PERHAPS no scenes or circumstances portrayed in the Bible more clearly depict this important fact than those attending the bestowal of the Holy Spirit on different occasions.
Were it not for the certainty that devout, penetrative study of the Word of God is in fullest harmony with His will, one would shrink from putting pen to picturing the mysterious dealings of the mighty, all-knowing Spirit of God with mankind, frail, unstable, stained with sin.
And yet this very study is of gravest importance to, is indispensable to, every person seeking earnestly eternal life.
For it is by this omnipresent Spirit only, through the Spirit's influence and leading, and loyal presentation of Christ sacrificed for us, that life, bountiful life, endless life, becomes our possession, blessed, everlasting.
Christ, a few days before He became, for us, a voluntary, efficient, finished sin-offering, said (John 16: 7, 13): "It is expedient [requisite] for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter [even "the Spirit of truth"] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. . . . He will guide you into all truth." "He shall . . . bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14: 26.
Reader, since the office and mission of the Spirit of God concern us so deeply, so gravely, we shall find intensely interesting the varied accounts of His proceedings in the diffusion of the Gospel and the establishment of the church of God in apostolic times.
Let us consider some of these operations, both for the profitable lessons they teach, and for the profound thinking they excite; prefacing that part of this article, however, with a brief, earnest study of the beautiful story of the descent of the Spirit upon Christ at His baptism in the Jordan.
The varied particulars of the event given by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are strikingly suggestive of the mental personality of the writers, and add interest to the transaction. Matthew penned his account as follows:
And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, THIS is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark's recital really varies from this only in the final sentence: "Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Luke paints the beautiful scene with one or two touches of distinct color, thus:
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased.
But the "beloved disciple" opens to us the specially interested heart of John the Baptist at this ceremony — without like in human history — thus:
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not; but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I saw, and bare record that this [man] is the Son of God.
It is interesting to notice that this striking manifestation of the divine Spirit occurred over three years previous to Christ's giving His great promise to send the Holy Spirit upon His disciples, and previous to the astonishing fulfilment of that pledge on the Day of Pentecost.
The words of the Baptist reveal the fact that the manner of the descent of the Spirit upon the Saviour had been distinctly foretold to John, since it was through the peculiar form assumed by the Spirit, that John first recognized that the Man asking baptism at his hand was He who should "take away the sin of the world."
Previously, indeed, John had told the people: "There cometh One mightier than I after me. . . . I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
This decisive utterance of him who baptized in Jordan, was a direct prophecy of that amazing shower of courage, fortitude, and power which fell upon the disciples in that upper room in Jerusalem, anno Domini 31.
Also, that wonderful infusion of mental and spiritual force and foresight, accomplished at Pentecost, was a far-reaching, vastly effective fulfilment both of the Baptist's prediction and of Christ's promise to His disciples. John 14: 16, 17, 26.
Reader, rest assured that paying spiritual uplift, and waneless light by which to live, come from thinking down, far down, into the force and application of these Bible incidents.
But there is more to the deep, wide effect and influence of the Holy Spirit upon the mission and work of the Gospel early in this dispensation.
It is most interesting, and always profitable, to note how varied, how unpromising sometimes, yet how successful in every case, were the methods adopted by the divine Spirit.
Consider His unusual, incomparable course at the Jewish festival of Pentecost, on the fiftieth day after the Passover. Acts 2: 1-18; 1: 14.6God," astonishing the brethren who accompanied Peter from Joppa.
The circumstances recall the scene at Pentecost. The great power fell suddenly. Quickly appeared the remarkable fruitage — the speaking with tongues — following their faith, without offering of prayer, without laying on of hands. Acts 10: 44-46.
Quite unlike that event at Cæsarea, was a baptismal scene which occurred at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, fourteen years afterward. Paul, coming to Ephesus from the north, found there believers in Christ who had been baptized "unto John's baptism" only, but had no knowledge of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Instructed by Paul, "they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve." Acts 19: 5-7.
Other instances might be cited showing that the operations of the divine Spirit are not confined, limited, restricted, to any fixed order of circumstances, but that Spirit has perfect freedom to act as time, place, seasons, persons — any conditions — render opportune, feasible.
That the Spirit was a mighty agency during the introduction of the Gospel, using conditions as they were found, or changing them as God ordered, is a fact of great consequence. To-day His power is not diminished. It is unlimited.
Now a sad, tragic death overtook those who had lied to Him, as did Ananias and Sapphira; now He imparted astonishing faith, fervor, foresight, to dying Stephen; now He refused irrevocably to bestow His marvelous gifts upon a sorcerer who sought them with money; now He ordered the church at Antioch, in Syria, to separate to the ministry of the Gospel Barnabas and Saul — as they fasted and prayed — for work to which He had called them; now, filling Saul with His own great might, the latter "set his eyes" upon Elymas the sorcerer, and said, "The hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind . . . for a season." "Immediately" "a mist and a darkness" fell upon the man, and he had to be led about.
All these are "the Lord's doing." They are "marvelous in our eyes."
He Knows the Way
By Flora E. Warren
By Flora E. Warren
While passing down Time's rapid stream,
In wind or calm, 'neath cloud or beam,
Let Love mark out your course each day;
Learn but of Love — He knows the way.
In calm or storm, He will not fail;
Above all storms, He will prevail;
Mighty His arm the sinking boat to stay.
Many a bark wrecked on Time's shore,
Asked not of Love — who passed before;
Cared not to hear His warning call.
Many a ship sailed but to fall
Into Sin's whirlpool — all too late —
Little they guessed the sad, sad fate.
Love calleth still o'er Time's rough wave;
Answer His call — He calls to save.
Now He is watching. O, that none would wait!
Studies in Daniel
The Apotheosis of Patriotism — Jehovah the Deliverer
N our last study in Daniel we learned of Jehovah the Revealer; in our present it is Jehovah the Deliverer. In our last chapter we had an image presented before Nebuchadnezzar, and later before Daniel the prophet, in a dream and a vision. That image was God's idea of the kingdoms of men. In this lesson we have men's idea of the kingdom of men.
1. After the events of the last chapter, what is it recorded that Nebuchadnezzar did?
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Verse 1. Note 1.
2. What proclamation was made, and what was its result?
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Verses 2, 3. Note 2.
3. What command was given by the royal herald, and how was it regarded?
Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Verses 4-7. Note 3.
4. What complaint was made to the king?
Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live forever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Verses 8-12. Note 4.
5. How did this complaint affect the king, and how was his command repeated?
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Verses 13-15. Note 5.
6. What noble reply was made to the king?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and He will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Verses 16-18. Note 6.
7. What followed this reply?
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their breeches, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Verses 19-23. Note 7.
8. What revelation was made to Nebuchadnezzar, and how was he affected?
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he spake and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Verses 24, 25. Note 8.
9. How were these noble youth delivered?
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth out of the midst of the fire. And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their breeches changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them. Verses 26, 27. Note 9.
10. What was Nebuchadnezzar forced to acknowledge?
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god that is able to deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon. Verses 28-30. Note 10.
Note and Comment
1. IMAGE OF GOLD. God had before told Nebuchadnezzar that Babylon was but the head of universal world empire — only that, nothing more; that there were to follow Babylon other great universal empires, and that Babylon itself would come to nothing, living only in the influence which she exerted upon posterity. While Nebuchadnezzar was forced to admit that no other god could REVEAL as had Jehovah, because the Lord's prophet revealed the dream, yet this by no means humbled his proud heart, or led him to accept the true God. His conception of God was but little higher than his conception of the heathen gods. He could admit that God knew more than did the deities which he worshiped, but it was a real question as to whether any god could transcend his own power; and therefore, in his high and unholy ambition, he declared that not only should the image's head be of gold, but he would make it all of gold. Babylon, instead of being succeeded by other powers, would be a world power,—an eternal world power, giving place to no other. The image typifying the kingdom of men should be all Babylon. It was the same deifying of the State that we have to-day, the same foolish national boasting, the same ultrapatriotism that recognizes only our country, our land, our people. It was a magnificent image which the king made. The height of threescore cubits — ninety feet, or, if the longer cubit, much more than this—included doubtless the pedestal, as well as the image; and it could be seen a great distance, situated in the plain of Dura as it was, with the sun shining upon its golden luster.
