Holiness and conduct

1. Brotherly Love as the Essence of the TruthNo. 1 · 1 December 1867 · 15 min read aloud

   Starting from the exhortation “Let brotherly love continue”, the speaker argues that love is the root and object of the truth, and that those who lack it are not of God and will be cut off like unfruitful branches.

2. The Bible’s Influence and Forbearance Among BrethrenNo. 3 · 1 February 1868 · 21 min read aloud · Read: 1 Peter 2

   Observes that the Bible has raised the character of the nation and of individuals, and that progress toward the hope depends on continual submission to the Word and on meeting with the brethren, not retiring from society.

3. Fellowship with the Father: Walking in the LightNo. 4 · 1 March 1868 · 32 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 1

   Starts from the opening of 1 John, noting that the apostles’ eyewitness testimony to Christ was written to Gentiles and so addresses present believers, and that its object is fellowship with the Father and the Son.

4. Sons of God: Submission, Training and HopeNo. 5 · 1 April 1868 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 3

   Taking 1 John 3 as its ground, the exhortation says believers are now sons of God, whom the world does not know, and that sonship means submission to God’s will, learned by continual study of the Scriptures.

5. Love in the Truth, and Doing GoodNo. 6 · 1 May 1868 · 30 min read aloud · Read: 2 John

   Taking John’s Second Epistle as a letter to an ecclesia, the speaker contrasts the ephemeral loves of the world, which rest on instinct and shared interests, with love in the truth, which begins with the truth and grows in step with love of it.

6. Righteousness, Judgment and Mercy: Present Works Decide DestinyNo. 7 · 1 July 1868 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Romans 2

   Taking Romans 2 as its subject, the exhortation says believers are called to righteousness, the doing of what God has commanded, and that the judgment will only disclose what each person’s daily life already is, so the present is what counts.

7. Suffering Now, Doing Good, Meeting Christ UnafraidNo. 8 · 1 August 1868 · 29 min read aloud

   Beginning with the need to behold the High Priest by faith, the exhortation contrasts the disciples’ wish to call down fire (Luke 9) with Christ’s present work of saving and his coming work of destroying, illustrated by the plagues of Egypt.

8. Why Christ’s Brethren Abstain from Parliamentary VotingNo. 12 · 1 January 1869 · 21 min read aloud

   Speaking during a general election, the speaker argues that political reformers cannot cure human misery: greater wealth would only increase wickedness, as in Sodom, and God has chosen the poor as heirs of His kingdom.

9. Gifts, Schism and Unity in the EcclesiaNo. 14 · 1 November 1869 · 23 min read aloud · Read: 1 Corinthians 12

   On 1 Corinthians 12, the speaker says the miraculous gifts have ceased but the chapter’s lessons still apply.

10. Charity, Vain Jangling and Unfeigned FaithNo. 15 · 1 December 1869 · 34 min read aloud · Read: 1 Timothy 1

    On 1 Timothy 1, the speaker says Paul’s commission as apostle to the Gentiles still reaches later believers and brings a responsibility with it.

11. Walking in Love Without Silencing the TruthNo. 16 · 1 January 1870 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Ephesians 5

    Taking Ephesians 5 as his starting point, the speaker says that to follow God is to walk in love, and that a man who holds the truth without love is not of God.

12. Prayer: Elijah, Brevity, and the Lord’s PrayerNo. 17 · 1 February 1870 · 33 min read aloud · Read: Philemon

    Starting from Paul’s references to prayer in Philemon, the speaker argues that acceptable prayer is brief, intelligent and reverent, citing Elijah’s short prayer at Mount Carmel against the long cries of the prophets of Baal.

13. Christ’s Humiliation, and Salt and LightNo. 18 · 1 March 1870 · 20 min read aloud

    The speaker says the breaking of bread directs the brethren to the sorrowful side of Christ’s life, which brings comfort and courage because he was tempted and suffered as they do, and which gives an example of doing good.

