ded such works as
yours, you have no answer. But let him hear you boast in the
confident faith God's command inspires: "I have received from Christ
my Lord baptism and absolution; of this I am certain, and what I do
is done at his command and by his power"--let him hear that and he is
forced immediately to leave you. He must flee, not from your person
or works, but from Christ's office and gifts found with you.

47. Paul presents these thoughts to teach us what we Christians have
from God in the three forms, blessings superior to those enjoyed by
all others in the world. The apostle would have us be grateful for
these things and make use of them in a spirit of Christian love. He
desires that the possessor of gifts devote them to the service of
others. He teaches we are to honor God in the gifts another
possesses; that we are highly to esteem them, remembering they are
not of man's production, not wrought of man's ability or skill, but
are the offices, gifts and works of God. They are not the inferior
and trivial things they seem to the world because making no show and
noise. God does not give unredeemable coin or empty shells and mere
husks. His gifts and works in his Church must effect inexpressible
results, taking souls from the jaws of the devil and translating them
into eternal life and glory.

_Eleventh Sunday After Trinity_

Text: 1 Corinthians 15, 1-10.

1 Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached
unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, 2 by which
also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto
you, except ye believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of
all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried; and that he
hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; 5 and
that he appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve; 6 then he appeared to
above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain
until now, but some are fallen asleep; 7 then he appeared to James;
then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to the child untimely
born, he appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles,
that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his
grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored
more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace