October 1927
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atonement for our sins, and of man united to God through the incarnation of the Divine. What we need is not more theology, nor more ritualism, nor even more devotion, but more of vital union with Him. His indwelling is the secret of our spiritual ex istence—“I liveV'yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Men are cold, lifeless, formal, fruitless, because they do not realize this truth; because they fix their gaze and their ambitions upon secondary causes, instead of “looking unto Jesus” ; because they try to exist and flourish in some religious atmosphere, for getful that “in Him we live and move and have our being.” The Gospel ;of Jesus Christ is Good News because it is so abso lutely human, and yet so essentially Divine; so childishly simple, and yet so eternally effective. “Come unto ME” is its begin ning and. its end. BUT what kind of rest? Not, surely, one of utter cessa tion from work. That, to many minds, would not spell happi ness at all; idleness to them is not joy, but sorrow. God rested from His labor, but we read that He “worketh hitherto.” The rest spoken of is surely that of the discontinuance of our work that we may have “a heart at leisure from itself,” and so be fitted to engage in His. There was no rest under the Jewish law; self-effort was the predominating characteristic of the Mosaic Dispensation. Hence, the Jewish Sabbath was the seventh day, after the toil; the Christian Sabbath is the first day, as a preparation for work. Before a man can labor for God—the truest, the highest, the only worthy form of service— he must learn to rest from his own works. While Christ was upon earth, “under the law,” He toiled incessantly and with weariness; when that law had been fulfilled, He “forever sat down” (the sign of eternal rest) that He might accomplish a far more glorious work than that which He had done below. Hence, we are to “strive to enter into rest,” not hereafter, on the other side, of the grave, but here and now. We are to cease from self-endeavor and from our own pursuits, that we may henceforth be about our Father’s business: We venture to think they are mistaken who apply this text solely to our condition in heaven. The rest is both here and there; the true work is begun below and continued through all eternity. H AVE you seen one of those velvety fields of young wheat—and then for some reason the young blades turned yellow and began to wither? “Weaning brash,” the farmer calls it. The time comes when the corn of wheat must be weaned from its mother’s milk. The sup ply of food stored in the seed is exhausted and the plant must now. seek its sustenance in the soil and air. If the soil is deep and rich- and the sun warm, it will survive this period. But if the plant is sickly because the soil is shal low and poor and the sun fierce above, it must die. Our Lord saw the application of all this to the professed con vert. How many have taken in one verse of Scripture with gladness! Their emotions were stirred. “After ward, when affliction or persecution arises, they are of fended.” We can’t live on one verse forever. There are other elements needed for growth. We must have strength to reach out into the Word of Truth and find a real rooting, otherwise we cannot survive the testing period. Nothing shows more accurately than afflictions and persecutions the depth of our rooting. N ovember 5 "There remaiheth, therefore, a rest.’’— Heb. 4 :9. W e an ing B ra sh "It sprang up but—withered away.” —Mark 4:5, 6.
“Best” Books On Stewardship Stewardship Vitalized By W alt N. Johnson) D.D.
This volume has been aptly sloganized as **A stewards ship message w ith teeth in it.** As opposed to, and a cure for, both capitalism and socialism, which are striv ing fo r the mastery in the present w orld order, the au tho r proposés stewardship made vital through realiza tion in the experience of the redeemed soul. His prop ositions are stated forcefully, his logic is convincing, his' practical application in churches which are to be the economic centers of a new life among men is sane. The volume contains much solid meat and real food for thought; it w ill provoke constructive action. C loth $1.25 The Call to Christian Stewardship By Julius Earl C raw ford A re you wandering in the wilderness of perplexity and indecision regarding the duties and responsibilities of Christian Stewardship? Have you faced the tith in g issue fa irly and squarely? In this volume the author discusses the tithe from every standpoint and throws sufficient lig h t on this mooted question to satisfy the average seeker after tru th and leave the earnest disciple w ithou t excuse concerning this duty, as the beginning— and not the end — of Stewardship. This book is an appeal from a la y man to laymen and should be widely circulated among Church members. Send fo r you r copy today. C loth $1.25 Ownership By Clementina Butler Thine Increase
By P. W. Thompson This helpful book not only presents Bible teaching con cerning property, i n c o m e , wealth, and tithing, but it will remove many obstacles from the path of those who desire or who ought to desire to honor God and serve their fel- lowmen through systematic giving. In its pages will be found indicated a system of giving adapted to the case of such readers as are honestly able to plead poverty in this matter—such system being derived from sources purely Scriptural. This is just the book which multitudes of Christians need, and we com mend it to the attention of all those who desire guidance on the subject of Stewardship. Cloth 75c
This book on Tithing-Stew- ardship is the third in the Stewardship S e r i e s of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the M. E. Church. It is an informative volume of unusual significance, written especially for “the average woman,” but of undoubted value to every Christian. In these modern times, when women more and more are ad ministering their own finances and also participating in great business affairs, such a mes sage as this is designed to make a powerful appeal to them to acknowledge God’s ownership of their posses sions, by following the cus tom of tithing. Cloth $1.00
Stewardship in the Life of Youth By Robert Donald Williamson and Helen Kingsbury Wallace Realizing the great need of a book on Stewardship for young people, the authors have produced a volume that will be really helpful to young Christians in the solution of their life problems, and in^ their Christian Stewardship. We hope this timely work will get a wide circulation. Although addressed especially to,young people it will be extremely helpful to older Christians, too. It should be used as a text-book in Summer Schools, Insti tutions, Assemblies, Sunday Schools, Church Schools of Missions and Young People’s Societies. Cloth $1.00 Royal Partnership By M. E. Melvin, D.D. A thoughtful and spiritual book on the subject of property, business, the world’s work and the work of Christ in the world. This discussion is addressed exclusively to people who are Christians, and the volume is well worth buying for its honest attempt to bring men and women to see that there can be no enlargement of the Christian life unless there is the right a tti tude on the part of the individual Christian toward property. Paper 50c; Cloth $1.00 If money does not accompany order, goods will be sent C. O. D. If goods are to come by mail add 10% for postage. Send for a free copy of our complete Catalog of Books, Booklets, Tracts, etc.
B I O L A B O O K R O O M Bible Institute, Los Angeles, Calif.
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