D00TBIN1S QE 0E2I3T
Manuscript, Archives,
and Rare Book Library
EMORY UNIVERSITY
DOCTRINES of CHRIST
OR
The Teachings of Jesus.
BY
Rev. J. n. Conner, S. T. D.
Author of "Outlines of Christian Theology," "Iron Wheel," Classical Lore."
With introduction
BY
Prof. W. S. Scarborough, Ph. D., LL. D.,
Wilberforce, Ohio.
LITTLK KOCK, ARKANSAS.
Printing Department of Shorter University.
1897.
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1897,
By J. M. CONNER, S. T. D.,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
To
my mother,
who sleeps beneath
the monument in the old
church yard, whose hands and
soul ceased not to toil amid the sun¬
shine and the shadow for my salvation, and
who taught me to read and love the
Holy Scriptures in my youth,
this volume is respect¬
fully dedicated
by the
Author.
PREFACE.
In the preparation of this little treatise, it
has been the aim of the author to present in a
concise form, the Doctrines of Jesus Christ, or
the principal teachings of Jesus Christ, as pre¬
sented by the writers of the four gospels. For
several years the necessity of such a treatise
has been uppermost in the mind of the author.
For the young student of Christianity, it is be¬
lieved and hoped, that this little volume will
prove a blessing; and should any, by care¬
ful perusal of these pages, find themselves
benefitted, the author will feel amply paid for
his labor. To say the least, many false con¬
ceptions, as regards the teachings of Christ
exist among those of mature age as well as
among the young students of Christianity. A
careful examination of the Scriptures for sev¬
eral years with theological students, demon¬
strates the fact, that he who would understand
Christianity should study the Bible with the
aid of all of the best helps on the Bible; hence
to add one ray in that direction, has been the
aim of the author.
Wherever quotations from writers have been
made from the gospels, the chapters, aod in
most cases the verses have been given. The
author is frank to acknowledge the very valu¬
able assistance rendered by Rev. J. A. McG.
Johns, A. M., D. D., President of Shorter
University, and Rev. J. E. Carter, A. M., ex-
president of Shorter University.
CONTENTS.
Chapter I.
Doctrines of Christ, 1
Chapter II.
God, 8
Chapter III.
Ethica, 20
Chapter IV.
Love, 48
Chapter Y.
Self-Denial, 65
Chapter YI.
Faith, 80
z Chapter VII.
New Birth, 93
Chapter VIII.
Perfection, 100
Chapter IX.
The Holy Spirit, Ill
Chapter X.
Preaching, 121
Chapter XI.
Immortality, 133
Chapter XII.
Prayer, 157
Chapter XIII.
Baptism, 173
Chapter XIV.
The Lord's Supper, 179
Chapter XV.
Reverence for the Holy Scriptures, . . . 189
Chapter XVI.
The Church, 199
INTRODUCTION.
Not a great while ago there was found in the
library of a monastery of the Most Holy Sep¬
ulchre in Constantinople, a MS. said to con¬
tain the teaching of the twelve apostles
(CH tojv AtwSe/ca 'AtrocrroXeoy AtSa^.)
The announcement of this discovery created
considerable interest, especially among the theo¬
logians and New Testament scholars. Philo-
theos Bryennios, now Metropolitan of Nicome-
dia, was the finder. The whole MS. was said
to contain, aside from the Teachings, a com¬
plete text of the two Epistles of Clement of
Rome, the Epistles of Barnabas, the Epistles
of Ignatius and of Mary of Cassobelee, and
Chrysostom's Synopsis of the books of the
Old and New Testaments. Its genuineness
has been questioned in some quarters and ad¬
mitted in others.
Later (1893) we were informed that another
discovery had been made—the Gospel of St.
Peter, which was said to throw considerable
light upon the teachings of Christ and of the
apostles. This MS. was regarded as a frag-
ment of a gospel. In this it differs from the
Logia.
There have been other discoveries of MSS.
of more or less importance bearing upon the
teachings of the New Testament. The most
recenthowever,is the Logia Iesou( Aoyia'Irjaov)
the Sayings of our Lord. This document has
not yet been sufficiently tested to establish its
genuineness. Some are inclined to receive it
as authentic and to let it rest at that; others
are not. Our own opinion is that we should
be very conservative in regard to such "finds"
and that we should be slow to accept as gen¬
uine any document that has not stood the test
of time, and that has not the burden of proof
in its favor. Such evidence should prepon¬
derate.
The Scriptures are too sacred to be tamper¬
ed with and therefore the most scrupulous care
should be exercised to prevent changes or in¬
terpolations whereby their value might be
weakened in any sense by the whims and
wishes of men. They are the Revealed Word
of God to men. VVe should make it our
special aim to study them daily and hourly so
as to become more fully acquainted with all
X
INTRODUCTION.
that is contained in them; to know the mean¬
ing and import of the blessed volume from
Genesis to Revelation, God's will concerning
ourselves as made known to us in the Old
Testament and the words of the blessed
Saviour as found in the New Testament.
The relation of the Old and New Testament
can only be thoroughly understood by the study
of the one in the light of the other. In the
words of another:
'4 The impossibility of any attempt to dis¬
sever the revelations of the Old Testament
from those of the New appears most clearly
when we consider the explicit declarations of
our Saviour, and after him the apostles on this
point. If we know anything whatever of the
doctrines of our Lord Jesus, we know that He
constantly taught His disciples that He had
come in accordance with the prophecies of the
Old Testament. His teachings are so numer¬
ous and explicit on this point that, aside from
the inspiration of the writers, such an expla¬
nation is not to be thought of for a moment.
It is with two of them a matter of personal
knowledge that, ' beginning at Moses and all
the prophets,he expounded unto them in all the
INTRODUCTION.
XI
scriptures the things concerning himself,'
(Luke xxiv: 27;) and with all of them that
He said, after His resurrection, in reference
to His past teachings: ' these are the words
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with
you, that all things must be fulfilled which
were written in the law of Moses, and in the
prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me.'
(Luke xxiv: 44.) That in Christ were ful¬
filled the prophecies of the Old Testament,
appears in every variety of form in the gospel
narratives. It constituted, so to speak, the
warp into which the Saviour wove his web of
daily instruction."
To turn to this new discovery again, the
Rev. Dr. Thayer takes the proper view of the
matter and we, all of us, who have examined
the document at all, must agree with him when
he says, " as compared with the contents of
our canonical Gospels the ' Sayings' strike
me as being distinctly of a secondary charac¬
ter. This is indicated by their expansions
(see Sayings 6 and 7), the preterits, verbal
echoes and combination of No. 3,and especially
by the mystical cast of Saying 2. The unex¬
plained use of bold phraseology, such as ap-
XII
INTRODUCTION.
pears in the second Sayings implies an ante¬
rior educative process in the readers. The ac¬
credited teaching of Jesus respecting fasting
and the Sabbath, corroborated as that teach¬
ing is by the very genius of primitive Christi¬
anity as set forth in the apostolic writings, ex¬
cludes the supposition that the fasting and
Sabbath keeping here enjoined are to be under¬
stood literally * * * But the true signifi¬
cance and value of the new ' find' can be es¬
tablished only after time has been given to trace
out its covert relations to the history of the
Church and other extant Christian literature."
Mr. Grenfell himself, one of those to whom
we are indebted for this new document, ad¬
vises caution and discretion in making up our
conclusion relative to this manuscript.
Light is what we want; light is what we
seek and we are ready and willing to use every
legitimate means by which this may be ac¬
quired. From what we know of the author of
this volume—his studious habits, his ambition,
his interest in theological subjects and theo¬
logical research, we believe that with the light
of all the resources at hand, it is his endeavor
to throw light where light is needed, with a view
INTRODUCTION
xiri
to strengthen the weak and to make stronger
the strong on all points bearing upon the teach¬
ings of the blessed Lord. If this shall prove
to be his aim and if his ambition shall partake
of the spirit of the Divine Master Himself, we
say without hesitation that this volume has a
mission. A blessing on both mission and mis¬
sionary! W. S. Scarborough.
Tretton Place, Wilberforce, O.
The Doctrines of Christ.
CHAPTER I.
DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.
That Jesus Christ promulgated certain doc¬
trines, calculated to bless and save the world,
if accepted, cannot be denied* Before how¬
ever, the doctrines which He taught can be
grasped and weighed to the betterment of the
world, there must be earnest digging into, or
examining of the record, that contains His
teachings.
This truth must be sought for by consulting
those who were with Christ, His witnesses.
No teacher known to the world, has ever had
as a whole, a set of men more truthful and
faithful to record his teachings, or acts, than
Jesus Christ. These men were earnest and
sacrificed their lives while holding to the doc¬
trines of Jesus Christ. They knew what He
said and taught, and made a faithful record of
the same. In telling the story to the world,
they may use different words, but they convey
one and the same idea. To know what Christ
2
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
taught Himself, one must search deep and
broad; and every record purporting to throw
light upon the subject must be examined. The
truth is there, and it must be brought out.
Like the stone, it must be cracked and every
piece laid aside before this great truth appears.
Nature is wise in her operations. She works
systematically, step by step. She first cracks
the acorn, before she attempts to build
the gigantic oak of the forest; so must the
Scriptures be examined for light as to the
teachings of Jesus Christ, whose doctrines are
wholesome and wise. The doctrines of Christ
become more valuable and worthy of being
sought for, when we consider the past and
present condition of this world, and the de¬
mand for purer doctrines than man has ever
produced, and better than man can produce
Man in his native state has never been able
to produce a pure and worthy doctrine. An
attempt so stupendous has always been too lofty
and beyond the province of the human intel¬
lect; such must be left to the Master Builder,
the Infinite, not the finite.
The sun that shines not by a borrowed light,
wields a greater influence upon the world than
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST. 3
the moon that shines by a borrowed light. The
genuine, the pure,is much superior to the im¬
pure, whether it be of metals in nature's
depths, or in the world of art. As there is
one sun for this world of ours, one that gives
light to all of the worlds that revolve around
him, so there is One, whose doctrines radiate
with truth that can not be hammered out by
the smiths to suit any and all. He is the true
teacher, such as the world never had, and
such as the world can never secure by its own
efforts. Pregnant are His teachings with truth,
whose luster pervades immensity.
The world must come up to His doctrines,
they cannot be lowered. They are sharp, and
cutting, having been whetted on the eternal,
unchangeable touchstone of truth. Thousands
of ages looked forward to the coming of such
a lawgiver. The oldest and most inspired of
past ages had an inkling of His coming, and
planned to see Him in His glory,dressed in ex¬
cellence, and commanding the millions to a
higher plane of prosperity and of usefulness.
Such a one came in the fullness of time, and,
being stationed upon the highest summit, sent
forth the only truth, that has made the world
4
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
free. "Ye shall know the truth, and the
truth .shall make you free."
The coin that is counterfeit passes for the
genuine, until the genuine is made known. It
is cherished and kept as the pearl of great
price; but when the light is turned on, when
the fact of its being spurious is made known,
a reaction sets in, and the false coin is no more
wanted. There is no purpose to which it can
be put, it is hissed and dashed away. It is
equally true, that many doctrines are afloat,
and cherished by the millions as genuine, as
of great value, and set up for the guide of so¬
ciety, when in fact, they are worthless, though
they be taught and listened to thousands of
years- The impure can not take the place of
tha pure; the two cannot stand together; one
or the other must fall, hence the weaker, the
impure gives way to the superior, the stronger.
Christianity has suffered by many false theo¬
ries purporting to be the doctrines of the
Anointed of God, which were really set forth
by men. Just as medical, political and scien¬
tific fakes are flooding the markets of our cit¬
ies, states and school rooms, so with Christian¬
ity. There is no exception to the rule.
JbOOTlll NbJH OF (J 11 111 sr.
TIIE DUTY OF CHRISTIANITY.
She must shoulder her part, she must rally
together her forces, and let the world know
the truth, as it is in Christ Jesus. There must
be a pulling off of the unreal, that outer gar¬
ment, that shields, before the real, that which
is most needed, can appear to the best advant¬
age for all concerned. This fact is an important
one, it matters not in which direction we may
turn. The finest and the purest mineral pro¬
duct is not found at all times upon the surface
«of the earth and, if by chance some is found,
the supply is, in most cases, short. The min¬
ers very readily understand this fact, and,
therefore, look not upon the surface for full
and lasting supplies,but descend into the bowels
of mother earth and from her lowest depths
extract the gold and the valuable mineral
products there hidden. There is much work
and great care to be exhibited before the goal
is reached. So with the doctrines of Christ.
There must be a digging into and a throwing
aside of the many dogmas and floating theories
which are clustered around His teachings, be¬
fore, in many respects, the truth, the kernel,
can be seen and appreciated.
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
That there are many shams and masks hang¬
ing on to Christianity, and going, in many re¬
spects before Christianity, and purporting to
be genuine, can hardly be disputed; hence,
there must be a great diving into, a great pry¬
ing into the mountains that stand out before
us, for the pure, that which makes strong the
souls of men.
What are the teachings of Christ? We ask,
not what men say, but what are found upon
record, left by Christ, an unvacillating monu¬
ment of truth, a guide to man. The question to
be considered, is not what He taught first, not
what He taught last, but what He taught.
What are His words? What course did He
pursue? What great truth did He set forth?
Did He teach anything, and what was it? To
get the doctrines of Christ, as set forth by
Christ, the greatest of all teachings, diligent
search must be made in the sacred Scriptures
and especially that of the gospels. By ap¬
proaching and consulting this source, we be¬
come, not handlers of second-hand informa¬
tion, but importers of that which is true, and
which was by Him taught for the world's sal¬
vation.
doctrines of emusr.
The world's greatest teacher was Jesus
Christ, the Anointed of God. This truth is
seen when we have examined His doctrines and
compared them with the doctrines of men
great in the estimation of the world.
8
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER II.
god.
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans,
believed in a Supreme Being of some kind.
By them, their gods were variously worshiped.
Each nation presented its own views. But
never was there a teacher so definite and
perfect in his declaration of the existence, or
being of God as Jesus Christ. All saw the
effects of the great First Cause, and as men
groping in the darkness of the night, they
felt after Him. Not one was so competent to
explain the truth that the world stood so much
in need of, as Jesus Christ.
With him there was no groping in ignorance
and feelingafter God. It was Paul who stood
in the midst of Mars' hill and made this striking
declaration, concerning the efforts of the
Greeks to find out God and worship him:
"Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all
things ye are too superstitious. For as I pass¬
ed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an
altar with this inscription, to the unknown
GOD.
God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship,
him declare I unto you. God that made the
world and all things therein, seeing that he is
Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in tem¬
ples made with hands. Neither is worshiped
with men's hands, as though he heeded any¬
thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath,
and all things. And hath made of one blood
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of
the earth, and hath determined the times be¬
fore appointed, and the bounds of their habi¬
tation. That they should seek the Lord, if
haply they might feel after him, and find him,
though he be not far from every one of us:
For in him we live, and move, and have our
being, as certain also of your own poets have
said, for we are also his offspring. Foras¬
much then as we are the offspring of God, we
ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto
gold or silver, or stone, graven by art and
man's device. And the times of this ignorance
God winked at, but now commandeth all men
everywhere to repent."—Acts xvii, 22-32.
The world followed in this same wake; they
knew not God. Theirs were vague ideas, and
like the cloud driven by fierce wind, rises here
10
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
to fall yonder. Christ's was not unsettled
speculations, but pointed, definite and full of
truth. He demonstrated not only the Father¬
hood of God and the brotherhood of man, but
the Sonship of him only who existed from all
eternity. He is the great dispenser of the all-
important truth. All Judaism was but a voice
crying in the wilderness "Prepare ye the way
of the Lord and make straight his path."
Judaism was not perfect. It looked through
a glass darkly. At its best, it was but shad¬
ows, figures and types of Him who was to
come and make the crooked way straight and
the rough way smooth. Before him all fades
away as the darkness before the rising sun.
Does Christ teach the being of God? Are
there any passages on record setting forth
the fact that he made it a leading point, in all
His doctrines to demonstrate the being of God?
Does the world need a God? Can it succeed
without a God? These questions are forcibly
answered, when we review the condition of
the world as it is, to say nothing of its de¬
pravities and its short comings.
There must be an all-seeing eye to watch
over and an invincible hand to guide the world.
GOD.
11
It is like a ship at sea, headed for the break¬
ers, lost without a pilot and a rudder. With¬
out an intelligent and beneficent being, a
pre-existing cause, a designer for the present
designs, there would be no world. From
nothing there comes nothing. Ex nihilo nihil
fit.
While He does not enter into an argument,
or attempt as men do, to prove the exist¬
ence of God, yet he declares in so many words
this great truth, as is seen, as a chain of gold
running throughout all of His doctrines and
binding all parts to one common whole. There
need be no argument to prove that which is al¬
ready accepted. His reply to the Scribes fully
illustrates this fact.
"And one of the scribes came, and having
heard them reasoning together, and perceiv¬
ing that he had answered them well, asked
him, which is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, the first of all the
commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord
our God is one Lord."-—Mark xii, 28-30.
While he teaches here the Oneness of God, he
also vividly shows the Being of God. How
could he show the oneness of something not in
12
DOCTRINES OF OHJilsT.
existence? If there be no God, there could be
no one God. This fact the Scribes readily ac¬
cepted :
" And the scribe said unto him Well, Master,
thou hast said the trut h ; for there is one God ;
and there is none other but He.'"—Mark xii:
32.
Again, in His pra}Ter, Christ pours out this
truth, He says, "And this is life eternal, that
they might know Thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."—John
xvii: 3. A more potent truth has never been
uttered from the heart and lips of any living
being. God is life. God is eternal; hence
he who knows God, and Jesus Christ whom
God has sent, has eternal life. Again, says
Jesus Christ in his memorable prayer, " That
they all ma}^ be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us, that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me."—John xvii:21.
While here He touches the Unity of the God¬
head. He none-the-less teaches the Being
of God. " That they may be one in us." He
is quoted by St. John, x:30, thus: "I and my
Father are one," thus demonstrating the unity
GOD.
13
of the Godhead. Said the Pharisees:
"Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou?
Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cesar, or not?
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said,
Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? Shew me
the tribute money. And they brought unto
him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose
is this image and superscription? They say
unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto them,
Render therefore unto Cesar, the things which
are Cesar's; and unto God the things that are
God's."
In this He teaches us to do that which is
right to man and at the same time to honor
God. Christ lost no time as a teacher. His
was a life full of instruction; He waited for
no definite or particular opportunity to instruct
a perverse and ignorant generation.
A further declaration of the being of God
is set forth in the gospel according to St.
Matthew. It was to a lawyer that He hurled
this pricking personal reply, on being asked,
"Which is the greatest commandment?"
" Thau sli ilt lova tho Lord thy God with all
thv heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind."—Matt. xxii:o7.
14
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Make this world a court. Place St. Mark
upon the witness stand, draw from him what
he knows as to the teachings of Jesus Christ
concerning the being of God. What has he
to say? Let the reader make a note of his
statement here. Here he presents a statement
bearing out the fact, that man's power is lim¬
ited; that God does not only exist, and is Om¬
nipotent, but he is boundless in power.
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With
men it is impossible, but not with God: for
with God all things are possible."
In teaching his disciples to pray, he said:
" When ye pray, say, Our Father which art
in heaven, Hallowed be th}r name. Thy king¬
dom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so
in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive
every one that is indebted to us. And lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil."—Luke xi:2-5.
In his prayer he gives them to understand
that God knew their needs. Luke xv.i:15,
speaking of the rejoinder of Christ to the
Pharisees, who dreaded him, quotes Him as not
only declaring the being of God, but that all
things are known to him:
GOD.
15
"And he said unto them, Ye are they which
justify yourselves before men, but God know-
eth your hearts; for that which is highly es¬
teemed among men is abomination in the
sight of God."
While Christ teaches the Omnipotence and
the Omniscience of God, he is no less careful
and pointed in teaching the Sovereignty of God.
Turn in whatever direction you may and there
you have evidence of this fact. God keeps a
watchful eye over all his creatures, even the
fowl of the heavens as well as man and the
smallest insect. All alike pass under His di¬
vine protection. There is a cord projecting
throughout the entire structure of the work
of the eternal and infinite God.
All his creatures hear and understand his
voiee and rejoice and enter into com¬
petition to do his bidding. Even the stars
of the heaven, moon and sun disregard not his
commandments. Hisline has gone out through
all the earth. There is no speech nor lan¬
guage where his voice is not heard. Matthew
brings to light the teachings of Christ along
with others:
•'No man can serve two masters, for either
l(i DOCTRINES OF CUBIST.
he will hate the one and love the other; or
else he will hold to the one and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall
put on. Is not the life more than meat, and
the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of
the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Fath¬
er feedeth them. Are you. not much better
than thej'? Which of you by taking thought
can add one cubit unto his stature? And why
take ye thought for raiment? Consider the
lillies of the field, how they grow, they toil
not, neither do they spin. And yet I say un¬
to you, That even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrajed like one of these. Wherefore, if
God so clothe the grass of the field, which to¬
day is and tomorrow is cast into the oven,
shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of
little faith ? Therefore take no thought say¬
ing, What shall we eat, or wherewithal shall
we be clothed? (For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
GOB.