14. Faith That God Is: Trial and PerseveranceNo. 19 · 1 April 1870 · 28 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 11

    Taking Hebrews 11 as his starting point, the speaker says that faith in God as a rewarder of those who seek Him is a great consolation, and that trial, as with the prophets and Joseph, is the means by which God prepares men for the kingdom.

15. Doing God’s Will, Not Merely KnowingNo. 21 · 1 June 1870 · 18 min read aloud · Read: 1 Peter 4

    Starting from the griefs of this mortal state and the way sickness and death show what is of real value, the speaker urges the brethren to give themselves wholly to the truth rather than to the pursuits of the flesh.

16. Walking in the Light, Not Mere KnowledgeNo. 22 · 1 July 1870 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 1

    Taking 1 John 1 as an address to believers, the exhortation says the truth is meant to fill them with joy, but memory is weak and needs the stirring of apostolic letters.

17. Active Goodness, the Fruit of the TruthNo. 23 · 1 August 1870 · 18 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 2

    Taking 1 John 2 as its text, the exhortation says the aim of the gospel is that believers should not sin but walk as Jesus walked, and puts first the duty of living for the good of others.

18. Serving Christ while awaiting the good timeNo. 25 · 1 November 1870 · 23 min read aloud · Read: Revelation 6

    The exhortation contrasts the present violent, vain world with the good time coming through Abraham and his seed, and urges that those who belong to Christ be a peculiar people who do good without ostentation, obey his commandments, and sow to the spirit rather than seek worldly pleasure and riches.

19. Law, Grace and Holiness After BaptismNo. 30 · 1 October 1871 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Romans 6

    Starting from Romans 6 and the principle ‘First pure, then peaceable’, argues that law is necessary and good, and that Paul’s saying that the law entered that sin might abound gave God occasion to show grace through Christ, who upheld the law by his death.

20. Spiritual Gifts, Bishops and Ecclesial ExampleNo. 31 · 1 November 1871 · 12 min read aloud · Read: 1 Corinthians 12

    Notes that in Paul’s day the ecclesias were guided by men endowed with spiritual gifts, whereas today there is no such authority and all is voluntary.

21. Subjection to Rulers and Freedom from DebtNo. 33 · 1 January 1872 · 18 min read aloud · Read: Romans 13

    Taking Romans 13, the exhortation says that, since Christ’s kingdom is not yet established, believers must be obedient subjects of the existing governments, which God appoints and overrules, and must not take part in political movements or agitation.

22. Purity, Kindness and Sharing Christ’s SufferingsNo. 36 · 1 April 1872 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 2 Corinthians 1

    Taking Paul’s opening words in 2 Corinthians 1, the exhortation says that the peace Paul wished the Corinthians rests on purity, and that believers should take comfort only where they are walking in obedience, and repent where they are not.

23. Holiness, Worship and Present Obedience Before ChristNo. 37 · 1 June 1872 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 2 Corinthians 5

    Says believers are called not merely to believe and speak of the truth but to holiness, and that the only standard of righteousness is obedience to God’s commandments.

24. Receiving the Grace of God Not in VainNo. 38 · 1 July 1872 · 16 min read aloud · Read: Romans 6

    Takes the apostolic entreaty not to receive the grace of God in vain and says grace is favour offered with a purpose, which can be wasted, as Israel in the wilderness wasted it.

25. Children of the Day: Laodicea and Daily ReadingNo. 39 · 1 August 1872 · 28 min read aloud · Read: 1 Thessalonians 5

    Says the day of the Lord will come as a thief only upon those who cry ‘peace and safety’, not upon believers who are children of light, yet an ecclesia may contain members who fall short, as the message to Laodicea shows.

26. The Ephesian Ecclesia: Godly Edifying and First LoveNo. 41 · 1 February 1873 · 18 min read aloud

    Starting from 1 Timothy 1, Roberts explains that Timothy was left at Ephesus to check those whose teaching ministered questions rather than godly edifying, and warns against treating speculative points as matters affecting a believer’s standing.

27. Seek Things Above, Beware of CovetousnessNo. 43 · 1 April 1873 · 22 min read aloud

    Expounding Colossians 3, Roberts explains that believers baptised into Christ are risen with him and must set their affections on things above, which he distinguishes from the popular idea of going to heaven, since those things are to be brought to the saints at Christ’s coming.

28. Philemon: Brotherly Love and Christian CourtesyNo. 44 · 1 May 1873 · 21 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s letter to Philemon as a model, Roberts urges brethren to imitate apostolic warmth in their intercourse and letters: using genuine words of affection, invoking God’s blessing on one another, and thanking God for faithful fellow-labourers.

29. The Son Greater Than Angels; Brethren of ChristNo. 45 · 1 June 1873 · 19 min read aloud

    Expounding Hebrews 1 and 2, Roberts argues that God’s final speaking by a Son, greater than the angels, the prophets and Moses, calls for the more earnest heed to what has been heard.

30. Lessons for Steadfastness from Sacred HistoryNo. 46 · 1 July 1873 · 28 min read aloud

    Roberts imagines travelling back eighteen centuries to Rome and then to Paul, a prisoner, letting Paul recount his conversion, and then traces Bible history back through the patriarchs and Noah to Eden.

31. Contentment Without Covetousness and the Sacrifice of PraiseNo. 47 · 1 August 1873 · 21 min read aloud

    Starting from the reading in Hebrews 13, Roberts warns against covetousness and the world’s pursuit of money, holding up Job as an example of riches rightly used and urging contentment in God’s promise never to leave or forsake His people.

32. Peter’s Comfort for Strangers Awaiting the InheritanceNo. 48 · 1 September 1873 · 22 min read aloud

    Turning from James to 1 Peter 1, Roberts presents Peter’s words as comfort for believers who are strangers and sojourners in the present world, urging them to gird up the loins of the mind, pass their sojourning in fear, be holy, and keep the Word in earnest memory.

33. Sardis: A Name to Live, and DeadNo. 50 · 1 January 1874 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Revelation 3

    Takes the Lord’s message to the ecclesia in Sardis as instruction for every ecclesia, including Birmingham, beginning with his assurance ‘I know thy works’.

34. Love Christ: His Character and Coming GloryNo. 51 · 1 February 1874 · 23 min read aloud

    Beginning from the breaking of bread, the speaker describes the love of Christ as the strongest motive among men and sets out the many sides of his character, which are all to be imitated, not only the gentle ones.

35. Honour God by Daily Bible ReadingNo. 54 · 1 May 1874 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Romans 1

    Beginning from the saying that all that was written aforetime was written for our learning, the speaker urges daily, patient and prayerful reading of the Bible as against the occasional study of mere scholarship.

36. Uncarefulness: Christ’s Free Men in a Passing WorldNo. 55 · 1 June 1874 · 23 min read aloud

    Takes Paul’s counsel to the Corinthians to be without carefulness, applying it first to slave and free, master and servant: the believer in either condition belongs to Christ, and the present state is short, so its burdens may be borne patiently until the freedom and change of body that Christ will give at his coming.

37. Ignorance, Forbearance and the Place of SistersNo. 56 · 1 July 1874 · 24 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s words ‘If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant’ (1 Cor. xiv. 37), it urges that the truth must not be governed by pusillanimity or misplaced charity, and that the ‘bearing’ of the strong with the weak in Romans xv. concerns matters outside the faith and not its doctrines and precepts.

38. Humility, Prayer and Mercy: Principles of the KingdomNo. 61 · 1 December 1874 · 21 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 28, Daniel 2

    Noting that the events of Daniel’s image have run their course without us and that the end is near, the speaker says the question at Christ’s appearing will be whether our lives have been in harmony with the principles of the kingdom, which differ from the world’s wisdom.

