Chapter IX

CHAPTER IX.

The Telescopic and Microscopic Methods—Job—The Four Gospels—Acts—Psalm 52:1.

THERE are two opposite ways to study the Bible. One is to study it with a telescope, taking a grand sweep of a whole book and trying to find out God's plan in it; the other, with a microscope, taking up a verse at a time, dissecting it, analyzing it. If you take Genesis, it is the seed-plant of the whole Bible; it tells us of Life, Death, Resurrection; it involves all the rest of the Bible.

THE BOOK OF JOB.

An Englishman once remarked to me: "Mr. Moody, did you ever notice tnis, that the book of Job is the key to the whole Bible? If you understand Job you will understand the entire Bible!" "No," I said, "I don't comprehend that. Job the key to the whole Bible! How do make that out?" He said: "I divide Job into seven heads. The first head is: A perfect man untried. That is what God said about Job; that is Adam in Eden. He was perfect when God put him there. The second head is: Tried by adversity. Job fell, as Adam fell in Eden. The third head is: The wisdom of the world. The world tried to restore Job; the three wise men came to help him. That was the wisdom of the world centred in those three men. You can not," said he, "find any such eloquent language or wisdom anywhere, in any part of the world, as those three men displayed, but they did not know anything about grace, and could not, therefore, help Job." That is just what men are trying to do; and the result is that they fail; the wisdom of man never made man any better. These three men did not help Job; they made him more unhappy. Some one has said the first man took him, and gave him a good pull; then the second and third did the same; the three of them had three good pulls at Job, and then flat down they fell. "Then in the fourth place," said he, "in comes the Daysman, that is Christ. In the fifth place, God speaks; and in the sixth, Job learns his lesson. 'I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.' And then down came Job flat on the dunghill. The seventh head is this, that God restores him." Thank God, it is so with us, and our last state is better than our first.

A friend of mine said to me: "Look here, Moody, God gave to Job double of everything." He would not admit that Job had lost his children; God had taken them to heaven, and He gave Job ten more. So Job had ten in Heaven, and ten on earth —a goodly family. So when our children are taken from us, they are not lost to us, but merely gone before.

Now, let me take you through the four Gospels. Let us begin with Matthew.

MATTHEW.

Men sometimes tell me when I go into a town: "You want to be sure and get such a man on your committee, for he has nothing to do and he 6o Matthew.

will have plenty of time." I say: "No, thank you, I do not want any man that has nothing to do." Christ found Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom. The Lord took some one He found at work, and he went right on working. We do not know much about what he did, except that he wrote this Gospel. But, what a book! Where Matthew came from we do not know, and where he went to we do not know. His old name, Levi, dropped with his old life.

The Key. The Messiah of the Jews and the Saviour of the world. Supposed to have been writ:en about twelve years after the death of Christ, and to be the first Gospel written. It contains the best account of the life of Christ. You notice that it is the last message of God to the Jewish nation. Here we pass from the old to the new dispensation.

Matthew does not speak of Christ's ascension, but leaves Him on earth.

Mark gives His resurrection and ascension.

Luke gives His resurrection, ascension and the promise of a comforter.

John goes a step further and says he is coming back.

There are more quotations in Matthew than in any of the others; I think there are about a hundred. He is trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was the son of David, the rightful king. He talked a good deal about the kingdom, its mysteries, the example of the kingdom, healing the sick, etc., the principles of the kingdom as set forth in the sermon on the mount; also, the rejection of the king. When anyone takes a kingdom they lay down the principles upon which they are going to rule or conduct it.

Now, let me call your attention to five great sermons. In these you have a good sweep of the whole book:

1. The sermon on the mount. See how many things lying all around Him He brings into His sermon, salt, light, candle, coat, rain, closet, moth, rust, thieves, eye, fowls, lilies, grass, dogs, bread, fish, gate, grapes, thorns, figs, thistles, rock, etc.

Someone, in traveling through Palestine, said that he did not think there was a solitary thing there that Christ did not use as an illustration. So many people in these days are afraid to use common things, but don't you think it is better to use things that people can understand, than to talk so that people can't understand you? Now, a woman can easily understand a candle, and. a man can easily understand about a rock, especially in a rocky country like Palestine. Christ used common things as illustrations, and spoke so that everyone could understand Him. A woman in Wales once said she knew Christ was Welsh, and an Englishman said, "No, He was a Jew." She declared that she knew He was Welsh, because He spoke so that she could understand Him. Christ did not have a shorthand reporter to go around with Him to write out and print His sermons, and yet the people remembered them. Never mind about finished sentences and rounded periods, but give your attention to making your sermons clear so that they will stick. Use bait that your hearers will like.

