Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-12-01

This epstle has been designated as love !
manifested in obedience or the perfect man I
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 O2om. iv, >; 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 ill., s. 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.
H. Every good gift ard every I eject
gift is from above and cOmeth dow1 rom
the Father of lights, with whom Is ut vari-
abeness, 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 Oh Cor.
tx, 15). God is light q John /, 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 to
His unvariabeness liz says, Il am the Lord;
change not (Alal iii, g.
49, "Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth that we should be 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 Wore! of God, and thus we are born
again, or from above (see II Cor iv, 6; Ps.
cxix, 1870; John i. |, -, 49,. Peter also testi-
fies that we are born again by the Word of
God q Pet. i, ., ~, and this agrees with born
of water ana the Spirit (John iii, D; vi, 63:
Eph V, 2G).
10. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let
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 near, and how we hear Mark
iv, "a; Luke viii, 49,, 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, Is; Math. xii,
34). And by this very word of God abiding
in us we shall he kept from sin (Ps cXix,
ID.
90 For the wrath of man worketh not
the righteousness of Cod" Angry argu-
ment and disputing never accomplished the
glory of God, and yet some preachers can
not talk on holy things and keep their
tempers. Pauls advice to Timothy is good,
"The servant of the Lord must not strive
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach
patient I'll Tim, ii, 2D.
tt\Vborafora iov apo,t f1tbsnocs
and superhuity of naughtness and receive
with meekness the engrafted word, which
is able to save your souls" Here is testi-
mony as clear as Paul ever gave that it is
, the word that saves. BY the word comes
the new birth as we have seen, and by the
, word comes the assurance of salvation u
John V, 1l-l3). 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 and
o spirit and find perfect holiness in the fear
0 of the Lord Gil Cor. vii, /; Heb. xii, l, y.
q %. But be We doors of the word and not
O hearers only. deceiving your own selves. "
Jesus Himself said, Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth
p the will of my Father which is in heaven
a (Math. vii, 2D. My mother and my breth
4 ICll are butSO W hlNH lNflI lllt NOIN VI btu
i and do it" duke viii, 81 The whole of the
+ second chapter of this epistle from verse Il
j to the end is a commentary upon the verse
;, %. For if any be "A nearer of the word
70 and not a doer he is like unto man be
holding his natural face in glass" TIL,
u word of God is n mirror in which each on,
" can see himself and his failures, and il
e which he can also see what he ought to be
;; for there are many illustrations of mel
!, : and women in whom God dwelt an(
wrought for the good of others-people VIII,
were not hearers only, but doors, for Goo
wrought in them both to will and to do
= See ii Chron. XXI, 81, and xxxiv, l,2; ais,
| Cor. XIV, 10; Phil ii, 20-22.
. "a. For he beholdeth himself and goetl
his way and straightway forgetteth wha
manner of man he was" 1t is good thin,
for man To see himself if he will onl
profit by it and become better man. bu
this knowledge of ones failures and We
continuing IN the same old way is terri
~ bly, hardening process. "Ilow shall we es
c. cape if we neglect so great salvation?
r, "Now consider this ye that forget God les
~ tear you in pieces and there be none t
Y, deliver Q1eb ii, 81 Ps. !, 22)
Al 25. But whose looketh into the perfeC
law of liberty and continuelh therein,
being not forgetful nearer, but a doer {
the work, this man shall be blessed in hi
deed" The laver in the tabernacle a
which the priests washed their hands an
feet is suggestive of the word of God
which we are daily cleansed (Eph. V, 26; p
cXiX, 81, and it was made out of the lookin
- glasses of the women (EX. XXXviii, 81. Ii
stead of looking at ourselves, we are to loo
at Him who is revealed to us in the wor
of God.
20. IF any man among you seem to
religious and bridleth not his tongue, bl
deceiveth his own heart, this mans rel
gion is vain" The. third chapter is a di
course upon this little unruly memb,
which ofttimes works so much mischie
The tongue is harder to manage tina
horses or wild beasts or serpents, but a
though no man can tame it God can, f,
the things which are impossible with mt
are possible with God, and there is not
ing too hard for Him (Math. xiv, 20; Je
xxi, ~.
"a. pure religion and undefled befo