VOL. VII
AUGUST, 1916
No. 8
;0l^==='ili=
nB i i r " 5 i i t = 3 i i^ TheKing'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
ÌKiuuY. ÌMmxtm 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 Matter November 17, 19X0, at the postoffice at Los Angeles, Cal., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Copyright by R. A. Torrey. D. D., and Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 1916.
DIRECTORS
Lyman Stewart, president. William Thorn, secretary. T. C. Horton, superintendent.
R- A . Torrey, vice-president Leon V . Shaw, treasurer.
William Evans.-
E. A . K. Hackett.
Giles Kellogg.
H; A . Getz.
J. M. Irvine.
Nathan Newby
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as «pressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: s
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 ) Yokefellows' Hall. Thoroughly manned. Our Mission for men with Street Meetings, and Bootblack* and Newsboys Sunday School. ( 12) Print Shop. For printing.Testa ments, books, tracts, etc. A complete establishment, profits going to free dis tribution of religious literature.
The ;Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ. I 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. Puvnnco • The Institute trains, free P u r p o s e . of CQSt accredited men and women-, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. K . (1 ) The Institute Departments: classes 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.
SCOPE OF THE WORK
a a THE KING’S BUSINESS Vol. VII. AUGUST, 1916 No. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial: Observe Date on Wrapper— Our Daily Devo tional Studies— The Devil’s Monopoly— Stabbing Jesus to the Heart— Neglect and Abuse of the Lord’s Day— Moody the Great Servant of God— The True Calling of the Church— Footing the Bill— Race Sui- ' cide— The Divorce». Peril.................................................... 675 Wherein the Bible Differs from All Other Books. By Dr. R. A. Torrey........................... ............ ............ :........... ...... 681 Largest Class Graduates............................................................ 686 Evangelizing in China in Revolutionary Times........................ 688 Light on Puzzling Passages and Problems............................... 691 The Preparedness of a Christian Nation. By Rev. Henry S. Coffin, D. D...................................................................... 693 At Home and Abroad............................................................... 699 Great Revivals and Evangelists— V. William C. Burns (Continued). By Johi^ H. Hunter................................... 703 Ours in the Field............................................................................ 708 Through the Bible with Dr. Evans........................................... 71 1 Bible Institute Activities. By the Superintendents....... ........ 71 7 Homiletical Helps. By William Evans, D. D......... ............... 723 International Sunday School Lessons. By R. A. Torrey and T. C. Horton........................................................................ , 727 Daily Devotional Studies in the New Testament for Indi vidual Meditation and Family Worship. By R. A. Torrey ................................................................................... 746 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE In the United States and its Possessions, Mexico, Canada and points in the Central American Postal Union, $1 per year. In all other foreign countries, $1.24 (5s. 2d .). Single copies, 10 cents. Receipts sent on request. See date on address tag.
PUBLISHED BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-55$ SOUTH HOPE STREET
„
LOS ANGELES, CAL.
83
£S
Here are 11 Books (at a special price of One Dollar)
Every Christian Should Own irrespective of whatever else may be contained in his library; The lowest ■price that any one of the books can be purchased for in cloth is 50c. Be lieving that a very wide distribution of such choice Christian literature is not only desirable but important, we have had these books bound in paper,' and are now able to offer the complete set of eleven books for ONE DOLLAR. How to Bring Men to Christ
The Gospel and Its Ministry By Sir Robert Anderson. A handbook of evangelical truth. The author shows that, although true Christians are not now called up on to wear the martyr’s crown, now is the time —when veiled scepticism is passing for Chris tianity—that they are given an opportunity for sharing the martyr’s faith. Satan By Lewis S. Chafer. >This is an outline of the Scripture teaching on the arch enemy of men’s souls. It is based on the authority of the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testa ments being absolutely unquestioned. Evidence is drawn from the Word of God alone, since no final light can be found on this subject other than it has pleased God to reveal in the Bible. There is no discussion as to the actual exist ence of Satan, this being both assumed and taught from Genesis to Revelation. The Higher Criticism and The New Theology Edited by Dr. R. A. Torrey. These excellent papers are written by Dr. William G. Moore- head, Canon Dyson Hague, Franklin Johnson, Sir Robert Anderson, George Frederick Wright, M. G. Kyle, Dr. James M. Gray, James Orr, Dr. R. A. Torrey, and Prof. B. F. Warfield. There are tributes to Christ and the Bible by eminent men not known as active Christians— quotations from Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Webster, and many others. The Growing Church By Cleland Boyd McAfee. A study for the times. Chapter I. A Typical Growing Church. Chapter II. The Divine Element in Church Growth. Chapter III. The Preaching of the Growing Church.' Chapter IV. The Separation of the Church. Chapter V. The Discomfiture of the Hypocrites. Chapter VI. The Changed Lives of the Converts. Chapter VTI. Some Hints of Method. Chapter VIII. The Perils and Safeguards. The Hidden Life By Adolph Saphir.' Eight of the eleven chap ters of this book are addresses on Jamesi 4:8, .“ Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” The book describes the experienced reality of revelation and of prayer, of 11 choice books, paper bound, for only $1.00. s, parcel post. Address all orders to
