Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God. [Lev. xxvi. 1.

Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves, (for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire,) lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female; the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air; the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shonldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

[Deut. iv. 15-19.

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for 1 am the Lord your God. Lev. xxvi. 1.

Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served the gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree and ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

[Deut. xii. 2, 3. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image, which the Lord thy God hateth. [Deut. xvi. 22.

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the

[blocks in formation]

Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger; I call heaven and earth to witness against you, this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall be utterly destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

[Deut. iv. 23-28.

The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them. [Ps. cxxxv. 15-18.

In

And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols. of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats: to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. [Isai. ii. 18-21. They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, ye are our gods. [Isai. xlii. 17.

They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

[Isai. xliv. 9, 10.

At that day shall a man look to his maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. [Isai. xvii. 7, 8. For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of

IDOLATRY-INDUSTRY-JUDGMENT.

43

silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. [Isai. xxxi. 7. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [1 Cor. x. 7. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

[1 Cor. X. 14. Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it, in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

INDUSTRY.

[Deut. xxvii. 15.

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. [Prov. xiii. 11. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. [Prov. xii. 24, 27.

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

JUDGMENT.

[Prov. xiii. 4.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. [Matth. vii. 1-5. Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's way. [Rom.xiv. 10-13.

[blocks in formation]

It is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self; for I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and and then shall every man have praise of God.

[1 Cor. iv. 3-5. If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

[1 Cor. xi. 31, 32.

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. [2 Cor. v. 10.

He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judg ment. [James, ii. 13.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy who art thou that judgest another?

[James, iv. 11, 12.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

[Math. xii. 36, 37.

Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

[St. Luke, xii. 57.

[St. John, vii. 24.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth.

[St. John, vii. 51. judged: condemn not,

[St. Luke, vi. 37.

Judge not, and ye shall not be and ye shall not be condemned. God will render to every man according to his deeds: to them, who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

JUSTICE JUSTIFICATION (FROM SIN.)

45 but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew, and also of the Gentile: but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good to the Jew, and also to the Gentile; For there is no respect of persons with God. [Rom. ii. 6-11.

JUSTICE.

Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of the poor in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will justify the wicked. And thou shalt take no gift; for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. [Exod. xxiii. 6-8.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. [Lev. xix. 15.

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. An unjust man is an abomination to the just and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. [Prov. xxi. 3, xxix. 27.

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

JUSTIFICATION (FROM SIN).

[Isai. x. 1, 2.

Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one

« PreviousContinue »