Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-12-02
j. II. MILLER & SONS.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATiONAL SERIES, DEC. 8.

DRY Verses, s-5-GoIden Text, 1 John
iv, I0-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
IS. "Do not err. my beloved brethren. !"
This epistle has been designated as love
manifested in obedience, or the perfect man
continuing in the gospel law of liberty"
There is nothing in the whole letter which
conflicts with the doctrine that we are
saved by Christ alone without any works
of ours (Rom. iv, 5; Eph. ii, s., but the
Complementary truth is made clear that
being justified by faith we must by our
works make our faith manifest. Compare
Eph. ii, 10; Titus iii, 8. Part of these works
which give evidence of the reality of our
faith consist of patient endurance Of trial,
which patience will bring to the person en-
during the reward of the crown of life
Verse 12). But while God tries us for His
glory and our good we must never think
that He tempts us to do wrong. On this
point we must not err.
II. Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above and cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no vari-
ableness, neither shadow of turning" All
gifts of God must be both good and perfect,
and He who gave His own Son will with
Him give us all things Rom. viii, 32).
Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable
gift which includes all other gifts UI Cor.
tx, 15). God is light q John i, 81 and there
fore the source of all light temporal and
spiritual. Dwelling in God we dwell in
light and must of necessity show it. As &c
His unvariableness He says, Il am the Lord
change not" (Mal. iii, 81.
IS. 'Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth that we should be a kind
of first fruits of His creatures God who
commanded the light to shine out of dark.
ness hath shined in our hearts, and as it Is
the entrance of His word that giveth light
it is thus the light comes When we re
ceive His word, we receive Himself, for He
is the Word of God, and thus we are born
again, or from above (see ii Cor. iv, 6; Ps
cxix, 100; John l. /, l2, 13). Peter also testi.
fies that we are born again by the Word OF
God q Pet i, 2, 81, and this agrees with borr
of water and the Spirit John iii, 5; vi, e.
Eph. V, 26).
10. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, LEI
every man be swift to hear, slow to speak
slow to wrath" Because all good is from
God and all evil from us, therefore eagerly
devour all He says, but be careful of what
proceeds from our lips. We are to take
heed what we hear, ard how we hear Mark
iv, "a; Luke viii, lS), and we are to let the
word of Christ dwell in US richly, so that
out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth may speak (Col. iii, l6; Math. xii
3i). And by this very word of God abiding
in us we shall be kept from sin FPS cxix
~.
20. "For the wrath of man worketh no,
the righteousness of God" Angry argu
ment and disputing never accomplished the
| glory of God, and yet some preachers can
not talk on holy things and keep theil
tempers, Paufs advice to Timothy is good
THE servant of the Lord must not strive
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach
patient" Oh Tim. ii, pa.
| 81. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness
and superilu y of naughtiness and receiv.
with meekness the engrafted word, which
/ is able to save your souls" Here is testi
mony as clear as Paul ever gave that it Il
the word that saves. By the word comes
| the new birth as we have seen, and by the
/ word comes the assurance of salvation q
| John V, lib. Our part is to meekly re
| ceive the word. To this end we must sim
/ ply have done with all iniquity, cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh anC
| spirit and find perfect holiness in the feal
of the Lord QI Cor. vii, i; Heb. xii. 1, q.
o. But be We doors of the word and moi
hearers only, deceiying your own selves y
Jesus Himself said, Not every one that
saith unto me, LORD, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doett
the will of my Father which is in heaven
! (Math. vii, 21) MY mother and my breth
rem are these which hear the word of Goo
and do it" q IKE viii, 81. The whole of the
second chapter of this epistle from verse Il
to the end IL n commentary upon the verse
% For if any be hearer of the word
| and not doer he is like unto a man be
/ holding his natural face in a glass" Tn,
word of God is a mirror in which each on,
can see himself and his failures, and Ii
which he can also see what he ought to be
for there are many illustrations of mer
and women in whom God dwelt and
wrought for the good of others-people who
were not hea crs only, but doors, for Goo
wrought In them both to will and to do
See ii Chron. XXI, 81. and xxxiv, /, 2; alse
Cor. XIV, 10; Phil. ii, ao-22
"a. For he beholdeth himself and goetf
his way and straightway forgetteth whai
manner of Man he was" 1t is good thinl
/ for man to see himself if he will only
4 profit by it and become a better man. bu
this knowledge of ones failures and YET
continuing in the same old way is terri
| bly, hardening process. How shall we es
cape if we neglect so great salvations'
Now consider this We that forget God les
| tear you in pieces and there be none Il
deliver" Heb. ii, 8; Ps. |, ~.
25. but whose lo0keth into the perfec
law of liberty and continueth therein, b.
being not forgetful hearer, but doer O
the work, this man shall be blessed in hi!
deed The layer in the tabernacle al
which the priests washed their hands ant
feet is suggestive Of the word Of God b,
which we are daily cleansed (Eph. V, 90. Ps
cxix, o., and it was made out of the looking
glasses of the women (Ex. xxxviii, 81. In
stead Of looking at ourselves, we are to lool
at Him who is revealed to US in the Wort
| of God
%. IF any man among you seem to b
religious and bridleth not his tongue, bu
deceiveth his own heart, this mans reli
gion is vain" The third chapter is dis
course upon this little unruiy membe
| which ofttimes works so much mischief
| The tongue is harder to manage thai
horses or wild beasts or serpents, but al
| though no mar can tame IL God can, fo
the things which are impossible with mel
are possible with God. and there Is moth
ing too hard for Him (Math. xiv, %; Jer
xxi. 10
q. Pure religion and undefled befor
God and the Father is this, to visit the ia
therless and widows in their affection an,
to keep himself unspotted from the world
The religion tlat is manifest in talk, how
ever good, and Is not accompanied By a con
sistent life is vain. The church membe
whose tongue is given to Islander and back
biting is worse than vain and Is heapini
up torment for himself But that Chris
tian who, constrained by the love Of Christ
goes about doing good. making the widow
heart to sing for Joy Job xxx. ls), h Glori