S want the New Year’s opening' days To fill with love and prayer and praise. I want some other soul to bring' To Thee, My Savior and my King'. And may I, Lord, in godly fear Serve Thee throug'h all this coming year.
M Y TEAR VERSE :
Place Reference Above, Keep this Clover
Bible Institute ofLosAngeles (INCORPORA tED ) LOS ANGELES; CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. Free Training Scbool for Christian Workers
R. A. Torrey, vice-president Leon V. Shaw, treasurer William Evans J. O. Smith
Lyman Stewart, -president J. M. Irvine, secretary T. C. Horton, superintendent H. A. Getz
Nathan Newby'
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as expressed jn the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. ;The Deity of the Christ.- The Personality of the Holy Ghost. TJae Supernatural and Plenary authority 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. The Maintenance of Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Spirit. , The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting, of Believer's. The Endless Punishment of the Impenitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. SCOPE OF THE WORK The Institute trains, free of cost, accredited men and women,, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. DEPARTMENTS: (D The Institute Classes held daily except on Saturdays and Sundays. . Extension work. Classes and conferences held; in neighboring cities and towns. Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by Our evangelists.^ Spanish Work. Personal work among Spanish speaking people. Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. ^ Jewish Evangelism, personal work among the Hebrews and mission for Jews. Bible Women. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. Books and Tracts. Sale and distribution of selected books and tracts., (10) Harbor Work. For seaman at Los Angeles harbor. (11) The Biola Hall. Daily noon meetings for men in the down-town district; with free reading-room privileges. Evangelistic service every evening. (12) Print Shop. For printing Testaments, books, tracts, etc. A complete establish ment, profits going to free distribution of religious literature. PURPOSE: (2) (3) (4) (*) ( 6) (7) ( 8 ) (9)
THE KING’S BUSINESS MOTTO. /, the Lord, do keep Ü, I will water it every^moment, lest any hurt U, I will keep it night and day, P U B L IS H E D B T T H E B IB L E I N S T I T U T E . O F L O S A N G E L E S , IN C O R P O R A T E D Entered e5 Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California a r ... • under the Act of March 3,’1879 Acceptance for mailmg at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917 authorized October 1, 1918. Volume X January), icug Number 1 LEADING ARTICLES OF THIS ISSUE Editorials: Greeting (3) A New Year Text (3) The Hand of God (4) Peace (5) Are All Perils Over? (4) Shall We Sacrifice Our Convictions? (6) Shall We Congratulate Ourselves? (7) An Ideal Gift (8) Remarkable Remarks —Thoughts for the New Year (9) The Pope’s Too Late Conversion, Dr. Torrey (10) The Unknown Tomorrow, Rev. Alexander Maclaren (11) Salted with Fire, Rev. JohmMacInnis Bible Institute Happenings (22) Homeletical Helps and Bible Outlines (26) Evangelistic Stories (28)
The Far Horizon —Missionary Notes (33) International Supday School Lessons (36) Daily Devotional Studies, Dr. Torrey (66) Book Review (85) Why I Believe in Missions, Rev. W. H. Pike (88)
O N L Y
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S U B S C R IP T IO N P R IC E — In the United States and Its Possessions and Mexico, and points in the Central American Postal Union, $1.00 per year. In all other foreign countries, including Canada, $1.24, (5c. 2d.) Single copies 10 cents. Receipts sent on request. See expiration date on the wrapper. B IBLE I N S T I T U T E OF L O S A N G E L E S 536-558 Sooth Hop* Street - . . . . L a s Angehs, California
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES Located in the center of th e city, a t Sixth and Hope Streets. Thirteen-Story Reinforced C oncrete Building. Two Hotels of 632 Rooms. A uditorium Seating 4000.
THE KING ’S BUSINESS T. C. HORTON , Editor R. A.TORREY, D.D. J. H. HUNTER, . W. H. PIKE, Associate Editors KEITH L. BROOKS, Managing Editor ED I TOR I AL GR EET ING to tke King’s Business Family: And what shall it he? Shall we say “ Happy New Year?” A “ happy family” is defined by Webster as a collection of animals of different hostile propensities, living peaceably together in one cage,—and perhaps that is as good a definition as one could desire. David says: “ Happy is that people whose God is the Lord” (Psa. 144:15), and what better wish could we have than that, as a family of different propensities and denominations, living under different circum stances and conditions we should be bound together in a blessed unity in Jesus Christ, our Lord? May it be a year of real joy to our Lord. We can give Him great pleasure if we will. He is thé Man of Sorrows ; His heart yearns for the lost ones; He loves all men; He died for all; He is not willing the eternal death of any. If our hearts are in unison with His heart, we can give back to Him real happiness. Praise Him for His untold blessings and for the daily mercies with which He crowns our lives. Pray for daily guidance through His wonderful Word and a purpose deep and strong to be loyal to Himself and Has Word, and to make so much of the New Year as shall be ours a year of real joy to Him by faithful service in the work He has given to us all.—T. C. H. .$!£. as as as A N EW YEAR Text It has been the custom of many people to take on New Year’s Day a text for the year,—a message from the Book, on which they could lean through every experience as the days roll along. In this time of grave uncertainty, as we face a year of testing for the whole world and the church, we suggest a verse well calculated to inspire the soldiers pf the Cross with the courage of faith. It is the grand climax in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, “ I can do all things through Christ which strengt'heneth me.” Paul was not a boaster or a braggart. He knew what he was saying, and in Whom he was trusting. The power by which the “ all things” can be done is the unlimited power of Christ. Micah said “ I am full'of power by the Spirit of the Lord.” By this power we can conquer self; we can overcome the subtle temptations which beset our faith; we can go through fiery trials; we can perform our duty; we can make every necessary self-denial; and do all in a glad-hearted way. Say it in the morning, when you look your Lord in the face ; say it
4 THE K I N G VS B U S I N E S S when you take up your daily task; say it when you face your foe; say it when there comes the call for courage ) say it to doubt and distress; say it when there is fear of failure; say it until it shall become a part of the web and woof of your life, and say it all to the glory of the Christ who makes it possible for you to say it. Success comes in cans; failure in can’ts. Say “ I can, through Christ.”—T. C. H.