By R; A. Torrey. This is one of the*most practical books that has ever been written. The author first shows the general conditions of success i*1 bringing men to Christ. He thqn makes practical suggestions concerning differ ent methods for beginning the work, and fol lows this by live methods for dealing with a variety of classes of people. A Doubter’s Doubts About Science and Religion By Sir Robert Anderson. We quote from the author’s preface: “As the book is addressed to' men of the world, it speaks from the stand point of, scepticism—the true scepticism which tests everything, f not the sham sort which credulously accepts anything that seems to dis^ credit the Bible.” The Divine Unity of Scripture By Adolph Saphir. Dr. Saphir was emi nently fitted,' both by mind and training, for the task of presenting the subject indicated by the title of this book. He understood better than most theologians the sources from which many of the weapons are derived that are now used in the criticism of the Bible. The Wonders of Prophecy By John Urquhart. This contains a proph etic forecast of the world’s entire history, in cluding specifically fulfilled prophecies regard ing Egypt, Idumea, the seacoast of Palestine, Judea and Babylon. It shows, also, prophecies fulfilled in the coming, the history and the work of^ Christ, as well as predictions fulfilled in the history of the Jews. Christ and the Scriptures By Adolph Saphir. Scripture is here viewed in relation to the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Redeemer of Gpd’s people. Christ is also considered in relation to people in general, and his methods of teaching and arguing are set forth. The Lord from Heaven By Sir Robert Anderson. Chapters on the Deity of Christ. The author shows the mean ing of “ soh” in Scripture, and distinguishes be tween the Son of Man and the Son of God. He discourses on the testimony of the Gospels, of James and the Hebrews, of the Apostle Paul and the Revelation. For a short time, we are offering this s< If ordered by mail, include postage for four pout
THE BIOLA BOOK ROOM Bible Institute of Los Angeles
536-558 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, California
THE KING’S BUSINESS Vol 7 AUGUST, 1916. No. 8 II
E D I T O R I A L Subscribers to this magazine are requested to .watch the date on the wrapper, and thus- keep familiar with the month with which their subscription expires. If the date reads “ Sept. 16,” it indicates that the subscrip
Observe Date on Wrapper.
tion expires with the September number, 1916. “Jan. 17” means expiration with the January number, 1917—and so on. Readers thus have a receipt with each number, saving us the expense of sending receipts by mail.
#
I
We wish to call the attention of our readers to the Daily Devotional Studies. We are receiving letters from many parts of the world from those who say that they get greater help in their Bible study from these
® ur Daily
j
Devotional Studies.
notes than from anything else that they can secure. We wonder if all our readers have studied these notes carefully enough tq know what there is in them. So many religious periodicals are taken in our day that we doubt not that many of our readers have only found time to look at the shorter articles m this magazine, and therefore suggest that for one month at least they study the Daily Notes and judge for themselves whether it will be profitable to read them daily. Many are using them in family worship.
For a generation we have been boasting of our great inventions. We have looked with supercilious con- tempt upon past generations that have not discovered | ° r invented the telephone, the telegraph, the automo
The Devil’s Monopoly.
bile, the aeroplane, wireless telegraphy, etc., These certainly were great dis coveries and inventions, and capable of immeasurable usefulness, but today across the water they are almost entirely monopolized in the service of the destruction of men, women and children. They were taken two or three years ago as sure signs that the world was getting better and that the millennium was just at hand, but now even the Ambassador of our nation cannot have an auto mobile for his own use in Berlin because all the gasoline is monopolized for war automobiles and the destruction of human life attendant upon war. Tele graphic communication by cable and by wireless is largely monopolized in the interests o f the military in the various lands at war. The most notable use of the telephone is in communication between trenches dug for the destruction of the men on the other side. The aeroplane and the dirigible are used almost exclusively for war purposes and are reaping an awful toll of women, children Jmd noncombatants murdered. These are indeed “ grievous times.” If we are in the millennium it is the Devil’s millennium, not Christ’s.
THE KING’S BUSINESS The Word of God ■ speaks in strongest terms of the hopelessness of the case of those who “ crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh.” But there are not a few in our day who claim to be Christian teachers
676
Stabbing Jesus to the Heart.