2. TO GATHER TOGETHER. Nebuchadnezzar sent out his heralds to gather together all the governors and responsible men of the kingdom,—the satraps, the deputies, the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces. No man of responsibility must be omitted. All must be gathered there, all must declare their patriotism, their devotion to Babylon, in the worship of that image. It was Babylon, and Babylon forever. Note, also, that it was not an image which God had revealed, but it was the image which the king had "set up." Nine times we are told of the image which the earthly king had "set up." Daniel had said that when the kingdom of man in its various phases should pass, "the God of heaven" should "set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed." Chapter 2:44. The same original word is used of the king's image. God would set up, appoint, establish, an eternal kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar would appoint, establish, set up, the throne of Babylon forever. How like it is to Roman talk, to British talk, to German and American boasting! There have always been such demands for ultrapatriotism. There are minds which are no broader than the school district in which they live. Some minds enlarge to the town boundaries, some to the county, fewer still to the State. Some expand nation-wide; but the true heart of the Christian takes in the world, and eternity; and because of the price paid for his redemption, he concludes that he is debtor both to Jew and to Greek. He looks not only to this life, but to the life which is to come. But the ultrapatriot does not see these broader, grander, nobler views; his heart is upon his own. So was Nebuchadnezzar's. Loyalty to Babylon was to him more than all else; he could not look beyond this. And that image erected in the plain of Dura stood for Babylon; and the worship which he demanded stood for patriotism.
3. TO YOU IT IS COMMANDED. So the herald cried. All nations and languages must worship the image. To make that worship easier, men's emotions were played upon by all kinds of musical instruments. And when those musical instruments sounded their triumphant note, all must fall down and worship; and all did, save four. One of these is not mentioned,—Daniel. He may have been engaged in important business elsewhere. Of that we know nothing. The king may have counted him semi-divine, and therefore exempt. God does not satisfy our curiosity in this. Suffice to say that when the great orchestra sounded, all the multitude fell down and worshiped, with the exceptions noted.7
4. CERTAIN CHALDEANS CAME NEAR. We wonder if it is not almost invariably too true that in great congregations where people worship, there are hearts divided enough to watch others, and find fault or criticise. These Chaldeans were not so intently absorbed in the worship of that Chaldean image but that they could see that there were some others who did not bow. What made it worse still, these non-worshipers were three young Hebrews who had been exalted above them in the affairs of Babylon. These young men had already been tested in their schools, and had not been found wanting in loyalty to principle. Doubtless these Chaldeans more than half suspected, they were very sure, indeed, that the Hebrews could not yield to that demand from the king; and therefore while they had one eye on the image, and the worship of that, and the gain which would come to them by their seeming loyalty, they had another eye upon the young men, watching them to see what course they would take. They saw that they did not bow, and they immediately go to the king, remind him of the command, and then tell him that "there are certain Jews" that "have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which THOU HAST SET UP."
5. The information angers Nebuchadnezzar. The military king is wont to be obeyed with military promptness. And yet he shows himself of a noble mind; he is not going to execute his purposes without inquiry. And therefore, when the men are brought before him, he asks them, "Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?" He declares they shall have another opportunity. Once again, for their sakes only, will all the orchestra play, that they may be saved from the burning fiery furnace. And then he asks the question, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" It was the vain human boasting, many times seen even apart from great power and authority.
