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The King's Business
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VOL. I
JUNE, 1910
NO. 6
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The! General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, after making final disposition of " The Briggs Case," by a ringing, unanimous vote, passed the following: "Resolved, That the English Bible as we now have it, when freed from the errors of translators, tran- Prof. A. A. Hodge says: " T he line can never rationally be drawn between the thots and words of Scripture. . . . That we have an inspired Bible, and a verbally inspired one, we have the witness of scribers and printers, is the Word of God."
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God Himself."
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Published Monthly by the BIBLE INSTITUTE
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
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Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.—Psalm 119:89
V t f r l * J t t B t t t U f r (Incorporated ) 260-264 South Main Street (Second Floor) Los Angeles, Cal i fornia DIRECTORS: Lyman Stewart, President
Rev. A. B Prichard Vice Pre.. B. C. Atterfeury MJ>. Secretary-Trea..
T. C. Horton. Superintendent
R. A
. Hadden. Supt. Exten.ion Wort
E. A K. Hactett
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: H i Tbe Maintenance of Good Works. The Deity of the Christ The Second Coming of. Christ. The Personality of the Ho y Spirit. The Immortality of the Soul, t J r i L P l 6 n a ry a u " T h e Resurrection of the Body. T > . T he L i f e everlasting of Believers.
The Necessity of the New Birth.
The Reality and Personality oJBatan.
Purpose
. T h e I n s t i t u t e trains accredited men and womel, free of cost, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. I , i 1 ) T h e Institute Classes held dailv except Satnr- day and Sunday. (2) Extension Work. Classes and conference | * I in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by < tent evangelists under our direction. new
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Deoartments
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(4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every nigl Spanish-speaking people and house visitation. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shop factories all the year. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work in for the Hebrew people. (7) Bible Women. House-to house work and borhood classes. (8) Aqueduct. Work among the 4000 men fl new aqueduct. (9) Oil Fields. A mission to the men on i| fields. (10) Books and Tracts. Sale ami distributi] selected books and tracts. PRAY FOR THE WORK AND WORKERS OF THE INSTI" If ye abide in me and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask JUrhat ye will and it shall be done unto you.—John 15:7. I
The Claim of the Bible By Philip Mauro.
winian theory of the Origin of Speeies. Even doetors of theology and the oc- cupants of Christian pulpits embraced it with real or feigned enthusiasm; and many of these went so far as to declare that it exalted the Creator and incul- . cated greater reverence of His meth- ods in creation! So enamoured of this new teaching were these sworn guardians of the " f a i t h once delivered unto the saints" that they readily surrendered all parts of the Bible which seemed in any way in conflict with it. To accommodate this surrender to their consciences, these compromisers invented the doc- trine that " t h e Bible was not intended to teach science," but was to be ac- cepted and believed only in so far as it related to spiritual and heavenly things; forgetting the words of Christ: " I f I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" (John 3:12). That this surrender to the immature and erroneous teachings put forth in the name of scienee should have had the effect of destroying the faith of many in the whole Scriptures was in- evitable. If men be taught that they cannot believe what the Bible says re- garding earthly things, how can it be expected that they will believe what it says about heavenly things? Only a few years have passed the time when, for a man to question the foundations of this doctrine of the Origin of Spe- cies was to avow himself a hopeless ignoramus touching the "settled re- suits of science"; and yet today the philosophy of Materialism is fast be- coming (if it be not so already) a mere historical phase of philosophic thought, to be classified and labelled and put on the shelf, soon to be con- templated merely as a thing which men used to believe. In the face of this fact it cannot be reasonably supposed that any discov- eries which science can make, or any doctrines which philosophy ean deduce therefrom, will ever contradict the declaration of Scriptures concerning the creation of the universe by God, the disobedience of the first Adam and the consequent loss of eternal life by
It has seemed to the writer, after pondering sympathetically the Spen- cerian explanation of the universe, and after being constrained to recognize its inadequacy, that the Rationalistic method of testing a theory might be applied with helpful results to the Biblical explanation of phenomena. Within recent times the Biblical expla- nation of the creation of the universe, particularly of the earth and its inhab- itants, as given in the first three ehep- ters of Genesis, was rejected by nearly all men who made the slightest pre- tence to learning, upon the ground that it was in conflict with the supposed facts of natural science. We do not propose to speak here of tue profound change more recently wrought in the attitude of scienee, in consequence of the latest discoveries of geology and palaeontology. It can now be asserted, upon the authority of the most eminent men of science, that not a single fact stands in contradiction to the Creation story of Genesis.* But the question which more nearly con- cerns us, and which we propose here to consider, is the great question which the philosophy grounded upon Material- ism failed utterly to answer, mainly: "How did man and the world come to be what they a r e ?" We are concerned, therefore, not so much with Evolution in its comprehensive sense, as with the specific theory of the origin of the speeies of living creatures, including man, by a process of "natural selec- t i o n" in the "struggle for existence." The time is opportune for such a dis- cussion, because one of the events which is transpiring in our day in the collapse of the Darwinian theory of the Origin of Species. Let us dwell for a moment upon this most impressive fact, and learn from it at least the utter in- stability of any system of philosophy which has its basis in human wisdom. *For a concise and authoritative statement of the attitude of science to- day towards the Creation story, we re- fer to that valuable booklet, "Roger's Reasons," by Rev. John Urquhart. (Marshall Bros.) Never in the entire history of phil- osophy was a doctrine more widely ac- cepted among the learned than the Dar-