17
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
His righteousness, and all these things shall
be added unto you." (Matt, vi: 24-34.)
Christ says, " Let not your heart be troubled,
ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my
Father's house are many mansions; if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to pre¬
pare a place for you. And if I go and pre¬
pare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also. And whither I go ye
know, and the way ye know." (John xiv:
i-5.)
"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and
said,I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven
and earth,that Thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes; even so, Father; for so it seemed
good in Thy sight." (Luke x: 21.)
The most intense lesson that was ever taught
by man, the one nearest to the very
inmost soul of all the world, was that taught
by Jesus Christ in His dying hour.
Nailed to the rugged wood, with nails pierced
through His bleeding hands, and a crown
pointed with thorns piercing through the
18
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
skin of His head, blood, like great drops
of svvoat ran down, while a spear pointed
with steel cut into His side, an angry, ignorant
and mischievous crowd mocking Him as He
hung there between heaven and earth, with a
weeping mother close by the foot of His cross,
with a heart overwhelmed with sorrow, He
writes in large letters upon the heart of the
world, the fact that He was not alone, and
that He had a Father, from whom He could
get all the aid needed.
" And they that passed by railed on Him,
wagging their heads, saying, Ah, thou that
destroyest the temple, andbuildest it in three
days, Save thyself, and come down from the
cross. Likewise also the chief priests mock¬
ing, said among themselves with the scribes,
He saved others; himself he can not save.
Let Christ the King of Israel descend now
from the cross, that we may see and believe.
And they that were crucified with him reviled
him. And when the sixth hour was come,
there was darkness over the whole land until
the ninth hour. A"vl at the ninth hour .Jesus
cried w'.th a loud vo:ce, saying, Kioi, Eloi,
lam i, sabachthani ? which is being interpreted,
GOD.
19
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? And some of them that stood by, when
they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth for Elias.
And one ran and tilled a sponge full of vinegar,
and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink,
saying, Let alone, let us see whether Elias will
come to take Him down. And Jesus cried with
aloud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the
vail of the temple was rent in twain from the
top to the bottom." (St. Mark xv: 25-28.)
" My God ! My God !" \yas heard by the vast
throng as they stood amazed, gazing upon the
King of Glory writhing in pain. It is not here
we are to stop, but further on. It was
Thomas who doubted his resurrection and in¬
sisted that he would not believe until he had
seen His hands and the print of the nails. Not
satisfied with seeing these signs, he must
thrust his hands into His side; when this
was done, Thomas confessed the words, "My
Lord and my God!" from the lowest depth
of his soul. Christ teaches the Being of
God.
" Fear not man which killeth the body, fear
Ilim who can kill both soul and body." Fear
God.
20
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER III.
ETHICS.
Ethics is from the Greek, from r)6o<t,
custom, character. It treats of the right and
the dutiful in human conduct.
He who teaches Christian Ethics, teaches
obedience to God, and love for one's neighbor.
The greatest moral teacher the world ever
had was Jesus Christ.
All who were before Him, like those who
shall follow Him, were not only imperfect in
themselves, but also in their doctrines. Christ
was perfect in Himself, hence His doctrines
were perfect.
Being perfect in words, perfect in spirit,
perfect in His devotion, He was able and in a
position to promulgate a perfect system of
Ethics.
The Mohammedan appeals to the sword to
propagate the doctrine of Mohammed; but
Christ, to the conscience. It was Alexander's
delight to devastate country after country for
the extension of his dominion as well as for
self aggrandizement. Christ delighted in do¬
ing the will of His Father, and to save the
world.
ETino^ -n
He was ever seen going about doing good,
nor did He look at the outer man, but at the
inner man, knowing well that the spiritual
controls the physical.
Christ's success in impressing the world for
good, lay neither in the sword nor the spear,
but in a higher power, a power superior to
sword and spear. Christ speaks to the soul,
not as a scribe, but as one having authority.
Christ hated falsehood, and despised that
which was deceptive. His fight was for moral
purity, truth and righteousness. As a cardinal
principle of His doctrine, He earnestly taught
obedience to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
He knew that if a man did not obey his Maker,
his best friend, he would hardly be truthful
and obedient to the laws of man.
" What good thing shall I do that I may
inherit eternal life?" said a lawyer to Christ.
Keep the commandments if thou would en¬
ter into eternal life. Do not murder, steal
not, bear not false witness against thy neigh¬
bor, honor thy father and thy mother, and
5ove thy neighbor as thyself. "Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
Jill thv soul, and with all thy strength, and with
22 DOCTRINES OF C11 lit ST.
all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself,"
(Luke x:27.) was Christ's reply.
In this, it was the object of Christ to teach
a great lesson, and that lesson was supreme
love for God, and obedience to the moral law.
Without love for God, Christ knew that there
coulcl be no regard in man for that which is
good and true; no care for his fellow-men, no
regard for law.
God is the chief object of love and obedience.
Next to loving God with all one's heart,
mind, and strength, comes the earnestness of
the soul of Christ, as before, "And love thy
neighbour as thyself."
He who does this will not mistreat, or take
advantage of his neighbor. "Love is the ful¬
filling of the law/' It is needed to constrain
man to do that which is right. To emphasize
man's moral duty to his neighbor and his God,
Christ puts in this statement r " Not every one
that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven.
KTinrx.
23
Christ Urges the doing or his will and
points out the results of breaking,
or not keeping his law.
" Many will say to me in that clay, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess uuto them, I never knew
you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings
of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not; for it was founded upon a
rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened
unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand;
And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell; and great was the fall of
it.
And it entire to pass when Jesus had ended
24 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
these sayings, the people were astonished at
His doctrine:
For He taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes."
CHRIST ON JUDGING.
" Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Fur with what judgment ye judge, ye shall
be judged; and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye,but considerest not the beam
that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let
me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and,
behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out
of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's
eye." (Matt, vn: 1-6.)
No teacher has been so elaborate in teaching
man's duty to man as Jesus Christ. He took
advantage of every opportunity, and taught
the will of His Father.
A young lawj^er came to Him on one occa¬
sion tempting Him. Christ did not tell him
how to obtain eternal life only, but also who
KTUKJt-
his neighbor was, and upon what his salvation
depended. In the meantime He had urged
the young man to keep the commandments.
" This do, and thou shalt live."
Christ's explanation.
" And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up,
and tempted him, saying, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life I
He said unto him, what is written in the
law? How readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with
all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.
And He said unto him, Thou hast answered
right; this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto
Jesus, and who is my neighbor?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man
went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell
among thieves, which stripped him of his rai¬
ment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving
him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain
priest that way; and when he saw him, he pass¬
ed by on the other side.
26
noVTlllNKs OF rllJllsT.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the
place, came and looked on him, and passed by
on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed,
came where he was; and when he saw him, he
had compassion on him.
And went to him, and bound up his wounds,
pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his
own beast, and brought hi in to an inn, and
took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he
took out two pence, and gave them to the host*
and said unto him. Take care of him; and
whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come
again I will repa}' thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou,
was neighbour unto him that fell among thieves ?
And he said, he that shewed mercy on him.
Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou
likewise."
" Let your light shine," saith the Lord,
"You are the light of the world," and there¬
fore you must walk in clean places. In a
word, be moral teachers and leaders.
"Teach men to observe whatsoever I have
commanded you." Christ hurled thunder-
HTil ICS.
27
bolts thick and fast against sin in any form at
the Pharisees and scribes for their immoral¬
ity.
He knew that they knew the law, and would
teach nothing but the law to men, but they
did not obey it themselves.
The 23rd chapter of Matthew opens with a
strong rebuke to them for their hypocrisy.
Thus saith He, "The scribes and Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever
they bid you observe, that observe and do."
But, it is here He urges an important point.
"Do not ye after their works, for they say,
and do not. For they bind heavy burdens
and grievous to be borne, and lay them on
men's shoulders, but they themselves will not
move them with one of their fingers." (Matt.
Xxiii: 4.)
If there ever Was a sect, for their preten¬
sion, despised by Christ, the Scribes and
Pharisees were. They worked to be seen of
men ; they loved the highest places in the tem¬
ple, etc.
They made broad their phylacteries, and
enlarged the borders of their garments; loved
the uppermost or chief seats in the Syna-
28
1mj(JTillNEti OP CHRIST.
gogues, and greetings in the market places.
They loved to be called Rabbi, Master, where-
as there was one Master, one Rabbi,—God.
These were signs of impurity.
No honest man was ever anxious to occupy
a seat so high, and to be called Master and
Rabbi; this adds nothing to the pure, the
honest and upright.
The fact is, the pure know that man is
desperately wicked, therefore unfit for such
high position, such great titles.
A.t best, man is but a pigniv in the work¬
shop of God. He knows nothing and can do
nothing without God; at best, he is totally
dependent upon God for life, water, food and
light, and all that go to make man's comfort
in life. The breath he breathes is not his;
existence is all beyond him—beyond his
efforts. He cannot make one hair white, nor
can he make a white hair black, and yet he is
vain and wants to be called Master. Forget¬
ting that all of the human family are brethren,
and that all who exalt themselves shall be
brought low, and those who humble themselves
shall be lifted up.
ETHIC
29
CHRIST REBUKES THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES.
His striking rebuke to the scribes and Phar¬
isees against hypocrisy, as is seen in.the 23rd
chapter of Matthew, was a lasting tribute to
the moral standard.
They who made long pretentious praj-er?,
were called blind guides by Jesus Christ, also
swearers, fools and devourers of widows'
houses. A guide should first know the way in¬
to which he proposes to lead his followers.
Those who do otherwise do not only mislead
themselves, but also others. Christ took a
firm stand against such a course of immorality.
Christ upbraideth the Pharisees and scribes
for such a pernicious course. "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut
up the kingdom of heaven against men; for
ye neither go in 3'ourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering to go in.
Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypo¬
crites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for
a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye
shall receive the greater damnation.
Woe unto vou, scribes and Pharisees, hypo¬
crites! for ye compass sea and land to make
one proselyte ; and when he is made, ye make
30
DOCT11TNES OF CHRIST.
him two-fold more the child of hell than your¬
selves.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say,
whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is
nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the
gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater,
the gold, or the temple that sanetifieth the
gold?
And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it
is nothing; but whosoever sweareth bjr the
gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater,
the gift or.the altar that sanetifieth the gift?
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar,
sweareth by it and by all things thereon.
And whoso shall swear by the temple,swear¬
eth by it and by him that dwelleth therein.
And he that shall swear bv heaven, sweareth
by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth
thereon.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo¬
crites ! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and
(ummin,and have omitted the weightier mat¬
ters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith;
these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone.
ETHICS.
31
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and
swallow a camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo¬
crites I for ye make clean the outside of the
cup and of the platter, but within thejr are full
of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisees,cleanse first that which
is within the cup and platter, that the outside
of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypo¬
crites ! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres,
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but
are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous
unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy
and iniquity.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo¬
crites ! because ye build the tombs of the
prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the
righteous.
And say, If we had been in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partakers with
them in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves,
that ve are the.children of them that killed
thy prophets.
32
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Fill ye up then the measure of jour fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how
can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Wherefore behold, I send unto you prophets,
and wise men, and scribes, and some of them
ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them ye
shall scourge in your synagogues, and perse¬
cute them from city to city.
That upon you may come all the righteous
blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias
son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the
temple and the altar.
Verily I say unto you, all these things shall
come upon this generation.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and }7e would
not? Behold, your house is left unto you des¬
olate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me
henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matt, xxiii :
13-39.)
Christ in his teachings struck not at the
ETHICS.
top, nor the branches of the tree of im¬
morality, but He aims a death blow at the
root. He knew that to change a stream, its
source must first be changed.
When a certain man came to Christ to be
taught of Him, asking Christ what good thing
should he do. so as to obtain eternal life,
among other things in the commandment re¬
ferred to, Christ said, " Thou shalt not com¬
mit adultery."—Matt, xix: 18.
Here He enters into a full detail,or explana¬
tion, of that which makes up immorality, and
He also commands to shun it.
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of
old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery;
"But I say untoyou,That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.
"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it
out, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable
to thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that the whole bodj' should be cast in¬
to hell.
" And if thy right hand offend thee,cut it off,
and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for
thee that one of th}r members should perish,
84
DOCTRINE* OF CII11 [ST.
and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell.
"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away
his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce¬
ment: but I say unto you,That whosoever shall
put away his wife, saving for the cause of for¬
nication, causeih her to commit adulter}': and
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced
committeth adultery." (Matt, v: 27-32.)
Can a more earnest stand be taken against
i in morality than has been taken here by Jesus
Christ? What is plainer?
After saying, "Thou shalt not commit adul¬
tery," He goes further and says, "Whoso¬
ever shall put away his wife saving for the
cause of fornication, causes her to commit
adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that
is divorced committeth adultery."
lie is very emphatic against all that which
is evil.
"Keep the commandments," saith Christ
to one who came to Him for advice as to ob¬
taining " eternal life."
"Do not commit adultery." "Keep the
commandments." "How readest thou?" etc.
etc., are terms which need no explanation.
ETHICS.
35
He speaks against idolatry, adultery, steal¬
ing, murder, dishonoring of father and mother,
and Sabbath breaking. On being asked as to
the greatest commandment,by a young lawyer,
Christ replied thus:
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind.
" This is the first and great commandment.
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself.
" On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets. (Matt, xxii: 37-40.)
This trend runs throughout our Lord's
doctrines.
When Peter smote the servant of the High
Priest and cut off his ear, to defend his Mas¬
ter, Christ rebuked him, " Put up thy sword."
Hi s was not a battle to be fought with sword,
but with prayer. " Pray for those who speak
evil of }rou," and strive to hurt and kill you.
"Give bread to the hungry:" "help the
needy," and " care for the poor," are the
teachings of Christ. Christ taught by precept
and by example.
From the cradle to the grave there was not
36
DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
one thing that could be said against Him
morally. He taught that which was right,
and practiced what He preached.
DUTY TO THOSE IN POWER.
He was ever loyal to the powers of His day.
Men made all kinds of attempts to trap him,
but never once succeeded.
"Render therefore unto Cesar the things
which be Cesar's and unto God the things
which be God's," was His course.
It is here that we have an illustration of this
fact.
"And the chief priests and the scribes the
same hour sought to lay hands on Him: and
they feared the people: for they perceived
that he had spoken this parable against them.
"And they watched him, and sent forth
spies, which should feign themselves just men,
that they might take hold of his words, that
so they might deliver him unto the power and
authority of the governor.
"And they asked him, saying, Master, we
know that thou sayest and teachest rightly,
neither acceptest thou the person of any, but
teachcst the way of God truly:
uls it lawful for Us to give tribute unto Cesar
*>r no ?
"But he perceived their craftiness, unci said
tanto them, Why tempt ye meV
"She\V me a penny. Whose image and su¬
perscription hath it? They answered and said
Cesar's*
"And he said unto them, Render therefore
Junto Cesar the things which be Cesar's, and
Unto God the things which be God's.
" And they could not take hold of his words
before the people: and they marvelled tit. his
sanswer, and held their peace."—Luke xx.-li)-
26.
CHRIST TELLS WHO HIS DISCIPLES ARK AND
COMMANDS THfeM TO BE USEFUL.
He places no little stress upon the worth of
tlis disciples, or His followers before the Yvorld,
"Ye are the salt of the earth;" to you is
;given the power to save tire world. As it is
"svith salt, so with you, if the salt loses its sa¬
vor, it is good for nothing ; so if men Yvho are
■my folloYVers, lose their influence to save, they
are good for nothing.
The disciples^ business Ytas to save'the world
•by preaching, teaching and doing good, as
88
DOCTRINES OF (JllRlsT,
Avas commanded by Christ. Christ sets forth
with equal emphasis the fact of His followers
being the light of the world, "Ye are the light
of the world, " let your light shine." With¬
out thus doing the men of Christ are of no
good to the world with their light. He urges
this fact by pointing out that men, when they
light a candle,do not put it under a bushel,else
it would be of no good to them, but they who
want others to see their way and are anxious
about the progress of others, bold theii* light
high, that all may see. Almost with the same
breath, He teaches that men must have regard
for the commandments, or the doctrines set
forth in His previous remarks, and at all haz¬
ards must not teach men to break them.
* These doctrines are pure. They are backed
up by a strong hand, an unseen hand, they
must not be broken; our Lord spares no time
in letting fly the minie balls of truth at the
Pharisees and scribes, those who passed as
teachers, whose righteousness was only a
mockery, "For I say unto yon, except your
righteousness exceeds the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven." The
ETHIC;
Pharisees and .scribes knew the law and taught
the letter of the law, but they themselves did
not obey it. Your righteousness must go
beyond theirs.
FIRMNESS OF IIIS LAW.
He presses the fact, that not one jot or tittle
shall pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Nor does He fail to point out the danger that
must befall the violater, such a one stands in
danger of the Judgment. The man who
kills," is not only in danger of the Judg¬
ment, but the man who is angry with his
brother without a cause is in danger of the
Judgment, "he who shall say Kaca, shall be
in danger of the council:" and on the coming
together of that august body stand as a crimi¬
nal. If he calls his brother a " fool," he shall
be in danger of hell fire. Oh, " How careful
then ought we to live, with what religious
fear, and such a strict account must give, for
our behavior here."
AGAINST IMMORALITY.
'Christ certainly leaves a lasting impression
upon the minds of His followers, steadily and
strongly does He strike at the great monster,
immorality. The command is, not only thou
40
TJOCTMNES OF CURT ST,
shalt not commit adultery,but he that "look^
eth on a woman to lust after her, hath comj
mitted adultery with her already in his heart."
The desire of the heart as well as the external
act must be omitted. He lays down a clear
and serviceable rule by which man should be
governed in regard to marrying women who
have been once married; and let it be remem¬
bered that there is only one condition upon
which a man may put away his wife. The
man who does otherwise, stands condemned
before God when she is put away, save for the
cause of fornication: he therefore causes hei'
to commit adultery; and the man that marries
her becomes an adulterer.
Swear not at all?" says He, " neither by
heaven p for it is God's throne; nor by the
earth: nor by Jerusalem for it is the city of
the great King;" nor by thy bead, because?
thou canst not make one hah" white or black."
You are powerless. If there is erne thing
pictured out in His teachings, it is- the stress
He places on love for our enemies. " Lover
them who hate you," Love them who speak
evil of you." " Love them who smite you o»
the one cheek," and when this is done,.
mm vs.
41
41 turn the other cheek." Stephen accepted
every word of the great Teacher oil this line,
and so did Paul and John. Peter was not so
humble as his brethren. He could not, or at
least did not, stand so much. While the blood
Was pouring from his head and the stones fal¬
ling fast and thick upon him, Stephen cried,.
'"'Lord, lav not this sin to their charge."-Acts
Vii: 60.
In this discourse Christ urges other potent
truths Which must be accepted. When in need,
"Ask, and it shall be given }7ou: seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you." Dr. Clark says, " These three words
include the ideas of want,loss and earnestness*
Ask, turn beggar at the door of mercy; thou
art destitute of all spiritual good,and it is God
alone Who can give to thee; and thou hast no
claim but what His mercy has gi\en thee on
itself.''
CHARITY.
Clear and distinct warning is given by Christ
and recorded by Matthew as to almsgiving.
Christ earnestlj' insisted that no one should
give to be seen of men. Give with purity of
heart. " Take heed that ye do not your alms
12
JXHJTHlN EH OF (niiUH'T.
bsfore men, to be seen of them, otherwise }'e
have no reward of your Father, which is in
heaven."
This is the mark of the hypocrite, they
sound the trumpet before them in the streets
and in the synagogues. They have their re¬
ward. " When thou doest alms, let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand doeth,'?
i. e. you should not make the matter known to
your most intimate friends. Alms giving is
right. " Give to him that asketh thee, and
from him that would borrow of thee, turn not
thou away." (Matt, f: 42.)
Luke adds his testimony to the fact, that
Christ taught giving: " Give, and it shall be
given to you; good measure, pressed down
and shaken together, and running oter, shall
men gire unto your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye meet withal, it shall be
measured to you again." (Luke vi: 08.)
Mark does not hesitate to join the chorus of
witnesses, as to what Christ taught as a whole¬
some doctrine of giving. " When he was
gone forth into the way, there came one run¬
ning and kneeled to him,and asked him, Good
Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eter¬
nal life ?"
HTirWi
"Why callest thou me good," etc., etc.
" Thou knowest the commandments. Do not
commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness. Defraud not.
Honor thv father and mother." The young
man replied, " Master, all these things have I
observed from my youth," desiring to further
press to the heart the great lesson of giving,
Christ said, " One thing thou lackest: go thy
way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasurers in
heaven." (Mark x: 17-21.)
Giving is in keeping with the Great Spirit's
nature, and he who does not join in with the
divine command, cannot hope to please Christ.
This ignoring the teachings of the Great
Teacher, throws him out of harmony with the
Master of the Universe.
" There is no speech, nor language where
thy voice is not heard," Thou fillest immen-
si ty.
There is no trace to be found in nature's
great volume where this particular feature is
not found. Nature throbs with the designs
of its Chief, and, notwithstanding from the
dawn of her existence to her present form,
44 jjoOTlfltftiA Of alllilsT.
thousands of years have passed, Vet she with
a steady hand, stands ready to do the biddings
of the great Teacher.