who are stabbing our Lord Jesus to the heart. They question or deny the Vir gin Birth of our Lord, but any thoughtful person must know that there is only one alternative to believing in His virgin birth, and that is to believe His mother to have been a dishonored woman. Any one who denies the Bible account of our Lord’s birth as found in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke, practically affirms that His mother was a disgraced woman, and that Jesus Himself was the outcome of her shame. How would any of us feel if one thus insulted our mother? The question of the Virgin Birth of our Lord is not a mere specula tive question, it involves the honor of our Lord’s mother and the honor of oiir Lord Himself. How must our Lord feel to see His mother thus discredited and Himself thus loaded with shame ? It is difficult to be patient with those who claim to be Christians and thus stab the Lord Jesus to the heart. The idea of ordaining any one to the Christian ministry who entertains doubts about the truthfulness of thè Bible stories of our Lord’s virgin birth is preposterous. It is no sufficient defense to say that their faces are toward faith in that doc trine, but they have not yet become convinced. It will be quite time enough to ordain them when they are fully convinced. Where is the serise in ordaining men to the ministry who are not yet clear as to what they believe ? What right has a man to be a teacher if he himself is not yet clearly taught on fundamental questions? ' __________ __ ( )tie of God’s greatest gifts to man is a weekly day of Neglect and Abuse rest, “ the Sabbath was made for man.” It was made of the Lord’s Day. for man because our loving Father saw that man needed it. While the precise Mosaic form of the Sab bath as a rest in memory of the completion of the old creation, and of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondagè, was for one nation only (Deut. 5 :2, 3, 15), and therefore the Holy Spirit forbids us to let any one judge us in respect of the Sabbath, as in respect of other Mosaic institutions (Col. 2:16) none the less the substance of the Sabbath, one day for rest and worship in seven, was “ for man’1 and not for any particular race of men. Any one who does not use “ the Lord’s day,” the Christian day, as the highest demands of his own nature, not merely his physical nature, but his spiritual nature requires, will bring great injury to himself. There is an increasing tendency throughout our land to use the Lord’s day as a day of pleasure instead of a day for the cultivation of the spiritual life by attendance upon the worship of God’s house and by individual and family study o f the Word of God. This means not only spiritual ruin to the individual, it means disaster to the community and to the State. It is appall ing to .see the way in which fathers and mothers are bringing up their children in practical heathenism in supposedly Christian lands. Happy is the child whose father and mother themselves observe the Lord’s day as it ought to be observed, and train them to do the same. Unhappy indeed is the child whose father or mother regard the Lord’s day lightly and use it for visiting, automobiling, ten nis playing, golfing, or other forms of self indulgence. Many fathers and mothers by their thoughtless use of the Lord’s day are training their children into a disregard of God and God’s claims,, that will surely result with many of them in the grossest immoralities in the days to come.
THE' KING’S BUSINESS 677 In our July issue a sermon of Mr. Moody’s was given, to which the Editor in Chief wrote an introductory note. Some on,e in the publishing department sought to improve on the heading by adding a line, “ An Oft-'
Moody the Great Servant of God.
repeated Sermon by the once Famous Evangelist.” There seems to be an implication in this that Mr. Moody is no longer famous. We do not know that any one else would be as much hprt by this as the Editor is, but take it for granted that it will not sound well to the countless hosts of Mr. Moody’s friends. Mr. Moody was not only once famous, he is still famous. There has been no evangelist in half a century who is known so well throughout the world today as Mr. Moody. His printed sermons are still read, indeed havé a great circulation, and many of the present day evangelists owe much of their material to Mr. Moody’s printed sermons. There are thousands upon thousands of the best workers in the evangelical churches of America, England, Scotland,-Ire land, and even lands that he never visited, such as Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, who were converted in Mr. Moody’s meetings. Further than this, thousands have gone out to efficient service from the schools which he founded in Northfield, Mount Hermon and Chicago. Mr. Moody is known and honored today among thousands of people who never heard the name of any of the evangelists now supposed to be famous. . He left such an impress upon the religious life, not only of English speaking countries, but of all lands, as was left by no other man of his generation. It was the privilege of the Editor of this magazine to have worked six weeks in his after meetings in New Haven during his senior year in the Yale Theological Seminary, and he has often thought that that six weeks meant more for his future work in the ministry than his whole three years course in the Theological-Seminary, and he counts it as one of the greatest privileges of his life to have known Mr. Moody inti mately and to have been associated with him' in his work. There is, perhaps, not a week that some one does not speak to the writer of this editorial, or write to him, about his interest in our work because of what Mr. Moody meant to him. All over the globe multitudes have flocked around me and wanted to shake hands with me not because of anything I have done but because I was intimately associated with D. L. Moody. we need more social service in the church, wiser men are seeing the peril in the present drift of the church. For example, a writer in th e Reformed Church Review, for April, protests against the rapid seculariza tion of the church under disguise of trying to Christianize the social and civil life, and protests against diverting the church from the exercise of its normal function, which is to regenerate the heart of man from within. He says : “ The sacred edifice heretofore dedicated to the worship of Almighty God has now, with its parish-house, its club, and other auxiliaries, beçome the cen ter of secular functions. We now go to church to hear sermons on the mini- mum wage, adequate housing of the poor, the regulation of moving pictures and the dance-halls, how to vote, and the latest vice-investigation report From this center agents and detectives of Law and Order societies make report of mighty investigations; and it is said even ministers of the Gospel keep silent We note with joy that protests are arising in many quarters against the secularizing of the church. While the' cry on the part o f some superficial thinkers is that « u "r-6 CalIing of the Church. . .
678 THE KING’S. BUSINESS watch during the hours of the night and assist in rounding up inmates from disreputable houses. They appear as prosecutors and witnesses before grand and petit juries in the Quarter Sessions Court. Billiard and pool tables are being installed, dancing classes are organized, and all sorts of amusements offered to entice the youth within its sacred precincts. A child returning home from Sunday School recently'was asked by its mother the subject of the es- son. It was how to keep the streets clean. Another Sunday, kindness to dumb animals furnished the subject of the lesson, and this was in a graded Sunday School up to date. (The reference here is doubtless to a lesson put out in the Presbyterian papers, possibly in other papers too, in which the central les son that was drawn from the parable of the Good Shepherd was kindness to animals.’ Whoever prepared the lesson showed a remarkable blindness tq the true meaning of the passage and to the true purpose of child training in bun- day Schools.) A good woman who had suffered greatly with a recent sorrow brought herself to church longing for some comforting word. She heard a sermon on ‘the Charity Organization Society and the Visiting Nurse. He “ As we view it, the Church by thus allying itself with secular movements is endeavoring to cure the evils of the social life by a species of legalism, striving to purify the sinful nature of man. by attacking the outside, forgetting that crimes and violations of law are the external marks only of an inward demorali zation and rottenness of the heart. The root of the evil in the world isi in the human heart, and to redeem the world the inner spiritual nature must be first purified. The crime committed is the fruit of sin in the heart. You'may pun ish the criminal for violating the law, but that does not cure the sinful heart. The Christian minister has to do with sin, not with crime. When, therefore, he allies himself with the officers of the law in arresting criminals, he is depart ing from his proper function and weakening his power and ability tp cure the sin in the heart.” . In his protest the writer goes on to say, and say not only with much torce, but alas, with much truth: . , “ Ministers 6f the Gospel are willing to preach on every subject under the sun except the Gospel, and when they begrudgingly hand it down they almost tell us it is not divine, but a man-made thing. They have relegated to the rubbish-heap most of the sacred beliefs, such as the miracles, original sin, t e vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ, the efficacy of baptism and the Holy Communion, and many of them even deny the validity of their own divine office as ministers of God. They prefer to hold their office from the people, not of God. All comes from man, nothing from God. Perhaps this is the reason so many ministers look down on empty pews and complain bitterly that their members do not come to hear the sermons prepared with so much labor.
One is appalled as he reads of how much the present war has already cost, and contemplates how much more it must cost before the war ends. Who is going to pay for it? The people, of course, and principally
Footing the Bill.
the people at war, but all nations, even those that have tried to be neutral will have to pay part of the bill. How long will it take to pay ? Centuries. How ever the war issues, what is there to be gained by it ? _Absolutely nothing. Man is prone to madness, but it is questionable if there is any other form of mad-
THE KING’S BUSINESS 679 ness to which the human race has fallen a prey so utterly incomprehensible and ruinous as the madness o f war. But some one will say that national dishonor is worse than war. That depends a good deal upon what one means by national dishpnor. What many mean by it is the failure to foolishly resent and avenge by bringing calamities on some other nation, some real or imagined insult. Many of our present-day- so-called statesmen would be willing to deluge this land in blood in order to gain a little applause from the galleries, or to strengthen their prospects of gaining an office, or make fat thé pocketbooks of the muni tion makers. Why can we not act as reasonable beings and not as boys ? Why can we not act as Christians ? ' - are face to face with race suicide in a more appalling form in the present war. Unless the war comes to a close very soon there will be little left of the best young manhood of England, Scotland, France, Germany, Poland, Servia, and other lands. A good many of those who are not killed, will be maimed and practically useless for life. There will be a famine of fit fathers. An appalling number of the men that are left« will be Insane. There will be an appalling decrease in the number of births of babies of the right sort for a quarter of a century to come. But how is the war to be stopped ? Who can stop it ? A las! if it is stopped soon there will be other wars not many years hence. There is no possibility of a satisfactory and final solution of present social and inter national difficulties but the return of the Lord Jesus Himself to take the reins of government. But the one who knows his Bible, knows that He is coming, ffl| increasing darkness of our days simply fills one with increasing hope that the glad day of the return of our Lord and of our redemption is fast drawing nigh. _ - , , We have heard a great deal in recent years concerning race suicide because of the decrease in size of families. None too^much was said on this subject and we have seen nothing that was said that was too.strong, but we Suicide. . Orange county, Cal., has an article in a recent number of 1he Christian Statesman, in which he points out how bad the conditions are in his own and neighboring counties. After giving the exact facts for Los Angeles county, San Diego county, San Bernardino county, Riverside county and his own county, he sums it all up by saying: It will be seen that, in Los Angeles county, for every 2.71 marriages one ends in divorce; in San Diego county, for every 3.63 marriages one ends in divorce, San Bernardino county, one divorce for every 4.15 marriages; River side county, one divorce for every 5.12 marriages, and in Orange county, one divorce for every 14.67 marriages.” At first glance it will seem to many as if Orange county must be much better than other counties, but it is a well known fact in Southern California, that a great many people from other counties go to Orange county to be mar- ned, it being a regular Gretna Green, but then after getting married they go . . One of many signs of the awful increase of god- lessness and immorality in the present day is the appall- ing increase in divorces. Judge W. H. Thomas of The Divorce PenI*