39. Paul’s Exhortation: Holiness, Love and Liberal GivingNo. 62 · 1 January 1875 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 32, 1 Thessalonians 4

    Taking comfort from the psalm read, the speaker turns to Paul’s example and to 1 Thessalonians, urging the brethren to abound more and more in a walk that pleases God.

40. Faithful Exhortation and the Fear of GodNo. 63 · 1 February 1875 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 38

    Urges the brethren to keep assembling and exhorting one another daily, noting the restoration of the Spanish monarchy and the Jewish Board of Deputies’ decision on Sir Moses Montefiore’s Holy Land scheme as signs of the Lord’s approach.

41. God Exalted: Confidence from Psalm 46No. 64 · 1 April 1875 · 21 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 46

    Takes two points from Psalm 46: the confidence in God that sustains believers in trouble (verse 1) and the declaration ‘I will be exalted’ (verse 10).

42. Obeying the Commandments of the Sermon on the MountNo. 72 · 1 December 1875 · 43 min read aloud

    Beginning from the breaking of bread, the exhortation says obedience is the great lesson of the faith and the test by which Christ’s friends will be known at his coming.

43. Seeking Wisdom Against the Senses’ False ImpressionsNo. 74 · 1 February 1876 · 22 min read aloud

    Starting from the weekly breaking of bread as a needed reminder, the exhortation rejects the theories that man has a light within or a permanent store of knowledge, and says that light comes from without, through the gospel believed and obeyed.

44. Fellowship in Christ’s Sufferings and Coming GloryNo. 75 · 1 April 1876 · 39 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 99

    Contemplating the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, the speaker says Christ’s sufferings were largely mental, caused by a world indifferent to God, and that believers share them as pilgrims in an evil world; he contrasts the living sacrifice God requires with the penances of Charles V. and the early martyrs.

45. Solomon’s Proverbs as the Oracles of GodNo. 76 · 1 June 1876 · 28 min read aloud

    Taking Peter’s rule to speak “as the oracles of God”, the speaker argues that Solomon’s Proverbs carry apostolic authority and that they supply correctives against extremes: diligence against shiftless trust, warnings against haste to be rich, firmness towards fools and false brethren alongside kindness, and knowledge against the dangers of pride.

46. Israel’s Empty Worship and Salt Without SavourNo. 77 · 1 August 1876 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 58

    Taking the apostolic call to behold the goodness and severity of God, the speaker says Israel’s sacrifices and feasts were rejected because they lacked love to God and care for neighbour, and that believers who rely on knowledge, baptism and breaking of bread without these may fall into the same position.

47. One God Speaking: Rejoice, Bear Fruit, Glorify GodNo. 78 · 1 November 1876 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 20

    Starting from the readings in Ezekiel and from Jesus, the exhortation says that the same God speaks by the prophets and by his Son, with the same aim of bringing men to obedience, and that Gentile believers, grafted into Israel’s olive tree, are exhorted to rejoice.

48. Going Forth Without the Camp: Truth and WorksNo. 79 · 1 December 1876 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 13

    Taking Paul’s exhortation to go forth unto Christ without the camp, the speaker says that it meant excommunication for Jewish believers and, for the brethren, separation from the popular religious system, which does not uphold “the truth” as the pillar and ground of it.

49. Lovers of Pleasure More Than Lovers of GodNo. 80 · 1 January 1877 · 19 min read aloud · Read: 2 Timothy 3, 2 Timothy 4

    Taking the apostolic warnings about the dangers of the present evil world, the speaker says the love of pleasure is the danger named in the chapters read, and that those who have only a form of godliness deny its power as seed that is not allowed to bear fruit.

50. The Wedding Garment: Personal Righteousness Required of GuestsNo. 83 · 1 April 1877 · 20 min read aloud

    Taking the parable of the marriage feast, the speaker shows that the Gentiles of the highways and hedges are invited through Paul’s word, but that being called is not enough: the guest without a wedding garment is cast out.

