Religion Books

FOREWORD The following pages have grown out of a paper, following the same outline more briefly, which was read before the Pastors’ Conference of the San Juaquin Valley Baptist Association, the largest association in the Northern California Baptist Convention. At the close of the reading a request for its publication was enthusiastically and unanimously voted. The author has since divided the paper... more...

RELIGION AND THEOLOGY. 2 Cor. xi. 3.—"The simplicity that is in Christ." There is much talk in the present time of the difficulties of religion. And no doubt there is a sense in which religion is always difficult. It is hard to be truly religious—to be humble, good, pure, and just; to be full of faith, hope, and charity, so that our conduct may be seen to be like that of Christ, and our... more...

THE KING’S HERALD.“On Jordan’s banks the Baptist’s cryAnnounces that the Lord is nigh;Awake and hearken, for he bringsGlad tidings of the King....” When the Saviour of the world was about to enter upon His public ministry, the Jewish nation was startled with the cry, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (S. Matt. iii. 2). Such was God’s call to His people of old time, to prepare... more...

DISCOURSE I. THE LESSONS OF THE STREET. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets.—Proverbs, i. 20. The great truths of religion may be communicated to the mind and the heart in two ways—by abstract treatment, and by illustration. It must be taken up in its absolute connection with God, and with our own souls. In solitary meditation, in self-examination, and in prayer, we shall... more...

INTRODUCTION. The contents of this volume will be found, I hope, to be in agreement with its title. Amongst the helps of Christian life, the highest place is due to the Christian church and its ordinances. I have been greatly misunderstood with respect to my estimate of the Christian church, as distinguished from the Christian religion. I agree so far with those, from whom I in other things most widely... more...

For anyone wondering what is spiritual enlightenment, it is essential to learn the 24 Tirthankaras of the past, and of the present. In previous era, it was possible to achieve instant enlightenment simply by meeting a Tirthankara. At present, such sudden enlightenment is not possible here on earth. In the current era, one seeking spiritual awakening can search for spiritual teachers to understand the... more...

THE MATERIAL OF THE MANUSCRIPTS. The three manuscripts which we possess of the ancient Maya peoples of Central America, the Dresden (Dr.), the Madrid (Tro.-Cort.) and the Paris (Per.) manuscripts, all contain a series of pictorial representations of human figures, which, beyond question, should be regarded as figures of gods. Together with these are a number of animal figures, some with human bodies,... more...

Introduction. Richard Rolle of Hampole is the earliest in time of our famous English Mystics. Born in or about 1300, he died in 1349, seven years after Mother Julian of Norwich was born. Walter Hilton died in 1392. An exhaustive account of Rolle's life is given in Vol. ii. of Professor Horstman's Edition of his works, a book unfortunately out of print. The main facts are recorded in a brief... more...

YOUTH AND AFTER "And Terah died in Haran." This bit of prosaic information becomes suggestive by the emphasis of one word: "And Terah died in Haran." This was not his birthplace, but here he ended his days, and that for a reason over which it is worth our while to pause. "And Terah died in Haran." What of that? All people have died somewhere, who have lived and are dead. When we... more...

CHAPTER I THE NATURE OF GODS Before dealing with the special varieties of the Egyptians' belief in gods, it is best to try to avoid a misunderstanding of their whole conception of the supernatural. The term god has come to tacitly imply to our minds such a highly specialised group of attributes, that we can hardly throw our ideas back into the more remote conceptions to which we also attach the... more...