JULY, 1917
No. 7
VOL. VIII
The King’s Business
Published once a month by the BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA, U. S. A.
ONE D O L L A R A YEAR
ÎCtttg b i t a t e la MOTTO : *'I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.**—Isa. 27:3. R. A. TORREY, D .D ., Editor T. C. HORTON, J .H . HUNTER, WILLIAM EVANS, D. D„ Associate Editors A. M. ROW, Managing Editor Published by the BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. Los Angeles, California, U. S. A. Entered as Second-Class M atter November 17, 1910, at the postoffice a t L oi Angeles, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Copyright by R. A. Torrey, D. D., and Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles, for the year 1916. Cal.,
DIRECTORS
Lyman Stewart, president. William Thorn, secretary. T. C. Horton, superintendent.
R. A. Torrey, vice-president Leon V. Shaw, treasurer.
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William Evans.
H. A . Getz.
J. M. Irvine.
Nathan Newby
J. O. Smith
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ.
The Maintenance of Good Works. -The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Spirit. The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. (7 ) Bible Women. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8 ) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9 ) Books and Tracts. Sale and dis tribution of selected books and tracts. ( 10 ) Harbor Work. For seamen at Los Angeles harbor. ( 11) The Biola Club. Daily noon meetings for men in the down-town district, with free reading-room privi leges. ( 12 ) Print Shop. For printing Testa ments, books, tracts, etc. A complete establishment, profits going to free dis tribution of religious literature.
The Personality of the Holy Ghost, The Supernatural and Plenary au thority of the Holy Scriptures. The Unity in Diversity of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Necessity of the New Birth. f coat| accre(Jited men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. . , (1 ) The Institute Departments: c ia s.e s held daily except on Saturdays and Sundays. (2 ) Extension work. Classes and conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3 ) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists. (4 ) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night. (5 ) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. (6 ) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the Hebrews. • The Institute trains, free m r p O S e .
SCOPE OF THE WORK
S3 THE KING’S BU S INESS VOL. VIII. JULY, 1917 ' No. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial: The ^Vord of C od in a Time of Danger— Our P resident and Congress on Trial— Beaten by Booze— A n Im portant Correction— The Perversion of Scripture — Bread for the Busy or Booze for the Bum— The Agonies of W ar— Penny Patriotism—-W ar Time . A tmosphere the Religious Fak ir’s Paradise— The Demoralizing Effects of W a r............................................... 5 79 Rock of Ages. (P o em ). By E. V ick.......................................... 587 The Scource of Power. By A. C. D ixon..................................... 588 The Baptism of Fire. By Dr. F rench E. O liver........................ 589 The Ministry of Music..................................................................... 598 Ministerial Institute a t M ontrose.................................................. 599 The Ascension of Christ. By Girolamo Savonarola.............. 601 Successful S tudent M issionaries.................................................... 608 Through the Bible with Dr. Evans.............................................. 609 The F a r Horizon................................................................................... 613 Light on Puzzling Passages and P roblem s................................... 61 6 Homiletical. Helps. By William Evans....................................... 618 Evangelistic D epartm ent. By. Bible Institute W orkers............ 624 International Sunday School Lessons. By Dr. R. A. Torrey and T. C. H o rto n ................................................................. 633 Daily Devotional Studies in the New Testam ent for Individ ual Meditation and Fam ily Worship. By R. A. Torrey 654 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE In the United States and its Possessions and Mexico, and points in the Central American Postal Union, $1 per year. In all other foreign countries, $1.24 (5s. 2d.). Single copies, 10 cents.
Receipts sent on request. See date on address tag. “Sept. 17” means Expires Sept. 1917, etc.
PUBLISHED BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HOPE STREET
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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Our Correspondence School By the Faculty of the BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES
Instruction by correspondence long since ceased to be an experiment and took its | well-earned place as a duly accredited method of education. If it lacks the personal touch of the class-room, it intensifies the originality and determ ination of the individ ual student. A student may thus pursue his ordinary occupation while perfecting himself as a Christian worker.
Course 1.—Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity By R. A . TORREY, Dean of the Institute
This is a careful study of w hat the Bible teaches on the Christian faith. The method pursued is to bring together every statem ent of Scripture bearing
upon the doctrine under discussion and from ' them ascertain and formulate the teaching of the Bible. This is the true inductive method of study.
Course 2.—The Life and Teachings of Our Lord By R. A . TORREY, Dean of the Institute
This course presents a thorough study of the life and teachings of our Lord as recorded in the four Gospels, it consists of 140 studies. These studies cover prac-
tically every verse in the four Gospels. At ' fhe end of each tw enty lessons( a series of questions on the whole section is sent to the student to be answered.
Course 3.—Through the Bible by Books and Chapters By JOHN H. HUNTER, Secretary of the Faculty
This course carries the student through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, each book being studied as a whole, and
eaph' chapter in each book analyzed A special blank is furnished on which the student records the result of his own study.
Course 4.—Personal Evangelism and Practical Work By T. C. HORTON, Superintendent of the Institute
The business of every believer is to be qualified for service. The work of every believer is soul saving. It will therefore be the privilege of the instructor in this course: first, to put the student in touch with the Scripture best calculated to
equip for the work of dealing w ith believ ers and, unbelievers; second, to direct the student'in the best methods of doing per sonal work; third, to give suggestions concerning the preparation for conduct of religious meetings.
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Other Courses in Preparation TERMS : For Numbers 1, 2 and 3—$5.00 each. For Number 4—$3.00 SEND FOR PROSPECTUS
T H E K IN G ’S B U S I N E S S y --------------------- 1 Voi. 8 IrTl------ --------- JULY, 1917 ------------------ - 0 No. 7 1 IrTl UzLI E D I T O R I A L --------------------- y _ _ “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help The Word of God in in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the a Time of Danger. earth be removed, and though the mountains be car ried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with’ the swellingr thereof.”—Ps. 46:1-3. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should arise against me, in this I will be confident.” —Ps. 27:1-3. | . “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”—Hab. 3 :17, 18. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed bn thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever; for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”—Isa. 26:3, 4. at any cost, for the nation’s good, the safety of our country is secure. There can be no honest question of what ought to be done at the present moment, and that is to totally prohibit the waste of grain by manufacturing it into strong drink. But the forces of evil 'in this country at the present time are strong, possibly strong enough to wreck our country. The President has time and again shown he had the courage of his convictions, but he is under what may appear to him a fiercer test than any he has been under before. He has it in his power, if he will exercise that power so firmly in this direction as he has in others, to bring about a total prohibition of the squandering of grain in the manufacture of drink. The President in on trial. Will he stand the test? The Senate and Congress also have within their power to stop this waste. Will they stand the test? We do not know; we can only hope and pray, but if they do not, when the awakening comes, as it will come before long, they will go down to universal contempt and execration. At the present moment the President and Congress of the United States are on trial. If our President proves a true man and our Congress, in both houses, has a majority of men who are true enough to stand, Our President and Congress on Trial.
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Two of the greatest nations of the earth are in danger of going down in disastrous defeat by the power of strong drink. If England is conquered, as there seems a possibility at the present time she may be, it will be
Beaten by Booze.
by starvation, and this starvation is not so much due to the.submarines of the enemy-as to her own squandering of her food resources in the manufacture of strong drink. If England two years ago had prohibited, the use of any food grams in the manufacture of strong drink there would not have been the suffering that there undoubtedly is in England today. But not only England is m danger, America is in danger. There seems now a. likelihood that hunger will be staring thousands of our population in the face before many months have passed, but there is no need of this. If all the grain going into strong drink should be kept for food we would have enough to abundantly feed our selves and to#help in feeding the allies.. If we are beaten, and it is not at all sure that we will not be, we will be beaten by booze. That it will be necessary ultimately to prohibit the use of grains at this time for strong drink is clear We will be forced to it sooner or later. The question is, will our legislators and our President have sense enough to prohibit this outrageous waste of food good CntlCal timC Until | iS t0° kte f°r the Prohibition to accomplish much . . • Pshed by the American Baptist Publication Society in its issue of January, 27th, in which the writer gave a definition of God which evidently emanated from Christian Science sources. In our article we were careful to say: “We have no doubt that these ‘Ten Rules’ slipped into The Young People without careful scrunity on the part of the editor of that depart ment, for we are confident there would be no endorsement of such a statement concerning Jehovah.” We are very glad to have received from W. Edward Kaffety, Ph. ,D„ editor-in-chief of the Sunday School publications of the Americ’an Baptist Publication Society, a letter in which he explains, to use his own words; “The unfortunate appearance of that Christian Science ‘stuff’.” In his letter he inclosed the following statement: Those Girls Ten Rules,’ in January 27th Young People contain Christian Science heresies which I repudiate absolutely. Their publication grieves me. When on December 1 1 became editor-in-chief of our thirty-four Sunday School publications, January periodicals were made up. While January 27th issue automatically carried my name, I had no chance to write or proof-read one word in it. We dismissed the person editorially responsible for this issue, during the transfer of the department from Dr. Blackall to myself. We bespeak patience and forgiveness for this unfortunate thing during these days of re-organization of our editorial department. I pledge my'earnest endeavor to SB ^faithful -denominational servant, always seeking to honor Jesus Christ. Sincerely, W. Edward Raffety.” c . This statement of itself will, of course, be eminently satisfactory, not only ^vcry one else. But The Young People also published an'article on March 17th, in which it seeks to undo any evil that may have been done by this unfortunate matter that crept into the paper, entitled, “The Case Against Christian Science,” by T. P. Stafford, Th. D., professor of Systematic A . In our ^sue of May, 1917,: we had a brief article entitled, “A New Definition of God,” calling attention to an article that appeared in “Young People,” pub- An Important Correction.
