King's Business - 1920-02

T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

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restraint, both on the large and small scale in life. In great institutions and in the home alike we see the same thing. From the nearest point of view it may be accounted for by reaction after the War, by the withdrawal from youth of parental discipline, and by irritation at the hard conditions of life in the process of readjustment. While every allowance needs to be made for these nearer causes, the deeper cause is quite other— it is the result of the loss of “ vision,” of insight into the will of God for human life, and into that life itself. Men see only the surface of things and fight for the nearer good; they miss the depths where the roots lie. “ Vision” in Scripture stands both for the revealed will of God and for capacity to appreciate it. The proverb then means that where a nation Jacks both knowledge of the will of God and inspired leaders, the people perish or cast off restraint— they tend to anarchy. Is not that exactly what we see in the world of to-day? And is not the crying need of the nation, leaders who have “ vision” and who can interpret the will of God to the people? We cannot create them, but we can pray God to raise us up prophets who shall lead us; and we can create an atmosphere favour­ able to them when they appear.— Lon­ don Christian. 11 . ■ ■ . I ■ 0 . 14 . , .. HI PRAYING AND PREYING In an address at the recent Bible Con­ ference in Buffalo, Dr. W. H. Griffith Thomas spoke of some Christians who pray on their knees on Sunday and prey on their neighbors on Monday. They do praying and preying. He also re­ minded us of the grocer who said to his clerk: “ Have you watered the milk, put dust in the pepper, and sand in the sugar, John?” “ Yes sir,” replied the clerk. “ Then come to family prayers.”

Note: These are not mere phases of manifestation— God now taking the role of Father, now of Son and again of Holy Ghost. The Three exist simul­ taneously— for: a. The Word (the Son) was “ with” the Father (John 1 :1 ); “ sent” , by and “ from” the Father (John 8 :42 ); spoke to the Father (John 12:28); and went to the Father (John 16:16). b. The Father and the Son sent the Spirit (John 15:26). c. The Son and the Spirit intercede with the Father (Rom. 8:27, 34). d. The Son uses the plurals “ we," “ our,” “ both,”— of the Father and the Son (John 14:23; 15:24); and yet, e. The Father and the Son “ are one” (John 10:30, 33); yet again, f. The Father is “ greater” than the Son (John 14:28); which g. The contexts show to be in func­ tion, or manifestation, not in nature or essence. The Son is subordinate to the Father, and the Spirit to both (see the order in Matt. 28:19; 2 Gor. 13:14). These facts of Scripture force us to the belief that God is triune. Man is a spirit conscious of being but one per­ son. God is a Spirit conscious of being three Persons. Note: We are not speaking of mate­ rial plurality, but of personal (spirit­ ual) threefoldness. T. C. H. NO VISION “Where there is no vision the people perish,” says the sacred writer (Prov. 29:18). In the revised version a signi­ ficant alteration is made in the familiar words, which now run “ the people cast off restraint” ; a rendering which brings the verse close to our own time. Here is revealed a principle which flings a- flood of light upon the happenings in the world at the present moment. Everywhere there is the throwing off of

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