6. WE HAVE NO NEED. The king's words would immediately recall to the minds of the youth who were acquainted with Assyrian and Babylonian history the great victories that had been gained over the nation after nation that had fallen before the prowess and power of the king. All the gods of the Orient had been unable to save their worshipers from the sway and power of Nebuchadnezzar. It did not seem from the human side that it was an idle boast; but these three Hebrews were not worshipers of territorial, local gods. They were not worshipers of dumb, dead idols; they worshiped the living God. They believed not only in the advantages which may be gained in various ways in the life here upon earth, but they knew that there was an eternal existence to come. And therefore they answer — kindly, wisely, yet clearly: We have no need, Nebuchadnezzar, to consider this question, to study it, to think over it. We have already made up our minds; we know what we did. It was by no mistake that we did not bow down. We worship a God that is ABLE TO DELIVER US, and HE WILL DELIVER US out of thy hand, O king, however strong thou art. But if He does not see fit to deliver us, that will make no difference. We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
7. FULL OF FURY. Nebuchadnezzar's rage was increased sevenfold. No longer could he regard the young men kindly. "The form of his visage was changed against" them, and therefore he not only commanded that they should be thrown into the fiery furnace, but into a furnace heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated. He would preclude any arts of magic to deceive him. He would bind them and cast them in, and then say, What god can deliver out of my hand? And therefore, in all their robes, they were bound, and the commandment of the king was so urgent that the men who were engaged in executing it came so near to the mighty, burning furnace that they themselves were slain by the fierce blasts, while the three Hebrews fell down bound into the midst of the fiery furnace.
8. ASTONISHED. The king was astonished. Well he might be. As he gazed into the furnace where the Hebrews were cast, God gave him a vision. He asks, Did not we cast three men in there bound? And they said, "True, O king." But he declares, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods." He was a divine Being. Nebuchadnezzar did not worship a god that could be cast into the fiery furnace. The great image of Baal, or Marduk, or Nebo, would have perished in brief space, were they cast into such a fire. Here he casts three men into a fire so fierce that those who threw them in were slain, and he sees them meeting their God in the midst of that devouring element.
9. NEBUCHADNEZZAR CAME NEAR. The king is humbled. His fury is gone. A great power is taking hold upon his heart. He comes near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and cries to the Hebrew children, "Ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither;" and they, obedient to every reasonable or proper command of the earthly king, come forth. And all the great multitude of governors and rulers and deputies assembled on that occasion see them — men upon whom the fierce fire had no power, the hair of their head unsinged, with no smell of fire upon their garments. After all, it is only reasonable that this should be so. We can not conceive that when God created man, He made him a subject of other creatures, or things, or laws here upon this earth. Man was given dominion over the whole earth. Everything was subject to him, — wind, and storm, and fire, and cold; and his marvelous adaptability and power in his sinless state would have shielded him from all ills which might come through any of these elements. These three young Hebrews had come into absolute and full relationship with God. The great life Fountain had poured out its life for them, for "in the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." God had filled them with a glory greater than that of fire, and the fire could not touch them. So it will be with God's children in the last great, burning day.
"Who among us," says the prophet, "shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" And then he tells us that it is those who have God's truth in their heart, who have kept His ways, who have yielded wholly to Him. And the glory of God's life power within is more than all the glory of any agency which man may control from without. In the burning glory of Christ's coming the wicked will perish (2 Thess. 1:7-9), but in that same burning glory the righteous will be made immortal. God's glory transmuted into character then will simply respond to the glory which transmutes the mortality of flesh into immortality.
10. NEBUCHADNEZZAR SPAKE. Once more the king speaks. He had spoken once, and the image was set up. He had spoken again, and his rulers were gathered together. He had spoken the third time and demanded that they should worship the golden image. Once again he speaks, pleading with the young men to obey his decree, and warning them of the consequences. The fifth time he speaks with sevenfold fury, commanding the destruction of the faithful three. The sixth time he calls them forth from the furnace, and acknowledges what the loyal servants of God had declared, and what he himself had denied. He had said, "WHO is that God that SHALL DELIVER YOU out of my hands?" And they had said, "Our God whom we serve is ABLE TO DELIVER US; . . . and HE WILL DELIVER US out of thy hand, O king." And now, with a changed view, and to some extent a changed heart, Nebuchadnezzar made his seventh utterance: "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His angel, and DELIVERED HIS SERVANTS that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." And he issues another decree, that no one shall say aught against the God that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego worshiped.
He had not yet learned the whole lesson. God must still further deal with him, till he knows what religious freedom is; but he had taken one great step forward, and the lesson which God gave him is a lesson which the rulers of earth need to-day, — that it is in vain to endeavor to force men to worship, that conscience and conviction are stronger than the sword. In the words of James Russell Lowell, it was "truth in the fiery furnace," it was "wrong upon the throne," but the truth in the fiery furnace was stronger than the monarch on his throne. The king's decree was wrong. In it the God of Daniel was "protected" by the human decree. He did not need it. No true worship needs human protection. It is the duty of governments to protect alike the worshiper and the non-worshiper AS MEN; but governments should not intermeddle with religion. Sometimes God's martyrs who look beyond any petty patriotism are not delivered from the temporary threatenings; sometimes they go down to death; sometimes they suffer from the misguided zeal of those who feel that their creed and their country and their laws must be supported, protected, shielded, observed, at any cost. But God cares for them just as truly as He did for the Hebrews in the furnace, and the form of the Fourth is still with them as they go into the grave. He marks their resting-place. He Himself has passed through all the terrors of death, He has immortality and life awaiting on the other side. It is for the individual to choose whether he will accept God's view of the kingdom of men, ever changing until it comes to naught before the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; or whether he will accept man's view, which must certainly perish. Christ's kingdom is forever.
Studies in Daniel
Elijah's Gethsemane
By Delwin Rees Buckner
By Delwin Rees Buckner
A juniper, jammed into space a hand
Might hide, singed by heat-bloated winds that creep
In sorry solitude across the steep,
Humpbacked, so badly dwarfed, it seems to stand
The crippled captain of a boulder band
That look like dolphins, dozing in the deep,
Or smooth-skinned seals which all unconscious sleep
Upon the slopings of some rock-ribbed sand.
Prone fallen on the stingy-shaded sod,
Jehovah's prophet, mantled by a veil,
Pours out his racking, pent-up grief aloud,
Dumb, silent death his sole desire of God,
Believing that before base, bestial Baal
All knees besides his loyal own have bowed.
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Our Bible Reading
By H. W. Cottrell
The Perpetuity of the Law
1. What was prophesied of the relation of Christ to the law?
The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will MAGNIFY the LAW, and make it honorable. Isa. 42: 21.
2. Did He magnify it—thus show that it takes cognizance of HEART MOTIVES?
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill [sixth commandment]; . . . but I say unto you, That whosoever is ANGRY with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Matt. 5: 21, 22.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery [seventh commandment]: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh . . . to lust . . . hath committed adultery . . . already in his heart. Verses 27, 28.
3. If He magnified the law, did He also destroy it?
Think not that I am come to DESTROY THE LAW, or the prophets: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFIL. Verse 17.
4. Is the law perpetual?
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Verse 18.
NOTE.—A “jot” is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. A “tittle” is the smallest mark of distinction between letters in the Hebrew language. Christ herein declares that not a SCINTILLA of the law can pass away while heaven and earth remain; also, that not an IOTA of the law can be erased until “all,” both the “law” and the “prophets,” are fulfilled.
There are prophecies which tell of the joys of the eternal world; therefore the law can not expire unless eternity should end.
5. Does fulfilling divine law cause its expiration?
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so FULFIL the LAW OF CHRIST. Gal. 6: 2.
NOTE.—No one will concede that, because the law of Christ is fulfilled by those who bear others’ burdens, it expired by limitation.
6. Does belief in Christ make the law void, or does it establish it?
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Rom. 3: 31.
7. Did Christ by precept and example teach the perpetuity of the law?
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I DELIGHT TO DO THY WILL, O My God: yea, THY LAW IS WITHIN MY HEART. Ps. 40: 7, 8.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the ABUNDANCE of the HEART HIS MOUTH SPEAKETH. Luke 6: 45.
If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I HAVE KEPT MY FATHER’S COMMANDMENTS, and abide in His love. John 15: 10.
8. What condition of mind is required to be in harmony with the law?
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom. 8: 6, 7.
9. Will the law, like its author, endure forever?
The works of His hands are verity and judgment; ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE SURE. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. Ps. 111: 7, 8.
10. Are they both holy and spiritual?
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Rom. 7: 12.
For we know that the law is spiritual. Verse 14.
NOTE.—The holy and spiritual must continue eternally. H. W. COTTRELL.
Just to Leave in His Hand
By Anonymous
Just to leave in His hand
Little things,
All we can not understand,
All that stings.
Just to let Him take the care
Sorely pressing,
Finding all we let Him bear
Turned to blessing.
— Anonymous.
