SheBible TarailuiTtacja^îne
B I B L E I N S T I T U T E
P U B L I S H E D B Y
O F L O S A N G E L E S
George Washington's Prayer for his Country A X \ lmighty G od , we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection, that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordina tion and obedience to government; to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of Whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Correcting a
Misunderstanding ( O ' hocking it may be; but some of the Lord’s people think the Jews are all right, that their time is “ not now,” and that in God’s own good time, they will be saved! So, no need to give them the gospel now ! But, to the well taught Chris tian, such a fantastic theory vio lates every principle of the Gos pel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no mystic charm or hocus pocus hanging over the Jew, that will guarantee him ul timate salvation simply because he is a Jew ! If a Jew dies with out Christ, he is lost—lost for ever, just exactly as a Gentile. “ For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,” was the Holy Spirit’s ultimatum to the Sanhedrin through Peter in Acts 4:12. Dear reader, are you ready to shoulder your responsibility for the lost condition o f millions of Jews, because you failed to tes tify to them ? Our work merits your every confidence. Our field is not only the 2,000,000 Jews of New York, but the 4,000,000 Jews of America. And through co-op erating missionaries we are rep resented, and our Yiddish pub lications are being distributed, in all the important Jewish cen ters of the world. In America, Branches are being established in the larger cities as the Lord gives us the means and the workers. Your help and prayers are always needed. “ The Chosen People” loved by many Bible students for its helpful informa tion on Prophecy and the Jews, is sent to all contributors. May we hear from you?
ï ï t it 3lt»ïeTamii#t&taça^îne Motto: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." —R ev . 1 :5.
Volume XXIII
July, 1932
Number 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS Crumbs from the King’s Table—The' Editor........ ........................... 295 The Unique BirthJjB. B. Sutcliffe.................................................... 297 Newspaper Evangelism in China—Everett F. Harrison................. 299 God’s Glorious Symphony—j . B. Nield............................................ 300 Evangelistic Evangelicalism—W . Graham Scroggie........................302 Come, My Sheep—Dorothy B. Polsue...... L...................................... 304 The Life Poured Forth-“1-Agnes Scott Kent.—................................305 Two New Object Lessons—Elmer L. Wilder....................................306 The Ant, the Sparrow, the Eagle, and the Householder —A. T. White................................................... ,..... ...............|..... 307 The Passover— I. M. Haldeman.........................................................308 Studies in the Epistle to the Hebrews—John C. Page.......... ...........311 Present-Day Fulfillment of Prophecy—Louis S. Bauman........... 313 Heart to Heart with our Young Readers <—Florence Nye Whitwell.................................................................316 Bible Institute Family Circle—Cutler B. Whitwell........................318 Homiletical Helps ................................................................................. 319 Our Literature Tab le.................................................... |.....................320 Our Missionary Page—John A. Hubbard........................................ 321 In the Jewish World—J. A. Vaus............... I...................................322 Junior King’s Business—Martha S. Hooker..................................323 Notes on Christian Endeavor—Mary G. Goodner............................325 International Sunday School LessonCommentary................... 328 Daily Devotional Readings..... ...................................................|...... 335
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POLICY AS DEFINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, lb ) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Chritian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith. 536-558 S. Hope St., BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Los Angeles, Calif.
American Board of Missions to the Jews, Inc. 31 Throop Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
BIBLE INSTITUTE FACULTY for 1932-1933
J ames A. V aus
S tewart P. M ac L ennan
S tanley B ailes
M rô . J. B. N ield
M rs . A. L. D ennis
C utler B. W hitwell Sup’t of Men
M rs . E dith G. W allace Sup’t of Women
W illiam P. W hite , President
H. E. S traub , D.D.S.
M rs . E dith P. Y oungken Registrar
I one L owman
J. B. N ield
J ohn A. H ubbard
G ordon E. H ooker
R obert E vans
M el E. T rotter , Vice-President
L ucy R. K ilgore , M.D.
