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Universal Life Church Seminary
**********
Sunday School Lesson 17
Hello,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday School Lesson. We have created this feature to allow you to get regular weekly Sunday School lessons sent straight to you, for your use in teaching the young of your congregation. These lessons are on a variety of topics and we are neither promoting nor insisting on any particular point of view. We are also not checking them for accuracy. We are merely sharing what has been sent to us. If you
don"t agree with the weekly topic or point of view, please just delete it and wait for next week"s.
Our Faith - Twenty Lessons separated into four. (13-16)
Lesson Thirteen
I. THE TALK.
We have reached the fourth point:-
Salvation by Character.
In using this word "salvation," we must be sure and start right. Why do we talk about being saved? What are we to be saved from?
There must be dangers of some kind that are before us all. Firemen save persons from burning houses. Doctors save patients from death. Life preservers are made to save from drowning. Now what does religion save from, and how is it done? And, first, what are the dangers?
Two Kinds.
When we read history, we find there have always been two kinds of dangers, on of this world, and one of the world beyond. That is the way men have looked at the subject.
The Strong Life.
In order to escape the dangers of this world, men have tried to live the strong life; and they meant by that the good life. Because it was good, it was strong.
Why Strong?
Because a good life obeys God's laws, and he who is obedient to God's will is one with the power of the universe. The good man does not escape dangers of sickness, accident, and age; but he is free from punishments and sufferings that attend wickedness.
The Other World.
Then we find there has been a wonder and fear about the other world. Great questions came up. What ought to be done to make one's self ready for the next life? How would God judge the soul? What was the best way to prepare for death?
Character.
The wisest men have believed that the same way of escaping the evils and dangers of this world was the best way for securing acceptance in the life to come. And that is what we believe. So we say, Salvation by character, here and everywhere; now and at all times.
What is it?
But some one may ask us, What do you mean by "character"? And we reply, It is the whole result of our thinking and doing. It is what we really are, not simply what we say we are, or what we say we believe.
Q. Suppose I say, "Character by salvation"?
A. That is the same thing with a different emphasis.
Q. Why do you prefer the former?
A. Because it is the Jesus way, which is the truer way.
Q. What do you more fully mean?
A. To be saved, you must have Christian character: therefore, put the emphasis on character; the cause before the effect.
Salvation.
You see the argument: We can use this fourth point either way, Salvation by character of Character by salvation; but the first is far the better. Why? Because there are many strange ideas about Գalvation.ԠIt means to some an escape from an angry God; to others, a reliance on the goodness of another; in others, a profession of faith; to others, sacrifices and forms of worship; to others, acceptance of a scheme of theology.
The True Idea.
In our belief we think of "salvation" as rescue from evil and obedience to right, love of the good and hostility to the bad, and that salvation comes through God's help, by many ways, but greatly in the leadership of Jesus. Our own efforts joined with help divine makes salvation, makes character, makes the soul victorious in life and death. In that sense salvation is character. Just as surely and more accurately we can say character is salvation.
Our Duty.
Salvation by character is not easy. We are kept on guard all the time. We are warned not to believe in "good works" alone. We are obliged to look beyond, to help and light higher than ourselves. On the other hand, we are cautioned against lip service, and substitute merit. Our lives must have faith and works combined. "By their fruits ye shall know them."
Morality Alone?
No! Not morality alone.
Q. What do we mean by "being good"?
A. A life of two elements, -religious faith and moral purpose.
Q. Can the Golden Rule exist of itself?
A. No! It must have a spiritual inspiration.
Q. What is meant by "spiritual inspiration"?
A. The sanctions and power of religious sentiments.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
"Character Building," a manual published by the Unitarian Sunday-School Society, may prove helpful. But life, biography, are full of aids. Your object must be, in this lesson, to deal justly with both sides of the question, leaving the emphasis on character. We do not make ourselves. Yet we are in a measure responsible. Religion and morality, God and man, ideals and practice, -united produce character.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* Are there dangers in this world?
* Are there any in the world beyond?
* How can we escape them?
* What do we mean by "the strong life"?
* What is character?
* What is salvation?
* How do they depend on each other?
* Which do you call the cause, and which the effect?
* What two things must be combined to make character?
* Can you tell the meaning of "spiritual inspiration"?
Lesson Fourteen
I. THE TALK.
When we search the Bible to learn the teachings about salvation, we find in the Old Testament stories and records of ancient habits. They belonged to the times when religion was not free from idolatry.
