this lesson we see his power over the diseases and ailments of men, as well as the minds and hearts. We are glad to note the power that the impartation of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God has upon the lives of men. What strength of character it gives them! What manhood it imparts,-more to be desired than much fine gold. Christ fully illustrates this fact in his treatment of the young man after he had been deserted by his parents and everybody else for his defence of the character and claims of Jesus.

In the study of his life, we see he not only has power over the minds of men, but over sin. No one but God has power to forgive and blot out transgression, and free the soul. The value and beauty of the new life imparted by the Lord Jesus on the forgiveness of sin is simply beyond expression. The power of Christ to take away our sins, cover them with his own precious blood, is a truth worth our while to study in connection with the value and beauty of the new life. When we know by the teaching of Christ, that, clothed with new life, we are to appear in glory like him, then to be forever with him, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, ought, it seems to me, to inspire our hearts to an earnest study of that most wonderful of all lives.

Now I want for a while to consider his miraculous power over death. In the eighth chapter of Luke we find an account of the death of the widow's son. Christ and his disciples, as they journeyed to the city of Nain, met in the way a funeral procession bearing the dead body of a young man, the only son of a widow. The account says, "much people of the city was with her"; and it appears there was much grief and weeping. This touched the great, swelling heart of the compassionate Christ, and he said to the mother, "Weep_not." And now, a scene follows that is enough to attract and awe the tallest angel. A man approaching a funeral procession for the purpose of speaking to the dead body is simply a strange act, but it is recorded of Christ that he did, and why should he fear to approach a dead man? Said he, "I am the life, and he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Christ came and touched the bier; and they that bear him stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother" (Luke 7: 13-15). Who can for a moment doubt the power of the resurrection, and the new life in Christ with such evidence of the God-power before them?

Here we see a funeral procession broken up, and a weeping mother made happy by coming in contact with him who is the resurrection and the life, and also we see something of the power of Christ over death.

One of the most wonderful displays of his God-power is his power over death. We look for a moment at one of the most noted cases on record,-that of Lazarus, whose body had lain in the grave a number of days before the approach of Christ.

Here, in the study of his life, we see the omnipresence, as well as the omnipotence of Jesus. In the eleventh chapter of John's Gospel we learn that Christ was away, but told his disciples plainly that Lazarus was dead. It seemed hard for them to understand what good

he could do if Lazarus was dead. His sister told him on coming, if he had been there, her brother would not have died. She believed he was the Christ, but to realize the truth of his power over death was hard for them. After some talk with them he asked where they had laid their brother. They gave Jesus to understand there was no use to look after him now, that he had been dead four days,-showing clearly that they had no thought of seeing him again till the general resurrection. But they showed Jesus his grave, and many Jews and friends went with them. And there follows one of the most wonderful and interesting scenes the world has been permitted to look upon. O that the world would only give the thought and earnest attention to it that is due! The great fundamental principles and facts of the resurrection of the dead so clearly set forth the attributes of Jehovah so plainly shown to a gain-saying world, that to question the facts would be folly in the extreme.

Here are clear evidences of trinity, or tri-unity of God; here is very God manifest in the flesh. "In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1: 1-4). Here we have, (1) the eternal existence,-"In the beginning," etc.; (2) the word was with God, eternal association, and (3) God manifest in the flesh, "and the word was God."

With this scripture before us, acknowledged as part of the inspired word of God, how can we disprove the divinity of the Lord Jesus? And with his divinity thus established, would it not be well to give more attention to the study of his life and works? Now, with this view of the divine personage before us, let us fall in with the little company that are going out to the grave of the dead man. Don't be afraid to go along, for we shall see some rays of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shine forth in the face of Christ before we leave the scene. Let us remember that what is about to take place is no farce, or child's play, or even delusive pretension, but a straightforward manifestation of the God-power, an exhibition of the Christ life, positive proof that he was the Son of God with power.

On reaching the grave, he was troubled in spirit. It is said, "He wept." One of the characteristics of the life of Christ is his unbounded love for mankind; ever watching for an opportunity to relieve distress and trouble. He said to the weeping sister, "Thy brother shall arise." She answered, "I know that he shall rise again at the last day." Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Then a question arose: could not this man that opened the eves of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Now Jesus in his great love and interest, cometh to the grave, which was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. He commanded the stone removed, but the sister objected on the ground that her brother had been dead four days. that putrefaction had already set up. How slow poor, doubting mortals are, to this day, to believe what God plainly tells us! But they, after having seen so many evidences of his miraculous

power, could not realize that Lazarus would again be seen in the walks of men. Jesus said to the sister, "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. Doubtless it was, to the bystanders, a foolish order given to remove the stone, and a foolish act removing it, but, as above intimated, we are now standing face to face to one of the most thrilling incidents this world has ever witnessed. And strange to say, some that saw it went away with unbelieving hearts. The stone taken away, Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth," and he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave cloths; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Excuse me a moment while I digress and let the astonished beholders have a view of these two illustrious personages come together and exchange greetings. One from God direct with a message from the throne, the other fresh from the regions of the dead, a living witness of the resurrection power of Christ, of whose life and works we are studying. And while greetings are going on in our imagination, I want to go out and up to a scene to which Holy Writ directs my thoughts, to take place somewhere in the great future. I could not be present at the meeting of Christ and Lazarus where we just now left them on the border of the grave from which Lazarus has just been called, but I have the evidence now that I am going to join with that blood-washed throng that will come forth at the call of the blessed Master, whose voice aroused Lazarus from his sleep, of which we have been thinking. Are you ready for that day to come?

