperance of every kind ; for it inter- feres with the best performance of that duty. CHAPTER XXXVI. SORROW AND PAIN. Believers are called upon to endure much sorrow and pain in this world. They must suffer the afflictions which are common to men, and in addition to these they must en- dure many things just because they are Christians. For the world hates and persecutes them as it did their Master, i John is: 20. Jesus Christ. 1 These afflictions are permitted by God to come upon us for some good purpose. We should therefore bear them all cheerfully and bravely. If we do, then they become our cross, which we take up and bear for Christ's sake. Unless we bear our cross, Christ will not recognize us as His dis- ciples. For He says: "He that taketh not up His cross « Matt. io: 38. and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me." 2 We must SORROW AND PAIN. 155 willingly endure all things and even be ready to die for His sake. The World Full of Sorrow and Pain. — Ever since the Fall into sin, the earth has been the abode of suffering and woe. No person escapes his share of afflictions. " Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward." 3 As death 3 JO b5: 7. followed upon man's transgression, 4 so all the pains and 4 Bom. 5:12. sufferings that embitter our life and that end finally in the death of the body are the result and consequence of sin. If there were no sin, there would be no sorrow or pain, just as there is no. sorrow or pain in heaven, 5 because there is 5Kev. 21:4, no sin there. For the wicked and impenitent, these sorrows of life are a punishment for their sins, because they are still under the wrath of God. But for those who believe and are forgiven for Christ's sake, these afflictions are no longer a punishment, but a correction and chastening. 6 •icor.u: sa It should be borne in mind, however, that while repent- ance for sin brings forgiveness, it does not make the sinful deed undone nor remove its earthly consequences. One who has ruined his health by a course of sensualty or drunkenness does not find his health restored by his repent- ance. And while the consequences of misdeeds done by those who have repented are to be regarded no longer as a punishment but as a chastening, the fact that those conse- quences remain, even after we have repented and are for- given, should be a warning against any tendency on our part to do wrong on the plea that we may repent and be forgiven. The Prodigal son in the parable was forgiven by his father, but that forgiveness did not restore his wasted patrimony nor repair his broken constitution. 7 TLukeis: 13. Suffering and Punishment. — Since suffering is not always a punishment for sin, we dare not conclude that because 156 BIBLE TEACHINGS. 8 Luke 13 : 1-5. 9 John 9 : 1- ™ Rev. 3 : 19. ii Prov. 3 : 12. 12 Heb. 12 : 8. 13 Isa. 26 : 16. M Isa. 55 : 8. 15 Jer. 29 : 11. some people suffer more than others, therefore they are more wicked. 8 The disciples thought that a certain blind man was suffering for some special sin of his own or of his parents. But Christ corrected them, and said that the man was suffer- ing blindness in order that the glory of God might be manifest in him. 9 The friends of Job accused him of hav- ing committed a great crime, because they saw him suffer so much. But Job defended himself against their accusa- tions, and God Himself took Job's part against them. A Chastening 1 for Believers. — The sorrows of believers are often as severe and even more severe than those of the unbeliever. They are corrections and chastenings, by means of which God seeks to lead them to deeper repentance 10 and stronger faith in Him. For "Whom the Lord loveth He correcteth, even as the father the son in whom he de- lighteth/' 11 Affliction is, therefore, for the believer a sign, not of God's wrath, but of His love. If He did not correct and chasten us, we would not be His children. 12 Chastening Necessary. — We often need the correction which comes through sorrow and pain. Otherwise we would be led astray, forget God and learn to love the world and its sins. Trouble brings us back to God, 13 to seek His mercy anew, and to pray for strength from Him. God's Ways Mysterious. — We do not always understand the reason of God's dealings with us. His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways. 14 But He always deals with us in love, and permits only such things to come upon us as are calculated to do us the most good in the end. His thoughts toward us are thoughts of good and not of evil, 15 even when we cannot understand them. We are His children ; He loves us, and desires our good. And we should, therefore, believe that He doeth all things well. SORROW AND PAIN. 157 Some Uses of Affliction. — We can perceive some of the uses of affliction even here on earth. When everything goes well, we are tempted by our prosperity to forget God, from whom our prosperity comes. In adversity we turn to Him as our only Helper. For this reason the Bible declares that " it is better to go to the house of mourning than go to the house of feasting. " In the former God is much more likely to be remembered than in the latter. The man who is rich is tempted to lean more upon his wealth than on God; 16 while he who is poor is taught by his very poverty «Luke 12: 16^21, to turn to God for provision. He who enjoys uninterrupted health is tempted to forget God in the pursuit of business or pleasure ; while he who is laid for a season upon a bed of sickness or pain is taught to reflect upon the frailty of life, the vanity of all things earthly, and the need of giving thought to the things of eternity. He who has suffered no bereavement is in danger of losing sight of the fact that he and his are mortal ; while he who has laid a dear one in the grave is brought face to face with the fact that death is no respecter of persons. The knowledge that loved ones have gone before us into the eternal world brings that world nearer to our thoughts, and aids us in setting our affection on things above and not on things on the earth. 17 " coi. 3: 2. Blessings in Disguise. — The very things of which we perhaps complain as our greatest hardships are often our greatest blessings. They stand between our souls and eternal destruction. If they were removed, as we sometimes impa- tiently wish that they were, we would fall away from God and be lost. They serve as a check on our evil nature, refine us from the dross of earth as gold is refined in the fire, and purify our thoughts and aspirations. 18 They pre- wisa. 48: 10. pare and fit us, in accordance with God's own plan, to shine 158 BIBLE TEACHINGS. l» Mai. 3 : 17. « Rom. 8 : 18. « I Cor. 13 : 12. M Acts 14 : 22. *3 Rom. 8 : 17. "Heb.12: 1-4. « Acta 7 : 59, as His jewels in the diadem of heaven. 19 If we realize this truth, we shall say with St. Paul, " I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." 20 When We Shall Understand. — In this world we do not understand the reason of all God's dealings with us. But we shall see and understand it all in the world to come. " For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face ; now we know in part, but then we shall know even as we also are known." 21 The sickness, the pain, the sorrow, the poverty, the bereavements, the disappointments, the blighted hopes of life — all these things remain more or less a mystery to us now. But all shall be clear to us then, and we shall see that God has done all things well. Bravery. — " We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." 22 If we would be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, we must " suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." 23 We should bear our sufferings and pains bravely, as Jesus did. He did not shrink back from the path of suffering and pain which God had appointed for Him. He went forward and courageously endured all His dreadful sufferings and pain, because it was His Father's will. When He was beaten by the soldiers of Pilate, when the nails were driven through His hands and feet, when He was raised upon the cross and left to hang there till He died, He bore it all with patient courage. Whenever we are called upon to suffer, and particularly when we are called on to suffer for Christ's sake and in His cause, we should think of His courage, and bear our suffer- ings bravely according to the example which He has given us. 24 Even if it should be necessary for us to die in His cause, we should be willing and ready to do so. 25 In the SORROW AND PAIN. 159 early age of the Church and in the times of the Reforma- tion many Christians had to seal their faith with their blood. They died as martyrs rather than deny Christ. Cheerfulness. — It is easy and deserves no special credit to be cheerful, when there is nothing to make us otherwise. Any one can be cheerful then. But it requires much Christian grace to be cheerful when the heart is filled with sorrow and the body racked with pain. But we should bear all our trials cheerfully and without murmuring, because we know that it is God's will that we should suffer. Murmuring, complaining or growing rebellious under the chastening rod of God only makes our afflictions heavier to bear. God will not permit us to be tried above our strength; 26 and when His good and holy purposes have 26ico r . 10: is. been accomplished by the trials and burdens which He lays upon us, He will remove them. 27 We are to take up our 27 p s . 50 : 15. cross and follow Jesus. 28 We are not to bear our troubles 28 Matt. 10 : as. simply because we must bear them and cannot do otherwise. We are to bear them willingly and cheerfully. Only then do they become our cross. Otherwise they remain simply afflictions like those of the heathen or of the unbelievers. Only when we take them up and bear them as our cross voluntarily and cheerfully, do they accomplish in us the purpose which God intends. XEph. 6 » Col. 3 : 7. 17. 8 Gen. 1 !-S. * Gsn. 2 15, 6 Gen. 3 19. 6 Gen. 4 12. CHAPTEE XXXVII. SERVICE, WORK AND DAILY OCCUPATION. Every person has his place and sphere in the world, and his particular work to do. And whatever our work may be, we are to do it to the best of our ability. For we are to do all things as unto God, 1 and in the name of the Lord Jesus. 2 In doing our work conscientiously, we are serving Him. Men Meant to Work.— God intended from the beginning, that man should work. He told man to subdue the earth, 3 and that involved labor. And when He had planted a garden eastward in Eden, He placed man in it to dress it and keep it. 4 Before the fall into sin, work was an unalloyed pleasure. Since that time it has become in a sense a hard- ship. For man must now earn his bread in the sweat of his face ; 5 and the earth no longer yields its full strength in return for the labor expended upon it. 6 But labor is still a blessing, and idleness a curse. Work Necessary.— Work is necessary for the support of human life. God blesses the earth and makes it fruitful, but man must supply the labor to plough and sow and reap; otherwise the fruitfulness of the earth will not avail him. God has given men the physical and mental faculties neces- sary to devise and manufacture whatever they need for their earthly well-being. But men must work with brain and hands, in order to produce those things which they need. Each person is a wheel, whether great or small, in the machinery of the world's activity. The work of each is useful and necessary in its place for the well-being of society in general. The farmer, the mechanic, the laborer, the merchant, the professional man, the teacher, the seamstress. 160 SERVICE, WORK AND DAILY OCCUPATION. 161 the cook, the housemaid, — each in his or her sphere has a particular work to do which is necessary for the good of all. And each ought to do his or her work faithfully and well. 7 7 Matt. 25 : 14-30 The Dignity of Labor. — No work, however humble, is mean or degrading, if done in Christ's name and for His sake. 8 Many times we are obliged to do work which is not 8 j hni3: 12-17. pleasant or agreeable. And some are obliged to spend their whole life in drudgery day by day. But God regards only the manner in which our work is done, and not whether it is regarded by men as highly respectable or not. The crossing sweeper and the bootblack are doing a work that is pleasing to God, if they do their work well in the fear and love of God. 9 The Scotch cobbler had the right apprecia- »ic©r. 10 : a. tion of the dignity of any honest calling when he declared, that he was a shoemaker by the grace cf God. 10 Often the 10 : cor 7- 21,22. work which seems the greatest drudgery is the most useful. Choice of Occupation. — Any honest occupation is honor- able. But we should, whenever possible, choose that calling in life for which our physical and mental abilities fit us the best. In this case we can use our talents to the best ad- vantage and do the greatest amount of good with them. When, however, there appears to be no opening for the ex- ercise of those talents which we consider to be our highest gifts, we should heartily, promptly and courageously do whatever opportunity offers us, and do it well. Our occupation must be one in which it is possible not only to make money, which seems so often to be the only consideration which men take into account, but one in which it is possible to be a Christian and do right. If any find that they cannot lead a Christian life in the calling in which they are engaged, they should immediately leave it and engage in another. 11 162 BIBLE TEACHINGS. i 1 Cor. 7 : 20. Luke 3 12 14. 2 Eph. 6 : 1-3. 3 Eph. 6 : 6. * Eph. 6 : 9. 15 1 Cor. 7 : 24. Serving God in our Calling. — In the Middle Ages men imagined that, in order to serve God best, they must forsake the ordinary occupations of life and the society of their fellow-men, and become monks or hermits. But they were wrong. We serve God best by doing well and conscien- tiously the duties of every day life,n as obedient children, 12 studious pupils, faithful laborers 13 and thoughtful and con- siderate employers. 14 Not only the minister and others engaged in the special work of the Church, but every Chris- tian who is faithful in the performance of the duties of his station in life, however lowly, is serving God and doing His will. There may be special work in the Church which you can and should do for God. But in any case, you can and should always serve Him in your daily work, 15 by letting your faithfulness in the discharge of your daily duties, your Christ-like demeanor and conduct, your walk and conversa- tion be a testimony for Christ and the power of His Gospel. In this way each can and should let his light shine before men and glorify God. 16 Industry.— We should not be drones in the busy hive of humanity. There is a share of work that falls to each of us, and we should do it cheerfully and gladly. It is part of our duty as Christians to do our daily work. 17 To be sloth- iiThess. 3: n, ftj an( j {^[ e j s sinful. 18 Industry is not only a duty, but it is the path which alone can lead to earthly prosperity. Without good, hard, earnest and persistent work it is im- prov. 24 : 30-34. possible to make headway in the world. 19 Success can only come as the result of honest toil 20 of brain or hands, or both. Idleness a Curse. — Idleness is a sin. It wastes time and talents that should be spent in useful service. Those who are rich enough to live without working for their daily bread need to work, in order to manage their property as M Matt. 5 : 16. » Rom. 12: 11. 20 Prov. 20 : 4. SERVICE, WORK AND DAILY OCCUPATION. 163 trustees of God, and to use it for the purposes which God intends. Rich people who simply take life easy and are of no use to God and their fellow-man will be punished. No rich man has a right to live without doing any work. The moment he becomes free from cares in providing for himself, the duty of assuming his share in the larger burdens of God's work for humanity begins to press upon him. The indolent and the slothful are told by the Scriptures to go to the ant and learn from them the lesson of industry. 21 21 p r0 v. 6: 6-u God- means that we should earn our daily bread. The idler refuses to do his share of the world's work, and yet desires his share of the world's good. This is manifestly unjust. Those who will not work should not eat. 22 Those who idle 22HThess.3:ia away their time are following the course that leads directly to poverty. 23 They provide Satan with the best opportunity 23 p rov . 20: 4. for tempting them to evil. When mind and hand are not busy with something good, the devil readily supplies them with something evil to do. Idleness is an exceedingly fruitful source of crime. Diligence. — Time is a precious possession. It should be properly used and not wasted. 