The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-01
DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIAN
CHARACTER IS THE BIBLE.
Christ in Time of Trial and Tempta-
ton Turned to the Scrip
lures for Comfort.

The Reverend Doctor T NJ; Johnston
Church Yesterday morning. on the Bibles
place in the development of human charac-
ter. His text was: Thy word Is a lamp
unto my feet and a light unto my path
He said. In part:
heaven or in all the universe of God SO
valuable as Christian character. Christ
iike ghar rosision Is n m3te 10 10 a ee f6hlred WITHIN fhan
the range and reach of man. Therefore,
that which contributes most largely to this
end should be priced above all values:
The Bible is Gods instrument-God's
means for forming and developing charac-
ter. Tn purpose of God in giving the
Bible to man was that its formative truths
might be transmitted into character; Tbs
book of God was not given to man for its
history. its imagery nor its poetry; but II
was given as the basis and builder OF d.
vine character.
christian character. What is it? 1t is
a character that is ChIistlike; a character
that thinks as Christ drought: that lives
as he lived; that loves as ne loved: that
serves as he served. and the only way of
knowing how the Master thought and lived
spired Word of God. No wonder that its
verities are eternal and its value priceless.
The Bible and the Christ are inseparahie
mize the written word Is to disnonor the Ivy
ing word: to magnify the book Is TO Slorify
the Christ. The Bible and the Christ stand
or fall together. The storm centers of the
Christian religion to-day. as in centuries
past. are the inspiration of the Scriptures
and the divinity of Jesus.
rs Jesus what he claimed to be-the Son
of God? Is the Bible what it claims to be
God-breathed? If so, It must be the meat
and the drink of all Spiritual life and
book. and the Holy Spf:it is its author and
interpreter. The spirit OF God is the agent
and the word Of God is the Instrument In
Godlikeness. Every Srace found in the
Bible is placed there TO he used as a con-
structive force il. character. Jesus pos.
sessed all Of them in the highest degree.
and the one who knows these graces best
and appreciates them to his daily life APP
rloaches nearest the ideal character of
Christ TRUTH. ~
moral fiber of the one who loves them. Love
for the word assures the assimilation of its
love for the word ought 10 be the distinc-
tive characteristic OF every child OF God.
We grow, rich and stingy as we search
time ago, away up in the land of glaciers
and gold. / visited earth's largest gold
mine. Its $50 steel stamps Were grinding
stopping day or night. but the psalmist dis
covered a far richer mine. Listen: The
words of thy mouth are dearer to me than
rich and wise and strong as we welcome
into our hearts and conscience the thoughts
of God. We become spiritual athletes by
life.
Again. mastery Of the word inevitably
leads to the conquest of the world. No one
can truly know the word of God without a
yearning zeal to give 1t to the lost. While
William Cary was working at his last he
kept his Bible lying open before him, and
herein was the promise and prophecy OF his
marvellous missionary conquestS.
Our times demand emphatic cleavage to
the book. The perilous characteristics and
tendencies of orr age can only he met BY
the Bible. Commercialism predominates ev-
crywhere. Men have always traded. hut
never on such a colossal scale as now. There
is real danger lest the spirit of commercial
conquest dwarf even the desire for spiritual
conquest. / can conceive Of nothing that
will check their grasping spirit save search
ing the word. thereby implanting in human
hearts its cardinal truths. the fatherhood
Of Cod. the brotherhood of man. the spirit
of the Golden Rule. and above all to learn
that true greatness consists not in getting
but giving; that real glory comes not from
being served but in serving.
'The Christianity Of the Bible has brought
our nation to its present imperial position.
and the Bible alone can defend US against
the perils which our prosperity has pro
duced. The central principle of the book.
sacrifice and service. is the only antldOte
for the dangers of this hour.
THE more l study the book the more
am convinced that 1t is inspired of God.
and given to man for the purpose of teach
ing him how to construct out of his ruined
and fallen condition a Christly character.
I believe that God has an ideal plan for
every life. and that plan is revealed In his
word. BY beholdinS him we are TRANSFORMED
into his image and where can we behold