WHEN the Lord of glory left His station of high command to become a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, accepting ignominy and death in order to deliver man from the consequence of his disobedience, He did not consult His own convenience or pleasure. Jesus died, not to save man in his sins, but from his sins. He is to leave the error of his ways, to follow the example of Christ, take up his cross and follow Him, denying self, and obeying God at any cost.
Said Jesus: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon."
If we are true servants of God, there should be no question in our minds as to whether we should obey His commandments or follow our own temporal interests.
Jesus our great example, in His life and death, taught the strictest obedience. He died, the just for the unjust, the innocent for the guilty, that the honor of God's law might be preserved and yet man not utterly perish. Sin is the transgression of the law. If the sin of Adam brought such inexpressible wretchedness, requiring the sacrifice of God's dear Son, what will be the punishment of those who, seeing the light of truth, set at naught the fourth commandment of the Lord?
Circumstances will not justify any one in working upon the Sabbath for the sake of worldly profit. If God excuses one man, He may excuse all. But, says one, why may not a man who is poor work upon the Sabbath to earn means for a livelihood when he might by so doing be better able to support his family? Why may not other brethren, or all of us, keep the Sabbath only when it is convenient to do so? The voice from Sinai makes answer: "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
Listen to these solemn words of promise addressed to all: "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
God will visit with judgments those who profess to serve Him, yet really serve mammon. They who disregard the Lord's express injunction in order to advantage themselves, are heaping future wo upon themselves. The people of God should inquire closely if they have not, like the Jews, made the temple of God a place of merchandise. Christ said, "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."
Age does not excuse any from obeying the divine commands. Abraham was sorely tested in his old age. The words of the Lord seemed terrible and uncalled for to the stricken old man; yet he never questioned their justice or hesitated in his obedience. He might have pleaded that he was old and feeble, and could not sacrifice the son who was the joy of his life. He might have reminded the Lord that this command conflicted with the promises that had been given in regard to this son. But the obedience of Abraham was without a murmur or reproach. His trust in God was implicit.
The faith of Abraham should be our example; yet how few will patiently endure a simple test of reproof of the sins which imperil their eternal welfare! How few receive reproof with humility, and profit by it! God's claim upon our faith, our services, our affections, should meet with a cheerful response. We are infinite debtors to the Lord, and should unhesitatingly comply with the least of His requirements. To be a commandment breaker it is not necessary that we trample upon the whole moral code. If one precept is disregarded, we are transgressors of the sacred law. And if we would be true commandment keepers, we should strictly observe every requirement that God has enjoined upon us.
God allowed His own Son to be put to death in order to answer the penalty of the transgression of the law; then how will He deal with those who, in the face of all this evidence, dare venture upon the path of disobedience, having received the light of truth? Man has no right to question his convenience or wants in this matter. God will provide; He who fed Elijah by the brook, making a raven His messenger, will not suffer His faithful ones to want for food.
Going Home
By Pearl Waggoner
By Pearl Waggoner
A PILGRIM here, I walk alone,
While no abiding-place I see;
And yet I think, when tired and lone,
My Saviour has a place for me.
And so, tho footsore oft I roam,
This thought is with me o'er and o'er:
Each step but takes me nearer home,
To rest with Jesus evermore.
What matters it tho fierce the gale,
Or rude and chill the winds which blow,
Or if earth's castles fair should fail,
Or pain my portion be below?
Tho smooth or rough the way I roam,
The journey long will soon be past,
And then, O, then a lasting home
Will greet my longing eyes at last.
I'm going home, yes, going home!
O, blessed thought, so passing sweet;
That far beyond yon azure dome
A rest there is for weary feet!
I'm going home! I'm going home!
Ere I my Father's face shall see,
Ere I shall sing the glad new song,
And view the place prepared for me.
I'm going home! I'm going home!
I'm nearer home each closing day,
Where by the waters still I'll roam,
When earthly mists have cleared away.
O, how my heart delights to sing
Those wondrous words, "I'm going home!"
To find my rest, to meet my King,
I'm going home, yes, going home!
A Little of the World
By Samuel Rutherford
WHEN the heart is full of God, a little of the world will go a long way.—Rutherford.
“Cleanseth”
By Charles L. Taylor
By Charles L. Taylor
“AND the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Are you, dear reader, one of God’s “little children”? If you are, then remember that these words are sent directly to you; for the word is, “My little children, these things write I unto you.” 1 John 2: 1.
So long as God’s “little children”—believers in the Lord Jesus—are in this world, the blood of Christ must be to them an ever present cleansing power. There is never a day when the virtues of His life are not needed for the perfecting of the soul.
“Cleanseth.” Remember the tense. It is not “did cleanse” nor “will cleanse,” but “cleanseth.” And so certainly as it cleanseth, there must be something to cleanse.
Sanctification, or cleansing of character, is the work of a lifetime. The great laundry process is one which the Lord Jesus carries forward from the first day of conversion until the Christian journey is ended.
The great difficulty is not that a cleansing work is necessary, but that so many professed Christians are ashamed to bring their garments to Him who desires to remove the stains. To bring, by confession, the garment of the soul, is a work which large numbers find too humiliating.
But, dear friend, if you are a child of God, earnestly desiring the perfection of the Lord Jesus, yet sometimes finding upon your character raiment the defilement of sin, you have the right and privilege to go at once to the open fount, and there find relief. Please do not be ashamed of wash-days, however frequently they come. Be like the little child that always regards mother’s strength and willingness the all-sufficient store for a clean wardrobe, and go quickly and gladly when in need.
The heavenly Laundryman will never say Nay. Why, His business is to keep you clean and presentable. And while He would have us, like men and women of maturity, live entirely free and apart from the mire and mud of the world and sin, He is willing to help us even tho we prove but thoughtless children.
Is your robe white to-day? Can Jesus say to you, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee”? If not, hasten at once to Him, accept the virtues of His blood, be cleansed, and then go seeking to “sin no more.”
Thank God, He does not leave us to perish because we prove faint and fall. No, He lives to cleanse, determined that at the last He will present us before the throne “without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Let the blessed work of cleansing go ever forward, and one day all shall be white.
Our Part in the Healing
By Daniel March
[From "Walks and Homes of Jesus," by Daniel March]
We must come to Christ confessing our need. He comes to us as a Saviour, and we shall never receive Him to our hearts until we feel that, without Him, we are lost—utterly and forever. He comes to make us whole, to deliver us completely and forever from the dreadful disease of sin. To derive help from Him, we must feel that to live in sin is death, and to die without a Saviour is endless despair. Our great need, our utterly lost and hopeless state, must be our great argument in applying to an infinite Saviour for help. And we must be truthful and candid in confessing that we are lost in ourselves, and then we shall look the more earnestly to Him for salvation.
We must go to Christ sincerely desiring such help as He is prepared to give. His name and His character, His life and His death, fulfil the promise, "He shall save His people from their sins." Such a salvation we must seek in coming to Jesus with sincere hearts. It is not simply rescue from punishment,—it is a holy life, a life of faith, and love, and obedience to God, that we need. This is the healing which the word of Christ alone can give. And every sinner should be ready to say to Christ: "I come to Thee for help, that I may get the mastery of my evil heart, that I may lead a holy life, that I may be made whole from this very hour. I ask no earthly gift. I am willing to toil, to wait, and to suffer all the days of my appointed time of trial and of duty, if at last I may be with Thee, and find my name written in Thy Book of Life."
We must look to Christ expecting to find help. We can not overestimate His power or His willingness to grant us pardon, peace, and salvation. He has died for our redemption, and what can He do more to convince us of His desire to save? Inquirers for the way of salvation wait and wonder that they are so long in finding the object of their search, because they do not expect to find it. They are not ready to take the hand which Christ offers them, and walk with Him,—and therefore they are still wandering and in darkness. They are not yet fully resolved to take up the cross at once, trusting that strength will be given them to bear it,—and therefore they are bearing the heavier burden of their own sins. We must look to Jesus as we look to a tried and faithful friend in time of need, confident that our necessities will touch His heart, and that we have only to make known our wants to be sure of His sympathy and support.
When Jesus entered the crowded porches of Bethesda, He sought out the most hopeless and wretched of all the impotent multitude, and made that helpless creature whole in a moment, that He might inspire all others with confidence in His power to save. We can not trust such a Saviour too much, or too soon. To be forgiven, to have the dark record of our sins blotted out forever, to be made heirs of eternal life, we need no worth of our own; no human friend can help us; it is in vain to wait for stronger persuasions, or better opportunities, or holier dispositions.
We must go to Christ, and to Him alone. We must go to Him just as we are, and with full confidence in His power to save. He has done all for us, just because we can do nothing for ourselves. He is rich enough to answer all our need. He is merciful enough to forgive all our sins. He desires of us nothing so much as that we shall be willing to take the crown of life from His own hands.
The Value of a Human Soul
By Miss Z. I. Davis
By Miss Z. I. Davis
MEN highly prize the things of sense. They exert themselves to the utmost to obtain possession of material wealth. What great sacrifice and effort was made to enter the goldfields of California in '49, and to reach the Klondike in the twentieth century! There are those who count the yellow metal, the pearl, the diamond, of greater worth than their soul. They do not hesitate to risk life and limb that they may add to their bank-account.
Indolence is to be despised. Effort is to be commended when it is rightly directed and when the motive is good. But we need to make proper estimates of things. Right here is one of the most difficult questions that confronts the followers of Christ.
Jesus was brought face to face with this question. He has solved it for us; and if we will only let His solution be ours, we shall be able to live a well-balanced Christian life. "Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's."
What is the most precious thing in the sight of God? — A human soul. There is not money enough in all the world to purchase it. The wealthiest man living has not property enough to redeem himself in God's sight. If all the precious things of earth, as silver, gold, gems, and pearls, were brought together and placed in the balance over against the soul, the soul would outweigh them all.
The better Christians we are, the more precious will the soul appear in our eyes. God is no respecter of persons. Jesus Christ died so that "whosoever believeth on Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." The blood of Christ can cleanse the soul of the African, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Indian, the Siamese, the Korean, as well as the soul of the white man, if he will only believe.
"What," asked Christ, "shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" "And what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
As we come to realize the value of a soul, we shall not only wait upon Christ for salvation, but we shall give ourselves to Him for service. We shall not rest content with having our souls saved, but we shall exert ourselves to the utmost that others, also, may be saved. Christ offers rich rewards to His servants. "They that turn many to righteousness" shall shine "as the stars forever and ever."
All are familiar with the story of Hannah Lamond. Cradling her babe in the soft grass on the hillside, she went to work with the other women to help gather in the new-mown hay. Suddenly an eagle swept down from its nest in the dizzy crags far above, and snatching up her baby from the hillside, it flew away to its home in the rocks overhead. There was none brave enough to scale the cliffs and rescue the child. If no hand was put forth to save it, all knew that it must die a death too horrible for words. The mother love in that woman's breast scarcely saw the dangers ahead of her as she sprang to her darling's relief. Love cast out her fear, love gave wings to her feet, and guided her up the steep ascent where no human foot had ever ventured before. At last her babe was clasped in her arms once more. What in all this world was so precious to that mother as the tiny mite of living, breathing flesh and blood! For its safety, she counted not her life dear to her. For its return, she had taken her life in her hands, risked all, and God had blessed8her.
If we want our souls filled with Christ's love for human souls, He will give it to us. Then we can go out and bring in the lost to Him. Then our hearts will be on fire with earnestness, and our words will not fall to the ground.
Giving and Receiving
THERE are many ways of giving. Some give freely; some grudgingly. Some give liberally; others stingily. Some give out of an abundance; others through self-denial, out of poverty. Some are constantly watching opportunities to give; others will even remain away from Sabbath services for fear calls will be made for money. Some boast of what they give; others prefer giving in secret. Some give until they and their families are deprived of many or all luxuries and even the necessities of life; others give nothing. They will accept a paper, a tract, or a book which you have paid for, without any thought of repaying you. They will sometimes go to church, and listen to a sermon which may have cost the pastor days of hard study to prepare, yet without any thought of assisting in his support.
If you visit them, even at much expense, they will consider they have fully repaid you if they lay aside their daily labor a few moments to hear you talk — willing to receive, but unwilling to give.