all his descendants, and the Divine pro- vision of redemption by new birth into the last Adam. How can we fail to per- ceive in this history of " Ev o l u t i o n" the truth that a theory which stands merely " i n the wisdom of m a n " has an insecure foundation? Certainly a consideration of the collapse of Dar- winism will help us to understand why the inspired Apostle so earnestly de- sired that the faith of his disciples "should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of Go d" (1 Cor. 2:5). A doctrine which is established in the mind by the force of human arguments can be shaken by like arguments when those by which it was bolstered up are forgotten. But the doctrine which rests upon the Word of God has an un- failing support. It needs no argument to sustain it, and none has force enough to overthrow it. The one question upon which reason has to pass judgment is whpther the Bible is in fact God's ut- terance. If it be such, then the things which Spencerian philosophy labels as "unknowable" are not only not un- knowable, but are revealed. " E y e hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have Just in the proportion in which we believe that God will do just what He has said, is our faith strong or weak. Faith has nothing to do with feelings or with impressions, with improbabili- ties or with outward appearances. If we desire to couple them with faith, then we are no longer resting on the Word of God, because faith needs noth- ing of the kind. Faith rests on the naked Word of God. When we take Him at His Word, the heart is at peace. God delights to exercise our faith, first, for blessing in our own souls, then for blessing in the Church at large, and also for those without. But this exer- cise we shrink from instead of welcom- ing. When trials come, we should say, " My heavenly Father puts this cup of trial into my hands that I may have something sweet afterwards." Trial is the food of faith. Oh, let us leave our- selves in the hands of our heavenly Father! It is the joy of His heart to do good to all His children. But trials and difficulties are not the only means by which faith is exercised, and thereby increased. There is the
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him, but God hath re- vealed them unto us by His Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). This Book makes extraordinary claims and extraordinary demands upon men. It does not purport to exhort, advise, or instruct, from the stand- point of superior human wisdom or of superior intelligence or culture. Neith- er does it seek to commend itself to man's acceptance on the score of ex- pediency, betterment, or progress. In these respects, as in many others, it is' radically unlike the writings whereby men seek to help one another. It bases its claim to acceptance entirely upon the oft-repeated declaration, "Thus saith Jehovah." It asks no favor of man because of its superior teachings and high standards of life and conduct. The very nature of the Book requires that, if we be logical, we either accept it because ' ' the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken i t , " or that we cast it aside as the greatest of all human impostures. —Extract from Philip Mauro's book on " T h e World and Its God." reading of the Scriptures, that we may by them acquaint ourselves with God as He has revealed Himself in His Word. And what shall we find? That He not only is God Almighty, and a righteous God, but we shall find how gracious He is, how gentle, how kind, how beautiful Ho is—in a word, what a lovely being God is. Are you able to say from the ac- quaintance you have made with God that He is a lovely Being? If not, let me affectionately entreat you to ask God to bring you to this, that you may admire His gentleness and His kind- ness, that you may be able to say how good He is, and what a delight it is to the heart of God to do good to His children. Now, the nearer we come to this in our inmost souls, the more ready are we to leave ourselves in His hands, sat- isfied with all His dealings with us. And when trial comes we shall say, " I will wait and see what good God will do to my by i t , " assured He will do it. Thus we shall bear an honorable testi- mony before the world, and thus shall we strengthen the hands of others.— George Muller.
Believing God.
the way Sammis
Notes by By J. H .
whether they are ready to trust the judgment of men as critics of Scrip- ture who either have not the brains to see, or the honesty to admit the de- structive nature of their anti-Christian teaching. SCIENTIFIC SKULLDUGGERY. Dr. Keith, curator of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, has been studying an old skull dug up, sometime ago, at Gibraltar. He is reported to be of the opinion that: 1st—It is the skull of a woman; 2d—It is six hun- dred thousand years old; 3d—She was shrewd; 4th—She was a woman of spirit; 5th—Her diet was nuts and roots. Now is not that an indication of the marvelous scientific instinct of our age? When Jimmy found a tor- toise with "Adam—Year On e" scored into its undererust no wonder that he knew it was 6,000 years old. But the doctor goes him a hundred times better and not a sign of an inscription to help him! This old lady's " j a w s " and "muscles of mastication" are so well developed that the^doctor has no diffi- culty in reading her menu. " P a t ie Foi de Gr a s" and all the riddle " a la c a r t e" were but nuts for her to crack. But we lack the learned gentleman's assurance. If the size of the cranium were guarantee of relative shrewdness, the doctor's skull should hold a bushel. That she was a woman of spirit we equally question, and think the gentle- man has mistaken the scent of an old molar for her breath; and as for her strong maxillary muscles—we would not wonder if she was but of late a iair gum chewer; or, should she turn out after all to be a man she, i. e., he, no doubt "chewed climax." Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It is never to be fretted, or vexed, or irri- tated, or sore, or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at noth- ing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to b e ' at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.—Andrew Murray.
HONESTY OK BRAINS. A reviewer says of a recent volume: "We wish every young minister espe- cially could read and ponder Dr. Delk's treatment of Biblical criticism. He would get an estimate of the little value there is in the alarmish notes that echo in the theological world, and of the characterizations of the men who have given their iives to study of the Bible. Dr. Delk points out a fact that should be obvious—that the great formative doctrines that constitute the body of Christian faith are wholly un- affected by the discussions of the critics.'' What is wanting in the reviewer and the author here refered to, honesty or brains? And there are hundreds like them, who say that the critical conclu- sions of so-called scholarship " d o not affect the great formative doctrines" of faith. Instead of being " o b v i o u s" that they do not it is so obvious that they do that it is hard to believe that they who deny it are at the same time sane and sineere. What is the first " g r e at formative doctrine?" It is, by the agreement of all the creeds of Christendom, that the Bible is a supernatural revelation from God and the authoritative source of the facts and doctrines on which our faith is founded. This first fact of Christianity the critics deny. Does that denial not affect the faith? The Reve- lation gone, only rationalism remains. The Bible as God's Word set aside, nothing stands in the way of remov- ing every faet and doctrine transcend- ing natural reason and experience. Hence the " c r i t i c s" have discredited every distinctively Christian element of our faith. They first take away the Word and then the Lord, the Lord who came down from heaven; who shed the substitutionary blood; who rose physi- cally from the grave; who ascended bodily into heaven; and who comes gloriously in the clouds. They contra- dict Moses and the prophets; they dis- pute with Paul and his fellow apostles; they correct the Lord Himself; and then tell us that their new theology does not affect the great* fundamentals of the Faith of Christianity 1 Do they take us for fools? Are they sincere and yet sane? Let common-sense people consider
Brief Thoughts For Busy Teachers
International Sunday School Lesson A s Taught by T. C. Horton at the Bible Institute, Los Angeles, Cal.
