I MARCH 1922 — MISSIONARY NUMBE1
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiuiiiiiiiiiiiisiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiij!!!j!!|!!!!i!!!!!!!!j!!!!!!!!!!!!!j!!|!!! iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim m iim im im iiiim iiiim im iiiiiiiiiiim m iiiiiim iiiiiim iiiiiiiim iiiiiiiiiiim i ANNUITIES! What Are They 9 They are contracts made by us in which we agree to pay to the investor, as long as he lives, a certain amount of money (large or small as the case may be) each year, in quarterly, semi-annual or annual payments, at a rate varying from four to nine per cent, according to the age of the investor. WE WORK FOR YOU WITHOUT WORRY TO YOU This Contract Becomes a Blessed Bond IT LIFTS YOUR BURDENS NO MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS YOU EXECUTE YOUR OWN WILL " No Fees, No Litigation YOU SING BY DAY AND SLEEP BY NIGHT YOU ARE FREE FROM ALL FEAR Your Income Is Assured BIBLE INSTITUTE CF LOS ANGELES Write to T. G. Horton, Superintendent, for Full Information
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T H E K IN G ’ S B U S IN E S S MOTTO: "I, the Lord, do keep it, I win water it every moment, lest any hurt it, / will keep it nightandday." ~ Isa. 27:3 • = = = = = —= PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HOPE STREET. LOS ANGELES. CAL. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California under the Act of March 3. 1879 AcceDtance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, _________________ 1917, authorized October 1,1918 • ___ Volume XIII March, ig23. Number 3 Rev. T C. HORTON, Editor in Chief Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS, Managing Editor ALAN S. PEARCE, Circulation Representative Contributing Editors DR. F. W. FARR DR. FRENCH E. OLIVER REV. WM. H,' PIKE DR. A. C. DIXON CONTENTS Editorials: Go and Lo (227), Lamb and Lion (228), What God Says Testimony (230), Thinking Kindly Thoughts (231), Leavening the Lump (232), Rash Dr. Rashdall (233), Knocking the Devil Out (235), Subtlety of Stinginess (236). Bible Briefs— (237) Sound Doctrine— By Dr. Dinsdale T. Young (239) The Church’s Distinct Mission—By Dr. Paul Riley Allen (245) Modem Jeroboams—By C. H. Fountain (248) Personality of the Holy Spirit—By Edward H. Bickersteth (251) Bible Institute Happenings— (251) Bible Institute in Hunan—By Dr. Frank Keller (257) Evangelistic Department— (259) Thoughts for Unsaved People—By Dr. A. Reilly Copeland (265) Homiletical Helps— (266) Notes on the,Jews—By Rev. S. B. Rohold (269) International Lessons— (272) Daily Devotional Readings— By Dr. F. W. Farr (291) Editorial Afterthoughts— (298) t Pulpit Pointers— By Dr. Stuart Holden (300) Enemies of the Cross in India—By Watkin R. Roberts (304) Book Review— (308) Skin for Skin— By K. L. B. (309) PLEASE When sending subscriptions, address correspondence to Office of The King’s Business, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 536- 558 South Hope Street. Checks may be made payable to Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Do not make checks or money orders to individuals connected with the Bible Institute. O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.24— SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS
Will You Please Pray About This?
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Proposed New Annex to the Bible Institute •Directors, Faculty, Workers and Students, have long been praying for the funds that will make possible the breaking of ground for this much- needed addition in the very near future. The site, opposite the present building, is already owned by the Institute. The work of all depart ments is greatly hampered on account of lack of room.
“ YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”— (Matt. 5 :14) THE WORLD-WIDE COMMISSION TO ALL BELIEVERS “ AH power is given unto Me In Heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach aU nations, Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe ALL THINGS
Whatsoever I have commanded yon. And, lo, I am with yon, AIiWAY Even unto the end of the age. “ And they went forth, and preached everywhere, The Lord working with them ' And confirming the Word, with signs foUowing.” AM E N ! “ I am DEBTOR both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians; Both to the WISE and to the UNWISE.”
GO AND LO! There has never been any change in our Lord’s command to every believing follower of His: “ Go ye***teach all nations.” It is always the same “ Go” and it is always followed by the same wonderful “ Lo, I am with you.’ ’ i. S£| _ l ifB A world field for service. A work incomparable in value. A wonderful fellowship with Himself, the Word made flesh, our living Savior and Lord! Going forth anywhere, everywhere, with an authoritative message, unfailing in its power, to accomplish His own good will. The most honored of all people on the earth are the ambassadors from the Court of Heaven to a sinful, heart-sick world. weary and worn with its burdens, helpless and hopeless unless the God-given message shall reach it, dying by the millions and doomed to eternal darkness. Fields everywhere white, laborers everywhere standing idle in the market places. Few, so very few, giving heed to the injunction, “ Do busi ness until I come.” Many, so very many, not hearing the call of the Master, Blessed Authorization—His Command! Blessed Association—His Companionship! Blessed Attestation—His Commendation!