A. H arris , M.D.
H arold F. G raham L ouis T. T albot Fourteenoftheabovefacultymembersare "‘Dollar-a -Year M ilo F. J amison R oss 295 B u s i n e s s July 1932 T h e K i n g ’ s (CrumbsJrom THE KING ’S TABLE . . . By T he E ditor that never transpired! Or we hear: “ He is very solid, but not entertaining.” Marvelous indeed if he had been as solid as Jonathan Edwards and as great a liar as an even ing newspaper! In the Old Testament and in the New Tes tament regard was given to specialty of gift, to definiteness of position; having lost that regard, we have lost power. You do not say, “ The clock is an excellent timekeeper, but no use at all as a musical instrument.” You do not take up a trumpet and say, “ A finer instrument was never made to call men tb arms, but it is utterly useless if you want it to tell you the time of the day.” Every man in his own place, in his own sphere! The great question is not in what regi ment we are, but rather are we in the army o f Jesus Christ? To be in the army is the great consideration. There are no inferior places in the church. There may be valleys, but the valleys are in the Alps—even the depressed places are on the high mountains. To be on those moun tains at all is to be in an elevated position. Every Man in His Place I t is hard for men to keep their places. It is hard, be cause the next higher place appears to be so near and so accessible. It is always difficult for the heart to be quiet, contented, restful in God; it is ambitious in spirit, con scious of great power, and not wholly unconscious of great desert. But men fritter away their strength by finding fault with their position. We can only work really and deeply, and therefore lastingly, as we have the blessed Commencement une 1, 1932 will long, be remembered as the closing of a most successful year of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. The commencement exercises began on the Sunday evening before, when the baccalaureate service was held. The sermon, which was evangelistic in character, was preached by a most loyal friend of the Institute, Rev. Louis T. Talbot, pastor of the Ghurch of the Open Door. Many came forward after the sermon, on invitation to con fess Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The class exercises were on Tuesday night, and were of a high spiritual order. On Wednesday evening, the commencement address was delivered by Dr. Louis S. Bauman, pastor of the First Brethren Church of Long Beach, and Dr. Charles E. Ful ler, of the Board of Directors, presented diplomas to 115 graduates. What of the Futureof the Bible Instituteof Los Angeles? e have never been so happy over any prospect! We have ■ never been more sure of the presence and favor of God. We were compelled to cut down our budget again, because for two years wehave determined to contract no more debt. We are living within our means. We have dropped a few members of. our faculty, but God has come to the rescue as usual. He has brought to us fourteen of the outstanding teachers of Southern California who receive their support from other sources. These are real teachers and not lec turers, and along with Professors Page, Hubbard, Black, Nield, Kilgore, and others of the old faculty, they will consciousness of being where God has put us, and doing the kind of service God has indicated. The appoint ment may be an inferior one, but it is divine, and therefore if we answer it with faithfulness and obedience, we shall find in the discharge of its duties sweet comfort and a continual reinvigoration of our best motive and purpose. Whoever did see any reason why he should not be a great man! It is expecting much of hu man nature to expect it to be just what it is and to accept its position simply, loyally, gratefully; but only in such acceptance of position can men be their best and do their best. Let a preacher once get it into his mind that he ought to move in a larger circle, and have a pulpit twice the size of his present pulpit, and the ambition which moves his mind in that direction takes away from him much of his working strength; so that instead of filling the little sphere, or the sphere comparatively small, he shrinks within it and be comes, for all effective ■ service,- a smaller man than he really is. Let us accept our position, whatever it be, saying, “ God put me here; He present the strongest Bible teaching program in the history of the Instil tute. Already applications from young men and women are coming in from all over the country, and we are expecting a very large student body next year. We have heavy financial burdens, but they are not too heavy for God, and our friends need not hesitate to support the Bible Institute of Los Angeles by prayer and gift. Diversity of Gifts T here is . a great evil in the church where the minister is ex pected to be a superman. In many places we have heard something like this: “ The minister is an excellent visitor, but he is a very poor preacher.” A marvelous thing it would have been if the same man had been both a preacher and a vis itor! Or we sometimes hear: “ No doubt he is a learned theologian, but he has no gift in the relation of an ecdotes.” A marvelous thing if he had been great in the theological metaphysics of the fathers, and pro found in his knowledge o f anecdotes Make Me Kind So many hearts are breaking And many more are aching To hear the tender word. God make me kind! For I myself, am learning That my sad heart is yearning For some sweet word to heal my hurt. O Lord, do make me kind. God make me "kind! So many hearts are needing The balm to stop the bleeding That my kind words can bring. God make me kind! For I am also seeking The cure in some one’s keeping They should impart to my sick heart. O Lord, do make me kind. ■ God make me kind! So many hearts are lonely And asking for this only — The kind and tender word. God make me kind! To all who mutely ask it Before they fill the casket Or bouquets may be wreaths one day, O Lord, do make me kind. —D uncan M c N eil . 