hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have 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."" 1 John xvii, 1, 6, 9, 11-13, 15-17, 19-23, 25, 26. Exhortation to holiness. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. "I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.— Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.-Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.-Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.-Bless them which persecute you bless, and curse not.-Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.-Be of the same mind one toward another. Be not wise in your own conceits.-Recom pense to no man evil for evil.-Provide things honest in the sight of all men.-Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.-If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 2"I exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly; comfort the feeble-minded; support the weak; be patient toward all men.-3 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. For when we were the servants of sin, we were free from righteousness; but now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, we have our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." 1 Rom. xii, 1-3, 9-17, 21, 18. 21 Thess. v. 14. 4 Col. iii, 17. 5 Rom. vi. 20, 22. 31 Tim. vi, 12. ILLUSTRATION. The example of St. Paul. "Paul, in writing to the saints in Christ Jesus, saith; 2 What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any A A means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also İ am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 4 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.— "Brethren, be followers together of me."" 1 Phil. i, 1. 2 Phil. iii, 7-14. 3 Gal. ii, 20. 4 Gal. vi, 14. Special promises to the consistent Christian. "Jesus saith:-'He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I cannot bear fruit of vine; no more can in you. As the branch itself, except it abide in the ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 666 'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 3 And the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth: he shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.' 1 John xiv, 9, 21, 23. 2 John xv, 1-11. 3 John xvi, 13, 14. 166 Chapter Fortieth. SIN. The fall of man from original perfection. "GOD created man in his own image, of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden, saying:-'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.' And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him.' And the Lord made a woman, and brought her unto the man. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman :-'Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' And the woman said unto the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' And the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye shall not surely die.'-And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired |