Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1912 — THE SAVIOR'S TEACHINGS BROOKLYN TABERNACLE BIBLE STUDIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE SAVIOR'S TEACHINGS BROOKLYN TABERNACLE BIBLE STUDIES

LOVING OUR NEIGHBORS. Luk* vi, 27-38; Romans xiii, 8-10—May 12. ‘•Tk™ shall tote thy neighbor as thyself." ODAY’S STUDY Is from St Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount It does not profess to be a regulation for the world, but applies to saints — to those who have consecrated their lives fully to fellow in the footsteps of Jesus—to suffer with Him that they may also reign with Him. Even these may not tie able to live up to every feature of the Master's instructions, because of weakness in their fallen flesh. We must take the Master's words addressed to the faithful as representing the full, perfect standard. It is for each diseipie t> recognize this supreme standard and to gauge his thoughts arid words and doings thereby-. As f.>r others than God's people. He does t;-.- to them ;tt all. except to tell tl a, ihat they are sinners un-

der the Sentence of d'-ai-h. l>ut"that He .has . ma d e provision for their reconciliation through the blood of the cross, and that whether they become < disciples of Christ or not under the call to Brideship, never the Less their

words and conduct In the present life will all advantage or disadvantage them in the life to come. In this secondary way all mankind aside from the Church, the consecrated—may be measurably enlightened by the Masters teachings in this lesson. Thepnth of love is, as Jesus describes it. under present conditions, a “narrow way;” difficult Is the way of life now open. Only the saintly few Will be to walk there, and only these will gain the great Prize, “the pearl of great price,” joint-heirship in Messiah’s Kingdom. Hearken! Do not merely observe the Golden Rule toward your enemies, but love them, and “do good to them that hate you.” The Master’s expression, “Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other,” is to be taken as signifying simply. Do not render evil for evil, even though he smite thee on the other cheek also. Our Lord Himself when smitten, according to the rfeport, did not invite the smiting of the other cheek, but defended Himself to the extent of criticising the evil deed. But if He had been smitten on the other cheek also, let us not for a moment think that He would have resisted, in the sense of rendering blow for blow. The next statement is more comprehensively given by St. Matthew. “If any man sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, withhold not thy cloak also.” The follower of Jesus may flee from an adversary, or he may resist him to the extent of proper expostulation, but he Is to be thoroughly responsive to all government; if the court decides that his coat and his cloak shall both be taken from him, he shall unmurmuringly submit, even though he realize that such a procedure would be unjust and quite at variance with the Divine regulation. Saint Paul as well as Jesus used argument in bls own defense, not only with the. mobs, but also before judges; but they resisted the law—never. “Give to everyone that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” The broadest interpretation we could conslstent-

ly give to this would be —Be tender hearted, err on the side of too great generosity rather,than to be hard hearted, selfish. The Lord could not have meant us to take His words with absolute literalness; as for instance. Give a

child a razor if it Cries jbr'Jt; or, Give money to the dissipated, that they may injure themselves still more. The spirit of a sound mind forbids that we should understand the Master to teach that we should do anything for another that would be really to bis injury. “As ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also to them likewise.” Very evidently our Lord was setting up Ills teachings in contrast with the maxims of the Pharisees, the holiness people of that day. To love another because be loved us, or to give to another in the hope that he would equally befriend us, would have nothing creditable in it. Merciful to Obtain Mercy. »

The world during Messiah's Kingdom will be under Instruction and lessons, which will include mercy, arid an assurance to the willing and obedient of perfection by the close of the Kingdom. But the Church class, now called out, will have no such long period for their character development, and since they will not attain that perfection here but will require Divine mercy, through the imputation of Christ’s merit to cover their blemishes, therefore In order to develop His saints in generosity and forgiveness, the Lord has agreed that He will be merciful to them tn proportion as they will be poerclful to others What a wondrous, reward and what a wondrous incentive!

When smitten, did not retaliate.

St. Paul arguing his own defence.