prepare by prayer for the coming con-
, shall we hope to overcome with- Jesus Walks on the Sea (Matt 14:22-36) out it? If He needed to wait upon Golden Te x t -Ma t t. 14:33. God for strength for service, shall not UU11J.NB. we in our weakness need to prevail 1. Walking and Watching—The Ad- w i t h God before we seek to serve? vocate (22, 23). While He prayed He also watched. 2. Winds and Waters—The Adver- "Having loved His own He loved them sary (24). to the e n d " (Jno. 13:1). 3. Wonder and Word—The Advent Separated bodily, He is with them in (25-27). spirit. His eye is upon them. He sees 4. Welcome and Worship—The Apo- the 1'ttle boat battling with the billows calypse (32, 33). and He prays (Heb. 7:25). The feeding of the five thousand was C 2 -) WINDS AND WAVES. "Tospecl followed by a determined effort to force with the waves—the wind was Christ to be King. In this effort the contrary." diseiples no doubt concurred. " In the world ye shall have tribula- Satan had in the beginning sought to t i o n" (Jno. 16:33). What a strong accomplish this end but had failed contrast between the pictures of the (Luke 4:1-13). The Lord resisted him e a , m Christ in prayer and the dis- as He now resisted the people who were tressed disciples in service. What a but tools of Satan. He would not be battle they are having with the ele- King before God's appointed time and ™ents. in God's appointed way. The powers of nature seem to be (1) WAITING- AND WATCHING a f a i . n s : them. It is night and the strug- Z n Z t ^ 0 a — r s * M- XSE^ z r zz apart to pray. b o at a n d w ; t h i c a m distance (Matt He was forced to use authority with 8-'23-251 Now o™ „i ^ the diseiples to compel them to precede I ¿ r t o » o f \ " Him to Bethsaida (Mark 6:45), and L^he Z T L V** * t m g ' then dismiss the multitudes. He Him- o / d a t o e , s 7 B e h f l ?t »1! P ° W " 8 " 5 * 2 ? & fr* f T P r a y 6 r w f hand of the Primie of t ^ Z V T i ^ He has fed the people; now He must air seekins- to Wa lr +j,«> E i minister to His own soul. Grievous s r o ^ t h e d i s L l es Hp cnnfi ? A *i trials are before Him and His flock, the ^ictorv over ihp M flat » S u That very night they are to be sorely . L ks to ^ v e r ^ w e r ' l hf men'wTo'fol 0 tempted and on the morrow many low Him would desert Him. It is a time for it i s » time of danger. Just a few prayer, and turning His back upon the hours before t f a , scene of His triumph He ascends the u ^ ^ thefr high pTsitfon'lnd Z S wUh Go e d ° ° k l n g ^ 8 6a a n d " a n d l ° ° l e A { o r immediate Jettmg °°Wait on the Lo r d" (Psa. 27:14). _ Sunday June 5 1910. flict sohtude and prayer What emphasis sent them away? Had He forgotten we must put upon this matter of pri- them? How are they to L c o u ft for vate prayer. These days of intense liv- these things? Yesterday they had said ing make seclusion for the soul abso- "We can never doubt again " Now lutely necessary We need to be solic- they wonder if they c a n ^ v er believe itous for solitude in order that God again. Poor, weak, failinghnmanitv may gird us with power. If He needed (3) WONDEB AND WOED ' ' I t is to pray, how much more do we? If He a Spirit " " I t is I spent the night in prayer, must not we "Wi th God 'all things are possible " have seasons of prayer? If He must " The eye of the Lofd are % o n t h e ^ ^ndow you S a K / ' f with power Jesus spent the night in it is a time of doubt. Why had He
God permits men to try their strength that He may show them their weak- ness. We need to lose faith in our- selves that we may gain confidence in God. Peter seemed almost lost, but the hand of the Lord was stretched out to save him. ' ' This poor man cried and the Lord heard h i m" (Psa. 34). ' ' When my foot slipped, Thy mercy held me u p " (Psa. 94:18). The righteous may be scarcely saved, but they will be saved. Some by the skin of their teeth and some as by fire (1 Cor. 3:15). Peter may be sifted like wheat (Luke 22:31), but will not be blown away with the chaff (Psa. 1:4). How blessed that mighty hand that is stretched out to save the lost. That hand wounded, but wonderful. Always bestowing bless- ing. Why didst thou doubt, Peter? Poor Peter! He is dubbed, little faith. One slip of the step or one falter of faith may cost a man a high title. Had he kept his eye upon the Lord he might have been ealled great faith (Matt, la: 28). (5) WELCOME AND WORSHIP. "When they were come into the ship." "Worshipped Him." "Thou art worthy" (Eev. 4:11). Leaning on the arm of the Lord they walked to the ship. How easy to press the world under our feet when we walk with Him. What a welcome they re- ceived. " The wind ceased." All storms are silenced in His presence. Every storm-tossed soul finds rest when He comes in. They came and worshipped Him. He received it (Heb. 1:6; Matt. 4:9-10). They give Him the true title, "Son of God.'' The angel gave Him that title before His birth (Luke 1:35). God tes- tified to the name from heaven (Luke 3:22). Satan issued the challenge to Him as Son of God (Luke 4:3). An- drew acknowledged Him as Son of God (Jno. 1:49), and the Centurian looked upon Him and cried, "Truly this was the Son of Go d" (Matt. 27:54). He was the Divine Son or His ac- ceptance of worship would have been sacrilege. In the previous incident at the calming of the waves they said, "Wh at manner of man is t h i s" (Matt. 8:27). Now they say, "Of a truth thou art the Son of God," and so He is, and worthy of the worship of all men. POINTS PRACTICAL. 1. In His humanity He hung help- less upon the arm of His Father and sought in solitude, strength for service.
