The negative is to be preached and taught in all that pertains to preaching and teaching as zealously and faithfully as the affirmative, and is to be regarded equally as much of divine authority. The first commandment the Lord ever gave to a human being was negative. It was in these words: “You may not eat of it.” This was negative—what must not be done. The Bible abounds with this negative teaching, setting forth what may not be done. Look at the following list, gathered from I. Cor. xiii. 4-8, setting forth affirmatively and negatively, or what love _will and will not_ do. First look at the affirmative side, or what love will do: 1. It suffers long. 2. It is kind. 3. It rejoices in the truth. 4. It bears all things. 5. It believes all things. 6. It hopes all things. 7. Endures all things. This is the affirmative side, or what love _will do_; but the divine authority does not stop at that, but tells us what love _will not do_. See the following: 1. It is not envious. 2. Vaunts not itself. 3. Is not puffed up. 4. Does not behave itself unseemingly. 5. Seeks not her own. 6. Is not easily provoked. 7. Thinks no evil. 8. Rejoices not in iniquity. 9. Never fails. The negative is longer than the affirmative in this enumeration. The man with his affirmative gospel is like the man with his two oars, faith and works, to his skiff. He pulled one alone for a time, and run round and round one way, and then pulled the other, and run round and round the other way, and then seized both and pulled them at the same time, when his skiff moved straight ahead beautifully. We must take the whole of the divine teaching, the affirmative and negative; what we are to believe, and what we are not to believe; what we are to do, and what we are not to do. We are to show not only what is truth, but what is not truth; what is of divine authority, but what is not of divine authority. Had some of our affirmative gospel men been in the place of Paul, when he came to Athens, they would have made no attack on the altar with the inscription: “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD,” but would have gone on with their affirmative gospel. Paul was not of that type of preacher, but brought their view of the unknown God into direct contrast with the revelation of the true God—the Jehovah. He admits that theirs was to them an “unknown God,”—“God who made the world, and all things therein”—“Lord of heaven and earth,” and who “dwells not in temples made with men’s hands,” and “is not worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needs anything, seeing that he gives to all life, and breath, and all things, and has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined before the times appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.”