51. Obedience to Commandments, Not Mere Interest in ProphecyNo. 84 · 1 May 1877 · 18 min read aloud

    The basis of the ecclesia is the work of the apostles, and the first-century brethren were faithful without the excitement of the political signs of the times.

52. Walking Worthy of God: Constant ExhortationNo. 87 · 1 August 1877 · 27 min read aloud

    Pointing to Paul’s practice of exhorting the brethren constantly, the exhortation says the matters needing constant repetition are not the first principles but our moral relation to God and to the world, summed up in the command to “walk worthy of God”.

53. A Rebellious House: Understanding and WitnessingNo. 89 · 1 November 1877 · 21 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 12

    Starting from the reading of the prophets, the exhortation says believers now understand what Israel and the churches around us do not, and that this shows them, like Ezekiel, living in the midst of a rebellious house whose ways, not only its opinions, are contrary to the Scriptures.

54. Daniel: Adversity, Temperance, Integrity and Open PrayerNo. 90 · 1 December 1877 · 25 min read aloud

    Taking Daniel, read that morning, as a brother “greatly beloved”, the exhortation first shows that apparent evil (the captivity, like the good figs of Jeremiah 24) may be God’s way of leading His people to good.

55. Guided by God’s Counsel in the ScripturesNo. 96 · 1 June 1878 · 26 min read aloud

    Taking ‘Thou wilt guide me by Thy counsel and afterwards receive me to glory,’ the speaker says believers are guided now by the written word, which makes the man of God thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

56. Not Sleeping as Others: Watching and EnduringNo. 98 · 1 August 1878 · 26 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s call not to sleep as others do but to watch and be sober in view of the day of the Lord, the speaker likens the world’s unawareness to a sleeper robbed by a burglar.

57. Minding the Things of the SpiritNo. 100 · 1 October 1878 · 21 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s contrast between those who are after the flesh and those who are after the spirit, the speaker says the weekly breaking of bread does not lose its interest, and that the world is almost wholly given to the things of the flesh.

58. Gentile Fellow-Heirship and Walking Worthy of the CallingNo. 101 · 1 November 1878 · 29 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s words in Ephesians about the mystery that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, the speaker argues that orthodox believers in the immortality of the soul cannot understand it, since before Paul’s mission the Gentiles were without hope and were admitted only through the gospel.

59. Paul as the Appointed Pattern for BelieversNo. 102 · 1 December 1878 · 27 min read aloud

    Starting from the proverb that he who walks with wise men shall be wise, the speaker says that society dismisses Paul as obsolete, whereas Christ chose him and he repeatedly told believers to follow his example.

60. Paul as Model: Recognition of GodNo. 103 · 1 January 1879 · 22 min read aloud

    Taking up the apostle Paul as the model Christ has set before disciples, the exhortation dwells on his constant, practical recognition of God in all he did, shown in his use of “if the Lord will”, his appeals to God as witness, and his habit of prayer.

61. Praise, Hardness of Heart, and Daily ReadingNo. 106 · 1 April 1879 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 95

    On Psalm 95, the exhortation says praise is reasonable because the Lord is a great God and Creator, notes why “the deep places of the earth” are mentioned, and describes the full praise that will be offered when Christ and his brethren are manifested.

62. True Wisdom Versus the Wisdom of the WorldNo. 107 · 1 May 1879 · 24 min read aloud

    The speaker asks what wisdom is, contrasting the world’s claims to wisdom with Paul’s words that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

63. Israel’s Restoration and the Believer’s FightNo. 110 · 1 August 1879 · 32 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 43, Revelation 2, Revelation 3

    Beginning with the privilege of hearing God’s voice in the readings, the speaker says Isaiah shows that Israel’s calamities were God’s doing and not merely human prowess, and that the next chapter promises restoration.