Yet we are told that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." There is a double blessing in giving; for we are promised that what we give we shall receive again. And as there is a blessing in giving, the giver secures a double blessing.
But how shall we give? The Lord loves a cheerful giver. David says, "Of Thine own have we given Thee."
Then we are not to regard giving as a sacrifice on our part. It is simply returning to God His own. He says, "Thy silver and thy gold is mine." Those who give with a pure motive are laying up treasures in heaven. It is placed to their account in Heaven’s Bank, and will be paid back with large interest.
The investment is safe. The bank will never break, nor be robbed; for no thief will ever get near it. Our deposits are safe and our reward is sure.
Divine Providence
By Ira A. Clute
By Ira A. Clute
THE city sleeps in silence
Through the tropic summer night,
No sense of coming danger
Their peaceful dreams affrights.
In revelry and feasting,
In sleep and worldly lust,
The many are indulging
Who shall soon return to dust.
Ah! the cruelty of Satan!
How he lures men on to try
All earth's madness, with the promise,
"Nay, thou shalt not surely die!"
How he burns with earth's wild fever
All man's love for truth or God,
Till, as in the days of Noah,
Naught but sin is all abroad.
Can we wonder at the judgment—
That an earthquake rends the earth?
That the powers of heaven are shaken,
Drowning all the cries of mirth?
Not in Kingston, that doomed city,
But in all the earth's wide bound,
Can we wonder that God's thunders
Shake the skies and rend the ground?
When we see the ranks of Satan
Forward march in gay array,
Luring smiles upon their faces,
In their hearts, "Deceive, betray,"
Shall all perish in the chaos?
Nay. As on the southern isle,
God's own band of faithful workers
May find favor in His smile.
Providence divine protects them.
"Hide thyself," while storms o'ercast,
"As it were, a little moment
Till the indignation's past."
Tho we shudder at the sadness
That the power of Satan gave,
We may shout: "This is our Saviour!
We have waited! He will save!"
Famine, pestilence, and earthquake,
Little understood, tho heard,
Shall fulfil prophetic Scriptures,
Strengthen and support His Word.
PSALMS 101 to 106 inclusive furnish us the reading for the first three days of this week. Very instructive are these psalms, especially as they pass over the Lord’s dealing with His children; His wonderful mercy in their backsliding, His wonderful assurances to them if they will only return.
THE last four days of the week cover Acts 1-7 inclusive. The book of Acts was written by Luke, as the introduction, compared with the introduction of Luke, clearly sets forth. It is called by Luke the second treatise and inscribed to the same Theophilus. The writer is one of the “we” so frequently mentioned in some parts of the Acts. It is a record of the continuation of our Lord’s work through His apostles and chosen servants. It is supposed to have been written by Luke when he was in Rome, where he accompanied the apostle Paul. It was written evidently before the fall of Jerusalem, because he makes mention of current events in his own time but nowhere mentions this. It was probably written not later than 63. It records the first martyr, the first Gentile convert, the first European church.
Beware of Prejudice and Desire
By C. H. Pridgeon
BE careful not to mistake the voice of prejudice and the voice of desire for the voice of the Spirit.
Let us notice in connection with this thought the passage in Acts 26:9: “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” That is what Paul said; then let us connect with that, Phil. 3:4-6: “Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Blameless. Paul said he was living a blameless life, living up to conscience, doing the thing he thought he ought to do; but at that very time he was persecuting the church.
What was the matter with the apostle? He listened to the voice of God speaking through his conscience. In his heart he was saying, “I must persecute this new sect that has arisen.” Instead of hearing God’s voice, he was hearing the voice of his own prejudice and false zeal, saying, “Persecute them.” He mistook the voice of his own prejudice for the voice of God.
This thought may cut to the quick, for we are naturally people of prejudice, prejudiced in favor of our own loved ones. We are prejudiced against our enemies and those who speak evil of us. We are prejudiced in favor of our own way, in favor of our own education, and in favor of our own opinions. Much of the disorder in Christendom is on account of that kind of thing. Paul was perfectly honest, but he was listening to the voice of prejudice and to the voice of desire. He desired that Judaism should be propagated, and was so zealous to accomplish this purpose, that he would not stop for anything in the way of accomplishing that purpose. If you hold a shell to your ear, you can hear the sound of the sea, but that sound is the sound of the air, or the intonation of the circulation of your own blood. Often when we test things and take them before God in prayer, in place of hearing God’s will we hear our own prejudices and our own desires, and we say, “It is the voice of God.” Be careful about that.
On the lines of affection one must be specially guarded. We have been obliged from Scriptural reasons to refuse many times to join together in wedlock an unconverted and a converted person. It would not be Scriptural. They might say: “We have prayed about this, and have really made it a subject of prayer. The answer we have gotten from the Lord is that it is all right, I will be the means of the conversion of the other person if I do this.”
We say, “We would be afraid to perform the ceremony for you, God’s Word is too plain.” We are afraid of anything that is not in accordance with the Word of God. You had better wait not only till they confess Christ, but until they prove that they trust God. They follow desire, and mistake it for the voice of God. That was what Balaam did; he did not know how much was his own desire. When God said “No” to Balaam the first time, that ought to have satisfied him. Balaam could not tell the voice of his own desire from the voice of God. He went by that, and God was angry. It was disobedience to God. This whole subject is of vital importance.—C. H. Pridgeon.
Our Bible Reading
Unselfishness
1. What was a prominent characteristic in the life of our Lord?
"For even Christ pleased not Himself." Rom. 15:3. "Who, being originally in the form of God, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant." Phil. 2:6, 7, R.V.
2. To what extent did He go in His self-denial?
"He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross." Verse 8.
3. For whom did He do all of this? and for what purpose?
"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:14. "Tho He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." 2 Cor. 8:9. "Rich toward God." Luke 12:21. "Rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom." James 2:5. "Rich in good works." 1 Tim. 6:18.
4. By what spirit should we be actuated?
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil. 2:5. "Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good." Rom. 15:2. "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself." Luke 9:23.
They do “the works of the flesh.” Gal. 5:19-21. “Because the carnal mind [the mind of the flesh] is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Rom. 8:7.
3. How alone can man do the work of God?
“Ye must be born from above.” John 3:7, margin. “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God.” Verse 5. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12.
4. What does faith in Christ bring to the sinner?
Righteousness and life. “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith.” Rom. 3:22. “In the way of righteousness is life.” Prov. 12:28.
Christ Our All in All
THE apostle Paul declares of Jesus Christ that He “was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 1: 30, 31, Revised Version.
Our Wisdom
“Wisdom” is from the Greek word sophia, defined by Greenfield to mean “knowledge, intelligence, illumination of mind; wisdom as exercised in forming the best plans and in the selection of the best means; wisdom, prudence, discretion.” Christ is “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1: 24), the One who inspired the prophets of old (Luke 11: 49). In Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Col. 2: 3. He possesses all knowledge; He knows how to use the best means in the best way for the best purpose. And He is all this for the children of men. Man does not know himself. He fails in the use of the best means for the best purposes in the commonest affairs of every-day life. How much more does he not know the way to God! But Christ knows it. He knows all the way, the trials, the conflicts, the difficulties, the besetments, the opposition; and He knows how to use them all — favorable and unfavorable — for the best and greatest good involved. This all-wisdom will be granted to every one who will connect with Christ. It is pledged for us. God gave it to us in giving Christ. Ask Him; He will not upbraid, but will give liberally. Wisdom waits for the humble, in God’s Word. “The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
Our Righteousness
Man is a sinner. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Being a sinner, he is doomed to die; for “the soul that sinneth, it shall die,” and “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Sin is the transgression of the law. God’s law condemns man because he has broken it. It demands perfect righteousness, even the righteousness of God. But “who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Even man’s best deeds, his “righteousnesses, are as filthy rags.” He has not kept the law, he can not keep it. But Jesus Christ kept it in all its perfection. He “did no sin.” And He takes His perfect life of obedience to God’s law, and offers it, yea, imputes it, to every one who will choose Him and renounce sin. His righteousness becomes our righteousness; His life of obedience, our life. The law in us as sinners was a law of sin and death, because we transgressed it. In Him it was a law of righteousness and life, because He lived it perfectly; and when we come to Him by simple faith, He takes the law lived in Christ’s life and puts it upon us. This is “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference.” “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus [God’s holy law lived by Christ] hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” This is the righteousness which we receive through Christ, and to its genuineness the law bears witness. Rom. 3: 21. This is what Jesus desires to be to every one of us — “the Lord our Righteousness.” Will you not let Him? In His righteousness is life — eternal life.
Our Sanctification
“Sanctification” means a separation, a setting apart. Christ calls us out from the world. He was in the world, yet not of the world, for our sakes; and He says to His disciples, “Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” Again, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Christ separates through His truth. Thus He prays for His disciples, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.” “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” It is God’s Word which points out sin by showing the better way, which pierces the heart by its wondrous truths, which gives power to renounce sin, which gives the life of Christ’s righteousness, which separates the soul from sin and separates it unto God, which sets apart from the world and sets apart to God’s service in Christ Jesus. His is the Word of truth and power; His is the righteousness; His is the holiness. Sanctified through the truth are those who are Christ’s, sanctified by the Spirit, the power in the Word, sanctified by Christ Jesus, who of God is made our sanctification. Christians are sanctified, but only in Christ.
Our Redemption
“Redemption” means purchase, release, deliverance. Christ is our redemption. He bought us with His own life; and every one who acknowledges that purchase price by yielding to Him, He will by His own power deliver from the power of sin and death to eternal life and immortal glory. He delivers us here from the sin of the past; He breaks its yoke from off our neck, opens its prison-house, and makes us free; and, if faithful to the end, He will deliver our bodies from the power of mortality and the grave at His soon coming.
Christ Is Our All in All
We are nothing; He is everything. We are the naughts, the zeros, the ciphers; He is the digit, the significant figure. But He offers us all if we will but yield to come into right relations to Him, if we will but choose Him. He then places our nothingness on the right side of His own intrinsic worth and wholeness, and, lo, in Him we are multiplied as tho we were units! The following figure represents us of ourselves: 0 — we are nothing. The following represents Christ to the extent of all infinity of vastness: 1 — He is everything. The union of the two makes each one of us, in Christ: 10 — ten units from nothing, ten tens, ten millions if need be, for He is infinite. It is all of HIM, that “he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
Justified by Faith
THE man who never sinned would be justified by his works. The doer of the law would be justified by his deeds. This is true of the angels; their deeds, wrought in faith, will declare them just; for they have never sinned before God. But not so with man. All men have sinned, all men are in a sinful condition by nature. They not only of themselves can not put away the sins of the past, but they are incapable of meeting the perfect righteousness of the law required of the present. In the deeds of the law is only condemnation for all, “for all have sinned.” But through God’s unmerited favor man by faith in Christ is declared just. Man repents of his sin, submits all to God, looks by faith to Christ, and God for Christ’s sake not only forgives the sin but implants within the penitent sinner His own nature. The man is “regenerated,” “born again,” “created unto good works;” and as long as he holds this faith steadfast to the end, his deeds will manifest his faith. They will show his faith to be a living, effectual faith; in other words, his deeds will show him to have the faith which justifies, and he is therefore said to be “justified by works.” James 2:21.
Truth Infinite
WE will never be able to comprehend or understand God’s Word; for as God is infinite, so also His Word is infinite. Every moral truth taught by that Word finds its root in the Infinite Mind. It may present itself in an aspect of exceeding smallness, but if it be God’s Word or truth, it is like many mines of untold wealth which have been revealed, perhaps, by a little piece of quartz or spar. The miners could understand the little piece, and by it could apprehend the fact that more lay underneath. It is just so with the seeker after truth. He may comprehend the little which he sees in a certain way, but by faith he may apprehend the great fact that the little truth which he knows is but the surface of a great mine of truth, the breadth and depth of which are infinite, and the end of which is eternity. Let us therefore comprehend, or understand, all the truth we are able, but let us also by living faith apprehend, or lay hold of, the whole truth as it is in Christ Jesus; for if that truth be ours, infinity, eternity is also ours.
No Good Work Is Ever in Vain
“No work done truly, no good word earnestly spoken, no sacrifice freely made, was ever in vain.”