24 When we are at work, we 2401. * : 5. should concentrate our attention on our work, and not dawdle away the hours. Time once passed can never be employed again. The water that has passed through the mill will never come again to turn the wheel. If we desire to do the work allotted to us in the short space of time allotted to human life, we must be diligent. Whatsoever our hand findeth to do we should do with all our might; for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whither we go. 25 We must work while it is 25Ecci. 9: 10. day, before the night cometh when no man can work. 26 26 John 9 4. Faithful Work. — We should be faithful and conscientious 164 BIBLE TEACHINGS. in doing our work. Whatever we do, we should do to the 27 1 cor. io: si. glory of God, 27 and therefore to the best of our ability. A true Christian will perform his work just as well when his employer is absent as when he is present. He knows that even if men do not see whether he does his work well or badly, God sees. Every task should be performed con- scientiously, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but as as Eph. 6 : e. servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 28 It is dishonest to take full wages for work which has been neglected and improperly done. And if an article of trade is defective in workmanship, those who purchase it are de- frauded of their money. The gravest consequences sometimes follow from the failure of men to be reliable and conscientious in their daily work. The operator falls asleep at his post, and the train is wrecked and people are killed, A house or bridge is poorly built, and it breaks down. The majority of accidents, some of them truly appalling, if traced to their source, would doubtless be found due to a neglect of some one to do his duty. We should be faithful in that which is least. For he who is unfaithful in small matters is likely to be unfaithful in «0Bomi2-ii l ar g er ones also. 29 We should be prompt, 30 ready to ac- commodate others, and reliable in keeping our promises. We should be slow in making promises, and make them only when we mean to keep them and see our way clear to do so. Employers. — If we should happen to become employers of others, we should remember the common bands of humanity 3i Eph. 6:9. which unite us with those who labor for us. 31 We should as Matt. 22 : 39. remember to love them as we love ourselves. 32 We should not regard and use them as mere machines, but treat them in a spirit of Christian love and kindness, just as we our- PLEASURE AND ENJOYMENT. 165 selves would like to be treated, if we were in their place. 33 33 Matt. 7: iz Employers have as little right to oppress or be unfair to those under them, as employees have to defraud and neglect the work of those over them. If employers and employees always acted in a Christian spirit of love, the troubles be- tween capital and labor would disappear. CHAPTER XXXVIII. PLEASURE AND ENJOYMENT. The Christian has a right to enjoy himself. The sincer- ity of his religion is not to be judged by the solemnity of his face. But we must confine ourselves to such pleasures only as are innoceij*, indulge in them with moderation, and always make pleasure subordinate to duty. 1 We are placed 1 Matt. 6: ss. in this world not for the purpose of having as much pleasure as possible, but of doing our duty toward God and man. A Religion of Joy. — The Christian religion is one of joy. It is the Gospel, the good-news of salvation. The two great festivals of the Church, Christmas and Easter, come to us with the glad tidings, " Christ is born," and " Christ is risen." Faith in Christ produces joy in the heart. 2 We are reconciled through Him with our heavenly 2 1 p e t. 1 : 8. Father, and are sure of God's love in this world and of eter- nal life in the world to come. This joy no man taketh from us. 3 The greatest blessing which it is possible for man to 3j hni6:22. possess is ours by faith. 4 Therefore we are called on to 4Rom. 5:1. rejoice in the Lord and be glad in Him. 5 We are to be of 5p s . 32: 11. a cheerful and happy disposition. Our religion should make us so. And we should spread sunshine around us wherever we go. 166 BIBLE TEACHINGS. Enjoying God's Earthly Gifts. — While we rejoice above all in the spiritual blessings which are ours by faith, we are to rejoice also in the earthly blessings which God showers upon us so bountifully. If received in the right spirit, they are all meant to add to our happiness. We are to use this • i Tim. 4: 4. world, 6 enjoy its innocent delights, and take our share in its innocent pleasures and amusements. God has surrounded us with the good gifts of His mercy, and fitted our minds with capacity for an almost infinite variety of enjoyment. Games, music, art, the contemplation of nature, reading, conversation, each may become the source of pleasure to man. Taste, smell, sight, hearing, feeling, each of the senses may in turn be an avenue through which plea- sure and enjoyment come to the soul. So long as we confine ourselves to pleasures that are not sinful, and keep within the bounds of moderation, it is right for us to enjoy 1 1 cor. 7: 3i. ourselves. 7 God wants us to be happy. And these pleas- ures of life are meant to lighten our sorrows and help us to bear our burdens. But we must always be on our guard, a i cor. 9: 27. not to exceed the limits of propriety and moderation. 8 Recreation. — Some degree of pleasure and enjoyment is necessary for our physical and mental well-being; and children need more than adults. But mere pleasures should be in the nature of recreation from more serious pursuits. If they go beyond this, they become dissipation, and are sinful. We should never make pleasure the chief object of our life. To do so would be to make it our god. To devote too much of our time and strength to pleasure is to make us unfit for the duties and responsibilities of life. Games for the sake of physical or mental exercise and recreation are right and proper. They become wrong, if playing them becomes a passion and time is wasted on them PLEASURE AND ENJOYMENT. 167 which ought to be spent to better purpose. 9 Games of «Eph. 5:i6. chance are not wrong in themselves. But they become sin- ful, if they are used for the purpose of betting or gambling. Gambling is a sin against the seventh Commandment ; it transfers money from one person to another without the return of an adequate equivalent. Lotteries of any kind are sinful for the same reason, and doubly sinful if they are held for the benefit of a church, as they sometimes are. The Church should give the world an example of righteous- ^p™ 10 10 Matt, 5: 13. °* I Pet. 2 : 12. Dancing is, to say the least, a questionable form of amusement, and in promiscuous assemblies it is to be condemned. It leads very easily to dissipation, and is apt to be detrimental to the health. On account of the late hours and the fatigue by which it is often followed, it is not a help but a hindrance to the best performance of duty. On account of the moral perils and temptations which it involves to the young men and young women who are fascin- ated by it, it is a form of amusement which is of doubtful propriety. The modern style of dancing cannot be justified from the Scriptures. The dancing spoken of there is a dance of the women by themselves 11 and of the men by u judges 21 ■ 21 themselves, 12 as an expression of joy. Worldliness, a frivo- isnsam. 6: 14. lous spirit, and a lack of modesty in apparel and adornment can be justly charged against modern assemblies for danc- ing, even when it is declared by those who take part in them that " the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life ' ' are absent. The Theatre. — The stage, instead of being, as it often claims to be, a teacher of morals, is often practically a teacher of immorality. Plays which make light of sin and offend the sense of modesty and decency should never be 168 BIBLE TEACHINGS. attended under any circumstances. And on account of the force of example, and the danger of giving offense to isiThess.5: 22. others 13 or of encouraging them to go to improper plays — for there are multitudes who lack all sense of discrimina- tion between good and bad plays, — it is a very serious ques- tion whether a Christian should feel himself at liberty to go to the theatre at all. Music. — To those who have the faculty of appreciating it, music is one of the greatest sources of enjoyment. It has charms to chase away sadness and gloom, to fill the mind with noble thoughts, and to inspire to higher efforts. It has a refining and ennobling influence. Luther regarded music as next to theology. He declared, that it is a glori- ous and divine gift by means of which we can drive away many temptations and evil thoughts, and that the devil does not like music. It is one of the most wholesome forms of en- joyment and recreation ; and those who have musical talent should cultivate it for their own sakes and for that of others. It is one of the ways in which we may help to make others happy. It should never be debased by being made the accompaniment to immoral words. Music holds an important place in the services of the Church. In this respect it is a useful handmaid of religion. It adds to our joy in the worship of God by giving musical expression to our devotions. Music is one of the delights i*Bev. 14: 2, 3. of heaven. 14 Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. — Like music, these are fine arts, and may be made the handmaids of religion by aiding in the rearing and adornment of beautiful and attractive houses of worship. They should, however, remain handmaids. When they are seated on the throne, as they are in some churches, they usurp a position that belongs to PLEASUKE AND ENJOYMENT. 169 God's Word alone. Those who have an eye for the beautiful will derive great pleasure from the contemplation of the works of the masters in these arts, whenever they have the opportunity. Nature. — There is no earthly joy sweeter, purer or more restful than that of the contemplation of the beauties of nature, which a merciful God has spread on every side of us. We should cultivate our faculty for appreciating them, and learn to take delight in their contemplation. God made the world beautiful for our sakes. The blue sky with its fleecy clouds, the golden glow of the sunset, the towering mountain peaks, the hills and valleys, the rolling plains, the fragrant woods, the waving grain, the winding river, the babbling brook, the spring by the way-side, and even the spreading trees, the green lawn and the blossoming flowers that grow before the door; — all these are objects of beauty, which are meant by a bountiful Creator to bring joy and delight to our hearts. Conversation. — One of the most common but valuable sources of pleasure and enjoyment at our command is that of conversation with relatives, friends and acquaintances. It is a recreation after work and an inspiration to new endeavor. It is a means of living over again in the com- pany of our friends the joys of the past. It enhances nearly all the joys of the present, because we share and speak of them with others. It opens up to our mind the treasures of knowledge, good-humor and experience stored in the minds of others. Our talent and appreciation for conversation should be cultivated. We should learn to be good listeners as well as good talkers. We should not per- mit ourselves to become incessant chatterers. 15 Nor, on the 15 Matt. 12: S6. other hand, should we be dull and morose in the society of 170 BIBLE TEACHINGS. others. We should not allow our conversation to descend to gossip, or slander, or frivolous jesting, or slang, or vile i* jas. i: 26. and filthy talk. 16 TVit and humor should never be permitted to exceed the bounds of propriety, nor be indulged in at the expense of wounding any one's feelings. Reading. — Literature is another source of pleasure and n i Tim. 4 : i3. enjoyment. It should be a source of profit also. 17 We may sometimes read simply for the purpose of being enter- tained and amused, but not always. "We ought to learn to take delight in reading books of a serious character, on religion, science, history, biography and travels, in order to inform and cultivate our minds. One who reads nothing but novels is bound to waste a great deal of time that ought to be better employed. He gets a view of life that is dis- torted and not at all consistent with the facts of every day life. He weakens his memory ; for he does not read with the purpose of remembering, and therefore fails to do so. He warps his judgment, develops a sickly sentimentality, and deadens real feelings and sympathy for the sufferers in the world around him. He enfeebles his mind generally, so as to unfit him for the best work in his chosen calling. To read novels occasionally, as a relaxation from more serious pursuits or as a change from solid reading, may not harm. But to read novels chiefly, even though they be found in the libraries of the public schools or of the Sunday-schools or in reputable magazines, is a wrong against one's own mind and heart. In reading literature, science, magazines and newspaper articles, we should bear in mind that, however beautiful in thought and sentiment, much of what we read is written by men and women who are moral rather than religious. Many of the world's great writers are not really Christians. PLEASURE AND ENJOYMENT. 171 They may in a certain way believe in the Bible and accept the teachings of Jesus, especially what He says in the Sermon on the Mount ; but it is only from the moral stand- point. They have not learned their sinfulness in God's sight, their need of humility and repentance, the righteous- ness and strict justice of God, their need of the redemption provided by the Saviour, the necessity of the use of the means of grace and of the agency of the Church in saving the world. We must recall this fact, when we meet with statements and ideas from the pen of poets, essayists and scientists, which are not in accord with the Gospel, and must not permit ourselves to be misled by errors in their teaching, however beautifully and forcefully those errors may be expressed. The public schools of our land with their teachers and text-books are not in a position to teach us religion. Church and State are separated in this country. In all instruction and reading under these auspices we must bear this enforced absence of religion in mind, and must not forget that the Word of God is the only light for our souls in life and in death. 18 lsupet.*: i». CHAPTER XXXIX. CHARACTER Our character is what we are in our inner selves. Our habits, our thoughts, our motives, our principles, our virtues and vices, our ways of looking at things and of doing things,— all these taken together constitute our character. The thoughts we think and the deeds we do mold and shape our character continually for good or evil. A strong, well- formed, upright character is worth more to us than gold. A weak, vicious and corrupt character will land us in ruin. The impression which our character makes upon others is our reputation — our good or bad name. " A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." It secures us the honor and respect of our fellow-men ; while a bad name or reputation brings humiliation, disgrace and punishment. "We should seek to preserve our good name : and at the same time we should see to it that we be not hypocrites, but really be what we seem to be. The Ideal of Character is that presented to us by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It was perfect in beauty and strength. For in Him we see in their fulness all the virtues which should shine in us as the fruit of our faith. He was loving, humble, thankful, trustful, cheerful, patient, obedient, peaceable, gentle, kind, brave and courageous. • Phu.2: & The same mind which was in Him should also be in us. 1 The Foundation of Character. — True character must be built up on the foundation of religion, and be based on the consciousness of responsibility to God. It must be devel- oped through the power which God supplies to the believers. Unless it be built on the fear and love of God, it cannot be 172 CHARACTER. 173 relied upon to stand the storm and stress of temptation, but is a house built upon the sand. 2 2 Matt. 7: 26,27. The Formation of Character. — We are born with sinful inclinations and are surrounded by the evil influences of the world. In the new birth we receive inclinations to good, and power to do what is right. The kind of character we possess depends on the result of the conflict between these powers of good and evil. If we permit ourselves to be ruled by the evil, our character will be bad. If we obey the ^promptings of the Holy Spirit within us, our character will develop beauty and strength. 3 a 11 petit «-?. Habits. — For the development of a right character, the formation of correct habits is necessary. Wrong habits come to us naturally and easily, and are hard to break. Correct habits must be acquired by persistent effort. In order to form them, we need a strong determination of our will to do the right. We need to keep a constant watch upon ourselves, and correct ourselves the moment we do wrong. If we resist temptation, however difficult to do so at first, we gradually form the habit of right thinking and acting. Temptation loses more and more of its power as we become confirmed in habits of righteousness. 4 Practice 4j as .4:7. makes perfect in spiritual as well as in earthly things. The oftener we do the right, the easier it is to do it. But we must never cease to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 5 And he "that thinketh he standeth must take 5 Matt. 26: 41. heed lest he fall." 6 Matt. 22: 39. io Mark 14: 7. n jas. 1 : 27. I John 3 : 17. 12 Luke 12 : 48. THE RIGHT USE OF MONEY AND POWER. 227 and we shall be rewarded accordingly on the day of judg- ment. Missions. — We should be concerned not only for the bodily needs of our fellow-men, but especially for their souls. The Lord wants all men to be saved, 15 and has commanded 15 1 Tim. 2 . 4. that His Gospel should be preached m all the world. 16 We leMarkiet 15 should be anxious for the salvation of others as well as for our own. And for this reason we should give liberally to the cause of missions, and thus do what lies in our power to bring the blessed tidings of the Gospel to all. The mission work of our Church is divided into two great branches: Home Missions and Foreign Missions. The work of home missions is to gather into the fold of the Church those of her members who have been scattered abroad in our own country in places where there is no Lutheran Church, or none in which the Gospel is preached in a language which they understand, or where the member- ship is as yet too small to support a church without the aid of others. The work of foreign missions is to send out missionaries to heathen countries to preach the Gospel to those who still sit in the valley of the shadow of death. It is more blessed to give than to receive. 17 And we 17 Acts 20: 35. should count it a glorious privilege to be able to use our earthly means for the purpose of bringing the Gospel to others, and thus hastening the time when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 18 18PM1.2: 10,11. Proper Giving. — What we give to the Church or the poor we should give directly to those objects. Fairs, suppers, sociables and similar schemes, so often used to raise money for the Church or benevolence, are not proper methods. The man who goes to a fair or a supper and buys something 228 BIBLE TEACHINGS. there cannot, by any process of reasoning, be said to have given anything. He has simply paid for something which he has received. Giving to the Lord and to the poor has w Luke 6: 38, the promise of God's blessing. 19 But we must really give, and not imagine that what we spend in such ways is giving. Our gifts should be an offering of love, given without looking for any other return than the approbation "SSSlVti^ of God and our own conscience. 20 Liberality. — We should not only give to the Church and to the poor, but we should give cheerfully. u God loveth 21 ii cor. 9: 7. a cheerful giver." 21 And the promise of His love should urge us to give thus. We should not give grudgingly, or because we cannot easily escape giving something, but give aa ii cor, 9: 6. gladly and liberally. 22 " There is that scattereth and yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat ; and he that watereth shall be watered also him- 23 Prov. 11 : 24,25. Self. ' ' 23 Of those who are wealthy God expects large gifts to the Church and the poor. And from each He expects gifts «4 1 cor. 16: 2. according to their ability. 24 If we can afford only small gifts, but give in proportion to our means, our gifts are just as large in God's sight as those of persons who give more 25 ii cor. 8: 12. because they can afford more. 25 The widow who cast into the treasury her two mites gave more than all the rich persons who had put in large sums ; because they gave of ae Mark 12: 41-44. their abundance, while she gave all she had. 26 We should be careful, however, not to give stingily and then seek shelter behind " the widow's mite." We do not give "the widow's mite," unless we give all we have. We should give liberally ; but we should do so out of love to God and our fellow-men, and not in order to gain applause from men THE EIGHT USE OF MONEY AND POWER. 229 for our liberality. We should not let the left hand know what the right hand doeth ; and God, who seeth in secret, shall reward us openly. 27 27 Matt. 6: 14. All Our Powers. — Not only our money, but all our powers of body and mind are to be placed in the service of God and our fellow-men. These powers also are a trust committed to us by God; and we are responsible to Him for their proper employment. We should cultivate the talents and powers which God has bestowed upon us, so that they may reach the highest degree of efficiency; and we should use them in the service of God, 28 and never in 28Luke *9: 22-23 ' Matt. 25 : 27. the service of sin. If God has given us a good voice, ability to think and speak, fair business talent, power to interest children, a sociable disposition, a fine education, sound bodily strength, influence in the world and in life, or any other gifts, we should gladly place the same at His service and disposal. We should not hide our talent in the napkin of sloth or idleness, but be active in the employment of our opportunites for doing good. Whatever be our posi- tion or calling in life, we should not permit ourselves to become selfish or worldly, but throw the weight of our power and influence on the side of faith and righteousness. God has a great purpose to accomplish on earth. That purpose is to bring all men to faith in Christ and build them up in Christian life. His purpose should be our purpose. And every power and every opportunity should be diligently employed for its accomplishment. CHAPTER XLIX. THE SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE. Human life is sacred ; and its sacredness is guarded by a i Exod. 20: is. special commandment of God : " Thou shalt not kill." 1 We should do nothing to shorten our own life or that of others. To destroy any human life, even though it be very young or yet unborn, is a great crime. Both the Word of God and human laws prescribe that the murderer shall be pun- ished with death. " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man « Gen. 9 : 6. shall his blood be shed. ' ' 2 Why Sacred. — Life is man's most precious earthly possession, without which he cannot enjoy any other. To slay a human being is to put a sudden and unlawful end to his earthly career, to prevent the completion of his life- work, and to interfere with God's plan for him. God s Gen. 2:7. breathed into man at creation the breath of life; 3 and no one but God, who gave the life, has the right to take it away. He made man in his own image; and therefore any one who kills a human being commits an offense against the < Gen. i: 27; 9,6. majesty of God Himself. 4 The Causes "Which Lead to Murder are various. Cain e Gen. 4:i-8. killed Abel from anger and hatred. 5 Joseph's brethren « Gen. 37. plotted to kill him because they were filled with envy. 6 t Matt, 14: 3-n. Herodias caused John the Baptist to be slain for revenge. 7 Judas became the betrayer and murderer of the Lord for e Matt. 26:i4-i6, t ^ e ga k e f g a i n# 8 D av id plotted and carried out the » ii sam. n. murder of Uriah the Hittite in order to hide past sin. 9 Drunkenness, jealousy, rivalry, and robbery often lead to murder. The seeds of murder lie in all these causes which we have enumerated. We should therefore guaid against permitting them to find lodgment in us. 230 THE SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE. 231 " Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer " 10 at heart, u i j hn 3 : 15. and is regarded as such by God, even though fear of pun- ishment and other considerations may keep him from carry- ing his hatred to its logical conclusion. Hatred is murder in the germ. And many a one has nourished and fed his hatred till it ripened into actual crime. Other Forms of Killing. — Outright murder is only one way in which human life is destroyed. Death often results from carelessness in the handling of fire-arms or of danger- ous implements and machinery, from defective workmanship in many branches of labor, from negligence of employees on railroads and elsewhere, and from neglect of proper precau- tions against accidents of various kinds. Those through whose fault such loss of life occurs are accountable for their fellow-men's death. Hurting or Injuring Others in any way ; tempting them to useless and hazardous undertakings in which they perish; enticing them upon the path of drunkenness or some other evil course which leads to their ruin ; requiring too heavy work of children ; compelling employees to labor incessantly without allowing them sufficient time for rest and sleep ; fretting, annoying, tormenting and worrying others, and thus embittering and shortening their life, — all these and similar acts are offenses against the sacredness of human life. We should not, by anything which we do, shorten the life of a fellow-creature. Children who are rebellious and disobedient often bring father and mother to an early grave by their sinful conduct. Worry and anxiety wear out life faster than hard work, and are often as directly fatal as disease. 11 n Gen. 37 . 3i-» Self-Defense. — The law recognizes our right to defend our life when it is unjustly assailed. There are a few cases in 232 BIBLE TEACHINGS. which it is necessary to take another person's life in order to save our own— to kill in self-defense. But even then it must be as the very last resort. We dare not attack another human being, unless it be the only possible way to defend ourselves against him. Often a killing in so-called self- defense might have been avoided and some other method of safety pursued, if the one who was in danger had had a lit- tle more faith in God, had been less moved by passion or fear, or had not acted so rashly and hastily, it is a dread- ful thing to have to take the life of a fellow-being even in self-defense. War. — As a last resort to maintain the right and to up- hold what is more valuable than the life of the individual, war is justifiable. God assisted the Israelites in their just wars against their foes. It is our duty to defend our coun- try with our life. But wars that are undertaken without just cause, and waged from vanity or for the sake of aggran- dizement, are simply brutal murder on a large scale. Rulers of a nation have a vast responsibility in this respect, and are bound to do all that they honorably can to prevent war. If the spirit of Christ permeated all men, wars would cease forever. Duels have very properly fallen under the condemnation of public opinion in most countries. It was manifestly ab- surd as well as sinful to endeavor to establish the right or wrong of a question by a duel, in which the victory did not and could not always fall to the one who Was right, but to the one who could most dexterously handle the pistol or the sword. A man who kills another in a duel is guilty of murder. Hurting or Killing the Soul. — Since the soul is more im- portant than the body, it follows that to hurt or kill the soul is worse even than bodily murder. " Love worketh no ill to THE SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE. 233 his neighbor " 12 either in body or soul. We should be ex- i2R m. is: 10. tremely careful not to injure or destroy our neighbor's soul by teaching or maintaining falsehood and error, by tempting him to commit sin, or by enticing him to evil by our conduct and example. 13 13 Matt, is : 6, 7, Guarding and Preserving Human Life. — Christian love will prompt us not only not to harm our neighbor, but to do all we can to protect his life from harm, to ward off every- thing that would tend to shorten his life, and to help him in time of need. 14 If through our fault or neglect others are 14 Luke 10:3035. left to suffer and perhaps die, God will hold us accountable for it. We are bound by our duty to do all that lies in our power to help those whose life or welfare is threatened by want or danger. 15 15 ^ a "; « : » o Matt. 7: 12. Suicide.— Not only the life of others, but our own life must be regarded as sacred. The same reasons which for- bid murder forbid suicide also. Every other sin leaves people time to repent ; but suicide leaves none. He who commits it, forces himself unprepared into eternity and before the judgment-bar of God. Causes which Lead to It. — In spite of the fact that God has implanted the love of life in every human heart, many people wickedly destroy themselves. Discouraged and dis- heartened by the trials of life, made wretched by their own sins or the cruel treatment of others, filled with despondency by ill-health or reverses in business, covered with disgrace by their own crimes, or overwhelmed with remorse of con- science, 16 they give way to despair, and instead of seeking ie Matt. 27: 3-5 the forgiving and sustaining grace of God and bearing the ills of life bravely, they foolishly and wickedly seek relief in suicide. Foolish. — There could be no act more foolish than that 234 BIBLE TEACHINGS. of the man who kills himself to escape from trouble. He plunges into infinitely greater trouble in the next world. God will call him to account for his act of self-destruction, as well as for every other sin. The folly of suicide is so great, that some claim it can be committed only by one who is at least temporarily insane. No doubt in some cases this is true. But not necessarily in all. It is doubtless often done in spite of better knowledge and in defiance of God. We are not to pass judgment upon others, and are to take as chari- table a view of them as possible. But at the same time, we are to see to it that we realize the enormity of the offense, and never permit ourselves to be swayed by motives which would prompt us to suicide. We should keep the fear of God ever before our eyes. And if we are threatened with despair, we should turn to the TTord of God for comfort and strength. If we ever fall into disgrace by our sins, we should sincerely repent, and make a new and right start in life. Cowardly. — Suicide is not a brave but a cowardly act. He who commits it leaves others, his relatives and friends, and perhaps a helpless wife and children, to face the world which he feared to face, and to bear not only the burdens which he shrank from bearing, but the additional disgrace of his cowardly act. Shortening our Life. — Many people, without committing direct suicide, shorten their life in many ways. Some perish in useless and foolhardy undertakings ; some hasten their death by a life of impurity and sin against the sixth commandment, or by drunkenness and gluttony ; and others shorten their days by overwork, needless exposure, care- lessness, neglect of the proper rules of health, irregular hours of eating and sleeping, giving way to violent outbursts THE SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE. 235 of anger, needless fretting and worrying, or by a life of carous- ing and dissipation. Life is a precious gift of God ; and it is our duty to take proper care of it, so that we may perform the full life-work which God has given us to do. Giving Our Life for Others. — Christ gave His life for us. We should be willing to risk and give up our life for others. 17 wi j hn3-. i«, The soldier who risks his life for his country and fireside, and dies upon the battle-field or in the hospital; the man who perishes in an attempt to save another's life from peril by fire or water or other cause ; the man who exposes his life to administer medicine, spiritual comfort or nursing to those who are ill of contagious diseases, — these men, fol- lowing the course of duty which love to our fellow- men points out, do not commit suicide, but on the contrary per- form acts of heroism which are commendable in the sight of God and man. We can give no higher proof of our love for our fellow-men, than to die for them. 18 is j hni5: is. The man who dies as a martyr rather than deny the faith, not only does not commit sin, but gives the highest and final proof of his devotion to God and duty. 19 "££»:» CHAPTER L. PUEITY OF BODY AND SOUL. i Matt. 5 : 8. 2 Lev. 19 : 2. Exod. 20 : 14. 4 Matt. 15 : 19. e Matt. 5: > Eph. 5 : 3-4. The Saviour says : " Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." 1 And His words imply that those who are not pure, but permit themselves to delight in all manner of impurity, shall not see Him. God is holy ; and we are to be holy, because He is. 2 He has given us the com- mandment: " Thou shalt not commit adultery; " 3 and in many places in the Scriptures He has threatened punish- ment against all who are impure and unchaste in heart or life. In Heart. — The heart is the source of all evil lusts. 4 We should, therefore, first of all earnestly endeavor to keep it free from impure thoughts and desires. 5 We should not for a moment permit our minds to dwell upon or take delight in thoughts which would bring a blush to the cheek, if they were known to our parents or to others whom we love and respect. Those who harbor impure and unchaste thoughts poison their soul, weaken their will, sap their mental and physical energy, diminish their usefulness, and unfit them- selves for that success in life which they might otherwise attain. Impurity of mind and lustful desires are in them- selves a transgression of the sixth commandment. 6 And if not subdued, they soon lead to impurity of word and deed. In Words. — We should be careful in all that we say, and particularly careful not to utter what is immodest and unchaste. Vile talk, shameless jests, ambiguous and sug- gestive words, filthy jokes or stories, and all manner of uncleanness 7 should be avoided, as we would avoid a poison- ous serpent. Impurity is more venomous than the serpent's 236 PURITY OF BODY AND SOUL. 237 tooth. We should never engage in nor listen to any conver- sation which we would be ashamed to have our parents or any one else overhear. In Deeds. — We should bear in mind that God constantly sees all our actions, however hidden they may be from the eyes of men. 8 Every deed of impurity and unchastity, ap a . 139: 1-12. every act that must be hidden in secresy for shame of our fellow-men whose good opinion we value, should be shunned. Our body, as well as our soul, belongs to Christ, and is to be kept holy and pure. 9 We are to present our bodies a »icor.6: 19-201 living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. 10 We dare 10 R m. 12 : 1. not yield our bodies to uncleanness. 11 The apostle exhorts nKom.6: 13. us : " Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not once be named among you as becometh saints ; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting." 12 And he ^Epii. 5? 3-4. warns us: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these : Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciv- iousness, .... of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. " 13 13 Gai. 5 : 19-21. The Curse of Uncleanness. — God does not let those who live in impurity and uncleanness of heart or life go unpunished. Mind and body are always weakened by this sin. And often the penalty is a broken constitution, shameful disease and an early death. In the world to come the punishment is eternal death, and ceaseless torment by those lusts and corruptions to which men have yielded here. " If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 14 nicor. 3: 17 How Guard Against. — We should guard against and sub- Jue the very first promptings of lust within the heart. We 238 BIBLE TEACHINGS. should turn our mind away from them to thoughts of good. We should watch and pray, that we enter not into tempta- tion; because the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is is Matt. 26: 4i. weak. 15 We should avoid all things which have a tendency to incite to impurity : such as evil company, books and other reading matter that is immoral, lewd songs or pic- tures, immoral plays, idleness and intemperance. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman in the bands of mutual love and faithfulness. It was instituted by God Himself in the garden of Eden. For God said, "It is not good for man to be alone ; I will make a help meet for him." So God made Eve, and gave her to Adam i«Gen.2: 18,22. as his wife. 16 Thus the first marriage was solemnized, and the first human family founded. Instituted by God, and sanctioned by the Saviour who performed His first miracle at a wedding, marriage is a holy estate. Not all are called to be married. But those who teach that celibacy, such as that of monks and nuns, is a holier state than married life, teach an error which is it i Tim. 4:1-3. expressly condemned by Scripture. 17 Its Object. — God instituted the state of marriage in order to promote the temporal and eternal happiness of the human race. The relation between husband and wife should be that of pure and true love, like the relation between Christ and His Church. There should be perfect mutual trust and community of interests. They should live together in love and concord, and labor together in harmony for the proper training of the children which God gives them. Together they should rejoice in all life's joys, and together bear all its burdens. Together they should worship and serve God, and cheer and sustain one another in a life of faith. PURITY OF BODY AND SOUL. 239 An Indissoluble Bond. — Marriage is a covenant of God entered into voluntarily by one man and one woman ; but once their vow is made, it is irrevocable. 18 Nothing but death is Matt. »: & can ever lawfully part them. Marriage should, therefore, not be entered upon thoughtlessly or hastily, but with proper forethought and in the fear of God. It is a most important step in life, and means lasting happiness or unhappiness. Those who contemplate such a step should pray that God may ,guide their choice and grant His blessing. Marriage between near relatives is forbidden by the Word of God. 19 i» Lev. is. Harmony of Ideas. — Not all persons suit together for man and wife. For true happiness in married life, harmony of re- ligious and moral ideas is necessary. Marriage between those who are of a different faith, for instance between a Christian and a Jew or a Christian and an infidel, cannot bring a high order of wedded bliss. The marriage of Protestants with Roman Catholics should be avoided on account of the widely divergent views and teachings of their respective Churches on vital points of doctrine and life. Even marriages between Protestants of different denominations possess a measure of peril. The ideal marriage is one which results in an agree- ment of thoughts and ideals in husband and wife ; and this is not possible, unless they hold the same faith. It is important also that husband and wife should possess, as much as possible, the same grade of intelligence, so that there may be mutual respect, mutual appreciation of one another's views, and mutual sympathy in one another's undertakings. For Love. — Marriage should not be entered upon for the sake of convenience, for financial or social advantages, to please friends or relatives, nor simply on account of admir- ation for physical beauty. It should be the result of true 240 BIBLE TEACHINGS. aoEpii. 5:25. love, 20 based on those qualities of mind and heart which each beholds in the other. Parents' Consent. — The essence of marriage consists in the consent of those who are to be married. But children should take into consideration the wishes of their parents, and pay attention to the advice which their wisdom and experience gives. If, on the one hand, parents sometimes seek to interfere with marriages which are right, a heeding of their wishes and counsel would, on the other hand, pre- vent many thoughtless and unhappy marriages. The Blessing" of the Church. — Marriage is valid if per- formed by a civil magistrate. But in this important step, Christians should seek the religious ceremony and the bless- ing which the Lord pronounces upon them through His ordained servant. A religious ceremony gives the newly married couple to one another as a gift of God. As marriage, however, has a civil as well as a religious side, the laws of the State must be strictly obeyed. Relation of Husband and Wife. — The man is the head of *o£Ls* : if tiLe famil y/ 21 but ne is not t0 be a tyrant. 22 He is to give to his wife the place and honor which are due to her as his helpmeet, and as an heir together with him of the grace of 23i Pet. 3: 7. God. 23 This he will do, if he has love for her. Woman is not to be man's slave, but his companion and dearest earthly friend, for whose sake he will leave father and mother, and J* Matt is: s. dinor to her. 24 They are no longer two, but one; ^ with a 2o Matt. 19 : 6. = J ° ' 7 common love, a common life, a common property, common children, common hopes and endeavors, and a common Saviour. They should be patient with one another's faults, just to one another's virtues, mutually esteem one another's good qualities, and try to overcome their own failings. They should unselfishly seek one another's happiness, and DUTIES AS A CITIZEN. 241 in so doing will promote their own. They should live together in mutual love and faithfulness till parted by death. Divorce. — Man and wife are one flesh ; and what God has joined together, no man may put asunder. 26 The mar- 26 Matt. 19 : 6. riage relation cannot be broken or dissolved without sin against the sixth commandment. And any divorces which are granted for any other reason than for unfaithfulness on the part of husband or wife are invalid in God's eyes. The Saviour says : " Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery : and whoso marrieth her that is put away doth commit adultery." 27 Even when a divorce is granted on 27 Matt. 19 : 9. Scriptural grounds, only the innocent party has a right to be married again. The State often grants divorces for other causes than that allowed by the Saviour. But the Church dare not sanction such action by remarrying those who are thus divorced. She cannot add the blessing of the Lord to that which He condemns in His Word. CHAPTER LI. DUTIES AS A CITIZEN. As Christians, we owe duties to the State, as well as to the Church, the family, and mankind in general. The Saviour commands us to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. 1 iMatt. 22: 21. Government Is Divine. — The State is God's minister to regulate the temporal affairs of the human race, to protect the good and punish the criminal. Law and order are of God. 2 2Eom. 13 : 3,< They prevail in heaven, and are to prevail also on earth. " There is no power," that is, no government, " but of God. 16 242 BIBLE TEACHINGS. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damna- 3 Kom. 13 : 1, 2. tion." 3 Anarchy and lawlessness of any kind are of the devil. He is the originator of disobedience and lawless- ness. Its Object. — The object of the State is to preserve order, peace and justice among men; to confirm to each of its citizens those rights which belong to him ; and to restrict his liberty in those things which concern not only his own welfare, but that of his fellow-men. Certain inalienable y/q God has given us as individuals : life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the right to acquire and hold property, and freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience. These rights as individuals, as well as our rights as members of the Church and of the family, the State recognizes and protects. It does not confer them. They belong to us. The office of the State is to safe-guard these rights against the aggression of others. And its manner of fulfilling its obligations must be impartial, with- 4 Deut. i : i6, 17. out respect to the wealth or rank of its citizens. 4 For the law-abiding, government is a minister of good ; for the evil 5 Rom. 13 : 4. doer, it is a " revenger to execute wrath. " 5 " Rulers are not e Rom. i3: s. a terror to good works, but to the evil." 6 Obedience to Its Laws. — So long as the laws of the State do not conflict with the law of God, it is our duty to render implicit obedience to them. }Ye are to submit to them, not simply from fear of punishment, but as a matter of con- siTt^is science 7 for the Lord's sake. 8 Obedience is necessary for the preservation of law and order in the affairs of men. Insurrection and rebellion against the government are sin- « Rom. 13:2. ful. 9 If the government is defective, we dare and should DUTIES AS A CITIZEN. 243 seek to improve it by peaceful and lawful means, but we dare not try to overthrow it. We should never do anything to hinder the operation of its laws, but in every way endeavor to have them carried out. We should by our speech and behavior foster a spirit of respect for law and order. Lynching and similar methods of taking the law into our hands are lawlessness and disobedience. Those who re- sort to them try to punish one crime by committing another. God's Law Higher. — If a government should command anything which is contrary to God's law, it would in that particular respect cease to be His minister, and lose its claim upon our obedience. 10 We must obey God rather lOActsi ». than men. Thus the three men spoken of in the book of Daniel refused to worship the golden image of Nebuchad- nezzar, and chose rather to be cast into the fiery furnace. 11 u Dan. 3. Thus Daniel refused to stop praying to God at the command of the same king, and preferred to be cast into the den of lions. And Luther, at the diet of Worms, refused to obey 12 Dan. e. the command of the emperor to recant what he had spoken and written, because he recognized that his duty to God and his own conscience was higher than his duty to earthly government. Other Duties to the State. — The State levies taxes for its support ; and these the citizen is in duty bound to pay, without any attempt at evasion. We are to render tribute to whom tribute is due. 13 We should love our country, and, 13 Rom. 13 : 7. as true patriots, seek its welfare in times of peace and help to defend it in times of war. We should pray for it and for all who are in authority over us. 14 Such petitions for our m 1 Tim. 2 : 1, a President and for all who are in authority are found in the General Prayer contained in the Church Book and used at the morning service. 244 BIBLE TEACHINGS. We should be anxious not only for the outward pros- perity of our land, but pray and labor for the growth of respect for law and order, and for the increase of faith and righteousness among all classes, remembering that " right- eousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any wprov. i4: 34. people." 15 We should seek the highest good of our country in the development of right Christian character in the indi- viduals who compose it. For the strength of a nation lies not in its armies and guns, but in the character of its people. Church and State. — In this country Church and State are completely separated. Neither has a right to interfere with the affairs of the other. The State deals with the temporal wel- fare, and the Church with the spiritual welfare of men. But we are not on this account to conclude that our American State is a neutral or godless institution. As a matter of fact, it is a Christian State, just as the Church is an American Church. Our government is Christian in its origin and fundamental principles. This is apparent from the whole history of English common law, on which our American law is based. "There has never been a period in which the common law did not recognize Christianity as lying at its foundation. It pronounces illegal every contract offensive to its morals."* A Christian State. — Our government recognizes the exist- ence of God, and requires that all public officers shall be bound by an oath before Almighty God to be faithful to their duties. Testimony in its courts is taken under oath. Its constitution and all legal documents are dated in the year of our Lord. The sanctity of the Lord's day is recog- nized, and contracts made on that day are not legally valid. It prohibits blasphemy by special laws and penalties. It * Mr. Justice Story. DUTIES AS A CITIZEN. 245 forbids the disturbance of the public worship of God. The President appoints days of prayer, fasting and thanksgiving. " Christianity is part of the law of the land." * And while full legal rights are to be guaranteed to the non- Christian minority, we should remember that our land is a Christian land. A godless state cannot exist. The religious character of its people will necessarily be manifested in its laws. Public Officers. — The officers of the government are public servants, and should discharge their office as a sacred trust. 16 i6iisam.23: a And while the Church, as such, should not meddle in the affairs of the State nor enter into politics, her members, when they enter public life, are in duty bound to take their religion with them and make it felt as a power for good. In our civil and political life we should remember that we are Christians, and should always act with the fear of God be- fore our eyes. Integrity, faithfulness, impartiality, and justice tempered with true Christian mercy should charac- terize the conduct of those who are placed in positions of authority." "X&'.i Every voter should remember his share of responsibility in securing righteous government, and cast his vote accord- ing to the dictates of his conscience. He should take his religion with him to the polls as well as into every other avenue of life ; and he should use his suffrage for the fur- therance of truth and righteousness. Honoring Those in Authority. — Those who have been elevated to positions of public trust by the free suffrages of the people should be honored by us for the sake of the office which they hold, whether they belong to our political party or not. The President of these United States is our Presi- dent and ruler, no matter by which party he was elected. * Daniel Webster. 246 BIBLE TEACHINGS. Any belittling or abuse of the President or of others in authority, by means of speeches, conversation, cartoons or newspaper articles, cannot be too strongly condemned as an offense against the respect and honor which is due to our rulers, and which the Scriptures command us to give. It is right and necessary to point out errors and abuses in the government, but it should be done without animosity, bitter- ness or rancor. Paul on one occasion spoke disrespectfully to the high- priest, not knowing that it was the high-priest. But when he learned who it was to whom he had thus spoken, he at once expressed regret for his words. For while that par- ticular high-priest was personally unworthy of respect, the high office which he held forbade the use of disrespectful language ; for it is written : " Thou shalt not speak evil w Acts 23 : 1-4. of the ruler of thy people." 18 Disrespect for those in authority has a powerful tendency to breed disrespect for authority itself. It inclines to lawlessness and anarchy. We should " render to all their due : tribute to whom tribute, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to 19 Bom. 13 : 7. whom honor. ' ' 19 CHAPTER LII. THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE A DAILY REPENTANCE. No matter how earnestly we may try to lead a Christian life, we shall fail of doing many things which we ought to do, and do many things which we ought not to do. 1 We iBom. i-. 