righteous" (Psa. 34:15). Mark says He saw them toiling (Mark 6:48). He knows all. He sees all. He under- stands all. We have a High Priest who is touched with a feeling of our in- firmities (Heb. 4:15). " H e remember- eth that we are dust." The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth" (Psa. 34: 17). The Lord is going to the disci- ples, walking on the waters. The Egyp- tian emblem of the impossible is human feet walking on the waters. They fail to take into account the miraculous power of the mighty God. Every step of the Son of God is attended by supernatural signs (Acts 10:38). He does not come rushing in the wind: as calmly as He prays, He walks the waves. All power is given unto Him (Matt. 28:18). He puts all world powers under His feet, knowing their need, heeding their call; He comes to their relief. The disciples look at Him through doubt-dimmed eyes and think Him a spirit (Luke 24:36-39). It is difficult for Jesus to secure a recog- nition from His followers down here. He lifts His voice (Jno. 16:33) and speaks words of comfort. " B e of good cheer" (Matt. 9:22). " I t is I . " It is the mighty miracle worker—their friend—their leader—the one who loves them. How He longs to speak to us, to help us, to comfort us. (4) WALKING AND WEAKNESS. "He walked - on the water." "Beginning to sink." "A ll things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23). If any one is to be spokesman for the party, it is Peter. If any one is to act it will be he. Peter is impetuous. He loves the Lord, he loves adventure. The impulse of his heart is to go to the Master and the Lord always responds to such de- sire. He wants us with Him. He says " C ome ;" let us go to Him without the camp. (Heb. 13:13.) Peter starts well, he walks by faith, but he ends poorly. He gets his hand on the plow but looks back (Luke 9:62). He is in the right race, but his eyes are off the goal. He misses the mark. A sudden squall scatters the spray, his eyes are dimmed, his faith droops and he drops. His faith departs and he dispairs. He begins to sink and forgets he can swim. He cries out like a startled child, "Lord save or I perish." He feels the power of the deep drawing him down and like Jonah, " t h en he cried unto the Lo r d" (Jonah 2:2).
riJ, ^ J i 8 , I W v i s i t y H e s a w t h e strug- gjmg disciples and set out to succor 3 The devil delights in driving dis- ciples into despair. g a i s 4. The Lord loves to lead them into pleasant pastures. Infixed 11 W a l k We " W h e n f a i t h i s flrm ' ^ d e p t h s W h e n
present her petition. She belonged to the accursed Canaanite race, a feople noted for their extreme immoraUty- H«r £ L m e d o m i n a t e d their lives. Her daughter was possessed of a de- mon, and was no doubt a fit subiect for such habitation (Mark 1:21-28) The need was great. She identified herself with her daughter's affliction. Hatred drove Jesus from His own country and w *erever He goes there is need. Wherever the sons of men dwell need is there. Need is a mercy in d i t e how else would men learn to k n o w ® It was the need of the world that brought Him from heaven. iTwas need that caused His anointing for serWce It was need that urged Him along H?s fa e st ry UD P on h 7h y ' ne " d that " S last upon the cross and need that f ° r t h f r o m the grtve world cannot get along without Him. Sin, sorrow and suffering are ter nble, but without them we could not T.® u n t 0 M e " (Matt. 11- T h f mother heart longs f o r her ner aim S he i s a ^spised sin- of iaffh f a V 6 S h e l p ' 3 n d ha » boldness ot laith to come to the feet of Jesus d f 0 r h e r baling. "She te sought Him that He would cast forth 7 h 2 6 f m ? ° ° Ut ° f h e r daughter'' (Matt fhf w a s manifested to destrov the work of the devil (l John 3 s f d c v T o / r ' 7 ° a e to ( deal t i t h t^e wm do- T ° m - 1 f ° , h a I f w a y ^ a s u r e wxu do, they must be cast out. She addresses Him as Son of David but He H? m S h 0 t , h f r " T h e di «eiple S wo'uld ha^e I 1 '" 1 heal her and send her away. The selfish heart would soon rid itself of annoyance. For the famishing multt man hold l . ™ a W a y ' f o r ^ e Z n d wan, hold your peace; for anxious ? ° t b e £ l J h S rebuked them ° U& (2) TOE PLEA . " I t is not meet to T„ X V h e , cmd ™'s bread." 1 0 the disciples He said " I sent but to the lost sheep'" P o £ i t rael, scattered and p e e l e d ( E z e k34 - 6) She came to Him as the Son of ¿avid 2 P S h e t f 0 U ^ ~ a n d « bless ing. «he has no claim upon Him- she al1 S en n f°rom g tL t0 ^ ^ e i's t t dnen rrom the commonwealth of Israel i ^ L c r e f & t 0 t h e ^ I d f e n anl' here T t m t ® 1 8 J a n im P<"-tant truth beife've- i ?™ V d i f f e r e n c e what men what ^ J n r f k 6S a diff e'ence upon C h r L ^ d T n approach God. Some Christians seek to get the blessings on
iBL T p^ 0 r W h e a r b£ 0USe ° f the b6lie ™ 8. At His coming the winds and waves will cease and the Talm 0 f a cloudless day commence. LESSON XI. Sunday, June 12, 1910. l he Canaanitish Woman (Matt 15- 21-28. Golden Text, Matt. 15:28. Theme: Grace to the Gentiles. OUTLINE. 23)' T h e ^ P h e - c i a n ' s Prayer (21- f?. aviour ' 8 p lea (24-26). a. Ine Sinner's Place (27) 4. The Satisfying Portion (28) iJ nZT tWn J° J e S US W a s intensify- 31?' i i» 0 , ; . t h e o n e «de (Luke 13: ai), and the religious ruler on the other were determined to silence Him (John ™ V T v o , e e which uttered such
