Example, good, required and to be followed-Extravagance sinful.

EXAMPLE.

178. Good examples required.

Mat. 5: 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Col. 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

1 Tim. 4: 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Tit. 2: 7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8 Sound speech that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

179. Good examples to be followed-bad, to be avoided.

Ex. 23: 2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.

Mat. 23: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

1 Cor. 11: 1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Ph. 3: 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Heb. 6: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.-13: 7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Jam. 5: 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction and of patience.

1 Pet. 2: 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

3 Jn. 11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good.

EXTRAVAGANCE-PRODIGALITY.

180. Extravagance and prodigality sinful-Examples.

1 K. 11: 1 King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites,

Nature of-counted for righteousness.

Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: 3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

Ec. 2: 10 Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy.

Lk. 15: 13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. 16: 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day: 22 The rich man also died, and was buried: 23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments. [See 173, 199, 625.]

181. Nature of true faith.

FAITH.

Rom. 10: 9 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

Heb. 11: 1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.

182. Faith counted for righteousness.

Rom. 4:3 What saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 11 He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all of them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

Its necessity.

183. Faith in Christ, and belief of the truth, required as necessary to sal

vation.

Mk. 16: 15 He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned.

Jn. 1: 12 As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. 3: 16 God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. 18 He that believeth in him, is not condemned: but he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. 6: 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 40 This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. -8: 24 If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. 47 He that is of God, heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.—11: 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die.

Ac. 10: 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 16: 31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Rom. 10: 4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Gal. 2: 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

2 Th. 2: 10 With all deceivableness of unrighteousness in

Examples of.

them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Heb. 11: 6 Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

1 Jn. 2: 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.]-5: 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

10

2 Jn. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds.

3 Jn. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. [See 175, 601.]

184. Examples of faith.

Rom. 4: 20 He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

2 Cor. 5: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Gal. 2: 20 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.

Heb. 11: 7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8 By faith

Effects and Evidence of Strong Faith required.

Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. [See 664.]

185. Effects of faith.

Heb. 11: 32 What shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. [See the whole chapter.]

1 Pet. 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

1 Jn. 5: 4 Whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

186. Evidence of faith.

Jam. 2: 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body: what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. [See 302, 602.]

187. Strength of faith required.

Ep. 6: 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God,