18-2& shall never be perfect or sinless in this world. 2 We shall auohni: 8. daily need the forgiveness of God, and are taught by the Saviour to pray for it daily. 3 We are constantly de- 3 Luke 11 : 3, 4. pendent on the grace of God. Our life should, therefore, be one of daily repentance. Retaining God's Grace. — Two temptations must be guarded against, if we would remain in a state of grace and retain God's favor. The first is self-righteousness, or the idea that we are good and holy, and do all that God has any right to expect of us. 4 The other is indifference to sin, or 4 Luke is: 9-14 a lack of concern whether we live a holy life or not. 5 5Eom.6. Either course is fatal to true religion. We should honestly and earnestly endeavor day by day to do God's will in all things. But when we have done so, we should realize that we are unprofitable servants who have done much wrong and omitted much good, and whose only hope of God's con- tinued favor lies in His pardoning grace. S elf-Examination. — We should try to be clear in our own mind what our duty is in every respect. This is to be learned from the teachings of God's Word and especially from the example of our Lord and Saviour. We should scrupulously compare our thoughts, words and actions with the requirements of duty. We should not gloss over nor find excuses for our failings ; but recognize them as sins, and repent. 247 248 BIBLE TEACHINGS. Our Sins. — If we are honest with ourselves in our self- examination, we shall find that we daily sin against God in thought, word and deed. The old nature within us prompts us to all manner of sin ; and only too often we heed its prompt- ings. Consequently we are often selfish, cold in our love to God, wanting in faith and trust, unthankful for His goodness, and lacking in prayerful devotion. We often yield to the temptations of Satan and the world, give way to our own desires instead of denying ourselves, are often proud and vain, impatient and complaining. We are often selfish in our dealings with other men, seek our own advantage at their cost, close our hearts to their needs, judge unkindly of them in our thoughts, impute evil mo- tives to them, speak uncharitably of them, and grieve them by unkind words or actions. We are often inclined to be greedy or stingy or extravagant or idle, to do what is dis- honest, to be insincere and untruthful, to harbor sinful de- sires and lusts, and to cherish envy, hatred, malice and re- venge. We often neglect duties in the home, the Church and the State, fail to hallow the Lord's Day properly, ne- glect the study of God's Word, and have too little concern for our own spiritual welfare and for that of our fellow-men. We cannot discover all our sins. We commit many sins which we do not even think of or know. 6 Repentance. — The sins of which we daily are guilty should fill our hearts with sincere sorrow, with a desire for God's forgiveness, and with a determination to overcome them more and more by the grace of God. If we thus daily repent, we should believe and be sure that we also are daily forgiven for Christ's sake. Looking Forward. — We should neither allow ourselves to be indifferent to our sins nor to be discouraged by them, THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE A DAILY REPENTANCE. 249 but should resolve to do better each day than we did the day before. We should always look forward to higher and better at- tainment in Christian character and life. 7 We should say i n p e t. 3: 17,1a with Paul, " Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect ; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. ' ' 8 Our aim should be to grow more and more like Jesus s pm. 3 ■ 12. pur Saviour. 9 This means a constant struggle ; but it is the 9R m.8: 29. only way in which we can be faithful to Him. Only if we do this, can we say at the end of our days, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." 10 ion Tim. 4: 7. Our Progress. — Some have more to contend with than others in their natural disposition and their surroundings. But all who earnestly endeavor with God's help to make progress in Christian living will succeed in doing so. The progress of some will be more slow than that of others. The man whose boat is in the middle of the stream and ex- posed to the strongest current will, even with the same effort, make less headway by his rowing, than the man who is close to the shore where the current is weaker. In the same way, many Christians make slower progress than others in Christian life, because they have stronger forces of evil to contend against. The important question is, which way is our boat headed and how hard are we rowing. We should see to it that we never permit ourselves to drift with the current of sin, but constantly pull against it. Those who make no effort to stem the current, but permit themselves to drift with it, will drift to eternal destruction. A life of faith requires a constant and unremitting struggle against the forces of evil. We must be faithful unto death, if we would receive the crown of life. 11 "Kev. 2:10. 250 BIBLE TEACHINGS. is PhiL 2 : 5. is Phil. 2: 13. 14 ii cor. 12 : 9. is Luke 11 : 13. i« Gal. 6 : 9. Testing Our Progress. — We may test our progress in holiness by inquiring of our own heart, whether the graces which are seen in the life of the Saviour are displaying themselves more and more in our life. 12 Are hatred and envy giving way to love and good-will within us, pride to humility, falsehood to truth, greediness and stinginess to benevolence and liberality, lust to purity, worldiness to spirituality ? Are we controlling our temper and our tongue better each day, and becoming more unselfish, more willing to serve and be useful to others ? Is the service of God daily becoming more delightful to us ? Do we love Him more, trust Him more, and endeavor more anxiously to please Him ? Praying For Strength. — It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 13 Without His help, we cannot succeed in overcoming the forces of evil within and without. When we daily repent of our shortcomings and seek His forgiveness in prayer, we should also pray for grace and strength to overcome them. God will give strength to all who earnestly seek it of Him. 14 We need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide, encour- age and strengthen us. And God will give Him in answer to our prayers. 15 Perseverance. — We should not grow weary in well-doing. 16 While we hold fast by faith the assurance that God in mercy forgives us all our sins, we should never permit our- selves to think that it is not necessary to do all in our power to live righteously. We dare not live in sin. If we do, we forfeit the grace of God. We are received into His grace by true repentance; and we continue in that grace by a constant and daily repentance. QUESTIONS. CHAPTER I. Through what means alone do we learn to know God ? Can we learn anything about Him from other sources ? What are they ? Why are not conscience and nature sufficient sources of knowledge ? Ts there one God or many? How many Persons are therein God? What is this unity of the three Persons called ? Is one Person greater than the others? Can we understand how God can be three Persons and yet one God? What passages of Scripture teach us that God is a Trinity? What kind of Being is God? Why do we sometimes speak of Him as if He had a body? How would you describe God? What do we mean when we say He is Eternal? Unchangeable? Omnipresent? Omnis- cient? Omnipotent ? How would you describe God in His relation to us ? What do we mean when we say that He is Holy ? Just ? All- wise? Kind and Merciful ? Faithful and True? By what one word is God described ? CHAPTER II. How did the world come into being? Describe the manner in which God made the world. In how many days did God arrange and complete the world as it now is ? Wha.t did He do on each day ? What was His last and crowning work ? Why was man the crowning work of God? What does God now do with the world which He has created ? For whom does He care? For whom does He care particularly ? How would you prove that He cares particularly for them? What do we mean when we say that God rules the world? Does nothing happen that He does not wish ? Can anything happen without His permission ? What does He do for the godly ? Does He always permit the wicked to go on in their wicked ways imhindered? Give some instances in which He hindered their evil purposes ? Mention an instance in which He overruled the evil plans of men so as to bring good out of evil ? CHAPTER III. Why is man the highest and noblest of God's earthly creatures? Is this image of God in man a bodily one? Why not ? Is the body to be despised? Why not? What part of man's being was made in God's image? In what did this image consist? What was man's original 14 251 252 BIBLE TEACHINGS. state ? Describe how man fell from that state. What are the conse- quences of the Fall into sin ? Were those consequences confined to Adam and Eve ? What are the consequences of the Fall with respect to our body ? With respect to our soul ? What is all men's relation to God by nature? How only can man escape from the effects of the Fall? Will he overcome the natural inclination of the heart to evil in this world ? When only will he be free from sin and from its desire ? CHAPTEK IV. What must God's Justice demand on account of man's sinfulness ? What is the Law for all creatures? What would obedience to this law have meant for man? How did God give men His law first? How did He give His law later on? Why was the second giving necessary? What is the substance of God's law ? What does God threaten against transgressors? Has man kept God's law? How does He break God's law ? What kind of actions only are pleasing to God ? Does or can any man keep God's law perfectly ? Who was the only sinless Man ? Why does man deserve punishment ? Will God inflict punishment ? How does He often punish men in this world ? Is all suffering en- dured by men to be regarded as a punishment? How will God punish the impenitent in the next world ? CHAPTER V. What has the love of '.God done for man? Why could He not simply relax the law and forgive men without providing a way of sal- vation? How is God's love revealed to us in earthly matters? In what especially has He revealed His love ? From what time has God loved man ? How did God's love provide the way of salvation ? How does the sending of His only Son prove the greatness of God's love? Whom does God's love include ? What must men do with regard to God's love? How does God try to reach the impenitent? What be- comes of those who despise God's love? Why? CHAPTEE VI. To whom did God give the promise of a coming Saviour ? When was the promise first given? What promise did God give to Abraham? From what tribe of Israel was the Saviour to be descended? From what king of Israel was He to be descended ? What threefold office would he exercise? What would He become for us? Mention some of the events in His life foretold in the Old Testament. QUESTIONS. 253 CHAPTER VII. Whom did God send into the world to be our Saviour? Was Jesus true man ? How would you prove it ? Was He true God ? What did the voice from heaven say at His baptism and His transfiguration ? Because he is both God and man what name is given to Him? Why did the Son of God need to become man in order to save us ? Did Jesus lose His divine power when He became man? Did He use it constantly ? What glimpses of His majesty did He give men ? How did He live ordinarily? Why did He humble Himself thus ? What are some of the names given to Jesus ? What does Emmanuel mean ? Jesus Christ? Messiah? Mediator? Advocate? Great High Priest? CHAPTER VIII. What effect did the miracles of Jesus produce on the people ? By whose power did Jesus do them? What was His first miracle? How many did He perform? Mention some that are recorded ? How do we know that they were real miracles? How would you define a miracle? Did Jesus break the laws of nature when He performed miracles? What did He do with the laws of nature ? In what way can we ourselves modify the laws of nature? Why did Jesus perform miracles? Why are they not necessary now ? What did the miracles show for men's comfort? What did they prove concerning Jesus? What effect did they produce on many ? CHAPTER IX. Where did Jesus teach the people ? How many did He teach at a time? Why is He the Great Teacher? What did He teach? What did He teach concerning Himself? Concerning the Kingdom of God ? Why did He use parables ? Mention some of the truths which He taught by parables. Why did He give His disciples moral precepts ? What is to be their relation to God and their neighbor ? What rule is the Christian to follow in dealing with his fellow-men? How is he always to treat them ? If he has wronged anyone what should he do ? If others wrong him ? What is he to do concerning his own and other people's faults? How is he to keep his mind, heart and life? What does Christ command with reference to our speech ? How are we to treat the needy ? What should be the nature of our religious life ? CHAPTER X. What kind of life did Jesus lead ? Being the Son of God, from what was Jesus free ? Was He tempted to sin ? How did He deal with temptation? Did He have any sins at all? For whose sins did 254 BIBLE TEACHINGS. He die? How did Jesus conduct Himself toward God ? Toward men ? How did He show His love for men? Whom did His love include? How do we know that He loved even His enemies? What does His holy life prove ? How are we to use His holy life ? What is the. chief significance of His holy life? What has He acquired for us by it? How does that righteousness become ours? CHAPTER XL Why did Jesus suffer and die ? What must be done for sin be- fore it can be forgiven ? How did God try to educate the Israelites up to the necessity of such restitution for sin ? What did Jesus suffer for us? What was the climax of His sufferings? What is to be said about the voluntary character of Christ's death ? What was the pur- pose of His death ? Is His death sufficient for all ? Why ? Can we grasp the greatness of His sufferings ? How can we form some con- ception of them ? What is the result of His atoning death ? How does the atonement of Christ help us? Is it forced upon any one against his will ? CHAPTER Xn. Why could not Jesus remain in the grave ? What had He fore- told concerning His resurrection ? Was it a real return from death to life ? How do we know that it was a real return ? How do we know that the resurrection is a fact and not a deception of the disciples ? What is the strongest proof of the resurrection? Mention some of the ap- pearances of Jesus to His disciples. W T hat was the effect of the resur- rection on the disciples ? What relation did it bear to their preach- ing ? Why is the resurrection of the greatest importance ? What does it prove concerning Christ's death? What does it mean for us with respect to our own death ? CHAPTER XIH. What did Jesus do forty days after His resurrection ? Why did He ascend into heaven ? Was He exalted as man or as God ? Why could He not be exalted as God ? What does sitting at the right hand of God mean ? As the Son of God how long has Christ sat at the right hand of God ? How long has He sat there as man ? Did Jesus cease to be man when He ascended into heaven ? Who therefore rules over the universe in the person of the God-man? Sitting at the right hand of God, what does Jesus do for us? How does He intercede for us? WTiat is His threefold kingdom? Who belong to His king- dom of power ? Who to His kingdom of grace? Who to His kingdom of glory ? QUESTIONS. 