The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-05-22
TEACHING POINTS.

INTRODUCTION. = We should gain such
acquaintance as we may with the differ
ent New Testament characters. The Cos
pei of Jesus had at the first many inter-
prefers. Through their varied testimony
we better appreciate the completeness of
the Gospel. Today we are to give atten-
tion to JAMES, THE LORD BROTHER, THAT
he was the brother of Jesus and shared
with him his home-l life in Nazareth, is sup
ported by mass of evidence, which can
not be within our limits adduced. THE
teacher who would investigate this matter
will find the case fairly stated by Farrar
in his history of ''The Early Days of
Christianity vol. IL, p. 396-401 That
James, the author of ''The Epistle of
James," was the son of Joseph and Mary
is now, by most Biblical scholars, assumed
as fairly proved. james was an apostle
in such sense as Paul and Barnabas were
apostles; he was not one of the twelve
He was made Bishop of Jerusalem because
of his sanity character his calm wisdom,
his relationship to Jesus, his manifest fit
ness for the office.-His Epistle is his
legacy to the church In it he emphasizes
the ethical requirements of the Gospel.
~. V. 14-17. DEAD FAITH is vALUELEss.
Some Christians had probably interpreted
Paul's saying, "a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law Rom. 3:
2S] as signifying without deeds of moral
ity and fraternity, whereas Paul plainly
meant without the penances and formal
observances of the Mosaic ritual. Paul, no
less than James, believed in right-doing
as the fruit and test of faith. To correct
this threatened lapse into a dead faith
James wrote our lesson passage. THE
charity which expresses itself alone in
words, will not clothe the naked nor feed
the hungry. Faith that remains like dead
seed in the soil, will save no one.--Aim-
less, unorganized emotion is a religious
sham.
e. V 1920. FAITH MADE MANIFEST BY
WORKS. While every one who believes in
Christ should, for the sake of the world,
for ones own sake, for the sake of the
truth, make public confession of faith, it
is nevertheless the fact that one's life,
more than ones words, is his confession
VI ldlOH VI VI VAIN VI ldlUh' 10y OhCll
fruits We shall know them. ''-Intellect-
ual soundness in doctrine is possible with
criminal or even demon. Demons, as
here referred to, may be but imaginary,
yet for standard of comparison they are
allowable. l--Milton's imaginary demons
in hell split theological hairs. Mere dead
intellectualism is religious sham.
81 V. 21-23 ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY
HIS WORKS. While Paul could truly say
Rom. 4: 81 THAT FAITH WAS RECKoNED TO
ABRAHAM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, yet it was
only as his faith was fruit bearing. This
James plainly shows. Because Abraham s
faith, according to the light he possessed,
was transmitted into.deeds, he was rightly
reckoned the friend of God. He was justi-
fied-that is, made just or right in God s
slightly his works, no less than by his
faith.
a dead faith is like a dead orchard
tree, fruitless, worthless.
-NF'ine words butter no parsnips.''
--'sDeeds speak louder that words. y
Surface emotion, without depth, is
essential cruelty.
Abraham in Paul's view was the
hero of faith; in James's view he was the
hero of works.