680 THE KING’S BUSINESS back to their own county and get divorced. These figures are horrifying. No wonder that he makes this comment: “When men and wQmen— so many of them—give little thought or con sideration to the most important relation of their lives; when even ministers of the Gospel will perform the marriage ceremony for so many of them who have been divorced on other than the Scriptural ground, without even asking a ques- tion; when persons have the audacity to go to the court for the dissolution of the relation ‘by the surgery of divorce’ on such flimsy, even absolutely frivolous, pretexts; and when judges have no more respect for their great office and give no more thought to matters then at hand than to allow themselves and their office to be prostituted to the extent that thousands of divorces are granted by them annually with no more concern than if they were ordering the filing or record ing of a chattel mortgage; when all this is manifest, is it strange that the Ameri can home appears to be going to Hades so fast that the scenery cannot be dis cerned on the way? Surely the condition is bad enough, though not hopeless.” It is a sad and startling fact that in many communities men and women can be divorced and sufifer no social stigma. The woman who has put away her husband and taken on another is treated the same as if she were a decent woman, and the man who has put away one wife and married another, if he has wealth and ability, is welcomed into what is called the best society. The home is being undermined, the sanctity of the marriage relation is being defiled, and our civilization is being attacked at its v O THE BEST WIND W HICHEVER way the wind doth blow, Some heart is glad to have it so; 1 Then blow it east or blow it west, The wind that blows; that wind is best. My little craft Sails not alone; A thousand fleets from every zqne Are out upon a thousand seas; And what for me were favoring breeze Might dash another, with the shock O f doom, upon some hidden rock. And so I do not dare to pray For winds to waft me on my way, But leave it to a Higher Will To stay or speed me; trusting still That all is well, and sure that He Who launched my bark will sail with me Through storm and calm, and will not fail, Whatever breezes may prevail, To land me, every peril past, Within His sheltering heaven at last. Then, whatsoever wind doth blow, My heart is glad to have it s o ; And blow it east or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best. — C aroline A therton M ason . Wherein the Bible Differs from all Other Books s Sermon by Dr. R. A. Torrey, Dean, to the Graduating Class of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, June 25, 1916 (All rights reserved) o f its style, but because o f the profundity o f its teaching. No other book is more simple in its style than the Bible. Its style is so simple and clear that a child can understand it, but its truth is so profound that we explore the Book from childhood to old age and can never say we have reached the bottom. However deep we go there are always deeper depths beneath. For eighteen centuries many o f the great est minds the world has ever known have been attempting to sound its depths, but the bottom is not yet reached. Men o f the greatest possible intellectual reach and power have devoted a lifetime to the study o f this book, but what man has ever dared to say or dream o f saying, “I know now all that the Bible qontains.” If any man should say that he would be unanimously voted a sublime egotist or ah egregious simpleton. Whole generations o f scholars have devoted their lives to the study o f this book, each generation having the advan tage o f the labors and researches and dis coveries o f preceding generations, but can even the latest generation say, “W e have discovered it all now, there is nothing left in the Bible for the next generation to dis cover?” The whole human race has been unable not only to exhaust, but to fathom this Book. Well may we exclaim with the Psalmist, “ Thy judgments are a great deep” (Ps. 36:6). The judgments o f God, God’s thoughts as revealed in this Book, are beyond any man and beyond any gen eration o f men. They are beyond the whole race. This Book, like God’s other book, the book o f nature, and unlike any book o f man, is unfathomable and inexhaustible HE prophet that hath a , dream, let him tell a dream ; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faith fully. What is-the straw to the wheat? saith the LORD.”—Jer. 23:28. The Bible stands absolutely alone. It is an- entirely unique book. All other mes sages compared with the message o f the Bible are as chaff compared with wheat. The attempt to compare the Bible with other books as if it were one o f a class, possibly the best o f the class, arises either from ignorance or thoughtlessness, or the fixed determination to do the Bible an in justice. We. shall see this morning that there is none like it. The Bible is not a book, it is the Book. It is an often repeated incident that Sir Walter Scott, when he was dying asked his son-in-law Lockhart to read to him, and that Lock hart asked, “What book shall I read?” to which Sir Walter Scott replied, “There is but one book.” Beyond a question Sir Walter Scott was right. There is really but one Book. But someone may chal lenge the statement that the Bible stands absolutely alone as an entirely unique book. Anyone has a- perfect right to challenge the statement arid demand wherein the Bible differs from all other books, and this morning I propose to take up the chal lenge and answer the question. I. -In Its Depth. First o f all the Bible differs from all other books in its depth. The Bible is unfathomable and inexhaustible. It is unfathomable not because o f the obscurity 682 THE KING’S BUSINESS by men. This fact, if it stood alone would be sufficient proof o f its Divine origin. 