255 CHAPTER XIV. Who is the third person of the Holy Trinity? How do you know that the Holy Spirit is true God ? Is the Holy Spirit merely a power or energy which God supplies? How would you prove that He is a Per- son ? Why is the work of the Holy Spirit necessary in us ? What is the change which He produces in the heart called? Why is a new birth necessary for man? Who must produce this new life in us? What relation do those who are born again sustain toward God? Through what does the Holy Spirit produce the new birth ? What are these means ? What is the chief means ? Why does the Word of God possess such wonderful power ? Through what means does the Holy Spirit produce the new birth in infants ? How is the new life in them nourished ? Whom does the Holy Spirit use as instruments in doing His work ? CHAPTER XV. Who need to be converted ? What is conversion ? What is the difference between conversion and regeneration ? What other word may be used to mean the same thing as conversion ? What is the difference between repentance and remorse? In order to convert men what does the Holy Spirit do first ? What does He do through the Law ? Through the Gospel ? Have men power to obey the call of the Gospel ? How do they get the power? If men do not resist His grace, to what does the Holy Spirit lead them first? Then to what ? Can Christians always point to the exact time of their conversion ? Is it necessary that they should ? Who need no conversion ? What is to be said of the apostles on this subject? What is the important question with re- ference to conversion? What happens to those who wilfully resist the grace of the Holy Spirit ? What is to be said of a death-bed repentance ? CHAPTER XVI. To whom only is the promise of salvation given ? In what way do men exercise faith in matters of this world ? Is faith only a matter of the head ? On what, however, must faith be based ? How do men learn the facts of the Gospel? What else besides knowledge belongs to faith ? What is the third and principal part of faith ? By what must faith be preceded ? Does faith give us certainty of salvation ? Does the believer ever have doubts ? Do they last ? Does faith grow ? What should we do that our faith may grow ? What can you say about the permanence of faith ? If faith is not nourished on the Word of God what becomes of it ? How do many people make shipwreck of their faith : 156 BIBLE TEACHINGS. CHAPTER XVII. How are we saved ? What is meant by being saved by grace and saved by faith ? Prove that God intends us to be saved by faith ? Is faith a merit on our part? What does it mean to be justified? Ex- plain how our faith justifies us before God? In our justification what does God do for us ? Why can we not be saved by our works ? How does the coming of Christ show that works cannot save us? Have works anything at all to do with our justification ? Why are we to do good works ? How were men saved in Old Testament times ? Name some persons spoken of in the Bible as saved by faith in Old Testament times. CHAPTER XVIII. Dare the Christian lead a life of sin ? Does he desire to do so ? Why not ? What does he now desire to do ? What relation does His holy life bear to his faith ? Why is a new life necessary ? What does the Saviour say about its necessity? Is it easy to lead a holy life? Why not ? Will the Christian ever become perfectly holy in this world? What must he pray for every day ? What should be his aim and aspira- tion? When he fails to do right, how ought he to regard his failure? When will the believer reach perfection ? What is he to do here, how- ever ? What are we to do that we may grow in holiness ? What is to be our motive in leading a holy life ? Is the law of Moses abrogated? Who only is freed from the alternative of fulfilling it or suffering its penalty ? What becomes of those who make the grace of God an ex- cuse for persisting in sin ? CHAPTER XIX. Against what enemy must the Christian contend ? Who is Satan ? How is he described in the Bible ? What are his names and what do tbey mean? Is Satan the only fallen angel? What do lie and the other fallen angels form ? What is to be said about their power ? What is Satan's aim ? What does he try to do with the unbelieving ? What with the believers ? Give some examples in which he tempted men ? How does he come to us ? What must we do when he tempts us ? Can we win the victory over him ? How can we do so ? CHAPTER XX. When was the Christian Church founded ? What is the Church ? Can we tell just who belongs to the Church and who does not ? Why not ? In what sense is the Church visible ? Are all who belong out- wardly to the Church real members of it ? Distinguish between the QUESTIONS. 257 Church on earth and the Church in heaven. Is there one Church or many ? On account of its being one, what is the Church called ? What other names are given to the Church besides that of the Catholic or Universal Church ? What is the relation between Christ and the Church ? What is the relation of the members to one another ? What work has Christ given His Church to do ? What are the tools with which it is to do its work ? Who are its workmen to handle its tools ? Does the New Testament recognize difference of rank in the ministry ? What are the duties of the ministry ? CHAPTEE XXI. What is the most important of the Church's tools for doing its work ? Why is the Bible needed ? What does the Bible contain ? What is the Bible ? How do we know that the Old Testament is the Word of God ? What did the apostles say about their own writing and preaching ? Why are there differences of style in the various books of the Bible ? Of what is the Bible an infallibly correct record ? How do you explain the contrast between the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke on the one hand and of John on the other ? What is the relation of the Bible to science? What is the best evidence of the inspiration of the Bible? Why was the Bible written? What is the nature of its authority ? CHAPTEE XXII. What is the command of Christ on which baptism is based ? What is His promise? What is baptism? What does the Holy Spirit do through baptism in infants and adults ? What privileges are opened to those who are baptized ? Why is baptism necessary ? Illustrate its ne- cessity from the cure of Naaman the Syrian. In what two modes can baptism be administered ? Is immersion essential ? Why is pouring or sprinkling practiced by the majority of Christian churches ? What does the word "baptize" mean? How did the apostles baptize? What is to be said of the mode in which Christ was baptized ? Give some rea- sons why children are to be baptized ? Why do they need baptism ? What must those who are baptized do if they would be saved ? Will baptism save those who do not believe ? Why is baptism not to be ad- ministered to the same person more than once ? If those who have fallen from their baptismal grace repent, how does God treat them ? What is the object of confirmation ? What makes people members of the Church ? What does confirmation do ? Show that confirmation is in harmony with the spirit of the Bible. 258 BIBLE TEACHINGS. CHAPTER XXHI. What did Christ say when He instituted the Lord's Supper ? What is given to the communicant in, with and under the bread and wine? How do we know this ? Why are bread and wine used? Is it lawful to substitute any thing else in their place ? What is given through the bread and wine ? Are they mere symbols of spiritual things ? Are they turned into the body and blood of Christ ? What is this false doc- trine called ? Are the bread and wine combined with the body and blood into a third substance? What is this false doctrine called? What is the real office of the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper ? Can we understand how Christ can give us His body and blood ? What is the object of the Lord's Supper ? How is it to be received ? What name3 are given to this sacrament, and why ? What is the nature and object of the confessional service before communion ? CHAPTER XXTV. Who must die ? Why must men die ? Do we know how or when we shall die ? How do many people shorten their lives ? "Why do the impenitent and unbelieving fear death ? Why has not death the same terrors for the Christian ? In what terms is the death of the believer spoken of ? Why must believers die ? What shall take place in the bodies of those who are alive at Christ's second coming ? What will Christ do with all the dead at the last day ? What kind of a body will the unbelievers have then ? What kind will the believers have ? CHAPTER XXV. For what purpose will Christ come to earth again ? Do we know when He will come ? Can the date of His coming be computed from any figures given in the Bible? Mention some of the signs of His com- ing ? How will He come? How will His coming be regarded by the unbelieving? How by the believers? What will He do with all men when He comes ? For what purpose shall they be gathered before Him ? Why will the believers escape condemnation ? Why will not the unbe- lievers escape ? How will Christ separate men then, and what will He say to them ? What shall happen to this world at Christ's coming ? CHAPTER XXVI. What two eternal destinies are there ? On what does it depend which shall be ours ? What share have men in shaping their eternal destiny ? How do we know that hell is a reality ? Describe its tor- ments. What degrees of punishment are there ? Will the punishment QUESTIONS. 259 of the lost ever come to an end ? What is the eternal destiny of be- lievers ? Are there degrees of glory in heaven ? On what are differ- ences in glory dependent? Will there be differences of happiness? Can we grasp or adequately describe the bliss of heaven ? From what shall we be freed there ? Where shall we dwell ? What shall be our delight and employment there? How does St. John describe the heavenly city ? CHAPTER XXVII. Of what does the second half of Bible Teachings propose to treat ? What is the great standard by which we should regulate our life? What is the wrong standard by which to regulate our life ? Why will a Christian try to live according to the right standard ? Where do we find that will revealed ? What is the substance of the Moral Law ? Is this law the same for believers and unbelievers ? What is the difference between their relations to it? What is the relation of morality to religion? Is morality without religion acceptable to God? Is true religion possible without morality ? What is to be our relation to gross sins ? Is their avoidance all that is required of a good man? What else is necessary? Mention the various relations of life in which obedi- ence to the law of love is to be observed. Is well-doing rewarded ? Is it a reward of merit or of grace? Mention some special promises of reward. CHAPTER XXVIII. How should we love God ? What is to be our relation to other objects ? Why should we love God above all ? How do we make idols of ourselves or earthly objects? What should produce love 4o God in us? What is the relation between a Christian and God ? Why are the promises of salvation given to those who love God ? What is the rela- tion of faith and love to each other ? How is our love to God mani- fested ? What kind of fear are we to have for God ? What has love to do with obedience? W T hat renders obedience easy? If obedience to God is burdensome to us, where does the difficulty lie ? What is the remedy ? Where do we find a striking illustration of what a Christian's love to God will enable him to do ? Who is our example of perfect love to God ? CHAPTER XXIX. What is the natural inclination of the human heart toward God and toward men ? Is humility necessary in the Christian ? Show how Christ was humble. How did Christ show humility toward God ? How did He show it toward man? Why should we be humble? What is 260 BIBLE TEACHINGS. humility? What is to be said of its importance ? Why is it necessary? Explain the case of the apostle in this connection. What is the source of the Christian's strength ? Whom does God make strong? How are we to manifest our humility toward others ? In speech ? In actions ? What are some of the things of which people are often proud ? Mention some signs of pride. Instead of seeking to be honored by others, what should we seek to do ? Who is greatest in the kingdom of God ? What special act of humility did Christ perform in order to give His disciples an example? Is humility inconsistent with courage and leadership? What examples prove that it is not? CHAPTEE XXX. From whom do all the blessings we enjoy in body or soul come ? How should we receive them ? What are some of the earthly blessings God bestows? What are the spiritual blessings ? When did Christ give thanks ? What does this teach us ? What is to be said of the meanness of ingratitude? Does God expect gratitude? How have the godly always regarded the goodness of God? What Book of the Old Testa- ment is largely composed of expressions of thanksgiving? When are we to thank God? How about giving thanks when we are in trouble? What is to be said about the world's ingratitude ? Who only is thank- ful, and why ? Are believers always as thankful as they should be ? What fact becomes an occasion of unthankfulness, though it ought to produce the very opposite effect ? What should be the nature of our gratitude to God ? How should we seek to increase our gratitude ? How should our thankfulness be shown ? Why is a thankful life necessary ? CHAPTER XXXI. What kind of a trust are we to have in God ? What does such a trust include? Why should we trust in Him? What is to be said of our safety in danger ? How long are we secure from death ? When death comes, is it a real evil to the believer ? Why should we not permit our- selves to worry? Does that mean that we are not to take forethought and be prudent ? What must we do on our part ? What will God do then ? How should we regard our lot in life ? How does G od shape our life? How should we bear life's vexations, disappointments and sorrows ? Why should we be courageous and hopeful ? CHAPTER XXXII. Why is prayer necessary? What is to be said about the prayerful- ness of Christ? What is the model prayer? What does it teach us? How are we to approach God ? What is to be our first concern ? Our QUESTIONS. 261 second? What manner of prayer is wrong? What is to be said of the use of prayers prepared by other people? How should the Lord's Prayer be used? What advantage may be derived from the use of the Psalms, prayer-books and the Church -book? What has our posture to do with our prayers ? Why do we stand in Church on Sunday ? What is to be said of those who sit still while others stand ? When should we pray? What set times of prayer should we have? What is to be said of family worship? Of the prayers in Church? What kind of prayers will be answered ? What does praying in Christ's name mean ? Should we insist upon our own will in our prayers? Who alone knows what is best for us? Does God always hear and answer prayer? Does He always do so at once ? Does He always send the answer which we expected? How does He sometimes send the answer? Which answer is best for us ? CHAPTEE XXXIII. Why must we defend ourselves against the enemies of our soul? Who are these enemies? What is at stake? What is the value of the soul ? How do our enemies attack us ? How only can we win ? Which is our most dangerous foe ? To what does the flesh tempt us ? How does the world tempt us ? Dare we love the world ? How are we to overcome the world's temptations ? Who is behind all the temptations of the flesh and the world ? How does Satan attack us ? Why are temptations permitted by God ? Does God ever tempt us to evil ? What does it mean when the Bible speaks of God as tempting Abraham and others ? What does temptation show in reference to our love to God? What does the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer mean ? Who helps us in the conflict ? Why does Christ sympathize so fully with us in our temptations ? CHAPTER XXXIV. If we wish to be Christ's disciples, what virtue must we exercise ? What does self-denial mean? What must we do with all sinful inclina- tions and passions? How are we to treat our innocent desires and earthly affections ? Quote what St„ Paul says on the sacrifice of our- selves, that we may live with Christ. What is to be said about the deep significance of self denial? What must we give up? When must we give up things that are innocent in themselves ? Why should we deny ourselves for the sake of others? Why is self-denial necessary? What may be learned from the example of racers, boxers and the like? What is to be said about self-indulgence ? When are we to make sacri- fices? What does Christ say of the one who places his earthly safety 262 BIBLE TEACHINGS. and comfort above self-denial? What is the surest way to be happy? What was the example of self-denial and sacrifice which Christ has given us? What should encourage us to imitate His example? CHAPTEE XXXV. What is meant by self-control? Why is it' necessary? What kind of a mind and temper are we to have ? What kind of feelings should be suppressed as soon as they appear? When only is anger justified? How are we tempted to anger ? Dare we give way to anger ? Why not ? What evil consequences result from giving way to it ? What is to be said of the power of the tongue ? How only should we use the tongue? What is to be said of cursing and swearing? In what com- mandment is it forbidden? What does God threaten against trans, gressors? What does God think of a lying tongue? In what command- ment is false witness or slander forbidden? How are we to judge and speak of other people ? If we cannot speak well of others, what had we better do ? What has bridling our tongue to do with our religion ? With our salvation ? Who only can tame our tongue ? In what respects are we to be temperate ? Why ? What is to be said of drunk- enness ? Can a drunkard inherit the kingdom of God ? What is to be said of the slavery of drink? How do the Scriptures warn us against intoxication ? What should we do therefore ? What is to be said of intemperance in eating ? What is to be said of the evils of sensuality ? Why is intemperance of any kind a sin ? CHAPTEE XXXVI. What must the Christian suffer ? Why ? How should he bear his afflictions ? For whom are afflictions punishments ? What are they for the Christian ? Are those who suffer most to be regarded as the most wicked ? Why not ? Why does God chasten us ? Why is chastening necessary ? Can we understand all God's dealings with us ? In suffering, of what one thing may we always be sure? Mention some uses of afflic- tion ? Why does God permit burdens to remain on us ? When only shall we perfectly understand God's dealings with us ? Why should we be brave under pain and sorrow? How much should we be willing to undergo for Christ's sake? Why should we be cheerful under afflic- tions? How should we regard all our troubles? If we do not bear them willingly ; are we bearing our cross? How only can they accom- plish the purposes which God intends ? QUESTIONS. 