The Law was given on a mountain, and here Christ 62 Matthew.

lays down His principles on a mountain. The law of Moses applies to the outward acts, but this sermon applies to the inward life. As the sun is brighter than a candle, so the sermon on the mount is brighter than the law of Moses. It tells us what kind of Christians we ought to be—lights in the world, the salt of the world, silent in our actions but great in effect.

"I say unto you," occurs twelve times in this sermon.

2. The second great sermon was delivered to the twelve in the tenth chapter. You find over and over again the sayings in this sermon are quoted by men viz.: "Shake off the dust off your feet against them." "Freely ye have received, freely give," etc.

3. The open air sermon. You want the best kind of preaching on the street. You have to put what you say in a bright, crisp way, if you expect people to listen.

You must learn to think on your feet. There was a young man preaching on the streets in London when an infidel came up and said: "The man who invented gas did more for the world than Jesus Christ." The young man could not answer him and the crowd had the laugh on him. But another man got up and said: "Of course the man has a right to his opinion, and I suppose if he was dying he would send for the gasfitter, but I think I should send for a minister and have him read the fourteenth chapter of John;" and he turned the laugh back on the man.

This sermon contains seven parables. It is like a string of pearls.

4. The sermon of woes; Christ's last appeal to the Jewish nation. Compare these eight woes with the nine beatitudes. You notice the closing up of this sermon on woes is the most pathetic utterance in the whole ministry of Christ. "Your house is left unto you desolate." Up to that time it had been "My Father's house," or "My house," but now it is "your house." It was not long until Titus came and leveled it to the ground. Abraham never loved Isaac more than Jesus loved the Jewish nation. It was hard for Abraham to give up Isaac, but harder for the Son of God to give up Jerusalem.

5. The fifth sermon was preached to His disciples. How little did they understand Him! When His heart was breaking with sorrow, they drew His attention to the buildings of the temple. . The first sermon was given on the mount; the second and third at Capernaum; the fourth in the Temple; the fifth on Olivet.

In Matthew's Gospel there is not a thing in hell, heaven, earth, sea, air or grave that does not testify of Christ as the Son of God. Devils cried out, fish entered the nets under His influence, wind and wave obeyed Him.

Summary:—Nine beatitudes; eight woes; seven consecutive parables; ten consecutive miracles; five continuous sermons; four prophecies of His death.

MARK.

The four Gospels are independent of each other, no one was copied from the other. Each is the complement of the rest, and we get four views of Christ, like the four sides of a house.

Matthew writes for Jews.

Mark writes for Romans,

64 Mark.

Luke writes for Gentile converts.

You don't find any long sermons in Mark. The Romans were quick and active, and he had to condense things in order to catch them. You'll find the words "Forthwith," "Straightway," "Immediately," occur forty-one times in this gopsel. Every chapter but the first, seventh, eighth and fourteenth begins with "And," as if there was no pause in Christ's ministry.

Luke tells us that Christ received little children, but Mark says He took them up in His arms. That makes it sweeter to you, doesn't it?

Perhaps the high water mark is the fifth chapter. Here we find three very bad cases, devils, disease and death, beyond the reach of man, cured by Christ. The first man was possessed with devils. They could not bind him, or chain or tame him. I suppose a good many men and women had been scared by that man. People are afraid of a graveyard even in daylight, but think of a live man being in the tombs and possessed with devils! He said: "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not." But Jesus had come to do him good.

Next, the woman with the issue of blood. If she had been living to-day, I suppose she would have tried every patent medicine in the market. We would have declared her a hopeless case and sent her to the hospital. Some one has said: "There was more medicine in the hem of His garment than in all the apothecary shops in Palestine." She just touched Him and was made whole. Hundreds of others touched Him, but they did not get anything. Can you tell the difference between the touch of faith and the ordinary touch of the crowd?

Thirdly, Jarius' daughter raised. You see the manifestation of Jesus' power is increasing, for when He arrived the child was dead and He brought her to life. I do not doubt but that away back in the secret councils of eternity it was appointed that He should be there just at that time. I remember once being called to preach a funeral sermon, and I looked the four gospels through to find one of Christ's funeral sermons, but do you know He never preached one? He broke up every funeral He ever attended. The dead awaked when they heard His voice.

LUKE.

We now come to Luke's gospel. You notice his name does not occur in this book or in Acts. (You will find it used three times, viz.; in Colossians, Timothy and Philemon). He keeps himself in the background. I meet numbers of Christian workers who are ruined by getting their names up. We do not know whether Luke was a Jew or a Gentile.

