ARTICLE XVII of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Reformation Church of England

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DAILY BREAD

Many think that God has given His Law that we should be justified by fulfilment of it, by perfectly obeying all its command­ ments. But this is not so, although it seems to be self-evident. Of course, God wants to have us keep His commandments; but He knows better than we do ourselves that in our natural state we are not able to keep them at all as He wants us to keep them, and that even when we have been born again and have become new creatures, we can keep them only imperfectly. Yet the Law is very important. We should always thank God for giving us His holy Law; for “by the Law is the knowledge of sin.”

The Law is a clean mirror, which shows us our sins and trans­ gressions ! I f we honestly examine our hearts and our lives in the mirror of God’s holy Law, we shall see innumerable sins staring at us and condemning us. Who among us can truthfully say that he is unpolluted by sin ?

Have you seen your true image in the mirror of God’s holy Law? Has the picture made you tremble? Have you come to a realization of the awfulness of sin ? Moses, the man of God, says in the Ninetieth Psalm: “We are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.” Oh, what an awful day will that great Last Day be for the sinner when he must give account of every idle word, when his whole life, with all evil thoughts, sinful desires, and works, even the secret sins, will be revealed! Or do you imagine that God will overlook this sin and that because, though you broke only one commandment, as you think, you tried to keep the rest? Listen! The Ten Command­ ments are but as ten links in a chain. Break but one, and you have violated the whole Law, and the divine' curse rests upon you. “ Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” If you have no substitute to avert the wrath of God, you are doomed. For the Law only reveals our sins; it cannot save us from them. It shows us our disease, but gives no cure. Have you come to a conviction of your sins? Do you tremblingly ask, “ Is there no help ?”

Prayer.

Holy and almighty God, Thy Law is a mirror wherein we be­ hold our sinful image. But the mirror cannot cleanse us; it damns us; it causes us to cry out, “I am lost!” We therefore flee from the Law to Thy mercy, which is revealed in the Gospel, and pray Thee: O Thou merciful God, who forgivest iniquity and trans­ gression to all who truly repent, create in us a broken and contrite heart that we may sincerely lament our sins and flee to Thee in order to obtain from Thee full remission of our sins through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, our only Mediator and Substitute. Amen.

There’s no atonement but His cross,

All earthly means are death and loss:

And through that cross my soul shall stand 

Among the just at God’s right hand.

 THE FAMILY ALTAR

During a Bible-lesson a teacher asked his little tots which

were the two greatest letters in the alphabet. When the children

failed to answer, he said: Why, children, they are the letters

m and y. We all know that Jesus is the Savior, and that is

something very good and great to know. But only when I can

take the letter m and put it before the other letter y and can say,

Jesus is my Savior, — only then am I blest and happy. It was

so with Thomas. He doubted the news that Jesus had risen from

the dead. But Mien Jesus in His wonderful loving-kindness ap-

pears also to him and lets him touch His hands and His side,

Thomas falls at his risen Savior's feet with the cry of joyous faith :

My Lord and my God! All doubt and fear and unbelief have

now left him forever. Can we join in his joyous cry of faith?

It is not enough to know that Jesus is a Savior; the devils also

know that truth, and yet they tremble. Jesus must become our

Savior by personal, undoubting faith. He must be more to us

than a great religious teacher, a wise prophet, a mighty miracle-

worker; He must be such a Lord and Savior for us that we can

truthfully say of Him: I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord

who was born, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead, and

thereby has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, from

all my sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, and

made me His own in life and all eternity. I must not only hope

that of Jesus, or think it true, or probable, or possible, but I must

believe it, that is, make it mine in undoubting faith. Yes, the

two greatest letters in the alphabet are the letters m and y. But

it is only God's Holy Spirit that works such appropriating faith

in us through the Word of Jesus, through the Gospel. Let us

ever open our hearts to its sweet teachings, and we shall then

joyfully say with Thomas to Jesus: My Lord and my God.

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,

He lives and loves me to the end;

He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing;

He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King!

He lives, and grants me daily breath;

He lives, and I shall conquer death;

He lives my mansion to prepare;

He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His name!

He lives, my Jesus, still the same.

O the sweet joy this sentence gives,

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"