Sacrifices.
In order to please Jehovah, the people offered sacrifices of animals: sometimes they did not spare human lives. By such means, worshippers hoped to secure the favor and protection of God.
Many Gods.
There were those, also, who believed in more gods than one. These gods were always fighting, and the object of worship was to get the good will of the strongest. All these ideas belonged to the early times of the world. But in savage nations the superstition remains.
Focus and Prayers.
Another way to salvation was by repeating prayers and by going through forms. To keep safe and well, men wore charms and observed certain customs. This way is still pursued by many.
The Prophets.
Q. Did superstition go unrebuked?
A. No. Among the Jews the prophets rose to protest.
Q. Who were they?
A. The greatest were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah.
Q. Did Moses teach the true view of salvation?
A. Yes. He taught the religion of character and the holy life.
Q. What did Micah say?
A. "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."
Jesus.
The prophets and best teachers in the Old Testament stood for salvation by character: they denied the claim that costly sacrifices could take the place of goodness and holiness. Now, if we search the New Testament, we see Jesus rebuking the other evil, -the idea that forms and prayers can be substituted for character.
Plain Speech.
The rulers and priests grew angry because Jesus spoke so plainly. He called some of them "whited sepulchres." He used the word "hypocrites." He declared they were the blind leading the blind.
Jesus denounced these false leaders because they were making religion hollow and teaching the worst kind of doctrine. They were encouraging the people to believe that salvation could be secured by something else than character.
In Meaning.
Character means reality.
Character stands for sincerity.
Character represents conscience.
Character has deep faith roots.
Character flows toward an ideal.
Isaiah.
Jesus often quoted from the sayings of the prophet Isaiah when rebuking the people. Once he exclaimed:
Well said Isaiah when he foretold such as you, in the words:
"This is a people that honors God with their lips, while their hearts are far removed from Him. But vainly do they worship Him, for their teaching is only the commands of men."
Then he added, You neglect God's commandments, and cling to the traditions of men..
Everywhere.
All through the teaching of Jesus is this condemnation of the belief in salvation by habits, or external forms. He even says that at some future day many will come and say, "Lord, I did miracles in thy name." But they will be rejected, because their spirit and aim were not those of their Master.
By the Well.
One great saying of Jesus stands out, uttered at the well in Samaria: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship spiritually, with true insight." Forms, prayers, habits, may help worship; but they are not worship itself.
Right Understanding.
With this knowledge of what the prophets and Jesus taught, we can understand correctly certain phrases.
"Saved by faith" means made strong by faith in the right life, and daily striving to realize it, God helping.
"Reconciled to God" means put into right relations of knowledge and obedience, knowing His laws, and obeying them.
"Conversion" means turning about from the wrong path and going the right way, leading the right life.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
Here is a good opportunity to prove that the Bible is a record of religious development in the nation and the individual. Through superstition and idolatry shines the light of the prophets and of Jesus. The spiritual truths of the New Testament gather around the growing idea that reality and righteousness make genuine religion. The Old Testament said "righteousness," the New Testament says "righteousness and mercy." (Read Emerson's essay, "Character" and Spiritual Laws.")
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* Can you give the principal idea of the preceding lesson?
* What is our object in this one?
* How did the ancients try to get salvation?
* Who rebuked them?
* What was a prophet?
* Against what evil did Jesus speak?
* What did he once quote from Isaiah?
* What did he say by the well at Samaria?
* For what does character stand?
* Can you explain the terms "saved by faith," "conversion,"
and "reconciled to God"?
Lesson Fifteen
How happy is he born or taught
Who serveth not another's will;
Whose armor is his honest thought,
And simple truth his highest skill.
Sir Henry Wotton .
I. THE TALK.
We conclude in this lesson our consideration of the subject, Salvation by Character.
By looking into history and by examining the Bible, we have learned certain things.
Salvation.
Salvation means safety, strength, happiness. It means right relations. It means peace of mind and power of soul.
Character.
Character means completeness, righteousness, faith in God, and faith in man. It means conviction and conscience. It means worship and work.
The Way of Jesus.
Jesus taught The Way. Walk in it and you will be saved, he said. That Way was none other than the one we have described, - The Way of Holiness.
Holiness.
Holiness is whole-ness, and whole-ness is character. Of course, no one is perfect, said Jesus, no one is whole; but we are to strive for completer characters, and walk in The Way.