The first we see of him is in Acts 16: 10. "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." He did not claim to be an eye-witness to Christ's ministry nor one of the seventy. Some think he was, but he does not claim it. It is supposed that his gospel is of Paul's preaching, the same as Mark's was of Peter. It is also called the Gospel of the Gentiles, and is supposed to have 66 Luke.

been written when Paul was in Rome, about 27 years after Christ. One-third of this gospel is left out in the other gospels. It opens with a note of praise: "And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at His birth;" "And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God;" and closes the same way.

Canon Farrar has pointed out that we have a sevenfold gospel in Luke:

1. It is a gospel of praise and song. We find here the songs of Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon, the angels, and others. Some one has written beautifully of Simeon as follows: "What Simeon wanted to see was the Lord's Christ. Unbelief would suggest to him, 'Simeon you are an old man, your day is almost ended, the snow of age is upon your head, your eyes are growing dim, your brow is wrinkled, your limbs tetter, and death is almost upon you: and where are the signs of His coming? You are resting, Simeon, upon imagination — it is all a delusion.' 'No,' replied Simeon, 'I shall not see death till I have seen the Lord's Christ; I shall see Him before I die.' I can imagine Simeon walking out one fine morning along one of the lovely vales of Palestine, meditating upon the great subject that filled his mind. Presently he meets a friend. 'Peace be with you; have you heard the strange news''' 'What news?' replies Simeon. 'Do you not know Zacharias the priest?' 'Yes, well.' 'According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense in the temple of the Lord, and .the whole multitude of the people were praying without. It was the time of incense, and there appeared unto him an angel, standing on the fight side of the altar, who told him that he should have a son, whose name should be called John; one who should be great in the sight of the Lord, who should go before the Messiah and make ready a people prepared for the Lord. The angel was Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, and because Zacharias believed not, he was struck dumb.' 'Oh,' says Simeon, 'that fulfills the prophecy of Malachi. This is the forerunner of the Messiah: this is the morning star: the day dawn is not for off: the Messiah is nigh at hand. Hallelujah! The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple!' Time rolls on. I can imagine Simeon accosted again by one of his neighbors: 'Well, Simeon, have you heard the news?' 'What news?' 'Why there's a singular story in everybody's mouth. A company of shepherds were watching their flocks by night on the plains of Bethlehem. It was the still hour of night, and darkness mantled the world. Suddenly a bright light shone around the shepherds, a light above the brightness of the midday sun. They looked up, and just above them was an angel who said to the terrified shepherds, 'Fear not, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people!' 'This is the Lord's Christ,' said Simeon, 'and I shall not taste death till I have seen him.' He said to himself, 'They will bring the child to the Temple to circumcise him.'

"Away went Simeon, morning after morning, to see if he could get a glimpse of Jesus. Perhaps unbe68 Luke.

lief suggested to Simeon, 'You had better stop at home this wet morning: you have been so often and have missed HTm: you may venture to be absent this once." 'No,' said the Spirit, 'go to the Temple.' Simeon would no doubt select a good point of observation. See how intently he watches the door! He surveys the face of every child as one mother after another brings her infant to be circumcised. 'No,' he says, 'That is not He.' At length he sees the Virgin appear, and the Spirit tells him it is the long-expected Saviour. He grasps the child in his arms, presses him to his heart, blesses God and says: 'Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.'"

2. It is a gospel of thanksgiving. They glorified God when Jesus healed the widow's son at Nain, when the blind man received sight, etc.

3. It is a gospel of prayer. We learn that Christ prayed when he was baptised, and nearly every great event in His ministry was preceded by prayer. If you want to hear from Heaven you must seek it on your knees. There are two parables about prayer—the friend at midnight and the unjust judge.

4. Here is another thing that is made prominent, namely, the gospel of womanhood. Luke alone records many loving things Christ did for women. The richest jewel in Christ's crown was what he did for women. A man tried to tell me that Mohammed had done more for women than Christ. I told him that if he had ever been in Mohammedan countries, he would be ashamed of himself for making such a remark. They care more for their donkeys than they do for their wives and mothers.

A man once said that when God created life He began at the lowest forms of animal life and came up until He got to man, then he was not quite satisfied and created a woman. She was lifted up the highest, and when she fell, she fell the lowest.

5. This is the gospel of the poor and humble. When I get a crowd of roughs on the street I generally teach from Luke. Here are the shepherds, the peasant, the incident of the rich man and Lazarus. This gospel tells us He found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me— to preach the gospel to the poor." It is a dark day for a church when it gets out that they do not want the common people. Whitfield labored among the miners, and Wesley among the common people. If you want the poor, let it get out that you want them to come.

6. It is a gospel to the lost. The woman with the seven devils, the thief on the cross illustrate this. Also, the parables of the lost sheep, the lost piece of silver, and the lost son.

7. It is a gospel of tolerance.

"He that winneth souls is wise." Do you want to win men? Do not drive or scold them. Do not try to tear down their prejudices before you begin to lead them to the truth. Some people think they have to tear down the scaffolding before they begin on the building. An old minister once invited a young brother to preach for him. The latter scold

JO Luke.

ed the people, and when he got home, asked the old minister how he had done. He said he had an old cow, and when he wanted a good supply of milk, he fed the cow; he did not scold her.

Christ reached the publicans because nearly everything he said about them was in their favor. Look at the parable of the Pharisee and publican. Christ said the publican went down to his house justified rather than that proud Pharisee. How did He reach the Samaritans? Take the parable of the ten lepers. Only one returned to thank Him for the healing, and that was a Samaritan. Then there is the parable of the Good Samaritan. It has done more to stir people up to philanthropy and kindness to the poor than anything that has been said on this earth for six thousand years. Go into Samaria and you find that story has reached there first. Some man has been down to Jerusalem and heard it, and gone back home and told it all around; and they say "If that Prophet ever comes up here, we'll give Him a hearty reception." If you want to reach people that do not agree with you, do not take a club to knock them down and then try to pick them up. When Jesus Christ dealt with the erring and the sinners, He was as tender with them as a mother is with her sick child. A child once said to his mother, "Mamma, you never speak ill of any one. You would speak well of Satan." "Well," said the mother, "you might imitate his perseverance."

JOHN.

John was supposed to be the youngest disciple, and was supposed to be the first of all that Christ had to follow Him. He is called the bosom companion of Christ. Someone was complaining of Christ's being partial. I have no doubt that Christ did love John more than the others, but it was because John loved him most. I think John got into the inner circle, and we can get in too if we will. Christ keeps the door open and we can just go right in. You notice nearly all his book is new. All of the eight months Christ spent in Judea are recorded here.

Matthew begins with Abraham; Mark with Malachi; Luke with John the Baptist; but John with God Himself.

Matthew sets forth Christ as the Jew's Messiah.

Mark as the active worker.

Luke as a man.

John as a personal Saviour.

John presents Him as coming from the bosom of the Father. The central thought in this gospel is proving the divinity of Christ. If I wanted to prove to a man that Jesus Christ was divine, I would take him directly to this gospel. The word repent does not occur once, but the word believe occurs ninety-eight times. The controversy that the Jews raised about the divinity of Christ is not settled yet, and before John went away he took his pen and wrote down these things to settle it.

A seven-fold witness to the divinity of Christ:

1. Testimony of the Father. "The Father that sent me beareth witness of me."

2. The Son bearing testimony. "Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true; for I know whence I came,

72 fok}l.

and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I came, and whither I go."

3. Christ's works testify: "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works, that ye mayknow and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him."

No man can make me believe that Jesus Christ was a bad man; because He brought forth good fruit. How any one can doubt that He was the Son of God after eighteen centuries of testing is a mystery to me.

4. The Scriptures: "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me."

5. John the Baptist: "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

6. The Disciples: "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning."

7. The Holy Ghost: "But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."

Of course there many others that show His divinity, but I think these are enough to prove it to any man. If I went into court and had seven witnesses that co«ld not be broken down, I think I would have a good case.

Notice the " I am's " of Christ.

"I am from above."

"I am not of this world."

"Before Abraham was, I am."

"I am the bread of life."

"I am the light of the world."

"I am the door."

"I am the Good Shepherd."

"I am the way."

"I am the truth." Pilate asked what truth was, and there it was standing right before him.

"I am the resurrection and the life."

In the gospel of John, we find eight gifts for the believer: the bread of life; the water of life; eternal life; the Holy Spirit; love; joy; peace; His words.

ACTS.

A good lesson to study is how all through the book of Acts defeat was turned to victory. When the early Christians were persecuted, they went every where preaching the Word. That was a victory, and so on all through.

Luke's gospel was taken up with Christ in the body, Acts with Christ in the church. In Luke we read of what Christ did in His humiliation, and in Acts what He did in His exaltation. With most men, their work stops at their death, but with Christ it had only begun. "Greater works than these shall ye do, because I go to My Father." We call this book the "Acts of the Apostles," but it is really the "Acts of the Church (Christ's body)."

You will find the key to the book in chapter 1:8: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

We would not have seen the struggles of that infant church if it had not been for Luke. We would not have known much about Paul either if it had not been for Luke.

74 Acts.

There were four rivers flowing out of Eden; here we have the four gospels flowing into one channel.

Three divisions of the Acts:—

I. Founding of the church. > II. Growth of the church.

III. Sending out of missionaries.

I believe that the nearer we keep to the apostles' way of presenting the gospel, the more success we will have.

Now there are ten great sermons in Acts, and I think if you get a good hold on these you will have a pretty good understanding of the book and how to preach. Five were preached by Peter, one by Stephen and four by Paul. The phrase, "We are witnesses," runs through the entire book. We say, to-day, "We are eloquent preachers." We seem to be above being simple witnesses.

I. Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. Someone said that now it takes about three thousand sermons to convert one Jew, but here three thousand were converted by one sermon. When Peter testified of Christ and bore witness that he had died and had risen again, God honored it, and he will do the same with you.

II. Peter preaches in Solomon's porch. A short sermon, but it did good work. They did not get there till three o'clock, and I believe the Jews could not arrest a man after sundown, and yet in that short space of time five thousand were converted. What did he preach? Listen:

"But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

"And killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead: whereof we are witnesses.

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

III. Peter preaches to the high priests. They had arrested them and were demanding to know by what power they did these things. "By the name of Jesus Christ, . . . doth this man stand here before you whole." When Bunyan was told he would be released if he would not preach any more, he said, " If you let me out I will preach to-morrow."

IV. Peter's testimony before the council. They commanded them not to preach in the name of Christ. I don't know what they could do if they were forbidden that. Some ministers to-day would have no trouble; they could get along very well. About all the disciples knew was what they had learned in those three years with Jesus, hearing His sermons and seeing His miracles. They saw the things and knew they were so, and when the Holy Ghost came down upon them, they could not help but speak them.

V. Stephen's sermon. He preached the longest sermon in Acts. Dr. Bonar once said, "Did you ever notice, Brother Whittle, that when the Jews accused Stephen of speaking blasphemous words against Moses, the Lord lit up his face with the same glory with which Moses' face shone?"

An old Scotch beadle once warned his new minister, "You may preach as much as ye like about the sins of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but stick to them and don't come any nearer hand if ye want to stay here." Stephen began with them, but he came right 76 Acts.

down to the recent crucifixion, and stirred them up.

VI. Peter's last sermon and the first sermon to the Gentiles. Notice the same gospel is preached to the Gentiles as to the Jews, and it produces the same results. "To him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all of them which heard the word."

Now the leading character changes and Paul comes on.

VII. Paul's sermon at Antioch, in Pisidia. An old acquaintance once said to me, "What are you preaching now? I hope you are not harping on that old string yet." Yes, thank God, I am spreading the old gospel. If you want to get people to come you, just lift up Christ; He said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." "Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins."

VIII. Paul's sermon to the Athenians. He got fruit at Athens by preaching the same old gospel to the philosophers.

IX. Paul's sermon at Jerusalem.

X. Paul's defence before Agrippa. I think that is the grandest sermon Paul ever preached. He preached the same gospel before Agrippa and Festus that he did down in Jerusalem. He preached everywhere the mighty fact that God gave Christ as a ransom for sin, that the whole world can be saved by trusting in Him.

"Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

"That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people and to the Gentiles."

THE MICROSCOPIC METHOD.

Let me show what I mean by the microscopic method by taking the first verse of Psalm 52: "Why boastest thou thou thyself in iniquity, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually." This verse naturally falls into two divisions, on the one side being—man, on the other—God. Man—mischief; God—goodness. Is any particular man addressed? Yes: Doeg the Edomite, as the preface to the psalm suggests. You can therefore find the historic reference of this verse and Psalm in I. Samuel 22:9. Now take a concordance or topical text-book, and study the subject of "boasting."' What words mean the same thing as "boasting"? One is glorifying. Is boasting always condemned? In what does Scripture forbid us to boast? In what are we exhorted to boast? "Thus saith the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this: that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Treat the subject "mischief," in a similar manner. Then ask yourself is this boasting, this mischief, always to last? No: "the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment." "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a 78 Acts.

green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." The other half of the text suggests a study of goodness (or mercy) as an attribute of God. How is it manifested temporally and spiritually? What Scripture have we for it? Is God's goodness conditional? Does God's goodness conflict with His justice? Now, as the end of Bible-study as well as of preaching is to save men, ask yourself is the Gospel contained in this text in type or in evidence? Turn to Romans 2:4: "Despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering: not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Here the verse leads directly to the subject of repentance, and you rise from the study of the verse ready at any time to preach a short sermon that may be the means of converting some one.