T h e h a n d o f g o d
Some remarkable editorials have been printed in the Los Angeles Times during the last year, and it is'a pleasure to voice our appreciation of. them. We do not subscribe to all that is said in them, but it is refreshing to find a secular paper sturdy enough to give expression to wholesome Bible truths. In the issue of November 10th, there is an editorial, double column, full page, entitled “ The Hand of Go d , f r om which we take the liberty of quoting the following extracts: “The sun stood still upon Gibeon, and th e moon was stayed, five kings fled and hid themselves in th e cave of Makedah, and the Amorites were delivered unto Joshua. There came also ano th er tim e when th e sea was divided and th e children of Israel passed dry shod between th e walls of the p arted w aters. And, when the hosts of P haraoh followed, th e w aters closed in upon them , engulfed th e ir chariots and swallowed up th e arm ies of the Egyptians, foot, horse and dragoon, to the last man. And upon still a tim e again, am idst th e revelry and the drunken feast, the doom of Babylon was w ritten against th e candlestick on th e plaster of the wall in th e palace of Belshazzar. I t was all very long ago, in the days of old, and th e Hand of God was on th e world. And, things like unto these have happened now, and in every though tfu l mind th e question arises: Is the H and of God upon th e world again? We have th e facts above related from history. They are chronicled in the Bible, which, among other things, is th e best auth en ticated histo ry in existence The statem en ts m ust be tru e. No scholar now disputes th e statem en ts set down in th e Bible, irrespective of his religious beliefs, or w hether he have religious beliefs a t all. It being a perfectly au then ticated fact th a t th ere were times in th e past when God in terfered w ith or directed the affairs of men in th is world, is it not logical to suppose th a t He may well do so again? It is the same old world th a t God flung out of th e hollow of His hand. Man is th e same being of soul and body now th a t He was before th e Pyram ids were builded or Noah set ou t in th e A rk on the vast adventure of th e deluge. Surely th e re is as much reason to suppose th a t the hand of God is, therefore, upon th e world now as in any o ther tim e of th e past. And, if it be tru e, th e least though tfu l man th a t b reathes th e b reath of life today may well be sobered to th e most serious contemplation of th is m anifestation. If it be true, then it m ust also be tru e th a t th ere is a God and th a t He still ru les the world. And, th is being true, every o th er fact of which we have posses sion sinks into trifling insignificance. * * * * * I t is far-fetched to liken th e heroic stand of Belgium against Germany in th is w ar to th a t day when th e sun stood still oh Gibeon in order th a t Joshua m ight have more time? And again, even as the sea was parted for the children of Israel, and they passed safely between the parted walls of th e waters, so have the g reat ships passed w ith 2,000,000 Americans th rough mine-sown billows and shoals of deadly sub marines, reaching th e shores of F ran ce almost unharm ed and w ith scarcely the loss of a man. It was the boast of Germany th a t we could not land an arm y in Europe to fight against her, and she was well prepared to carry ou t her boast.
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 5 But, our arm y was landed. Its flag unfurled its stars of glory on F land ers’ fields; its arm s tu rn ed th e tides of battle to victory on th e Marne. There will be explanations of the wonder of this by those who make maps and diagram s and who deal in th e chem istry of depth bombs and the machinery of engines. But, will th e ir explanations wholly satisfy? W ill th e re not still be a something yet th a t can be explained only by, the n atu re of a m iracle? * * * In th is wonderful hou r— the most wonderful th a t the world has ever known, save one— even th e most elemental intelligence m ust bow humbly down in acknow ledgment of th e Lord God of th e Ages. When we th in k of Armenia, safe afte r more th a n a thousand years from the incessant butchery of th e filthy and unspeakable T u rk ; when we th in k of Poland freed a t last from the nameless and indescribable to rtu re of P russia and the awful curse th a t B ismarck pu t upon h er; when we th ink of one enslaved people afte r ano th er shaking now th e shackles from th e ir limbs and standing once more rad ia n t and glad in the loving and all-embracing sun, we behold m iracles no t less th an any told in Holy W rit. Therefore, th e inevitables conclusion must be th a t God is still in H is heavens. His hand is still upon us. And, th is being plainly th e case, it is for th e peoples of the world to vow themselves to God for all tim e to come. They m ust never again su rrend er th eir liberties to kings or to groups of statesm en or soldiers. They m ust have no king bu t God. * * * Under th e banner of th e P rince of Peace, all men m ust be as brothers, else th e Hand of God has come again upon the world for n augh t.”— T. C. H. P e a c e This is the January number of The King’s Business but it is issued December 1st and we are writing this November 14th. The hearts of the people throughout the land are glad with a wondrous joy that this awful war is seemingly at an end. It is impossible to measure or describe all the death and agony and ruin, physical, financial and moral, that this war has wrought, and it is naturally regarded as one of the greatest days in human history, when the cause of righteousness and liberty triumphed by the abject surrender of the forces of Prussian cruelty and devilty. Victory and the consequent peace' came with unexpected suddenness, i. e., unexpected by many. Yet there were those who said a few months ago that if the people of America would, in a spirit of humility call upon God, and repent of their own sins, obey the summons of our President and our Senate and Congress to a day of fasting and prayer, and meet the conditions of prevailing prayer, peace would come in a few months, and peace has come. Prom the very day appointed for fasting and prayer the tide of battle turned. The Central Powers have had no significant victory from that day to this. Their advance was checked and they have been driven steadily back with unexpected celerity. Apparently the most that the military commanders hoped for was that they would be driven back to the old Hdndenburg line, but God had taken a hand, and our God is one who acts suddenly. The prevailing note of these glad days should be the note of thanksgiving to Almighty God, the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.Ite-R. A. T.
