Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 02 - The Sower Went Forth to Sow - Christ's Object Lessons

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02 - The Sower Went Forth to Sow - Christ's Object Lessons · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Chapter two, the sower went forth to sow. By the
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Speaker 1: parable of the sower, Christ illustrates the things of the
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Speaker 1: Kingdom of Heaven and the work of the great Husbandman
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Speaker 1: for his people. Like a sower in the field, he
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Speaker 1: came to scatter the heavenly grain of truth, and his
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Speaker 1: parable teaching itself was the seed with which the most
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Speaker 1: precious truths of His grace were sown. Because of its simplicity,
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Speaker 1: the parable of the sower has not been valued as
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Speaker 1: it should be. From the natural seed cast into the soil.
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Speaker 1: Christ desires to lead our minds to the Gospel seed,
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Speaker 1: the sowing of which results in bringing man back to
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Speaker 1: his loyalty to God. He who gave the parable of
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Speaker 1: the tiny seed is the sovereign of Heaven, and the
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Speaker 1: same laws that govern the earthly seed sowing govern the
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Speaker 1: sowing of the seeds of truth. By the Sea of Galilee,
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Speaker 1: a company had gathered to see and hear Jesus, an eager,
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Speaker 1: expectant throng. The sick were there, lying on their mats,
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Speaker 1: waiting to present their case before him. It was Christ's
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Speaker 1: god given right to heal the woes of a sinful race,
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Speaker 1: and he now rebuked disease and diffused around him life
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Speaker 1: and health and peace. As the crowd continued to increase,
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Speaker 1: the people pressed close about Christ until there was no
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Speaker 1: room to receive them. Then, speaking a word to the
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Speaker 1: men in their fishing boats, he stepped into the boat
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Speaker 1: that was waiting to take him across the lake, and,
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Speaker 1: bidding his disciples push off a little from the land,
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Speaker 1: he spoke to the multitude. Upon the shore. Beside the
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Speaker 1: sea lay the beautiful plain of Gennesaret. Beyond rose the hills,
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Speaker 1: and upon hillside and plain, both sowers and reapers were busy,
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Speaker 1: the one casting seed, the other harvesting the early grain.
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Speaker 1: Looking upon the scene, Christ said, behold, the sower went
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Speaker 1: forth to sow, And as he sowed, some seeds fell
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Speaker 1: by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them.
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Speaker 1: Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth,
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Speaker 1: and forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness
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Speaker 1: of earth, And when the sun was up they were scorched.
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Speaker 1: And because they had no root, they withered away. And
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Speaker 1: some fell among the thorns, and the thorns sprung up
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Speaker 1: and choked them. But others fell into good ground and
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Speaker 1: brought forth fruit. Some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
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Speaker 1: Christ's mission was not understood by the people of his time.
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Speaker 1: The manner of his coming was not in accordance with
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Speaker 1: their expectations. The Lord Jesus was the foundation of the
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Speaker 1: whole Jewish economy. Its imposing services were of divine appointment.
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Speaker 1: They were designed to teach people that at the time
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Speaker 1: appointed one would come to whom these ceremonies pointed. But
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Speaker 1: the Jews had exalted the forms and ceremonies and had
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Speaker 1: lost sight of their object. The traditions, maxims, and enactments
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Speaker 1: of men hid from them the lessons which God intended
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Speaker 1: to convey. These maxims and traditions became an obstacle to
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Speaker 1: their understanding and practice of true religion. And when the
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Speaker 1: reality came in the person of Christ, they did not
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Speaker 1: recognize in him the fulfillment of all their types, the
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Speaker 1: substance of all their shadows. They rejected the antetype and
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Speaker 1: clung to their types and useless ceremonies. The Son of
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Speaker 1: God had come, but they continued to ask for a sign,
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Speaker 1: the message repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is
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Speaker 1: at hand. They answered by demands for a miracle. The
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Speaker 1: Gospel of Christ was a stumbling block to them, because
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Speaker 1: they demanded signs instead of a savior. They expected the
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Speaker 1: Messiah to prove his claims by mighty deeds of conquest,
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Speaker 1: to establish his empire on the ruins of earthly kingdoms.
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Speaker 1: This expectation Christ answered in the Parable of the Sower.
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Speaker 1: Not by force of arms, not by violent interpositions, was
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Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God to prevail, but by implanting of
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Speaker 1: a new principle in the hearts of men. He that
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Speaker 1: soweth the good seed is the son of Man. Christ
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Speaker 1: had come not as a king, but as a sower,
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Speaker 1: not for the overthrow of kingdoms, but for the scattering
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Speaker 1: of seed. Not to point his followers to earthly triumphs
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Speaker 1: and national greatness, but to a harvest to be gathered
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Speaker 1: after patient toil and through losses and disappointments. The Pharisees
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Speaker 1: perceived the meaning of Christ's Parable, but to them its
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Speaker 1: lesson was unwelcome. They affected not to understand it to
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Speaker 1: the multitude it involved in still greater mystery, the purpose
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Speaker 1: of the new teacher, whose words had so strangely moved
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Speaker 1: their hearts and so bitterly disappointed their ambitions. The disciples
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Speaker 1: themselves had not understood the parable, but their interest was awakened.
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Speaker 1: They came to Jesus privately and asked for an explanation.
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Speaker 1: This was the desire which Christ wished to arouse, that
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Speaker 1: he might give them more definite instruction. He explained the
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Speaker 1: parable to them, as he will make plain his word
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Speaker 1: to all who seek Him in sincerity of heart. Those
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Speaker 1: who study the Word of God with hearts open to
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Speaker 1: the enlightenment of the Holy sp Spirit will not remain
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Speaker 1: in darkness as to the meaning of the word. If
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Speaker 1: any man willeth to do his will, Christ said, he
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Speaker 1: shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God
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Speaker 1: or whether I speak from myself. All who come to
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Speaker 1: Christ for a clearer knowledge of the truth will receive it.
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Speaker 1: He will unfold to them the mysteries of the Kingdom
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Speaker 1: of Heaven, and these mysteries will be understood by the
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Speaker 1: heart that longs to know the truth. A heavenly light
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Speaker 1: will shine into the Soul temple and will be revealed
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Speaker 1: to others as the bright shining of a lamp on
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Speaker 1: a dark path. The sower went forth to sow in
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Speaker 1: the east. The state of affairs was so unsettled, and
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Speaker 1: there was so great danger from violence that the people
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Speaker 1: dwelt chiefly in walled towns, and the husbandmen went forth
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Speaker 1: daily to their labor outside the walls. So Christ, the
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Speaker 1: heavenly Sower, went forth to sow. He left his home
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Speaker 1: of security and peace, left the glory that he had
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Speaker 1: with the Father before the world was left his position
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Speaker 1: upon the throne of the universe. He went forth, a suffering,
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Speaker 1: tempted man, went forth in solitude to sow, in tears,
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Speaker 1: to water with his blood the seed of life. For
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Speaker 1: a world lost, his servants in like manner, must go
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Speaker 1: forth to So when called to become a sower of
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Speaker 1: the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, get THEE out
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Speaker 1: of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
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Speaker 1: father's house unto a land that I will show THEE.