If We could read God*s writings with perj
feet clearness; if we coilld understand His
great law to its fullest extent* we Would hear
that great voice tinging out, " Give, and it
shall be given you, good measures heaped up
and running over."
COMFORTS TO TltE XEKI>V
"And seeing the multitudes he went Up into
a mountain; and when He paused His disci-1
pies came unto Him, and He opened His
mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven." Towering amid the
ages and above the many doctrines of the
world, as Mount Hercules and Everest among
the mountains of the earth, stand the doctrines
of Jesus Christ. The man whose heart throbs
with the sensibility that he is lost, helpless, and
■it best, but a stranger* desires very much the
aid of a safeguard. A specific truth is taught
in Matthew v. The condition of the poor in
spirit, and the kingdom of God being theirs.
Said he, " Blessed are they that mourn, for
ET III (J t
45
they shall be comforted." "Blessed are the
meek," and those who " hunger and thirst af¬
ter righteousness," "The merciful," "Pure in
heart," "Peace makers," "They which are
persecuted," under the stinging pressure of
men, "rejoice" says He, "and be exceeding
glad, for so persecuted they the prophets."
When these severe and perilous times come,
they show that the follower of Christ is on the
side with his master. So stand up under these
burdens.
Christ makes further illustration upon giv¬
ing, as is seen in John xiv:27. Here he ex¬
hibits the freeness of His great nature in
giving. "Peace I leave with you, my peace
I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give
I unto you." The facts are, the world gives
grudgingly, but I give freely. Therefore
"Let not your hearts be troubled." Paul, in
Acts x: 10-35, quotes Him as having said,
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
"He that givelh let him doit with simplici¬
ty." He further urges in 2d Cor. ix : 7 alms
(riving. " Every man, according as he propos-
eth in his heart, so let him give; not grudg-
insi'lv, or of necessity; for<jod lovetha cheer¬
ful giver."
46
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
That Paul drank deep from the well con¬
taining the spirit of Christ on the line of
giving, there can be no doubt. He does not
speak as a servant, but as one having authori¬
ty, a master. He was simply pushing forward
the work of the great teacher, God Himself
gave His only Son to die, that men might live.
To illustrate the fact that God cares for
us, Christ says: "For every one that asketh,
receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and
to him that knocketh, it shall be opened; or
what man is there of you, whom if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask
a fish, will he give him a serpent." Now, says
He, " If ye, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good
things to them that ask Him?"—Matt, vii:
8-11.
God is superior to man in all His ways, and
while man knnows in part, Christ knows the
whole. Man is finite; Christ, infinite; all
power, wisdom, and goodness belong to Him,
and upon Him all must depend, and he that
climbeth up some other way is a thief. He
earnestly warns His people against deception,
false prophets. "Beware of false prophets,
ETLII O
47
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but in¬
wardly the}' are ravening wolves." He does
not tell us about them only, but He points out
how we are to know them. In this he draws
a bright contrast between the good and the
bad. "Ye shall know them by their fruits."
Here he asketh a question, "Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? even so,
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but
a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."
Now, he makes a fuller statement: "Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is
hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore,
by their fruits, ye shall know them."- -Matt,
vii: 11), 20. If Christ teaches anything, he
certainty teaches that there are false prophets,
and that they are to be shunned. He leaves
you perfectly clear and tells us how to know
the false prophets, i. e. by their fruits.
Reader, arc you false or true? Take heed ;
watch, that ye be not found wanting when He
comes to make up His jewels.
48
DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
CHAPTER IV.
LOVE.
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thv heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the sec¬
ond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neigh¬
bour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets."—Matt, xxii:37-41.
Love is from the Greek word a^airaco, love.
Christ was the teacher of the greatest thing
on earth. He taught to love. Love for God,
love for self, and love for our neighbour.
This is done in such a manner as to be dis¬
tinctively understood, comprehended by in¬
vestigation. An examination of the doctrines
of Christ always reveals this fact.
Christ was Himself the embodiment of love.
He was love demonstrated, and held out to the
view of the world. There need be no intro¬
duction to this fact. If we stud3r Christ, we
at the same time study the great fountain
head and the source of love.
LOVE.
49
"Love Divine,all love excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
Fix in us thy humble dwelling
All thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy sal vation,
Enter every trembling heart."
Jesus was never more at home than when
teaching this divine truth since it was in keep¬
ing with His glorified nature.
Matthew presents us with a vivid illustration
of the teaching of Jesus Christ touching the
point under consideration.
This fact brings to view the whole aim of
Divine teaching, whether to the blind, poor,
lame, rich, or wise.
" But when the Pharasees had heard that
he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were
gathered together.
"Then one of them, which was a lawyer,
asked him a question, tempting him, and
saying, " Master, which is the great command¬
ment in the law?"—Matthew, xxii: 34-37.
There are two commandments upon which
hang all the law and the prophets. Love for
God and love for our neighbour.
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
50
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and groat commandment; and the second
is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself ."Matt, xxii: 37-39.
On this point, as on all other points, the
teachings of Jesus Christ are in harmony with
His divine character.
It was the object of Jesus Christ to do the
will of His Father. It was the will of His
Father that the world might be saved through
Him. When His disciples came and met
him in conversation with the Samaritan
woman, and on asking Him to eat, He replied,
"I have meat to eat that ye know not of."
"My meat is to do the will of him that sent
me, and to finish his work."
He was born, not according to the will of
flesh, but of God, to do the will of God.
" In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
thou hast no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I
come (in the volume of the book it is written
of me) to do thy will, O God.
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering
and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou
wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein;
LO VE.
51
which are offered by the law; Then said he,
Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the sec¬
ond."—Heb. x: 6-9.
The testimony of St. John concerning him
is now presented.
GREATNESS OF GOD'S LOVE.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever be-
lieveth in him should not perish, but have ev¬
erlasting life. For God sent not His Son in¬
to the world to condemn the world: but that
the world through Him might be saved.
" Hethatbelievethon him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is condemned al¬
ready, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God."—
Johniii: 16-18.
Combining the statement of John and that
of St. Paul it is not a very hard matter to get
at the truth of the purpose of God—of that
great heart that overflows with love for the
world. Did Christ teach Love? What illus¬
tration have we of that fact? Have we not an
illustration of'the fact, that Christ taught to
love in his discourse to the young lawyer?
52 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thv mind. This is the first and great com¬
mandment. And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." —
Matt, xxii: 37-39.
Again, Christ emphasized the fact that
love for God must excel love for man. God
is first, is above man.
There should be no part in it but what is
love for God. It must be deep, broad and
boundless. Father and mother are not to be
compared, when it comes to the love for God.
They are not. to be taken into consideration.
EXCELLENCE OF LOVE FOR GOD.
'' He that loveth father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth
son or daughter more than me is not worthy
of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and
followeth after me, is not worthy of me."—
Matt, x: 37-38.
Cowper vividly portrays the love of God in
its boundlessness, and its excellence.
"Can a mother's tender care
Cease towards the child she bare?
Yes, she may forgetful be,
Yet will I remember thee.
LOVE.
Mine is Aa unchanging love,
Higher than the heights above;
Deeper than the depths beneath,
Free and faithful, strong as death."
" This is my commandment, That ye love
one another, as I have loved you. Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends. Ye are my
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the
servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but
I have called you friends; for all things that I
have heard of my Father I have made known
to you.
" Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen
you, and ordained you, that ye should go and
bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should
remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you.
These things I command you, that ye love
one another.''—John xv: 12-17.
Notwithstanding explorations after explora¬
tions have been made, and new material after
new material has been discovered, we have
progressed touching the teaching of Christ.
If we put St. John again upon the witness
o4
DOOTRTNttS OF CllRfST.
stand, in another place he is none the less
broad and comprehensive as before in deline¬
ating the doctrines of Christ as teaching
"love."
It was at the feast of the Passover, where He
pours forth in floods the contents of that mighty
soul; like the waters of the mighty rivers ov¬
erflowing their beds, bursting over their em¬
bankment and pouring forth their resistless
waves, in torrents' after torrents, sweeping
villages and densely populated cities, plowing
onward here and there until all the earth is
filled and becomes a mighty ocean.
So with the love of Jesus Christ at the Pass¬
over. It is poured forth. For, says He, "I
have given you an example, that ye should do
as I have done to you.
"Verily, verily I say unto yon, The servant
is not greater than his lord ; neither he that
is sent greater than he that sent him."
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye
do them."—John xiii: 15*17.
"Anew commandment I give unto you,
that ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another. By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye
LI) YE.
53
have love one to another."—John xiii: 34-85.
This very earnest declaration came when
the Kiiii of Glory was premeditating His
rapidly approaching end.
Not that lie was helpless, and unable to
save Himself. All power had been given to
Ilim in Heaven and on earth. He came to do
the will of God. No man could take His life
from Him. "I lay down my life for my
sheep." " Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends."
His willingness to lay down PI is life for His
friends demonstrated the fact that His was a
heart overflowing with love, and a desire to
obey the command of His Father.
Thefactthat Jesus Christ taught "Love," as
a fundamental principle of His doctrine is
borne out by the statement of the Apostle
Paul to the church at Ephesus. In his letter
to the Ephesians he says:
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in
love, may be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and
height; and to know the love of Christ, which
passeth knowledge^hat ye might be tilled with
50 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
all the fullness of God."—Ephesians Hi: 17-
19.
John is as full in his demonstration of this
great truth as it is in Christ, as Paul ever was.
He says in his first general epistle:' 'Beloved,let
us love one another; for love is of God; and
every one that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth
not God; for God is love. In this was mani¬
fested the love of God toward us, because that
God sent His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through him. Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved
us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we
ought also to love one another. No man hath
seen God at any time. If we love one another,
God dwelleth in us, and bis love is perfected
in us."—John iv: 7-12.
After having taught love for God, love for
friends and neighbours, He emphasized the
fact that we should love our enemies.
And again, " But love ye your enemies and
do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall
be the children of the Highest: for ho is kind
LOVE.
57
unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye
therefore merciful, as your Father also is mer¬
ciful.
"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged con¬
demn not, and ye shall not be condemned;
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
"Give and it shall be given unto you; good
measure pressed down, and shaken together,
and running over shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that ye
mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
■—St. Luke vi: 35-38.
" But I say unto you which hear, Love your
enemies, do good to them which hate you,
bless them that curse you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you."—St. Luke vi:
27-28.
ILLUSTRATION OF CHRIST'S LOVE. HE DIES
FOR THE WORLD.
One of the most beautiful examples of the
love of God for the world, is brought out in
the suffering and death of Jesus Christ for
the world. There was no redemption without
death,without blood. Man's sin was too great;
it reached far, far beyond him ; yet God loved
him.
58 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
" They are mine, made in my image, in my
likeness, and for man I will die," was heard
by the infinite observer.
But man has eaten of the fruit of the tree
that he was told not to eat of; he has violated
the King's command; he must die. Without
shedding of blood there is no redemption for
man, none in heaven, none on earth. His is
an eternal hell shut up in black despair with
the damned cast out. A helpless wretch is he.
Helpless, because he cannot save himself. His
arms are too short to save; his breath too
weak to speak in an audible tone in his de¬
fense; there is none to help him; poor wretch,
hungry, starving and dying
"In vain we strive with earthly toys
To fill an empty mind.'"
He has fallen out of the sympathy of the
angels, of heaven, and of God. Justice stands
ready to slay him, pity looks down upon him.
Listen to his groans, the groans of a man made
in the image of God.
What of his future? What of the past?
Hope has tied, and man is doomed to die. The
time is fixed upon, the hour set, and poor man
ordered from the dirty prison of sin to come
LOVE.
50
before the eternal Judge, the Judge of all the
world, He who laid the foundation of the
world, of the stars, of the sun, of the moon;
He whose eyes pierce every inward thought ;
lie who speaks, and the mountains quake.
The hour comes and the Almighty, everlast¬
ing God, the Judge of all the world, ascends
the throne, and the criminal stands before
Ilim. The question of guilt is asked, and he
is found guilty, guilty of disobeying God, his
Father, the Just and Eternal One.
The penalty of death is fixed, he must die,
must die in his sins. He is handbound and
fetters placed on him, and the hour of execu¬
tion is fixed. " Without the shedding of
blood, there is no redemption." The leader
in the act, Satan, has disappeared; he comes
not near to speak a word of cheer; poor wretch
standing with a heart bleeding and groaning
beneath a great load. Bitten by the frost of
a furious winter. No shoes on his feet, noth¬
ing to protect him from the coming wrath.
The hour came and the signal was given for
the execution to take place. Death rushed
forward—stood waiting for the command to
be given by Justice; there were shrieks and
60 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
grbans and cries for mercy, and for pity. No
one came, and the black night of death was
gathering around. Heaven grew pale, and the
orchestra of heaven was hushed into silence;
not a single chord or note broke forth. Judg¬
ment was on and the execution hour had come.
In steps Justice, and the fatal word was given,
" Cut him down." The sword, as sharp as
could be, was drawn, and man stood weeping
between the porch and the altar.
Just before the sword swung back, Jeho¬
vah's own Son cried out, as He laid hold of
the quivering sword," I will die for man,He is
mine by creation. I love him. I will pay the
debt." The day and the hour were fixed upon,
and the place selected, and man once more was
allowed to walk free.
We are His by choice. "Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you."
Bought with a price—a precious price.
Christ paid dearty for man. He complied
with the contract that was greater than money,
and grander than all the world's exchanges
was His blood which He shed for man.
Like a certain man who sold all that he had
and bought the pearl of great price, so Christ
LOVE.
61
sold all that He had and bought us. "Ye are
not your own," a price has been paid for you;
it was paid by the richest blood; blood the
purest, the blood of the innocent; the Just for
the unjust died.
This blood was shed on Calvary's mournful
summit. It was shed between the sixth and
the ninth hour. As the nails pierced through
His hands, and broke through vein after vein,
until the flesh was torn, and the joints quiv¬
ered as His heart's blood rushed forward, pro¬
truding through ten thousand pores. It was
that fountain spoken of by the prophet to be
opened in the house of David for sin and un-
cleanness.
"There is a fountain tilled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains."
Never before was there such a quaking of
the world, such fearfulness, such a cloud. It
drove the sun into darkness, the moon into a
black night. The stars danced in their courses.
The curtains of heaven were rolled back and
tens of thousands of the cherubic host bedeck¬
ed the windows, domes, stairways, and doors
62
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
of the great city to seethe battle brought to n
close.
It had commenced with Christ on the side
of the defense, defending sinners. Death
was raging; the thunder roared; the lightning
flashed; the vail of the temple was rent in
twain ; nine o'clock rolled up and viewed the
awful sight. The conflict was on: a thousand
Waterloos could iiot equal it. There was a
great interest at stake, the interest of the
world. The salvation of man was dependent
upon Christ winning. Hell must fall back:
the demons of the darkest night must be re¬
pulsed with an everlasting thrust: one man
must do it. Ilell with its dismal host was
charged to the teeth, but. not fully prepared
for war, such as was then in existence. But
hark! listen! who must win? Christ must
win. He is on the right side.
The turning point was reached; the bow was
bent and the arrow directed at the king of hell.
The word was given; the arrow let fly, and
the king of night fell back from the line writh¬
ing in death. Hell trembled as her king went
down. But look! millions of harpers
like ten thousand bolts of thunder, leaping
I J) VE.
from the distant clouds, rung out in praise of
the King's triumph. Glory, praise and honor,
were on every tongue, for him who was victo¬
rious in battle, the greatest 011 record. The
prophetic declaration of four thousand years'
duration had come to pass. " For the day of
vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my
redeemed is come."
" And I looked and there was none to help;
and I wondered that there was none to uphold;
therefore mine own arm brought salvation
unto me, and my fury, it upheld me."
"I die that thou niayest live." "Greater
love has no man than this." "I come in the
volume of the book to do thy will, O God."
Not my will, but let thy will be done in earth
as in heaven.
The fearful struggle is over, the King of
Glory looks out 011 a world shrouded in dark¬
ness. He cries, k 4 It is finished and sud¬
denly gives up the ghost, and therefore con¬
firming the declaration. '-No man taketli my
life from me—I lay down my life for my
sheep."
The mighty host of heaven leaped up,
rushed for the sanctum sanctorum: caught the
64
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
good news, and, as they dashed onward and
upward, shouted, " It is finished," and man's
redemption is complete.
" The year of Jubilee has come, return ye
ransomed sinners home."
Ye are purchased with a price. " He is de¬
spised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief; and we hid, as it
were, our faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.
" Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows; yet we did esteem him strick¬
en, smitten of God, and afflicted.
" Hewaswounded for our transgressions; he
was bruised for our iniquities: * * and
with his stripes we are healed."
SELF-DENIAL.
65
CHAPTER V.
SEJLF-DENIAL.
"If any man will come after me, let him de¬
ny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me."—Matt. xvi:24. Self-denial is a thread,
a very essential thread to Christianity, that
ran throughout the public ministry of Christ
Jesus.
It is of vast importance, though dimly seen
and seldom referred to by the rank and file of
religious writers. It was very, very promi¬
nent in the mind of the greatest of all teach¬
ers, and was by Him mentioned on more than
one occasion. Christ, in His discourse, kept
before the minds of His hearers in some form
the fact of the necessity of self-denial. He
was not spasmodic in His great work of re¬
form, but steady and earnest.
One of the essential elements of Christian¬
ity, that which gives vitality and power, that
which is the underlying principle and the
strongest lever in all religions, is self-denial.
In Christ 's fight for moral reform, from the very
60
DOCTRINES OF (JURIST.
start he educated his disciples up to that fact.
"If any man will come after me, let him de¬
ny'himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me."—Matt. xvi:24.
Self-denial is a fact potent in all religions;
without it, religion would painfully travel on
one leg, and its progress would of necessity be
slow, if progress it might be called* Touch¬
ing this verse, the learned and good Dr. Clark
remarks: "This discourse was intended to
show Peter and the rest of the disciples the
nature of His kingdom, and that the honor
that cometh from the world, was not to be ex¬
pected by those who followed Christ. The
principles of the Christian life are:
First. To have a sincere desire to belong to
Christ.—"If any man be willing to be my dis¬
ciple," etc.
Secondly. To renounce self-dependence
and selfish pursuits.—"Let him deny him¬
self."
Thirdly. To embrace the conditions which
God has appointed, and bear the troubles and
difficulties he may meet with, in walking the
Christian road.—"Let him take up his cross."
Fourthly. To imitate Jesus, and do and
SELF-DENIAL.
67
suffer all in His spirit.—"Lethim follow me."
Indeed he can not follow Christ" in purity of
heart and follow the world in sin. He can
not follow Christ in love and at the same time
follow the world in hatred. To teach his fol¬
lowers what they might expect, to give them
the all-important key, so that they might prop¬
erly understand the maneuvering of their en¬
vironment, was the acme of the desire of the
Anointed of God.
He knew that they could not impress the
world to any extent for good, unless there be
first a pulling off from the world. This was
seen in His walk as well as in His discourse.
Was not Christ, Heaven's most honored
son, born of God, and the gift of the city of
the great King, whence He came? And what
was the desire of His heart, if not to save the
world? With Cherubic legions to swell the
heavenly tiding from mansion to mansion,
happy without the additional worship of ten
thousand such worlds as this of ours; with an
eternal orchestra, whose beautiful strains of
the sweetest music sound and resound through¬
out the eternal heavens, he could exist without
us and be infinitely happy. Yet with fallen
68
DOCTUINES OB" (JURIST.
man lie was in sj^mpath}', and His soul rested
not within Him day nor night until man, by
His blood, was redeemed, restored to thefavor
of our Lord.
For man He promised His heart's blood;
and the desire to die that man might live,
swelled every fibre of his majestic soul. Be¬
tween the prophetic predictions and the fulfil¬
ment thereof that a " Star shall rise out of
Jacob," and " the seed of the woman shall
bruise the serpent's head," centuries passed.
He tarried; but He came. Philosophers in¬
deed watched the heavens, and kings and lords
begged for signs of His coming long and
earnestly before the day finally came, whose
night must give birth to the King of Glory.
In Bethlehem, in the plains of Judea. He was
born.
The poet Patrick, vividly depicts the ful¬
fillment of prophetic prediction in these lines:
"While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And giory shoue around.
"Fear not," sail he, (for mighty dread
Had seized their trouble I mind,)
"Glad tiding.-; of great joy I bring
To von and all mankind.
SELF-DENIAL.
6«
"To you, iti David's town, this day,
Is born of David's lino,
The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:"
Notwithstanding He could save the world,
was man's avowed friend, the predicted Mes¬
siah, and that the city in which He was born,
was one of many buildings—there was no
room therein for His mother and father, and
no room therein for Him, the Christ, the eter¬
nal God. The doors of the inns were open
for the reception of strangers from all parts,
but not for Him who gave up heaven and came
to earth, the Only Begotten of the Father,
the light of the world. "He came unto his
own and his own received him not."
He was mocked, spitted upon and the object
of much ridicule; he became poor that, through
him, the world might grow rich. The testi¬
mony of our Lord and Christ substantiates the
truth of his spirit of perfect self-denial.
"And a certain scribe came, and said unto
him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever
thou goest.'' Christ replies: '' The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of man hath not where to lajT his head.''
70
DOCTRINES OF CIllUST.
Isaiah, one of the greatest prophets, deline¬
ates his career among men thus, "He is de¬
spised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it
were our faces from him; he was despised
and we esteemed him not. He was oppressed
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his
mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaugh¬
ter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."
In this condition, despised and rejected of
men, he completed his thirty-three years' mis¬
sion. It was one of many sorrows; one of
heartaches and flooded with tears. Humanity
grew hungry and thirsty. Great throngs of
hypocrites and jeering crowds met him in
nearly every city to taunt him, yet he was
steadfast. He was hunted down like the hart
of the mountain. The blind, the lame and
deaf came to him for help and to be cured,
while the motley crowd cried, shouting, "Away
with him." It was into Galilee, while he was
teaching, that the chief priests sent out offi¬
cers, to lay hold upon Christ, for preaching
righteousness and peace. They saw, however,
not the kind of man that they were sent for,
S K /> F-J'i KNIAIj.
71
a man .stirring up a .seditious spirit among the
people. They were taken by surprise, stood
awestricken, as they listened to the words
of truth which fell from His lips. They saw
no harm in Him. They were greatly moved.
Their reply to the question of the priests and
pharisees was, "Never man spake like this
man." "Then answered them the Pharisees,
Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers
of the Pharisees believed on him? But this
people who knovveth not the law are cursed.
Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to
Jesus by night, being one of them) Doth our
law judge any man, before it hear him, and
know what hedoeth? They answered and
said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee?
Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth
no prophet. And every man went into his
own house."
In His sermon on the mount, Christ teaches,
not to resist evil, but to bear persecution.—
" For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it: but whosoever will lose his life for my
sake, the same shall save it. For what is a
man advantaged, if he gain the whole world,
and lose himself, or be cast away. For who-
72 DOCTRINES OF (JURIST.
soever shall be ashamed of me and my words,
of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when
he shall come in his own glory, and in his
Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell
you of a truth, there be some standing here,
which shall not taste of death, till they see the
kingdom of God."—Luke ix:24-27.
Christ hides nothing from His followers,
especially such things as they must know.
On sending forth His disciples, He fully pre¬
pared them for their perilous journey. He
says: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in
the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware
of men: for they will deliver you up to the
councils, and they will scourge you in their
synagogues; And ye shall be brought before
governors and kings for my sake, for a testi¬
mony against them and the Gentiles. But
when they deliver }7ou up, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be
given you in that same hour what ye shall
speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the
Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
And the brother shall deliver up the brother
to death, and the father the child: and the
SELF-DENIAL.
children shall rise up against their parents,
and cause them to be put to death. And ye
shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:
but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
But when they persecute you in this city, flee
ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye
shall not have gone over the cities of Israel,
till the Son of man be come. The disciple is
not above his master, nor the servant above
his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he
be as his master, and the servant as his lord.
If they have called the master of the house
Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them
of his household? Fear them not therefore:
for there is nothing covered, that shall not be
revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in
light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach
ye upon the housetops. And fear not them
which kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul; but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not
two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of
them shall not fall on the ground without your
Father. But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are
74
doctrines of on just.
of more value than many sparrows. Whoso¬
ever therefore shall confess me before men,
him will I confess also before.my Father which
is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me
before men, him will I also deny before my
Father which is in heaven. Think not that I
am come to send peace on earth: I came not
to send peace but a sword. For I am come
to set a man at variance against his father, and
the daughter against the mother, and the
daughter in law against her mother in law.
And a man's foes shall be they of his own
household."—Matt, x: 16-3(5.
He teaches here, that we must not love fath¬
er and mother more than we love Him. "He
that loveth father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and follow-
eth after me, is not worthy of me. He that
findeth his life shall lose it: and he thatlo'seth
his life for my sake shall find it. He that re-
ceiveth you receiveth me; and he that receiv-
me receiveth him that sent me."
All must be set aside for Christ. "The
King's business requireth haste." "Let the
HE1/P-DKNIAL.
dead bury their dead, follow me," fell from
the lips of the great Teacher upon the ears of
the startled hearer.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An
eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also. And if any man
will sue the at the law; and take away thy
coat, let him have thy cloak also. And who¬
soever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with
him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and
from him that would borrow of thee turn not
thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate
thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you: That
ye may be the children of your Father which
is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust. For if ye love
them which love you, what reward have ye?
do not even the publicans the same? And if ye
salute your brethren only, what do ye more
J)Oi'TjiL\Ks OF rjfJtlsT.
than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect."
It is now that we come to the climax, to the
most beautiful of all illustrations of the suffer¬
ings of Christ for the world. This fact no
one can doubt, this fact no one will attempt
to deny, it stands for all to see.
Jesus Christ is brought forth as a de¬
ceiver, He is hurried from Caiaphas, the high
priest, to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Amid
resultant noise and confusion his disciples fled.
Peter denied him. None but His mother and
Her friend stood around, watching the maneu¬
vering of the motley and indiguant throng.
Governor Pilate ordered Christ before him.
Here He is questioned by the executive officer.
" Art thou the king of the Jews?" "Thou
say est," replied Jesus Christ. False accusa¬
tions came in thick and fast from the priests
and the elders, vet He answered them not a
word. Convinced of Christ's innocence, and
with a note from his wife, begging him to
have nothing to do with the Son of God, Pi¬
late resolves to dismiss the King of Glory.
"Whether of the twain will ye that I release
5'ELF- DENIAL.
77
unto you," said Pilate, "Shall I release this
murderer, or shall I release Christ?" At this,
came yells from the infuriated throats of the
motley and bloodthirsty mob waiting at the
door, "Away with Christ, but release unto us
Barabbas, the robber and murderer." They
mocked Christ and spat upon him. They
pulled his robe from off Him, and afterward
marched Him with a cross upon His shoulder
to the place of execution, and there nailed
Him to the cross. There they gave Him the
vinegar and gall to drink. But alas ! the hour
came, and amid the noise and confusion, He
gave up the ghost and died, the just for the
unjust, the rich for the poor.
In his epistle to the Romans, Paul sa}7s of
Christ, "For even Christ pleased not himself;
but, as it is written, The reproaches of them
that reproached thee fell on me."--Romans
xv: 3.
What more ought mail to expect? What
more can we hope for, than to do as our Lord
and Master did? " Deny yourself, if ye would
be niv disciple." Again, "For ye know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though
he was rich, vet for your sakes he became
78
DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
poor, that ye through his poverty might be
rich."—2d Cor. viii:9.
In his exhortation to unit}' and humility,
Paul speaking to the Philippians concerning
the incarnation of Christ, says, "But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men. And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross."— Phil, ii: 7, 8.
The reader is persuaded not to conclude
that he was interested only in those mentioned.
Be it far from you. Says he to the Hebrews,
" For consider him that endured such contra¬
diction of sinners against himself, lest ye be
wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have
not yet resisted unto blood, striving against
sin." Aside from Jesus Christ, Paul was one
of the strongest advocates of the teachings of
Jesus Christ along this line. He . fully im¬
bibed from his master the spirit of self-denial,
and laughed at and endured persecution. Paul
sajs: "For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more ex-
eeding and eternal weight of glory ; while we
bELb'-DENIAL.
79
look not at the things which are seen, but at
the things which are not seen : for the things
which are seen are temporal; but the things
which are not seen are eternal."—2d Cor. iv:
17, 18.
80
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER VI.
FAITH.
There is not to be found in all the teachings
of Jesus Christ, a single subject that lay so
near to the heart of the Great Teacher as that
of faith.
FAITH ESSENTIAL.
Its essentiality is brought out, and pressed
home to the hearts of the earnest inquirer
when we examine the testimony of those who
were Christ's eyewitnesses; those who follow¬
ed Him.
Not one denied or attempted to deny, that
this was one of the leading topics of our Mas¬
ter's discourse. The necessity of faith on the
part of man before entering into life eternal,
stands out in bold letters before us.
It is one of the great fundamental principles,
underlying the mammoth structure, Christian¬
ity, into which all who Avould be saved must
enter. There is no salvation without faith.
DEFINITION OF FAITH.
What is faith ? In short, faith is belief,
FAITH.
81
confidence. " Belief," the assent of the mind
to the truth of what is declared by another;
the resting solely and implicitly on the author¬
ity and veracity of another; reliance on an¬
other's testimony. Paul says, " Faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen."—Heb. xi: 1.
That faith is belief in that which is not seen
cannot be doubted, when an examination of
the discourses of Jesus Christ is made.
NATURE OF FAITH.
"And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and be¬
lieve the gospel."—Mark i: 14-15.
Luke says, in xxiv: 45, speaking of the res¬
urrection of Jesus Christ, concerning the na¬
ture of faith: " Then he opened their under¬
standing, that they might understand the
Scriptures."
The fact is further set forth in the gospel ac¬
cording to St. John vi: 21): "Jesus answered
and said unto them, This is the work of God
that ye believe on him."
John also records the statement bearing up¬
on faith made by Jesus Christ in His exhorta¬
tion to His disciples. Christ says in His ad-
82 ])<)CTJUNES OF U11111ST.
dress to His followers, while persuading them
to remain steadfast and immovable after His
departure from their presence: "Thomas saith
unto hi in, Lord, we know not whither thou
goes; and how can we know the wa}T? Jesus
said unto him,I am the way,the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me. If ye had known me, ye should have
known my Father also: and from henceforth
ye know him,and have seen him. Phillip saith
unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it
sutficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I
been so long time with you, and yet hast thou
not known me, Phillip? he that hath seen me
hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou
then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou
not that I am in the Father, and the Father
in me? the words that I speak unto you I
speak not of myself: but the Father that dwell-
eth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me
that I am in the Father, and the Father in me:
or else believe me for the very works sake."
—John xiv: 5-11.
" Let not your hearts be troubled; j'e be¬
lieve in God, believe also in me. In 1113' Fath¬
er's hi>use are many mansions: if it were m t
FAITH.
88
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again; and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also. And whither I go ye know, and
the way ye know."—John xiv: 1-4.
"Verily, verily, I say unto }Tou, He that be-
lieveth on me, the works that I do shall he do
also; and greater works than these shall he
do, because I go unto my Father."
In Christ's prayer for His disciples He
brings to view the means of faith, in these
words: "Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through
their word."—John xvii: 20.
Christ prayed not for those who were with
Ilim then and there only, but for you, reader.
Have faith in Him; for you He prayed to IJis
Father. Nothing is so essential, and so suc¬
cessful in its operation, as the prayer seasoned
with faith. God never turns away a faithful
prayer.
When the Jewish teacher came to Jesus
to learn of Him, Christ hesitated not in teach¬
ing him a very important principle, one of the
essentials of his success, the key to salvation.
84
DUUTit INKS OF CUIUST.
Here, lie makes faith the foundation of his
salvation.
FAITH THE FILLAR OF SALVATION.
'• Verilv, verily, I say unto thee, We speak
that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I
had told you earthly things, and ye believe
not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heav¬
enly things? And no man hath ascended up
to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,
even the Son of man which is in heaven. And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the Son of man be lifted up; that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life. For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God
sent not his Son into the world to condemn
the world; but that the world through him
might be saved. He that believeth on him is
not condemned; but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not be¬
lieved in the name of the only begotten Son of
God."—John iii: 11-1(>.
Again, in speaking of His death, John re-
FA] TIL
cords the fact that Jesus urged the disciples
to believe. " While ye have the light, believe
in the light, that ye may be the children of
light. These things spake Jesus, and depart¬
ed, and did hide himself from them,"—John
xii: 36.
To say the least, faith has its results; or,
in other words, where there is faith, as pre-
ceeding cause, there is the effect emanating
from that cause. Notwithstanding Christ was
crucified and died, He, after His resurrection,
appeared to His sorrowing brethren as they
sat at meat, and upbraided them for their un¬
belief and hardness of heart, because they be¬
lieved them not who had seen Him after Hit*
resurrection.
SIGN or FAITH.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damn¬
ed. And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In raj name shall they cast out devils ;
They shall speak with new tongues; Th«}r shall
take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them : they shall lay
DOOTlUNflS OF CHRIST,
hands on the sick, and they shall recover."—
Mark xvi: 15-18.
The greatest of all teachers makes faith the
foundation of man's salvation. After some
preliminary remarks, on the essentials of faith,
John, in the 1st chapter and 12th verse, says,
"But as many as received htm, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name/' On becom¬
ing the sons of God, it ma}7 be remembered,
that the relation that a son sustains to the fa¬
ther and the father's estate, is greater and
more intimate than that of a servant. All
that belongs to the father justly belongs to the
son. The only matter in cases of conflicting
opinions as to the ownership, is to bring out
the fact that the son is the legitimate son of
the father, and the son is then an heir to all
the estate. The gold, silver and all that be¬
longs to the estate, belongs to the son. So to
all that God ha&, the man, who is a believer
in God, becomes an heir. On believing in
Jesus Christ, he becomes an heir to heaven
with all its grandeur, its beauties, its moun¬
tains of love, and its rivers of joy. In short,
all that heaven has is his.
PAiTlL
87
Christ, before leaving this world said to llis
followers, "Let not your hearts be troubled;
ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my
Father's house are many mansions; if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to pre¬
pare a place for you. And if I go and pre¬
pare a place for you, I will come again and re¬
ceive you unto myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also."—John xiv:l-3.
There is one fact to be borne in mind b}'
the reader: Notwithstanding Christ is gone to
prepare a place for His followers, their being
with Him in the greatest of all dwellings, de¬
pends upon their faith in God,
"Believe in God," says Christ, "Believe
also in me." No fact is more apparent in all
of Christ's teachings, than that of faith. The
power of faith is further illustrated in Christ's
■own statement to Nicodemus. "For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begot¬
ten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
■should not perish, but have everlasting life,
for God sent not his Son into the world to con¬
demn the world; but that the world through
him might be saved. He that belicveth on
him is not condemned: but he that believeth
88 DOC Til IN RS OF CllRfRT.
not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God."—Johniii: 16-18.
As the sun in the material world is the source
of all light, so faith in the spiritual world is
the source of all truth. Truth is of God;
hence he who believes is led face to face with
God. Mark records another demonstration of
faith's power. " And when he came to his
disciples, he saw a great multitude about them,
and the scribes questioning with them. And
straightway all the people, when they beheld
him, were greatly amazed, and running to him
saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What
question ye with them ? And one of the mul¬
titude answered and said, Master, I have
brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb
spirit, And wheresoever he taketh him, he
teareth him, and he foameth and gnashed
with his teeth, amd pineth away: and I spake
to thy disciples that they should cast him out;
and they could not. He ansvvereth him, and
saith, O faithless g*eneration, how long shall I
be with you? how long shall I suffer you?
Bring him unto me. And they brought him
unto him; and when he saw him, straightway
faith.
the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground,
and wallowed foaming. And he asketh his
father: How long is it ago since this came un¬
to him ? And he said,of a child. And oft times
it hath cast him into the fire, and into the wa¬
ters, to destroy him, but if thou canst do any¬
thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all
things are possible to him that believeth. And
straightway the father cried out, and said with
tears, Lord I believe: help thou mine unbe¬
lief. When Jesus saw that the people came
running together, he rebuked the foul spirit,
saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit,
I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no
more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent
him sore, and came out of him; and he was
as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is
dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and
lifted him up, and he arose. And when he
was come into the house, his disciples asked
him privately, Why could not we cast him
out? And he said unto them, This kind can
come forth by nothing,but by prayer and fast¬
ing. "—Mark ix:14-29.
There is no greater key to the great store
do ])')('!'■ nixus OP vnnisr.
of salvation than faith. Christ says,All things
are possible to him that belicveth."—Markix :
2 ;-j.
If we read the gospel according to St. Luke,
xvii: 1(1, we are further impressed with the
fact that there are degrees in faith, and that
it was Christ's chief aim to teach the necessity
and power of faith.
DEGREES AND POWER IN FAITH.
" And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a
grain of mustard seed, ve might say unto this
sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root,
and be thou planted in the sea; and it should
obey you." Mark records a similar statement,
made by Jesus Christ, touching the power of
faith: "For verily I say unto you, That who¬
soever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea: and
shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe
that those things which he saith shall come to
pass ; hevshall have whatsoever he saith. There¬
fore I say unto you, What things soever ye
desire, when ye prav, believe that ye receive
them,and ye shall have them.' '—Mark xi: 23-24.
EXAMrLE OF FAITH.
Christ is no less earnest in His urging or
FAITH,
01
teaching the example of faith to the Roman
officer who had the sick servant. The story
is truthfully set forth by St. Matthew, who
was one of the eye witnesses. "And when
Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came
unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And
saying, Lord, my servant lietli at home sick
of the palsy, grievously tormented. And
Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal
him. The centurion answered and said,Lord,
I am not worthy that thou shouldest come un¬
der my roof: but speak the word only,and my
servant shall be healed. For I am a man un¬
der authority, having soldiers under me: and
I say to this man, Go and he goeth; and to
another, Come, and he cometh; and to my
servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus
heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that
followed. Verity I say unto you, I have not
found so great faith, no, not in Israel."
The topmost round is reached and all of the
beauty of faith is portrayed when we turn to
the conversation which took place between
Jesus Christ and his disciples, " Whom do
men say that I the Son of man am," said
Christ to his followers, after He came into
92 DOOTllI'NES OP CUliisT.
the coast of Cesarea Phillippi. "And they
said,some say thou art John the Baptist : some,
Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the
prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say
ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
Living God. And Jesus answered and said
unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona:
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And
I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon
this rock I will build my church ; and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatso¬
ever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that
they should tell no man that he was Jesus the
Christ."
THE NEW BI LITII.
93
CHAPTER VII.
THE NEW 1MRTII.
"Ye must be born again."- -Christ.
The great Teacher played no random shots,
ho played not with the eneni}^ but wherever
found, whether in the breast of the high, or
low, the arrow for the destruction of the wrong
was let fly. This fact is depicted in the dia¬
logue which took place between Christ and the
Jewish Master of the laws, namely, Nicode-
mus. There is another fact to be remem¬
bered, Christ keeps no secrets, all said in the
dark was brought to the light. Prajers of¬
fered in secret, are openly answered.
Among the many potent facts set forth by
the great Teacher, one is now recalled, that is,
the "New Birth." It was His great aim to
set before the world the fact of the necessity
of the New Birth, which forms the first link
in the chain of man's salvation. While God
is near at hand, and while there is only one
step between Him and man, before that step
can be made to the advantage of those a})-
JJOVTJilNMS OF ClIRIiST.
preaching Ilim, a peculiar and certain condition
must, be reached and met, ere the first and glo¬
rious step is made. The truth of this peculiar
condition and its absolute necessity becomes
more apparent when we comprehend the con¬
versation between Christ and the Jewish rul¬
er.
There was no sun to give him light; no rays
of the center of the solar system to pour upon
his path and to lead the Jewish teacher step
by step to the great Teacher. However, there
was a light within, given by the God of na¬
ture; this sun shone forth, and step by step
he was lead until foui d at last face to face
with the great Teacher. His first remark
was, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God: for no man can do these
miracles that thou doest, except God be with
him."—John iii:2.
Then comes the promulgation of the potent
fact, one that must at all times and in all plac¬
es stand out and be considered ere it becomes
possible to enter into the kingdom of God,
"Ye must be born again." It was that which
was least expected ; not looked for by the man
of the Pharisaic sect. It was, however, that
TllK NEW UI1 ITII.
95
which was most needed then by hi 111, and most¬
ly needed now by man}'. It formed the foun¬
dation-stone of the great building of Christ¬
ianity without which none can enter into the
kingdom of God.
"Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must
be born again."—John iii:7. That is to saj%
not to enter the womb of }rour mother and be
born again; but, must come of the spirit.
There must be a spiritual conception—a spir¬
itual birth. This is the gate, and the only
gate, that leads into the great kingdom of
God. That kingdom made without hands, dee})
and broad is its foundation, and eternal is its
structure. Yet, without a change of soul,
(not a change of mind ordinarily speaking)
but a change actuated and born of pure mo¬
tives and for a holier and better life in this
world, and a glorious one lo come.
CONVERSION E S S ENTIAL.
The fact potent to man's salvation is the
new birth, "Ye must be born again." Such
a statement was new and alarming to the Jew¬
ish ruler, hence he wondered, but of no use,
the fact was there before him, it was no theo-
90
DOCTRINES OF (JURIST.
it but a stubborn fact to be met, before ad¬
mission into the kingdom of God.
THE DOOR OF SALVATION.
It matters not what may, or may not be
said, the fact remains the same. There is
but one door that leads into the Kingdom of
God, and that door is the "New Birth."
Christ says: "We speak that we do know,
and testify that we have seen, etc. If I
have told you of earthly things, and ye believe
it not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of
heavenly things?"
THE NEW BIRTH ESSENTIAL.
The emphasis placed on the "New Birth"
by Christ, makes it plain that there is but one
door, one condition—to support all that must
be accepted. "And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever be-
lieveth in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life." 4 'For God solovedthe world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that who¬
soever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but
THE NEW BIRTH.
97
that the world through him might be saved."