296 July 1932 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s of so-called Christian charity that though we have a mem ory for the indictment, we have no recollection of what ought to have been a triumphant, all-inclusive, and all-de livering vindication. Terrible is the state of that man who has a good memory for insinuations, charges, innuendos, and bad suggestions, but who has no recollection of the things that are beautiful and healing and redeeming and helpful. Children’s Special Service Mission T he work of the Children’s Special Service Mission, which was sponsored by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles last year, is to be continued, through the gen erosity of a Canadian friend. This work has met with great success in England, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and last year at Manhattan Beach, Calif. The work is to be conducted this year at Hermosa Beach, Calif., during the month of July, by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hooker, Alma Beckley, Alma Stauffer, Frances Gray, Warren Hall, and Lawrence Simpson from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Meetings are to be held each day on the sand. There will be Scripture memorizing, Bible stories with correlated handwork, missionary stories, chalk talks, object lessons, chorus singing, contests, and supervised recreation. In addition to this work on the beach, afternoon Bible classes for women will be held at the headquarters and young peo ple’s meetings in the evenings. The object o f this Children’s Special Service Mission is to reach the children and young people on the beach. Much prayer is needed for this work. “ Let God Rule the Present” liver C romwell ’ s secretary was dispatched on some important business to the Continent. He stayed one night at a seaport town, and tossed on his bed, unable to sleep. According to old custom, a servant slept in his room, and on this occasion, soundly enough. The secretary at length wakened the man, who asked how it was his master could not rest. “ I am so afraid something will go wrong with the em bassy,” was the reply. “ Master,” said the valet, “may I ask you a question or two ?” “ To be sure,” answered the envoy. “ Did God rule the world before we were born ?” “ Most assuredly He did.” “ And will He rule it after we are dead ?” “ Certainly He will.” “ Then, master, why not let Him rule the present, too?” The secretary’s faith was stirred, peace was the result, and in a few minutes, both he and his servant were in a sound sleep. Beloved in Jesus, your heart has been aching within you. You were busy at work for the Master; many de pended upon you. You seemed almost to be the mainspring of the machinery. But sickness comes, and you lie help less on the couch, and unbelief creeps in. Dear friend, let God rule the present. He sent your affliction. He sits by the refiner, till He can see His own image formed in you, and there is some gracious purpose to be accomplished in the present dispensation. “ For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” — B eliever ’ s M agazine . takes care of me while I am here. When He wants me in some higher place, He will send for me, and until the mes sage comes, I will serve Him with both hands diligently, and my heart shall be as a fire burning up toward Him in aspiration and sacrifice.” I am with Thee noted preacher was being waited for on the hills of Wales. The time had elapsed; the preacher was in the town, but not on the hillside. The people were impa tient, and the host of the preacher sent a messenger to tell him that the occasion was complete, and the people were ready and earnestly expecting him to come. The messen ger went; the messenger came back again. “ I do not know what is the matter,” he said. “ The cham ber door is locked. I heard voices within; I listened, and I heard the preacher say, ‘I will not go unless you go with me.’ He is talking to some other man. He wants the other man to come, and unless that other man will come, he says he will not appear amongst us today. What is to be done?” The host understood the case, and he replied, “ All will be well presently.” And so it was. The positive preacher unlocked the door, came out with an invisible Companion— “ One like unto the Son of man”—and old Wales, accustomed to the noblest religious eloquence that ever fell from human lips, was never more deeply stirred and vitally thrilled than when that man spoke in the power of the other Man, and revealed the grace of God to an expectant and thankful people. Oh, do not go without the other Man—the Man Christ Jesus! Do not go alone. Say, whenever you go to your pulpit, to your class, to your sick chamber, or to any district for any kind of Christian work whatsoever, “ I will not go alone.” I f that desire be uttered heartily, lovingly, honestly, you shall not go alone. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit will go with you, and the prey shall be delivered into your hand, and you shall return more than conqueror through Him that loves you. Christian Charity 11|t here are men who will preach eloquent sermons about '*■ the fall of the Apostle Peter who will in the most un christian spirit expel and anathematize brethren who have been overtaken in a fault, and the worst of it is, they are apt to think that they show their own righteousness by be ing very vehement against the shortcomings of other people. How easy it is to do mischief! You insinuated against a certain man that there was something wrong in his case ■—something wrong with his theology, or his morals. You never can withdraw your insinuation. You lied against your fellow; then you apologized. You cannot apologize for a lie. Your lie will go where your apology can never follow it, and men who heard both the lie and the apology will, with the cowardice that is unpardonable, say, when the occasion seems to warrant their doing so, that they “ have heard that there was something or other about him, but cannot tell exactly what it was.” So mischief goes on from year to year, and a lie is in the meantime more power ful than the truth. It is always easier to do mischief than to do good. Let us always be careful about human repu tation. The character is the man. It is better to believe all things, hope all things, endure all things in the spirit of Christ’s blessed charity than to be very eager to point out faults that do exist. There are those who have been sinned against by false accusation, who have received withdrawments and apologies; but such, alas, is the state 297 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s July 1932 .■UNIQUE " B id W B y B. B. SUTCLIFFE* PortlafldT’Oregon T .^IL ee personality of Jesus Christ is amazingly transcendent. He is unlike any person before or since. By Jew and pagan, Christian and infidel, He is acknowledged to be unique in every sphere of His life and character. Nowhere is His uniqueness more clearly revealed than in His birth. It is here we find the touchstone of all that is said concerning Him. It is therefore most important that we know how He came into the world before inquiring about the why. The Bible is the only source of information we have in an swer to the question, “ Why did He come?” But if the Bible is not true in answer to the question, “ How did He come?” it may lead us astray concern ing the why. T he P renatal C ircumstances The prenatal circumstances are at came, He could announce His inten tion o f coming, and coming as One who would be the servant of Jehovah. And when at last He came, He could say, “ Before Abraham was, I am,” (John 8:58) thus claiming preexist ence. He was existent when Isaiah wrote, hundreds of years before He appeared upon earth, because Isaiah “ saw his glory and spake of him” (John 12:41). T hat His appearance upon earth was by His own choice is clearly revealed in the New Testament. “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the .Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14, R. V .). He was not made flesh by another, He became flesh by His own act. Again, He who once the defense and the definition of our Lord’s incarna tion. No other person ever came into the world as the result of His own volition. But here is One who con sciously and deliberately decided to enter humanity’s realm and live upon this earth. Existing before He was born into the world, He chose His awn mother by whom to be born, His own time in which tb be born, and His own place wherein to be born. No other human being ever chose the mother, the time, and the place of birth. The birth of our Lord was not, therefore, as all other, births have been, the creation of a new personality. He was a personality already existing, entering upon a new mode of existence, and doing this by His own volition and design. This was to be expected because of what the prophets had declared in the Old Testament. “ But thou Bethlehem Ephratah . . . out of thee shall one come . . . whose go ings forth are o f old, from the days of eternity” (Mic. 5 :2, R. V. Marg.). His existence was “ from the days of eter nity,” which speaks of His uncreated being as God the Son, together with God the Father,- and God the Holy Spirit. In Psalm 4 0 :7 and 8, He speaks prophetically, say ing, “ Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God.” Before He *Dr. Sutcliffe was associated for many years with the work of the Moody Bible Institute. Later, he was called to the Portland Union Bible Classes ( Portland, Ore.), where he ministered for about eight years. He is now, in independent Bible conference work in the United States and Canada. As a writer, he is also well known, especially to readers o f T he K ing ' s B usiness , who value his expositions o f the