The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-03-07


on the Days Lesson.
I. The test and blessings Of discipeslip
Tvs. 81, 32). 81 Then said Jesus. Ret
ter, as r. " Jesus therefore said be-
cause many had believed On Film after His
declaration that He was the Light 81 tha
world. and after His answers to The Phari.
sees, and now Jesus directed His remarks
The term believed applies here to the1
! disposition, openly expressed. to acxnowl.A
edge Jesus as the Messiah. IF We abide'si
(R W Not ftful, intermittent relar4
ton, but thorough intense and eontinuous.
In My word If We obey My command
ments and follow My teachings carefully.
Our spirits must drink in Christ's words
as our bodies inhaie the atmosphere No
man is worth listening to on questions Of
faith and doctrine who is not himself a
Teverent listener to Christ. Abiding IN
Gods word must become the permanent
condition Of our life. Disciples. "A dis
[ cipe is a learner; one who accepts and fol-
4 lows another as teacher and master True
disciples are real representatives OF Christ,
/ who live holy life before the world.
3D. Shall know the TRUTH Shall know
it doctrinally, spiritually, experlmentally,
4 not as a mere theory, but as a living pow
er; shah know the reality Of things, and
shall know Christ Himself the embodi-
ment of truth (John l4:l) The rulers had
spoken OF knowing the law, Jesus speaks
Of knowing the truth This is a species
/ of learning infinitely transcending all the
guesses Of doubting scientists and sneering
philosophers Make you free Inte1lir
pence IS not sufficient Al learned man ia
still a wicked man under the bondage Of
\ sin unless he has been made free. KnOwl-1
! edge appears as the fruit OF faith, and tree
dom as the fruit of knowledge Christ as
soeiates liberty always with the truths
which He is Himself, and SO presents the~
truth as the cause OF liberty as the effect.
IL Freedom offered from the slavery Of :
sin Tvs. 1885, SO. They answered =
4 Many commentators refer this they not
to the many who believed ". 30), but TO
the other Jews who had not believed. The
4 little episode OF verses 1892 is thus held as
pleasant parenthesis, and the believers
are all allowed to be genuine and perhaps
permanent. The words cannot be spoken
Of the simple people who had already be-
lieved, but to the carping, caviling. Phari-
| sees. "Abraham's seed" They had AbTa-
hams blood in their veins, but not hls
faith in their hearts. Never in bondage.
This answer was not more true than the
language Of pride ordinarily. Politically,
the seed of Abraham had been IN bondage
to Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome.
Spiritually, they had been in bondage to
idolatGies III past times, were now to the
rabbis, who were hteralists IN interpreta-
ton, and without spirituality or sympathy
(Matt. 23:4l. How sayest Thou" Upon
what possible principle dost Thou promise
to us that which we already are proud Of
possessing, VIZ, glorious ibertyy We all
ready possess as our birthright what Thou
art offering TO Us as the fun result Of dis
ciplesbip.
81 sfVerily, verify A solemn declara-
ton enforced by these words. Whose
ever committeth sin" In these words
Jesus utterly expels the political question
from His scope. He states first the princi-
pie and then the application. He spoke OF
a more degrading bondage and a higher
freedom than they imagined. He whose
tendency and habit is to commit sin He
who makes choice OF sin; prefers the way
OF wickedness before the way of holiness;
who makes covenant with sin, enters into
league; vino makes a custom of sin; who
walks after the flesh and makes trade of
SIN. Is the servant of sim" Is the slave,
the bond-servant Of sin. He does the work
Of sin, supports its interests and accept
its wages. de cannot dismiss sin at pleaslV
ure; the moment he attempts it he finds
the chains drawn tighter. Dream notA Of
freedom while under the mastery of yoNr
desires
Temperance instruction may be brought
in at this point No bondage is greateEa
than the bondage to strong drink. Servi-H
tude is repulsive to all men. In our land
of freedom men demand their rights in
business, yet there are hundreds OF men
and boys and sometimes women who pnt
themselves under the bondage Of the drink
habit.
49, THE servant abideth not The
reference may be to Hagar and Ishmael
and lsaac-the bond and the free. They
had spoken OF themselves as the seed, of
Abraham. Jesus shows them that there
may be of that seed two kinds: the son.
properly so call, and the slave. These
Jews might be the seed of Abraham, and
yet, not being his spiritual children, might
not abide in his household of faith. Not
many years after this their capital and ma
ton were destroyed, and the Gentiles took
their place in the kingdom of God Think
not to be made free from sin by the rites
and ceremonies of the law of Moses, for
Moses was but servant and had not that
parental authority in tie church which the
Son had. The Son abideth" CIR. V) The
comparison here is between any son and
bond servant, and son should not begin
with q capital. Sinners are slaves, Chris
tlans are sons and heirs. SO. If the Son"
Christ now refers to Himself. The Son Of
bod alone has power to hberate those who
are slaves to SIN. Jesus Christ is the head
and has full authority and ability. The
rather hath gwen all things into His hand
lJohn l7:2l. Free indeed" The Jews
boasted OF an imaginary freedom. brit the
liberty which Christ offered was real and
lasting IN its effects. 1t would have saved
the nation from the bondage Of captivity
TO Babylon centuries before; it would
save them from bondage to the Romano
what freedom they had under the Romans
was due to what they had learned and
practiced Of the word. Jesus knew that
deiverance from the Roman yoke was the
great work expected from the Messiah.
lie therefore spiritualized this hope
Ill Jesus shows the character Of tbs
wicked Jews Tvs 37-40) 81. Abraham -
seed. Christ admits their claim that they
are the natural descendants Of Abraham,
but denies that they are his children (v.
800 in the highest and best sense, Seek
to kill That they desired the death Of
Abraham truest Son is proof that they
are not true sons Of Abraham. Their muir
derous intent proves that they are childrenl
of the devil (v. 44) instead Of Abraham.
No place in you. You do not allow Ny.
wxrd to enter your hearts and lives. So
Il speak, etc. The Son existed with The
Father during past eternity and He report
the things He had seen eye do" etG
Their father was Satan ". AZ, and the5N
were instructed and led BY him 80. ~
The argument here is that they were NOV
true children Of Abraham because they
were not like Abraham in character ami
actions. Abraham's life was wholly unlihd|
their,
r-.x.n. ap- ~ rsx.a.s.s..,..~n