Again, "He that believeth on Him is not
condemned; but he that believeth not, is con¬
demned already, because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
The new birth is that which is most essen¬
tial, and without it, notwithstanding God so
loved the world that He gave His only begot¬
ten Son to die for it, that man might be
saved; and notwithstanding the kingdom of
Heaven is at hand, yet however good, nothing
can be done that will aid man in his efforts
to enter the Kingdom, except the new
birth. Faith in God is the all essential prin¬
ciple that leads to this mansion, " Marvel not
that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again."
Christ again, emphasizes the fact that God
stands far, far above man, in that He says,
"He that cometh from above is above all," in
power, wisdom, truth, love, and all that is
pure; yet, without this one condition the
learned Jew, Master in Mosaic law, could not
be received into the favor of God. This new
birth implies a change of heart. The neces¬
sity of this changed condition is further set
forth by Christ in Matt. xviii:3. When the
S)8 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
disciples came to Jesus, they asked Him who
should be the greatest in the kingdom of Heav¬
en. The " ultimate triumph of the kingdom
had long since been settled in their minds, and
now the mighty rush was to the highest, or
most exalted position in the King's Dominion.
They already conceived it to be a grand place,
glorious to behold, ruled over by the greatest
of all Kings; but who is to be next- in office,
and who shall be the chief Lord in thy King¬
dom ? Christ seated a child, a little child
in their midst and said: "Verily I say unto
you, except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye shall not enter into the king¬
dom of heaven." Thus giving them to un¬
derstand that their salvation also depended
upon the change of heart.
HOLY GHOST BAPTISM.
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God."—
John iii:5.
It was one of the main points that stood out
before the great Teacher; it was to be under¬
stood by all; therefore a square assertion was
TILE NEW BIRTH.
made, and pushed until humanity feels its ut¬
ter inability to reach God without this change
of heart. No point stands out in Holy Writ
more than the New Birth. This change must
come to all. It is the selling out of all the
world's goods a»d taking up the Cross daily
and following after Christ, that is so much
insisted upon by Him. There is no other way
under heaven whereby man can be saved. It
is the only safe way to truth and life. "He
that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath
not the Son, hath not life." On being born
again, man becomes regenerated, justified and
holy, a living object for the glory of God.
100
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER VIII.
PERFECTION.
Holiness, perfection and sanctification, are
terms that convey one and the same idea.
"Holiness is freedom from sin, or the con¬
formity of the heart to God. That state of
quality of a thing, to which it is free from de¬
fect. The work of God's grace by which we
are renewed after the image of God, set apart
for His service and enabled to die unto sin and
live unto righteousness." Holiness was
taught by Jesus Christ.
'' Estate ergo perfecti, sicut et pater vester
coelestisperfectus est(Be ye therefore per¬
fect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect.)—Matt. v:48. This is not to be
looked upon as a side issue, but must be re¬
garded as a real truth, which Christ urges up¬
on all who would enter into life eternal. Know¬
ing that heaven is perfect, and God is just,
He lost no time in impressing the world with
the fact, that such a state must be attained
here in life. Holiness is in keeping with God,
PERFECTION.
101
in keeping with Jesus Christ. Be perfect in
conversation, perfect in walk, perfect in devo¬
tion, perfect in love, throbs the soul of Jesus
Christ. In Christ's prayer for His followers
He says, " sanctify them through thy truth,
thy word is truth."—John xvii: 17. The idea
of perfection rang out with so much force that
all of His followers caught the thought, or in¬
spiration, and handed the truth down to gene¬
rations yet unborn. "Without holiness no
man shall see the Lord."—Heb. xii:14.
Paul writes to the Hebrews, just that which
he had already received from our Christ.
The spirit of holiness vibrated throughout his
whole man, as it rushed from the great soul
of our heavenly Teacher. Again we may re¬
fer to the sermon on the mountain, which
burns with the soul of the Divine Teacher.
SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed arc they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger
sind thirst after righteousness: for they shall
102 DOCTRINES OF CIIR[ST.
be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are
the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God. Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven."
Holiness is a state reached by the assistance
of God, after earnest efforts to purify one's
conversation, acts and devotion. It is the
tearing away of the curtains, or vail that hides
the face of Him whom thou wouldest see, and
seeing Him face to face. "Without holiness
no one shall seethe Lord." It is the last step
made by man in life that leads up into the
great building of God, the presence of the One
Eternal. The step leading to holiness, but
not holiness, and that step which makes holi¬
ness possible is repentance. This condition
must be reached, it must be accepted, it must
come. Christ teaches this great doctrine, this
truth.
SCIENCE OF FRUIT BEARING.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the
husbandman." In this discourse Christ teach¬
es a very important lesson, and one that is re-
PERFECT TON-
ICS
garded by the best authority as a scientific
one. He knew the art of Christian fruit bear¬
ing, or we may add, the art of success of
Christian life. As the branches are connected
with the vine from which they draw their life
supplying elements; so is man spiritually con¬
nected, and his life supplying element, or vital
religion is drawn from Christ. To cut loose
the branches from the main vine, means death
to the branches, during the fruit growing sea¬
son. As the vine gives food to every branch,
and the branch truly depends upon the vine,
so men are dependent upon Christ, and with¬
out Him they can do nothing, any more than
the branches can bring forth fruit without the
vine. The secret, or the whole art of Chris¬
tian success hinges upon Christ. The river must
depend upon its source for water. The ocean
has its source as much as the rain its father;
so, one who expects to produce fruit, to ac¬
complish anything for good, must live a vir¬
tuous life, and to bring forth fruit must depend
upon this source recorded by the poet :
"Jesus, thou source of all my joy,
Thou ruler of my heart."
To cut loose from Christ, the true vine, the
104 DOCTRINES OV CUBIST.
Vine of life, of truth, of parity, of goodness*
of justice, peace and love, is to lose all that
which man's highest ambition craves after.
The invigorating influence and fatherly pro¬
tection so much needed by man during his ex¬
istence in this world, and after his departure
into the world which is to come, prove that
man cannot live to himself, he is not independ¬
ent of his fellowmen, much less being inde¬
pendent of Christ. If we accept John's Gos¬
pel as being true, another link in the chain of
argument is made fast.
John declares that, " The Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us," and that they
saw Him and beheld His glory. And again,
he says: " In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning witb
God. All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was
made. In him was life; and the life w\as the
light of men. And the light shineth in dark¬
ness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name
was John. The same came for a witness, to
bear witness of the Light, that all men through;
PERFECTION.
105
him might believe. He was not that Light,
but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world. He was in
the world, and the world was made by him,
and the world knew him not. He came unto
his own, and his own received him not. But
as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name; Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God. And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the gloiy as of the
only begotten of the Father) full of grace and
truth. John bare witness of him, and cried,
saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that
cometh after me is preferred before me; for
he was before me. And of his fulness have
all we received, and grace for grace. For the
law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ."—John i: 1-16.
Christ being the maker of the world as is
declared by John, the light, the true light that
lighteth every one that comes into the world,
on removing Christ , our light is of necessity re-
106
DOCTMINES OF (JlIIilS.T.
moved, and the world left in darkness, yes
black darkness. On John being asked, "Are
you the Christ?" h» replied, "I am not the
Christ." John could not bear the idea of be¬
ing thought of as the Christ. He knew too
much of his human weakness and the perverse-
ness of the world to claim that distinction.
" I am the voice of one crying in the wilder¬
ness ; make straight the way of the Lord." He
" shall baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost,"
I baptize with water; I am not worthy to un¬
tie the latchet of His shoes. His fan is in His
hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor,
and gather His wheat into the garner. Said
this distinguished teacher, Jesus, " Abide in
me." "And this is the record of John, when
the Jews sent priests and Levites, from Jeru¬
salem to ask him, Who art thou? And he con¬
fessed, and denied not; but confessed lam
not the Christ. And they asked him, What
then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am
not. Art thou that Prophet? And he an¬
swered, No. Then said they unto him, Who
art thou? that we may give an answer to them
that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the
PERFECTION.
107
wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord,
as »aid the prophet Esaias. And they which
were sent were of the Pharisees. And they
asked him, and said unto him, why baptizest
thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Eli-
as, neither that Prophet? John answered them
saying, I baptize with water, but there stand-
eth one among you, whom ye know not; He
it is, who coming after me is preferred before
me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to
unloose. These things were done in Betha-
bara beyond Jordan, where John was baptiz¬
ing."—John i: 19-28.
The branches cannot bear fruit unless con¬
nected with the vine. This is true in the nat¬
ural world, and also in the spiritual world.
It was of the peculiar characteristics of
Christ; when he wished to drive home some
potent truth, He gathered illustrations from
material things, or the world. " If I have
told you of earthly things, and yc believe not,
how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly
things?" The parable of the laborers, of the
ten virgins, etc, clearly sets forth this fact.
Christ disguises not the fact that He is the
foundation upon which all must build, and the
108
DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
cu^e of every ill- "I am the resurrection and
the life, he that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live." Live spiritual¬
ly, holy and eternally, existence within the
bare limit of a just God; love and happi¬
ness. Christ was not ignorant of the main¬
spring of man's spiritual existence. He knew
the inner parts as well as the outer. He
looked not on the outside alone, but also upon
the inside. All parts are alike unto him from
the smallest to the largest driving wheel.
There is no place of man's machinery that
Christ is ignorant of. Says He, "If thine
eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from
thee: it is better for thee to enter into life
with one eye, rather than having tvro eyes to
be cast into hell fire. Abide in me: ye have
no strength: ye can do nothing without me.
If ye would have strength, keep my word."
CHRIST POINTS OUT THE DANGER OF
KNOWING AND NOT DOING.
"And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do
not the things which I say ? Whosoever cometh
to me, and heareth my sajnngs, and doeth
them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He
PERFECTION.
109
is like a m;in which built a house, and digged
deep, and laid the foundation 011 a rock; and
when the flood arose, the stream beat vehem¬
ently upon that house, and could not shake
it; for it was founded upon a rock: But he
that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that
without a foundation built a house upon the
earth; against which the stream did beat ve¬
hemently, and immediately it fell, and the
ruin of that house was great."—Luke vi: 46-49.
There is no power, but that of Jesus Christ.
He is all power in heaven and in earth.
"The eleven disqiples went into Galilee, in¬
to amountain where Jesus had appointed them.
And when they saw Him, they worshipped
Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came
and spake unto them, saying, all power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations; baptizing
them in the mime of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have com¬
manded you: and, lo, I am with you ahvay,
even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Matt, xxviii, 1(5-20.
As the moon shines with a borrowed light,
110
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
so do men. Man shines not with his own
light; of himself he can do nothing. He is
no more than an infant at the knee of his pa¬
rent, led here and there at the will of his
guide.
"Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand."
THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Ill
CHAPTER IX.
THE HOLY SPIRIT.
" But when the Comforter is come, whom
I will send you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father,he shall testify of me."—John xiv: 23.
Nothing in all of the discourses of Jesus
Christ is set forth with more emphasis, than
that of the "being," "necessity," " work or
office, of the'Holy Spirit." We may, for the
sake of clearness, examine the discourses of
Jesus Christ.
a. For the being or existence of the Holy
Spirit.
b. For the necessity of the Holy Spirit.
c. For the work of the Holy Spirit.
Running through the discourses of Jesus
Christ, do we find declared anywhere the Be¬
ing of the Holy Spirit, or does Christ* present
any tangible proof of His being? If there is any
information as to the Being of the Holy Spirit,is
it clear? Does it stand out so as to be seen
bold and distinct? Or, must we turn geolo¬
gist and with auger and bit, plunge into the
112
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
fathomless depth of His great discourses and
bring from the heart of His discourses here
and there fragments of this great truth, the
Being of the Holy Spirit? Or,must we, like
the miner, thrust our shaft into the great
oceans of His truth, and gather small frag¬
ments, by which we are to surmise and con¬
clude that Christ taught the being of the Holy
Ghost? Nothing is clearer, nothing more dis¬
tinct, than His being, it is found everywhere.
The fact of the being, or existence of the
Holy Spirit, is it not heard in the teachings of
Jesus Christ? Christ declares the being of
the Holy Spirit in His discourse of Comfort
to His disciples.
REFERENCE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
" But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto }'ou."—John xiv: 2o.
He declares it in so many words, not only
the existence of the Holy Spirit, but also by
whom sent, " sent of the Father," " sent in
the name of the Son," and whose business is,
the holy spirit.
118
to teach and to " Bring to remembrance all
things." That Christ said to His disciples
prior to His coming, that He is of the Father,
justifies the conclusion that He is eternal with
the Father and the Son; and since that He is
to "teach" and bring in remembrance all that
Christ had said to His disciples prior to the
descent at Pentecost, He must be allwise, or
omniscient: and since no one can teach all the
things of God, but God, He must be God.
In the gospel according to John, Christ says,
" But when the Comforter is come, whom I
shall send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me."—John xv: 2.
The Holy Spirit, however, was not just then
promised. He was promised by the Anointed
of God, on several occasions. Especially do
we have lucid illustrations of Him, and the
work which He must do, in the predictions of
the prophet, Joel, who prophesied at least
eighteen hundred years before the birth of
the Christian era.
CHRIST DECLARES HIS DIVINITY.
" But he that shall blaspheme against the
114 DOCTRINES OF CIIEIBT.
Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in
danger of eternal damnation. "
joel's prophesy of the holy spirit.
" And ye shall know that I am in tke midst
of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God,
and none else," etc., "I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall
dream dreams, and your young men shall see
visions."—Joel ii: 27-28.
necessity of the holy spirit.
From the above citations, we are not only in
a position to believe that Christ taught the
being of the Spirit, but also that He earnestly
taught the necessity of the Holy Spirit. Says
Christ: "He shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatso¬
ever I have said unto you." Each member of
the Trinity has his particular work to perform.
This fact is verified b}' the teachings of Jesus
Christ. The Spirit is to "Teach," "Guide,"
"Bring" in remembrance all things: "To
comfort and quicken." As to the Personality
of the Holv Spirit, there can not be the least
doubt. It is as fully illustrated as is His be-
THE HOLY SPIRIT.
115
ing and necessity. To "teach," "guide,"
"bring to remembrance," are the works of an
intelligent being; this truth is illustrated in
the works of the Holy Spirit. Christ speaks
of Him thus:
THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is ex¬
pedient for you that I go away; for if 1 go
not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world
of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment;
of sin, because they believe not on me: of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and
ye see me no more; of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged. I have yet
many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit
of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come."—John
xvi: 7-13.
That the Holy Spirit performs a work that
has been given to Him alone to do, and that
110 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
i n many instances exhibits, or demonstrate"
His power, there can be no doubt in the mind
of the careful student of the Scriptures. This
too, is not to be looked upon as a side issue of
the teachings of Jesus Christ, but comes full
fledged as main, or particular points in the
doctrine of Jesus Christ. The fact as above
stated, is lucidly brought out, or demonstrated
by reference to the following passages of the
Scriptures. In Christ's conversation with the
Samaritan woman, it is seen.
CHRIST TEACHES THAT REGENERATION IS THE
WORK OF THE HOLY" SPIRIT.
" Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest
h ive asked of him, and he would have given
thee living water. The woman saith unto him,
Sir, thoa hast nothing to draw with, and the
well is deep: from whence then hast thou that
living water? Art thou greater than our Fa¬
ther Jacob? which gave us the well, and drank
thereof himself, and his children, and his cat¬
tle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Who¬
soever drinketh of this water shall thirst
'nn: holy spirit.
117
ttgaift; but whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst : but
'the water that I shall give him shall be in him
ft well of water springing up into everlasting
life."—John iv: 10-14.
THE SPIRIT QUICKENS,
T<o Him is also attributed the stupendous
power to quicken. Says Christ to His fol¬
lowers when He declared Himself the bread
•of life. " Tt is the Spirit that quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing : the words that I
•speak unto }rou, they are life."—John vi: 63.
SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT NOT FORGIVEN
IN THtS WORLD, NOR THE WORLD TO COME,
So essential, and august is this Divine per¬
sonage, that sill against Him can never be
forgiven. " Verily I say "unto you, All sins
■shall be forgiven unto the sons of luen, and
■blasphemies wherewitli soever they shall blas¬
pheme: but he that shall blaspheme ivgamst
the H©ly Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is
an danger of eternal damnation."—Mar'k iii:
28-29,
Again, •" And whosoever speaketli a word
wgainst the Son ©f man, k shall 'be forgivea
118 DOCTRTJSfJjJS OF CHRIST.
him: bat whosoever speaketh against the
Iloly Ghost, it shall not be forgiven,neither in
this world, neither in the world to come."—■
Matt. xii:32.
We are not to forget the fact of the Holy
Spirit's appearance in person in the shape of
a dove, and that He sat upon Christ on the day
that Christ received baptism at the hands of
John the Baptizer. "I indeed baptize you with
water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost. And it came to pass in those days,
that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and
was baptized of John in Jordan. And straight-
way coming up out of the water, he saw the
heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove
descending upon himr And there came a voice
from heaven, saying,Thou art my beloved Son*
in whom I am well pleased. And immediately
the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness,
And he was there in the wilderness forty days
tempted of Satan: and was with wild beasts p
and the angels ministered unto him."
Again, without being bom of the Spirit,
there is no possible hope of obtaining eternal
salvation. This truth stands out m the dis¬
course that occurred between Nicodemus and
TilK holy spirit.
119
Christ, our the night that the learned Rabbi
v-Jiine to be taught of Christ Jesus.
ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION.
" NicodemUs saith unto him, How can a man
be born when he is old? can he enter the sec¬
ond time into his mother's womb,and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily,I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh ;
nnd that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
ugain. The wind bloweth where it listeth,and
thou hearest the soun-d thereof, but canst not
tell whence it coineth, and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit,"—
John iii: 4-9.
"Except ye be born of the spirit, ye cannot
•enter into the kingdom of God." Search else¬
where, if you choose, for the door that leads into
the kingdom of God, but return you must to this
proposition made by Christ touching the op¬
eration of the Holy Spirit.. Of Him ye nuist
foe born.
120 DOCTRTNEH OF CIMI8T.
CHRIST TEACHES THE ETERNITY OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT.
" How much more shall the blood of Christ#
who through the eternal Spirit offered him¬
self without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God."—'
Heb. ix: 14-.
"Eternal Spirit, God of tratb,
Our contrite hearts inspire;
Revive the flame of heavenly love;
And feed the pure desire.
Trs thine to socrthe the sorrowing mrndf
With guilt and fear oppressed;
Tls thine to bid the dying live
And give the weary rest."
Again, Christ says, "When He, the Coni^
forter, is come, whom I will send onto yois
from the Father, even the Spirit of truth,
which proceedeth from the Father, He shall
testify of me.'T
HE KNOWS ALL THINGS.
Christ also teaches that the Spirit know#
all things. " He shall teach you all things."
To teach all thirrgs, one must be allwise, hence
the Holy Spirit is allwise, since1 He knows all
things.
PRflAMTtNG.
CHAPTER X.
PREACHING.
"Go, Preach."—Christ.
Before entering fully into the discussion of
this very important discourse, attention is call-*
ed to the meaning of the word, "pleach,"
definition.
There are four words in the Greek, froiri
Which the Word " Preach" comes:
From £uavy<ye\,{& comes (evangelise,) and
fcrjpvcro-o), (kel'usso,) from (a herald or
crier,) AaXety and SiaXeydfiai, (dialegomai, ) art)
rendered preach, the latter meaning to teach
by argument, disputes, eitc.
According to the Gospel dispensation, or aS
Used in the New Testament, they mean to
preach, cry aloud, spread the news of the
kingdom of God, and the accepted year of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
PREACHING TAUGHT BY CHftlST,
Christ said to His disciples.' 4'Go ye into
all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature."—Mark xvii 15,
122
l)0<]TRlNPJS OP C Itll I ST-.
To preach, the Gospel is one of the most
solemn commands of our Lord and Master
Jesus Christ. It was after His resurrection
that the great commission was given by Him;
therefore, the commission is divine, since
Christ instituted it. It belongs to the nev\f
dispensation.
Christ's crucifixion and death were over,
and His burial and resurrection had taken
place. Eleven of His faithful disciples
Were assembled at meat, when Christ appeared
to them and upbraided them for their unbelief,
because'they believed not that He had risen
from the dead. It was here the ever ringing,
heavenly commandment was given. Mark says,
"And he said unto them, go ye into all the
World and preach the Gospel to every crea=
lure."
Matthew says, "Go ye therefore and teach,
or disciple all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost." Though they may seem to
differ in their modes, or manners of stating
this fact, when an examination is made, there
can be found no essential difference. In sub¬
stance, what one recoi'ds is also Recorded by
PilKAcittKO.
129
the other. Christ is the author of Gospel
preaching; hence its necessity is apparent
when we recognize the fact that Christ is the
first, and the last, He who upholds all
things, and by whom we live and have our be¬
ing. On several occasions the word *'preach' *
was mentioned by Jesus Christ; also by the
prophets. Yet, no where does the word mean
so much as when uttered by the former, our
Lord and Master.
importance of preaching,
The greatest man earth ever witnessed iii
person was Jesns Christ, ctnd the very fact
that He issues the edict carries with it the fact
of its necessity. Should mail wtih all his
short comings, ignorance and vice, questiori
the edict of God? God who created these
Worlds of ours, with all their moons, and stars
out of nothing? He who stretched out the
North over the empty places and hangs the
earth upon nothing? No, not for a moment
should such an opinion be entertained.
preachers.