263 CHAPTER XXXVII. How are we to regard and perform our daily work ? Is man meant for work? What did God command Adam to do? Is labor a curse? What is a curse? Why is work necessary? Why is the work of each necessary? Is any honest work mean and degrading? What work is often the most useful? How should we choose our occupation in life? What should those do who find that their occupation is forbidden by their religion ? How can we serve God best ? How can we let our light shine and glorify God? Why should we be industrious? Why is idleness a curse ? Should any be idle, even if rich ? What is to be said about the diligent employment of time ? Why should we do our work faithfully? Dare we be unfaithful in small things ? How should employers treat their employees ? CHAPTER XXXVIII. To what kind of pleasure and enjoyment should we confine our- selves ? How far should we indulge in them ? When only should we engage in pleasure? What should be the greatest source of our joy? For what purpose should we seek enjoyment? When does playing games become wrong ? What is to be said of gambling, betting and lotteries ? What is to be said of dancing ? Can the modern style of dancing be justified from the Scriptures? What is to be said of the theatre and opera-house? Of music? Of the other fine arts? Of the beauties of nature? Of conversation? What kind of conversation should we avoid ? What is to be said of reading novels ? What are some of its evil effects ? How are we to be on our guard in reading literary and scientific writers, and in drawing instruction from secular teachers and text-books. CHAPTER XXXIX. What is the ideal of character ? What are some of its attributes ? On what must character rest ? How is our character formed ? What is to be said about our habits? How only can correct habits be formed ? What is a prime requisite for a Christian character? What is con- cience? How is its voice smothered? Why and how should we keep from hardening our conscience ? What can you say about the peril of small sins? Why do we need an enlightened conscience? How are we to seek to prevent sins of ignorance? In what sense may a Chris- tian become perfect? What virtue must lie at the base of Christian character? In what way do our friends and companions affect our char- 264 BIBLE TEACHINGS. acter? What influence has our reading on our character? What kind of books should we avoid? Can the soul-poison distilled into our minds and hearts by bad books and papers ever be wholly eradicated ? What kind of books and papers only should we read ? Why ? CHAPTEK XL. Whom does the Christian religion require us to love? What is to be said of the brotherhood of man? Who is our neighbor? What is taught by the parable of the Good Samaritan? What is the kind of love which we should have for all men. What can you say of the importance of charity or Christian love? Mention some ways in which Christian charity is manifested? What is to be said of our love to our fellow-Christians? How should we regard and treat our enemies ? What can you say about the necessity of forgiving other people? What is the relation between Christian love and polite- ness? What is to be said about being helpful to others? How should we show our love for the needy and suffering ? What can you say about the importance of a good example? What is the Golden Rule? CHAPTER XLI. What is to be said about the importance of the family ? What is to be said about the position of father and mother in the family? How do parents provide for our temporal wants ? What is to be said of the training of children by the parents? Explain and illustrate the necessity of punishing children for wrong-doing. How should children regard and treat their parents? What can you say of the duty of honor- ing our parents? What can you say about loving our parents? What is to be said of the obedience which we owe to our parents? What can you say about serving our parents? How should we regard and treat our parents after we are grown ? How should we regard and trt at our grandparents and other old people? Describe the conduct which should characterize our life in the home. CHAPTER XLII. What is to be said of the importance of our obligation to the Church? Mention some examples of faithfulness to the Church. What is our duty with respect to God's word ? How are we to regard and treat the sacraments ? What is to be said of the importance of living a right life ? What is to be our relation to other members of the Church ? What should be our relation to the pastor? What is the QUESTIONS. 265 work of deacons and deaconesses ? What is our duty to those who are outside of the Church? What is to be said about the division of the Church into so many denominations? What is the object of creeds or confessions? Mention the creeds and confessions of the Lutheran Church. What is to be said about the confessions of our Church? De- scribe what should be our attitude toward our own Church ? Why should we love and honor our own Lutheran Church ? What should be our relation to other churches ? CHAPTER XLIII. Why is the observance of the Lord's Day important ? Tell what you know of the Old Testament Sabbath. By whom and why was Sunday set apart as a holy day ? What is to be said about the need of Sunday as a day of rest? What is to be said about Sunday work? What kind of work should be done on the Lord's Day? How should we keep the Lord's Day holy? How should we regard the services which are held in God's house ? W T hat is to be said of the duty of attending church regularly ? Describe proper behavior in the church. What are our duties with respect to the Sunday-school ? Mention some ways in which the Lord's Day is profaned. Tell what you know of the Church-year. CHAPTER XLIV. Wh .t is to be said about the Bible in comparison with other books? What can you say of the Word of God as the food for the soul? Why is the study of the Bible necessary ? What can you say of the Saviour's study of the Scriptures ? Show the importance of reading the Bible daily. What is to be said about system in reading the Bible ? What should be our purpose in reading the Bible, and how can this purpose be accomplished? Show the importance of having a regular set time for reading the Bible. Why should the Scriptures be memor- ized? Mention some passages which should be memorized. How may the memorizing of Scripture be combined with its devotional use ? How should we profit by the use of the Word of God in Church ? What is to be said about the knowledge gained by teaching others ? Describe the three plans for systematic study of the Bible given in our lessono What is to be said about the formation of a Biblical library ? What kind of editions of the Bible will prove most serviceable for study ? CHAPTER XLV. What is to be said of the importance of truthfulness? Define a lie. How are liars regarded by God ? Is a lie ever justifiable? De- 266 BIBLE TEACHINGS. scribe Christ as an example of truthfulness. What is to be said of the necessity of seeing right ? What is meant by sincerity? What is to be said of the responsibility imposed by the power of speech ? What weight will our words have on the Day of Judgment? What is meant by speaking the truth about things f In what spirit should we speak the truth ? How should we act with regard to our convictions ? What truth is it especially important to maintain ? What example can you give of faithfulness to convictions ? What is to be said about our promises? What is to be said about excuses ? Why is it necessary to apologize for wrongs done to others ? What should we do with regard to other people's secrets ? What can you say about the importance of speaking the truth about persons ? What is to be said about judging others? How should we regard slander and slanderers? What is to be said about praising others ? CHAPTER XLVI. What constitutes property ? How may it be acquired ? What is to be said about its unequal division ? What is to be said about the community of goods in the early Church ? Why is not an equal division of property among all men practicable ? What is God's purpose in the unequal division of property ? AVhat is to be said about the love of money? What is to be said about the relation between riches and god- liness? What can you say about the uncertainty of riches? Describe the temptations and dangers of wealth. What responsibility do riches impose ? Why can the poor be happy as well as the rich ? What ad- vantages have the poor? What had the poverty of Lazarus to do with his salvation and the wealth of the rich man with his condemnation? Which is the most desirable state, and why? How alone can we be truly happy ? How should we treat the rich and the poor ? CHAPTER XLVIL What is to be said of avoiding dishonesty ? What is to be said about the importance of honesty ? Mention some gross forms of dis- honesty. Mention some other forms. In what forms is dishonesty widely prevalent ? What is to be said of the importance of subduing covetousness ? How does God regard dishonesty of any kind ? What is to be done by those who have been dishonest? What kind of hon- esty is required of us? What is the importance of honesty in little things ? What is to be said about caring for the interests of other people? QUESTIONS. 267 CHAPTEK XLVIIL How are we to regard everything that we possess? What is to be said of money as a power? What is to be said of the use of money for our earthly needs ? Why should we give to the Church? When and why should we give to our fellow-men ? What is our duty to the poor ? How may our aid be extended? How does God regard what we do for the poor ? Why should we give to missions ? What is the work of Home Missions and of Foreign Missions ? Why should we count it a privilege to give to missions? What is to be said about proper methods of giving to the Church and the poor? What is to be said about liber- ality ? How does God regard the gifts of the rich and the poor ? What can you say about "the widow's mite ?" What should be our motive in giving? What is to be said about the use of all our powers of body and mind ? CHAPTER XLIX. What is to be said of the sacredness of human life ? Why is it sacred ? Mention some causes which lead to murder. Mention some other forms of killing besides outright murder. What is to be said of injuring or hurting others? What is to be said of killing others in self-defense? What is to be said of war? Of duels? What can you say of hurting or killing the soul? How and why should we guard and preserve human life? What is to be said of the wickedness of suicide? Mention some causes which lead to it. Describe the folly of suicide. What should we do to avoid being tempted to such a great crime ? Why is suicide cowardly ? How do people shorten their own life ? What is to be said about giving our life for others ? CHAPTER L. Why should we be pure ? Why is purity of heart of great impor- tance ? What kind of conversation should we avoid ? Why should we be chaste in deeds ? To whom does our body belong ? What exhorta- tions does the apostle give concerning purity. Describe the curse of uncleanness. How should we guard against impurity? By whom was marriage instituted? Is celibacy a holier estate? Why did God insti- tute marriage? Dare the marriage bond be broken? What is to be said about haste and thoughtlessness in being married? Why is it important for husband and wife to have one faith? Why is it impor- tant that they should possess the sime grade of intelligence? Should people ever marry without love ? What is to be said about the parents' 268 BIBLE TEACHINGS. consent? Why is a religious ceremony important ? What should be the relative position of husband and wife in the family ? What things have they in common? For what cause only dare a divorce be granted? Who only of those divorced dare marry again ? CHAPTER LI. Whence does the government derive its authority? What is the object of government? What rights belong to us as individuals? What is to be said about obedience to the government ? What about rebellion ? What about lynching ? What is to be done if the laws of the State conflict with the laws of God? Mention some other duties to the State besides obedience ? What is the relation between Church and State in this country? Is our State a neutral or godless institution? How would you prove that our State is a Christian State ? What is to be said about religion in public officers? How should each voter deal with his ballot ? What is to be said about honoring those in authority? Describe the example of St. Paul. CHAPTER LIL Why should our life be one of daily repentance ? Against what two temptations must we guard in order to retain God's favor ? What is to be said of the duty of self-examination ? Mention some of the sins which self-examination will reveal ? What should we do with regard to these sins ? What should be our constant aim ? What is to be said of making progress in holy living? How may we test our progress ? Why should we pray for strength ? What is to be said about persevering in well-doing ? INDEX A. Absolution, Confession and, 95, 199. Advent, see Coming. Adultery, 236. Afflictions, 154, uses of, 157. Altar-fellowship, 195. Anarchy, 242, 246. Angels, 48, bad, 72. Anger, 149. Answer to prayer, 137, 250. Antichrist, 101. Apologizing, 211. Apostles, 79, example of, see Ex- ample. Architecture, 168. Ascension of Christ, 45-48. Ashamed, not, of the Gospel, 192. Atonement for sin, necessary, 17, 37. made by Christ, 21-22, 37-41. sufficient for all, 39. made ours by faith, 41. Authority, honoring those in, 245. of the Bible, 85. B. Baptism, 86-90, nature of, 86. effects of, 86. necessity of, 87. mode of, 87. meaning of the word, 88, by John, 86. by the apostles, 88. of Jesus, 89. of children, 52, 89. permanent, 90. relation of faith to, 91. Behavior, at home, 187. in church, 199. Benevolence, 215. Bible, the, needed, 1, 80. contents of, 81. is God's Word, 81, 82. inspiration of, 81-85. peculiarities of style in, 82. contrasts in, 83. relation of, to science, 84. purpose of, 85. power of, 84. authority of, 85. study of, 202-207. kind of, to buy, 207. Birth, New, 49-52. necessity of, 11, 50-51. wrought by God, 51. means used in producing, 51-52. human instruments, 52. Bishops, 80. Body, the, of man, 9. creation of, 5. death of, 10, 96-98. resurrection of, 45, 98-99. of Christ, 23, 41, 92-94. Books, see Reading. Bravery, 158. Bread, in the Lord's Supper, 92-93. Bribery, 222. Brotherhood of men, 178. of Christians, 180. 0. Call, the, by the Holy Spirit, 54. power to obey the, 54, 55. Calling, our earthly, 160-165. serving God in our, 162. 270 INDEX. Capital and labor, 165. Care, God's, for man, 6, 129. unbelieving, 130. Caring for others, 147, 153, 164, 168, 176, 182, 187, 188, 192, 212, 215, 217, 224, 226-227, 233, 235. Catholic, the, Church, 77. Roman, 194, 239. Certainty, the, of faith, 60. Character, 172-177. definition of, 172. ideal of, 172. foundation of true, 172. formation of, 173. Charity, 178, 179. See Love, Chris- tian. Chastity, 153, 236-241. Chastening, 156. necessity of, 156. mystery of, 156. Cheerfulness, 131, 159. Children, training of, 184. punishment of, 185, duties of 186-187. Christ, prophecies concerning, 20-23. threefold office of, 21. a substitute for us, 21, 24, 39. the crowning gift of God's love, 17, 18. sent to be our Saviour, 23-26. the Son of God, 23. true God and true man, 23. the God-man, 24, 47. humility of, 25, 117. names of, 26. miracles of, 26-31. teaching of, 30-34. sufferings of, 37-41. resurrection of, 41-45. ascension and exaltation of, 45-48. fulfilled the law for us, 37. atoned for our sins, 40, 44. the head of the Church, 78. our example, 36, 247, of love to God, 35, 116; of humility, 117 ; of thankfulness, 124 ; of trust, 131, 132; of prayer- fulness, 133; of self-denial, 147; of self-control, 148; of bravery, 158; of charac- ter, 172 ; of love to men, 35, 182, 235 ; of Scripture-study, 203; of truthfulness, 208-209. Christian, the, holy life of, 66-70. law of life, 109-112. Christianity the world religion, 18. Church, the Christian, 48, 75-80. founded, 75. nature of, 76. invisible, 76. in what sense visible, 76. on earth and in heaven, 77. unity of, 77. names of, 77, 78. the body of Christ, 78. invincible, 78. work of, 78. tools of, 79. workmen of, 79. duties in, 188-196. attendance at, 198. relation of, to the State, 244. Church, Lutheran, 192-196. Citizenship, duties of, 241-246. Coming, the Second, of Christ, 100-104. time of, 100. signs of, 101. manner of, 101. effect of, on men, 102. to judgment, 102-103. Commandments, the Ten, 2, 11, 151, 196, 185, 230, 236, 220, 212, 222. Community of goods, 214. Companions, choice of, 176. Confession, service of, and Abso- lution, 95, 199. Confessions of the Luth. Church, 193. Confidence, the, of faith, 60. Confirmation, 90. Conflict, inner, 67, 138-143. Conscience, definition of, 174. always to be obeyed, 174, 189, 211, 243. an enlightened, needed, 175. INDEX. 