Purpose.
We are not saved - that is, we are not acceptable in the sight of God - because of what we do alone. Our works are sadly short of what we ought to do. But the purpose redeems us. We are estimated by our best efforts, thought those efforts may often fail.
Completing.
I prefer the word "completing," or finishing, rather than "salvation." It is true we need to be saved from many dangers, but our greatest need is to grow.
We are incomplete, half-built, not fulfilled. Saint Paul preferred the word "completion," for he urged them of old to grow up into the full stature and strength of the children of God.
Growth.
Q. What is man?
A. A growing soul.
Q. What does he need?
A. Knowledge and enthusiasm.
Q. Is knowledge enough?
A. No! We must add a love for God and man.
Q. What is "completion"?
A. Constantly coming nearer to an ideal.
Q. What is the ideal of human character?
A. The example of Jesus, his spirit and aim.
Helps.
There are many helps to character-making. While forms cannot take the place of religion, they assist. It is not right to say we will not go to church, we will not recite Scripture, we will not say we believe things, because some persons do all this in a wrong way.
Examples.
The study of biography is a help. Great lives remind us we can aspire and achieve. Read the records of noble men and women who were true to themselves and true to their Maker.
Facing Forward.
Always face forward. Look for more light. Never give up. Expect to grow and to ascend. "We are saved by hope," said an apostle. As long as you live, keep moving forward. Be true to the old, and be ready for the new.
Tastes.
We grow by our tastes. We are saved by what we like. These lines are worthy of memorizing:
To live for common ends is to be common.
The highest faith makes still the highest man;
For we grow like the things our souls believe.
We are in very truth that which we love.
Punishment.
I have not said anything about punishments. What are they? The penalties paid for breaking laws.
Q. What are God's punishments?
A. Intended to educate and help.
Q. Do they come because of anger?
A. God is never angry.
Q. Does He forgive?
A. He is always forgiving, and changes not.
Q. What does He demand of us?
A. That we obey His commandments as fast as we know them.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
In a sense this lesson gathers up the two previous ones. Bring out clearly the mutual relations of salvation and character. Show the fallacy of substitution religion, whether as sacrifice, charms, forms, or schemes of theology. But do not end with negative results: leave the positive impression last, -the greatness and glory of completed Christian character as title to "salvation."
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* What does "salvation" mean?
* What does "character" mean?
* What is meant by "The Way"?
* Can you give another word for "holiness"?
* What really "saves" any one?
* How does the word "completion" bear on our subject?
* What is our ideal?
* What are helps to character-growing?
* Will you explain the meaning of "punishments"?
* How do our tastes affect us?
* Is God ever angry?
* What is obedience?
* What is forgiveness?
Lesson Sixteen
As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. -SAINT PAUL.
I. THE TALK.
On our steady course we have reached the final, the fifth point of our belief:
Progress of Mankind Onward and Upward Forever.
Following our habit, let us first look backward to see what was thought about the future life in old times, the long ago of history.
Something.
We find, even among savages, something of a belief in immortality. But the hope was very dim, and not spiritual.
Some believed that life was greatly the same in the future. The warriors fought and led the tribes to battle. The Indian buried his friend with bow and arrows by his side, -a sign that something would be needed of that kind after death.
Egyptians.
The people of old Egypt believed in a judgment day. There was nothing cheerful in the future, as we consider cheerfulness. Just where and how souls were to live never seemed clear. The body having served the soul so well was thought worthy of embalming.
Greeks and Romans.
These ancients talked about the Elysian Fields, where spring and joyous days were the portion of the blest. Suffering and darkness attended the wicked. But there was no progress. They seemed to believe in spirits and oracles and a world of supernatural beings. The body, having finished its service at death, was often burned, and the ashes put into an urn,-
our modern cremation.
Norsemen.
Those sturdy men of Iceland and Scandinavia had religious customs that recognized a future life. We have their poems and records paying honors to heroes and rulers who continued to be famous in gorgeous halls and lordly palaces beyond the grave. What became of the people, the human beings who were not great and famous, very little is told us that we can understand.
Q. What was one old custom?
A. The honoring of ancestors, parents.
Q. Where do we find this now?
A. In China.
Q. What does it really mean?
A. Gratitude to the departed, wherever they may be.
Q. Does this show belief in immortality?
A. Only indirectly, as a possibility
Today.