Isaiah was one of the most prominent preach¬
ers of the ancient world, and it was he who
m mcifnintis <>y r; tinier,
hiakes a most impressive statement respecting
the coming of Christ*,
" The spirit of the Lord is upon me; be*
cause the Lord hath annointecl me to preach
good tidings unto the meek: He hath sent me
to bind up the broken hearted* proclaim lib¬
erty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound. To proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day
of vengeance to our God; to comfort all that
mourn.'4 Jonah was commissioned to preach
that which the Lord commanded him, re=»
specting the downfall of Nineveh, unles Nine-*
Veh repented.
Noah was a preachel1 of righteousness, who
lived and preached to the antediluvian and post
diluvian woi'lds. It was he who so earnestly
set forth the decree of God, respecting Judg=
ment upon the world,for its wickedness. The
greatest of all preachers was Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, That Christ preached cannot be
doubted, Matthew, in the 4th chapter and
17tli verse* records this factk "From that
time Jesus began to preach* and to say, Re»
pent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'*
When Christ sent forth Hi? tNvelve disciples
PREACHING.
123
He said: —"And as ye go, preach, saying, the
kingdom of heaven is at hand."
In reply to the disci pi es of John who were
sent to Christ to know of Christ if he was He
that should come. "Jesus answered and said
unto them, Go and show John again those
things which ye do hear and see: The blind
receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers
are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up,and the poor have the gospel preach¬
ed to them."
A vivid illustration of the necessity of the
preaching of the gospel, is presented by Paul
in his epistles to the Romans. Says he: —
"For the Scripture saith, whosoever believeth
on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek, for
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call
upon him." "For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. How
then shall they call on him in whom they have
not heard? and how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach,except
they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace, and bring glad tidings of good things."
126
DOCTRINES OF (JIIEIST.
(Romans x : 15.) The culmination is reached
in the divine command of Jesus Christ, "Go
thou and preach." Nothing is to prohibit the
messenger of God from obeying the Lord's
command, "For the King's businessrequireth
haste."
Says Christ, on being asked by one who
would follow Him, but, who wished first to
bury his father, "Let the dead bury their dead;
but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."
The kingdom of heaven is worth all to men,
nothing so important, nothing so lasting,noth¬
ing so good, and nothing so glorious. Good
news, glad tidings of joy must be preached to
a lost world, there is no salvation otherwise,
without this the world is lost already, and
there is no redemption. " Go ye into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature."
EVIDENCE THAI CHRIST TAUGHT.
Paul did not accept the command of Christ
as information only, but he made it a part of
his life; and more, his whole aim was to obey
the Lord's commandment. Aside from preach¬
ing himself, he was ever earnest in teaching
those whom the Lord called, the necessity of
PREACHING.
127
obeying the Lord. To the Corinthians he says :
" For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to
preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of
none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to
them that perish, foolishness; but unto us
which are saved, it is the power of God. For
it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise, and will bring to nothing the understand¬
ing of the prudent. Where is the wise?
Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer
of this world? Hath not God made foolish
the wisdom of this world? For after that in
the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew
not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe. Forthe
Jews require a sign, and the Greek seek after
wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto
the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the
Greeks foolishness. But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God. Be¬
cause the foolishness of God is wiser than men ;
and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
—1st. Cor. i: 17-25.
128
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
CHARGE TO TIMOTHY.
To Timothy in a solemn charge he says: "I
charge thee therefore before God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick
and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom ;
preach the word; be instant in season,and out
of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doc¬
trine, but after their own lusts they shall heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
And they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But
watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do
the work of an evangelist, make full proof of
thy ministry."
Paul is not alone in his understanding of
our Lord's command to His disciples to go and
preach the gospel in all the world, teaching
men to keep all things whatsoever the Lord
commanded.
Though he may be regarded as the boldest
exponent of the gospel dispensation (aside
from the Master) often in perils, shipwrecks,
etc.,his was a life fraught with tears and blood;
but, with tenacity he held on earnestly to the
PREACHING.
129
principles of faith and preached the gospel of
Jesus Christ to a sin-smitten world. "While
preaching the gospel and for the sake of Christ
he suffered much.
Paul declares his trials thus:
trials.
"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as
a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant;
in stripes above measure; in prisons more fre¬
quent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times
received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was
I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice
1 suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I
have been in the deep. In journeyings often ; in
perils of waters: in perils of robbers; in perils
by mine own countrymen ; in perils by the hea¬
then ; in perils in the city; in perils in the
wilderness; in perils in the sea, in perils
among false brethren."
peter's sermon.
Peter was also a bold gospel preacher whose
inspiration came from the Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. It was he who took such a bold
stand in the defense of the gospel of Christ
when it tried the souls of men to be Christians.
10
doctrines of christ.
He was a true type of the gospel minister.
His reply to the charge that the disciples were
full of wine, places him as a Christian hero.
He says: " Ye men of Judea, and all ye that
dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you,
and hearken to my words: For these are not
drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the
third hour of the day. But this is that which
was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall
come to pass in the last days, saith God, I
will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh; and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your j^oung men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams: And on my
servants and on my haudmaidens I will pour
out in those days of my spirit; and they shall
prophesy,—and I will shew wonders in heaven
above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood
and fire, and vapour of smoke. The sun shall
be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before that great and notable day of
the Lord come: And it shall come to pass
that whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear
these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man ap¬
proved of God among you by miracles and
PRE ACHING.
131
wonders and signs, which God did by him in
the midst of jou, as ye yourselves also know:
Him being delivered by the determined counsel
and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken,
and by wicked hands have crucified and slain :
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed
the pains of death, because it was not possible
that he should be holden of it. For David
speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face; for he is on my right
hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore
did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad;
moreover also m}^ flesh shall rest in hope: Be¬
cause thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nei¬
ther wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see cor¬
ruption; Thou hast made known to me the
ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy
with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let
me freely speak unto you of the patriarch
David, that he is both dead and buried, and
his sepulchre is with us unto this day. There¬
fore being a prophet, and knowing that God
had sworn with an oath to him, that of the
fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He,
seeing this before, spake of the resurrection
132 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell,nei¬
ther his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus
hath God raised up, whereof we all are wit¬
nesses. Therefore being by the right hand of
God exalted, and having received of the Father,
the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed
forth this, which ye now see and hear. For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but
he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy
foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house
of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ."
That the disciples did not understand our
Lord is evident. Would the}' have consented
to the punishment often heaped upon them by
the world, for the sake of the gospel, and yet
not know the will or plain command of the
Father, for them to bear such? No, they
thoroughly recognized the command of Christ;
and Christ they obeyed.
IMMORTALITY.
138
CHAPTER XI.
IMMORTALITY.
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection
and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead yet shall he live: And whosoev¬
er liveth and believeth in me, shall never die."
—John xi : 25, 26.
Plato, in the Banquet, merely hints at the
immortality of the soul. He says in the Ban¬
quet, "Have a yearning for immortality."
lie denies in the Republic the ability of evil to
destroy the soul, as disease the body. In the
Phoedo he says, " I entertain a good hope that
something awaits those who die, and that, as
was said long since, it will be far better for the
good than the evil. He was not steadfast in
his teachings; he did not confine himself to
any particular principle, he was an enquirer.
All he taught of immortality was obscure. He
took no certain stand. Christ was not an en¬
quirer; He took a certain stand. He dodges
not here and there; He comes out in His teach¬
ing of the hereafter, the immortality of the
134 DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
soul. There is nothing hidden, all is light
when you examine the doctrine of Jesus Christ
us to the immortality of the soul.
On sending out His twelve disciples, He
gave them power against unclean spirits, to
heal all manner of diseases or sickness.
In case of extreme difficulties, Jesus taught
His followers the course to pursue. Says He:
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the
midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as ser¬
pents, and harmless as doves. But beware of
men; for they will deliver you up to the coun¬
cils, and they will scourge you in their syna¬
gogues : And j'e shall be brought before gov¬
ernors and kings for my sake, for a testimony
against them and the Gentiles. But when they
deliver you up, take no thought how or what
ye shall speak; for it shall be given you in that
same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not
ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
that speaketh in you. And the brother shall
deliver up the brother to death, and the father
the child: and the children shall rise up against
their parents, and cause them to be put to
death. And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name's sake: but he that endureth to the
.IMMORTALITY.
135
end shall be saved. But when they persecute
you in this city, flee ye into another; for ver¬
ily I say unto you Ye shall not have gone over
the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
The disciple is not above his master, nor the
servant above his lord. It is enough for the
disciple that he be as his master, and the ser¬
vant as his lord. If they have called the mas¬
ter of the house Beelzebub, how much more
shall they call them of his household? Fear
them not therefore: for there is nothing cov¬
ered that shall not be revealed; and hid that
shall not be known. What I tell you in dark¬
ness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear
in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
And fear not them which kill the body, but are
not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell."—Matt, x: 1(5-28.
In the 28th verse Christ sa}rs, "Fear not
them which kill the bodv, but are not able to
kill the soul." Dr. A. Clark says in his notes
on the 28th verse, 44 Hence we find that the
body and soul are distinct principles, for the
body may be slain and the soul escape. The
soul is immortal."
136
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Christ crystalizes the true thought, or the
fact of the soul's immortality. No teacher
has been so loud in his declaration of this
great truth as Jesus Christ. Christ declares
this truth 011 the day of His crucifixion, just
before the strong pillars of the earth began to
shake, ere the veil was rent in twain in the
temple from top to bottom, between the sixth
and ninth hour, while an immense throng stood
gazing upon His majestic form. At the foot
of the cross, that part of the solid wood driv¬
en into the earth, stood his dear mother,
weeping, and with a heart burdened with sor¬
row; mounted soldiers with tight-reined-up
steeds looked 011. There were two thieves cru¬
cified with Christ; one hung on His left hand
and the other was on His right hand; taking
sides with the motlej' crowd, one said, "if thou
be the Christ, save thyself and us." He was
reproved by the other in a sharp and earnest
reply, saying: "Dost thou not fear God, see¬
ing thou art in the same condemnation?"—
Lukexxiii: 40.
He was mocked by the indignant crowd.
"And they that passed by reviled, wagging
their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest
IMMORTALITY.
187
the temple, and buildest it in three days, save
thyself. If thou be the - 8011 of God, come
down from the cross. Likewise also the chief
priests mocking him, with the scribes and el¬
ders, said: lie saved others; himself he can¬
not save. If he be the King of Israel, let him
now come down from the cross and we will be¬
lieve him. He trusted in God: let him deliv¬
er him now, if he will have him ; for he said, I
am the Son of God."—Matt, xxvii: 39-43.
It was a vast mass of infuriated rebels, sin¬
ners to the core; rebels against heaven; reb¬
els against God, and Jesus Christ Ilis Anoint¬
ed. The heart of one of the thieves melted
within him, and, in a flood of sorrow he poured
out his soul to Jesus in a pathetic strain.
Hush! listen! he bursts forth blind to the in¬
furiated mob; to him, their hissing is dead.
Life hereafter, life with God was what he de¬
sired most. "Lord," said he, "Remember
me when thou comest into thy kingdom." In
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, just be¬
fore the night shades of death set in, a hearty
response gushed forth from the lowest depths
of that mighty soul, the soul of the Only Be¬
gotten ; it came as a lesson to the world, as
138
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
well as consolation to the poor, dying thief,
" Today thou shalt be with me in paradise."—
Luke xxiii: 43.
Again, "A certain man was sick, named
Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and
her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which
anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped
his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus
was sick. ) Therefore his sisters sent unto him,
saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is
sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This
sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of
God, that the Son of God might be glorified
thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister, and Lazarus. When he heard there¬
fore that he was sick, he abode two days still
in the same place where he was. Then after
that saith he to his disciples, let us go into Ju-
dea again. His disciples say unto him, Mas¬
ter, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and
goest thou thither again? Jesus answered,
are there not twelve hours in a day? If any
man walk in the day, he stumbleth not,because
he seeth the light of this world. But if a man
walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there
is no light in him. These things said he: and
IMMORTALITY.
139
after that he saith unto them, Our friend Laz¬
arus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him
out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if
he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus
spake of his death: but they thought he had
spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus
is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I
was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said
Thomas, r/hich is called Didymus, unto his
fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may
die with him. Thex when Jesus came, he
found that he had lain in the grave four days
already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusa¬
lem, about fifteen.furlongs off: And many of
the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to com¬
fort them concerning their brother. Then
Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was
coming, went and met him; but Mary sat still
in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus,
Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had
not died. But I know, that even now, what¬
soever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it
thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall
rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know
i4o mnriiTNRs of cjjrtst.
thiit he shall rise again in the resurrection at
the last day. Jesus saicl unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me
shall never die. Bclievest thou this? She
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; I believe that thou
art the Christ, the Son of God, which should
come into the world. And when she had so
said, she went her way, and called Mary her
sister secretly, saying, The Master is come,
and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard
that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
The Jews then which were with her in the
house, and comforted her, when they saw
Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out,
followed her, saying, she goeth unto the grave
to weep there. Then when Mary was come
where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down
at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou
hadst been here, my brother had not died. * *
* * Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Mar¬
tha, the sister of him that was dead, saith un¬
to him, Lord, by this time he stinketh; for he
hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto
her, said I not unte thee, that if thou wouldft
IMMORTALITY.
141
believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God?
Then thev took away the stone from the place
where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up
his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that
thou hast heard me. And I know that thou
hearest me always; but because of the people
which stand by I said it, that they may be¬
lieve that thou hast sent me. And when he
thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice,
Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead
came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-
clothes; and his face was bound about with a
napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him
and let him go.
Then many of the Jews which came to Mary,
and had seen the things which Jesus did, be¬
lieved on him. But some of them went their
ways to the Pharisees, and told them what
things Jesus had done."—John xi: 1-40.
It was to Martha., the sister of Lazarus,that
He made the hearty response, not to palliate
that soul that was then flooded in sorrow only,
but to teach the truth as it is given of God.
If we accept the statement made by St.
John, there can be no doubt about the fact that
Jesus Christ taught the immortality of the
142
DtJUTllINES OF (JURIST.
soul by the resurrecting of Lazarus. To
teach, or engrave the fact of His power and
the resurrection he said, " Believest thou this?
There is a practical illustration of the fact
in the resurrection of Lazarus.- He was re¬
stored to life. " And he that was dead came
forth bound hand and foot, with graveclothes,
and his face was bound about with a napkin."
But we are not to suppose that the passage
cited above, conveys to us the only informa¬
tion of the teachings of Christ, as to the im¬
mortality of the soul. His reply to the Sad-
ducees, a Jewish sect, who believed not in the
resurrection of the dead, bears out this truth.
CHRIST TEACHES THE SADDUCEES.
"The same day came to him the Sadducees,
which say there is no resurrection, and asked
him, saying, Master, Moses said, If a man
die, having no children, his brother shall mar¬
ry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Now there were with us seven brethren; and
the first, when he had married a wife, de¬
ceased, and, having no issue, left his wife un¬
to his brother; likewise the second also, and
the third, unto the seventh. And last of all
IMMORTALITY.
143
the woman died also. Therefore in the res¬
urrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven ?
for they all had her.
Jesus answered and sftid unto them, ye do
err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power
of God. For in the resurrection they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as
the angels of God in heaven. But as touching
the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read
that which was spoken unto you by God, say¬
ing: I am the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not
the God of the dead, but of the living. And
when the multitude heard this, they were as¬
tonished at his doctrine."—Matt, xxii: 23-33.
St. Mark is as loud as Matthew in his giv¬
ing out the truth setting forth the teachings
of Jesus on this line. In the parable of the
great supper mentioned b}' our Lord, in an ad¬
dress, there appears another illustration of
this fact.
"When thou niakest a feast, call the poor,
the maimed, the lame, the blind," saith Christ.
"And thou shalt be blessed: for they can¬
not recompense thee; for thou shalt be recom¬
pensed at the resurrection of the just." —
Luke xiv: 13-14.
144
DOCTRINES OF (JURIST.
Why take advantage of every opportunity
to demonstrate this truth, if it comes not from
the very lowest depth of His soul. Never be¬
fore was a teacher moi* earnest in pressing
home to His hearers an important principle,
than was our Lord Jesus on the future exis¬
tence of man. Turn in whatever direction you
may, view the connected chain of gospel truths,
link by link, from start to finish, and the fact
remains the same. Christ taught the resur¬
rection of the dead, or the immortality of the
soul. "Fear not them wh ich kill the body."
He knew the body could be killed by man,and
its form changed; but right here he adds an¬
other link, "But are not able to kill the soul."
—Matt, x: 28.
Man cannot kill the soul. The soul is ever¬
lasting. St. John brings to light the state¬
ment touching on the immortality of the soul
by Jesus Christ. " For as the Father raiseth
up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so
the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed
all judgment unto the Son:
That all men should honour the Son, even
as they honour the Father. He that honour-
IMMORTALITY.
145
eth not the Son, honoureth not the Father
which hath sent him.
Verily, verilv, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life."—Johnv: 21-25.
Again, if we would know more about the
position of Jesus Christ, we need but turn to
the conversation which He had on His being
the bread of life.
" And this is the Father's will which hath
sent me, that of all which he hath given me I
should lose nothing,but should raise it up again
at the last day."—John vi: 39.
Christianity has nothing to lose, though we
confess that the doctrine of the immortality
was taught before Christ came in person, by
the Egyptian, and by the Jewish prophets.
None were purer in their demonstration of the
fact than Jesus Christ. Christ was the first
preacher of the immortalit}^ of the soul. It
was Christ who preached through prophets.
It was He who laid the foundation of the world.
John says, "In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word
ii
146 DOCTRINES OF (J II11 [ ST.
was God. The same was in the beginningwith
God. All things were made by him; and with¬
out him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light
of men. And the light shineth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not. There
was a man sent from God, whose name was
John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through
him might believe. He was not that Light,
but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the-world. He was in
the world, and the world was made by him,
and the world knew him not."—John i: 1-10.
If we are to accept the teachings of His dis¬
ciples as eminating from the Great Teacher,
we are further forced to accept the truth that
Christ taught the soul's immortality.
PAUL ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.
Paul says: "Moreover brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein
ye stand: By which also ye are saved, if ye
keep in memory what I preached unto you,un-
IMMORTALITY.
147
less ye have believed in vain. For I delivered
unto you first of all that which I also received, _
how that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and
that he rose again the third day according to
the Scriptures; And that he was seen of
Cephas, then of the twelve; After that, he
was seen of above five hundred brethren at
once: of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep. Af¬
ter that he was seen of James; then of all the
apostles; And last of all he was seen of me al¬
so, as of one born out of due time. For I am
the least of the apostles, because I persecuted
the church of God. But by the grace of God
I am what I am: and his grace which was be¬
stowed upon me was not in vain ; but I laboured
more abundantly than they all; }^et not I, but
the grace of God which was with me.
Therefore whether it were I or they, so we
preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be
preached that he rose from the dead, how say
some among you that there is no resurrection
of the dead? But if there be no resurrection
of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if
Christ be not risen, then is our preaching
148 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we
are found false witnesses of God; because wTe
have testified of God that he raised up Christ ;
whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead
rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not
Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which have fallen asleep in
Christ are perished. If in this life only we
have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable. But now is Christ risen from the
dead, and become the first fruits of them that
slept. For since by man came death, by man
came also the resurrection of the dead. For
as in Adam all die, ev«n so in Christ shall all
be made alive. But every man in his own or¬
der: Christ the first fruits; afterwards they
that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the
kingdom to God, even the Father: when he
shall have put down all rule, and all authority
and power. For he must reign, till he hath
put all enemies under his feet. The last ene¬
my that shall be destroyed is death. For he
hath put all things under his feet. But when
he saith, All things are put under him, it is
IMMORTALITY.
149
manifest that he is excepted, which did put all
things under him; And when all things shall
be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all things
under him, that God may be all in all. Else
what shall they do which are baptized for the
dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they
then baptized for the dead? And why stand
we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your
rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our
Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men
I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what
advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let
us eat and drink: for tomorrow we die. Be
not deceived: evil communications corrupt
good manners. Awake to righteousness, and
sin not; for some have not the knowledge of
God; I speak this to your shame. But
some man will say, How are the dead raised
up? and with what body do they come? Thou
fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened,
except ye die: And that which thou sowest,
thou sowest not that body that shall be, but
bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some
other grain: But God giveth it a body as it
hath pleased him, and to every seed his own
150 DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh
of beasts, another of fishes, and another of
birds. There are also celestial bodies, and
bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celes¬
tial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is
another. There is one glory of the sun, an¬
other glory of the moon, and another glory of
the stars; for one star differeth from another
star in glory. So also is the resurrection of
the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is rais¬
ed in incorruption; It is sown in dishonour, it
is raised in glory : it is sown in weakness, it is
raised in power; It is sown a natural body, it
is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural
body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it
is written, The first man Adam was made a
living soul; the last Adam was made a quicken¬
ing spirit. Howbeit that was not first which
is spiritual, but that which is natural; and af¬
terward that which is spiritual. The first man
is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the
Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such
are they also that are earthy: and as is the
heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
IMMORTALITY.