228 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S but hearkening to the call to a life of worldliness, of ease, of luxury, while the cry goes up from restless souls for the peace and heartsease that can only come to those whose ears are attuned to the melody of that musical entreaty which is always saying: “ Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.” Beloved, thou who art reading this simple message, hast thou heard the Commander’s commission: “ Go” ? Dost thou know the sweetness of the “ Lo, I am with thee” ? He can never be with thee in the same sense or degree that He longs to be unless you hear the voice of command,—or, far better, His voice of entreaty: “ Go,, and Lo.” Have you known the life story of real missionaries? Have you ever heard their testimony? Have you felt the touch of their lives, strong, sturdy, stalwart for their Lord? Have you felt the thrill of inspiration as they have voiced with gladsome tones the joy of service in the field to which He who called them has led them? What is Heaven but His presence—His will—His “ I am with thee” ? Will you hear? Will you heed? Will you haste to obey? Will you yield to His will—His holy will—and then say: “ Here am I ; send me” ? If you do, you will know the secret of a real, happy Christian life—the conscious, constant presence of Himself, whose you are and whom you serve. T. C. H. m . '.¿i*. jMfc ¿4» s4> as THE LAMB AND THE LION God, the Father, is always revealed in the person of His Son. “ He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father.” To understand God as Father, then, we must have a clear vision of the character of Jesus Christ. There is a strong tendency in these days to mutilate the character of Christ by express ing constantly but one aspect of His Godlikeness. This has led to convic tions in the minds of men which are erroneous and has had a tendency to lower the standard of righteousness in the minds of both saints and sinners. We hear the expression constantly, “ God is too good to punish the sin ner; too good to create a hell; too good to create a devil. God is love.” Many good, well-meaning Christians fall into the same error and become purely sentimental instead of sensible. Christ is the LAMB of God, and Christ is the LION of the tribe of Judah, and these two phases of His character are manifested in His Life. As Lamb of God, He is led to the slaughter for sin. As Lion, He is announced as the One who will rale the nations with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces (Psa. 2:9). As the Lamb, with outstretched arms, He speaks in words of loving entreaty to a lost world, “ Come unto me, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). As the Lion, He says “ Depart from me, ye cursed” (Matt. 25:41). Over Jerusalem He wept and said, “ 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem,***how often would I have gathered you” (Matt. 23:37). To the Pharisees of Jerusalem He said, “ Ye generation of vipers” (Matt. 23:33). He fed the hungry five thousand (Mark 6 :41), but He drove the money changers from the temple court with a scourge of small cords (John 2:15). In reply to the centurion’s request on behalf of his servant, He said-, “ I will come and heal him” (Matt. 8 :7 ); to the Pharisees He said (concerning Herod), “ Go, tell that fox, I cast out devils.” (Luke 13:32).
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S 229 To His own He says, “ Where I am there ye shall be also” (John 14:3); to those outside, “ But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:12). We find, also, these same characteristics in the life of John, the beloved disciple. He writes, by the Holy Spirit, “ Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God.” And he also writes, “ Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is anti-Christ that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 Jn. 2:22). And, again, “ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God” (I John 4:7). Contrast with this II John 10,11: “ If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed: For he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker -of his evil deeds.” Hear his loving words in III John 4: “ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth” ; and his scathing words in vs. 9, 10: “ „Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words.” Listen to Stephen, dying the martyr’s death: “ Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7 :60); but he had also said, before they vented their wrath upon him (Acts 7:51), “ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost;, as your fathers did, so do ye.” Paul also exemplifies the lion and lamb aspects of a Christian character. Contrast his utterances in Col. 3:15,16: “ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” And I Cor. 5:5,13: “ To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the fiesh****therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person.” Again, contrast Bom. 9:3: “ For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” ; with I Cor. 16:22: “ If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” Jude, the brother of James, speaking by the authority of the Holy Spirit, to the saints, says: “ Keep-yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” But, speaking of false teachers, he says, “ Baging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” In every instance you have the wonderful contrast between loyalty to the truth and love for souls, and fearful denunciation of the enemies of Hie truth. We must cultivate the spirit of our Master in our relation to men, both in the church and out of the church, but we must also avoid the sentimental ity that would assume a pious position not warranted by the Word of God, nor by the character of God. Truth it in love, but TBUTH it, and you will commend to all the well-rounded character of God,-the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. T. C. H.
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THE WHAT GOD SAYS TESTIMONY The hope of safe, sane, aggressive, evangelistic work along true Gospel lines, must always rest with the laymen. Given a body of men loyal to the whole Word of God and filled with the Holy Spirit, nothing can hinder a fruitful service for any church; and when such men are united in inter denominational work they form a band competent for exploits for God. Laymen are also 'progressive. They are students of affairs. They know men. They mingle with them. They understand the right appeal by which men can be reached. And the heading of this article is an illustration of how the brain of a layman works. He wants to compel the attention of the public. He desires to sow a seed of the Word. He doesn’t print a long sermon; few would read it in the dailies. He catches the eye, creates a desire to know what is meant, impels the reading of a strange text and then, of course, one takes a moment to read a short sermon—for it takes only a moment. Here is the sermon as it appears in a daily or weekly newspaper: at>s “And they set the Ark of God upon a new cart.” II Sam. 6:3. New carts are quite the vogue. The effort to get the blessing of God by new ways fills the religious columns of the newspapers with strange advertisements. This new cart was David’s idea, and King David was a man of resource. And yet it must be admitted that he seldom allowed himself to do things according to his own notion. Generally he reverently consulted God about every move. But this time the idea occurred to him that it would be a great thing to get the Ark of God home to his new city,—“ the city of David.” Now there were explicit directions as to just how the Ark was to be moved (read Numbers 4; 1-15), but with this new idea in his head he went head-long for the Ark. Yes, that’s it, “head-long.” If he had gone heart- long he would have consulted the sacred records. But he put the Ark on a new cart and put a team of oxen to it, and God had to kill a man to show how dangerous head-long ways are. And poor David was flabbergasted. Now, the ancient records aré still the one infallible guide to worship, and new carts are dangerous and many are killed spiritually trying them. Copyright, 1921—J. A. E. Now you read it, didn’t you? Why? That is just what every man or woman who sees the headline will do. A number of bright consecrated business men have organized: a band known as “ The What God Says Testimony” and have adopted a business man’s policy of advertising. These little sermons will be SOLD tt> daily and weekly newspapers. The heading “ What God Says” will always be in the style as it appears at the head of this article. q flS a t m about- NEW CARTS
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S 2 31 Will newspapers buy these sermons? Of course they will. We have. Some people will take the paper just to see what “ that man” is going to say the next time. Every little sermon will he a wide-awake message, and we are giving you this illustration with the desire that you will pray for God’s bessing on this project, and that you will communicate with the Secretary of the movement, Mr. Walter F. Clowes, 209 West 38th Street, New York, who will tell you how to interest some wide-awake business men in your place in selling this matter to your newspaper. Only one paper in a place can have it, and the Christian man who places it must do it as a service for the Lord. I t ’s new, isn’t it? Yes, new and true, and it works! T. C. H. ¿Me. THINKING KINDLY THOUGHTS It is Christmas Day, and the editor is writing a word for the March King’s Business. The air is filled with Christmas cheer and kindly greet- ings. We feel kindly, and we are thinking of our friends and of our enemies. We love them all. We have so many good friends scattered in every part of the earth; not a country on the globe in Which some kindly hearts are not praying for us. And our prayers go out daily for all the King’s Busi ness family and for the generous givers to the work which the Lord has given us to do. . , •■ It is blessed to have friends and to have enemies. We have learned that an enemy made in a righteous cause is a good asset. When it is said of any man, “ He had no enemies,” then it must be true that such a man could not have been like the Master. No man could live a holier life than did He. No man could be more loving. No man could be more unselfish. But He had enemies. Why? Alas, alack, He told the truth. The truth always has teeth in it. It comforts, blesses, revives, strengthens, but it also reproves, rebukes, warns. It is an eye-opener and a heart-breaker. When truth is yielded to, it breaks the heart; a heart is at its best when broken. But when truth is rejected, it hardens the heart, fills it with antagonism, makes it Satanic. We love to get letters from oiir enemies. They humble us. We always write the sweetest kind of an answer, (we have learned how to write letters from the Bible), and that makes them mad. They expect some deservedly hot shot for a reply, and then they could say : “ There, that’s the kind of people they are.” We have tried hard to understand our enemies. We are trying hard to love them better this Christmas day, wishing that they could see that which seems so simple and plain to us, that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh—Virgin-born—bodily raised—living in glory—loving all His saints—longing to have them with Him, and coming some good glad day to take them all home with Him. We cannot see why they deliberately doubt, deny, divide, denounce, defy the truth, but we suppose it is because they are scholars (or assume to be), and of course those who think they are scholars and endeavor to make us think so too, seem possessed with the belief that it is a sign of scholarship
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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S to reject the simple statements of God’s Word and make light of the Fathers. We love these deluded people. We know they are blind, and we long to remove the scales from their eyes, but they resent it. What can we more do? It is Christmas day and we long that the Lord of Christmas might be honored, given the place accorded Him as the One to whom all authority is given—the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. Pray for all these benighted people in places high and low, near and far. T. C. H. . ¿ife. m m m LEAVENING THE LUMP Much stress is being laid upon the so-ealled good work being done throughout our land through church agencies, which is called a “ leavening o f the lump.” Our friends who are not interested in a verbally inspired Bible use the phrase “ leavening the lump” with great gusto. This phrase was used by Paul in 1 Cor. 5 :6, but perhaps they are not familiar with the circumstances which led to its use. Paul was criticising severely an in cestuous sin which had been permitted by the Corinthian church, and told them he had turned the man over to Satan for the destruction of those im pulses which had led him into such a conspicuous sin, and then he warned the church that a sin of this kind was like leaven, and exclaims: “ Know ye know that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” Everywhere in Scripture (in fact, more than sixty times) leaven is set forth clearly as typifying an evil principle, both in the Old and in the New Testament. But now we are told that the world is being saved by the leavening process! It is true that “ the woman” is putting the leaven into the lump. M rs Eddy has done her share with a little leaven. The Fox sisters injected a little leaven of Spiritism and Conan Doyle has been busy mixing it into the lump. Madam Blavatsky added a lot and the New Thoughtists have drop ped in their share. The Chicago University has been manufacturing leaven and the preachers and teachers have been having it delivered to them by parcel post. Religious newspapers have been doping out from week to week some of the old stale leaven and religious writers have been palming it off on the unsophisticated, with a little Twentieth Century perfume added. The devil has been busy working the leaven into the lump Until the poor church is pretty well leavened. Most everything is accepted now in the churches excepting the Bible. Our Lord said, “ Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees!” Do you know the Pharisees when you see them? Then beware of them. “ Beware of the leaven of the Sadducees!” Do you know the Sadducees when you see them? They are crooked on the doctrine of the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. “ Beware of the leaven of the Herodians!” Do you know the Herodians? They are the politicians of the church. Listen to the Lord Jesus: “ Beware!” “ Purge out the old leaven,” says Paul. Clean up! Cut out! Cast away! and save what you can of the lump! When you hear the leaders saying glibly, “ The whole lump is being
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S 233 leavened,” they speak the whole truth. So it is. “ ’Tis true; tis pity; and pity ’tis, ’tis true.” . Do not allow any one—the Pope of Rome or the ecclesiasts of America —to interfere with your right to have, hold and honor your Bible. T. C. H. THE RASH DR. RASHDALL Dr. Rashdall, dean of Carlisle, great English theologian, in the recent church congress stated that “ Jesus did not claim divinity for Himself.^ The speeches of the fourth Gospel, where they went beyond the synoptic conception, he said, “ could not be regarded as history.” This same position has often been advanced of late by American theo- logians such as the late William Newton Clarke, Dr. Shailer Matthews and others. Since it is the Gospel of John that especially emphasizes Christ s Deity, their chief concern has been to get rid of this book, thinking that by the hew “ historical” system of interpretation, the statements in the synop tic Gospels implying Christ’s Deity could be got along with. Suppose we entirely disregard John’s presentation of Christ. Let us have a glance at Matthew’s Gospel and see if the Deity of Christ can be as easily brushed aside as some would lead us to think. In Matthew 7 :21-23 Jesus claims to be absolute Lord and Master over men, the Judge of all the world, who will in the Great Day appoint the des tinies of the lost. In the next chapter He shows .Himself sovereign over all disease (vs. 7, 15), over evil spirits (vs. 16, 32), and over the elements (v. 27). In the ninth chapter He claims authority to forgive sins (v. 6). He proceeds through all the cities, “ healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (v. 35). _ . . In chapter 10, after having bidden twelve men drop their occupations and come and follow Him, He empowers them to “ heal the sick, cleanse /the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons” (v. 8). He states that He will confess before the Father in heaven those who openly confess Him be fore men on earth (v. 32). In chapter 11 He calls all the world unto Him as the true source of rest. He says: “ All things are delivered unto me of my Father. * * No man knoweth the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” H a flBIB In the next chapter He claims to be Lord of the Sabbath, and asserts that He is greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon, greater than the house of God, and that He will spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and then come forth. In the 13th chapter He represents Himself as directing in the Judgment Day, ordering the angels in their disposition of men’s destinies (vs. 30, 41). In chapter 14 He walks on the waves and accepts divine worship from His disciples, who acknowledge Him to be the Son of God. He multiplies a few loaves and fishes and feeds four thousand people. In chapter 16 He declares Himself the Rock foundation of the Christian Church, against which thej gates of hell shall never prevail. He foretells
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His death and declares that after three days He will burst the hands of death. In chapter 17 He is -transfigured upon the mount and a voice from heaven owns Him as the only begotten Son of God. In the next chapter He claims omnipresence, promising to be in' the midst where two or three shall gather together in His name. In chapter 19 He says He will sit upon the throne of glory and will ap point His disciples in that day to judge the tribes of Israel. In chapter 21 He purges the temple of God and the temple workers quail before His author ity. In the next chapter (v. 18) He reads the minds of men and claims Lordship over men (43-45). In chapter 24 He foretells His second coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and warns against those in the last days who will deny the possibility of His literal coming. He declares that He will order angelic hosts in that day as they gather together His elect. Again, in chapter 25, He foretells the day of His coming as Judge and Ruler over all. In chapter 26 He inaugurates a memorial supper to set forth the re demptive character of His death until the day of His coming. When officers come to arrest Him He tells them that He could call legions of angels to His rescue, except that His death was necessary to accomplish the purposes of God (v. 53). He tells the high priest that hereafter He will be seen seated on the right hand of power, coming in the clouds of heaven (v. 64). His death (chapter 27) is accompanied by miracles affecting the ele ments, the earth and the realm of the dead. In' the last chapter He comes forth Victor over death and the grave, declaring that “ all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth.” He commissions His disciples to declare His name in all the earth, baptizing in the name of the Father, Himself and
THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S 235 the Holy Spirit, thus linking Himself with Deity. His final promise in v. 20 involves, again, His omnipresence. So we might proceed through the other two Gospels. The claims of Christ are absolutely unmistakable. They are woven into the warp and woof of the whole Gospel story. His words and His works cannot possibly be accounted for except on the assumption of His Deity. No amount of twisting and turning can erase these claims from the New Testament. The stubborn facts are there leaving Dr. Rashdall and all the other rash doctors face to face with one proposition: WAS JESUS CHRIST WHAT HE CLAIMED TO BE, or was He a FAKIR—and if the latter—how shall we account for the facts of Christian history? Is Christ an impostor? Are those who worship Him deluded? Let’s not beat around the bush! Let’s have the answer. K. L. B. KNOCKING THE DEVIL OUT Of course in these days many people do not believe in a personal devil at all. That doesn’t hurt his feelings in the least. Nor does it do away with his work. It rather pleases him, for it gives him unlimited oportunity to get in his suggestions. Our Savior believed in'a personal devil. He had personal encounters with him. He defeated him by hitting him over the head with portions from the Bible. “ It is written”—was His one answer to Satanic suggestion. Many a Christian has used the weapons thus suggested by Christ and has come off more than conqueror over the most subtle temptations. It works. Read the account of the temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4, and you will find that in all Christ’s replies He did not make one original observation. He went right to revealed truth. He quoted to the devil from the book of Deuteronomy, a book that in our day is pronounced by the higher critics to be a mere human effort. And the devil left Him, as he has left many a man since who has defended himself with the |Jsword of the Spirit.” Where is the man who knows -his Bible and how to use it in meeting the devil? When Satan deals with a man who does not know the Word, he has an easy mark. “ Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin” is an ancient recommendation, but it holds good even in these days of ‘ ‘ enlightenment. ’ ’ How simple were the answers Jesus gave! Great answers always are simple. Modern thinkers are ever looking far “ scientific” answers with words six feet long, understood not even by themselves. Take for example a gem from Mrs. Eddy’s “ Science and Health.” Here is a simple (?) solution of the sin problem—now get i t : “ Error is nothing and its nothingness must be demonstrated in order to prove the somethingness, yea, the allness of being. ’ ’ ' (How sublimely simple!) And again: “ Vertebrata, articulata, molusca ad radiata are evolved by mortal thought. By this thought they are classified. These will disappear when the radiation of spirit destroys forever belief in intelli gent matter.” Wouldn’t that make the devil tremble? Does the devil understand
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THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S that “ the animate stratum of mortal mind should govern the inanimate material substratum” ? Blessed is the man who can say with the Psalmist, “ I have stuck unto thy testimonies.” “ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” K. L. B. THE SUBTLETY OF STINGINESS “ Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth.” (Deut. 8:10-18.) One of the most subtle and universal sins of the human family is covetousness and a failure to recognize God’s ownership. It is one of the ten great root sins dealt with in the Decalogue. It is classed with stealing, adultery and drunkenness in its power to alienate a man from God (I Cor. 6 :9-19; I Tim. 6 :9,10; Eph. 5 :5). Fundamentally, it is a question of whether the love of money or the love of God shall be the master passion of life. The Old Testament rule for overcoming covetousness was to give back to God the first tenth of all the blessings He bestowed upon them. The New Testament sets up an even higher standard of liberality. The practical recognition of God’s ownership and man’s stewardship had a striking exhibition when the Holy Spirit was poured out, and “ not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common.” God did not, in olden times, lay down the law of the tithe because He needed money, but because His people needed to give it. The make-up of human nature makes it absolutely necessary that a law should be given requiring a systematic recognition of God’s ownership of all wealth. We see the infinite wisdom of God in placing certain small reservations on man’s time and money. We should never have had the Sabbath had the proportion of time to be set apart for sacred purposes been left to man’s judgment. The best of men would have said one day out of seven is too much of our time for rest and devotion. In like manner a tenth of our income would have been regarded as, an oppressive percentage. However, experience has demonstrated that in all times, the observance of these pro portions has brought wonderful spiritual and financial blessings to the obedient* proving the laws of God beneficent in the highest sense. Failure to recognize these laws has meant spiritual barrenness to thousands and financial losses indescribable. K. L. B. FORM O F BEQU EST TO THE BIBLE INSTITU TE ^iiiiHiiiimiiiiiiniliiHniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiniiiiHiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiinHMiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiniiiiiiiiiiininiiniiiiiiiiiiilninnnniiitiiuliliNiiiinurniiiiHiiiiiiHiiiiiiiimintiMinNiinHniHiiiiinuiiiunnniiiiiinilniiiiiiiiiiiiis I give and bequeath to Bible Institute of Los Angeles, incorporated | under the laws of the State of California... ...........................„....'......i. Dollars, i and I direct that the release of the President of the Board of Directors o f said Bible Institute o f Los Angeles shall be sufficient discharge to my g
executors in the premises.
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MARGINAL NOTES FOR YOUR STUDY BIBLE
“ byword” is “ Cheninah.” Three perfect kings of the Bible: David, Josiah, Hezekiah. The foundation stone of “ Christian Science.” Job 2:4. The hypocrite’s “ peekaboo” clothes. Job 8:14. jo b ’s theological beliefs (19:25-26). Redemption, Assurance, Second Com ing, Resurrection. Note the fifty-fold ego in Job 29. Seven Psalms begin with “ Blessed.” 1:1; 32:1; 41:1; 112:1; 119:1; 128:1; 144:1. The Christian’s “ Good night.” Ps. 4:8. “ Good morning.” Ps. 5:3. Singing and preaching are joined to gether as a means of glorifying God. Ps. 9 :11. The shortest petition. “ Help, Lord.” Ps. 12:1. The true aristocracy. Acts 17:11; Ps. 16:3. The only two who are satisfied. Ps. 17:15; Is. 53:11. . Where backsliding begins— a dusty Bible. Ps. 18:21-22. Three books that God writes. Ps. 18. Book of nature—v. 1-6. Book of law— v. 7-11. Book of human life—v. 12-14. The death-knell of evolution. “ His handiwork,” Ps. 19:1. Ps. 22—the Psalm of Sobs. Bible hands. Pierced— Ps. 22:16; Jn. 20:27; Lk. 24:39-40. Graven— Is. 49:15-16. Outstretched—Mt. 8:3, 15. Helping — Mt. 14:31. Gripping — Jn. 20:28. Tender— Rev. 1:17-18. Up lifted—Lk. 24j 50-51. The two sheep-dogs. “ Goodness and Mercy”*—Ps. 23:6. Two important prayers. “ Lead me in the truth,” Ps. 25:5. “ Let the truth lead me,” Ps. 43:3.
Elijah’s eight miracles: 1 Ki. 17:1, 14, 22-23; 18:38, 45; 2 Ki. 1:10, 12; 2:8. Elisha’s sixteen miracles: 2 Ki. 2:14, 21, 24; 3:20; 4:1-6, 16-17, 35, 41, 43; 5:10, 27; 6:6, 17, 18, 20; 13:21. The dry-rot of the church— Jericho theology— 2 Ki. 2:16-17 (denial of the fact that Jesus Christ is bodily in heaven). All sinners look alike to God. Cf. 2 Ki. 5:10; Jn. 9:7; Gal. 3:22. What a man can have and not be saved. Mk. 8:36. There were eleven rulers spoken of in the Bible who were offended with the servants of God for speaking the truth. Num. 24:10; 1 Ki. 13:4; 22:26-27; 2 Ki. 5:12; 2 Chr. 16:10; 24:21; 26-19; Jer. 26:21; 32:3; Mt. 14:3. Three deadly enemies. The world about us (1 Jn. 5:19). The flesh with in us (Gal. 5:17). The devil without us (Eph. 6:12). The best way to get rid of an enemy. 2 Ki. 6:21-23. Three times the Royal Seed was ex tinct except for one babe, and God pre served the Seed. 1. Moses, Heb. 11:23. 2. Joash, 2 Ki. 11:3. 3. Jesus, Mt. 2:12, 16. The first mite-box. 2 Ki. 12:9. The last mentioned. Mk. 12:41. The root of every nation’s troubles. 2 Ki. 17:14. A Bible conference called by a king. 2 Ki. 23. Two arks of the Bible. 1. Noah’s, typ ifying Christ our Refuge. 2. Ark of God, type of Christ through whom we have communion (1 Chron. 13). The first choir. 1 Chron. 15:16. Why are Jews sometimes called “ Sheeney” ? Note a prophecy in 2 Chron. 7:20. The Hebrew word for
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The secret of success. One aim, Ps. 27:4. The devil may fence us in but he can not roof us over. Ps. 34:4-6. The surest shelter in the storm. Ps. 36:7. Four important commands. Fret not, Ps. 37:1. Fear not, Is. 41:10. Faint not, 2 Cor. 4:1. Forget not, Ps. 103:2. The prosperity of the wicked. Ps. 37:35. Of the godly, Ps. 1:2-3. The difference, Ps. 1:6. A soul winning secret. Ps. 40:3.- What to do if you expect deliverance in the time of trouble. Ps. 41:1. Ps. 46:1-3. The passage at which President Wilson kissed the Bible when taking the oath of office for his last term. He is a Christian who is one inwardly. Ps. 51:6. What is the hardest thing to forget? Ps. 51:3. A golden petition for a preacher to make. Ps. 51:15. God’s two thrones. The highest heaven and the lowliest heart. Ps. 51:17. No great thinker was ever an atheist. Ps. 53:1. The safety Psalm. 91. God has four grounds of ownership over the believer. We are His by cre ation, Ps. 100:3. His by purchase, 1, Cor. 6:20. His by deed of gift, Jn. 17:24. His by conquest, 1 Cor. 6:19. The 116th Psalm begins, “ I love the Lord because”—you fill in the rest. The believer’s threefold comfort. The Father by His Word, Ps. 119:50. The Son by His Word, Jn. 20:20. The Spirit by His presence, Jn. 14:16. One thing that is settled. Ps, 119:89. Three conditions of soul winning. Ps. 126:6. How to preserve youth. Prov. 3:1-2. The promotion of the wise. Ps. 7.6:6, 7. Of the fool. Prov. 3:35.
ROOSEVELT'S BIBLE TREE Theodore Roosevelt, when on hunting expeditions near Mattawamkeag Lake, often sought quiet beneath a tree at the mouth of First Brook, in order to read the Bible, which he always carried with him. Herbert Hagedore, one of the faculty of the Roosevelt School for Boys in New Jersey, learned of the ex-Presi- dent’s habit, and while on a trip to Maine, recently, attached to the tree a small tin box containing a Bible. With the Book, is a request that all who pass that way shall stop long enough to read a few passages of the Scriptures, and so follow the example set by their famous countryman. m 'm A PRAYER Oh, Lord, give me the grace to be Content with what Thou givest me! No! more than that: Let me rejoice In all Thou sendest—’tis Thy choice. My human knowledge cannot tell Trials from blessings; Hence I shall, With childlike faith, hold up my hand, And ask Thee, God, but not demand.
"HEAVEN ANO EARTH SH A LL PASS AWAY, ßUT MV WORDS SHALL NOT PASS AWAY " M ATT ZA 35 Testing Out the Hammers
Sound Qoctrine Testimony of Britain’s Best Known Methodist Minister, Pastor o f Central Hall, Westminster, London, World’s Largest Methodist Congregation By DR. DINSDALE T. YOUNG
mattsm denounced. When a man does not like a doctrine he calls it a dogma and so creates a prejudice against it. That Dogmatism can be very offensive we all know. But so can latitudinar- ianism be; of that I have seen abund ant evidence. It still remains that it is dogmatic Christianity which wins men, and re news them, and affords them power to serve their generation, and furnishes them with peace, and joy, and radiant hope. And it is dogmatic churches which succeed numerically and in every way. That is a distant result of my observa tions during many years in many places, and under manny varied, circumstances. Emasculate your theology and you soon er or later emasculate your whole Church life and service. I have frequently been charged with being a narrow theologian. But stead ily and calmly 1 deny the impeach ment. On the contrary, I claim to be a distinctly broad theologian. I have been indicted as narrow because I have striven vehemently for the essentials of the evangelical creed. No one is more prepared to be broad in respect of non-essentials than I am. But I have always felt and feel more than ever that there are essentials, and that in fighting for them we ¿.re fighting as Christians for our very life. If there are not things that are surely believed among us it seems to me we are of all men most pitiable. I see clearly, too, that, in some cases at least, there is a legitimate distinc-
S I turn my eyes backward upon a prolonged and varied ministry nothing impresses me more deeply than the impor
tance of Doctrine. No feature of the churches of today evokes my alarm so much as the too general depreciation of Doctrine. It
T HE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S ing, and inward experience, and out ward service, have made the mat. gladly endorse that to which the youth was pledged. No doubt this will be inexplicable to some whose broadness has no boundaries. Some will esteem it a sign of deplorable stereotypedness. But such is my posi tion and I joyfully avow it. Had I seen reason to abandon the doctrines to which I was pledged I would have deemed it just and right that I withdraw from the Church which laid the beliefs upon me. 1 observe with solicitude that some "new” theologies involve also a "new” morality. They demand to remain in the pay— I will use the ugly but fit ting word—-of the communities whose doctrinal standards they have disavow ed. I am incapable of understanding such ethics. Such a resultant immor ality is a strong refutation of the theolo gy with which it is associated. Inspiration of the Scriptures Fast travelling on to my jubilee as a preacher, I see that the unique and complete Inspiration of the Bible has been the primary of my doctrinal beliefs and teachings. I have always held and preached the absolute finality of Holy Scripture as a Divine Revela tion. The Bible in its entirety is the Word of God— has been my funda* mental message, and it still is such. More than thirty years ago I was preaching doctrinal discourses in which I argued and alleged the supreme and final authority of Scripture. From that position I have never receded by one inch. Today that is the pre supposition of all my public teaching. I have no message for the man who rejects that position. I have never been able to accept the popular assertion that “ The Bible is not the Word of God, but it contains the Word of God.” Never can I dis tinguish between what is the Word of God in Scripture and what is not
240 tion between a spiritual fact and its theory or explanation. But my con tention is that there are spiritual facts to surrender which Is to surrender evangelical Christianity! The world thinks little of an “ un- dogmatic Christianity.” Certainly the intelligent world will have none of it. As preachers and churches we have no prospect before us if we have not a definite doctrinal message. All through my ministry I have sought to be a theological teacher, and that especially to young men and women. Definite doctrinal preaching has always been a prominent feature of my ministrations. And I wish here to bear a glad and thankful and de cisive witness. Everywhere I have found an euthusiastic response. I am deeply persuaded that there is no idler supposition than that young people are not interested in doctrine. It is a slander upon them, and bespeaks ig norance of their real sentiments. Preach ers may take up this work with most sanguine hopefulness—this Is the strong conviction of my ministerial exper iences. I fear that doctrinal preaching has often fallen into the wrong hands. Tame, unimaginative, unpoetical tedi ous men have all too often essayed the task. This has helped to augment a prejudice against such preaching. He who preaches doctrine needs to be all alive, all loving, all ardent. Alas! We have all come short who have girded us to this splendid service. But some have come conspicuously short. It is greatly to be mourned. I began my ministry with a definite doctrinal system to which I was pledg ed. Nor have I ever regarded this as hard or calamitous. I have had ut most freedom within my bounds, and the bounds have never irked me. I was never pledged to theological trivialities. It was to fundamentals I was committed. And years of read-
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These victories are not now being won where such Biblical views- pre vail. The Deity of Christ The proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ has always been the central and basal evangelical truth to me. It underlies all I have ever taught. To me He is today more than ever Godf incarnate: the second Person in the ever blessed Trinity. I have al ways preached Him, as now I preach Him, with deepening emphasis, as Lord and God. I hold Him to be “ every where concealed” in the Bible. I teach that on every subject His Word is final. The “ Kenosis ’ theory I utterly reject, and deem it fraught with end less mischief and logically leading to unitarianism. “What think .ye of Christ?” is the test question to me of all doctrine. The stupendous miracle of the In carnation has more and more had a leading place in my doctrinal life and teaching. The Virgin Birth I accept as Revelation, and as a necessity of reason, too. To me it is unimaginable that the God-man should have had an ordinary birth. The example and teaching of our Divine Lord have had large place in my preaching. I have sought always to press Christian ethics upon my people. Holy living, bright, cheerful, loving character has been a great part of “ my gospel.” And it has been a “ gospel” to me and through me because the central core of my teaching has been the Atoning Death of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have not preached “ good works” as good advice, but as the gospel of a dying Saviour. A pulpit which only gives good advice cannot be permanent: a pulpit which thrills with good news cannot die. I have never receded from the doctrine of the Cross which I “ re ceived” in my evangelized youth. “ The
such. To me it is all, rightly translated and rightly interpreted, the Word o£ God. As such I still preaeh it with unreserved emphasis. Nothing has gained upon me more with time than the importance of holding and teach ing a high doctrine of the Inspiration of Scripture. Dr. Johnson said, “ Our religion is in a hook,” and he expressed tersely the evangelical situation. The book has, I am thankful to declare, increasingly “ found” me. It “ finds” me today more inevitably and insepar ably than it ever did. I confess to less and less interest in its human authorship, and more and more reali zation of its Divine authorship. And my persuasion ever deepens that if we are halting in our testi mony to the. absolute Inspiration of the Bible we shall fail in our mission as preachers and churches. Is not much of the failuro today attributable to this cause? For many years I have sought to read the literature on both sides of what is known as the “ higher criti cism.” I have been led absolutely to distrust that system. In its extreme form I regard it as the greatest evil which ever infested the Church, I believe it to be intellectually fallacious and spiritually deplorable. I well know that it has captured a pre ponderance of modern scholars, but not through any necessity of scholarship. The scholarship is but an accident of the position. I strongly contend that the deeper and truer learning is on the side of the opponents of the “ higher criticism.” The older scholars were, I am thoroughly convinced, right in their views of the Inspiration of the Bible. Time will show if this be so. I believe it will ultimately triumphantly attest it. I am certain of this, that the Bible, as the “ higher critics” leave it, can never be vindicated as the Word of God. With such a faulty sword the Church can never win its old victories.
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but as the privilege of all saved people. And I have always found that the peace,. and the joy, and fervor of religion have depended largely upon this precious gift of assured salvation. That Christ can deliver us from sin has been and is, again, one of my lead-' ing doctrines. Along with this I have sought to make increasing insistence upon Repentance, as a duty and a privi lege. It is not a condition of salvation as faith is, but it is an essential atmos phere of faith and it increases witn believing years, till it is found, I be lieve, to be the invariable sign and token of a true sanctification. The golden doctrine of the Holy Spirit has rav’ shed my mind and heart ao the years have passed by. He re veals the Saviour to the mind and to the heart. He gives repentance. He Imparts faith, He sanctifies. He illum inates the Bible. He comforts with indescribable consolation amid all the believer’s temporal and spiritual trials. He endues with power for service. He strengthens our bodies. to do the life- work He ordains. The Doctrine of the personality and work of the Holy Spirit has been and is pervasive doc trine of all my ministry. AÍ1 this carries with it a doctrine of sin. Throughout my ministry this has been a cardinal “ note” of my teaching. The Bible teaching on sin I have sought to apprehend and to inculcate with ceaseless iteration. That sin is “ lawlessness:” that it is hereditary in all: that it is a corruption which in fects every part of our nature: that it is a universal plague of humanity: and that we can only be convicted of it by God the Holy Spirit is my unceasing doctrine. Of nothing am I more surely sure than that our doctrine of sin lies at the root of all real success or failure in preaching. If we aré wrong there we are wrong everywhere— irretrieva bly and hopelessly wrong. I am in no wise seeking to give even
Almighty Death” it is to me. My theological reading and interest have increasingly revolved around it. Ten aciously I hold, and with passionate conviction I preach, that our salva tion is worthy in that precious death. Not in explanations of the death do I bid men trust if they would he saved, but in the death itself. I have my own explanations which I readily present. X hold the sustitutionary view of the “ Death Divine.” In a manner intellectually“ transcendent, but intellectually entirely credible, Christ bore the condemnation of hu man sin. I proclaim always and everywhere, “ Jesus died instead of you." And I have always found, what I find in Central London today among all sorts and conditions of people, that whosoever receives this testimony is consciously and manifestly saved. I was trained to believe that the prime function of the pulpit is to answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?” A pulpit which does not make this clear, and that week by week, is in my view missing the mark. It is the tragedy of the modern pulpit that, by this touchstone tried, it often fails. The Cross The preaching of the Cross, not as an example but as an Atonement, has been my loved employ, alas, all unworthily executed. From youth to age, I humbly thank God, this has been my supreme conception of the ministry. That men are saved through faith, personal trust in our Lord’s death, and through that alone, has been and is my crowning pulpit doctrine. As life ebbs I preach it with hastening fervor and urgency. The soteriology of the Reformers is my message of salvation today. “ The Witness of the Spirit”— the in ward Divinely imparted assurance of personal salvation, I believe and preach not as a necessity of salvation,
243 this age is waning fast, and that at any moment He may appear. This makes me an optimist. This thrills me with hope. This makes my ministry (in ideal) vivid, and intense, and glad. Were I asked if I believe in the two sacraments of the Church I should heartily reply “ Yes.” To me they are right valuable and precious ordinances, but they are in no sense essential to salvation. He who so teaches infringes upon the gospel of the Cross and de stroys the “ freedom” with which Christ sets believers free. I have loved and now love still more to preach the glorious doctrine of C h r i s t i a n Immortality. Preaching “ Heaven” is, 1 suppose, unfashionable, but it is invaluable. The “ eternal life” begun here, but consummated yonder, is indeed a message for our age. He deprives men of a mighty force for daily living who conceals the “ bliss unending” of glorified believers. In such doctrines as I have instanced my ministry has been laid. To utter such teaching has been my obligation and my joy. I have no “ new’’ Gospel, be cause I believe there is none. All so cial and political evolutions which are good are in these doctrines, and will certainly come out of them. The Church can best achieve social and. political amelioration by preaching the gospel of the Cross. This way seems slow and tedious to some, but it is the only sure method. If my experience is vocal to any one it speaks of evangelical doctrine as vital and satisfying to man’s deep and varied needs. I know that a loveless evangel icalism is repellent, and it ought to be. But true evangelical faith worketh by love. “ The morality of the Cross is as sublime as its theology.” When we be lieve in the Crucified, Risen, Enthroned. Interceding, Returning Saviour, it makes our lives sublime. Love is the fulfilling of all Bible Law. If our love fails, then our faith has failed. A re-
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S a full outline of my doctrinal belief and preaching and teaching. I am hut re calling what I deem to be the central and fundamental elements. I believe and teach much which .1 do not deem it necessary to delineate here. I. sim ply seek to indicate where my minis terial emphasis has been laid. In closing this chapter concerning a working creed, I desire to say that cer tain doctrinal aspects of Christianity, in addition to those I have cited, have grown weightier and weightier to me. The doom of the finally unbelieving has appeared to me, all too slightly, but with accumulating urgency in all its infinite pathos and tragedy. I do not place it among the essentials of the Faith but it looms upon me with dire ful magnitude. “The wrath to come” is a grim reality in Scripture. On any theory of it what an awful doom it is! I have sought and seek now more than ever to warn men of it and to urge them because of it to accept the message of the Cross. I find it gives an edge and an urgency and a tenderness to one’s ministry without which a ministry ia mockery indeed. Premillemual Hope The second Advent of our Lord and Saviour has been a dear and delightful doctrine to mo through the greater part of my ministry. I regard it as the very soul of New Testament teaching, and of the Old Testament, too. I also regard It as an essential part of the Christian Gospel. I hold strongly that our Lord’s return is to be personal, phy sical, visible. If I am-charged with a “ spectacular” idea of His Coming again, I shall not shrink from the charge. That His Coming will be pre-millennial 1 heartily believe, and that it will be pre ceded by the “ rapture” of Christian believers, I also heartily believe. My hope of the world’s salvation lies not in any gradual evangelization of the world, but in the personal Return of our dear Lord and Saviour. I believe
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