THE KING’S BUSINESS 581 Theology, Kansas City Theological Seminary. As the article is brief and to the point we reproduce it here: 1. The founder of Christian Science was not worthy of our confidence and esteem. 2. Christian Science is not an interpretation of the Bible but a re-stating in Chris tian terms of pagan philosophic vargaries. It is ancient speculation clothed in modern dress. . . >. ■ 3. ' The contention of Christian Science that there is no sin, sickness, nor death is a contradiction of human reason and a muffling of the conscience. 4. Christian Science dishonors Christ. It teaches that He is the ‘way-show-er’, but nothing more. 5. Christian Science denies the value of Christ’s death and the fact of His resur rection. It rejects the atonement.; 6. Christian Science repudiates repentance and faith, It explains away prayer. To well-informed Christian Scientists prayer ,is nothing but meditation. 7. Christian Science rejects baptism and the Lord's Supper. 8. Christian Science robs God of volition, feeling, sympathy, memory ,and purpose. Christian Scientists think of God not as Our Heavenly Father but as cold and impersonal Principle. 9. Christian Science is pantheism, notwithstanding all the frantic denials of its advocates. 10. Christian Science builds no hospitals and cannot build any.” The. following editorial note accompanied this article: “Dr. Stafford is the author of a scholarly book ‘The Origin of Christian Science,’ one of the best refutations of this modern¿religious fad. He was asked to prepare this, article to offset the unfortunate publicity given items appearing on this page in the January 27th issue, and also to assure our readers that Young People and its editor are emphatically against Christian Science heresies in any form.’’ “For those who fight in a nation’s cause” (the italics are our own) “the sufferings of this present tirfie are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” The evident thought is that the passage quoted refers to the one who dies for his country. It hardly needs to be said that no thought was more remote than that from the mind of God when He inspired the Apostle Paul to write these great words. They are written regarding the 'greater reward of the sufferings, not of those who die for country, but of those who suffer with Christ and for Christ, as is evident from the verse which immediately precedes (Rom. 8:17). There is a tendency, a shocking tendency, even among supposedly evangelical persons in these days of suffering and death, to substitute for God’s way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as our atoning and risen Saviour, salvation by fighting and dying for one’s country. No man will be saved by dying for his country. No man will be saved except through the acceptance of Jesus Christ (John 3:18, 36; Acts 4:12; Rom. 16:9, 10), and the rewards spoken of in the New Testament are not for those that show heroism, on the field of battle. Many of the vilest and most selfish of men have shown great heroism arid made great sacrifices on the field of battle, and they have died and gone to eternal destruction because of their awful folly and appalling sin in rejecting and trampling under foot the Son of God who died on the cross of Calvary for them. In a recent number of “The London Graphic” there is an outrageous perversion of the Word of God..' A beautiful picture is published, under which is the title, . “The Greater Reward,” with these added words: The Perversion of Scripture.
582 THE KING’S BUSINESS I The most important issue before the American people Bread for the Busy or today is not how we shall raise our army, but whether Booze for the Bum. we shall have bread for the busy or booze for the bum. A ten-cent loaf of bread has gone up in some of our cities to fifteen cents a loaf and in some to twenty cents a loaf, and it is said that it is going up to twenty-five cents a loaf. If it does a good many of the workers and their families of this country will have to go without bread, and bread is the staff of life. But we are told that a vast amount of grain every year is going into the manufacture of different kinds of booze. It is said that 170,000,000 bushels, and according to another estimate 640,000,000 bushels go into booze. Even taking the lowest figure, if there was a law passed that not one bushel of grain should go into booze, the price of wheat would fall at once and the busy workers might have abundant bread. The high price of wheat is attributed in part to the fact that the crop is 100,000,000 bushels short, but far more than 100,000,000 bushels, as seen above, goes into booze. The duty of congress is as clear as day. There should be an immediate prohibition of any grain going into intoxicating liquors. Further than this there should be a pro hibition of the export of grain to any country that permits grain to go into strong drink, for example, England. For many months now England has been prohibiting the use of luxuries of various kinds, but England continues to to permit the use of grain in strong drink. There has been a terrible outcry against this, but the government has not had the courage to take this matter in hand. By sending them grain at this time we permit the use of grain that would otherwise have to be used for food to go into strong drink, and our sacrifices and our hunger are simply for the purpose, in the ultimate issue, of enabling another nation to squander its grain in strong drink. Which is more important, that we have abundant bread for the busy, or shall we all contribute our sacrifices to secure booze for the bum? land there is a family which was very dear to us. In that family there are three sons, all bright young men and earnest Christian young men. Two of them were led to an acceptance of Christ through the writer. At the outbreak of the war two of them were in the Cambridge University and one had grad uated and was making commendable progress in engineering work. At the very opening of the war they were all given commissions. The youngest of the three was almost too young to enter but he was given a lieutenancy. His brother just older was given a lieutenancyy and the oldest of the three a cap taincy. They were early sent to the front and were in some of the worst of the fighting. We often received word from them from the trenches, sometimes when pieces of shell were rattling on the covering of the trenches. For months they were all spared, then the youngest of the three was killed in the trenches by the explosion of a shell. He had shown great bravery and had been men tioned in the dispatches. The strain of his death resulted in the death of the father, who had had trouble with his heart for some time, a noble Christian America is going into the war. Up to the present time the war has touched most of us only in a very remote way, but a letter just opened contains a sug gestion of what war means in many a home. In Eng The Agonies of War.