All of these beliefs, and many others we cannot mention, exist today, somewhere in the world. And in all ages, even to this time, men have thought about death, and wondered what it meant. Does it put out our life, like blowing out a lighted candle?
Two Views.
We can see, running through the ages, a dividing line. Some have always believed that what we call death is a blessing, a part of divine goodness. Others have always believed that it represented God's punishment of man for his sins. Here is a great difference.
Q. What do we further find, looking backward?
A. A view of this life as probation.
Q. What does that mean?
A. One test life for man, and then judgment.
Q. What else was taught as true?
A. Two places hereafter, one for the good, one for the bad.
The New.
By the light of Christianity and from the teachings of later times we have come to new truth.
This life joins the next life.
The next life continues this life.
All life is progressive.
Death is not a crisis, but a change.
Judgment days are every day.
Many Worlds.
In olden times it was thought our world was the only one. The sun, moon, and stars existed merely to light the earth. Even our own globe was little known; and one tribe, or nation, thought itself to be the only important one.
Enlarged.
We have now a great thought. Thousands of worlds are discovered by the telescope. Human beings, all over the earth, are seen to be of one family. God is educating His children. As He has made a place for us here He will make a place for us elsewhere. We do not think now so much of heaven as a particular spot.
The following lines fitly end our conversation at this time:
We cannot think of them as dead
Who walk with us no more;
Along the path of life we tread
They have but gone before.
The Father's house is mansioned fair
Beyond our vision dim:
All souls are His, and, here or there,
Are living unto Him.
F.L. Hosmer
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
The wise use of material relating to ancient customs and beliefs will prove interesting to the class. See Gould's "Beginnings," chapter on Immortality. Lubbock's "Prehistoric Times" is suggestive. Alger's "History of the Doctrine of the Future Life" is the great storehouse of facts.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* What is the quotation from Paul?
* Has some kind of belief in immortality always existed?
* How have savages expressed it?
* How the Egyptians?
* How the Greeks?
* What is the prevailing custom in China?
* What two views of death have always existed?
* Can you explain the saying, "This life is a probation"?
* What is the "new view"?
* How have we learned the new and better truth?
Universal Life Church Seminary
**********
Sunday School Lesson 17
Hello,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday School Lesson. We have created this feature to allow you to get regular weekly Sunday School lessons sent straight to you, for your use in teaching the young of your congregation. These lessons are on a variety of topics and we are neither promoting nor insisting on any particular point of view. We are also not checking them for accuracy. We are merely sharing what has been sent to us. If you
don"t agree with the weekly topic or point of view, please just delete it and wait for next week"s.
Our Faith - Twenty Lessons separated into four. (13-16)
Lesson Thirteen
I. THE TALK.
We have reached the fourth point:-
Salvation by Character.
In using this word "salvation," we must be sure and start right. Why do we talk about being saved? What are we to be saved from?
There must be dangers of some kind that are before us all. Firemen save persons from burning houses. Doctors save patients from death. Life preservers are made to save from drowning. Now what does religion save from, and how is it done? And, first, what are the dangers?
Two Kinds.
When we read history, we find there have always been two kinds of dangers, on of this world, and one of the world beyond. That is the way men have looked at the subject.
The Strong Life.
In order to escape the dangers of this world, men have tried to live the strong life; and they meant by that the good life. Because it was good, it was strong.
Why Strong?
Because a good life obeys God's laws, and he who is obedient to God's will is one with the power of the universe. The good man does not escape dangers of sickness, accident, and age; but he is free from punishments and sufferings that attend wickedness.
The Other World.
Then we find there has been a wonder and fear about the other world. Great questions came up. What ought to be done to make one's self ready for the next life? How would God judge the soul? What was the best way to prepare for death?
Character.
The wisest men have believed that the same way of escaping the evils and dangers of this world was the best way for securing acceptance in the life to come. And that is what we believe. So we say, Salvation by character, here and everywhere; now and at all times.
What is it?
But some one may ask us, What do you mean by "character"? And we reply, It is the whole result of our thinking and doing. It is what we really are, not simply what we say we are, or what we say we believe.
Q. Suppose I say, "Character by salvation"?
A. That is the same thing with a different emphasis.
Q. Why do you prefer the former?
A. Because it is the Jesus way, which is the truer way.
Q. What do you more fully mean?
A. To be saved, you must have Christian character: therefore, put the emphasis on character; the cause before the effect.