64. God’s Mercy and the Forgiven Believer’s ConductNo. 111 · 1 September 1879 · 19 min read aloud

    Begins from the wisdom shown in creation and argues that the Bible, which makes everything of God, answers the self-evolution theory and settles the question of the Creator.

65. Mortality, Obedience and the Day of JudgmentNo. 113 · 1 November 1879 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 17, Luke 13

    Starts from the four figures in the Ezekiel 17 reading (Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, the king of Judah and the prophet), all long dead, to show that the present life is brief yet decides the future.

66. Growing in Christ’s Priesthood and the HopeNo. 115 · 1 January 1880 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 3

    Starting from the reading in Hebrews 3, the speaker urges believers to grow in the truth, saying growth depends on daily companionship with the word and the avoidance of worldly company.

67. Betrothal to Christ and the Lamb’s MarriageNo. 117 · 1 March 1880 · 22 min read aloud

    Taking the blessing on those called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the speaker says the Bride is the saints, so those now called are invited to take part in the union and not merely to watch it.

68. Election Signs, Christ’s Coming, Fruits of the SpiritNo. 119 · 1 May 1880 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Galatians 5

    Takes the 1880 general election as a sign of the times and says that the Liberal victory must serve the purpose of God, as Joseph’s sale into Egypt did, so that believers can only watch the developing latter-day situation.

69. Proverbs 28: Contending, Prayer, Mercy, Lion and BearNo. 120 · 1 June 1880 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Proverbs 28

    Takes points from Proverbs 28 as read that morning. Verse 4 shows Christ and his brethren contending with the wicked, which the writer distinguishes from mere contentiousness, and says a believer should not expect to be well spoken of by the world.

70. Life’s Brevity, God’s Mercy, and Husbands and WivesNo. 122 · 1 August 1880 · 23 min read aloud · Read: 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 3

    Begins from the passing of human generations and the vanity of present life, and sets against it the hope and ‘abundant mercy’ of 1 Peter 1, which promises relief from every present trouble.

71. Godliness: God Chooses Those Who Fear HimNo. 131 · 1 July 1881 · 27 min read aloud

    Starting from the unshaken foundation on which believers stand, the speaker asks whether Christ will accept those who have accepted him, and finds the answer in the Spirit’s declaration that the Lord has chosen ‘him that is godly.’ Godliness is held to be devotion to God himself, as shown in the Mosaic and Christian systems and in Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus, rather than the mere ‘manliness’ of popular Christianity.

72. Self-Examination: Weakness, Will and Daily ReadingNo. 133 · 1 September 1881 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Romans 7

    Invites the brethren to review the past six days. Using Romans 7, he distinguishes the unavoidable weakness of the flesh, which will be forgiven through Christ’s intercession, from deliberate, wilful sin, which excludes from the kingdom, illustrating the two with Peter and Judas.

73. The Rechabites and Obedience to CommandmentsNo. 134 · 1 October 1881 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Jeremiah 35

    From the interview between Jeremiah and the Rechabites, who obeyed their father’s command to drink no wine while Israel disregarded God’s, the speaker draws the lesson that the words of a man are obeyed and the words of God are not.

74. Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians: Knowledge and FruitfulnessNo. 136 · 1 January 1882 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Colossians 1

    Taking the first chapter of Colossians, the exhortation says Paul gave thanks for the brethren because of their love to all the saints on account of the hope laid up for them, and that this is the love believers should have, not an attachment to personal qualities.

75. Wisdom Begins with the Fear of the LordNo. 139 · 1 May 1882 · 30 min read aloud

    Starting from the praise of wisdom in Proverbs, the speaker says wisdom is the right adaptation of means to good ends, seen in nature and revealed to man in the Scriptures, where God makes known how free will should be used.

76. Doing God’s Will: Mercy, Works and ForgivenessNo. 142 · 1 August 1882 · 29 min read aloud

    Starting from the frequency of ‘the will of God’ in the apostolic writings, the speaker takes the reading in Isaiah, where a ceremonially religious Israel is reproved for lacking mercy and kindness to others.