151
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither
doth corruption inherit incorruption, Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall be changed. In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality. So
when this corruptible shall have put on incor-
, ruption, and this mortal shall have put on im¬
mortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
in victory. O death, where is thy sting; O
grave, where is thy victory? . The sting of
death is sin?"—1st. Cor. xv : 1-50.
Knowing of the hereafter of the soul, and
that the soul's destiny depended upon the ac¬
tion of man while on earth, Christ taught the
danger of trifling away time, while life lasts on
this side of the grave. There would be no need
of a heaven, no hell to be dreaded and shunned,
if there be no existence beyond the grave.
But there is an existence beyond the grave, as
is set forth by our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. " And if thy hand offend thee, cut it
152 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
off; it is better for thee to enter into life
maimed, than having two hands to go into hell,
into the fire that shall never be quenched."
(Mark ix: 43.) While Christ points out the
dangers of hell, He also beautifully portrays
the grandeurs of heaven. In Christ's parable
of the talents, He illustrates the scenes that
shall cluster around those who obey the com¬
mand of God.
BLESSINGS OF THE GOOD.
"When the Son of man shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And
before him shall be gathered all nations: and
he shall separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand,
but the goats on the left. Then shall the King
say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre¬
pared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I
was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a
stranger and ye took me in. Naked, and ye
clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I
was in prison, and ye came unto me.
IMMORTALITY,
153
Then'shall the righteous answer him,saying,
Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed
thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When
saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or
naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we
thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me."—Matt,
xxv: 31-40.
*4 And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment; but the righteous into life eter¬
nal:"—Matt, xxv: 46.
Again, one of the outstanding features, or
one of the most essential points in the teach¬
ings of our Lord and Saviour, was that of re¬
ward for the just, and punishment for the
wicked.
This one fact Christ kept constantly before
His hearers. There is no doubt about this
fact; it runs paramount with, and forms a
connecting link in almost all of his discourses.
But it may be asked, what is meant by reward,
and what is meant by punishment? Has it
been so decreed by God, and who shall be re-
154 ])(JCTR1NKS OF CHRIST.
warded, and who shall receive punishment?
Will the reward be eternal, and will the pun¬
ishment be everlasting? By reward we may
answer, that for the <rood, God has arranged
for their eternal enjoyment, a place where they
shall forever rest, free from sorrows and cares,
where death never comes.
The poet Watts, muses thus:,—
" There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign:
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.
There everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flowers;
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
This heaventy land from ours."
Each individual must stand for himself.
" Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is
with me to give every man according as his
work shall be." (Rev. xxii: l£*) By the
prophet Isaiah, the Lord utters these words,
" Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well
with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their
doings." (Isaiah iii: 10.) By righteousness
we are promised to see the face of the Lord.
" Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
IMMORTALITY.
155
without which no miiD shall see the Lord."—
Heb. xii: 14.
This privilege comes only to the pure. There
can be no doubt as to the teachings of Christ
on this line. The prosperity of the righteous
may be found in the following words: "And
His mercy is on them that fear him from gen¬
eration to generation." The acme of the de¬
sire of the Christian is reached in these lines.
" Who shall receive manifold more in this pres¬
ent time and in the world to come life everlast¬
ing."- -Luke xviii: 30.
Aside from many blessings here, the right¬
eous is assured eternal life in the world to
come. Let the student turn aside if he will,
this fact still stares him in the face. While
everlasting life is promised in the teachings of
Christ to the pure in heart, and while it is
said the "pure in heart shall see God," the
wicked are assured of everlasting punishment.
"But I say unto you, That whosoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be
in danger of the judgment: and whosoever
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in dan¬
ger of the council: but whosoever shall say
156 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."—
Matt, v: 22.
When Christ had ended His discourse of the
tares, his disciples followed Him into the
house, and there asked for an explanation of
the parable, Christ replied:
" He that soweth the seed is the Son of man ;
The field is the world: the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; but the tares are the
children of the wicked one: The enemy that
sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the
end of the world; and the reapers are the an¬
gels. As therefore the tares are gathered and
burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of
this world. The Son of man shall send forth
his angels, and they shall gather out of his
kingdom all things that offend, and them
which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
PRAYER.
157
CHAPTER XII.
PRAYER.
" Menought always to pray."—Lukexviii: 1.
DEFINITION OF PRAYER.
"The soul's communion with God.
The outgoings of the soul, in ineffable adora¬
tion and complacent love toward a being pos¬
sessed with all possible perfection in an infinite
degree."
" Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of the hidden fire,
That trembles in the breast."
"Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The flowing of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near."
In consideration of this very important part
of the teachings of Christ, one fact should be
remembered, namely, Christ teaches not as a
scribe but as one having authority. He comes
not to do His own will, but the will of Him
who sent Him.
"I can of mine own self do nothing; as I
158
DOCTJUNES OF CHRIST.
hear, I judge; and my judgment is just; be¬
cause I seek not mine own will, but the will of
the Father which hath sent me."—John v: 30.
In His prayer during His agony in the gar¬
den, He further illustrates the object of His
coming. " And he went a little further, and
fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my
Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from
me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou
wilt."—Matt, xxvi: 39.
When it is seen that Christ worked not for
persona] gain; when it is seen that He came
to clo the will of God, and not His own will,
and was willing to lay down His own life for
His brethren, we are doubly moved with the
fact of the purity of His teachings, and that
all was for man's good.
Aside from Matthew, Mark and John, Paul
sets forth the same truth in his letter to the
Hebrews.
"Then said I, Lo, I come (inthe volume of
the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O
God." Again, Christ's whole life was made
up of setting forth important truths.
CHRIST TEACHING TO PRAY.
"And it came to pass, that as he was pray-
PRAY Eli.
159
ing in a certain place, when he ceased, one of
his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to
pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be
thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day
by day our daily bread. And forgive us our
sins; for we also forgive every one that is in¬
debted to us. And lead us not into tempta¬
tion : but deliver us from evil.
And he said unto them, which of you shall
have a friend, and shall go unto him at mid¬
night, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three
loaves: For a friend of mine in his journey is
come to me, and I have nothing to set before
him? And he from within shall answer and
say, Trouble me not, the door is now shut,and
my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise
and give thee: I say unto you, though he will
not rise and give him, because he is his friend,
yet because of his importunity he will rise
and give him as many as he needeth. And I
say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you, For every one that asketh
160 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a
son shall ask bread of any of you that is a fa¬
ther, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a
fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or
if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scor¬
pion ? If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them thatask Him."—Luke xi:l-13.
While Christ teaches man's inferiority, He
further teaches God's superiority; also the
loving kindness of a heavenly Father, to whom
prayer may be made.
After this manner, pray ye! Our Father
which art in heaven."—Matt, vi: 9.
" Pray ye therefore to the Lord of the har¬
vest."—Matt. 9:38.
As He teaches the effect of prayer, He
teaches also the necessity of prayer. He shows
that the world is blind, poor and helpless. Not
able to make one hair white, nor black. By
thinking we cannot add one day, or one year
to our existence, and that God is all-powerful,
and ready to help. Man's many shortcomings,
his impurity and downward tendenc}^ and help-
I'll A YER.
161
less condition, speak much for superior aid.
Man is called " Viper" "starving," "poorand
blind."
"And He spoke a parable unto them to this
end, that men ought always to pray, and not
to faint: Saying, there was in a city a Judge,
which feared not God, neither regarded man.
And there was a widow in that city; and she
came unto him saying, avenge me of mine ad¬
versary. And he would not for a while; but
afterward he said within himself, Though I
fear not God, nor regard man : Yet because this
widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest
by her continual coining she weary me. And
the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge
saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them?
I tell you that he will avenge them speedil}'.
Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh,
shall he find faith on the earth?"—Luke xviii:
1-8.
EFFECT OF PRAYER.
The poor who need the bread of life, blind
to . that which is helpful and purifying,
should pray without ceasing. " Pray for them
1(52 DOCTRINES OF CUBIST.
that despitefully use you," comes from the
very depth of the great soul of Jesus.
"Ask, and it shall be given," says Christ;
" Seek, and ye shall find," " Knock, and it
shall be opened unto you."
We may wonder as to the course of this or
that being, but there need be no wonder as to
the course of Jesus.
Christ's sympathy.
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion 011 them, because they
fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep
having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his
disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but
the laborers are few.
"Pray ye therefore the Lord of harvest,
that he will send forth labourers into the har¬
vest."—Matt, ix: 3(5-39.
The fact of a ripened harvest appeared, and
a lost world loomed up. "Pray }Te the Lord
of the haivest," saith Christ. He who swings
around the seasons, who holds the world in
his hand, and calleth the stars by their names,
must be consulted. "Without me ye can do
nothing, ye are powerless." Christ does not
only teach the necessity of asking, or petition-
PRAYER.
168
ing to the Higher Power, but in whose name
this petition must be made.
After exhorting his followers how to deport
themselves, he urges that their petition be
made in the name of Jesus.
EMPHASIZING HIS LOVE AND PREPARATION
FOR THEM.
"Let not your heart be troubled; ye be¬
lieve in God, believe also in me. In my Fa¬
ther's house are many mansions; if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to pre¬
pare a place for you, and if I go and prepare
a place for you I will come again and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also. And whither I go ye know, and
the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him,
Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and
how can we kiow the way? Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If
ye had known me, ye should have known my
Father also: and from henceforth ye know
him and have seen him. Philip saith unto him,
Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time
164
BOUTMNES OF CHRIST.
with you, and yet hast thou not known me,
Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father; and how sayest thou then, shew us
the Father? Believest thou not that I am in
the Father, and the Father in me? the words
that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself;
but the Father that dvvelleth in me, he doeth
the works. Believe me that I am in the Fa¬
ther, and the Father in me; or else believe me
for the very work's sake. Verily, verily I say
unto 3rou, He that believeth on me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works
than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father. And whatsoever, ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything
in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep
my commandments. And I will pray the Fa¬
ther, and He shall give you another Comfort¬
er, that he may abide with you forever."—
John xiv: 1-1(5.
HIS PROMISE.
"Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that
will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son.'"—John xiv: lo.
PRAYER.
165
The condition of the heart was not to be
overlooked. It was a very important feature
to be considered and the omission of faith
was calculated to upset all of man's plans.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not,
ye shall not only do this which is done to the
fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this
mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast
into the sea; it shall be done. And all things
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,
ye shall receive."—Matt, xxi: 21,22.
He touches not only the condition of the
soul and the name by which all good must come,
but further states that there must be that spir¬
it to forgive before our prayers can have the
desired effect. "And when ye stand praying,
forgive, if ye have aught against any; that
your Father also which is in heaven may for¬
give you your trespasses. But if ye do not
forgive, neither will your Father which is in
heaven forgive your trespasses."—Mark xi:
25,2(5.
The necessity of prayer is further illustrat¬
ed by the earnestness of the poor widow and
her prayers.
106 DOOTRTNES OF (JURIST.
" And she was a widow of about fourscore
and four years, which departed not from the
temple, but served God with fastings and pray¬
ers night and day."—Luke ii:37.
COMPARISON IS HERE DRAWN BETWEEN THE
PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN, THE PUBLI¬
CAN WENT HOME REJOICING OVER
HIS REWARD.
Christ-leaves not a stone unturned, nor does
he leave one anxiously in doubt as to all the
requirements of the petitioner.
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the
week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And
the publican, standing afar off, would not lift
up so much as his eyes untoheaven, but smote
upon his breast, saying, God be merciful unto
me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified rather than the other: for
everyone that exalteth himself, shall be abased;
and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalt¬
ed."—Luke xviii: 11-14.
" Give us this day our daily bread."—Matt.
PRAY Ell.
167
vi: 11. He assures answers to earnest prayers.
" And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in pray¬
er, believing, ye shall receive."—Matt. xxi:22.
If the world is to learn a lesson at all, it
should learn it from Jesus Christ.
POSITION POINTED OUT.
" And he went a little further, and fell 011
his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it
be possible, let this cup pass from me: never¬
theless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."—
Matt, xxvi: 39.
" And he was withdrawn from them about
a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed."
—Luke xxii: 41.
We are not to forget this fact, that He
who now prays has all power in heaven and on
earth. If He who is above all, and in all, who
feeds and keeps all, prays; how much more
should man engage in that earnest devotion.
The beauty of Christianity is prayer.
EFFECT AND POWER.
The power of prayer is plainly set forth by
Jesus Christ. Unlike Plato and his teacher,
Socrates, Christ leaves no one in the dark as
to Ilis doctrine, and the effect of obedience.
168 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide
in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall
be done unto you."--John xv:7.
Again, " Ask and it shall be given you;
seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you. For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be open¬
ed. Or what man is there of you, whom if
his son ask bread will give him a stone? Or if
he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more
shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things unto them that ask him?"—Matt.vii:
7-11.
" Can a mother's tender care cease towards
her child she bears? yes, she may forgetful
be, yet will I remember thee."
Christ goes forward in teaching how to pray,
or he gives a perfect formula; perfect,because
Christ himself is perfect.
FORMULA.
"And when thou pray est, thou shalt not be
as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners
PR AY Ell.
169
of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Yerily I say unto you, They have their re¬
ward. But, thou, when thou prayest, enter
into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;
and thy Father which seeth in secret shall re¬
ward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not
vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking. Be ye therefore not like unto them ;
for your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of, befor ye ask him.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our
Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done
in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors."—Matt, vi :
f)-12.
PRAYER TAUGHT BY EXAMPLE.
" These words spake Jesus, and lifted up
his eyes unto heaven, and said, Father, the
hour has come: glorify thy Son, that thy
Son may gorify thee: As thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eter¬
nal life to as many as thou has given him-
170
DDCTIITNES OF ClllilHT.
And this is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee, on
caith: I have finised the work which thou
hast given me to do. And now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self with the
glory which I had with thee before the
world was. I hare manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the
world: thine they were, and thou gavest them
nie: and they have kept thy word. Now they
have known that all things whatsoever thou
hast given me are of thee. Fori have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me:
and they have received them, and have known
surely that I came out of thee, and they have
believed that thou didst send me. I pray for
them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they are
thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are
mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I
am no more in the world, but these are in the
world, and I come to thee. Hoh- Father, keep
through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one, as we are.
While I was with them in the world, I kept
PR A TER.
171
them in thy name; those that thou gavest me
I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the
son of perdition; that the scripture might-
be fulfilled. * * *. I have given them thy
word, and the world hath hated them, be¬
cause they are not of the world, even as I am
not of the world. I pray not that thou should-
est take them out of the world, but that thou
shouldest keep them from evil. They are not
of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is
truth. As thou hast sent me into the world,
even so have I also sent them into the w^orld.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that
they also mightbe sanctified through the truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which shall believe on me through thy
word. That they may all be one: as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us: that the world may be¬
lieve that thou hast sent me. And the glory
which thou gavest me, I have given them:
that they may be one,even as we are one: I
in them, and thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one: and that the world may
know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
172 J)()('TFJXES OP' (JlIRTsr.
them as thou hast lovecl me. Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold
my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou
lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world hath not known
thee; but I hare known thee, and these hath
known that thou hast sent me. And I have
declared unto them thy name, and will declare
it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in them, and I in them."—John xvii:
1-26.
BAPTISM.
173
CHAPTER XIII.
BAPTISM.
The Christian Church, the world over, holds
sacred the sacrament of baptism, not without
just reason however. If there was ever a fear¬
less, earnest, and mature teacher upon earth,
that teacher was our Lord, Jesus, whose com¬
mandment it behooves all to follow. Christ
was earnest and fearless. Say what you please,
every line must be carefully studied, and every
precept carried out. There is 110 exception to
the rule, all alike must obey Him, must be bap¬
tized. The necessity for Christian baptism
needs 110 stronger endorsement than that of
Jesus Christ, the Christ of God, the Anointed
of the Almighty, He who speaks and the
mountains are removed out of their places, the
seas roll back, and the sun stands still in his
course. But, is such the fact, that Jesus Christ
ordained and commanded the observance of
Christian baptism? Does he intend that it
should be observed ? Was he himself baptized ?
A careful examination of His teaching, found
174
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
by rending the gospels, is proof positive of the
affirmation of this fact. All this the Christian
world does not deny; nor is it denied by any¬
one who scrutinizes the teachings of Jesus.
If we would know the contents of Egypt, we
must first explore her borders, and minutely
examine her resources, by so doing, Egypt
opens her bosom to the scrutinizer, reveals the
secrets of her hidden treasures, and the inves¬
tigator drinks copiousty at her fountain. It
is equally true with those who would know
what Jesus Christ taught. The baptism that
Jesus Christ taught was essentially Christian,
that which He partook of, and hands down as
a particular command for observance by His
followers; observance of those who would be
Christ-like, those who would be saved. Let
whatever may be said, Christ must be heard,
and Christ must be obeyed, since it is Christ
who saves.
After His suffering, death, and resurrec¬
tion, our Lord, Jesus Christ, gave this divine
command: St. Mark presents this fact in the
following words: "Afterward he appeared un¬
to the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraid¬
ed them with their unbelief and hardness of
BAPTISM.
175
heart, because they believed not them which
had seen him after he was risen."—(Mark xvi:
14.) There was no longer any necessity for
fear about the resurrection of the great King.
There were no cords able to hold Him down.
All were like straw before the mighty waves,
thrown here and there by the gigantic billows
in their onward march. Nothing could hold
Him down. Once more the sun of the moral
world shone forth in its beauty; the monar-
chial seal is broken at the tomb; the guards
stricken with terror, as dead men, were help¬
less. After having convinced all of the pur¬
pose and power, the King of Glory promul¬
gated this command: "Go }re therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world. Amen."—Matt, xxviii: li), 20.
With the command to baptize, went the
name of "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," in
this name all must be baptized. One of the
most beautiful features about the teachings of
Jesus Christ was this, He taught by illustra-
170
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
tions. The necessity of this sacrament Christ
illustrated by receiving baptism at the hands
of one inferior to himself. Notwithstanding
He was holy, and the God of all the world;
notwithstanding He had garnished the heav¬
ens, laid deep and broad the foundation of this
world, and all things therein, painted and be¬
decked the heavens with millions of little suns,
yet He was baptized. It was at Jordan, where
John was baptizing, that Jesus received bap¬
tism. Notwithstanding John dissented to per¬
form the great task, and had acknowledged his
inferiority to the King of Glory, he must do
the work, the law must be fulfilled, and John
must do it. The time had come. "But John
forbade him, saying, I have need to be bap¬
tized of thee, and comest thou to me? And
Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be
so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. Then he suffered him. And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straight¬
way out of the water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon him: and, lo, a voice from heaven, say¬
ing, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased."—Matt, iii: 14-17.
BAPTISM.
177
John records the fact that Christ baptized,
thereby further demonstrating the necessity
and importance of the divine observance of
this sacrament. "After these things came
Jesu» and his disciples into the land of Judea;
and there he tarried with them, and baptized."
John iii: 22.
This was done, however, by His disciples.
Christ does not only teach baptism, but He
teaches that baptism is essential to salvation.
"He that believeth, and is baptized shall be
saved: but he that believeth not shall be
damned."—(Mark xvi: 16.) Belief in the
Lord is not all that is commanded by Christ,
or required of those who would be saved, He
emphasizes the fact that baptism is essential.
Coupled with the command to baptize, and
with the same breath, Christ teaches the sub¬
ject of Christian baptism. None but believers
are to be allowed this august badge. August,
because of its solemnity. It was Peter, who,
on the day of Pentecost, preached, and many
souls were converted, not saved, however un¬
til they were baptized. "Now when they
heard this, they were pricked in their heart,
and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the
apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?
13
173
DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and he
baptized every one of you in the name of Je¬
sus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For
the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our God shall call. And with many
other words did he testify and exhort, saying,
Save yourslves from this untoward generation.
Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls. And
they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doc¬
trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
and in prayers. And fear came upon every
soul: and many wonders and signs were done
by the apostles. And all that believed were
together, and had all things common; and
sold their possessions and goods, and parted
them to all men, as every man had need. And
they, continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, praising God, and having
favour with all the people. And the Lord ad¬
ded to the church daily such as should be
saved."—Acts ii: 87-47.
THE LORD'S SUPPER.
179
CHAPTER XIV.
THE LORD'S SUPPER.
" And as they did eat, Jesus took bread,
and blessed and brake it, and gave to them,
and said, Take, eat; this is my body. Andhe
took the cup, and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them; and they all drank of it.
And he said unto them, This is my blood of
the New Testament, which is shed for many.
Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of
the fruit of the vine, until that day that 1 drink
it in the kingdom of God."—Markxxvi: 22-25.
It was in Jerusalem, in a large upper room
in the presence of His disciples, where Jesus
Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist. The
day of His earthly career was drawing to a
close, and the weight of the responsibility of
the world was pressing heavily upon His shoul¬
ders. There were left onlya few fleeting mo¬
ments of freedom, to record His acts, free
•from death, free from the abuse that awaited
Him, but not free from the burden of the great
responsibility of the world. It was the dawn
180 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
of the world's redemption, not however, with¬
out blood and much suffering.
"And the year of my Redeemed is come."
Realizing keenly the pressing necessity, He
said unto Peter and John, go make prepara¬
tion for the passover.
PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER.
" Then came the day of unleavened bread,
when the passover must be killed.
And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go
and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
And they said unto him, Where wilt thou
that we prepare? And he said unto them.
Behold, when ye are entered into the city
there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher
of water; follow him into the house where he
entereth in. And ye shall say unto the good-
man of the house, The Master saith unto thee,
Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat
the passover with my disciples?
And he shall shew you a large upper room
furnished; there make ready. And they went,
and found as he had said unto them: and they
made ready the passover.
And when the hour was come, he sat down,
THE LORD'S SUPPER.
181
and the twelve apostles with him. And he said
With desire I have desired to eat this passover
with you before I suffer."—Luke xxii: 7-15.
There was no time to be lost, the city was
in a stir. It was the first day of the great
Jewish festival, and thousands upon thousands
were then congregated in the holy city, to wit¬
ness and to take part in the celebration. Con¬
spiracy was at a high point. There was a gen¬
eral stir among the rulers of the city. The
chief Priests and Scribes assembled and plan¬
ned to lay hold upon Him, for He was their
avowed opposer. His fight was for purity,
theirs for worldly honor, and fame; His, for
moral reform; theirs, for personal aggrandize¬
ment. There was a clash between Christ, and
the Scribes and Pharisees, as to manner of the
latter dealing with their fellowmen ; a reform
must set in. It was Judas who went out and
arranged for His capture, enraged because the
Master upbraided him and those who opposed
the woman who poured the alabaster box of
very precious ointment upon Christ's head ; he
was determined that He should die. Nothing
was too mean for him. It was his to resort to
any plan, it mattered not how low, in order to
182 D3JTR1NES OB7 CIIIt FST.
betray his Lord into the hands of wicked men.
This spirit in Judas agreed fully with that of
the Scribes and rulers, for they were very sor¬
ry of His existence. His deportment and the
drift of His discourses conflicted very much
with the desires of their innermost souls. The
plan of Judas was consummated; Christ, in
the meantime, had assembled with His disci¬
ples to eat with them the last and most impor¬
tant of all passovers, the most sacred and mem¬
orable of all the world.
Seated around the table were His followers,
eagerly watching every movement of our Lord,
the Anointed of God. The nightfall had long
since set in when He opened His mouth and
said, " Verily I say unto you, that one of you
shall betray me."
This statement filled the hearts of His de¬
voted followers, both with astonishment and
sorrow.
He was right, for the dark deed had already
been performed by Judas. Only one thing re¬
mained, that of delivering Him into the hands
of the Chief Priests. Christ knew the secret
of his soul; to Him every secret part lay
bare. Being filled with wonder, they each
THE LORD'S SUPPER. 183
one cried out, '' Lord, is it I!" " He that dip-
peth his hand with me in the dish, he
it is that shall betray me," saith Christ. Ju¬
das would not be odd, and with a long face,he
mustered courage enough to join the cho¬
rus, saying "Lord, is it I?" Christ hesitated
not to say, "Thou hast said," you are right,
only a few minutes and the great operation
shall set in, and the event pushed to comple¬
tion.
''And as they did eat, Jesus took bread,
and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them,
and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he
took the cup, and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them; and they all drank of it.
And he said unto them, This is my blood of
the new testament, which is shed for many.
Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more
of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I
drink it new in the kingdom of God."—Mark
xiv: 22-25.
Luke recorded the command of our Lord,
for the perpetuation of the Lord's Supper
thus:—
"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and
brake it, and gave unto them saying, This is
184 DOCTRINES OF CUEIST.
my body which is given for you; this do in
remembrance of me.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying,
This cup is the new testament in my blood,
which is shed for you."
TO BE PERPETUAL.
St. Paul, with equal emphasis, joins the
chorus with Matthew, Mark and Luke, in de¬
picting the institution of the Lord's Supper.
He even goes further, and elaborately portrays
the sacredness of the occasion. Says he: "For
as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this
cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and
drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall
be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For
he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself, not dis¬
cerning the Lord's body. For this cause
many are weak and sickly among you, and
many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves,
we should not be judged. But when we are
judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we
THE LORD'S SUPPER. 185
should not be condemned with the world.
Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come to¬
gether to eat, tarry one for another. And
if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that
ye come not together unto condemnation. And
the rest will I set in order when I come." —
1st. Cor. xi: 26-34.
When the sacredness of the occasion is ex¬
amined, as the great soul of the King of Glory
is poured out, in this momentous hour full of
tears and spiritual groaning, the fact is
brought to light, that this lesson is never to be
forgotten. No, no, not by the Church of the
Great God while the world standeth. In all
the teachings of Jesus Christ, not one single
principle was emphasized, more than that of
the Lord's Supper. It was ordained amid
tears to be held sacred through all time to
come.
A FACT TO BE REMEMBERED.
It is essential that no one should take the
Lord's Supper, but His followers since He ad¬
mitted none but those of the number who fol¬
lowed Him.
There were those of one faith,who acknowl¬
edged the one Lord and Jesus Christ whom
186 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
He had sent. To admit persons to the com¬
munion of Christ's body and blood without
these prerequisites is a departure from the
landmark arranged and established by our
Lord. There were none but His disciples there,
they were sent to prepare for the supper, they
who had been with Him from the early dawn
of His public ministry. He knew one was a
devil, devil from the beginning, and yet He
permitted him to remain in that august com¬
pany; more, however, for example, than any¬
thing else. He divided His body and blood
with them, and said, "Drink ye all of it."
" Verily I say unto you I will drink no more
of the fruit of the vine until that day I drink
it new in the kingdom of God."
Matthew says, " When I drink it new with
you, in my Father's kingdom." He empha¬
sizes the fact, that this was not the last sup¬
per; but when the mists have rolled away,
when there shall be no more abuse to be borne
here on earth by them, a happy meeting is to
take place in the house of many mansions,
where ten thousands of the Angelic hosts cast
down their golden crowns at His feet, and sing
praise to the God of Glory forever.
THE LORD'S SUPPER.
187
There are none to molest, and none to make,
afraid. " But I say unto you, I will not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that
day when I drink it new with you in my Fa¬
ther's kingdom."
Stop! Listen to the statement of Jesus, the
Anointed of God. The Lamb, whose blood is
now about to be shed for the world—only a
few minutes more, and He must be gone—
gone to Olives, gone to Gethsemane, to be
taken in hand by the angry mob, persecuted
and die.
The scheme of Judas is nearing completion;
and while they were getting ready, singing a
hymn and marching out of the hall, Judas
comes in front of the mob, saying, follow me.
His dirty work is now about to close. A kiss
is agreed upon as the sign of the proper person
to lay hands upon. Christ goes out with His
faithful followers. Says He, "All ye shall be
offended because of me this night; for it is
written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the
sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
But after I am risen again, I will go before
you into Galilee. Peter answered and said
unto him, Though all men shall be offended
188 DOCTRINES OF CJIlifST.
bscause of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee,
That this night, before the cock crow, thou
shalt deny me thrice."
"Peter said unto him, Though I should die
with thee, yet I will not deny thee. Likewise
also said all the disciples. Then cometh Jesus
with them unto a place called Gethsemane,
and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while
I go and pray yonder. And he took with him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began
to be sorrowful and very heavy."—Matt,
xxvi: 31-37.
If ever a teacher was in earnest, no one can
doubt the earnestness of Jesus Christ amid
such trying hours.
RE VEHENCE FOR TEE SCRIPTURES. 189
CHAPTER XY.
REVERENCE FOR THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.
" Search the scriptures for in them 3Te think
ye have eternal life; and they are they which
testify of me."—Christ.
What was the position of Christ touching
the sacred scriptures? Did Christ appreciate
the Word of God as brought forward by the
mouth of the prophets and sacred writers, and
did Christ teach others so to do? On this line,
abundant information may be found, though
not written upon every page of God's great
Book; and to expect such information on every
page of the Holy Book, would be both unwise
and out of place. Christ is not changeable,
hence His word is the same and must ever re¬
main the same. Before one word of Christ
shall pass away, or fail, heaven and earth shall
pass away. Since Christ is the one Eternal,
Unchangeable, should one statement be made
by Him as to the value of the scriptures, or a
single command be given, indicating His re¬
gard, or appreciation of the scriptures, noth-
193 D)JTR[NE3 OF CHRIST.
ing more should be asked. But we have more
than one reference of Christ to the Holy Scrip¬
tures, and for the truth of this statement, we
may appeal to more than one of His divine
writers; the number of sacred writers and
their character is sufficient in warranting us
in resting upon their testimony concerning
Christ. John brings forward and demon¬
strates beyond a doubt, this fact, as is con¬
tained in the reproof of Christ to the Jews.
To them the great Teacher sa}rs: "Search
the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have
eternal life: and the}7 are they which testify
of me."—-John v: 39.
William Burkitt, in his expository notes says :
"The next testimony which Christ appeals to,
is the testimony of the scriptures; that is, the
writings of Moses and the prophets, which
Christ bids the Jews diligently search, and
they shall find that they abundantly testified
of him, and that all the prophecies and types
were fulfilled in him. The word search, sig¬
nifying to search as men do for a golden mine
in the bowels of the earth, which they must
dig deep for, before they can come at it, inti¬
mates, 1. That there is an inestimable treasure
HE VERENCE FOR TIIE SCRIPTURES. 191
lying hid in the holy scriptures, which we shall
never fathom by a slight, superficial search.
2. That this inestimable treasure may be found
out by the painful searcher; and it is the duty
of all the members of the visible church to read
and search the scriptures, which point out the
way to eternal life."
Again Christ says, " Had ye believed Moses,
ye would have believed me: for he wrote of
me. But if ye believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words?" Luke is no less
earnest in his record of this fact, that Christ
both taught to reverence and also reverenced
the scriptures after He rose from the dead.
When he appeared to His disciples there were
those who were slow of heart and hard of un¬
derstanding, to believe in the resurrection of
Christ; though all that had recently occurred
had been predicted by the prophets of old, and
written in the scriptures. "Then he said un¬
to them; O fools, and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things, and enter
into his glory? And beginning at Moses and
all the prophets, he expounded unto them in
all the scriptures the things concerning him¬
self."- -Luke xxiv: 25-27.
192 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
Christ's rejoinder to the Pharisees (who
charged Christ's disciples with having violated
the law, by plucking and eating the ears of
corn on the Sabbath, though they were hun¬
gry) reveals the fact that He was and had
been a student of the revealed word, and rev¬
erenced the scriptures to the highest. "Be¬
hold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful
to do upon the sabbath." "Have ye not read
what David did, when he was a hungered, and
they that were with him; How he entered in¬
to the house of God, and did eat the shewbread
which was not lawful for him to eat, neither
for them which were with him, but only for
the priest? Or have ye not read in the law,
how that on the sabbath days the priests in the
temple profane the sabbath and are blameless?
But I say unto you, That in this place is one
greater than the temple. But if ye had known
what this nieaneth, I will have mercy and not
sacrifice, }'e would not have condemned the
guiltless."—Matt, xii: 2-7. Says Christ in
His reply to the Pharisees, in His discourse on
marriage and divorce: " Have ye not read,
that he which made them male and female,"
etc.—Matt xix : 4. To those who would shut
RE VERENCE FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 198
the mouths of the rejoicing, lame and blind,
cured by Jesus Christ, in the temple, Christ
says: '' Have ye never read, out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected
praise."—Matt, xxi: 16. In Christ's parable
of the wicked husbandmen, as recorded by St.
Mark, another perfect exhibition is made of
the fact that Christ regarded and reverenced
the scriptures. " Have ye not read the scrip¬
tures," and on He goes, "The stone which the
builders rejected is become the head of the
corner." Worthy indeed are the scriptures,
since they contain the will of God to man, and
by them God teaches man's duty to God, and
man's duty to man.
Of all the ancient compositions, whether b}r
Jew or Greek, upon none did Jesus Christ be¬
stow more attention, and entertain greater
reverence, than He did for the sacred scrip¬
tures. The value, or worth, placed upon the
sacred scriptures by Jesus Christ, cannot be
over estimated, they lay close to the lowest
depth of His great soul, and are sweet and
consoling to the lovers of truth. Whether in
the Synagogue or in streets, on the mountain
with friends, or in densely populated city, His
14
194 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
soul recognized the value and the necessity of
the sacred scriptures. Without them, Christ
knew that it was impossible for the world to
render obedience to God, and the laws, or obey
commandments of God; God who is the foun¬
tain-head, or source of all things, Alpha and
Omega. The composition of the scriptures
was arranged by the Allwise and eternal Be¬
ing, and without them the worl<J must ever re¬
main in darkness, groping for light, crying
peace, when there is no peace. Nothing is so
important to the world as God's message, by
the mouth of His prophets; men set apart and
divinely inspired to convey the message of the
Eternal King to man. This light must ever
shine as a guide, pointing men the way to God.
The scriptures bring to light, truth, treas¬
ures of gold, that might otherwise remain
hidden in the deep crevices of time, or buried
in the depth of the mountain of eternity, which
the miner of ages would fain unearth. With¬
out the scriptures, eternal night must reign,
and destruction untrammeled, in its onward
march. Nothing was like the scriptures with
Christ, nothing could be to Christ dearer; they
contained His word, and His word is truth, and
REVERENCE FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 195
the truth is the light of the world. He taught
to reverence the scriptures, not by precept on¬
ly, but by example. It was not His plan or
way, to say, "Search the scriptures," but He
read the scriptures, to the multitudes that con¬
gregated to hear Him from time to time. Il¬
lustrations of this truth, are developed by ref¬
erence to His visit to His home, in Nazareth.
Here He did not only teach by precept, but
by example. "And he came to Nazareth,
where he had been brought up: and, as his
custom was, he went into the synagogue on the
sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And
there was delivered unto him the book of the
prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the
book, he found the place where it was written,
" The Spirit of theLord is uponme, because he
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken¬
hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised. To preach the
acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed
the book, and he gave it again to the minister,
and sat down. And the eyes of all them that
were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
196 DOCTRINES OF CIIHIST.
And he began to say unto them, This day is
this Scripture fulfilled to your ears."—Luke
iv: 16-21.
Again, Christ demonstrates the necessity of
knowing the Scriptures, by upbraiding the
Sadducees, who came to Him,inquiring of Him
concerning the marriage relation after death,
or in the resurrection. Their error He charged
to their ignorance of the Scriptures; for if
if they had known the Scriptures, there would
have been no need for such an interrogation.
"Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures,"says
Christ. "The same day came to him the Sad¬
ducees, which say that there is no resurrection,
and asked him, sa}ring, Master, Moses said, if
a man die, having no children, his brother
shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto
his brother. Now there were with us seven
brethren : and the first, when he had married a
wife, deceased, and having no issue, left his
wife unto his brother; Likewise the second
also, and the third, unto the seventh. And
last of all the woman died also. Therefore in
the resurrection, whose wTife shall she be of
the seven ? for they all had her. Jesus an¬
swered and said unto them, Ye do err, not
REVERENCE FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 197
knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
For in the resurrection they neither marry,nor
are given in marriage, but are as the angels of
heaven. But as touching the resurrection of
the dead, have ye not read that which was
spoken unto you, by God, saying, I am the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the
dead, but of the living."—Matt, xxii: 23-32.
From Moses to Christ, every page of God's
revealed word lay open before the anointed of
God,whether found in the pages of manuscript,
or engraved on the pages of Nature's extensive
Tolume. Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and all the
prophets and writers of the sacred Scriptures
were alike, glad to serve as instruments for
the spreading,and making known of God's will
to man, which is essential to man's moral and
material development.
If the Master ever taught anything em¬
phatically, He taught that the Scriptures were
worthy of perusal and careful consideration.
" Search the Scriptures," says Christ, "For
in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they
are they which testify of me."
We should not infer for a moment, that the
198 DOCTRINE8 OF CHRIST.
Scriptures must be searched in part, but as a
whole. Being our guide as to faith and prac¬
tice, not one word should be allowed to slip
from us. Without God, we can do nothing,
nor can we approach God, without knowing
the way, truth and light. The Psalmist says,
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path."
THE CHURCH.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE CHURCH.
" And I say also unto thee, That thou art
Peter, and upon this rock will I build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it."—Christ.
Before however, we attempt to speak elab¬
orately, along this line, concerning the church,
the most important feature that presents itself
for our consideration, is the meaning of the
term, or word, Church. Though there may
be as many definitions given to the word,
Church, as are writers upon the term Church,
after all, there is in fact, but one true defini¬
tion recognized by Christ's Church, which was
appreciated by Christ Himself. " The deriva-
tio n of the word Church is uncertain," says
Smith. There are two Greek words from
which the word Church comes, Kuriakon, the
Lord's house, and EkJclesici, from EkkaJein,
an assembly called out by the magistrate, or
by those of authority. To Christ and His fol¬
lowers must we go for the true definition of
200 DOCTRINES O-F (JURIST.
the word church,as it was understood by them.
With Christ and His followers, the word as
used by the classical writers, had long since
lost its meaning; Therefore, faint indeed is
the light of the true meaning of the terms as
given, by referring to the classical meaning of
the words. Says Dr. Charles Dick, "By the
word Church, we are to understand the whole
body of God's chosen people in every period
of time." "The Church is a congregation of
faithful men in which the true word of God is
preached, and the sacraments duly adminis¬
tered, according to Christ's ordinances in all
of those things that are necessary."
Concerning such an institution,has it pleased
Jesus Christ to say one word? Did Christ
recognize such an institution, if so, are we as
followers of Christ bound to proceed as did
our Lord and Master, in order to be in har¬
mony with the divine teachings of Christ Jesus?
In reply to the above questions, much need
not be said to appease the appetite of the anx¬
ious and earnest students of the teachings of
Jesus Christ. He who sees God in the cloud,
hears Him in the storm, and reads of Him in
every lightning flash, grasps with eagerness
TllE CHURCH.
201
the messages, or God's will, as presented upon
the pages of God's revealed word. The truth
is this, Christ Himself is the Church, and who¬
soever enters into communion with Christ,
unites with the Church, or the Kingdom of
God, for the Church is the Kingdom of God,
on earth. Twice only does the word Church
occur in the gospels, and wherever else in these
gospels this particular institution is mentioned
at all, it is mentioned by the term Kingdom of
God, and the Kingdom of Heaven. In Mat¬
thew we have an example of this fact, "Who"
says Christ to His disciples, "Do men say that
I, the Son of man am?" They replied, "Some
say that thou art John the Baptist,some Elias;
and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."
Again, " He saith unto them, But whom f-ay
ye that I am ? And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God. And Jesus answered and said un¬
to him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee?
but my Father which is in heaven. And I sav
also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upo
this rock I will build my church ; and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it."—Matt,
xvi: lo-l<S.
202 ■ DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
While Christ teaches of the establishment
of the Church, He also illustrates the authority
and power of the church. So strong, or in¬
vincible is the church founded by Christ, that
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Before the onward march of the church,hell's
gates must give way, they cannot stand the at¬
tack of the church. The billows of hell may
rage, and all the forces of the king of the
lower world may be brought into play, but the
church must stand for the kingdom of heaven
is power unimpeachable. Christ is heaven,
Christ is the Church, the Kingdom of God.
This Kingdom or vineyard, whose head is the
Lord of glory, mighty in battle, words and
deed, must stand forever, and must bring un¬
der its balmy wings, all of the kingdoms, of
this world. Like straws before the furious
wind, principalities and powers shall go, every
tongue must confess and every knee bow.
Again, with the same breath that Christ men¬
tioned the Church,He also mentioned the word
Kingdom of heaven, showing thereby that the
two words conveyed one and the same idea.
" And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt
THE CHURCH.
203
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven."—Matt, xvi: 19.
If the church, in her spiritual character,
closes her door against any one, the door of
the Kingdom of heaven is also closed against
him. If the church holds fast to any one on
eartlr, heaven holds fast also, to such a one.
To be bound on earth to the church, is to be
bound in heaven hard and fast within the king's
dominion. Vividly is this fact portrayed by
Christ, in His discourse on how to treat an of¬
fending brother. "Moreover," says Christ,
"If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go
and tell him his fault between thee and him
alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained
thy brother. But if he will not hear thee,then
take with thee one or two more, that in the
mouth of two or three witnesses every word
may be established."—Matt, xviii: 15-16.
The church is the highest court upon earth,
and its action is final, and accepted with Christ
Jesus. Christ says, "And if he shall neglect
to hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if
he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto
thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily,
204 DOCTRINES OF CHRIST.
I say unto you,Whatsoever ye shall bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatso¬
ever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven."--Matt, xviii: 17-18.
Says Christ, "if two of you shall agree on
earth as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of my Father which
is in heaven. For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in
the midst of them."
We have not in these lines what some one
else said, touching the authority and power of
the Church, but we have what Christ said.
There is no going before Christ, and bringing
forth new and important truths, for there isno
before Him, and no after Him. Christ is
the first and the last. Paul says, "He is the
same today as yesterday."
The Greek Type in this book was furnished by
J. D. BARNETT, B. A.,
Polyglot Gospel Publisher and Biblical Lecturer,
Little Rock, Arkansas.
Author of " Biiief Bible History," that is
highly recommended and endorsed by the Press,
and other scholars. John 3:16; Acts 16:31.