A r e a l l p e r i l s o v e r ? Many think that because the war has come to an end that all perils are over and ahead of us is nothing but “ peace and safety.” It is evident from
6 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S the address of our President before Congress in announcing the terms of the armistice, that lie entertains no illusions of that sort. He there sug gested, what all really thoughtful men know, that some of the greatest and most critical problems still confront us. Conscienceless autocracy is a dan gerous thing, of this we have had a most striking and impressive illustration in this war; hut anarchy is an even more dangerous thing, and there have been manifestations of anarchy in many lands, so significant and so strong as to cause thoughtful statesmen to do much serious thinking, and prayerful statesmen to do- much praying. What the immediate future will bring, whether it brings wide and universal peace and the spread of intelligence and righteousness and love, or whether it brings a period of widespread anarchy and civil contention, tlie ultimate future is sure. The golden days of this world’s,history lie ahead of us, it is to be hoped not very far ahead of us. Those days will come when our Lord Jesús Christ comes. And even in these days of exultation over the outcome of the war, every wisely instructed Christian heart will not cease to make their most earnest prayer this:. “ Amen: Come, Lord J e s u s . R . A. T. S h a l l W e Sacrifice Our Convictions for tke Sake of “Religious Unity)? Dr. Prank Crane, whose bright writings on so many subjects are appear ing in many secular journals throughout the world, recently said in an edi torial entitled “ Religious Unity” : “ In a le tte r from a gentlem an connected w ith th e welfare work for th e arm y I find th is statem en t: ‘I have seen an amazing th ing happen here. ‘On September 5th th e P residen t issued his le tte r requesting th a t the seven agencies engaged in w ar work un ite th e ir campaigns in th e week of November 11th. On th e very n igh t th a t his le tte r was received, five representatives of each agency— th e Y. M. C. A.,- Y. W. C. A,;. N ational Catholic W ar Council, Jewish W elfare Board, American L ib rary Association, W ar Camp Community Service, and th e Salvation Army—m et in Dr. Mott’s office. He was nom inated for D irector General by Mr. John G. Agar, representing the Catholics, and his nom ination seconded by Mr. Mortimer L. Schiff, representing th e Jews. ‘In th is week I have seen these agencies, which before have regarded them selves somewhat as competitors in good work, absolutely opening up to each other and p u ttin g aside all personal considerations in th e promotion of the united idea. •‘I believe, if th e country can catch th a t sp irit of enthusiasm , th a t th is united drive is going to do more for th e union of th e religious people of all creeds in this country th a n th e la st hund red years of discussion had done.’ Dr. Crane goes on to say: “This indicates one of th e most significant developments in the religious life of America and one of th e most hopeful evolutions of th e tw entieth century. In some way th e scattered and contending organizations th rough which the religious life of th e n ineteenth century expressed itself m u st come together. Moral con viction and th e in stinct of helpfulness are not th e property of any one .denom ina tion. They are th e common h eritag e of hum anity.” Further down he says: “Out of th e scourge of w ar not th e least helpful by-product th a t is appearing is th is draw ing tog eth er of all sects, th is realization on th e p a rt of religious organizations th a t the su rest way to win th e approval of H im who ru les and judges hs all, no m a tte r by w hat name He be called or w ith w hat rite s He be worshipped, is to do our full duty tow ard ‘one of th e least of these, my b reth ren .’ Only by ^¡/¿.
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 7 the vision of th is tru th shall we come into ‘the unity of the Spirit which is the bond of peace,’ and escape from the will-o’-the-wisp of un ity of opinion which can be b u t th e bond of contention.” This is typical of much that is being said in our present day about Religious Unity. But a unity that brings together Christians who believe in the Deity of Christ and those who deny the Deity of Christ, and thus by, implication make Jesus Christ a fraud and impostor, a unity between Bible Christians who worship Christ and Jewish orthodox religionists who reject Him and justify His crucifixion, is not a “ unity of the Spirit” and it is not a unity that is according to the Word of God, nor according to good, sane common sense. Neither is a unity between Protestants, who believe what the Word of God says, that “ there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” and Roman Catholics who teach that there are many mediators between God and man, and that the Virgin Mary is a mediator between man and Jesus Christ, and who put the Virgin Mary in the place in which the Bible puts Jesus Christ, and who teach many other forms of idolatry, Christian unity. Unity, real unity, unity between all those who truly have accepted Jesus Christ as God manifest in the flesh, and their own Divine and only Saviour, and who surrender to Him as their Lord and Master, and who only differ from one another on minor questions of doctrine and church government, is a unity greatly to be desired, but a religious unity between worshipers of Jesus Christ and those who reject Jesus Christ is an enormity and a monstrosity that is to be shunned. There were many reasons why it would be desirable that up to a certain point widely different societies but which were all engaged in welfare work among the soldiers should cooperate in raising money for the work, but it was foreseen by many that this would inevitably result in this evil of which Dr. Prank Crane is an illustration, the very grave evil of utterly ignoring and sacrificing convictions that are fundamental and important. There can be a unity of effort in certain directions among Bible Christians and Roman Catholics and Jews,' but there can be no unity of worship and no unity in religious effort between Bible Christians and Jews who reject the Lord Jesul Christ. Such a unity would crucify the Son of God afresh. Many are making Religious Unity a fetich, but certainly Religious Unity has its limi tations, and there can be no unity, and it is not desirable that there should be, between those who" differ on questions of faith that are really fundamen tal, such as the Deity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is dan ger that there will be a sad harvest from this cooperation between the Y. M. C. A. and some of these other organizations. However pure and lofty were the purposes of the Y. M. C. A. in entering into this cooperation, designing Roman Catholics and designing Jews and so-called “ liberals” are certain to take advantage of it.—R. A. T.
SHALL WE Congratulate Ourselves or Believe the Bible? It is somewhat of a relief, in these days of man’s boasting—when many great leaders are heralding the idea that man at last is about to enthrone himself bove the powers of the universe by his science and perfectly master
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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S all human affairs by his, statesmanship—to pick up a secular paper and read the following in an editorial: “ The people of 1914 thought that it was perfectly easy to prevent any more wars and equally easy to prevent any more scourges. But how little they knew of the real situation. Then came such a war as the world never dreamed of before, and also came the same old comitant enemies, famine and plague. And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not prevent the spread of these things. “ The influenza germs have suddenly broken through all our defenses defied our destroyer patrols and our coast guns’ and made unopposed landings in overwhelming numbers on every shore. The plague has taken mainly the young and vigorous, the ones most needed. This all teaches us that we don’t know so much as we think we do, and that while we are fighting one danger, another is liable to creep up on us. The plague will run its course, people will forget all about it and will congratulate them selves once more that they have mastered their environment and nothing can hurt them. ’’ When will men learn that the times and seasons and all the affairs of earth'are in the Father’s hands? Why not believe the Bible, with its faithful warnings to be ready at all times, seeing we know not what a day may bring forth? There is more to come, for “ when they shall say peace and safety ; then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape’ and this verse has a meaning today that it never had before in the history of the world. But, happily for the true followers of Christ, the next verse adds, “ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.’’ —K. L. B. A N IDEAL Gift for the Christian Home While th is is th e Ja n u ary num ber of The K ings Business, it will reach most of our subscribers before Christmas, and a t ju st a tim e when many are puzzling th e ir heads as to w hat remembrance to give John, Mary, th e ir Sunday School scholars, Sunday School teacher, th a t active church w orker or th a t godly shut-in. There are many who th is year, for th e first time, have seen th e value of The K ings Business, as a Christmas remembrance for th e ir Christian friends. Its helpful message will go for twelve months into the home, and noone may tell where th e blessing may spread. Some will be saved th rough th e message of The K ings Business th is year. Backsliders will be b rough t under conviction. Lazy Christians will be spurred on to active service. Sunday School teachers will be helped and th e members of th e ir classes will be inspired as a result. The devotional life of th e home will be quickened. We have prepared a special card, nicely printed in colors, bearing greetings of the season and a word about The K ings Business, to be mailed to persons for whom others subscribe a t th e Christmas season. The card will b ear th e name of the giver and any o ther message he may wish w ritten oh the back.
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Will you put “Bible Insti- tu te of Los Angeles” on your prayer list for 1919?
P ray that many young people may be led to pre pare for Christian work.
THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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THE POPE ’S TOO LATE CONVERSION The Pope seems to have gradually wakened up to the fact th a t he p u t his money on th e wrong horse in backing the Kaiser. In various ways he has recently indicated his g reat in terest in th e Allies. B u t in th e days in which his in te rest would have counted for something he seemed to show none. Even when his own people were being outraged beyond description he u ttered no word of protest. He never backed even Cardinal Mercier w ith any en thu s iasm, if anything he stood in his way. But now th a t th e Germans are being forced not to destroy cities as they leave them he is trying to get the credit for it. The following came by Asso ciated P ress Day W ire: “Rome, Oct. 22.— An appeal was made to P rince Maxmillian, th e Imper ial German Chancellor, by th e Holy See, asking th a t the Germans refrain from devastating portions of Belgium through which they are retreating , according to the Osservatore Romano, the semiofficial Vatican organ. A reply was received October 13th giving assu r ances th a t categorical instructions have been issued by the German general staff th a t localities should be preserved and respected in every way possible.’’ Now th e tru th is th a t P resid en t Wil son and th e Allies have given th e Ger mans to understand th a t if they con tinued th e ir work of destruction they would have to pay for it. The appeal of the Pope had nothing to do w ith it. If his appeals have any weight w ith th e K aiser why did he not make them long ago against th e awful atrocities of th e past? But he was mum, except in sending fo rth peace appeals th a t were evidently instigated a t Berlin. Whoever comes ou t of th is present con flict w ith glory, th e Pope df Rome will come out covered w ith shame.— R. A. T.
THE NEW YEAR God make your year a happy one—- Not by shielding you from all sorrow and pain, but by streng then ing you to bear it if it comes. Not by making your path easy, but by making you stu rdy enough to tread any path. Not by tak ing hardships from you, bu t by tak ing all cowardice and fear from your h ea rt as you meet hardship. Not by g ran ting you unbroken sun shine, bu t by keeping your face brigh t even in the shadows. Not by making your life always pleas ant, bu t by showing you where men and his cause need you most and by making you zealous to be th ere and to help. Not by keeping you from b attle but by bringing you off every field more than conqueror through Christ “who loves you.” God make your year a happy one!^— Selected. THE CELLARS OF AFFLICTION Samuel R utherford used to say “when I find myself in the cellars of affliction, I look about for the Kings wine.” He would look for the wine bottles of the prom ises and drink rich d raugh ts of vitalizing grace. T h at is the best deliv erance in all affliction, to be made ,so sp iritu ally exh ilaran t th a t we can rise above it on the wings of God’s promises.
GOOD RULE FOR 1919
Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, A t all the times you can, To all th e people you can, As long as ever you can.
When th e way is blocked, use the blocks to m ount upon.
— JOHN WESLEY.
1 Rea lly Remarkable Remarks i 1 THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR Don’t make a lo t of resolutions m your own streng th , unless you intend to carry a rep air k it with, you con- , tinually. If th e New Year finds you still in a humble position, don’t fret. It may be th e Master knows w hat a capital plow man you are and never means to let you become a reaper, because you do th e plowing so well.
If th is be a year of usefulness, a year in which we shall live to make th is earth better, it: is because God will direct our pathway. How im portant, then, to feel our dependence upon Him! A happy year th is will be to those who th rough every p ath of trial, or up every h ill of difficulty, or over every sunny height, march o n 'in closest fel lowship w ith Jesus, and who will deter m ine th a t, come w hat may, they have Christ every day. He who has found upon ea rth th e city of his affections, and who w ith every onward step is only advancing tow ard a m ist, may well look upon the New Year’s day as a day of sorrow. W hatever the past year may have m eant to you, make it dead history. Let th e liew Year be a living issue. JEnter it w ith a kind though t for everyone. Your faith h as never yet outstripped th e bounty of th e Lord. T ru st ilim as th e days go by. Resolve th a t your prayers shall no longer be a form b u t a force. We can praise God a t th e beginning • of a New Year th a t th e “ to o t” is being taken ou t of Teuton and the ‘ germ ” out of Germany. I am going to make it my business th is year to tak e all th e cushions out , from under sinners. Remember th a t th e g reat things of - the world have mostly been begun by men w ith enough greatness of soul to do th e little things • as if they were great. Don’t forget th a t your power w ith God w ill be th e rea l gauge of your real power w ith men.
He who is swimm ing securely down th e stream of self-confidence, is in dan ger of being drowned in th e whirlpool of presumption. If I have th e power of Christ per fected in my weakness, I shall be equal to every tem ptation, competent for every duty, equipped for every struggle, th e m aster of every fear. T h at man will be of th e most use to th e world who makes most use of God and gives him self most freely to God for God’s use. Hem your blessings w ith praise lest they unravel. Cheerfulness greases th e axles of the world. If you would have happiness for your self, seek it for others. Christians are no t only to be th e salt of the earth b u t th e sugar. Your prospects are ju st as bright as th e prom ises of God. Of all th e troubles you have had this year, th e g reatest were those th a t never happened a t all. May God save us from being musty, dusty, crusty Christians! If heaven isn’t in you th e chances are you are not on th e way there. I am determ ined to ru n nobody down b u t th e devil and nobody up bu t Christ. Those who see God’s hand in every th ing can best leave everything in God’s hand. He who makes God first will find God w ith him a t th e last. The way to see fa rth e r ahead is to go ahead as far as you see.
Tne Unknown Tomorrov? A NEW YEAR’S SERMON PREACHED YEARS AGO BY ONE OF ENGLAND’S GREAT PREACHERS AND A MOST TIMELY MESSAGE FOR TODAY Bp ALEXANDER MACLAREN
“ It is not for you to know th e times or th e seasons, which the F ath e r h ath pu t in his own power.” Acts 1:7. The New Testam ent gives little en couragement to a sentim ental view of life. Its w riter h ad too much to do, and too much besides to th ink about, for undue occupations w ith pensive remembrances or im aginative forecast ings. They bid us rem ember as a stim ulus to thanksgiving and a ground of hope. They bid us look forward, bu t no t along th e low levels of earth and its changes. One g reat fu tu re is to draw all our longings and to fix our eyes, as th e tender hues of th e dawn kindle infinite yearnings in th e soul of the gazer. W hat may come is all h id den; we can make vague guesses bu t reach nothing more certain. Mist and cloud conceal th e path in fron t of the portion which we are actually trav ers ing, b u t when it climbs, it comes out clear from the fogs th a t hang about th e flats. We can trac k it w inding up to th e th rone of Christ. Nothing is certain, b u t th e coming of the Lord and “ our gath ering togeth er unto H im .” The words of th is tex t in th e ir ori ginal meaning point only to the ignor ance of th e tim e of th e end which Christ had been foretelling. B u t they may allow of a much w ider application, and th e ir lessons are in en tire conson ance w ith th e whole tone of S cripture in reg ard to th e fu tu re. We are stand ing now a t th e beginning of a New Year, and the influence of th e season is
felt in some degree by us all. Not for the sake of repressing any wise fore casting which has for its object our p reparation for-probable duties and exi gences; no t for the purpose of repress ing th a t tru stfu l anticipation which, building on our past tim e and on God’s e te rn ity ,, fronts th e fu tu re w ith ' calm confidence; not for the sake of discour aging th a t pensive and softened mood which, if it does nothing more, a t least delivers us for a moment from the ty rranou s power of tfie present, do we tu rn to these words now; b u t th a t we may tog ether consider how much they contain of cheer and encouragement, of stim ulus to our duty, and of calming fo r our h earts in th e prospect of a New Year. They teach us the lim its of our care for the fu tu re, as they give us the lim its of our knowledge of it. They teach us th e best remedies for all anxiety, th e g reat thoughts' th a t tran- quillise us in our ignorance, viz, th a t all is in God’s m erciful hand, and th at, whatever may come, we have a divine j)ow er which will fit us for it; and they bid us anticipate our work, and do it as th e best counterpoise for all vain curiosity about w hat may be coming on the earth. 1. The narrow lim its of our knowl-. edge of th e future. We are quite spre th a t we all shall die. We are su re th a t a mingled web of joy and sorrow, ligh t shot w ith dark, will be unrolled before us— b u t of any-
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2. To fit ourselves for its duties. One fu tu re we may contemplate. Our fau lt is not th a t we look forw ard but th a t we do not look far enough fo r ward. Why trouble w ith th e world when we have heaven? Why look along th e low level among the m ists of earth and forest swamps, when we can see th e road climbing to the heights? Why be anxious about w hat th ree 'hun dred and sixty-five days may bring, when' we know w h at E te rn ity will bring? Why divert our God-given fac ulty of hope from .its tru e object? Why to rm en t ourselves w ith casting the fashion of un certain evils, when we can en ter th e g reat peace of “ looking for th a t blessed hope?” II. The safe hands which keep the future. “The F a th e r h ath pu t in H is . own power.” We have not to depend upon an impersonal fate; not upon a wild whirl of chance, nor upon “ laws of averages,” “ n atu ra l laws,” “tendencies” and “ sp irit of th e age,” nor even on theistic Providence, bu t upon a F ath e r who “ holds all things in His own power,” and wields all for us. So will not our way be made righ t? W hatever the fu tu re may bring, it will be loving, paternal discipline. He shapes it all and keeps it in His hands. Why should we be anixous? That great- name of “F a th e r” binds Him to tender, wise, disciplinary dealing, and should move us to calm and happy tru st. III. The sufficient stren g th to face th e future. “The power of the Holy Ghost com ing upon you” is promised h ere to the disciples for a specific purpose; bu t it is promised and given to us all through Christ, if we will only take it. And in Him we shall be ready for all the future. The Spirit of God is the tru e in te r p rete r of Providence. He calms our n atu re and enlightens our understand ing to grasp th e meaning of all our experiences. The Spirit makes joy
th ing more we are really ignorant. We know th a t certainly th e g reat m ajority of us will be alive a t th e close of th is New Year; b u t who will be the excep tions? A g reat many of us, especially those of us who are in th e monotonous stretch of m iddle life, will go on sub stan tially as we have been going on for years past, w ith our ordinary duties, joys, sorrows, cares; bu t to some of us, in all probability, th is year holds some g reat change which may darken all our days or b righ ten them . In all our for ward-looking th e re ever rem ains an element of uncertainty. The fu tu re fron ts us like some sta tu e beneath its canvas covering. Rolling m ists hide it all, except here and th ere a peak. I need not rem ind you how merciful and good it is th a t it is so. Therefore coming sorrows do no t diffuse anticipa to ry b ittern ess as of tain ted w ater per colating th rough gravel, and coming joys are not discounted, and the present has a reality of its own, and is not colored by w hat is to come. Then— th is being so— w h at is the wise course of conduct? JN ot a con fident reckoning on tomorrow. There is nothing elevating in anticipation which paints the black surface of the fu tu re w ith th e same earth ly color as dye th e present. There is no more complete waste of tim e th a n th a t. Nor is proud self-confidence any wiser, which ja u n tily takes for granted th a t “ tomorrow will be as th is day. The conceit th a t things are to go on as they have been fools men into a dream of permanence which has no basis. Nor is th e fearfu l apprehension of evil any w iser. How many people spoil the present gladness w ith though ts of fu tu re sorrow, and cannot enjoy the blessedness of united love for thinking of separation. In brief, it is wise to be b u t little concerned w ith the f.uture, except— 1. In th e way of tak ing reasonable precautions to prepare for its prob abilities.
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more blessed, by keeping us from undue absorption in it. The S pirit is the Com forter. He fits us for duty. So be sure th a t nothing will come to you in your earth ly fu tu re, which He does not H imself accompany to in te r p ret it, and to make it pure blessing. IV. The practical duty in view of th e future. 1. The g reat th ing we ought to look to in the fu tu re is our work— not w hat we shall enjoy or what we shall endure, bu t w hat we shall do. This is health fu l and calming. 2. The g reat remedy for morbid anticipation lies in regarding life as th e - opportunity for service. Never m ind about the fu tu re. Work! That clears away cobwebs from our brains, as when a man wakes from troubled dreams, to “ hear the sweep of scythe in morning dew,” and the shout of the peasant as he trudges to his task, and the lowing of the cattle, and the clink of th e hammer. 3. The g reat work we have to do in the fu tu re is to be w itnesses for Christ. This is the meaning of all life; we can do it in joy and in sorrow and we shall bear a charmed life till it be done. So the words of th e text are a prom ise of preservation. Then, dear breth ren , how do you stand fronting th a t Unknown? How can you face it w ithout going mad, unless you know God and tru st Him as your F ath er, th rough Jesus Christ? If you do, j^ou need have no fear. To morrow lies all dim and strang e before you, bu t His gentle and strong Hand is working in th e darkness and He will shape it right. He will fit you to bear it all. If you regard it as your supreme duty and highest honor to he Christ’s w itness, you will be kep t safe, “ deliv ered out of the mouth of the lion” ,th a t by you “ the preaching may be fully known.” If not, how d reary is th a t fu tu re to you, “all dim and cheerless like a rainy
sea from which wild shapes may come up and devour you! Love and friend ship will pass, honor and streng th will fail, life will ebb away, and of all th a t once stretched before you, nothing will be left bu t one little strip of sand, fast jellying w ith th e tide beneath your feet, and before you a wild unlighted ocean!
The bullet-pierced T estam ent shown above is owned by E. H. B arbour of th e Biola Book Room and has been exhibited in the display window of the Book Room. The bu llet pierced to the book of Acts, the point resting on the words “ on th e morrow ,” the soldier’s life being saved by th e Testament. However the peculiar circum stance is th a t “ on the morrow” he was struck again and killed. May it not have been a warning to prepare to meet. God? We know not w hat shall be on the mor row, so “ be ye also ready.”
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stand th a t it may become more difficult th a n ever to obtain money for mission ary enterprises, b u t th a t th e work un d ertaken should be continued— and continued a t its full force— seems to be of capital necessity, and I for one hope th a t th e re may be no slackening or recession of any sort. I wish th a t I had tim e to w rite you as fully as this g reat subject demands, b u t I have put my whole though t into these few sent ences, and I hope you will feel a t lib erty to use th is expression of opinion in any way th a t you th ink best.” RUSKIN ON PEACE “As peace is established-—th e arts decline. They reach an unparalleled pitch of costliness, b u t lose th e ir life, enlist themselves a t la st on the side of luxury and various corruption, and among wholly tranqu il nations w ither u tte rly away. The common notion th a t peace and th e v irtu es of civil life flour ish together, I found wholly untenable. Peace and the vices of civil life flourish together. We ta lk of peace and learn ing, and of peace and plenty, and of peace and civilization; b u t I found th a t those were no t th e words which the Muse of H istory coupled together, th a t on her lips th e words were— peace and sensuality, peace and selfishness, peace and corruption, peace and death. I found, in brief, th a t all g reat na tions learned th e ir tru th of word and streng th of though t in w ar; th a t they were nourished in w ar and wasted by peace; ta u g h t by w ar and deceived by peace; train ed by w ar and betrayed by peace— in a word, th a t they were born in w ar and expired in peace.” (John Ruskin— The Crown of Wild Olive; W ar.)
RESTORING GARDEN OF EDEN F o r many years th e reputed site of th e garden of Eden in th e T igris and E uph rates valleys has been neglected because of th e uncertain ty and th e lack of security under th e m isgovernment of th e T u rk s; n atu ra lly th e inh ab itan ts did no t carp to labor a t th e production of crops only to have th e Turkish tax- g atherers come along and seize all the fru its of th e ir labors a t h arv est time. F o r th e benefit of th e people living th ere and to supply the m ilitary forces the B ritish Mesopotam ian expedition of late has been laboring successfully to restp re th e productivity of th e soil. W ith th e help of local laborers and others imported from India 100 canals th a t have lain for centuries in disuse, the rem ains of an elaborate ancient ir rigation system, have been opened, and pu t into a serviceable condition. It is hoped th a t a vast scheme of irrig ation planned for the region can be carried out ultim ately, The work already done, it is expected, will resu lt in a larg er crop production th is year th a n has been known in th is supposed cradle of th e hum an race since it was under th e ru le of ancient kings men tioned in "Old T estam ent chronicles.— Pathfinder. WILSON BELIEVES IN MISSIONS In response to the following question addressed to P residen t W ilson by a m issionary on furlough in Am erica. “Do you agree w ith me th a t if missions have justified th e ir existence, th is is a tim e when they should no t only be m aintained in spite of the war, but urged on because of th e w a r? ” th e P residen t sent th is reply: . “ I entirely agree w ith you in regard to m issionary work. I th in k it would be a real m isfortune, a m isfortune of lasting consequence, if th e m issionary program for th e world should be in te r rupted. There are many calls for money, of course, and I can quite under-
Be sure th a t if you abandon your self to God you will never be abandoned by 'Him.
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SHALL WE SHORTEN LINES? The London Times on Foreign Mis sionary Policy says, “The p rud en t pol icy for any arm y h ard pressed is to shorten its lines. I t may be assumed th a t th e Church is h ard pressed both i n ' men and in m aterial; .its wisdom th erefo re would appear to lie in a bold shortening of th e lines. . . . But th e Church w ith one voice has rejected th is logic. . . . The unpardonable sin for a modern man is to despair of th e hum an family, or to demand a safety for him self or his people which is not offered to all. The Church can not lim it its vision or its service. Nor can it d o .its work piecemeal; it can not finish its task in Europe and afte r wards begin in Asia. The Church in deed, so far from th ink ing th a t the mis sionary en terp rise can be delayed, is strick en by remorse to know th a t it is late, almost too late, w ith th e offer of a faith to which all th e sp iritu al striv ings of th e E ast have moved.” GROWTH OF CHURCHES Church membership in the United States increased from 35,068,058 to 42,044,374 during th e ten-year period which ended December 31, 1916, ac cording to figures given out by the census bureau. The number of churches increased from 212,230 to 228,007; m inisters- from 164,830 to 191,722; Sunday- school scholars from 15,337,811 to 20,569,831; Sunday-schools from 192,- 722 to 207,789; Sunday-school officers and teachers from 1,746,074 to 2,049,- 293. The to tal num ber of denom inations covered by the statistics was 201, th ir teen more th an repo rted in 1906. Of th e to tal membership, 25,691,774, or 61.1 per cent, comprised members of th e P ro te sta n t denom inations, L at te r Day Saints, sp irtu a list and various other small groups; 15,742,262, or 37.4
p er cent, were, Roman Catholics and 250,340 members of Greek or Russian churches. The Jew ish congregations comprised 359,998 persons. llis . M- DECLINING METHODISM In B ritain th e re has been a steady falling off from th e membership in the Methodist church, also in the Sunday Schools. But th e re is a reason. Mark Guy Pearse says: “People speak of th e de cline of Methodism, bu t th e decline is really one of Christianity. It used to be a condition of membership, not to lay up earth ly treasu re, bu t now the more we lay up the more they th ink of us.” In America we have watched w ith g reat anxiety a still deeper source of. decline. In spite of protests made by Conferences and some of th e most dis tinguished m inisters of the denom ina tion, th e Bishops have introduced a new set of books to be studied by the stu dents for th e m inistry and every one of them contradicts the fundam entals of Evangelical tru th and also th e plain teachings of the founders of Methodism. They m agnify man and minimize God, they deny the necessity of th e new b irth and throw doubt upon th e inspiration of th e Bible. Indeed, these books would be well suited for U n itarian preachers, bu t are poison to th e Methodists. —Watchword and T ruth. OUR IDLE POSSESSIONS I t was once asserted by Dr. A. T. P ierson th a t in so-called Christian homes th ere lies buried in gold and silver plate and useless ornam ents “ enough to build a fleet of fifty thou sand vessels, ballast them w ith Bibles and crowd them w ith m issionaries; build a church in every d estitu te ham let, and supply every living soul with the Gospel w ithin a score of years.”
SERMON PREACHED AT THE MONTROSE BIBLE CONFERENCE, SUNDAY, JULY 28, igi8; TEXT, MARK 9:49 Bj) Re’?. JOHN M ac INNIS of Syracuse, N . Y.
it is from th is context th a t the text gets its significance and meaning. In th is p articu lar crisis in th e life of th e disciples th e first th ing th a t Jesus tried to teach them w ith a new emphasis and meaning is th a t the final te st of life and greatness is service. Mark tells us in th e 30-32 vv. of the chapter th a t as they went fo rth and passed through Galilee Jesus ta u g h t his disciples th a t th e Son of Man was to he delivered up into th e hands of men and th a t they should kill Him and after th ree days He would rise again. But, they understood not the saying and were afraifi to ask him. Immediately before th a t we are told th a t these same disciples had been appealed to by a fath e r in th e behalf of his poor demented boy whose life was being destroyed by unclean spirits, and they were helpless in the presence of the challenge to bring relief. Jesus noticed th a t things were no t rig h t and th a t they were not capable of understanding the things th a t He was try ing to teach them so when He got them alone in the house a t Capernaum He asked them w hat was wrong. He knew th a t there was something wrong and now He desired them to sta te in His presence th e ir trouble, and we are told th a t “ they held th e ir peace for they had disputed one w ith ano ther on th e way who was th e g reatest.” No wonder they were silent in th e presence of Jesus Christ. There are a g reat many things th a t we can say to one ano ther and about one ano th er th a t we would not dare to say in the presence of Jesus Christ. Ju s t grasp th e incongruousness
This is one of God’s g reat salting days. There are certain g reat crises in hum an life and history in which God recovers th e soul of things th rough a new salting of fire. This is for the purpose of saving th e world from to tal corruption. Such for example, was the crisis of the Babylonian captivity. Such in a very supreme way was th e crisis in which the church had its origin. The Inquisition and th e Reform ation were one of God’s salting days. England was saved from corruption through the sa lt ing of the Wesley’s and those associated w ith them , and Scotland was saved th rough th e salting of the Covenantry days th rough which men got back into a new touch w ith God and were bap tized w ith fire by a new experience. Our own country has had some of these times of regeneration in which it found its life and was driven out along th e lines of th e Divine purpose and program . T h at is w hat God is doing in the world today. In th e fire of th is awful world crisis God is bu rn ing away th e dross, th e things th a t do no t m a tte r and hinder, and discover ing the g reat realities and bringing men ; to a hew realization of service and re sponsibility. The church is involved in th is baptism of fire and God is trying to teach it certain tru th s, th a t it had forgotten, in order th a t it may he able to fulfill th e mission w ith which it has been en tru sted . These things are the things th a t Jesus tried to teach the disciples before he en tru sted them with th is sacred mission, and they are sug gested in th e context of th e words th a t we have chosen for our text. Indeed
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