Thinking, in our fancy, by this time the greetings of Christ and his friend Lazarus may be ended, we hasten back down to the grave, anxious to see the two loving sisters come rushing to embrace their beloved brother. We certainly feel that what I am now saying is not wholly from the alluring fields of fancy, for Lazarus was certainly resurrected, and he and Christ surely exchanged greetings, and it's a most natural conclusion that he and his loving sisters had a season of rejoicing and greeting long to be remembered.

And now as we are out in the alluring fields of fancy, let us take a last lingering look at the little group that gathered to witness this wonderful demonstration of God-power. It seems easy to me to see those two illustrious characters, Christ and Lazarus, and the two sisters, arm in arm, as the company leaves the grave and goes to their home to enjoy a visit supremely filled with comfort and joy. And now, for want of time and space, we bid our company adieu, and dropping the curtains, dismiss the service by saying: Demosthenes did like an orator, Alexander did like a warrior, but Jesus Christ did like a God.

Ira Sylvanis Goff, son of Thomas M. and Sara Springston Goff, was born in Ritchie County, W. Va., September 5, 1875. He received his early education in the public schools. He attended a few terms in normal school, and one year in Salem College. On account of a break in health he spent a number of years in the West-four years as pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist church at Cosmos, Okla. After entering Alfred Theological Seminary he was studentpastor, for one year, of the First and Second Hebron churches, in Pennsylvania, and of the Hartsville Church, in New York, for two years. At present he is pastor of the Second Alfred Church at Alfred Station, N. Y. He embraced the Sabbath and was received by baptism into the Ritchie Seventh Day Baptist Church, of Berea, W'. l'a., in October, 1898. He was ordained to the Gospel ministry by the Second Alfred Seventh Day Baptist Church on August 24, 1915. He has practically completed the English course in Alfred Theological Seminary.

He was united in marriage to Miss Eva Alice Bee, Berea, I'. Va., November 1, 1898. They have five children: Hayward R., aged sixteen; Paul B., aged fifteen; Sara I., aged seven; Eva A., aged four, and Leroy I., aged two years.

Sabbath Day, July 29, 1916

BUILDING

By REV. IRA S. GOFF

"Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?" (Haggai 1:4).

I want to bring to you this morning the first of a series of four sermons. The theme of these sermons is "Building."

In the first I will talk about the church building and its relation to the individual and the community. In the second I want to talk about the church with its many various members as a building. In the third we will speak of your body, the temple of the Holy Ghost, as a building. In the fourth we will speak of a spiritual building, character, as a house wherein you must dwell through all eternity.

"Is it time for you, Ŏ ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses and this house to lie waste?"

I believe God is a lover of the beautiful. I have gone away out on the mountain to a lonely place, a semi-desert, some lonely nook, where no eye that could appreciate the esthetic, the beautiful, save the eye of God, would look upon the scene. There I have seen flowers bloom in their exquisite beauty, with the most perfect form, the deepest hue, the sweetest perfume. Is it a waste of beauty? Are they blooming for nought? No, God is there. He is a God of beauty, and he has established beauty there that he might call man, who is a lover of the beautiful, hence to commune with him.

When the children of Israel were in the way from bondage to Palestine, under the leadership of Moses, God gave, through his servant, the instructions for the making of him a tent where he might meet with his children. His people were a wandering people, therefore a portable house was necessary. After Israel was established in Canaan, when they had a godly king to lead them, when they had strengthened themselves against their enemy, and the king lived in a palace, David came to the prophet and said, "It is not well that I should live in a house while God lives in a tent."

Yet the Lord spake through his prophet to his servant David saying, Since you are a man of war and have shed much blood you shall not build me a house; you may make ready. In the reign of Solomon, David's son, the house was built. Nothing was too good. The best of materials, the best of workmanship, everything to make it a place of beauty, to make it inviting, were added thereto. God's house filled a large place in the life of Israel. They would go up chanting their songs, hearts filled with praise and thanksgiving. devoted Jew's face was ever turned toward Jerusalem, and his holy temple.

The

This temple was so arranged to serve every religious need of God's people. There was the inner court, the Holy of Holies, where the high priest entered once a year with the blood of sacrifice to sprinkle the books, the altar, and the desk, for a propitiation of the