77. Putting On the Whole Armour of GodNo. 143 · 1 October 1882 · 30 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s exhortation to put on the whole armour of God, the exhortation says believers are in a life-and-death battle against the inherited sentence of death, the carnal mind, unbelief, ignorance, and the love of the world.

78. David’s Shortcomings and the Psalms’ ImprecationsNo. 146 · 1 May 1883 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 40

    Taking Psalm 40 as its starting point, the exhortation explains two features of the Psalms.

79. True Agnosticism and Charity Toward the WeakNo. 147 · 1 June 1883 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 Corinthians 8

    Taking 1 Corinthians 8, the speaker says knowledge by itself puffs up, and that Paul and modern science agree nothing can be known of the ultimate nature of things in the philosophical sense.

80. The World’s Hatred of the Sons of GodNo. 148 · 1 August 1883 · 22 min read aloud

    Taking John’s words that believers are called the sons of God, the speaker says the world knows them not because it knew not Christ.

81. God Alone Is to Be ExaltedNo. 155 · 1 April 1884 · 22 min read aloud Robert Ashcroft and Robert Roberts

    Opens with an extract by R. Ashcroft arguing that all life and power come from God, that men wrongly exalt the creature, and that Scripture praises only spiritual qualities and never natural greatness.

82. Equal with the Angels: Confidence, Joy and DoingNo. 157 · 1 June 1884 · 26 min read aloud

    Starts from the prospect of being made equal to the angels and notes that Christ says not all who are called will be chosen.

83. Overcoming the Old Man by Reading the ScripturesNo. 162 · 1 November 1884 · 22 min read aloud

    The speaker says the apostolic call to ‘overcome’ is a war in the mind between the old man, the natural state, and the new man, formed by divine ideas.

84. Light from Job, Jonah and HebrewsNo. 175 · 1 February 1887 · 27 min read aloud

    Taking the morning’s three readings as the “words” of God that give light, the speaker finds in Job a rich man who used wealth faithfully and a pattern of patience toward God in unexplained trouble, which God uses to teach dependence and which is the preliminary discipline of those who will inherit the kingdom.

85. Praising God: the Psalms and His PurposeNo. 177 · 1 April 1887 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 107

    Starting from the refrain of Psalm 107, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness”, the speaker argues that praise of God is reasonable, since the universe shows a Maker, and that revelation lets us praise Him knowing His purpose with us in Christ.

86. Life Without God: Darkness Needing the LightNo. 179 · 1 June 1887 · 30 min read aloud · Read: Ecclesiastes 3

    The exhortation takes Ecclesiastes’ “a time to be born and a time to die” as a reminder of mortal birth, of the coffin, and of the sentence of death under which all are born, and urges that remembering death makes for sober, godly living.

87. Overcoming as Christ Did: Crucifying the Old ManNo. 252 · 1 April 1894 · 20 min read aloud

    Starting from the wonder that Christ is remembered every week, the speaker turns to the chapter read, which shows Jesus in Gethsemane submitting the Father’s will over his own.

88. The Meaning of Christ’s Death Against SubstitutionNo. 258 · 1 October 1894 · 23 min read aloud

    Beginning from the risen Christ’s interest in the disciples on the Emmaus road and in the breaking of bread, the speaker explains why sin brought death and why God chose a middle way, enforcing the law while offering mercy to the repentant.

89. Fulfilled Prophecy of Tyre and the Overcoming LifeNo. 259 · 1 November 1894 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 25, Ezekiel 26, Ezekiel 27, Ezekiel 28

    The speaker says believers stand between the old man and the new, and that God alone can make all things new, which is why His words are to be trusted as true.

90. Learning From Jehoram, Daniel, and AnaniasNo. 260 · 1 December 1894 · 24 min read aloud

    The speaker urges reading the apostolic narratives in the settled conviction that they are true, and then draws a lesson from each of the three portions read.

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