Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1912 — BROOLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOLYN TABERNACLE

A FAITH FOUNDATION NECESSARY. Luke yi, 39-49—June 9. “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”—James i. as. CHE GREAT TEACHER in today’s lesson emphasizes the - necessity of knowledge and of a faith built thereupon. The blind leading the blind represent the ignorant leading the ignorant into difficulties. The destination sought by the Jews was fellowship? with and relationship to God—His highest favor, mentioned to Abraham, saying, "In thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." St. Paul says of that promise. “Israel hath not obtained that which he-seeketh, but the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded.’’ The entire Jewish race was blinded and turned aside and fell into the pit— 1 into confusion, darkness, separation from God. This was the very matter against, which Jesus forewarned them. How important that God’s people recognize the true Leader, Jesus, and heed not the voice of others! Alas! we find that many of the great and wise of the principal pulpits of tlie world are undermining faith by

telling that the Bible is not Divinely inspired, that Moses and the Prophets did not write the books ascribed to them, and hence indirectly saying that Jesus and the Apostles were deceived when they made quotations from the Old Testament and

ascribed them to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses, Ilabakkuk, etc. These great men style themselves Higher Critics and endorse the theory that humanity is undergoing a process of evolution from monkey-likeness up to God-likeness. They are thus indirectly telling their people that there was no fall from God’s image and likeness, that there was no sin committed, no sentence for sin, no Redeemer from sin and its sentence and that Restitution Is not to be hoped for.—Acts ill, 19-21. Humility a Character Foundation. The parable of a man with a beam in his eye trying to pick a mote out of his brother’s eye was a forceful method whereby the Master Inculcated the necessity of humility. Humility Is a foundation virtue. The Isatin wofd for humility is humus, ground. This Implies that it is the soil out of which other virtues are produced. Those who think they know everything can learn nothing. How beautiful it is to realize that Jesus was humble and that all the holy angels are so! Grapes Off a Bramble Bush.

While the Scriptures forbid God’s people to judge one' another, they do commend to us another kind of judging. While not condemning the heart we are to judge of the outward conduct The parable which our Lord in this lesSon gives respecting the gathering of grapes from bramble bushes illustrates this point God’s people are likened to the grape-vine, which produces no thorns but luscious clusters of fruit Mankind in general are likened to bramble bushes, ready to injure, on the slightest provocation, and are merely self-sustaining. We are to distinguish between such characters and God’s people: “By their fruits shall ye know them.” It Is said that at times a bramble bush Is entirely covered by a vine so that the grapes appear to be coming from the bush. However, we are not to be mistaken. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fru,ltage, neither can an Injurious tree bring forth good fruitage. The lesson is that those who are really God’s people must be. fruit - bearing else they are none of Ills. It Is therefore useless for any man to tell us that he has given his heart

to the Lord in fulness of consecration and that he has received the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit and yet find him rejoicing in sin. taking pleasure in iniquity, injustice, selfishness and a course of life in Ju rio u 8 to his neighbors. If his heart be changed

the results will be manifest in his daily life, because “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The House on the Rock. This parable Illustrates two classes of believers. hear the Great Teacher’s instructions and believe and rear faith structures and entertain heavenly hopes. But the one is more prudent than the other. One seeks for the doctrines and principles of the Divine Word, and builds his faith structure thereupon. Ills faith, therefore, cannot fall whatever storms may as sail. The unwise believer builds upon the traditions of the elders, the creeds of the Dark Ages, etc. He fails to appreciate the necessity for having a proper foundation for faith and works. In the time of stress with which this Age will end all such yrili find the foundation swept away; they will thereby suffer great loss, though they themselves may be saved, as by firetribulation.—l Corinthians ill, 13-15.

“Cast out first the beam”—

"The ruin of that house was great."