271 knowledge of, 1, 80. Conscientiousness, 163, 164, 173, 211, 243. Consequences of sin, 155. Consubstantiation, 93. Contentment, 130, 219. Conversation, 169. Conversion, 53-57. nature of, 53, 55. time of, 55, 56. death-bed, 57. Convictions, 211. Co-operation with God's grace, 69, Country, love of our, 243. Courage, 122, 132. moral, 173, 211. Covetousness, 222. Creation, 4, 5. of man, 5, 8, 9. Creature, new, the Christian a, 66. Cross, the Christian's, 143, 159. Crucifying the flesh, 144. Cursing, 151. D. Dancing, 167. Danger, trust in time of, 129. Deacons, 191. Deaconesses, 191. Dealings, mysterious, of God, 156. Death, bodily, 10, 96-98. reason of, 9-10, 96. manner of, 96. certainty of, 96. terrors of, 97. of the Christian, 97. spiritual, 11, 50. eternal, 15, 105-106. Decalogue, 11, see Command- ments, Ten. Denominations, 77, 193. the, our relation to, 195. Destiny, eternal, 104-108. shaped by men themselves, 104. Dependence on God, 128. Depravity, see Original Sin. Devil, see Satan. Discipline, see Training. Diligence, 163. Dishonesty, 220. forms of, 220-221. prevalence of, 221. source of, 222. curse of, 222. Divorce, 241. Doctrine, purity of, 196. Doubts, 60, 142. Drudgery, 161. Drunkenness, 152. Duels, 232. Duty, 109, 111, 247. our highest, 188, 189. one thing at a time our, 175. knowledge of our, 175. E. Effort necessary, 140. Emmanuel, 26. Employees, 164. Employers, 164. End of the world, 103. time of, 100-101. signs of, 101. Enemies of the soul, 138, 143. loving our, 180, 181. Enjoyment, 165-171. Enlightenment by the Holy Spirit, 54. of conscience, 175. Eternal destiny, see Destiny. Eternity of God, 3. Events in Christ's life foretold, 22. Evil, continual conflict with, 11, 67, 71, 138-148, 247-250. kingdom of, 72. Exaltation of Christ, 45^8. Example, a good, 182, 184, 192. of the apostles, 116, 119, 122, 124, 125, 144, 189. of Christ, 35, 36, 116, 117, 124, 131, 133, 147, 148, 158, 172, 182, 203, 208, 235, 247. Excuses, 211, 247. Fairs, 227. Faith, nature of, 57-61. produced by the Holy Spirit, 55. 272 INDEX. elements of, 58, 59. preceded by repentance, 59. certainty of, 60. strength or weakness of, 60. growth of, 60. decay of, 61. necessary to salvation, 19, 41, 62, 90. justification by, 63. alone saves, 19, 37, 41, 62-64. worketh by love, 114. living and dead, 67. Faithfulness of God, 4, 60, 80, 90. of the Christian, 163, 188, 249. Fall the, into sin, 9. consequences of, 9-11, 50. Falsehood, 151, 208. Family, importance of, 183. duties in, 183-188, 240. Fear, 111, 114, 115. Festivals, 201, 227. Fight, the good, 138. Flatterv, 213. Flesh, the, 140, 144. Forbearance of God, 19. Forgiving others, 181. Forgiveness of sins, 18, 31, 40, 92, 95, 248. Foreknowledge of God, 3, 17, 131. Friends, 176, 212. Freedom of the will, 9, 10. of conscience, 189, 242. from the law, 69, 110, 196. a Games, 166. Gambling, 167, 221. Giving, 225-229. to the Church, 225. to the poor, 226. to missions, 227. proper methods of, 227. liberality in, 228. Glory of heaven, 106. kingdom of, 48. Gluttony, 153. God, existence and nature of, 1-4. how known, 1, 2. Three in One, 2. a Spirit, 3. attributes of, 3. the Creator, 4. providence of, 5. government of, 6, 7. love of, 16-19. goodness of, 123, 126. justice of, 11-15, 38, 40. image of, 8, 9. right hand of, 46. Good, the highest, 113. Good for evil, 181. Gospel, 31, 54, 81. Government, earthly, 241. of God, 6, 7. Grace, kingdom of, 48. salvation by, 62. co-operating with, 69. resisting, 56. growth in, 68, 69, 248, 249. state of, 55, 56. Gratitude, see Thankfulness. Growth of faith, 60, 61. in grace, 68, 69, 248, 249. Guilt of all men, 13. H. Habits, 173. Happiness, 147, 165, 166, 219, 240. of heaven, 107. Harmony, in the home, 188, 239, 240. in the church, 78, 190. Hatred, 230, 231. Heart, the natural, 12, 140. Heaven, 106-108. kingdom of, 31, 32, 48. Hell, 15, 105, 106. Help of God, 75, 132, 138, 143, 250. Helpfulness, 121, 146, 147, 182, 187, 224, 226, 233. High-priest, 21, 26, 38, 47. Holiness of God, 3. of Jesus, 34-37. of the Christian, 33, 66-70, 109. growth in, 69, 249-250. Holy Spirit, 2, 5, 31, 49-^7. work of,' 50-52, 54, 55, 86, 110. calls men, 54. enlightens men, 54. INDEX. 273 gives power to obey, 54. leads to repentance and faith, 55. sanctifies, 69. is grieved, 56. Home, duties in the, 183-188, 240. Honesty, 220-224. strict, demanded, 223. Honor, 172, 216. Honoring parents, 186. rulers, 245. Hope, 132. Humility of Christ, 25, 117. of the Christian, 117-122. necessity of, 117, 118, 176. a source of strength, 118. manifestation of, 119-122. relation of, to leadership, 122. Husband, 238-241. Hypocrisy, 208, 209. Ideal of character, 172. Idleness, 162, 163. Idolatry, 113, 154, 166. Illumination, see Enlightenment. Image of God, 8, 9. Impenitence leads to destruction, 15, 19, 70. Imperfect, the Christian still, 68, 247. Impurity, 236, 237. Incarnation, 24. Indifference to sin, 247, 248. Individuals, rights as, 242. Industry, 162. Infallibility of the Scriptures, 83. Injuring others, 231. Inspiration of the Bible, 81-85. Intemperance of any kind sinful, 153. Intercession of Christ, 47. J. Jesus, see Christ. Jews, conversion of, 101. Job, 156. Joy of the Christian, 165. of self-sacrifice, 147. Judas, 53, 230. Judging others, 212. Judgment, final, 15, 100-104. Justice, earthly, 14, 16, 38, 242. of God, 3, 11-15, 16, 17, 40. Justification by faith, 41, 63. without works, 63-65. in Old Testament times, 64. K. Keys, Power of the, 95. Killing others, 231. self, 233. Kindness, 179, 182, 188. of God, 4, 123. Kingdom of Christ, 21. the threefold, 47-48. of God, 31, 32. of evil, 72. Knowledge, faith based on, 58. L. Labor, a blessing, 160. necessity of, 160. dignity of, 161. serving God by, 162. faithful, 163. Law of God, given, 11. broken by man, 12. is the moral law, 11, 109. substance of, 11-12, 109. cannot save, 64. in us, 109. enlightenment through the, 54. fulfilled by Christ, 35. freedom from, 69, 110. not abrogated, 70. love, the fulfilment of the, 109. Christian, of life, 109-112, of love, 109. of sin in us, 67. Laws of the State, 241-243. Laziness, 214. Leadership, relation of, to humil- ity, 122. Liars, 208. Liberality, 228. Liberty, 242, Christian, 69, 110, 196. 274 INDEX. Library, Biblical, 207. Sunday-school, 170. Life, eternal, 31, 48, 106-108. human, sacredness of, 230-235. guarding, 233. shortening, 234. giving, for others, 235. a new, 66. a right, necessary, 114, 190. true aim of, 109, 144, 165. Literature, see Reading. Long-suffering of God , 19. Lord's Day, duties of, 196-202. Lord's Supper, 92-95, 195. institution of, 92. definition of, 92. earthly elements in, 92. what is received in, 93. false doctrines of, 93. a mystery, 93. object of, 93. how receive the, 94. names of, 94. Lot in life, 131, 215. Love of God, 4. prepared salvation, 16-19. eternal, 17. met demands of justice, 17. greatness of, 17. includes all men, 18. must be accepted, 19, despisers of, lost, 10. of Jesus, toward God, 35, 113, 116. toward man, 35-36. to God, 112-117. above ail things, 113. a result of God's love, 114. child-like, 113. promises to those who have, 113. manifestation of, 114. relation of, to fear, 114. prompts to obedience, 115. makes obedience easy, 115. the apostles' example of, 116. Christ's example of, 35, 116. for God's Word, 189. of country, 243. to man, 114, 178-182, 235. to enemies, 180, 181. to parents, 186. to children, 183. marriage for, 239. of money, 216. of the world, 141. Loyalty to our own Church, 194, Lust, 153, 236. Luther, 192, 211, 243. Lutheran, the name, 192. Lutheran Church, 192. confessions of, 193. loyalty to, 194. Lying, the sin of, 215. M. Maintains, God, the World, 5, 6. Man, creation of, 5. made in God's image, 8, 9. body of, 8, 10, 96-98. soul of, 8, 9, 139. fall of, into sin, 9. sinful and guilty, 10, 11, 12-15. dead in sins, 50. must be born again, 51. redemption of, 16, 23, 37-41. Marriage, 238-241. institution of, 238. object of, 238. an indissoluble bond, 239. harmony of ideas in, 239. for love, 239. parents' consent to, 240. civil ceremony in, 240. religious ceremony in, 240. relation of those joined in, 240. dissolution of, by divorce, 241. Martyrdom, 132, 235. Means of Grace, 51, 79, 80, 86, 93. Mediator, 26. Members of the Church, 56, 76, 91. duties of, 188-198. relation of, to Christ, 78, 188- 189. relation of, to one another, 78, 190. relation of, to the pastor, 190. Memorizing Scripture, 205. INDEX. 275 Mercy, 181, 182. works of, 197, 226. of God, 4. of Jesus, 35, 36. Messiah, 26, 30. Militant, the Church, 77. Mind, control of, 148. Ministry, 79. rank in, 79. Ministers are ambassadors of Christ, 80. Miracles of Christ, 26. , reality of, 27. nature of, 28. purpose of, 29. effect of, 26, 30. Missions, 227. Money, love of, 216. right use of, 224-228. Morality, 33, 110, 111. Moral Law, 11, 109. Moral precepts of Chr4st, 33. Motives of the Christian, 69, 110, 115. Murder, forbidden, 230. causes leading to, 230. Music, 168. Mystery, the Lord's Supper a, 93. of God's dealings, 156, will become clear, 108, 158. K Nature shows God's handiwork, 1. enjoyment of, 169. evil, in man, 10, 12, 67, 140. Needs, earthly, 225. spiritual, 225. of others, 178, 182, 226. Negligence, consequences of, 164. Neighbor, our, 178. New birth, see Birth, New. Newspapers, 176, Sunday, 200. o. Oath, 244. Obedience of Christ, 35, 116. of the Christian, 110, 111, 115, 243. to parents, 186. to the government, 242. Occupation, 160. choice of, 161. Office of Christ, the threefold, 21. Officers, in the Church, 191. public, duties of, 245. respect due to, 245, 246. Omnipotence of God, 3. Omnipresence of God, 3. Omniscience of God, 3. Opinions, 209, 212. Ordination, 79. Original Sin, 11. P. Pain, 154-159. to be borne bravely, 158. Painting, 168. Parables of Jesus, 32. Parents, authority and duty of, 183-185. duties to our, 185-188. Passions, control of, 148-154. Pastor, relation to, 190. Patience, 131. of God, 19, 56. Patriotism, 243. Paul, St., 43, 116, 119, 125, 144, 175, 196, 246, 249. Perfection, relative, 175. to be aimed at, 68, 175. Peter, St., 43, 114. Piety in the home, 184. Pleading of Christ for us, 47. Pleasure, 165-171. Politeness, 181. Politics, 245. Poor, the, chosen, 218. providing for, 226. how treat the, 219. Possessions, see Property. Posture in prayer, 135. Power of Christ, 26-30, 45-48. kingdom of, 48. to obey the Gospel, 54. right use of, 229. of the Keys, 95. Poverty, 217-219. relation of, to piety, 218. Praising others, 213. 276 INDEX. Prayer, 133-138. necessity of, 133. Christ's example of, 133. objects of, 134. manner of, 134. posture in, 135. times of, 136. in Christ's name, 137. answer to, 137. for those in authority, 243. for strength, 250. Prayer-books, 135. Preaching, 79, 80. Precepts, moral, 33. Prejudice, 209. Presbyters, 79. Preservation of the world, 5. President, 243, 245. Pride, 121. Priest, Christ a, 21. Profanation of the Lord's Day, 200. Profanity, 150. Progress in Christain life, 249. Promises of God, 4, 20, 57, 60, 65 113. keeping our, 164, 211. Prophecies concerning the Savi- our, 20-23. Prophet, Christ a, 21, 30. Property, 213-219. unequal division of, 214-215. stolen, 223. Prosperity, 131. Protestantism, 194. Providence of God, 5, 6. Public Worship, 198, 245. Pulpit fellowship, 193. Punishment of children, 185. of sin, 14, 15 ; just and neces- sary, 12-14, 16, 17, 38. temporal, 14. relation of, to suffering, 155. eternal, 15, 105, 106; degrees in, 105. Purity of body and soul, 236-241. in heart, 236. in words, 236. in deeds, 237. of doctrine, 196. E. Reading, care in, 170, 171. influence of, on character, 176. of Scripture, 203. system in, 204. with devotion, 204. with regularity, 205. in the family, 205, 184. Rebellion, 242. Reconciliation of God, 40. Recreation, 166. Redemption, 17, 37-41. Reformed churches, 194. Regeneration, see Birth, New. Religion and morality, 110. Remorse, 53. Repentance, 53-57. must precede faith, 59. daily, 247-250. Resistance, wilful, 56. to the devil, 74. Rest, day of, 197. in heaven, 107. Resurrection of Jesus, 41-47. a real, 41. an established fact, 42-43. importance of, 43. a proof of full atonement, 44. a guaranty of our resurrec- tion, 44. of the dead, 44, 45, 98, 99. Revelation, 81. complete in Christ, 31. Revenge, 180. Reward, 112. Rich, duty of the, 217, 228. how treat the, 219. Riches, 216. temptation of, 217. responsibility of, 217 Right hand of God, 46. Rights as individuals, 242. Righteousness of Christ, 34-37. of faith, 37, 41, 63. Rule, Golden, 33, 182. Rulers to be honored, 245, 246. s. Sabbath, 196. INDEX. 277 Sacraments, 51, 52, 79, 189. Sacrifice for sin, 21. Christ the real, 22, 38, 40. Safety in danger, 129. Salvation, provided by God's love, 16-19. foretold, 20-23. wrought out by Christ, 23-45. applied by the Holy Spirit, 50-57. by faith alone, 62-65. Sanctification, see Holiness. Satan, the Tempter, 71-75. a person, 71. the Bible's description of, 71. names of, 71, kingdom of, 72. power of, 72. aim of, 73. temptation by, 74, 142. resistance to, 74, 139. Saviour, 20, 23. School, public, 171. Sunday, 199. Scriptures, study of the, 202-207. importance of, 203. Christ's example of, 203. in the family, 206. in Church and Sunday-school, 206. system in, 206. helps in, 207 Sculpture, 168. Secrets, 212. Seeing right, 209. Self-control, 148-154. Self-denial, 112, 143-148. necessity of, 143, 145. definition of, 143. deep significance of, 144. rarity of, 145. acts of, 146. joy of, 147. Christ's example of, 147. Self-defense, 231. spiritual, 138-143. necessity of, 138. effort required for, 140. Self-exaltation, 118, 121. Self-examination, 94, 247. Self-indulgence, the sin of, 145. Self-righteousness, 118, 121, 175, 247. Self-sacrifice, 146. the joy of, 147. Sensuality, 153. Serving others, 121, 146, 147, 182. our parents, 187. God in our calling, 162. Service, public, 198. Sickness, 136, 157. Silence, 150. Sin, avoiding gross, 111. consequences of, 9-11, 14, 15, 155. fall into, 9. heredity of, 10, 12. indifference to, 247, 248. knowledge of, 54, 118, 247, 248. must be atoned for, 17, 37. original, 11. punishment of, 13-15, 105, 106. Sincerity, 209. Sinfulness of man, 12, 13, 247, 248. Sinlessness of Christ, 34. Sins, small, 174. Slander, 151, 212. Slavish fear, 114, 115. Slavery, 11, 149, 152. Sleep, death a, 45, 97. Speech, 210. truthful, 210-213. Sociables, church, 227. Socialist, 215. Sorrow, 154-159. purpose of, 154, 157. the world full of, 155. a result of sin, 155. not always a punishment, 155. a chastening, 156. Soul of man, 9. value of, 139. food of, 202. killing the, 232. State, the, 241. duties to, 241-246. object of, 242. and Church, 244. Stewards, 224. Stolen property, 223. 278 INDEX. Strength, praying for, 250. and weakness, 118. Style, peculiarities of, 82. Submission to God's will, 159. Sufferings of Christ, 38. voluntary character of, 39. greatness of, 40. reason of, 39. significance of, 37^41. sufficiency of, 39. of the Christian, 154-159. Suicide, 233. causes of, 233. folly of, 233. cowardice of, 234. Sunday, 196, see Lord's Day. Sunday-school, 199, 200. study of Scripture in, 206. T. Taxes, 25, 221, 243. 1 caching of Jesus, 30-34. power and authority of, 30, 31. is final, 31. nature of, 31. concerning law and Gospel, 31. concerning Himself, 31. concerning the kingdom of God, 32. in parables, 32. concerning Christian life, 33, 34. Temper, control of, 148. Temperance, 152. Temptation, 73, 74, 138-143, 247. how overcome, 75. of Jesus, 34, 139. of Eve, 9, 74. Tempter, see Satan. Testament, Old and New, 81, 82. Thankfulness, 123-128. due to God, 123. Christ's example of, 124. a duty, 124. constant, 125. lack of, 126. possessed by believers only, 126. in heart, 127. in words, 127. in life, 127. Theatre, 127. Theft, 220. Tongue, control of, 150, 210-213. Training of children, 184. Transgressors threatened, 12. Transubstantiation, 93. Trials, 132, 142, 159. Trinity, the Holy, 2. Triumphant, the Church, 77. Trust, the principal part of faith, 59. in God, 128-132. definition of, 128. description of, 128. reasons for, 129. in danger, 129. frees from worry, 130. produces contentment, 130. produces patience and cheer- fulness, 131. produces courage and hope, 132. Christ's example of, 132. martvrs' example of, 132. Truth of God, 4. Christ the, 31, 209. about things, 210. about persons, 212. speaking the, in love, 210. Truthfulness, 203-213. importance of, 208. of view, 209. of speech, 210. of thoughts, 212. of actions, 208. Christ's example of, 208, 209. u. Unbelief condemns, 19, 30, 56, 85, 86, 90, 94, 103. is the greatest ingratitude, 126. Unchangeableness of God, 3. Unchastity, sin of, 236. curse of, 237. how guard against, 237. INDEX. 279 Union of churches, 195. with Christ, 78. Unselfishness, 144, 146, 147, 179, 188, 240. Unity of the Church, 77, 78. V. Vicarious, the sufferings of Christ, 39. Vices, 172. Virtues, 117, 148, 172. Vocation, see Calling. w. War, 232. Warfare, the Christian's, 75, 139- 143. Ways of God, mysterious, 156. Wealth, see Riches. Weapons of the Christian, 75. Well-doing, 111, 112. Wicked, the, punished, 14, 15, 105. Wife, 238-241. Will of God is law, 11, 109. submission to. 159. Will, free, 9, 10, l 0v . Wine, 92, 152, 153. Wisdom of God, 4, 129. Word, power of a, 210. of God, 51. the Bible is the, 80-85. a means of grace, 51. power of the, 52. love for the, 189. see Bible. Work, see Labor. of the Church, 52, 78. Works, good, importance of, 67. cannot save, 63-65. World, the creation of, 4, 5. order of, 1. a foe to the Christian, 140. love of, 141. Worry, freedom from, 130 Worship, public, 198, 245. T. Year, the Church, 201. tfiAY 8 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: April 2006 PreservationTechnologies A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 111 Thomson Park Drive Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (724)779-2111