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Speaker 1: And he went out, not knowing whither he went. So
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Speaker 1: to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem,
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Speaker 1: came the message from God, depart, for I will send
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Speaker 1: THEE far hence unto the gentiles. So those who are
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Speaker 1: called to unite with Christ must leave all in order
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Speaker 1: to follow him. Old associations must be broken up plans
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Speaker 1: of life, relinquished earthly hopes, surrendered in toil and tears.
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Speaker 1: In solitude and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown.
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Speaker 1: The sower soweth the word Christ to sow the world
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Speaker 1: with truth. Ever since the fall of Man, Satan has
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Speaker 1: been sowing the seeds of error. It was by a
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Speaker 1: lie that he first gained control over men, and thus
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Speaker 1: he still works to overthrow God's kingdom in the earth
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Speaker 1: and to bring men under his power. A sower from
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Speaker 1: a higher world, Christ came to sow the seeds of truth.
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Speaker 1: He who had stood in the counsels of God, who
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Speaker 1: had dwelt in the innermost sanctuary of the eternal, could
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Speaker 1: bring to men the pure principles of truth. Ever since
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Speaker 1: the fall of Man, Christ had been the revealer of
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Speaker 1: truth to the world. By him, the incorruptible seed, the
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Speaker 1: Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, is communicated
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Speaker 1: to men in that first promise spoken to our fallen
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Speaker 1: race in Eden, Christ was sowing the Gospel seed. But
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Speaker 1: it is to his personal ministry among men, and to
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Speaker 1: the work which he thus established, that the parable of
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Speaker 1: the sower especially applies. The Word of God is the
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Speaker 1: seed every seed has in itself a germinating principle in it.
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Speaker 1: The life of the plant is enfolded. So there is
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Speaker 1: life in God's word. Christ says, the words that I
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Speaker 1: speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
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Speaker 1: He that heareth my word and believeth on him that
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Speaker 1: hath sent me, hath everlasting life. In every command and
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Speaker 1: in every promise of the Word of God is the power,
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Speaker 1: the very life of God by which the command may
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Speaker 1: be fulfilled and the promise realized. He who, by faith
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Speaker 1: receives the Word is receiving the very life and character
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Speaker 1: of God. Every seed brings forth fruit after its kind.
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Speaker 1: Sow the seed under right conditions, and it will develop
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Speaker 1: its own life in the plant. Receive into the soul
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Speaker 1: by faith the incorruptible seed of the Word, and it
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Speaker 1: will bring forth a character and a life after the
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Speaker 1: similitude of the character and the life of God. The
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Speaker 1: teachers of Israel were not sowing the seed of the
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Speaker 1: Word of God. Christ's work as a teacher of truth
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Speaker 1: was in marked contrast to that of the rabbis of
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Speaker 1: his life. They dwelt upon traditions, upon human theories and speculations,
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Speaker 1: often that which man had taught and written about the Word.
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Speaker 1: They put in place of the Word itself. Their teaching
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Speaker 1: had no power to quicken the soul. The subject of
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Speaker 1: Christ's teaching and preaching was the Word of God. He
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Speaker 1: met questioners with the plain it is written, what saith
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Speaker 1: the scriptures? How readest thou. At every opportunity, when an
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Speaker 1: interest was awakened by either friend or foe, he sowed
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Speaker 1: the seed of the Word. He who is the Way,
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Speaker 1: the Truth, and the Life himself, the living Word, points
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Speaker 1: to the scriptures, saying, they are they which testify of Me.
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Speaker 1: And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he opened
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Speaker 1: to his disciples in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
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Speaker 1: Christ's servants are to do the same work in our
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Speaker 1: day as of old. The vital truths of God's Word
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Speaker 1: are set aside for human theories and speculations. Many professed
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Speaker 1: ministers of the Gospel do not accept the whole Bible
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Speaker 1: is the inspired Word. One wise man rejects one portion,
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Speaker 1: another questions another part. They set up their judgment as
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Speaker 1: superior to the Word, and the scripture which they do
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Speaker 1: teach rests upon their own authority. Its divine authenticity is destroyed.
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Speaker 1: Thus the seeds of infidelity are sown broadcast for the
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Speaker 1: people become confused and know not what to believe. There
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Speaker 1: are many beliefs that the mind has no right to entertain.
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Speaker 1: In the days of Christ, the rabbis put a forced
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Speaker 1: mystical construction upon many portions of scripture. Because the plain
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Speaker 1: teaching of God's word condemned their practices, they tried to
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Speaker 1: destroy its force. The same thing is done to day.
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Speaker 1: The word of God is made to appear mysterious and
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Speaker 1: obscure in order to excuse transgression of his law. Christ
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Speaker 1: rebuked these practices. In his day. He taught that the
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Speaker 1: word of God was to be understood by all. He
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Speaker 1: pointed to the scriptures as of unquestionable authority, and we
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Speaker 1: should do the same. The Bible is to be presented
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Speaker 1: as the word of the infinite God, as the end
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Speaker 1: of all controversy and the foundation of all faith. The
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Speaker 1: Bible has been robbed of its power, and the results
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Speaker 1: are seen in a lowering of the tone of spiritual life.
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Speaker 1: In the sermons from many pulpits of today. There is
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Speaker 1: not that divine manifestation which awakens the conscience and brings
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Speaker 1: life to the soul. The hearers cannot say, did not
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Speaker 1: our heart burn within us while He talked with us
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Speaker 1: by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures.
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Speaker 1: There are many who are crying out for the living God,
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Speaker 1: longing for the divine presence. Philosophical theories or literary essays,
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Speaker 1: however brilliant, cannot satisfy the heart. The assertions and inventions
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Speaker 1: of men are of no value. Let the word of
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Speaker 1: God speak to the people. Let those who have heard
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Speaker 1: only traditions and human theories and maxims hear the voice
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Speaker 1: of Him whose word can renew the soul unto everlasting life.
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Speaker 1: Christ's favorite theme was the paternal tenderness and abundant grace
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Speaker 1: of God. He dwelt much upon the holiness of his
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Speaker 1: character and his law. He presented himself to the people
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Speaker 1: as the Way, the truth, and the life. Let these
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Speaker 1: be the themes of Christ's ministers. Present the truth as
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Speaker 1: it is in Jesus, make plain the requirements of the
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Speaker 1: law and the Gospel. Tell the people of Christ's life
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Speaker 1: of self denial and sacrifice, of his humiliation and death,
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Speaker 1: of his resurrection and ascension, of his intercession for them.
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Speaker 1: In the courts of God, of his promise, I will
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Speaker 1: come again and receive you unto myself. Instead of discussing
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Speaker 1: erroneous theories or seeking to combat the opponents of the Gospel,
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Speaker 1: follow the example of Christ. Let fresh truths from God's
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Speaker 1: treasure house flash into life. Preach the word so beside
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Speaker 1: all waters be instant in season and out of season.
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Speaker 1: He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.
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Speaker 1: What is the chaff to the wheat? Saith the Lord.
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Speaker 1: Every word word of God is pure. Add thou not
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Speaker 1: unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be
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Speaker 1: found a liar. The soer soeth the word. Here is
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Speaker 1: presented the great principle which should underlie all educational work.
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Speaker 1: The seed is the word of God. But in too
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Speaker 1: many schools in our day, God's word is set aside.
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Speaker 1: Other subjects occupy the mind. The study of infidel authors
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Speaker 1: holds a large place in the educational system Skeptical sentiments
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Speaker 1: are interwoven in the matter placed in school books. Scientific
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Speaker 1: research becomes misleading because its discoveries are misinterpreted and perverted.
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Speaker 1: The word of God is compared with the supposed teachings
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Speaker 1: of science and is made to appear uncertain and untrustworthy.
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Speaker 1: Thus the seeds of doubt are planted in the minds
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Speaker 1: of the youth, and in time of temptation they spring up.
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Speaker 1: When faith in God's word is lost, the soul has
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Speaker 1: no guide, no safeguard. The youth are drawn into paths
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Speaker 1: which lead away from God and from everlasting life. To
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Speaker 1: this cause may in great degree be attributed the widespread
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Speaker 1: iniquity of our world to day. When the Word of
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Speaker 1: God is set aside, its power to restrain the evil
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Speaker 1: passions of the natural heart is rejected men so to
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Speaker 1: the flesh, and of the flesh they reap corruption. And
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Speaker 1: here too is the great cause of mental weakness and inefficiency.
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Speaker 1: In turning from God's word to feed on the writings
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Speaker 1: of uninspired men, the mind becomes dwarfed and cheapened. It
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Speaker 1: is not brought in contact with deep, broad principles of
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Speaker 1: eternal truth. The understanding adapts itself to the comprehension of
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Speaker 1: the things with which it is familiar, and in this
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Speaker 1: devotion to finite things it is weakened. Its power is contracted,
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Speaker 1: and after a time it becomes unable to expand. All
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Speaker 1: this is false education. The work of every teacher should
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Speaker 1: be to fasten the mind of the youth upon the
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Speaker 1: grand truths of the Word of Inspiration. This is the
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Speaker 1: education essential for this life and for the life to come.
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Speaker 1: And let it not be thought that this will prevent
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Speaker 1: the study of the sciences or cause a lower standard
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Speaker 1: in education. The knowledge of God is as high as
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Speaker 1: heaven and as broad as the universe. There is nothing
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Speaker 1: so ennobling and invigorating as a study of the great
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Speaker 1: themes which concern our eternal life. Let the youth seek
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Speaker 1: to grasp these God given truths, and their minds will
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Speaker 1: expand and grow strong in the effort. It will bring
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Speaker 1: every student who is a doer of the Word into
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Speaker 1: a broader field of thought, and secure for him a
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Speaker 1: wealth of knowledge that is imperishable. The education to be
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Speaker 1: secured by searching the scriptures is an experimental knowledge of
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Speaker 1: the plan of salvation. Such education will restore the image
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Speaker 1: of God in the soul. It will strengthen and fortify
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Speaker 1: the mind against temptation, and fit the learner to become
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Speaker 1: a co worker with Christ in his mission of mercy
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Speaker 1: to the world. It will make him a member of
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Speaker 1: the heavenly family and prepare him to share the inheritance
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Speaker 1: of the saints in light. But the teacher of sacred
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Speaker 1: truth can impart only that which he himself knows by experience.
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Speaker 1: The sower sowed his seed. Christ taught the truth because
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Speaker 1: he was the truth. His own thought, his character, his
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Speaker 1: life experience was embodied in his teaching. So with his servants.
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Speaker 1: Those who would teach the Word are to make it
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Speaker 1: their own by a personal experience. They must know what
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Speaker 1: it is to have Christ made unto them wisdom and righteousness,
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Speaker 1: and sanctification and redemption. In presenting the Word of God
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Speaker 1: to others, they are not to make it a suppose
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Speaker 1: so or a maybe. They should declare, with the Apostle Peter,
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Speaker 1: we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made
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Speaker 1: known unto you the power and coming of our Lord
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Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his majesty. Every
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Speaker 1: minister of Christ and every teacher should be able to say,
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Speaker 1: with the beloved John, the life was manifested, and we
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Speaker 1: have seen it, and bear witness and show unto you
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Speaker 1: that eternal life which was with the Father and was
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Speaker 1: manifested unto us the soil by the wayside, that with
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Speaker 1: which the parable of the soer chiefly deals is the
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Speaker 1: effect produced on the growth of the seed by the
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Speaker 1: soil into which it is cast. By this parable, Christ
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Speaker 1: was virtually saying to his hearers, it is not safe
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Speaker 1: for you to stand as critics of my work or
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Speaker 1: to indulge disappointment, because it does not meet your ideas.
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Speaker 1: The question of greatest importance to you is how do
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Speaker 1: you treat my message upon your reception or rejection of it?
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Speaker 1: Your eternal destiny depends. Explaining the seed that fell by
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Speaker 1: the wayside, He said, when any one heareth the word
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Speaker 1: of the Kingdom and understandeth not, then cometh the wicked
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Speaker 1: one and catcheth the way that which was sown in
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Speaker 1: his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside.
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Speaker 1: The seed sown by the wayside represents the word of
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Speaker 1: God as falls upon the heart of an inattentive hearer,
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Speaker 1: like the hard beaten path trodden down by the feet
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Speaker 1: of men and beasts. It is the heart that becomes
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Speaker 1: a highway for the world's traffic, its pleasures and sins.
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Speaker 1: Absorbed in selfish aims and sinful indulgences, the soul is
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Speaker 1: hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, the spiritual faculties are paralyzed.
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Speaker 1: Men hear the Word but understand it not. They do
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Speaker 1: not discern that it applies to themselves. They do not
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Speaker 1: realize their need or their danger. They do not perceive
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Speaker 1: the love of Christ, and they pass by the message
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Speaker 1: of His grace as something that does not concern them.
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Speaker 1: As the birds are ready to catch up the seed
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Speaker 1: from the wayside, so Satan is ready to catch away
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Speaker 1: the seeds of divine truth from the soul. He fears
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Speaker 1: that the word of God may awaken the careless and
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Speaker 1: take effect upon the hardened heart. Satan and his angels
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Speaker 1: are in the assemblies where the Gospel is preached. While
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Speaker 1: angels of Heaven endeavor to impress hearts with the word
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Speaker 1: of God, the enemy is on the alert to make
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Speaker 1: the Word of no effect. With an earnestness equaled only
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Speaker 1: by his malice, he tries to thwart the work of
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Speaker 1: the spirit of God. While Christ is drawing the soul
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Speaker 1: by his love, Satan tries to turn away the attention
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Speaker 1: of the one who is moved to seek the Savior.
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Speaker 1: He engages the mind with worldly schemes. He excites criticism
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Speaker 1: or insinuates doubt and unbelief. The speaker's choice of language
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Speaker 1: or his manner may not please the hearers, and they
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Speaker 1: dwell upon these defects. Thus, the truth they need, and
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Speaker 1: which God has graciously sent them, makes no lasting impression.
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Speaker 1: Satan has many helpers. Many who profess to be Christians
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Speaker 1: are aiding the tempter to catch away the seeds of
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Speaker 1: truth from other hearts. Many who listen to the preaching
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Speaker 1: of the Word of God make it the subject of
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Speaker 1: criticism at home. They sit in judgment on the sermon
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Speaker 1: as they would on the words of a lecturer or
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Speaker 1: a political speaker. The message that should be regarded as
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Speaker 1: the word of the Lord to their is dwelt upon
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Speaker 1: with trifling or sarcastic comment. The minister's character, motives and actions,
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Speaker 1: and the conduct of fellow members of the church are
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Speaker 1: freely discussed. Severe judgment is pronounced, gossip or slander repeated,
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Speaker 1: and this in the hearing of the unconverted. Often these
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Speaker 1: things are spoken by parents in the hearing of their
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Speaker 1: own children. Thus are destroyed respect for God's messengers and
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Speaker 1: reverence for their message, and many are taught to regard
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Speaker 1: lightly God's word itself. Thus in the homes of professed Christians,
20:33
Speaker 1: Many youth are educated to be infidels, and the parents
20:36
Speaker 1: question why their children are so little interested in the
20:39
Speaker 1: Gospel and so ready to doubt the truth of the Bible.
20:42
Speaker 1: They wonder that it is so difficult to reach them
20:45
Speaker 1: with moral and religious influences. They do not see that
20:48
Speaker 1: their own example has hardened the hearts of their children.
20:52
Speaker 1: The good seed finds no place to take root, and
20:55
Speaker 1: Satan catches it away in stony places. He that received
21:01
Speaker 1: the seed into stony places, the same is he that
21:04
Speaker 1: heareth the Word and Anon with joy receiveth it. Yet
21:07
Speaker 1: hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while,
21:11
Speaker 1: For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word,
21:15
Speaker 1: by and by he is offended. The seed sown upon
21:19
Speaker 1: stony ground finds little depth of soil. The plant springs
21:23
Speaker 1: up quickly, but the root cannot penetrate the rock to
21:26
Speaker 1: find nutriment to sustain its growth, and it soon perishes.
21:30
Speaker 1: Many who make a profession of religion are stony ground hearers,
21:34
Speaker 1: Like the rock underlying the layer of earth. The selfishness
21:37
Speaker 1: of the natural heart underlies the soil of their good
21:40
Speaker 1: desires and aspirations. The love of self is not subdued.
21:45
Speaker 1: They have not seen the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and
21:48
Speaker 1: the heart has not been humbled under a sense of
21:50
Speaker 1: its guilt. This class may be easily convinced and appear
21:54
Speaker 1: to be bright converts, but they have only a superficial religion.
21:58
Speaker 1: It is not because men receive the Word immediately, nor
22:01
Speaker 1: because they rejoice in it, that they fall away. As
22:04
Speaker 1: soon as Matthew heard the Saviors call immediately, he rose up,
22:08
Speaker 1: left all and followed him. As soon as the divine
22:11
Speaker 1: word comes to our hearts, God desires us to receive it,
22:15
Speaker 1: and it is right to accept it with joy. Joy
22:18
Speaker 1: shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, and
22:21
Speaker 1: there is joy in the soul that believes on Christ.
22:24
Speaker 1: But those who, in the parable are said to receive
22:27
Speaker 1: the Word immediately do not count the cost. They do
22:30
Speaker 1: not consider what the Word of God requires of them.
22:33
Speaker 1: They do not bring it face to face with all
22:35
Speaker 1: their habits of life, and yield themselves fully to its control.
22:40
Speaker 1: The roots of the plant strike down deep into the soil,
22:43
Speaker 1: and hidden from sight, nourish the life of the plant.
22:46
Speaker 1: So with the Christian It is by the invisible union
22:49
Speaker 1: of the soul with Christ through faith, that the spiritual
22:52
Speaker 1: life is nourished. But the stony ground hearers depend upon
22:56
Speaker 1: self instead of Christ. They trust in their good works
22:59
Speaker 1: and good impulses, and are strong in their own righteousness.
23:03
Speaker 1: They are not strong in the Lord and in the
23:05
Speaker 1: power of His might. Such a one hath not root
23:09
Speaker 1: in himself, for he is not connected with Christ. The
23:13
Speaker 1: hot summer sun that strengthens and ripens the hardy grain
23:16
Speaker 1: destroys that which has no depth of root. So he
23:19
Speaker 1: who hath not root in himself dureth for a while.
23:23
Speaker 1: But when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word,
23:27
Speaker 1: by and by he is offended. Many receive the Gospel
23:30
Speaker 1: as a way of escape from suffering, rather than as
23:33
Speaker 1: a deliverance from sin. They rejoice for a season, for
23:37
Speaker 1: they think that religion will free them from difficulty and trial,
23:40
Speaker 1: while life moves smoothly with them. They may appear to
23:43
Speaker 1: be consistent Christians, but they faint beneath the fiery test
23:47
Speaker 1: of temptation. They cannot bear reproach for Christ's sake. When
23:51
Speaker 1: the Word of God points out some cherished sin or
23:54
Speaker 1: requires self denial or sacrifice. They are offended it would
23:59
Speaker 1: cost them too much much effort to make a radical
24:01
Speaker 1: change in their life. They look at the present inconvenience
24:05
Speaker 1: and trial, and forget the eternal realities. Like the disciples
24:09
Speaker 1: who left Jesus. They are ready to say this is
24:12
Speaker 1: a hard saying. Who can hear it? There are very
24:16
Speaker 1: many who claim to serve God, but who have no
24:18
Speaker 1: experimental knowledge of him. Their desire to do His will
24:22
Speaker 1: is based upon their own inclination, not upon the deep
24:25
Speaker 1: conviction of the Holy Spirit. Their conduct is not brought
24:29
Speaker 1: into harmony with the law of God. They profess to
24:32
Speaker 1: accept Christ as their savior, but they do not believe
24:35
Speaker 1: that he will give them power to overcome their sins.
24:38
Speaker 1: They have not a personal relation with the living Savior,
24:41
Speaker 1: and their characters reveal defects, both hereditary and cultivated. It
24:46
Speaker 1: is one thing to assent in a general way to
24:48
Speaker 1: the agency of the Holy Spirit, and another thing to
24:51
Speaker 1: accept his work as a reprover calling to repentance. Many
24:55
Speaker 1: feel a sense of estrangement from God, a realization of
24:59
Speaker 1: their bondage to self and sin. They make efforts for reform,
25:03
Speaker 1: but they do not crucify self They do not give
25:06
Speaker 1: themselves entirely into the hands of Christ, seeking for divine
25:10
Speaker 1: power to do his will. They are not willing to
25:12
Speaker 1: be molded after the divine similitude in a general way.
25:16
Speaker 1: They acknowledge their imperfections, but they do not give up
25:19
Speaker 1: their particular sins. With each wrong act, the old selfish
25:23
Speaker 1: nature is gaining strength. The only hope for these souls
25:27
Speaker 1: is to realize in themselves the truth of Christ's words
25:30
Speaker 1: to Nicodemus, ye must be born again. Except a man
25:34
Speaker 1: be born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
25:38
Speaker 1: True holiness is wholeness in the service of God. This
25:43
Speaker 1: is the condition of true Christian living. Christ asks for
25:46
Speaker 1: an unreserved consecration for undivided service. He demands the heart,
25:52
Speaker 1: the mind, the soul, the strength. Self is not to
25:55
Speaker 1: be cherished. He who lives to himself is not a Christian.
25:59
Speaker 1: Love must be the principle of action. Love is the
26:02
Speaker 1: underlying principle of God's government in heaven and Earth, and
26:06
Speaker 1: it must be the foundation of the Christian's character. This
26:10
Speaker 1: alone can make and keep him steadfast. This alone can
26:14
Speaker 1: enable him to withstand trial and temptation, and love will
26:18
Speaker 1: be revealed in sacrifice. The plan of redemption was laid
26:21
Speaker 1: in sacrifice, a sacrifice so broad and deep and high
26:26
Speaker 1: that it is immeasurable. Christ gave all for us, and
26:30
Speaker 1: those who receive Christ will be ready to sacrifice all
26:34
Speaker 1: for the sake of their redeemer. The thought of his
26:37
Speaker 1: honor and glory will come before anything else. If we
26:41
Speaker 1: love Jesus, we shall love to live for him, to
26:44
Speaker 1: present our thank offerings to him, to labor for him.
26:47
Speaker 1: The very labor will be light. For his sake. We
26:50
Speaker 1: shall covet pain and toil and sacrifice. We shall sympathize
26:56
Speaker 1: with his longing for the salvation of men. We shall
26:58
Speaker 1: feel the same tell under craving for souls that He
27:01
Speaker 1: has felt. This is the religion of Christ. Anything short
27:05
Speaker 1: of it is a deception. No mere theory of truth
27:09
Speaker 1: or profession of discipleship will save any soul. We do
27:12
Speaker 1: not belong to Christ unless we are His holy. It
27:16
Speaker 1: is by half heartedness in the Christian life that men
27:18
Speaker 1: become feeble in purpose and changeable in desire. The effort
27:23
Speaker 1: to serve both self and Christ makes one a stony
27:26
Speaker 1: ground hearer, and he will not endure when the test
27:29
Speaker 1: comes upon him among thorns. He also that received seed.
27:36
Speaker 1: Among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and
27:39
Speaker 1: the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches
27:42
Speaker 1: choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. The gospel seed
27:47
Speaker 1: often falls among thorns and noxious weeds. And if there
27:51
Speaker 1: is not a moral transformation in the human heart, if
27:54
Speaker 1: old habits and practices in the former life of sin
27:57
Speaker 1: are not left behind, if the attributes of satan are
28:00
Speaker 1: not expelled from the soul, the wheat crop will be choked.
28:04
Speaker 1: The thorns will come to be the crop and will
28:06
Speaker 1: kill out the wheat. Grace can thrive only in the
28:10
Speaker 1: heart that is being constantly prepared for the precious seeds
28:13
Speaker 1: of truth. The thorns of sin will grow in any soil.
28:16
Speaker 1: They need no cultivation, but grace must be carefully cultivated.
28:22
Speaker 1: The briars and thorns are always ready to spring up,
28:25
Speaker 1: and the work of purification must advance continually. If the
28:29
Speaker 1: heart is not kept under the control of God, if
28:31
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit does not work unceasingly to refine and
28:35
Speaker 1: ennoble the character, the old habits will reveal themselves in
28:38
Speaker 1: the life. Men may profess to believe the Gospel. But
28:42
Speaker 1: unless they are sanctified by the Gospel, their profession is
28:45
Speaker 1: of no avail. If they do not gain the victory
28:48
Speaker 1: over sin, then sin is gaining the victory over them.
28:52
Speaker 1: The thorns that have been cut off but not uprooted
28:54
Speaker 1: grow apace until the soul is overspread with them. Christ
28:59
Speaker 1: specified the things that are dangerous to the soul as
29:02
Speaker 1: recorded by Mark. He mentions the cares of this world,
29:05
Speaker 1: the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things.
29:09
Speaker 1: Luke specifies the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life.
29:13
Speaker 1: These are what choke the word the growing spiritual seed.
29:17
Speaker 1: The soul ceases to straw nourishment from Christ, and spirituality
29:21
Speaker 1: dies out of the heart. The cares of this world.
29:25
Speaker 1: No class is free from temptation to worldly care. To
29:28
Speaker 1: the poor, toil and deprivation, and the fear of want
29:32
Speaker 1: bring perplexities and burdens. To the rich, come fear of
29:36
Speaker 1: loss and a multitude of anxious cares. Many of Christ's
29:39
Speaker 1: followers forget the lesson he has bidden us learned from
29:42
Speaker 1: the flowers of the field. They do not trust to
29:45
Speaker 1: his constant care. Christ cannot carry their burden because they
29:49
Speaker 1: do not cast it upon him. Therefore, the cares of life,
29:53
Speaker 1: which should drive them to the Savior for help and comfort,
29:56
Speaker 1: separate them from him. Many who might be fruitful in
29:59
Speaker 1: God's servi become bent on acquiring wealth. Their whole energy
30:03
Speaker 1: is absorbed in business enterprises, and they feel obliged to
30:07
Speaker 1: neglect things of a spiritual nature. Thus they separate themselves
30:11
Speaker 1: from God. We are enjoined in the scriptures to be
30:14
Speaker 1: not slothful in business. We are to labor that we
30:18
Speaker 1: may impart to him who needs. Christians must work, they
30:21
Speaker 1: must engage in business. But they can do this without
30:24
Speaker 1: committing sin. But many become so absorbed in business that
30:28
Speaker 1: they have no time for prayer, no time for the
30:31
Speaker 1: study of the Bible, no time to seek and serve God.
30:35
Speaker 1: At times, the longings of the soul go out for
30:38
Speaker 1: holiness and heaven, but there is no time to turn
30:40
Speaker 1: aside from the din of the world to listen to
30:42
Speaker 1: the majestic and authoritative utterances of the Spirit of God.
30:47
Speaker 1: The things of eternity are made subordinate the things of
30:50
Speaker 1: the world supreme. It is impossible for the seed of
30:53
Speaker 1: the Word to bring forth fruit, for the life of
30:56
Speaker 1: the soul is given to nourish the thorns of worldliness,
31:00
Speaker 1: and many who are working with a very different purpose
31:02
Speaker 1: fall into like error. They are working for others good,
31:06
Speaker 1: their duties are pressing, their responsibilities are many, and they
31:10
Speaker 1: allow their labor to crowd out devotion. Communion with God
31:14
Speaker 1: through prayer and a study of His word is neglected.
31:17
Speaker 1: They forget what Christ has said. Without me, Ye can
31:20
Speaker 1: do nothing. They walk apart from Christ. Their life is
31:24
Speaker 1: not pervaded by His grace, and the characteristics of self
31:28
Speaker 1: are revealed. Their service is marred by desire for supremacy
31:32
Speaker 1: and the harsh, unlovely traits of the unsubdued heart. Here
31:36
Speaker 1: is one of the chief secrets of failure in Christian work.
31:39
Speaker 1: This is why its results are often so meager. The
31:43
Speaker 1: deceitfulness of riches, the love of riches, has an infatuating
31:47
Speaker 1: deceptive power. Too often, those who possess worldly treasure forget
31:52
Speaker 1: that it is God who gives them power to get wealth.
31:54
Speaker 1: They say, my power and the might of mine hand
31:57
Speaker 1: hath gotten me this wealth. The riches, instead of awakening
32:01
Speaker 1: gratitude to God, lead to the exaltation of self. They
32:06
Speaker 1: lose the sense of their dependence upon God. And their
32:08
Speaker 1: obligation to their fellow men. Instead of regarding wealth as
32:12
Speaker 1: a talent to be employed for the glory of God
32:14
Speaker 1: and the uplifting of humanity, they look upon it as
32:17
Speaker 1: a means of serving themselves, instead of developing in man
32:21
Speaker 1: the attributes of God. Riches thus used are developing in
32:24
Speaker 1: him the attributes of Satan. The seed of the Word
32:27
Speaker 1: is choked with thorns and pleasures of this life. There
32:33
Speaker 1: is danger in amusement that is sought merely for self gratification.
32:37
Speaker 1: All habits of indulgence that weaken the physical powers, that
32:40
Speaker 1: becloud the mind, or that benumb the spiritual perceptions are
32:44
Speaker 1: fleshly lusts which war against the soul, and the lusts
32:48
Speaker 1: of other things. These are not necessarily things sinful in themselves,
32:52
Speaker 1: but something that is made first instead of the kingdom
32:55
Speaker 1: of God. Whatever attracts the mind from God, whatever draws
32:59
Speaker 1: the ae infections away from Christ, is an enemy to
33:02
Speaker 1: the soul. When the mind is youthful and vigorous, and
33:05
Speaker 1: susceptible of rapid development, there is great temptation to be
33:09
Speaker 1: ambitious for self, to serve self. If worldly schemes are successful,
33:14
Speaker 1: there is an inclination to continue in a line that
33:16
Speaker 1: deadens conscience and prevents a correct estimate as to what
33:20
Speaker 1: constitutes real excellence of character. When circumstances favor this development,
33:25
Speaker 1: growth will be seen in a direction prohibited by the
33:28
Speaker 1: word of God. In this formative period of their children's life,
33:32
Speaker 1: the responsibility of parents is very great. It should be
33:36
Speaker 1: their study to surround the youth with right influences, influences
33:40
Speaker 1: that will give them correct views of life and its
33:42
Speaker 1: true success. Instead of this, how many parents make it
33:46
Speaker 1: their first object to secure for their children worldly prosperity.
33:50
Speaker 1: All their associations are chosen with reference to this object.
33:54
Speaker 1: Many parents make their home in some large city and
33:57
Speaker 1: introduce their children into fashionable society. They surround them with
34:01
Speaker 1: influences that encourage worldliness and pride. In this atmosphere, the
34:06
Speaker 1: mind and soul are dwarfed, the high and noble aims
34:10
Speaker 1: of life are lost. Sight of the privilege of being
34:13
Speaker 1: sons of God heirs of eternity is bartered for worldly gain.
34:18
Speaker 1: Many parents seek to promote the happiness of their children
34:21
Speaker 1: by gratifying their love of amusement. They allow them to
34:24
Speaker 1: engage in sports and to attend parties of pleasure. And
34:27
Speaker 1: provide them with money to use freely in display and
34:29
Speaker 1: self gratification. The more the desire for pleasure is indulged,
34:34
Speaker 1: the stronger it becomes. The interest of these youth is
34:37
Speaker 1: more and more absorbed in amusement, until they come to
34:40
Speaker 1: look upon it as the great object of life. They
34:43
Speaker 1: form habits of idleness and self indulgence that make it
34:46
Speaker 1: almost impossible for them ever to become steadfast Christians. Even
34:51
Speaker 1: the Church, which should be the pillar and ground of
34:53
Speaker 1: the truth, is found encouraging the selfish love of pleasure.
34:57
Speaker 1: When money is to be raised for religious purposes. To
35:00
Speaker 1: what means do many churches resort to bazaars, suppers, fancy fairs,
35:05
Speaker 1: even to lotteries and like devices. Often the place set
35:09
Speaker 1: apart for God's worship is desecrated by feasting and drinking, buying, selling,
35:14
Speaker 1: and merrymaking. Respect for the House of God and reverence
35:18
Speaker 1: for his worship are lessened in the minds of the youth.
35:22
Speaker 1: The barriers of self restraint are weakened. Selfishness, appetite, the
35:26
Speaker 1: love of display are appealed to, and they strengthen as
35:29
Speaker 1: they are indulged. The pursuit of pleasure and amusement centers
35:34
Speaker 1: in the cities. Many parents who choose a city home
35:36
Speaker 1: for their children, thinking to give them greater advantages, meet
35:40
Speaker 1: with disappointment and too late repent of their terrible mistake.
35:44
Speaker 1: The cities of today are fast becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah.
35:48
Speaker 1: The many holidays encourage idleness. The exciting sports, theater, going,
35:52
Speaker 1: horse racing, gambling, liquor, drinking and reveling stimulate every passion
35:57
Speaker 1: to intense activity. The youth are kept away by the
36:00
Speaker 1: popular current. Those who learn to love amusement for its
36:03
Speaker 1: own sake open the door to a flood of temptations.
36:07
Speaker 1: They give themselves up to social gayety and thoughtless mirth,
36:10
Speaker 1: and their intercourse with pleasure lovers has an intoxicating effect
36:13
Speaker 1: upon the mind. They are led on from one form
36:17
Speaker 1: of dissipation to another, until they lose both the desire
36:20
Speaker 1: and the capacity for a life of usefulness. Their religious
36:24
Speaker 1: aspirations are chilled, their spiritual life is darkened. All the
36:28
Speaker 1: nobler faculties of the soul, all that link man with
36:31
Speaker 1: the spiritual world, are debased. It is true that some
36:35
Speaker 1: may see their folly and repent, and God may pardon them,
36:38
Speaker 1: but they have wounded their own souls and brought upon
36:41
Speaker 1: themselves a life long peril. The power of discernment, which
36:45
Speaker 1: ought ever to be kept keen and sensitive to distinguish
36:48
Speaker 1: between right and wrong, is in a great measure destroyed.
36:51
Speaker 1: They are not quick to recognize the guiding voice of
36:54
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit or to discern the devices of Satan.
36:58
Speaker 1: Too often in time of danger, they fall under temptation
37:01
Speaker 1: and are led away from God. The end of their
37:04
Speaker 1: pleasure loving life is ruined. For this world and for
37:07
Speaker 1: the world to come. Cares, riches, pleasures all are used
37:11
Speaker 1: by Satan in playing the game of life. For the
37:14
Speaker 1: human soul. The warning is given love not the world,
37:18
Speaker 1: neither the things that are in the world. If any
37:21
Speaker 1: man love the world, the love of the Father is
37:23
Speaker 1: not in him. For all that is in the world,
37:26
Speaker 1: the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,
37:29
Speaker 1: and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
37:31
Speaker 1: but is of the world. He who reads the hearts
37:35
Speaker 1: of men as an open book says, take heed to yourselves,
37:39
Speaker 1: lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting
37:42
Speaker 1: and drunkenness, and cares of this life and the apostle.
37:46
Speaker 1: Paul by the Holy Spirit, writes, they that will be
37:49
Speaker 1: rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
37:52
Speaker 1: foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
37:56
Speaker 1: For the love of money is the root of all evil,
37:59
Speaker 1: which which while some coveted, after they have erred from
38:03
Speaker 1: the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Preparation
38:08
Speaker 1: of the soil. Throughout the Parable of the Sower, Christ
38:12
Speaker 1: represents the different results of the sowing as depending upon
38:15
Speaker 1: the soil. In every case, the sower and the seed
38:19
Speaker 1: are the same. Thus he teaches that if the Word
38:22
Speaker 1: of God fails of accomplishing its work in our hearts
38:25
Speaker 1: and lives, the reason is to be found in ourselves.
38:28
Speaker 1: But the result is not beyond our control. True, we
38:32
Speaker 1: cannot change ourselves, but the power of choice is ours,
38:36
Speaker 1: and it rests with us to determine what we will become.
38:39
Speaker 1: The wayside the stony ground, the thorny ground, hearers need
38:43
Speaker 1: not remain such. The Spirit of God is ever seeking
38:46
Speaker 1: to break the spell of infatuation that holds men absorbed
38:50
Speaker 1: in worldly things, and to awaken a desire for the
38:53
Speaker 1: imperishable treasure. It is by resisting the spirit that men
38:57
Speaker 1: become inattentive to or neglectful of God's word. They are
39:01
Speaker 1: themselves responsible for the hardness of heart that prevents the
39:04
Speaker 1: good seed from taking root, and for the evil growths
39:07
Speaker 1: that check its development. The garden of the heart must
39:11
Speaker 1: be cultivated. The soil must be broken up by deep
39:14
Speaker 1: repentance for sin. Poisonous satanic plants must be uprooted. The soil,
39:20
Speaker 1: once overgrown by thorns, can be reclaimed only by diligent labor.
39:25
Speaker 1: So the evil tendencies of the heart can be overcome
39:28
Speaker 1: only by earnest effort. In the name and strength of Jesus,
39:32
Speaker 1: the Lord bids us, by his prophet, break up your
39:35
Speaker 1: fallow ground, and so not among thorns, so to yourselves
39:39
Speaker 1: in righteousness, reap in mercy this work he desires to
39:43
Speaker 1: accomplish for us, and he asks us to co operate
39:45
Speaker 1: with him. The sowers of the seed have a work
39:48
Speaker 1: to do in preparing hearts to receive the Gospel. In
39:52
Speaker 1: the ministry of the Word, there is too much sermonizing
39:55
Speaker 1: and too little a real heart to heart work. There
39:58
Speaker 1: is need of personal labor. The souls of the lost
40:01
Speaker 1: in Christ's like sympathy. We should come close to men
40:04
Speaker 1: individually and seek to awaken their interest in the great
40:07
Speaker 1: things of eternal life. Their hearts may be as hard
40:10
Speaker 1: as the beaten highway, and apparently it may be a
40:14
Speaker 1: useless effort to present the Savior to them. But while
40:17
Speaker 1: logic may fail to move and argument be powerless to convince,
40:21
Speaker 1: the love of Christ revealed in personal ministry may soften
40:25
Speaker 1: the stony heart so that the seed of truth can
40:28
Speaker 1: take root. So the sowers have something to do that
40:31
Speaker 1: the seed may not be choked with thorns or perish
40:34
Speaker 1: because of shallowness of soil. At the very outset of
40:38
Speaker 1: the Christian life, every believer should be taught its foundation principles.
40:42
Speaker 1: He should be taught that he is not merely to
40:45
Speaker 1: be saved by Christ's sacrifice, but that he is to
40:48
Speaker 1: make the life of Christ his life, and the character
40:51
Speaker 1: of Christ his character. Let all be taught that they
40:55
Speaker 1: are to bear burdens and to deny natural inclination. Let
40:58
Speaker 1: them learn the blessedness of working for Christ, following him
41:02
Speaker 1: in self denial and enduring hardness as good soldiers. Let
41:06
Speaker 1: them learn to trust His love and to cast on
41:09
Speaker 1: him their cares. Let them taste the joy of winning
41:12
Speaker 1: souls for him. In their love and interest for the lost,
41:16
Speaker 1: they will lose sight of self. The pleasures of the
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Speaker 1: world will lose their power to attract, and its burdens
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Speaker 1: to dishearten. The plowshare of truth will do its work.
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Speaker 1: It will break up the fallow ground. It will not
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Speaker 1: merely cut off the tops of the thorns, but it
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Speaker 1: will take them out by the roots in good ground.
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Speaker 1: The sower is not always to meet with disappointment of
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Speaker 1: the seed that fell into good ground. The Savior said,
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Speaker 1: this is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,
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Speaker 1: which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some an hundredfold,
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Speaker 1: some sixty, some thirty. That on the good ground are
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Speaker 1: they which, in an honest and good heart, having heard
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Speaker 1: the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.
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Speaker 1: The honest and good heart of which the Parable speaks
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Speaker 1: is not a heart without sin. For the Gospel is
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Speaker 1: to be preached to the lost. Christ said, I came
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Speaker 1: not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He
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Speaker 1: has an honest heart who yields to the conviction of
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Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. He confesses his guilt and feels his
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Speaker 1: need of the mercy and love of God. He has
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Speaker 1: a sincere desire to know the truth that he may
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Speaker 1: obey it. The good heart is a believing heart, one
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Speaker 1: that has faith in the Word of God. Without faith,
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Speaker 1: it is impossible to receive the Word. He that cometh
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Speaker 1: to God must believe that he is, and that He
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Speaker 1: is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. This
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Speaker 1: is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it. The
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Speaker 1: Pharisees of Christ's day close their eyes lest they should see,
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Speaker 1: and their ears lest they should hear. Therefore the truth
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Speaker 1: could not reach their hearts. They were to suffer retribution
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Speaker 1: for their wilful ignorance and self imposed blindness. But Christ
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Speaker 1: taught his disciples that they were to open their minds
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Speaker 1: to instruction and be ready to believe. He pronounced a
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Speaker 1: blessing upon them because they saw and heard with eyes
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Speaker 1: and ears that believed. The good ground hearer receives the
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Speaker 1: Word not as the word of men, but as it
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Speaker 1: is in truth, the word of God. Only he who
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Speaker 1: receives the scriptures as the voice of God speaking to
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Speaker 1: himself is a true learner. He trembles at the word,
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Speaker 1: for to him it is a living reality. He opens
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Speaker 1: his understanding and his heart to receive it. Such hearers
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Speaker 1: were Cornelius and his friends, who said to the apostle Peter,
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Speaker 1: Now therefore are we all here present before God to
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Speaker 1: hear all the things that are commanded thee of God.
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Speaker 1: A knowledge of the truth depends not so much upon
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Speaker 1: strength of intellect as upon pureness of purpose, the simplicity
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Speaker 1: of an earnest, dependent faith. To those who, in humility
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Speaker 1: of heart seek for divine guidance angels of God draw near,
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Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit is given to open to them the
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Speaker 1: rich treasures of the Truth, the good ground. Hearers, having
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Speaker 1: heard the word, keep it. Satan with all his agencies
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Speaker 1: of evil, is not able to catch it away. Merely
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Speaker 1: to hear or to read the word is not enough.
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Speaker 1: He who desires to be profited by the scriptures must
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Speaker 1: meditate upon the truth that has been presented to him
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Speaker 1: by earnest attention and prayerful thought. He must learn the
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Speaker 1: meaning of the words of truth and drink deep of
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Speaker 1: the spirit of holy oracles. God bids us fill the
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Speaker 1: mind with great thoughts, pure thoughts. He desires us to
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Speaker 1: meditate upon His love and mercy, to study his wonderful
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Speaker 1: work in the Great Plan of redemption. Then clearer and
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Speaker 1: still clearer will be our perception of truth, higher, holier
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Speaker 1: our desire for purity of heart and clearness of thought.
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Speaker 1: The soul dwelling in the pure atmosphere of holy thought
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Speaker 1: will be transformed by communion with God through the study
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Speaker 1: of the scriptures, and bring for fruit. Those who having
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Speaker 1: heard the Word keep it will bring forth fruit in obedience.
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Speaker 1: The word of God received into the soul will be
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Speaker 1: manifest in good works. Its results will be seen in
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Speaker 1: a christlike character and life. Christ said of himself, I
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Speaker 1: delight to do Thy will, O my God, YEA, Thy
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Speaker 1: law is within my heart. I seek not mine own will,
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Speaker 1: but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
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Speaker 1: And the scripture says he that saith he abideth in
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Speaker 1: him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
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Speaker 1: The Word of God often comes in collision with man's
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Speaker 1: hereditary and cultivated traits of character and his habits of life.
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Speaker 1: But the good ground hearer, in receiving the Word accepts
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Speaker 1: its conditions and requirements. His habits, customs, and practices are
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Speaker 1: brought into submission to God's word. In his view, the
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Speaker 1: commands of finite erring man sink into insignificance. Beside the
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Speaker 1: word of the infinite God. With the whole heart, with
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Speaker 1: undivided purpose, he is seeking the life eternal, and at
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Speaker 1: the cost of loss, persecution, or death itself, he will
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Speaker 1: obey the truth and he brings forth fruit with patience.
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Speaker 1: None who receive God's word are exempt from difficulty and trial.
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Speaker 1: But when affliction comes, the true Christian does not become restless, distrustful,
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Speaker 1: or despondent. Though we cannot see the definite outcome of
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Speaker 1: affairs or discern the purpose of God's providences, we are
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Speaker 1: not to cast away our confidence. Remembering the tender mercies
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Speaker 1: of the Lord, we should cast our care upon him,
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Speaker 1: and with patience wait for his salvation. Through conflict, the
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Speaker 1: spiritual life is strengthened trials. Well born will develop steadfastness
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Speaker 1: of character and precious spiritual graces. The perfect fruit of faith,
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Speaker 1: meekness and love, often matures best amid storm clouds and darkness.
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Speaker 1: The husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth,
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Speaker 1: and hath long payd for it until he receive the
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Speaker 1: early and latter reign. So the Christian is to wait
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Speaker 1: with patience for the fruition in his life of the
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Speaker 1: Word of God. Often when we pray for the graces
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Speaker 1: of the spirit, God works to answer our prayers by
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Speaker 1: placing us in circumstances to develop these fruits. But we
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Speaker 1: do not understand his purpose and wonder and are dismayed.
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Speaker 1: Yet none can develop these graces except through the process
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Speaker 1: of growth and fruit bearing. Our part is to receive
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Speaker 1: God's word and to hold it fast, yielding ourselves fully
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Speaker 1: to its control. And its purpose in us will be accomplished.
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Speaker 1: If a man love me, Christ said, he will keep
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Speaker 1: my words, and my father will love him, and we
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Speaker 1: will come unto him and make our abode with him.
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Speaker 1: The spell of a stronger, a perfect mind will be
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Speaker 1: over us, for we have a living connection with the
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Speaker 1: source of all enduring strength. In our divine life, we
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Speaker 1: shall be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. We shall
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Speaker 1: no longer live the common life of selfishness, but Christ
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Speaker 1: will live in us. His character will be reproduced in
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Speaker 1: our nature. Thus shall we bring forth the fruits of
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Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred.
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Speaker 1: End of Chapter two