sweet entreaty to heavy laden sinners t h e o u t ^ f 8 U C h ,0ViD S invitations to e ?utcast, was raised in severest dp nunc,ation against the hypocritical pre W u 08e w h i t e d sepulchres he un b K s t the foulest, Blackest hearts (Matt. 23:27). The multitudes were with him, but the hope of Jewish leaders lay in His death
S
an S ^ V t
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( 1 > T o ^me T . E A Y E R - - r c y He sought retirement, but He conld the s e un-it ( "fh a - k " 4 ' i w „ sun—it shines behind the clouds- f t T h 7 ' i d e f r r , ! t b »t cannot hide everywhere Thf I T ° f J e 8 u s s P r e a d cverywnere. The whole world cam« of the new teacher's work was reflect ed upon myriad of lives T h t may have {een and fift ?Mark 3.8). She improved the opportunity™
m (4) THE SATISFYING PORTION. "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." In Mark it is " F o r this saying, go thy way, " T he demon is east out of thy daughter." Grace flows from His kingly heart and her prayer is an- swered. Her faith stood the test. She got a good report through faith. The disciples upon the sea were classes with the little-faith family, but upon the head of this woman rests the benedic- tion of great faith. She took her place at His feet, the Lord raised her to a place : of great distinction and the Church rises to call her blessed among women. Faith pleases the Lord (Matt. 8:10). Unbelief limits Him. " Ye have not, because you do not really a s k " Jas. 4:2 (Rotherham). Faith makes possi- ble an abounding supply. Have faith in God. POINTS PRACTICAL. 1. The light of the Lord could not be hid neither should the life of His disciples. 2. The close of every age is marked by. Satanic manifestation. Keep your weather eye open. 3. Conscious need compels the cry for help. 4. The silence of the Saviour is a testimony to the truth of the Scripture. 5. A confession of our unworthiness is the acknowledgement of His worth. 6. Once afar oif, now made nigh. 7. By grace through faith, the demon was cast out and that not of herself, it was the gift of God. • ' LESSON XII. Sunday, June 19, 1910. The Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13: 1-9; 18-23). Golden Text, James 1:1. INTRODUCTION. The next three lessons are all found in the 13th Chapter of Matthew, and furnish us with the most comprehensive and complete teaching relative to the present aspect of the Kingdom ( " The Kingdom in Mystery") to be found in the Bible. The Kingdom is presented in Matthew in a three-fold aspect. 1. The Kingdom at Hand (Chaps. 1 to 12). 2. The Kingdom in Mystery) (Chap. 3. The Kingdom in Power and Glory (Chaps. 24 and 25). (1) THE KINGDOM AT HAND. The King was at hand ready to es-
Jewish ground and to steal the bread which belongs to Israel. Jesus closes the door in her face. There is a chasm between Jew and Gentilezas there is a gulf between saint and sinner. The Lord taught this same lesson to the wronian at the well (John 4). God is a Spirit, and those who approach in wor- ship must do so in spirit and in accord- ance with truth. Men seek to obtain favor from God on the basis of their morality or their goodness, but it is useless. As Son of David, He is King of Israel, and His mission is limited to them. She came on Jewish ground for a Gentile blessing and was turned away. Again the woman cries, ' ' Lord help me ." She comes to the right person now and is on the right ground. She worships Him as Lord. He is accessible to all who call upon Him in faith. The Lord tests her faith. He says the bread belongs to the children and not to dogs. This seems cruel, but it is lov- ing. Spurgeon well says, "We have no more faith at any time than we have in time of trial. All that will not bear testing is carnal." (3) THE SINNER'S PLACE. "Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs." The woman is not baffled. She is in- tent on getting the needed help. Like Jacob, she will not let Him go until He blesses her (Gen. 32:26). She acknowl- edges the truth of His statement. She has no right to the bread. She is not an Israelite in covenant relation, but even the promises to Israel had a larger promise of blessing to the Gentiles through them and she takes her place as a Gentile dog. The Lord used a word for dogs, familiar to her as a Greek. Jewish dogs were scavengers and ran wild, but the Greeks had house dogs. She confessed her unworthiness, but she craves the dog's portion. She is an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. A stranger to the covenant of promise (Eph. 2:12), yet she is so needy and lying at His feet she casts herself upon His mercy (Matt. 9:27; Luke 17: 13). The Lord is debtor to the Jews through the Covenant but He does not owe the Gentile world anything. Law shut the woman out but when she takes her place as an unworthy dog, Grace and Truth is ready to manifest itself through Jesus Christ (Jno. 1:17). Here is a great lesson for us all. We would have larger measures of blessing if we were more continually in our place.