Salvation.
You see the argument: We can use this fourth point either way, Salvation by character of Character by salvation; but the first is far the better. Why? Because there are many strange ideas about Գalvation.ԠIt means to some an escape from an angry God; to others, a reliance on the goodness of another; in others, a profession of faith; to others, sacrifices and forms of worship; to others, acceptance of a scheme of theology.
The True Idea.
In our belief we think of "salvation" as rescue from evil and obedience to right, love of the good and hostility to the bad, and that salvation comes through God's help, by many ways, but greatly in the leadership of Jesus. Our own efforts joined with help divine makes salvation, makes character, makes the soul victorious in life and death. In that sense salvation is character. Just as surely and more accurately we can say character is salvation.
Our Duty.
Salvation by character is not easy. We are kept on guard all the time. We are warned not to believe in "good works" alone. We are obliged to look beyond, to help and light higher than ourselves. On the other hand, we are cautioned against lip service, and substitute merit. Our lives must have faith and works combined. "By their fruits ye shall know them."
Morality Alone?
No! Not morality alone.
Q. What do we mean by "being good"?
A. A life of two elements, -religious faith and moral purpose.
Q. Can the Golden Rule exist of itself?
A. No! It must have a spiritual inspiration.
Q. What is meant by "spiritual inspiration"?
A. The sanctions and power of religious sentiments.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
"Character Building," a manual published by the Unitarian Sunday-School Society, may prove helpful. But life, biography, are full of aids. Your object must be, in this lesson, to deal justly with both sides of the question, leaving the emphasis on character. We do not make ourselves. Yet we are in a measure responsible. Religion and morality, God and man, ideals and practice, -united produce character.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* Are there dangers in this world?
* Are there any in the world beyond?
* How can we escape them?
* What do we mean by "the strong life"?
* What is character?
* What is salvation?
* How do they depend on each other?
* Which do you call the cause, and which the effect?
* What two things must be combined to make character?
* Can you tell the meaning of "spiritual inspiration"?
Lesson Fourteen
I. THE TALK.
When we search the Bible to learn the teachings about salvation, we find in the Old Testament stories and records of ancient habits. They belonged to the times when religion was not free from idolatry.
Sacrifices.
In order to please Jehovah, the people offered sacrifices of animals: sometimes they did not spare human lives. By such means, worshippers hoped to secure the favor and protection of God.
Many Gods.
There were those, also, who believed in more gods than one. These gods were always fighting, and the object of worship was to get the good will of the strongest. All these ideas belonged to the early times of the world. But in savage nations the superstition remains.
Focus and Prayers.
Another way to salvation was by repeating prayers and by going through forms. To keep safe and well, men wore charms and observed certain customs. This way is still pursued by many.
The Prophets.
Q. Did superstition go unrebuked?
A. No. Among the Jews the prophets rose to protest.
Q. Who were they?
A. The greatest were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah.
Q. Did Moses teach the true view of salvation?
A. Yes. He taught the religion of character and the holy life.
Q. What did Micah say?
A. "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."
Jesus.
The prophets and best teachers in the Old Testament stood for salvation by character: they denied the claim that costly sacrifices could take the place of goodness and holiness. Now, if we search the New Testament, we see Jesus rebuking the other evil, -the idea that forms and prayers can be substituted for character.
Plain Speech.
The rulers and priests grew angry because Jesus spoke so plainly. He called some of them "whited sepulchres." He used the word "hypocrites." He declared they were the blind leading the blind.
Jesus denounced these false leaders because they were making religion hollow and teaching the worst kind of doctrine. They were encouraging the people to believe that salvation could be secured by something else than character.
In Meaning.
Character means reality.
Character stands for sincerity.
Character represents conscience.
Character has deep faith roots.
Character flows toward an ideal.
Isaiah.
Jesus often quoted from the sayings of the prophet Isaiah when rebuking the people. Once he exclaimed:
Well said Isaiah when he foretold such as you, in the words:
"This is a people that honors God with their lips, while their hearts are far removed from Him. But vainly do they worship Him, for their teaching is only the commands of men."
Then he added, You neglect God's commandments, and cling to the traditions of men..
Everywhere.
All through the teaching of Jesus is this condemnation of the belief in salvation by habits, or external forms. He even says that at some future day many will come and say, "Lord, I did miracles in thy name." But they will be rejected, because their spirit and aim were not those of their Master.
By the Well.
One great saying of Jesus stands out, uttered at the well in Samaria: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship spiritually, with true insight." Forms, prayers, habits, may help worship; but they are not worship itself.
Right Understanding.
With this knowledge of what the prophets and Jesus taught, we can understand correctly certain phrases.
"Saved by faith" means made strong by faith in the right life, and daily striving to realize it, God helping.
"Reconciled to God" means put into right relations of knowledge and obedience, knowing His laws, and obeying them.
"Conversion" means turning about from the wrong path and going the right way, leading the right life.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
Here is a good opportunity to prove that the Bible is a record of religious development in the nation and the individual. Through superstition and idolatry shines the light of the prophets and of Jesus. The spiritual truths of the New Testament gather around the growing idea that reality and righteousness make genuine religion. The Old Testament said "righteousness," the New Testament says "righteousness and mercy." (Read Emerson's essay, "Character" and Spiritual Laws.")
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* Can you give the principal idea of the preceding lesson?
* What is our object in this one?
* How did the ancients try to get salvation?
* Who rebuked them?
* What was a prophet?
* Against what evil did Jesus speak?
* What did he once quote from Isaiah?
* What did he say by the well at Samaria?
* For what does character stand?
* Can you explain the terms "saved by faith," "conversion,"
and "reconciled to God"?
Lesson Fifteen
How happy is he born or taught
Who serveth not another's will;
Whose armor is his honest thought,
And simple truth his highest skill.
Sir Henry Wotton .
I. THE TALK.
We conclude in this lesson our consideration of the subject, Salvation by Character.
By looking into history and by examining the Bible, we have learned certain things.
Salvation.
Salvation means safety, strength, happiness. It means right relations. It means peace of mind and power of soul.
Character.
Character means completeness, righteousness, faith in God, and faith in man. It means conviction and conscience. It means worship and work.
The Way of Jesus.
Jesus taught The Way. Walk in it and you will be saved, he said. That Way was none other than the one we have described, - The Way of Holiness.
Holiness.
Holiness is whole-ness, and whole-ness is character. Of course, no one is perfect, said Jesus, no one is whole; but we are to strive for completer characters, and walk in The Way.
Purpose.
We are not saved - that is, we are not acceptable in the sight of God - because of what we do alone. Our works are sadly short of what we ought to do. But the purpose redeems us. We are estimated by our best efforts, thought those efforts may often fail.
Completing.
I prefer the word "completing," or finishing, rather than "salvation." It is true we need to be saved from many dangers, but our greatest need is to grow.
We are incomplete, half-built, not fulfilled. Saint Paul preferred the word "completion," for he urged them of old to grow up into the full stature and strength of the children of God.
Growth.
Q. What is man?
A. A growing soul.
Q. What does he need?
A. Knowledge and enthusiasm.
Q. Is knowledge enough?
A. No! We must add a love for God and man.
Q. What is "completion"?
A. Constantly coming nearer to an ideal.
Q. What is the ideal of human character?
A. The example of Jesus, his spirit and aim.
Helps.
There are many helps to character-making. While forms cannot take the place of religion, they assist. It is not right to say we will not go to church, we will not recite Scripture, we will not say we believe things, because some persons do all this in a wrong way.
Examples.
The study of biography is a help. Great lives remind us we can aspire and achieve. Read the records of noble men and women who were true to themselves and true to their Maker.
Facing Forward.
Always face forward. Look for more light. Never give up. Expect to grow and to ascend. "We are saved by hope," said an apostle. As long as you live, keep moving forward. Be true to the old, and be ready for the new.
Tastes.
We grow by our tastes. We are saved by what we like. These lines are worthy of memorizing:
To live for common ends is to be common.
The highest faith makes still the highest man;
For we grow like the things our souls believe.
We are in very truth that which we love.
Punishment.
I have not said anything about punishments. What are they? The penalties paid for breaking laws.
Q. What are God's punishments?
A. Intended to educate and help.
Q. Do they come because of anger?
A. God is never angry.
Q. Does He forgive?
A. He is always forgiving, and changes not.
Q. What does He demand of us?
A. That we obey His commandments as fast as we know them.
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
In a sense this lesson gathers up the two previous ones. Bring out clearly the mutual relations of salvation and character. Show the fallacy of substitution religion, whether as sacrifice, charms, forms, or schemes of theology. But do not end with negative results: leave the positive impression last, -the greatness and glory of completed Christian character as title to "salvation."
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* What does "salvation" mean?
* What does "character" mean?
* What is meant by "The Way"?
* Can you give another word for "holiness"?
* What really "saves" any one?
* How does the word "completion" bear on our subject?
* What is our ideal?
* What are helps to character-growing?
* Will you explain the meaning of "punishments"?
* How do our tastes affect us?
* Is God ever angry?
* What is obedience?
* What is forgiveness?
Lesson Sixteen
As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. -SAINT PAUL.
I. THE TALK.
On our steady course we have reached the final, the fifth point of our belief:
Progress of Mankind Onward and Upward Forever.
Following our habit, let us first look backward to see what was thought about the future life in old times, the long ago of history.
Something.
We find, even among savages, something of a belief in immortality. But the hope was very dim, and not spiritual.
Some believed that life was greatly the same in the future. The warriors fought and led the tribes to battle. The Indian buried his friend with bow and arrows by his side, -a sign that something would be needed of that kind after death.
Egyptians.
The people of old Egypt believed in a judgment day. There was nothing cheerful in the future, as we consider cheerfulness. Just where and how souls were to live never seemed clear. The body having served the soul so well was thought worthy of embalming.
Greeks and Romans.
These ancients talked about the Elysian Fields, where spring and joyous days were the portion of the blest. Suffering and darkness attended the wicked. But there was no progress. They seemed to believe in spirits and oracles and a world of supernatural beings. The body, having finished its service at death, was often burned, and the ashes put into an urn,-
our modern cremation.
Norsemen.
Those sturdy men of Iceland and Scandinavia had religious customs that recognized a future life. We have their poems and records paying honors to heroes and rulers who continued to be famous in gorgeous halls and lordly palaces beyond the grave. What became of the people, the human beings who were not great and famous, very little is told us that we can understand.
Q. What was one old custom?
A. The honoring of ancestors, parents.
Q. Where do we find this now?
A. In China.
Q. What does it really mean?
A. Gratitude to the departed, wherever they may be.
Q. Does this show belief in immortality?
A. Only indirectly, as a possibility
Today.
All of these beliefs, and many others we cannot mention, exist today, somewhere in the world. And in all ages, even to this time, men have thought about death, and wondered what it meant. Does it put out our life, like blowing out a lighted candle?
Two Views.
We can see, running through the ages, a dividing line. Some have always believed that what we call death is a blessing, a part of divine goodness. Others have always believed that it represented God's punishment of man for his sins. Here is a great difference.
Q. What do we further find, looking backward?
A. A view of this life as probation.
Q. What does that mean?
A. One test life for man, and then judgment.
Q. What else was taught as true?
A. Two places hereafter, one for the good, one for the bad.
The New.
By the light of Christianity and from the teachings of later times we have come to new truth.
This life joins the next life.
The next life continues this life.
All life is progressive.
Death is not a crisis, but a change.
Judgment days are every day.
Many Worlds.
In olden times it was thought our world was the only one. The sun, moon, and stars existed merely to light the earth. Even our own globe was little known; and one tribe, or nation, thought itself to be the only important one.
Enlarged.
We have now a great thought. Thousands of worlds are discovered by the telescope. Human beings, all over the earth, are seen to be of one family. God is educating His children. As He has made a place for us here He will make a place for us elsewhere. We do not think now so much of heaven as a particular spot.
The following lines fitly end our conversation at this time:
We cannot think of them as dead
Who walk with us no more;
Along the path of life we tread
They have but gone before.
The Father's house is mansioned fair
Beyond our vision dim:
All souls are His, and, here or there,
Are living unto Him.
F.L. Hosmer
II. HINTS TO TEACHERS.
The wise use of material relating to ancient customs and beliefs will prove interesting to the class. See Gould's "Beginnings," chapter on Immortality. Lubbock's "Prehistoric Times" is suggestive. Alger's "History of the Doctrine of the Future Life" is the great storehouse of facts.
III. QUESTIONS FOR PUPILS.
* What is the quotation from Paul?
* Has some kind of belief in immortality always existed?
* How have savages expressed it?
* How the Egyptians?
* How the Greeks?
* What is the prevailing custom in China?
* What two views of death have always existed?
* Can you explain the saying, "This life is a probation"?
* What is the "new view"?
* How have we learned the new and better truth?
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