1. There are whole volumes o f meaning in a single and apparently simple verse. A single verse o f Scripture has often formed the basis upon which a literature o f many volumes, both o f prose and poetry, has been erected. This is true for example, o f John 3 :16, “ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” It is true o f I John '4:8, "God is love.” It is true jjof Ps. 23:1, “ The Lord is my shepherd; f shall not want.” What single utterance o f any other book could be the founda tion o f so much thought and expression as these utterances o f the Bible. Who but God could pack so many volumes into one little verse, or part o f a verse? 2. The Bible is always ahead of man. The world is certainly making progress in its thinking. It is constantly leaving behind the scientists, philosophers, and sages o f the past. When the librarians o f Edinburg University some years ago were rearranging the books in the Library, they asked a distinguished professor what books they should remove in his department and he replied, “ Remove every volume over ten years old.” But the world never leaves the Bible behind. It has never caught up with it, Show me a man who says he has outgrown the Bible and I will show you every time a man who is ignorant o f the Bible and is talking o f something that he knows nothing about. Whence comes this Book which is always ahead o f the age? What other book ought to command the attention, the time, and the study that this book does, which is deeper than all other books, ahead o f all other books, and ahead o f every age ? You study today the latest thing in science and it will be out o f date in less than ten years, but the Bible is never out o f date. It is always not only up to date, but always ahead o f date. I f you wish to be not only abreast o f the times, but ahead o f the times, study the Bible. Jesus was ahead o f His times because He studied so much o f the Bible as then existed. Paul was ahead o f his times for the same rea son. Huss, and Wycliff, and Luther, and John Knox, and Wesley, and Finney, and Moody, were ahead o f their times simply because they sought their wisdom from this book. II. In the Absolute Accuracy of Its Statements. The Bible differs from other books in the second place in the absolute accuracy o f its statements. The Bible is the only book that always says all it means to say and never says anything more than if means to say. The more rigidly one exam ines the Bible and the more closely and exactly he studies it the more will he be filled with admiration for the accuracy with which it expresses the truth. It never over-states, it never under-states the truth. There is pot one word too many and not one word too few. It is the model wit ness: it “tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” A very large part o f man’s difficulty with the Bible comes from not knowing exactly what it says. Time and time again men have come to me and said, “I cannot believe this which the Bible says,” and then quoted something which they supposed the Bible said. But I have replied, “thp Bible does not say that,” and when we have looked it up, lo, it is some minute modification of what the Bible really says that has given rise to the diffi culty. The Bible is always so absolutely exact, I have found the best solution for very many apparent difficulties in the Bible to be to take the difficult verses precisely as they read. III. In Its Power. In the third place the Bible differs from all other books in its power. There is per haps no other place where the supremacy and solitariness o f the Bible shines out as in its power. Col. Ingersol once said in Chicago that the money expended in teach ing the supernatural' religion o f the Bible was wasted, and advised the ministers to take for a series o f sermons the history 683 THE KING’ S BUSINESS account for it as you may the fact stands and does not admit o f a moment’s honest denial or question. (2) But the saving power o f the Bible is not limited to the lives o f individuals. It has saving power in national life. Try to obscure the fact as you may, all that is best in America, Germany, and England, is due to this Book, and in our own day nations have been lifted out o f savagery into Christian civilization by this Book. If this Book had been heeded the awful cata clysm o f war that is devastating Germany, France and England today would have been avoided. The undermining o f faith in this Book is the real cause o f the present mur derous war with all its immeasurable calam ities and horrors. 2. But the Bible has not only a saving power,- that no other book possesses, it has also a comforting power that no other book possesses. What book as this can stay thé human heart in sickness and 1 adversity, and comfort it in the bereave ment that takes from us the light o f our eyes and the joy o f our homes. There is no heart wound for which the Bible has not a balsam. I hold in my hand a New Testament that is very precious to me because it was the gift o f my mother to my grandmother, my father’s mother, which was the stay o f her life in her clos ing years. I think it was given to my mother at the time o f my grandfather’s death. On the title page o f this Bible is written in my mother’s hand, “ Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” This is true, but thank God something better is true, and that is, earth has no sorrows that the Bible cannot heal even in the life that now is. 3. Furthermore, the Bible has a joy-giv ing power no other book possesses. There is no joy so great, so exceeding, so over flowing, and so enduring as those know who study and discover the truth o f this Book. This is a fact that any o f you can discover by observation, and better yet, that all o f you can know if you will by blessed experience. There are many who have of the philosophy o f the art, and the genius o f the Greeks. Let him tell, he continued, “o f the wondrous metaphysics, myths, and religions o f India and Egypt. Let him make his congregation conversant with the philosophies of the world, with the great thinkers, the great poets, the great artists, the great inventprs, the captains of industry, and the soldiers o f progress.” This suggested scheme o f Col. Ingersol’s was no new scheme, it has been tried over and over again, and I challenge any man who has eyes and is honest to say that the pulpits that have tried it have the power to elevate, save and gladden, that the pul pits have that preach the supernatural relig ion o f the old Bible. The man who thus talks is either talking about something o f which he has made no careful and candid study, or else he is deliberately shutting his eyes to very evident