using Matt. 13:34, last clause, " And without a parable spake He not unto them.'' This of course is absolutely untrue, as this statement refers only to Jesus' discourse in Matthew 13th Chap- ter: but this is a sample of the way these " annihilationists" distort the teaching of God's Word. (3) ' ' Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?" (Verse 10). The disciples' question and the Saviour's answer are luminous with precious truth. (a) "Because it is given unto you" (the faithful disciples to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them (the rebellious nation) it is not given." (b) " F o r whosoever hath, to him shall be given, but whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that he h a t h ." Jesus' first reason, then, for adopt- ing this method of teaching was to con- ceal the mysteries of the Kingdom from one class to reveal them to another; not that Jesus does not want all men to know the truth, or that He is partial to certain classes, but wholly because of their attitude toward him. And this Divine principle is just as operative to- day; one must have eyes open to God's truth before his eyes can be opened by God's truth. The second reason which Jesus as- signs for speaking to them in parables is that "Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that he h a t h ." The secrets of the Kingdom were disclosed to the disciples then, be- cause of something that they had; and hidden from the multitude because of something they had not. What was it that the diseiples had? What was it the multitudes lacked? Wherein lay the difference between them? Only this: One had accepted the Messiah, the other had rejected Him. What did the multitudes have, then, that should be taken away from them? Their po- sition as God's representatives, which would eventually be forfeited because of their rejection of Jesus, their Mes- siah. "Therefore speak I unto them in parables, because they seeing, see not, and hearing, they hear n o t ." They had seen His - power manifested over the elements, demons, disease and death (Matt. 8 and 9); they had heard the testimony of God from Heaven (Matt. 3:17); of John the Baptist, His fore- runner (Matt. 3:3), and also from His
tablish His Kingdom. This aspect of the Kingdom was first proclaimed by John the Baptist, Jesus' forerunner (Matt. 3); there, by Jesus Himself (Matt. 4:17), and afterward, by the dis- eiples whom He had chosen (Matt. 10). Testimony to His Kingship had been produced from heaven, earth and hell. Israel as a nation closed her eyes to all this testimony, and through her leaders held a council against Him how they might destroy Him( Matt. 12:41). This rebellious attitude of the people towards Jesus changed His attitude to- ward them, and for the first time sug- gested that He had a mission to the Gentiles (Matt. 12:17, 18; Matt. 10: 5, 6); (The realization of this prophecy, however, awaited its final settlement until after His crucifixion, resurrection and final rejection by Israel as record- ed in the Acts.) and ushered in a new aspect of the Kingdom as found in Matt. 13: " T he Kingdom in Mys- t e r y ." E X P I RA T I ON. Jesus adopted a new method of teach- ing (by parables). To note this fact, and the reasons Jesus gives for it, will enable us to get an intelligent under- standing of the Chapter. " And He spake many things to them in parables" (Vs. 3). "A ll these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spake He not unto t h em" (Vs. 34). " And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence" (Vs. 53). (1) What is a parable? " A brief narrative on real scenes such as occur in nature and human life, usually with a moral or religious ap- plication. ''—Standard Dictionary. " An earthly story with a heavenly meaning."—Little Girl. Each parable has but one particular truth to teach. We should be careful not to read into it what is not there, but prayerfully seek to get out of it what is there. (2) A new method. Prior to this time Jesus had spoken plainly to them, as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5 to 7). It is well for us to note this, for there is a relig- ious seet who, in order to destroy Jesus' teaching on future punishment as brought out in the history of Lazarus and the rich man, recorded in Luke 16:19-31, say that it was only a parable, and attempt to prove this assertion by
nation, what will be the end of their apostacy f The three parables spoken to the multitude: the Tares, the Mus- tard Seed, and the Leaven, answer these questions, and will be considered in fu- ture lessons. The Sower: Jesus, the Son of God, Isreal's Mes- siah; the Seed, the Word of God, the soil, the different classes of hearers, which were four: (a) The one who heard the Word and understood it not; the Wicked One catcheth it away. This is he which receiveth it by the wayside. There were those who had heard the Word but understanding it not, had deliber- ately turned away from the truth and passed under the control of Satan (Matt. 11:20-27; John 8:42-44). (b) " T he one who heareth the Word and with joy receiveth it, but had not root in himself." There were they who had heard and welcomed the truth but fearing the persecution of the rulers, had turned back (John 6:66). (c) The one who heareth the Word, but the cares of this world and the de- ceitfulness of riches choke the Word, he it is who "receiveth seed among thorns." Many in that day, as in our own times, were friendlv to Christ, but knowing that fidelity to Him meant the sacrifice of worldly pleasure and ease, smothered their convictions and drifted with the tide (Luke 21:34, 35). (d) There were still others who heard and received and brought forth fruit, thirty, sixty and a hundred fold. They had forsaken all to follow Him. PRACTICAL LESSONS. While these parables find their first application in Israel and the faithful remnant; from a spiritual standpoint, they are just as applicable to us today. " Th at whieh is born of the flesh is flesh," whether Jewish or Gentile, it is all the same, and the same evil forces are operating today. The Spirit-taught teacher will have no difficulty in find- ing lessons that will apply to any class. 1. If we close our eyes to the truth, we shall lose our power to discern the truth. 2. If we will not have the truth, we must take strong delusions( 2 Thess. 2:10-12). These delusions are now among us. The last days are upon us. The only hope for any one is to take refuge in the Truth. 3. We are all sowers, and we must reap what we sow (Ps. 126:6; Gal. 6:7).
own lips (Matt. 5, 6 and 7). Note especially Matt. 7:24-29. But in the face of all this they closed their eyes and stopped their ears, and took coun- cil to destroy Him, and in them was fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in verses 14 and 15. But there was a faithful • remnant who had turned^ from their sins and forsaken all to follow Him. To them He said, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they h e a r "( Vs. 16). Let us keep in mind that the parables which are to follow have to do first, so far as interpretation is concerned, with these two classes —the rebellious mul- titude and the faithful remnant. The truth here revealed is dealt with more ^ in detail by Paul, in Romans, Chaps. 9-11, and is still more fully expanded later on by John in the Revelation, where we see the final culmination of the apostacy on one hand, and the rich reward of the faithful overcomer on the other. INTERPRETATION. Jesus declares that the Parable of the Sower is the key parable—"Know ye not this parable, how then will ye know all parables" (Mark 4:13). That is, a proper understanding of this parable will enable you to understand all the parables. Keep in mind that between these two classes—the rebellious multi- tude who have proven their incapacity for understanding further revelation, and the faithful remnant who had ac- cepted their Messiah—the contrast is drawn. Their eyes—the rebellious mul- titudes—are closed; your ears—the faithful remnant—they see; their ears are closed; your ears, they hear. In this parable, Jesus shows the cause which led to the rejection of the Kingdom, and the consequent future condition of the nation. The causes of the rejection were three: (1) The opposition of Satan ( " The Wicked one," Vs. 19). (2) The weakness of the flesh ( " no root in himself," Vs. 21). (3) The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (Vs. 23). The Enemy: This trinity of evils the world, the flesh, and the devil," had blinded Isreal's eyes (Verses 14 and 15), so that she failed to recognize her King, and as a consequence spurned His of- fers of mercy, and put Him to open shame. Now the question naturally arises, what is to become of the elect
4. We are also representatives of some kind of soil. Our attitude toward these forces of evil will determine the amount of fruitage we bear. 5. Satan acts inmmediately in catch- ing away the seed (Mark 16:15). We should " b e instant in season and out of season," in sowing it (2 Tim. 4:3). LESSON XIII. Sunday, June 26, 1910. The Parable of the Tares (Matt. 13: 24-30, 36-43). Golden Text, Matt. 13:43. EXPLANATION. The Parable of the Tares was spoken by Jesus on the same day as the Pasa- ble of the Sower, which was studied last week, and of the five which come in our next week's lesson. These all belong to one discourse and should be studied as a whole, as well as separate- ly, to get the well rounded truth. Note also that the first four, the Sower, the Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leav- en, were spoken to the multitude, while the last three were spoken to the dis- ciples in private. This suggests that the first four have the broader applica- tion, and upon examination we find this to be true. The Parable of the Sower, as we learned last week, was given to us as a key with which all the parables were to be unlocked (Mark 4:13). INTERPRETATION. Among the active forces of evil which were operating to destroy the seed in the Parable of the Sower, Satan was first (Ys. 19). This Parable of the Tares shows us His working in the field, which is the world, where Jesus the King had come to establish His Kingdom and introduce the heavenly principles (Hatt. 5:7) but was rejected by His own (Israel) (John 1:11). This parable pictures to us how Satan's se- ductive activities will continue through all this age until the very end, when Jesus the King shall return in power and glory, and command His angels to clear the field of the tares and east Satan into the bottomless pit where he will remain a prisoner for one thousand years (Rev. 20:1-7). APPLICATION. (1) One Field—The World (Vs. 38). There has been a hot contest on for centuries over this field. God had made Adam and given him dominion in this world (Gen. 1:27, 27). But Satan came in and by deception cheated him
out of it (Gen. 3). Jesus, the last Adam, had now come to redeem it (buy it back). Satan had endeavored to deceive Him, as he did the first Adam, but failed (Matt. 4:8-11). But Satan had so effectually blinded the eyes of God's people, Israel, that in- stead of accepting their long looked for King, the rejected and crucified Him (Matt. 27:37). By this, however, they accomplished God's eternal pur- pose (Acts 2:23), " f o r God raised Him from the dead and set Him on high," where He is now waiting the fullness of time, when He shall eome to take unto Himself His own. Do not confound this field with the Church as found in the Epistles, and teach, as some do, that there should be no discipline in the Church, because the tares and the wheat should grow together.- This is a picture of the world, not of the Church. Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:1-15; 2 Thess. 3:4, 14, give instruc- tions for the Church. The two kinds of seed are sown in the same field; they produce of their kind and grow together until the end. (2) Two Sowers—The Son of Man and the Devil. These are the two contending forces operating in this world, two distinct and opposing characters. From the 3d Chapter of Genesis to the end of the Revelation, these two characters are seen. The personality of one is just as clearly defined and emphatically taught as the other. Both are active, deter- mined, persistent. There is eternal an- tagonism between them, and there can never be any cessation from this strug- gle until one of them shall be destroyed. There are - many deceivers in the world today, teaching that there are no con- tending personalities; no opposing forces; or principles, and no devil; but that all is good, all is love, all is God. This teaching is absolutely false. It is of the devil, and is one of the best evi- dences of his deceptive personality and power. These forces were never so ac- tive as today, and their activity will in- crease until the final culmination, when the Almighty One shall triumph glori- ously. All mankind is arrayed with one or the other of these supernatural per- sonalities. We are all sowers; we are always sowing; we are sowing for eter- nity; we shall all reap some day what we have sown. Note some of the differences between these two sowers. First the Son of
When he was through I said, "How many did you g e t ?" " J u s t 350," said he. There were several squashes of like size upon the same vine, all com- ing from one seed. I took my pencil and made calculations. Allowing one squash for each seed, with a like num- ber of seeds, by one sowing I would get 122,500 squashes; by a second sow- ing 42,875,000, and by a third sowing, 15,006,250,000. Continuing this pro- cess ten times, I would have enough Hubbard squash to cover the entire earth ten feet deep. That is the way seed multiplies, and we are all sowing seed of some kind and must reap what we sow. " F o r whatsoever a man sow- eth, that shall he also reap." On the other hand, this thought should be of great comfort and encouragement to the Christian, who, like his Master, is sow- ing good seed. Eec. 11:6; Isa. 55:11: " I t will not return void." Tares. At the end of the age (not of the world) (Vs. 39), when the King shall return to establish His Kingdom, He will send His angels, the reapers, to gather out all the tares (Vs. 30, 41), and bind them into bundles to burn. The burning does not necessarily take place immediately (Vs. 40). "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their F a t h e r" (Vs. 43). By this interpretation, given by Jesus Him- self, it is clearly seen that this is King- dom truth, and has to do with Israel; for when the Church is caught away, as is described in the Epistles, which will doubtless occur several years be- fore the scene described in our lesson, Jesus will come Himself—He will not send His angels (1 Thess. 4:14-17; Jno. 14:3); the good will be caught away to Him in the air, the wicked will be left. Immediately following the catching away of the Chureh the tribulation scenes will take place, as described in the Bevelation, where Israel's apostaey is so clearly set forth. Elijah will re- turn (Mai. 4:5, 6), and with his asso- ciate (Bev. 11), proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom again, just as it was for- merly preached by John the Baptist, and the faithful remnant will be gath- ered out, as at the beginning of this dispensation. There are the ones who will shine forth in the Kingdom as re- vealed in this parable. (5) Two Harvests—Wheat and
Man—his humanity (Vs. 37). The Ideal Man (Vs. 37). His severity and His long-suffering (Vs. 30). His final triumph over Satan (Vs. 41, 43). Sec- ond, the devil. He is malignant, de- ceitful, works in the dark while men are asleep. (3) Two Kinds of Seed—Wheat and Tares. The good seed are the children of the Kingdom; the bad seed are the chil- dren of the wicked one (Vs. 38). They resemble each other so closely that men cannot tell them apart, until the end, at the harvest time, when all will be clear and each shall go to his proper place. Beware of confusion here. Some teach that one reason why they are permitted to grow together is the pos- sibility of the tares being transformed into wheat by their contact with the wheat, teaching that leaven represents good and will eventually leaven the whole lump. Such an interpretation of leaven would destroy all the teaching of this group of parables and make one parable contradict all the rest, leaving the student in hopeless coniusion. We should not call that good which God has pronounced evil. We shall hope to see this truth more clearly in our next week's lesson. Each seed brings forth of its kind. If we are to have good fruit we must sow good seed. The good seed in this parable is not the Word, as in the par- able of the Sower, but that which that Word has produced-—children of the Kingdom. Christians seen in the Epis- tles occupy a new position (in Christ); they have been translated (Col. 1:13); they are not in the world, but have been saved out of the world and are in Christ; they have been planted in Him (Eom. 6:6). They are "Booted and built up in H i m" (Col. 2:7). "Th ey are filled with the fruits of righteous- ness, which are by Christ Jesus unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11). (4) Two Crops—Wheat and Tares. With two sowers sowing two kinds of seed, surely there would be two crops. What a tremendous crop is be- ing matured for the burning by and by. Pew realize how seed multiplies. I, once sat by the side of a farmer who had cut open a Hubbard squash, and was sorting out the seed, placing them upon tin plates to dry. As he went along I noted that he kept a tally.
Timely Topics for Young People BY T. G HORTON EXCUSES.
I cannot hold out. Isa. 26:34: I will keep. Heb. 2:11: Able to succor; also 2 Pet. 2:9; Isa. 40:31. Afraid of my companions. Prov. 1:10-15: " I f sinners entice." Prov. 29:25: " The fear of man bringeth a grace." (Jas. 4:4.) Not now. This is the most general excuse. Most people will admit that they are sinners and need a Saviour but will evade a decision. Press the claims of an immediate decision, using these texts: Isa. 55:6; Prov. 29:1; Matt. 24: 44; Matt. 25:10-13; Luke 12:19, 20; Psa. 95: 7, 8. To know what is right and. not to do it is a sin (Jas. 4:17). The greatest of all sins is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ. PERSONAL WORE. Soul sftving is the business of the be- lievers. Your whole Christian life will take its mould with reference to your relation to this fact. If you recognize God's call and adjust your life to the teaching of God's Word, your life will become fruitful and blessed. You are called to be a worker (2 Cor. 6:1). " We then as workers together with Him." You should be an approved worker. Study to show yourself such (2 Tim. 2:15). You are a witness to tell what you know about the Lord Jesus Christ and your life should always be giving forth a good testimony (Acts 1:8). You should know much about Him so that you can be a good witness (Matt. 11:29; Acts 4:13). You are a steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1), and will be re- quired to render a strict account of your stewardship. You are an ambassador for Christ to represent the court of heaven on earth (2 Cor. 5:20). You are a missionary in a foreign field. Heaven is your home and you are sent to seek and save the lost (Jno. 17:18; Luke 19:10). Your field is the world (Matt. 13:38). You are a fisherman to fish for men (Matt. 4:19). Your special field is among the young. Rejoice in this for it is the most fruitful of all fields. Sev-
. The personal worker will find almost . every unsaved person pleading some ex- cuse' for not being a Christian. They ; will not give you any reason, for there can be no reason for refusing to do [ what God commands men to do. These excuses are rather apologies; begging oif. For the most part they are not to be believed. The text which best fits the subject is Luke 9:18: "Th ey all with one consent began to make excuse." We name a few of the excuses generally given. I am too young. Some parents have foolishly taught their children that they must not give thought to eternal things —while young; that they must not think of uniting with the church. See what the Word says (Luke 18:16): "Suffer little children to come." Matt. 18:3: "Except ye be convert- ed and become as little children." Eccl. 12:1: "Remember now thy creator.'' 1 am too old. Some are constrained to think that because they have put it off until old age, therefore it is too late. Jno. 6:37: "H im that cometh." Bom. 10:13: "Whosoever shall call upon the Lo r d ." 2 Pet. 3:9: " No t willing that any should perish." I am good enough. Some people flat- ter themselves that they are as good as church members and there do not need salvation. Admit that they are, and perhaps outwardly better, but that will not save them. Many church mem- bers may not be saved. Gal. 2:16: "Men are not justified by works. Rom. 3:20: No man is justified by keeping the law. Matt. 22:37, 38: The first and great commandment is to love God with all the heart. No one has done that. So that all must be great sinners. I am too bad. This is a healthy con- dition and most hopeful. 1 Tim. 1:15: Christ came to save sinners. Isa. 1:18: "Though your sins be as scarlet." Luke 19:10: Came to save the lost. I can't give up. Mark 8:36, 37: "Wh at shall it profit." Luke 18:29, 30: Receive more in time and eternity.
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