Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-05-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATIONAL SERIES, MAY 80.

TERNATlONAl SERIES, MAY 80.
Text of the Lesson, Jas. II, 14-23-Memory
Is-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearns.
IA. "what doth it profit, my brethren
though a man say he hath faith and have
not worksY Can faith save him?" The r.
V. says "Can that faith save him'" There
are no contradictions in the teaching of
Scripture, and one of the plainest doctrines
In all the book taught even in this lesson
by the Spirit. through James (verse 23)
is that the only salvation revealed to us is
that which has been fully wrought out for
us by the Lord Jesus Christ without any
help of ours, and which we must receive
by faith as free gift from God. See Rom.
iv, 3; Eph. ii, 8; Titus iii, o. 1t is most
Enthusiastically clear that we are saved by
faith alone But it is just as clearly taught
that the evidence of that faith will be seen
in our daily lives by our walking in the
good works prepared for us. See Eph. ii,
1O Titus iii, s. a faith that does not pro
duce good works and holy life is not
genuine, but is an empty name.
10, 16 "lf brother or sister be naked
and destitute of daily food, and one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye
/ warned and filled, Notwithstanding We give
them not those things which are needful
to the body What doth it proft?" Or as
John says, My little children, let us not
love in word. neither in tongue but in
deed and in truth Il John iii, 1S). Jesus
Himself said, My mother and My breth-
rem are these which hear the word of God
and do it. duke viii, 2D. And again,
"Not every one that saith unto Me Lord,
Lord. shall enter into the kingdom Of heav-
en-; but he that docth the will of My Fa-
thor, which is in heaven (Math. vii, 21).
II. Even so faith, if it hath not works
is dead, being alone" or, as in the mar
gin, 'by itself" Faith comcth by hear
ing the word of God (Rom. Y, 17)-that is,
/ by receiving the word of God, and the
word OF God is incorruptible seed. which is
sure to grow. Faith receives Christ into
the heart, and Christ in us cannot be hid
any more than He could lie hid in the
house in the borders of Tyre and Sidon
/ MARK vii, pa You walk by a field in
/ which not green blade is to be seen, al
though it looks as if it had been sOwn, and
the farmer says that he sowcd it with good
seed three months ago. Either the seed
was no good or was destroyed after being
sown, or the farmer lied.
IS "Yca, a man may say, Thou hast
faith and l have works, Show me thy
faith without thy works and l will show
thee my faith by my works" The r. v.
margin begins this verse, But some one
will say" We can talk faith, but we can
not show faith except by our deeds. 1t is
the same with love- God does not need
our works to prove our faith for He can
read the heart, but He tells us that believ-
ers should he careful to maintain good
works because they are good and profitable
unto men (Titus iii, 81. Not only profit
able to those who do the works, for we are
to be rewarded according to our works
(Rev. xxi, -; l Cor. iii, s, 14), but profit
able to those who, seeing the good works,
may be led by them to Him who worketh
in us both to will and to do of His good
pleasure phil ii, 49,.
10. "Thou bclievcst that there is one
God. Thou d0cst we'll. The devils also be
lievc and trcmble. The X. V. says
"shudder' instead of tremble, and the r.
v margin says demons instead of dev
lis There is but one devil, though there
are hosts of demons, his followers. One
has said that there are no atheists or in
fidels in hell All who are there believe in
and of heaven, but they cannot believe OF
the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Those
who die in their sins can never come where
Christ is (John viii, 2D. Therefore it is
written, Because there is wrath, beware
lest He take thee away with His stroke
Then n great ransom cannot deliver thee
dob Xxxvi, lS). 1t is greatly to be fearet
that many protesting Christians are NJ
better al far as salvation is concerned
than the demons who believe and shudder
They believe all about God and Christ anC
have been received into church member
ship because of this knowledge backed W
by good moral character But having
never truly received Christ (John i, 12)
they continue lost souls
20. "But wilt thou know, o vain man
that faith without works is deady" Thu
knowledge of God and of Christ that doe
J not lead one To receive the Lord Jesu
Christ into his heart will only prove
greater condemnation. This class of peo
pie is described in Heb vi, As, as enlight
encd tasted the gift, knew somewhat o
the Spirit teaching. But if the continu
ance in grace and good works is lacking
then it is evident that they merely believed
about Christ, but never truly receivet
Him. In ii Pet ii, 2O-22, we read agail
of such as were to some extent benefited
by their knowledge, but were never trul,
new creatures.
II. WAS not Abraham our father JUST
fed by works when he had offered Isaa
his son upon the altar" This was tn
, outward and evident justification befor
t men, for we are justified freely by grace
J meritoriously by the blood of Christ an,
{ instrumcntally by faith (Rom iii, "a; Y
= 8, u, and there is no conflict or contradic
. ton in these statements. Abraham reste
{ for 20 years on the bare promise of God
B., Then Isaac was given. After he ha
/ grown to be n lad God tried his servant t
see if he was still resting on the promis
Z or upon the visible Isaac. Now, God kneN
I his servants heart and did not need t
! prove him that God might know, but tina
all generations might see that Abraham
| rested not in the visible gift of God, bu
i In God Himself and His sure word.
4 %. "Seest thou how faith wrought wit
u his works, and by works was faith mad
81 81. ~