facts. In either case he is playing the hypocrite in posing as a teacher. In what directions does the Bible show a power that no other book or books pos sess? É First o f all, in its saving power. Does it need any proof that thé Bible has a sav ing power that no other book has, and that all other books together do not possess? ' (fl) The Bible has a unique saving power in individual lives . . What book or books can match the Bible’s record o f men and women saved from sin and vice in all their forms, saved from drunkenness, drugs, lust, greed, ruffianism, barbarism, mean ness, selfishness, by the power o f this Book? Worthless sots transformed into honest citizens and fathers; degraded pros titutes transformed into holy women of God ; savages who drank blood from human skulls transformed into noble lovers o f friends and fobs; murderers transformed into ministering angels. Single verses o f this book have more saving power than all other books put together. John 3:16 has saved more men from sin to holiness, from degradation to honor, from bondage to the Devil to sonship o f God, than all books outside o f the Bible. Try and 684 THE KING’S BUSINESS sought joy wherever it was to be found, in pleasure, in study, and in sin, and have at last found a joy in the Bible they found nowhere else. There is a countless multi tude who have been lifted out o f awful depths o f despair into lofty heights o f unut terable joy by the truths this Book con tains, and the speaker o f this morning is one o f them. 4. The Bible has a wisdom-giving power that no other book possesses. “ The entrance o f thy words\giveth light” (Ps. 119:130). I have known people o f very meagre edu cational advantages but who have studied the Bible, who have more wisdom in the things o f greatest practical and eternal import, in the things that really count for time and eternity, than many very learned men who have neglected this Book of matchless wisdom. 5. The Bible has a courage-giving power no other book possesses. No other book has made so many and such peerless heroes, it has made them too out o f most unpromising stuff. It has transformed beardless boys and tender maidens into heroes. 6 . The Bible has a power to inspire activ ity that no other book possesses. It makes lazy men industrious; half alive men fully alive. There are said to be but two things o f which a professional tramp is afraid, water and work, but I have seen the very tramp from whom I got this information, transformed into a man o f untiring indus try by the matchless teaching o f this Book. IV. In Its Universal Adaptability. The Bible differs from all other books in its universal adaptation. Other books fit certain classes, or certain types, or cer tain races o f men, but the Bible fits men universally: 1. It fits all nations. No nation has ever been discovered that the Bible does not fit. Charles Darwin, the greatest naturalist o f his day, thought he had discovered in the Terra del Fuegans a people the Bible would not fit, and frankly stated that mis sionary work among them would be in vain.' His exact words written after his visit to Patagonia were, “ Nothing can be done by mission work ; all the pains bestowed upon the natives will be thrown away, they never can be civilized.” But more humble believers in the universal adaptation o f the Bible and the gospel it contains, thought differently, and proved their faith and So thoroughly convinced Charles Darwin by facts, o f his mistake, that he became a regular subscriber to the funds o f the society they represented. 2. The Bible not only fits all nations, but it fits all ages. It is the child’s book, the young man’s book, the book o f the middle aged, and the book o f the, old. 3. Thè Bible fits all classes. It fits the poor and it fits the rich. It fits the palace and it fits the garret. It fits the learned and it fits the ignorant. It fits the noble man and it fits the peasant. It fits Glad stone, and James D. Dana, and Romanes, and Neander, and it fits the man so illit erate that he can scarce spell out its words. 4. The Bible fits all experiences. It is the book for the hour o f gladness, and the book for the hour o f sadness; the book for the day o f victory, and, the book for the day o f defeat; the book for the day in which we have achieved the greatest moral triumph, and for the day when we have fallen deepest into sin; the book for the day o f clearest faith, and the book for the day o f darkest doubt; the book for the wedding day and the book for the day of funerals. There is not an experience in life wherein the Bible does not have the message which -we most need. To that fact there are tens o f thousands, o f peo ple o f all classes in many nations ready to testify. The testimony is from such a host of witnesses and such competent wit nesses that the only one who can doubt it is the man who is bound he won’t believe. V . In Its History. The Bible differs from every other hoik in its hisiory. 1. The Bible has been hated as no other book. No book has ever aroused the ani mosity o f men o f all classes as the Bible has. The Bible has been hated by rich men and it has been hated by poor men. It has been hated by the scholar and it has been 685 THE KING’ S BUSINESS and with far more show o f reason. Vol taire said that it took twelve men to estab lish Christianity but he would show the world that it would take only one man to destroy it, but the very room in which he wrote the words has been for years in the possession o f the British and Foreign Bible Society and packed with Bibles for distri bution from floor to ceiling. Voltaire is dead and forgotten, but the Bible is still alive and marching on. Attacks on the Bible may do injury to a few weak indi viduals, principally shallow young men and romantic young maidens in high schools, colleges and universities, who allow them selves to be thus robbed o f the saving, com forting, joy-giving, ennobling power there is in the Bible, but they do not hurt the cause o f truth, for they but prove anew the. Divine indestructibility o f the Book. VI. In Its Authorship. Finally, the Book differs from every other book in its authorship. Other books are men’s books. T.his is God’s Book. Much, that has already been said proves this. Its inexhaustible depths proves it. Only an Infinitely wise’ God can be the author o f an inexhaustible book. Its abso lute accuracy proves it. Men under-state or over-state. God alone always states things just as they are. Its Divine power proves it. Only a book that conies down from God can lift men up to,G od as,this Book does: Its universal adaptibility proves it. Only the Creator o f all men can make a book that is fitted to all men and every need o f these men. Its history proves it. Only. God can make a book so inde structible against assault, against human reasoning, and human philosophy as this. An omnipotent book must have an omnip otent author. There are many other facts about this, Book that prove its Divine authorship, but these are enough. There is evident a certain Infinite character about this Book that points unmistakably to the Infinite character o f its author. What this book says God says and whoever speaks according to this book, speaks the message o f God and God speaks through him. He is God’s mouthpiece. hated by the fool. It has been hated by common people and it has been hated by rulers, governors and kings. No other book has so aroused the bitterest antag onism. Men o f seeming moderation and kindness o f heart have been aroused to such a pitch o f hatred by the Bible that' they became murderers and torturers of men,' women and children, for example, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Even in our own day kind fathers and tender husbands have been moved by hatred o f this Book to brutal treatment o f children and o f wives who have been led to accept the truth it contains. 2. It has been loved as no other book. If it has been intensely hated it has still more been intensely loved, loved by all classes, loved by the rich and loved by the poor; loved by the illiterate and loved by the greatest scholars the world has ever known; loved by men digging in the ditch, and loved by men puling on a throne. Men, women and tender children have gladly laid down their lives for this Book, thousands o f them, tens of thousands, hun dreds o f thousands, millions. 4. It has been victorious as no other book. Though the Bible has been so bit terly hated and so vigorously assaulted, it has come off a complete victor. Centuries o f assault have served only to prove its indestructibility an*d confirm its power: Celsus, Porphyry, Lucian, Voltaire, Volney, Hume; Tom Paine, and an innumerable host have trained their mightiest guns against this Book. They have brought to bear against it all the powers o f science, philos ophy, reasoning, ridicule, satire, cruelty, force, political and military power, and every other form o f power that they pos sessed, and all their assaults have come to nothing. The Bible has come off a com plete victor in every conflict. Any one who will take the pains to consult history will have'no doubts as to the outcome o f the present attacks upon the Bible. Individual^ o f the past have talked just as boastingly o f what they Would do with the Bible in a few years as do the individuals o f today, THE KING’S BUSINESS LARGEST CLASS GRADUATES Commencement Exercises of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles— . Splendid Class of Young Men and Young Women Receive Diplomas 686 T HE Commencement exercises o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles this year were marked by the graduation o f the largest class in the history o f the institute, tw.enty-four young women and fifteen young men having successfully completed the course, and having been in residence for two years. During this time they have given every evidence o f consecrated Chris tian character and have received the insti tute diploma from the hands o f the presi dent, Mr. Lyman Stewart. The friends o f the graduates and o f the Institute filled the 4000 seats in the audi torium. The address to the graduating .class was delivered by the Rev. Campbell Coyle, D. D., pastor o f the Highland Park Presbyterian Church.- His earnest message on the personality and power o f the Holy Spirit and the necessity o f the Christian worker being filled with the Holy Spirit made a profound impression upon those present. The Commencement Exercises really began on Sunday, June 25, when the bac calaureate sermon was delivered in the auditorium by Dr. R. A. Torrey, Dean of the Faculty. On. the following Tuesday evening, the second annual banquet o f the Alumni Association was held, there being .about seventy-five graduates present. The banquet was followed by a very delightful social gathering, many o f the alumni pres ent not having seen each other for several years. The Class bf ’ 16 inaugurated a fund to provide an Alumni Scholarship, which it is hoped will grow into such generous proportions that more than one worthy stu dent will be assisted. Preceding the public exercises o f Thurs day evening, the Board o f Directors and the Faculty held a reception to the gradu ating class in the social parlors o f the insti tute. Dr. Coyle, the speaker o f the even ing," and Mrs. Coyle being present. Imme diately after the reception the company adjourned to the dining room where special tables had been arranged for the graduates, the honored guests o f the evening. After the delightful dinner had been enjoyed the company was entertained by the Class Poet, Miss Katherine Finchy; the Class Prophet, Mr. Edward H. Osborn; and the Class Representatives, Mrs. Besse Daniel-McAn lis, Mr. Don Donnan and Mr. Arthur F. Witt, each o f whom gave a hearty testi mony to what, the course in the Institute had meant to him, not merely in the acqui sition o f knowledge, but in the development o f Christian character. After this enjoy able gathering, the company adjourned to the public exercises in the auditorium, during which the following named members o f the class received their diplomas: Jennie A. Miller R. Paul Miller Elinor Mitchell Clara S. Nielson Myrl Hess Mabel Clair Hillis Mrs. Grace Bryan Hobart Hazel E. Irwin Amy M. Kay Chas. A. Kilwinski Benjamin J. Kimber M. Ruth Kolachny Otis Charles La Porte Evar C. Lindquist Thos. C. Llewellyn Bessie M. Lomax Mrs. Besse Daniel-McAnlis J. Raymond Benning Mrs. N. C. Burwash Mrs. Daisy Isabel Carson Mabel H. Christiansen Birdie P. D.e Hoog Don D. Donnan Mrs. Carla G. Duncan Katherine Finchy Elizabeth Foth Arne C. Gabrielsen Herbert E. Grings Edith G. Harris Mrs. L. F. Haseltine Rose French Oliver Edward H. Osborn Mrs. Mabel Gray Porteous Kenneth W. Powlison Elizabeth Anna Rowland Jason P. Steer Andrew P. Uhlinger Ethel K. Weesner Arthur F. Witt
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker