OCTOBER, 1910
NO. 10
VOL. I
Definite Bible Study. UR reading of God's Word must be definite. What does it say to me?" That is the difference between study and meditation. Study is attention, but meditation is attention and also intention. Meditation is, first of all, thought. Then it means application to myself, it means prayer for grace, it means the yielding of the heart tp God, and it means rising up to obey. That is the meaning of definite hiding of God's Word in our heart. That is what it meant with Daniel. When he had had that vision, in Chap. 8, he said, "Afterward I rose up and did the King's business." This is what I mean by hiding God's Word in our heart. Daily, direct end definite.—Webb-Peploe.
Published Once a Month by THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Bible Institute Press.
Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.—Psalm 119:89
J n a i t i u i * (Incorporated )
260=264 South Main Street (Second Floor) L o s A n g e l e s , C a l i f o r n i a
DIRECTORS: Lyman Stewart, President
Rev. A B Prichard Vice Pre, B. C. AtterburyM D. Secretary-TW
T. C. Horton. Superintendent
R. A
. Hadden, Supt. Extension Work
E. A. K. Hackett
W. E. Blackstone
S. I. Merrill
W. L. Green
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT ^ We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The T he ^ ^ t a i n a n c e of Good Works. The Deity of the Christ T h e Second Coming of Christ The Personality of the Holy Spirit. The Immortality of the Soul thJritv ! f P r a ^ a l « a n d + P l 6 n a r y aU " T h e R^urrection of the Body. T V i ! l i y f l ^ i f e T h e Life everlasting of Believers. Tbl ° f t h ° A ? h u r e h - . Endless Punishment of the Im- + he Substitutionary Atonement. penitent The Necessity of the New Birth. The Reality and Personality of Satan. Purpose j.The Institute trains accredited men and women, free r ol cost, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. Departments
day 1 and" S u n d a y t U t e C l a S S 6S h e l d d a i l y e x c e P t Satur- (2) Extension Work. Classes and conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by compe- tent evangelists under our direction. (4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night for Spanish-speaking people and house visitation. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories all the year. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work in homes for the Hebrew people. (7) Bible Women. House-to-house work and neigh- borhood classes. (8) Aqueduct. Work among the 4000 men on the _ new aqueduct. (9) Oil Fields. A mission to the men on the oil fields. (10) Books and Tracts. Sale and distribution of selecte.d books and tracts.
PRAY FOR THE WORK AND WORKERS OF THE INSTITUTE, If ye abide in me and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.—John 15:7.
T he Gospel of Grace vs
*
v
the Gospel of Gush
l . How wide is the distinction between thé Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and that other gospel of which Paul speaks, and which is indeed Iio gospel. The real Gospel—the true Gospel—centers in " J e s us Christ and Him crucified." It has ™ to do with lost souls, separated by sin from the life of God. It sets forth the fact of sin with no uncertain sound; it includes all men in one class, as sinners ^ without a vestige of righteousness; it presents Jesus Christ as the Saviour of all who are willing to accept Him as their atoning sacrifice and acknowledge * t Him as their Lord and Master. The Gospel of Grace raises penitent rebels to a place of prominence above that of the holy angels; it lays stress upon what y God has done through His Son for a ruined world, and glorifies the risen Lord. The Gospel of Grace is a Gospel of Love, founded upon truth and righteousness; it exalts God in His character as Father, Son and Spirit. The gospel of gush teaches that man is not so very bad; that He has a Divine » spark, which only needs to be blown upon by some twentieth century faddist and the spark will be fanned into a flame of holy love. It tells men to cheer up, think good thoughts, believe in himself, turn over a new leaf, chip in and help keep the wheels of the Church machinery moving, and everything will come out right in the end. This gospel denies the personality of Satan and the punishment of the wicked; it has a heaven, but no hell; a Christ but no Cross; a leader, but no Lord; a lamp but no light. It sees sin in the saloon, but no devil in the drawing room; it has soft words for sinners—especially for the cultured criminals; it tells you that the world is growing better every day; gushes about the goodness of God and the magnificence of man; it glorifies those who have gold, and placates + the men in high places; at its shrines it serves soothing sophistries to itching ears. In place of Scripture facts it has silly fables; it denies the doctrines of the Bible and dishes up doctrines of devils. The fruit of this gospel is found in the wishy-washy sentiméntalism that prevails everywhere with reference to the Word and work of God. The gospel of gush has no grip upon men. The de.; mand of the day is for strong, sturdy preachers of the pure Gospel of Grace, and zealous followers of the living God. T.C.H.
^ r . Parker's Last Message Concerning the Bible.
We were brought up among simple, unsuspecting believers. They told us that the Bible was all true. They called it " The Holy Bible," and they held it to be such. They told us that Eden was a real place, with real trees and a real serpent. Theyi told us that a four- branched river rolled through the sunny paradise; we thought that Adam bathed in Hiddekel; and that the gold that colored the Pison stream was solid, and yellow and marketable. We neve* doubted it. The place on the map was pointed out, with the assurance that if Eden was not there it was thereabouts. Some people believe this still. Spur- geon believed it. In its highest, deep- est, grandest meaning, I myself believe it. Our mothers are responsible for a good deal. They were not literal gram- marians, but they were gigantic believ- ers. They used to read to us the story of Joseph and cry over it, and made much of the coat of many colors, and when we came-to "your father, the old man of whom ye spake, is he well?" our brawny fathers sobbed and pre- tended to be only coughing. If any- body had then told us what some people tell us now, that there was no J o s e p h- no ^ old man—no coat of many c o l o r s- no life in Egypt—no forgiving breth- ren—no family reconciliation—that it is all a dream, a fantasy, an illusion in color—I know not in what terms he would have been denounced and with what horror he would have been shunned. Some of us still believe in the history of Joseph; and when all other "short stories" have run out, this story of Joseph will exact its tribute of tears from the eyes of far-off genera- tions. Then in this matter of credulity our quaint old pastors were little better than our mothers. If some modern criticism is true, those old pastors were unconscious imposters. They had not a " d o u b t " to bless themselves with. They read the Bible and actually be- lieved it, anu preached it without a stammer. They used to preach about
Daniel and the lions' den, and make us feel heroic in the heroism of the brave young man. Now it turns out that there were no lions, there was no den, and worst of all, there was no Daniel. The Book of Daniel is tajcen away bod- ily. Yet we are told that the Bible has been given back to us by the critics, . and that it is a better book than we ^ had before. Some of us cannot yet re- receive this saying. At present we are suffering from a grievous sense of loss. Do not suppose, however, that all the higher critics are of one mind, or that tney pursue one method, and do not sup- pose that every minister has given up Joseph and his brethren, or even Daniel and the lions' den. Broad and indis- criminate statements are apt to be un- true and unjust on all sides of great controversies. Our dear od pastors used to preach about David, and quoting call him " t h e sweet singer of I s r a e ;" and now, ac- ifl cording to some, it turns out that David was no singer at all, and that he prob- -4), ably never heard of the psalms which he is supposed to have written. Still more widespread is the havoc made by some ruthless sickles. It is bad enough to lose Joseph and his brethren, Daniel and nis den, David and his harp, Jonah and his whale, but these are compara- 44 tive trifles. There was, according to (t, some, no Miraculous Conception, no Nf Ministry of Miracles, no resurrection of Christ. All is idealism, poetry, dream and hazy myth. Bethlehem and Naza- reth disappear from what we used to call the sacred page. In the old, old time when we were very young, the ^ Christian Church had a heaven and a hell, an immortal soul, a direct reve- . lation from heaven, a book which it called " The Word of God." In those early days we thought ascended ones were "forever with the Lord." We said, in a sob which was really a song, "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them unto liv-
"soul goes marching on," but the Bish- op is forgotten, as if his book were a mere escape of gas. Tom Paine showed wonderful insight, and in a manner an- ticipated all the higher critics. For example, Tom Paine said, "Who- ever wrote the Pentateuch, Moses had little or nothing to do with it." But some who say this very thing have orthodox chairs in English universities and sign even more articles than thirty- nine, whilst Tom Paine is branded as an infidel and has no professional in- come. Tom Paine said there were at least two Isaiahs, in other words, that the Isaiah who wrote the first part of the book never wrote the second, and perhaps never knew that a second part was written. Some higher critics say the very same thing today, whilst Tom Paine is still regarded by orthodoxy as a most noxious beast. Poor Bishop Watson is on many sides treated as an evangelical milksop, whilst Tom Paine is lauded as a man of progress and of advanced and modern thought. Still we are told that Tom and his succes- sors have given us " b a c k " the Bible, and that it is now more precious than ever. It is not for me to revile Tom Paine; but I take it upon myself to say that no Tom Paine, notwithstanding all his insight and foresight, ought to be in any Free Church pulpit, and if Tom Paine is there, we ought to eject and denounce him as a man who is making a living under false pretenses. It is not to be wondered at that some of us still cling to the Bible after the illiterate and traditional manner of our fathers and mothers and pastors. Blame our training. Take full account of our antecedents. We drew in our love of the Bible with our mother's milk. The Bible helped some of us when the father died and there was neither coal in the grate nor bread in the cupboard. It sanctified our poverty, our struggles, our desolation. It turned the grave into a garden plot, it put heart into us when all other things failed. The Bible has made us men. We are not to be told that this consolatory (not critical) Bible is still left to us. How long will it be left? Still higher critics may possibly arise in distant years who will purloin this jewel also. Who can say how much of the Bible will be left in half a century? We have a right to be suspicious. Where much has gone, more
ing fountains of water, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." We said that each of them had a crown, a harp, and a- white robe. Now we are told that all we supposed to be real was but fancy, mirage, and " t h e stuff that dreams are made o f . " I want you to see that if we yielded to these suggestions and demands, we should be giving up a good deal. Do not suppose that it is easy for the soul to part with its very self—with all the things which would leave only empti- ness and mocking echoes behind. Some of us have not even yet given up our faith. Blessed be God, some of us still believe in the whole Bible. We know that translation may have its faults, and that copyists may make blunders, and yet we hold to the whole Book— we still call it .The Holy Bible—it is to us in substance and in effect the veri- table Word of God. Yes; we have been asked to give up a good deal, and what, as I have already said, aggravates us most of all, is that we have been asked to believe that the giving of it up has made the Bible more precious than ever to us. Genesis turns out to be mainly fable; Abram is not . a man, but ' ' an eponymous h e r o ;" Joseph " i s n o t " in another and deeper sense; Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego are mere dreams and night- mares; the Books of Kings and, Chron- icles are removed bodily; Ecclesiastes and Solomon's Song ought never to have been in the Bible—yet notwith- standing all this we are to think of the Bible being "given b a c k" to us more precious than ever. We can not do so all at once. Our training blocks the way. Early impressions are often in- delible. It is hard to regard supposed enemies as all at once our disguised friends. For examplp, many of us were brought up to believe that Tom Paine was an awful character—nothing short, indeed, of an infidel, blatant, presump- tuous, defiant. Tom Paine was a kind of moral typhus, or a malignant form of smallnox. Every man who had a copy of " The Age of Beason" kept it in a secret drawer and lent it at night time and under a whispered vow of sec- recy. To possess ' 1 The Age of Beason'' was equal to having an infectious and loathsome disease. Bishop Watson an- swered " The Age of Beason," but the Bishop is now nowhere.' Tom Paine's
may go. On the whole, therefore, I am of opinion that it is better to hold the Bible very much as we have always held it, to keep an open mind in relation to all competent and reverent criticism, to
eling to the Bible in all its proved con- solations and particular results, and to leave many difficulties and perplexities to be settled wheç, in heaven, we have more time and more light.
" O ut of His Treasure"
By G. Campbell Morgan, From ' The Life of Faith"
" Bu t the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things" (John xiv. 26). "When He, the Spirit of t (the) truth, is come, He shall guide you into all the t r u t h" (xvi. 13). Then the Book, of and by itself, is not sufficient to guide us into all the truth. Divinely complete and perfect for its purpose, it realizes its end only as the instrument of the Spirit of the truth. We are not left to a solitary grappling with the letter of Scripture, to make the best use of it we can by our own un- aided powers. Another Mind, in which dwells all the truth, without any dark- ness at all, is willing to become our teacher and guide. The central fact of the spiritual life is tjie illumined Scrip- ture, as millions of spiritual men can bear witness; and what is central must spread to the whole circumference, un- til every thought is brought into captiv- ity to the obedience of Christ. And so, as we read our Bible, our joy and hope are in remembering Him who in, and by, and through, and according to the Book opens up to us the realities of communion with the Father and the Son. We have no faculty of intuitive knowledge of the things of the heart of God, nor can we pierce the veil of words which inform us of their exist- ence; all must be revealed. " No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son wul reveal Him. Come unto Me ." ' ' For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Nor is it enough simply to be ac-
quainted with the great facts of the re- deeming grace of God—the Incarnation, the Ministry, the Death, the Resurrec- tion, the Ascension, the Enthronement, of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been hearing, for years now; the cry: "Back to Christ.'' But there are multitudes today who, if they got back to Christ, would only reject and crucify Him— essentially, if not in form. And an- other large class would as completely misinterpret Him as did His contempo- raries, and even His own disciples. To these latter, again and again, He piti- fully appealed, asking: "How is it that ye do not understand?" A Divine fact needs to be divinely in- terpreted, for there is in it a Divine purpose and a Divine thought. When, after the Last Supper, the Lord washed the disciples' feet, He answered Peter's protest by saying: "Wh at I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Simple as the deed was, it. needed—and received—the Master's own interpretation. Then take the Book of Revelation, a chief purpose of which is to save the Church of Christ, to the very end, from misinterpreting the. tremendous reality of Christ's pres- ent authority over all things. Without this guidance, how certainly the Church would have fallen into false inferences from the fact that their Omnipotent Lord and Friend was seated at God's right hand. Had we had the interpret- ing of that fact, very many of the things shadowed forth in Revelation we should not have dreamt of; and a hundred things not found there would have been in our false programme. The glory of our New Testament is—not merely " t h e faet of Christ"—but the fact of Christ interpreted by the chosen instruments of the Spirit of the truth,
in which He dwells into all the truth? May a man today know the Bible to be indeed the Book of the Holy Gh o s t- not because it " f i n d s" him, but because it is in all reality for him the sword of the Spirit? Unless we are greatly mis- taken, it is just here that for many a day to come the battle will rage. Will the final conflict between the natural man and the spiritual man center round the interpretation of a Bible that can- not be repudiated, and a Christianity that can not be denied? G. C.
who now repeats in lowly hearts the miracle of that interpretation. It is too late in the day to deny the Divinity of the Bible, of to cast doubts upon the redeeming history of our Lord Jesus Christ. No honest mind can re- pudiate or cancel the testimony of mil- lions of enlightened hearts and redeemed lives. The problem now is: Whose* in- terpretation of the Book and of the fact of Christ shall prevail? Did the Spirit of the truth guide the Apostles and writers of the New Testament into all the truth? Does He still guide the heart N otes by the Way. By J. H. The Responsibility of God. Much light talk from weighty sources is heard about the responsibility of God. Now a Review writer speaks in reference to man's obligations, saying, " A more satisfying doctrine teaches not only that man owes a high service to his Maker, but also that 'the Judge of all the earth' feels Himself bound to do right." This is nonsense, and grows out of man's presumptuous opposition to God's sovereignty which leads to the saying. "Why has thou made me t hu s ?" and "Why doth He yet find f a u l t ?" Rom. 9:19, 20. > God Responsible to No One. But to whom must God answer and by whom has He been put under bonds? God will do .right; not because He feels . bound to but becausc right in what God does, and what God does IS right. Man is bound to do right, and must answer for his conduct. But he will never do right till, a partaker of the divine nature, he does it as God does it, not because he feels bound to do ii, but spontaneously, of Himself. This is a foundation question, at the very base of true religion. If God acts from obli- gation He does not act from grace. Let no man imagine that God is bound to save him. or do anything for him; if God saves it will be out of pure free grace alone. Pragmatism. This is the latest tad in philosophy. It teaches that the only real and true is the practical; and that
Sammis. truth is to be found only in the useful. Nothing is worth #hile but that which "gets there," which "does things." It looks like a very commonsense phil- osophy, but that is where its chief dan- ger lies. If men knew all things and could see all ends it would be a very good principle of action. But there is the flaw. What is the practical and the ultimately profitable? Sceptical Criticism. The " c r i t i c s" have failed to disprove the claims of the Bible. The pragmatist professor, press and pulpit now seek to nullify it by saying, "Wh at difference? It is not the doctrines about the Bible or in it that need concern us, let us live right. The ten commandments are good mor- als whether ever there was a Moses or not. The Sermon on the Mount is sound practical wisdom whether the preacher 'spake with authority' or merely 'as the scribes. ' " Pragmatism f says that to bother about doctrines, incarnation, inspiration, justification, theology, is profitless. Live right, do well, and do good, join hands and never mind how your heads differ. What Is Truth? But truth is not truth because it works, but it works because it is true. Sound thinking seeks truth first and applies it afterward. To say that men's ideas of God, and sin, and salvation, and Scripture; of judg- ment to come and its awards are im- practical is as sheer nonsense as it is contrary to experience and history.
Greek finds his "wisdom," and tin "world moves." Definition of the Resurrection. The Yale professor attributes to Paul this, teaching of the resurrection: "Not the reanimation of the physical body, but the triumphant entrance of the whole personality of the Christian into the full measure of eternal life at some time after physical death. ' ' Paul is not here to resent this misrepresentation and this is a very pragmatis fact for the gain- sayer. Another Perversion. Rev. J. J. Mar- tin, of Chicago, in the Amer. Journal of Theology, affords us another instance of the misrepresentation of Scripture. He says that, * * Atonement is a person, matter belonging to the Fatherhood o. God." That is that God does not act in ' ' putting away sin " as the Kin and Judge of rebellious subjects in vii dication of universal justice, but as i Father out of the sentiment of patei na:l pity. " J e s u s ," he continue, "never operated in the juridical (in plain English the legal) realm. The terms 'legal,' 'penal,' 'satisfaction,' for example, are foreign to His life and discourse." They grew out of "theo- logical debate,'" and " do not belong to man's experience of the atonement," nor " t o the essential Pauline gospel." "These terms are forensic (legal) tech- nicalities." " To speak of the atone- ment as the work of a . subordinate par- ty in the Trinity to bring about a con- dition whereby a superior party in the Trinity can act favorably to men, is to exhibit a mind fettered by outworn and inadequate categories (terms)." This last remark is to ascribe a . " f e t t e r e d" mind to all the greatest theologians and most of the greatest preachers of the ages. What impertinence-. But Scrip- ture plainly teaches that God never acts as Father but as Judge toward men viewed as unregenerate. As Judge He pet? in righteousness, i. e. by law, as Fath er by grace. It is true Jesus did •not " o p e r a t e" in the realm of law in dealiTior with men, though He kept tho law Himself. It did rot belong to His nast manifestation. But He did teach that men would be judged by law and He would judge them at the last day. Also that He would shed His blood as <( a ransom," a term only to be under- stood by the terms of law. A s for Paul's teaching—"Those that are under the
And it has been and will be seen that those things which men have deemed of slight importance have a tremendous significance. For ' ' God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty and base things of the world and things that are despised, yea and things that are not hath God chosen to bring to naught the things that a r e ." I Cor. 1:27, 28. Paul a Pragmatist. A Yale professor is out with a current essay on the prag- matism of Paul (Amer. Journal of The- ology). That Paul's doctrines were practical we readily agree. But we dif- fer with the Pragmatist just here that all his doctrines are true and practical. Paul is here represented as having in- vented his doctrines because they worked well for his times and ends. ' ' Paul's main argument,' ? says our professor, " f o r the resurrection is that it is so valuable if true, that it is, it must be true . . . there must be a resurrection, for Christ must surely have been raised." " The apostle refused to give up his belief in the resurrection for then he would have to believe that all he had done and suffered had been in vain." The professor quotes: "Then is.our preaching vain," etc. But he does not refer to Paul's proof of the resurrection, not that it is a necessary inference, but that it is a his- torical and eternal fact. This is true pragmatism; for the professor quotes only what is useful to his purpose, which is to limit the power of the resur- rection to Paul's imagination. The doc- .trine of justification by grace without conformity to Judaic forms was so ef- fective in winning Gentiles that Paul concluded it must be true, or at least that it was pragmatic—useful. Pragmatism Pragmatic. We find this new philosophy (but it is very old) con- venient, i. e. pragmatic. Whatever strikes us as inexpedient in the old faith we may and should discard. Men have outgrown the old "superstitions," miracles, blood-atonement, divine judg- ments past, present, and to come; we must go to them with a "practical gospel." Some things were true for past ages, but we have become men and must put away these children's things. Thus our pragmatism is a very effec- tive working philosophy. Bv it the Jew escapes his "stumbling block," the
ment, and see especially Philippians 2 for the subordinate party in the Trinity satisfying the superior party in the Trinity, who therefore highly exalts Him. Thus men, so-called " r e v e r e n d" men, and doctors of divinity irreverently doc- tor the plain word of God, teaching for commandments the doctrines of men, trampling under foot the clear testi- mony of the Holy Spirit and impudent- ly wresting the words of God's holy witnesses to make them teach a lie, which they before hand vehemently and specifically repudiated.
law are under the curse" the " p e n a l" consequence of lawlessness. ' ' Christ was made a curse for u s ," i.-e. paid the ( " p e n a l ") penalty, made "satisfac- tion," suffered the " l e g a l" consequence of broken law. Again, "God (a super- ior party in the Trinity) hath set forth (Christ Jesus—a subordinate party in the Trinity) to be a propitiation (a legal sufferer) to declare His righteous- ness (justice—a legal term), that He might be just (a legal term) and the justifier (a'legal term) of him which be- lieves in Jesus." Rom. 3:25, 26. This is the clear argument of the apostle everywhere on the subject of atone-
D rief Thoughts
For Busy Teachers.
International Sunday School Lesson as Taught by T. C. Horton At the Bible Institute, Los Angeles. SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON. October 2nd, 1910.
Israel that their house was left unto them desolate. In the twenty-fourth chapter, the third verse, the disciples come to Him privately and ask Him three questions. And the twentj'-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters are devoted to Christ's answer to these three questions in their order. (1) "When shall these things b e ? " i. e. the overthrow of the temple, the woes upon Jerusalem, etc. Matt. 24: 4-14. In these verses Jesus gives them , a description of the age, viewed from a Jewish standpoint. He tells of the woes, pestilence, earthquakes -and fa- mines, and the overthrow of Jerusalem •by Titus in the year 70. Passing over the church dispensation which at this time was a mystery, He speaks of the tribulation period (vs. 15-28) and of the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy concerning the coming of the anti-Christ ("Dan. 9:24-27; I I Thes. 2:3-8; Eev. 13: 4-7) of his overthrow and the culmina- tion of the awful tribulation period as seen in Eev. 19:19-21, when Christ will
Matt. 25:1-13. J. E. PEATT.
I
INTERPRETATION. EXPLANATION .
II.
III. APPLICATION.
I. INTERPRETATION. ' ' THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, etc." WHEN? This is the important ques- tion To know the WHEN is to un- derstand the THEN. The THEN and the WHEN are both easily understood by studying the entire discourse, which includes the twenty-fourth and twenty- fifth chanters. Any other way of treat- ing Christ's teachings would be unfair, and would invite controversy and con- fusion. Jn the twenty-third chapter Christ lwd pronounced His woes upon scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites; foretold the destrnc'ion of Jerusalem, the over- throw of the temple, and declared to
become the Smiting Stone of Dan. 2:34. (2) "Wh at shall be the sign of Thy coming?" Ans. Matt. 24:29 to 25:30. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days.".. Let the student note the time that is being described ,and he will see the period in which our lesson for today falls, and understand the THEN, having known the WHEN. Keeping this same fact in mind also explains verse 34, which has caused commenta- tators mueh trouble. "This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.'' He did not mean the Jewish race, as some suggest, nor did He mean the generation to whom He was speak- ing, but the generation that will be liv- ing at the elose of the tribulation per- iod, and that will see the signs spoken of in verses 29:31, that generation will not pass away until all shall be fulfilled. II. EXPLANATION. The parable of the Ten Virgins de- scribes the kingdom as it will be at -the comes to earth to establish His king- close of "the tribulation, when Christ dom, which occurs after the epistle body has ben caught away, after the Bride of Revelation 19th has been trans- lated, the marriage consummated, and the Christ with His completed Body and united Bride return to establish His kingdom on the earth, and He sends His angels (vs. 31. See also Matt. 13:41-43). The first and tenth verses make this clear. " Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom and the Brids. " Cambridge Mss. (D) as well as (X) and (1). Also the follow- ing versions: The Duay, the Vulgate and also the Old Latin which preceded the VuJgate—all read that way. The tenth verse, which reads in the revised text: "They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage feast"—not the marriage, that had already taken place-—but now we have an earthly scene of the feast which follows the marriage, which was in perfect harmony with the eastern custom. We see from this lesson that the re- peated warnings which Christ had given His people, even as in the days of Noah,
were unheeded, and like the good man of the house they failed to " w a t c h ." The parable of the Ten Virgins is only another picture of what Israel's condi- tion will be ' ' when the Son of Man shall come." " Th ey all slumbered and slept." This has ben Israel's condi- tion all through this dispensation. Rom. 11:7-12. Jesus is now a "L i ght to the Gentiles," Isa. 42:6, Luke 2:32, Bom. 11:29. There will be a faithful com- pany in Israel represented by the wise virgins, who will recognize and welcome Him. There will also be a rebellious company, likened to the foolish virgins, or unfaithful servants. Matt. 24:45- 51; also Matt. 13:47-50, Ezek. 20:33-38, who will continue in unfaithfulness to the end, and be cast out. i n . APPLICATION. The important truth to be taught from this lesson is that Jesus is coming. We should impress upon our students the-importance of being ready for Him. Teachers, are you ready? Beware of the scoffers which the Scriptures say will appear in the last days. II Pet. 3.1-14. There are many of them today. All who have life through His death should love His appearing and await His coming with great expectancy. Nothing can ever take place in -this world of so great importance. His com- ing in humility and His coming in glory, are the two great mountain peaks of Scripture, around which all other truths cluster. Al who share in His grace that comes from His Cross work, will then have part in the glory of His throne work, made co-heirs with Him forever., Hallelujah! The subject might be considered un- der the following headings: 1. Jesus is Coming. (a) Jesus promised it. John 14:1-3. (b) Angels foretold it. Acts 1:9-13. (c) The Holy Spirit through the apostles testify to it. 2. The Time of His Coming a Mystery. (a) They who set the dates go be- yond what is written. (b) We should be watchful, faithful and fruitful till He comes.
All indicate that the end is near. Thoughtful men everywhere, whether Christians or not, feel that a crisis is imminent. Let us not sleep, as do oth- ers, but awake and await His coming. I Thess. 5:4-11.
3. The Signs Indicate that the Bay is near at hand. (a) Conditions of the Land (Pales- tine). Early and latter raips restored. (b.) Conditions of the people (Israel). Important to look up. (c) conditions of the world. (Polit- ically, socially, religiously.)
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON October 9th, 1910.
(b) Only one day. When evening came they settled up. The penny each received, no matter what hour he came, was not for service rendered, but condi- tions met. Went in. Salvation, eternal life, heaven, can not be purchased by toil, effort or service, they are the free gift of God— all of grace. He that be- lieveth, not he that worketh... The mom- ent a sinner believes, eternal life is his, whether it be the first hour or the last hour. The dying thief was as surely saved and as certain of heaven as the apostle Paul. 2. Rewards Distinct from Salvation. Matt. 25:14-30. (a) From the former parable the question naturally arises: Is there no difference in heaven? Yes. But: let us note that the man who comes at the eleventh hour, is as truly saved as the one who comes at the first. (b) Does Christian service bring us nothing? Yes; but it does not bring us heaven. Heaven and eternal life are not rewards for work done. But there is a reward for work done. While one's fidelity and service do not bring eternal life, it will enrich eternal life, just as it does this present life. Jesus said: " L a y up for yourselves treasures"— not in earth, but " i n heaven." Every service rendered shall have its reward. Mark 9:41, I Cor. 3:11-13. Crowns, thrones, scepters, etc., are all rewards superadded to salvation for service rendered. They are not thrown in with it. 3. Degrees of Reward. "Parable of the Pounds," Luke 19: 12-27. (a) Are all who serve to have the same reward? All will be rewarded ac-
"The Parable of the Talents." Matt. 25:14-30. J. R. PRATT.
I. Ii.
INTERPRETATION. EXPLANATION .
III. APPLICATION.
I. INTERPRETATION. For interpretation see last week's les- son. Today's lesson follows in the same discourse, simply adding another par- able revealing the conditions that will exist when the King comes to reckon with His subjects. II. EXPLANATION. The man traveling into a far country without doubt refers to Jesus, the Son of Man, who has gone into a far coun- try to receive a kingdom and will one day return and reckon with His serv- ants. Luke 19:12. (a) His coming will be sudden^like the lightning from heaven. (b) His coming will be unexpected —"like a thief in the night," " i n an hour that ye think no t ." - (c) His coming will be in authority to reckon with His servants as well as His enemies. In these Kingdom Parables Jesus has brought before His disciples three great truths, namely: 1. Salvation as a free gift. 2. The distinction between salvation and rewards. ' 3. The distinctions between rewards. 1. Salvation a Free Gift. Parable of the Vineyard. Matt. 20: 1-16. (a) A penny a day was the contract.
cording to the deeds done in the body. II Cor. 5:10. There will be degrees in heaven as well as in earth and hell. III. APPLICATION. The important truth to be taught from today's lesson is our accountability to God for our time, talent and possessions. There is a three-fold sense in whieh we are all accountable to God. 1. As Sinners. 2. As Sons. . 3. As Servants. 1. As Sinners. (a) We were all hopelessly involved, with nothing to pay. (b) Jesus came and squared the ac- count for lis; took our sins. II Cor. 5:19; and settled for ever the sin ques- tion, Heb. 10:12-14. " The Last Judgment." Matt. 25: 31-46 Theme: The Judgment of Living Na- tions. Outline: 1. The. Court. 2. The Christ as Judge. 3. The Commendation of the Right- eous. 4. The Condemnation of the Wicked. The title of this lesson is unfortun- ate, because untrue. A failure to see the dispensational aspect of Scripture blinds the minds of people. The twen- ty-fifth of Matthew is not the last judg- ment; it does not say so, nor can it mean so. Space for this lesson forbids any adequate treatment of the subject of the Judgment. Many judgments have already taken place—many more are to follow. Much confusion exists in the effort to make Matthew 25 and Rev. 20:11-15 harmonize. Better .give it up, for they are a thousand years apart. A brief comparison will help to see this. In Matthew the throne of His glory is set upon earth. , In Revelation the earth and heaven fled away. In iviatthew the living nations are
2. As Sons. We are subject to discipline and chas- tenings. Heb. 12:3-15. We have dis- covered that no chastening seemeth joy- ous, but grievous. Nevertheless, after- wards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them who are ex- ercised thereby. 3. As Servants. Like old Israel we must render a strict account to God for the deeds done in the body and we will be rewarded accordingly.- Rom. 14:10, II Cor. 5:10. God has entrusted us aH with some talent. Are we using it for Him? If we aré faithful in' the use of these tal- ents for Him, He will entrust us with more in this life as well as the one to come. We miist use or lose. The day of reckoning is surely com- ing. The time for service is short, but the rewards are for eternity. called to judgment. In Revelation the dead, small and great. In Matthew there are three parties— the sheep, goats and brethren. In Rev- elation only one. Pity those whose names were not in the Book of Life. In Matthew the sheep and goats were judged for their treatment of the brethren. In Revelation the judgment is for their relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Matthew judgment evidently re- fers to the treatment of the Jews who are the brethren of the Lord, by the Nations. The Revelation Judgment is of all the unsaved from Adam to the close of the Millenium. ' There is no resurrection spoken of in Matthew, but in Revelation it is a res- urrection of all the unsaved. The Court. There can be no question as to where the Court will be. It must be where the throne of His glory is. The throne must be where David's throne was, for He must sit upon the throne of David, his Father, Luke 1:32. That throne will be in Jerusalem. We know that when He returns His feet must stand
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON, October 16, 1910
prison, as a general thing. Christ iden- tifies Himself with His people always, Acts. 9:4, 5. . We minister to Christ when we minister to Christ's people. A proof of our faith in Ghrist, and our having a new nature, is to be found in our conduct, and if children of God we will do good to all men, "especially to those of the household of f a i t h ." Gal. 6:10. If we love Christ, that love will constrain us to love all people, and to minister to them in the name of our Christ. The brethren here, however, correspond to the company represented in Rev. 7:13. This we know, that the resurrection of the saints has occurred long before this, and that the saints have eome with their Lord, and are seated with Him in the judgment scene. Me." The failure to recognize Christ in His people is followed by a failure to identify themselves with Christ by the ministry of gifts to His people. The glory of a nation is not her prosperity, her culture or her power of arms, but her recognition of the claim of Christ. The rejection of His word and Hi» witnesses is a rejection of Himself, only identity with Christ can save. These go to their own place; if they will not identify themselves with Christ there is but one logical sequence —they must be forever identified with Christ's enemy and dwell with him in eternal punishment. There is but one place for thè rejectors of all ages—the lake of fire into which all of the un- saved must be cast. There is no ground ¿or the teaching of Russell's Millenial Dawnism, and that Ought to be made very plain in this lesson. The everlast- ing punishment of the wicked is clearly defined, and their punishment must be as everlasting as the blessedness of the saved. Whatever view is held with ref- erence to the time of this Judgment, the solemn thing about it is, that some people are to be shut up forever as a just recompense of reward, for failurè to recognize Jesus Christ as Son of God and Son Of Man—the rightful ruler— God's King, who loved and died for the saving of men: The Condemnation. "Depart from
upon the Mount of Olives, Zech, 14:4. God's center for the administration of the affairs of His government will be in the city of His choice, in the midst of His covenant people Israel. Luke 1:33. The Son of Man is to be the Judge. " T h e Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, and hath given Him authority to exe- cute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." John 5:22-27. Rev. 20:12 says, " I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God"—but the re- vised text reads " b e f o re the throne." Before the Son of Man, who was here personally upon the earth, every hu- man being must be manifested. As Son of God He quickens the dead, spiritu- ally and corporeally, John 5:25. As Son of Man He judges. The saints who eome with the Lord will sit with Him, I Cor. 6:2, 3. Matt. 19:28, 2 Thess. Christ is the anointed King. Here He calls Himself both Son of Man and King, vs. 31-34. Those on His right hand He calls the blessed of my Father. They are commended for do- ing good to His brethren—these my brethren—who seem to be a particular class. If brethren refers to those who do His will, Matt. 12:49-50, then He should have said, " you have done good to each other." Again, those who did this good did not know "they were doing it unto Him. This scene is often taken by those who are Unitarians, or self- righteous people, as' a justification of their position. They glory in their good works. There .can be no salvation save by faith in Jesus Christ—faith in His atoning blood. During the great tribulation period the Jews will be subject to even greater suffering than in any previous age— they will be hungry and naked and in prison. God's people now are not among the hungry and naked and in 1:9-10.- "Come Ye Blessed." The Christ as Judge.
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REVIEW. October 23, 1910.
LESSON III. Peter's Confession of Christ.
LESSON VII. Laborers and Vineyard.
The lesson of import here is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and Son of Man, and that no matter how other men may view it, You must so believe, and confess Him. He is perfectly human, born of a woman, the virgin Mary. He is perfectly Divine—"The Word was God." Upon this Confession on your part you are builded into the structure of the church. Luke 1:30-33; John 1:1; Matt. 16:18.
The workman is worthy of his wages, and the Lord pays the price. He who hires determines the' value of the serv- ice. With the Lord it is a question of quality rather than quantity. Whatso- ever your hand finds to do, do with your might, Ecc. 9:10, and do all to His glory, I Cor. 10:31.
LESSON VIII. Self Seekers.
LESSON IV. The Transfiguration.
The gist of this lesson is, that three years of fellowship with the Lord had failed to remove from His followers the love of place. How truly He could say: ' ' Have I been so long time. with you and yet hast thou not known me ?" John 14:7. He who truly knows His Lprd can never seek place or promi- nence. He win find his place at the feet of his Master. Phiy. 2:5-8.
In this event the Lord Christ is at- tested as the Divine Son by the Father, who spake from heaven; the Holy Spirit who glorifies -Him so that His body was illumined; Moses and Elijah who came from glory to hold converse with Him; and by Peter who sets the seal to it. I Pet. 1:19. His coming in glory is also foreshadowed. Phil. 3:20-21.
LESSON IX. The King's Home Coming.
LESSON V. Lesson on Forgiveness.
Here we are taught that not a jot or tittle of the scriptures shall pass until all is fulfilled. Matt, 5:18. If the little details of His riding on the foal of an ass were literally fulfilled, how much more shall the promise of His coming in the clouds of heaven be fulfilled to the very letter. Yet some deny His per- sonal return. Rev. 1:7; Acts 1:11; Zech. 14:4.
This lesson enunciates a great prac- tical principle. The child of God has a nature which enables him to be like His Lord, and so he can forgive because he has been forgiven. Col. 1:14. Put this principle in practice in your daily life and thus grow in grace.
LESSON VI. Jesus on the Way to Jerusalem.
LESSON X. The Parables of Judgments.
Here we have one of the sad pictures of the Bible, showing us how a man may ; lose eternal life by refusing to obey the Word of the Lord. No man is safe until he sees in the salvation of Jesus Christ the one essential thing for his soul and holds himself to this one thing until Christ becomes both Saviour and Lord. -He who lacks Christ lacks everything. Luke 16:19-22. He who has Christ has everything. Matt. 6:33.
There is a solemn lesson here. Those who magnify the love of God at the ex- pense of His judgment would do well to read this lesson. The Jewish nation is a constant testimony to the fact that God's goodness is not incompatible with His government, and that His wrath is terrible. Whoever rejects the Son of God will find the fires of God's ven-
ed time. The event is of the first im- portance. BE BEADY. More than this, it should be anticipated with the most intense longing. Many are mere professors of faith in Christ. Only those will go in who are light bearers. How is it with you? John 12:35, 36; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15.
geanee meted out to them. I Tliess. 1: 7-10; Heb. 10:28, 29; I Cor. 16:22.
LESSON XI. The King's Marriage Feast.
God has given a universal invitation to the wedding of His Son. The cere- mony will occur in his own home. He provides the robe and the royal feast. It will go ill with those who treat His invitation witlj in difference, or who think their own clothes are good enough to wear in His presence. John 3:16; John 5:40; Phil. 3:9; Rev. 19:8.
LESSON I I. Parable of the Talents.
Use or lose is the central truth here. The Lord is coming and will reckon with men. The test is one of talents. What use have you made of the gifts of God? A searching solemn question for saint and sinners. We have all had opportunities; how have we used them? A man can so live that he will antici- pate with joy the rendering of his stew- ardship. i Cor. 4:1; John 2:28; I John 4:17. The title of this lesson is misleading. Compare and contrast with Bev. 20-: 11-15, where the judgment of the White Throne is depicted. Here you have a judgment of nations for their treatment of the Jews whom the Lord calls His brethren. The lesson is clear. We must not lose sight of the fact that the people of Israel have a preferred claim upon our affection and services. Bom. 1:16—the Jew first. opened, Jesus journeyed on to Bethany. His feet are turned and His face set toward the hill of suffering. A week of solemn service was before Him; the long shadows of the cross, upon which He was to make the sacrifice for sin, were upon Him. There journeyed with Him the twelve Apostles, and no doubt many other beloved disciples, who were drawn to Him by those wonderful ties which had separated them from earthly kindred and earthly possessions. How sweet was the fellowship as, mingling in friendly association, Master and fol- lowers tread those familiar roads and LESSON III. The Last Judgment.
LESSON XII. Three Questons.
The great commandment demands that men shall love God with all their hearts. A failure to do this make a man a great sinner. Who can hide from the power of this awful logic. It is not the murderer or the thief or the har- lot, but the man or the woman who does not love God. This one fact ought to be enough to drive men to the feet of Christ, who alone was able to keep the law. Bom. 8:1-4.
LESSON I. The Wise and Foolish Virgins.
This lesson hrows additional light upon Lesson XI. The marriage of the King's Son will occur at an unexpect-
SUNDAY, OCT. 30, 1910.
" The Anointing of Jesus." Matt. xxvi:6-16.
Theme: Love's Lavishment. Outline: 1. The Communion of Friends. 2. The Costly Sacrifice. 3. T'he Criticising Disciple. 4. The Commending Lord. 5. The Conspiring Judas.
Leaving Jericho, where blind Bar- timeus had his eyes opened and where Zaccheus, the Publican, had his heart
wend their way into the quiet village of Bethany. 1. The Communion of Friends. Bethany! -How significant and sug- gestive is a single word! What a flood of thought sweeps in, when memory is stirred by the. utterance of one word. Sinai suggests the awfulness of God's holiness; the terrors of the Lord and His Law. Calvary sends the tide rushing the other way and we are all . overwehlmed with the thought of the love of God and sacrifice of Christ. Bethany starts another train, bringing to mind sweet pictures of peace; of the lovely Christian home and the loving Christians in the home; the hospitality, the fellowship, the-service and devo- . tion to the person of Christ. How beautiful to think of Simon, once leper, opening his home to the Lord, for this last feast of the com- panionship of those dear friends, the resurrected Lazarus, the devoted Mary and Martha! J How tender and' touch- ing is the scene, how sweet and sacred the vision, as the Scripture throws open the door and permits us to gaze upon that little company! "How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell to- gether in Unity." Ps. 123:1. ' It is blessed to have Christ in the home, to hava Him the center of all the plans, His glory the motive of all the pur- poses, to recognize Him, always as the distinguished friend and at the same time the delightful friend. l.Cor. 6:20. 2. The Costly Sacrifice. " The box of ointment,-very precious. "There came a woman." There was one woman whose spiritual intuition was sufficiently clear to enable her to appear upon the scene; the woman who had taken the lowly place at His feet, whose whole nature had opened to the sublime truth of His divinity and of His coming sacrifice—who had chosen that good part which could not be taken away. S.he came to demon- strate the nower of the doctrine learned of Him.. Luke x:42, Jno. xi:28-32. The pound of precious ointment was costly, valued from $50 to $300, a large sum for those days. Mark 14:3 says it was put upon His head; Matt. 26:12 says upon His body, -Tno. 12-3, upon His feet; so we get the fact that He
was anointed from head to foot, His whole person. This was an -.act of devotion upon the part of Mary, the beloved. She, alone, among the gathered throng, seemed oblivious of all else save Him- self. She loved Him, honored Him, worshipped Him. Her whole being went out in adoration: the veil was rent from her spiritual eyes, and she saw His coming sacrifice. Mary, of Bethany, did not accompany the wo- men to the sepulchre, j She counted not the cost, but the privilege of giving to Him. Her love gave her intuition, ab- sorbing, independent, unrestrained. Love finds a way; it leaps all barriers, abandons itself in its ardor and gives itself expression in the most sublime acts. This most beautiful deed of Mary's was symbolical. The ointment is a type of tne Holy Spirit. It was precious and iragrant, but it was not until the box was broken that the oint- ment flowed out and gave forth its fragrance. So, .Jesus Christ, the precious vessel, must first be broken on the Cross, before the Holy Spirit could be noured forth unon the church. The odcr of Mary's sacrifice filled the house, and has left a sweet perfunie " T o what purpose is this waste?" The silence of the saered service is broken by the sound of selfish criticism. There are often those who would mar the serenity of these solemn scenes. In Eden it was the devil; in the life of our Lord, it was usually the Scribes and Pharisees; now it is -Tudas. He held the bag and his affections were centered th-re. The lavish love of Mary was, to him. only a sentimental waste. In this scene we get a revelation of his heart, and it is in strange contrast with that or Mary's. It is the cold, calculating, h»,rd. harsh spirit of fault-finding which has cursed the Church in all ages. It has cast its cold chill upon fervent ardor and /-rushed many sensitive, saints. Sacrifice crsts something; crit- icism is cheap. Judas cared nothing for the poor, but he would pose as a benefactor. He cared nothing for Mary's devoted Ibve; he cared nothing for Christ Himself. Every cruel critic in the church should be warned by this upon all the centuries since. 3. The Criticising Disciple.
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