The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-03-10

lCcpyrlght, 1000, by American Press Association.
What n solrching and helpful word is
this with which our lesson opens: IF
We continue in My word, then are We
My disciples indeed" The previous
verc said hat many believed on
Him, but only such as continue to be-
lieve are believers indeed In H. %;
iv, 80, IL, Vii. 81. We read that many
believed. but in Vi. g. we also read
that many of His disciples went back
and walked no more with Him. Ii
might be said of them. They went out
from us. but they were not of us, for
If they had been OF Us they would have
continued with us, but they went out
that they might be made manifest that
they were not all of u.s. q John ii, 40.
Faith and patience, patient continu-
ance, are the characteristics of a true
believer. 1t is on the same principle
as faith without works is dead" Not
every one that saith. but he that doeth'
JAS ii. 20; Matt. vii, 2D.
We must remember that before God
neither works nor patience nor continu-
ance is necessary to salvation. God
reaGs the heart, and wherever He sees
the honest acceptance of Jesus Christ
and His finished work He sees one whe
is truly saved and in whom He will
perfect what lie has begun (Phil. j, 81.
But before men who cannot read the
heart the works and faith and patient
continuance are the evidence that there
has really been the new birth. by the
precious blood of Christ every true be-
lever is washed, sanctiied, justified,
perfected forever q Cor. vi, L; Heb.
X. 10, IA. but by the word Of God and
the Spirit of God there is work of
sancufcation and perfection ever be-
ing carried on John xvii. Il; Phil. iii,
10, IL
But these self righteous Pharisees,
not knowing the righteousness Of God
and therefore going about to establish
their own righteousness Rom. Y, -,
assert that they have no need to be
made free. as they were never in bond
age to any man. 1t is often convenient
to some people to forget or profess to
forget some things. They must have
left the cvii and some other psalms out
Of their psalter. They prided them
selves on being Abraham's children,
but they did not act like Abraham.
What they were and who they were are
fully shown forth in the opening Incl
dent of this chapter. where we see
them bringing a poor sinful woman
to Christ that He may condemn her,
but He not seeming to hear them,
stopped down and wrote with His fin
ger on the ground, thus saying, as loud
as such an act could say, that their
names were not written In heaven, but
in the earth. because they bad forsaken
the Lord, the fountain of living waters
Ger. xvii, 49,.
When He gave opportunity for any
man without sin TO cast the first stone
at her and again stopped down and
wrote on the ground, they all went out
one by one each man convicted by his
own conscience. Thus was made man
ifest what they were and where their
names Were written. The woman be-
ing left alone He said. Neither do |
condemn thee; go and sin no more
(verse IL, thus illustrating John iii, II,
where it is written that He came not
to condemn, but save. He came as
the Light Of the World Verse ~, but
those who love the darkness could not
abide Him. His comfort was that the
Father sent Him; that the Father new
er left Him alone; that He said only
what the Father told Him and taught
Him, and that He did always those
things that pleased the Father verses
16 Is. % 2S. 29). When accused by
His enemies Of saying what was not
true and Of having devil verses Is,
49, He could be calm and unmoved, be
cause the Father was with Him and
approved.
AS His disciples it is our privilege to
be made free from sin and as servants
of Righteousness. servants of God, have
fruit unto holiness (ROm. vi, IS ID,
and find our comfort where He found
His. We must be content to receive
the treatment which He received and
not be surprised to find, as He found,
that many very religious people are
children Of the devil and not children
of God Verse Al.
There Is a suggestion in verse 81 Of
our lesson of Ishmael and Isaac, the
latter prefguring the true Isaac, who
was not spared (Rom. viii, 32), hut
who, having offered Himself r0c,.llce
for our sins, obedient unto death, will
live in us His liCa OK. again Of pleas
ing the Father, not seeking His own
viii - lis own glory (verse 50) but,
freeing us from all self and all error
and all darkness will make II mani
fest to those who know us best that we
are His disciples indeed. Coming back
to the first thought of our lesson, that
of continuing or abiding in His word,
my mind runs 10 John xiv, %, IF a
man love Me he will keep My words,
and My Father will love him, and we
will come unto him and make our
abode mansion with him
Think Of these bodies being mansions
IN which Father. Son and Holy Spirit
dwell and desiring that we yield the
property fully as the lad did the FIVE