THE KING’S BUSINESS 583 man in high position, who used much of his time in preaching the gospel and in personal work. But the other two boys went on unwounded for many months—about a year. The oldest boy had been summoned to the palace and had received from the King his D. S. O. and though only 28 years'of age had been made lieutenant-colonel in the British Army and commander of his battalion. His younger brother had been made his adjutant. In the letter received May 11th the information is conveyed to us that two 'telegrams had just come from the war office, containing information that they were both killed on the same day, April 18th. How great the sorrow must be in that home who can picture, though all the members of the family are sustained by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and by the hope of the soon coming of our Lord. Such is war. Men talk of the glory of war. The glory of war is nothing to the horror of it. This instance is one out of many thousands, and how great the guilt that lies at the door of those who for reasons of aggrandizement or conquest, or any other selfish purpoes, are responsible for this awful war that is now desolating the earth. Who can doubt that they will have to pay the penalty of their awful guilt, for God says, “Vengeance is mine, I zvill repay saith the Lord.” And God certainly will repay, and in that day woe to those who are responsible for the horrors of this present time. flags and in violence of expression and action against lonely individuals who say, dr are imagined to say, something in favor of the Germans. We know personally of one case in which a very faithful preacher of the Gospel in the South, speaking in another city than his own and expressing his disapproval of war (not this present war, but war. in general) was arrested and thrown into prison without trial on the ground that he was guilty of disloyalty to the President. Of course as soon as the U. S. Government heard of it, orders were telegraphed for his release. Many of those who display the U. S. flag most ostentatiously are thoes who will be the last to make any real sacrifice for the defense of the country. And on the other hand, many of,those who have made the greatest sacrifices for the country in times past, do not see the need now of flaunting their patriotism by wearing a flag in their buttonhole, or carrying it on their automobile, or draping it over their doors or windows. The New York Evening Post of March 24th had a suggestive editorial addressed to “The American Citizen, man or woman, who has his country’s welfare at heart.” We give extracts of it herewith: “The attitude of any people in the presence of what is believed to be impending war is of profound interest. What qualities they then display; how they think and feel; the outlet they give to their emotional impulses; in what ways they brace themselves for the coming shock—all this is matter for close study. Imagine a sort of embodied Spirit of America looking down upon our citizens now. Would it be satisfied with the stuff of their patriotic manifestations? Would it find the general bearing of Americans magnanimous? Would it see a nation conscious of strength moving forward with a tread of measured firmness towards its great testing? We fear not. “If a virtue of any kind has to be flogged into being, it becomes in the act dubious. Artificial patriotism is as suspicious as any other sort of stimulated excitement. If a man Since America decided to enter the war there has been a remarkable deluge of “Patriotism” sweeping over the land. Much of the patriotism, however, is of a very cheap variety. It consists largely in displaying Penny. Patriotism.
584 THE KING’S BUSINESS goes up and down asseverating that he is honest, we instinctively look to our goods and chattels. Yet we are expected to take to our arms every man who bellows about his love of country. And^there has been far. too much of this forced display of patriotism. We have a species of flagellants walking the streets, advertising their own superior patriotic fervor, and calling upon all and sundry to join them in some kind of fantastic, or, at best, wholly unnecessary, rite. You must sign something. You must take oath. You must offer yourself for some service which you know you will never be called upon to perform. Otherwise, you are suspected o f harboring recreant thoughts and cowardly or traitorous designs. All this time, the citizen most to be suspected is the one who stands in the mass meeting or on the corners of the streets and thanks God that he is more patriotic than his fellows. “This vociferous patriotism cannot but be exceedingly distasteful to one who drew in love of country with his mother’s milk. He'would no more think of proclaiming his readiness to do and endure all for his native land, than he would of boasting that he could be depended upon not to steal penny-savings from a child. He feels that the deep and sacred feelings which he cherishes for his nation are to be taken for granted. Who can l>e such a clod as not to have them? But they are not to be bruited abroad. There is a law against using the flag for advertising purposes. But, alas, this does not prevent its use for advertising one’s superior civic^virtues. “Many an American there is who cannot hear the national anthem sung without moistened eyes, who cannot read, Lowell’s ode, ‘O, Beautiful, My Country,’ without a break in his voice, who yet strongly resents the extravagances and clamor o f those who have become violently patriotic overnight and for war-purpoess only. “Such a man must feel offended at the eorts made by some newspapers and many speakers to rouse an unnatural hatred of Germans. These folk seem to feel that the country would have no heart in the war unless it was against "monsters of wickedness. So we get something like the war-dance of the Indians, editors painting themselves up in hideous guise, orators cutting themselves with knives and yelling like mad, all in the endeavor to work up a .furious hate of the German people individually and collectively. But, really, do they take us for Iroquois or civilized Americans? There is no need of all this inflammatory and abusive appeal. We know what our wrongs are at, the hands of Germany ; we believe that we have a cause founded on right and humanity; and it is not in the least necessary to act upon the assumption that Americans must be infuriated befpre they will move to defend their country. These excited gentlemen protest far too much. “We must prepare to withstand the passions of the mob; to see to it that aliens among us are perfectly secure in property and life. We must see to it that freedom of conscience, of press, and of speech shall not be abrogated; that tolerance and respect for others shall rule us. We must prepare to. brace ourselves against disappointments; to remain undismayed by the clamors of the press; to keep calm in the midst of tempests.”
We are hearing from many English sources that mediums, healers, and all sorts of religious fakirs are reaping a rich harvest in England at the present time. People of such intelligence that they would be little suspected of falling into the f,olly are so upset by the
War Time Atmos phere the Religious Fakir’s Paradise.
sudden death of their }loved ones that they are consulting mediums to get messages from their departed. Even so distinguished a man of science as Sir Oliver Lodge has fallen a prey to this folly in consequence of the death of his son Raymond. We shall probably-have more to say about the silly book that he has written later. In a recent article, The Christian Commonwealth, pub lished in London, speaking of this general subject, says: “Young officers dash around to know what is the proper answer to Mrs. Besant (the great High-priestess of one of the two leading branches of the theophists). Bewild ered ipothers phone for, tracts, and startled clerics dive into dictionaries of heretical sects. Over ús all there is this pressure, of diseased beliefs, tainting, and unbalancing, and turning aside silly souls. There are sinister and evil agents at large doing their
THE KING’S BUSINESS 585 devilish work. We are still moving in the, same incredibly silly atmosphere as that which the Apostle describes to his young disciples; there are the same stupid patches of opinions as those against which Paul utters his warning. Not a word need go. The dislike of sound doctrine; itching ears,- and teachers after the desires of our own hearts: fables and babblings, and tattlings; those who creep into mansions and take captive silly women ever learning and never arriving at the'truth. All this is amaz ingly true and up to date; it all stands. So, too, the Apostle’s remark on the vain talkers and frauds overthrowing whole families and teaching evil things for the sake of, filthy lucre. Now, as then, the mouths of such need to be stopt—for we are back in the same ugly underworld of unhealthy influences. Anything odd, preposterous, novel, gains its audience. Each one has a seance, a sophy, and an ism of his own. The medium never had such a harvest before. Black your face and dub yourself ‘Messiah’ and the crowds come in; paint an atheism and it gets believed.”
A number of times during the last two years and more we have had occasion to speak of the demoral- izing effects of war. We are constantly hearing of how much war does to develop the better side of
The Demoralizing Effects of War.
human nature that many of us are likely to be misled if we do not know the real facts in the case. We haVe written already as to the effect of the war upon the young in England, but a book of Dr. Albert Hellwig on “The War and Crime Among th,e Young,” shows similar results in Germany. It shows that in the city of Berlin in 1915 there were twice as many crimes ambng the young as in 1914. In the city of Munich in the first three mohths of *1916 it is said that the number of young criminals equaled the total of •1914. From Stuttgart there came information that crime had increased very considerably among those of school age. Frankfort reported a decrease of fifty-five per cent, of minor offenses but an increase of forty per cent, in serious crimes. As an illustration of these crimes it is recorded that a servant girl aged fifteen was tried by court martial at Griefswald and was sentenced to three years for setting fire to a granary. Two youths in Potsdam weft convicted of waylaying a beer-wagon and battering the driver stenseless with his own beer bottles. In Munich a boy of nine, years of age killed his sister by cutting her throat. At Oels in Silesia a boy of seventeen in December, 1915, hearing that a Woman, whose husband was in the army, had sold her horse and had the money at home, went to the house, stole the money and murdered three children who witnessed the theft. During his arrest and trial which followed it is said that he did not show the slightest regret for the crime. In Berlin a girl killed her sister with a kitchen knife in order to steal her savings. In Hamburg two girls, aged seventeen and fifteen, entered a dwelling house and murdered a woman and stole what they could find. These are only specimen crimes. To anyone who has known German life, especially among the young, in years past, and the strictness with which they were reared, watched and governed, .it is evident that the demoralization which has come through the war is appall ing. Undoubtedly this development of savagery is in part due to the deification of hate that has been so manifest in much of the- recent German poetry, essays, orations and sermons. Many of the better class of Germans, wakened to ’the perils attendant upon this inculcation of hate and it was urged that the schools should be employed to spread better influences. It is surprising ,to find that this agitation for the suppression of this attempt to spread hate called forth a decree from the Prussian Government on January 15, 1916, as follows:
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THE KING’S BUSINESS “Wishes have been expressed recently that the teachers in our schools should combat by suitable instruction the spread and deepening of national hate and pave the way for the future reconciliation of civilized nations. No opportuni ties may be permitted for such endeavors, which are inspired by the feelings of universal brotherhood and international peace-pifflë.” Dr. Hellwig in his book, in trying to account for the increase of crime, gives as one cause : “The excessive excitement of the childish imagination by the events of thé war, especially as they are depicted in trashy literature, is one of ' the brutalizing influences acting on our young people in war-time. To inoculate the children with hate would breed lust for revenge, and could only bear evil fruit.” In England the demoralizing effect of the war is seen in another way. Reynolds’ Newspaper says, “vice walks rampant in the London streets.” And says further,, “legislators spend long hours debating a remedy for the hideous, moral disease to be found everywhere.” Many of the soldiers from the col onies, demoralized by the conditions in which they find themselves in London when on furlough, are in the hospitals suffering from the most loathsome diseases. Some of ,the clergy and of the papers speak of these men who are suffering from their own causes as “victims.” Father Bernard Vaughan “writes as follows: “A poor Canadian came to me the other day and said that he could never have believed that the world was such a cesspool as he had found one side of London. Looking round, he told me that he had come to the conclusion that thé only way he could cleanse himself was by meafis of the Sacrament. As he was going to the front, he implored me to receive him into the church that day.” This quotation from Father Vaughan illustrates several things: First, how the sinner is pitied rather than blamed, second the awful moral condition resultant from the war, and third, the way in which converts to the Roman Catholic church are made. Father Vaughan goes on to tell how/in order to grant this soldier’s request, “it was necessary to obtain special faculties from Archbishop’s House. In the ordinary course,” he con tinues, “it is necessary for a convert to receive instruction, but, in order to meet the special circumtances of this man’s case, I immediately proceeded to instruct him myself. The result was that he was duly received, although the work prevented me from attending the funeral of the Duke of Norfolk.” With great naivete he continues, “Some people seem to think we plunge at them to obtain converts, and then drag them in. But before they are ready we .cannot take them in, and when they are ready we cannot keep them out.” A further quotation from Father Vaughan shows what, an intelligent Christian this Canadian was. He reports the matter thus : “ ‘Now,’ said the Canadian, when I had received him into the church, ‘if I have the misfortune to go wrong, the result of your teachings tonight will at least make me know how to go right again.’ ” In other words, if the Canadian was guilty of the grossest crimes he could go right by taking the Sacrament and then go commit the sin again. Ones officer is reported as saying, “We come home tired, and we go back exhausted.” When he was asked how this could be, he replied, “Well, • we are fed all day and run off our feet all night. People are awfully kind. They want to give us a good time, but they give us hell. No human contitu- tion yet built could stand the eating, and drinking, and dancing, and theater going that fill up every hour of our time on leave.” Father Vaughan reports further, to iise his own words: “It is not merely the demi-monde who take advantage of the khaki man come home, but it seems to me that women of
THE KING’S BUSINESS 587 all sections of the community go khaki-mad.” He .goes on to describe the awful temptations to which a soldier is subjected from this source. A Sal vation Army officer suggested to a writer in Reynolds’ Newspaper that he should walk into- four or five saloon bars in the immediate vicinity and see for himself how prevalent had become the practice among young girls of spending their evenings drinking with casual soldier acquaintances. A Blooms bury missionary reports: “Of the many girls who come to me only when it is too late, I can recall no sadder case than that of an eighteen year old girl who, two years ago, started work in a munitions factory. Up to that time she had been a very happy little helpmate to her mother, and delighted in the care of her six younger sisters and brothers. A few weeks at the factory, and the home life had ceased to interest her. It was a dingy enough home, it is true, but until she had found it easy to make money, and very pleasant to spend it in the company of the many nice soldier boys her new companions introduced her to, it had quite contented her motherly little soul. Theaters first, bars next,-and then the inevitable surrender of chastity. Six months more and the factory was discarded for the streets. Today this girl is outcast from her own people, stricken with disease, and broken-hearted.” As a result of investigations among the munition workers, it has been found that “There are some factories which a girl cannot leave in order to go to another place of business because their reputation is sp atrocious.” As we in this country are just entering the war and conditions of a similar character are liable to develop here, all the Christian forces of the land should be on their guard at once. War is the child of hate, and the parent of all forms of moral monstrosities.. One is almost tempted to think that war is the devil’s masterpiece.
ROCK O F
AGEE
By E. VICK
Oh, to “see Him face to face;” Tell the story, “Saved by Grace;” Saved by His unfailing love, Showered on us from above; Greater love was never known Than comes to us from God’s throne.
OCK of Ages,” can it be, That Great Rock was cleft for me; For the shelter of my soul From the cruel billow’s roll, With its great protecting care Going with me everywhere?
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Nothing ever could I do When at last I am with Thee, For the Friend so kind and true; And my soul from sin set free, For the One who has control Free from all the toil and strife Of the ever-living soul; That surrounds the earthly life, Weak and helpless, every day “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, I must trust Him all the way. Let me hide myself in Thee.”
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M UCH has been said about regaining the losses of our Churches and Sun day Schools, and some of our leaders tell us we must federate. Well, if you feder ate death, it is death multiplied; if you fed erate weakness, it is weakness intensified. ..................Just one man or woman filled with the spirit that fills this Book, filled as was Paul, and Whitefield, and Wesley, and Spurgeon, and Moody, is more power ful than all the organizations you can put together. I stood some time ago beside Niagara Falls and I have often tried to pass on my impressions. Standing by that tremendous current, I looked down below, by the bank of the river, 169 feet underneath, and there I saw the power-house, wherein was a great dynamo, and from that power-house there went a system o.f wires over three hundred miles. The corporation that owns that power-house states that there is suf ficient power there to furnish electricity to all the United States and Canada, with something left over. When I went to Toronto, I found that Toronto was lighted by Niagara Falls, heated by Niagara Falls; that they cooked their dinners by the power from Niagara Falls. Near Toronto is a sanatorium, and there the patients get their health by means of electric bath from Niagara Falls. All along the way there were tram-cars getting their locomotive power from Niagara Falls. And there is one grim and gruesome place which also owes its power to Niagara Falls. In New York State they do not hang criminals, they electrocute them, and for this, too, they use Niagara Falls. Then I went back to the Falls again, and I saw the philosophy of it, Lake Ontario is 169 feet below Lake Erie, and if you were'to lift up Ontario to the level of Erie you would have no. Falls and no power. The power-house is away, below.
Dr. A. C. DIXON
“Tarry at Jerusalem until\ye be endued with power from on high.” This is what we need, to get underneath, to humble our selves before God, to come in touch with the “power from on high.” It is some thing to have power from behind, like that of a church or denomination with a prestige and history. It is something to have power from before, in the thrill of hope to inspire us to further achievement. It is something to have the power round about us—organization of wealth and cul ture, and religion and social standing. But, somehow, the power behind, and the power in front, and the power round about us is all power on the level. What we need is power from on high, and the power from on high comes from the touch of those wires that go out from the great dynamo of God in the Holy Spirit. It is just as these wires come in touch with us that we give out light. It is _ through these wires that we can give out heat—the warmth of love, and sympathy, and compassion for the multitude. It is through these wires we get our activity, our power of locomotion, our ability to go about doing good, becaues the life of Him Who went about doing good is pulsating in bur spiritual veins and arteries. And it- is through these wires there goes out health. Then it is we are made spiritually strong; here it is we get our tonic, our electric treatment. And it is through these same, wires from the power-house of God that we get our execution—our death.- I could but say, as I turned from that grue some place where criminals are electro cuted; “May my sins, my selfishness, my carnality, everything that displeases Him be put in the chair of judgment, and may the power from on high be turned on.” That is the way we get rid of the things that hurt. We get them in the electric chair of God’s judgment, and at the touch of the wire the work is done.
The baptism of Fire
By Dr. F rench E . O liver {Copyright 1917)
Address delivered by Dr. French E. Oliver, in : the Bible In stitu te Auditorium, on Sunday, May 6, the occasion being the celebration of the ninth anniversary of the Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles.
text this afternoon is found in Isaiah, the sixth Wj) chapter and the eighth verse: “Also I heard the voice of. the Lord saying,
would call him to a great work. He must therefore have 'preparation commensurate to the greatness of the Work to which he
Whom shall I send and who will go for us. -Then said I, Here am I, send me.” The sixth chapter of Isaiah is an in tensely interesting story. The historical date of this wonderful chapter takes us back to about ten years before the birth of Romulus, the founder of the Roman Empire. The first verse deals with a dead king and a live prophet. The story of the live prophet will give us inspiration. The story of the dead king gives us a warning. In 2 Chronicles, the 26th chapter we are told that .“he was marvelously helped till he was strong” but when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction. For in his vanity he tried to usurp the place of the priest "and burn incense unto the Lord in the temple: God smote him with the leprosy and he died thereof. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” The preparation of Isaiah for service pre sents, to our consideration this'-faot: God
DR. OLIVER was called. It is a well known truth that success in any great undertaking is to a large degree dependent upon the prepara tion for that work. MUST HAVE VISION - | If: a man is to speak God’s message he must have a vision of the Lord. “Where there is no visioA, the people perish.” The prophet says: “In the year that king
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Uzziah died I saw also the Lord.” God would have us see Him today. “Look unto me and be ye saved; for I am Jehovah and there is none else.” Again, he says, “Ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with your whole heart.” It is an unfortunate trait of human nature; to forget God in times of prosperity. Men and women can see the Lord if they will search for Him, but the great mass of people seem indifferent to God and religion until trouble comes or “sorrows like sea-billows roll” over their hearts and homes. Then they feel their need of God’s presence. They long for the Comforter. They long to hear the music of the voice of Jesus, saying, “Be of good cheer. It is I, be'not afraid.” The race has made a bad record for itself. Turn with me to 2 Kings, th e, 21st chapter. Manassah began to reign when he was twelve years old and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He followed after the abominations of the heathen, built up the high places -which his godly father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He also prepared altars for Baal and made a grove as did Ahab and he worshipped the stars and built altars for the host of the heaven in the two courts of the temple and made his son pass through the fire and observed certain times and used enchantments and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards. He was also a rank idolater. He was also a murderer. He shed innocent blood very much till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other. If you will notice in 2 Chronicles, the 33rd chapter, thé captains of the kings of Assyria were sent by the Lord and they took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon. MAN’S FRAILTY Then follows this remarkable picture of the ifrailty of all humanity. “And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before‘the God of his fathers and prayed unto Him.” God answered his prayer and brought him again to Jerusalem and established him in his kingdom and Manasseh. knew that Jeho
vah was God. He got very pious when he was in trouble. That is the way with the race. Notice the experience of Ezekial recorded in the first verse of his prophecy. He says: “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth -month, in the fifth day of the month as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” The sentence, “As I was among the cap tives by the river of Chebar,” tells the whole story. When he was in captivity he began to look up. He felt his need of God. His soul was crying out in distress. When men and women will genuinely seek the Lord, He will be found. I was in a west ern city where I preached to a great audi ence, urging men and women to flee from the wrath to come. A man who sat directly in front of me had just come from the hos pital. He had a bandage around his head and one arm in a sling. When I asked for an expression of interest amongst all who desired God’s mercy, he was one of the first to stand for prayer. He did not immedi ately decide the question, so I stepped down to talk with him. I asked: What has brought to your mind the feeling of your need of Christ?” He replied: “Possibly you read about it some ten days ago. I am a railroad man. I am a brakeman on the Spokane & Northern. I was riding on that freight train which was wrecked about ten days ago and it is a wonder that I escaped death. I was stand ing on top of a box car when suddenly the track spread, because of the soft embank ment, and I was thrown to the side of the embankment which fortunately was as soft as mush on account of the heavy rains. Immediately that box car full of wheat rolled over me and mashed me into the mud, and while it was rolling over me I felt that I ought to have religion.” GOOD THEOLOGY My brethren, the man’s theology was all right. If there is ever a time in a man’s life when he needs religion it is when a box car full of wheat is on top of him, but the
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trouble with the man was this: when he was on top of the box car he was jingling dishonest money in his pocket—for I learned that he had collected twenty-five cents each from about thirty tramps and had placed them in the box car which rolled over him. I say when he was on top of the box car, enjoying the scenery of the inland empire, as they call it, he cared nothing about God or religion. South east there fose in majesty the snow-capped CoUer-de-Alenes, carpeted at their base with luxuriant ferns and guarded by gigan tic tamaracks. Southwest of him he could see the magnificent Palouse Valley stretch ing for nearly one hundred miles and embracing one of the finest agricultural belts upon the earth. His conscience was not worrying him, but when the box car was on top of him he began to feel his helplessness and his limitations. I really believe God permits trouble to enter our hearts and homes in order that we may be taught our dependence upon the everlasting arms. O, the patience of God! O, the Infi nite tenderness of His great heart! “When I forget Him and wander away, Still He doth love me wherever I stray. Back to His dear, loving arms would I flee, When I remember that Jesus loves me.” He seems as patient and tender as a nurse in Hisjlealings with us up to a given point, and then He has to bring forth the Surgeon’s knives and begin to operate severely and radically upon us. When a friend of mine was conducting a meeting in Virginia, years ago, a woman of fine bearing came to him and asked for an interview. She said that when she was twelve years of age she had been confirmed into the church. At eighteen she had mar ried one of the fine young business men of Richmond and they had wealth and social position, and a home of perfect happiness. Three children were born into their home and there had jnever been a cloud of sor row to blacken their sky, until one night she found that their oldest child was taken with a fatal sickness. All night long she and her husband and the physician were by
the bedside. About daylight the physician gave up hope and the little girl passed out of this life into the great beyond. She said she was plunged into the depths of sorrow. She felt-very keenly the conviction that she was living a wasted life. The call of soci ety came strongly to her and she said she forgot her sorrow in the whirl of the sqcial life. A year later the second child was taken with a fatal illness and died as quickly as the first child had. She said she was dazed, 'but the voice of conviction spoke again and seemed to say: “You are living only for self and you are wasting the best opportunities for life.” She said she had comforted herself for six months or a year with the thought that she had one child left and she would train him for society and the world. One day her hus band came home at an unusual hour and informed her that he had lost everything they possessed. He said, “Even our home will have to go to satisfy the creditors.” The woman told my friend that since that they had moved from their beautiful home into a little rented cottage and had given up their place in society, that same voice had called her again and again. She said, “Please tell me in these awful hours of trial when my heart has been crushed with grief do you think that voice is the voice of the Spirit of God.” Her only child, a beautiful little boy, stood by his mother’s knee. My friend pointed toward the child and said, “If you are unwilling to heed the call of God it may be that He will have to speak again.” She knelt in prayer and pledged her life to the Saviour. SOME ARE DRIFTING My friends, I am sure that some of the people in this audience are drifting straight toward the rocks and shoals of sadness, grief and indescribable suffering. They have despised God’s authority; they have refused the messages of his ambassadors and little time is left before they enter the doldrums of sorrow. I was called to a city once to conduct a meeting and I learned that an official in one of the churches had used his financial
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