Sunday School Lessons. was from eternity, and ever being in the form of God, “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant” (Phil. 2 :6, 7 ). Moreover, “ he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham” (Heb. 2:16). Furthermore, “ He was manifested to take away our sins” (1 John 3 :5). Thus it was of His own choice that He became flesh, of His own volition He made Himself of no reputation, of His own design He took upon Him the seed of Abraham, and for His own purpose He was manifested. All this presupposes preexistence. As some one has written, “ in the Man of Galilee was manifested One who existed before the Man of Galilee.” Hence His forerunner, John the Baptist, could declare, “ He that cometh after me is preferred be fore me: for he was before me” (John 1:15). He came after John in time. He was preferred before John in dig nity, and He was before John in existence. T he N atal C ircumstances The birth of Jesus Christ presents a threefold miracle : one in the physical realm, one in the moral realm, and one in the spiritual realm. On the physical plane, we believe that He was born of the Virgin Mary. This is the aspect of the birth of Jesus Christ which has engrossed the attention and greatly troubled the church, especially in these latter days. The biological mystery appears too great for some minds to accept, and they turn away from the record of it. But there is no doubt that the Bible teaches such an event. It is written in Isaiah 7 :14 that “ a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.” Whatever may be held concerning the exact 298 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s July 1932 meaning of this word “ virgin,” we know that this was said to King Ahaz to be to him a sign that what God had said was true. It would be no “ sign” to say, “ A married woman shall conceive and bear a son.” There would be nothing in the fact that a married woman should bear a child to mani fest to Ahaz that God was giving him a miraculous sign. But that a virgin should have a child immediately lifts the event into the realm of the miraculous, and it thus becomes the “ sign.” This is the real meaning of the passage. Something similar to this is found in Jeremiah 31 :22, “ The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall encompass a man.” There would be nothing “ new” about such an event unless there was something unique concerning the conception and birth of the man encom passed by the woman. As an argument against the virgin birth, we are told that Matthew and Luke alone record it, while Mark and John are silent concerning it. Hence, because Mark and John do not mention it, we are to disbelieve it. To make this argument more potent, diligent attempts have been made to discredit the genuineness of both Matthew and Luke, but all attempts have been without success. The weakness of such an argument is seen when we remember that neither Mark nor John speak of the childhood and early life of Jesus. Shall we conclude therefore that He had none ? Another argument advanced against the virgin birth is the fact that Paul does not definitely mention it. But would Paul need to mention it definitely after writing such a pas sage as: “When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4, R. V .) ? Why clutter up the page by informing us that this Son was “ born of a woman” unless there was something unique in His birth ? Could any one come into this world without being born of a woman? A careful consideration of Philippians 2 :5 -ll will also reveal why it was unnecessary for Paul to mention definitely the virgin birth. Paul certainly believed it, whether he definitely mentioned it or not. u t t h e miracle on the biological plane falls into the background when we come to a consideration of the moral aspect of His birth. The angel Gabriel informed Mary, in reply to her question concerning how such a birth could be, that “ the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Lk. 1 :35). There had never been a holy person upon earth until this One was born. There had been He was the solitary holy person among all the millions of the sons of Adam. He was absolutely sinless in His na ture, motives, purposes, desires, actions, and words. And for this, we have the witness of friend and foe alike. Heaven and earth and hell all unite in declaring this One to be holy. Pilate who condemned Him said, “ I find no fault in this man.” The centurion in charge of the cruci fixion said,' “ Surely this is a righteous man.” Judas who betrayed Him said, “ I have betrayed innocent blood.” The demons who met Him said, “ We know thee who thou qrt, the holy one of God.” The apostles declare the same truth. John says, “ In him was no sin.” Paul says, “ He knew no sin.” Peter says, “ He did no sin.” He Himself could say, “ I do always the things that please God” ; and to this day His challenge remains unanswered, “ Which of you convinceth me of sin ?” And finally, God the Father could say to Him, “ Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Thus the moral mystery is greater far than the biolog ical, and there can be but one possible explanation of it, Here is a life that has been actually lived upon the earth, a life that has been the subject of the most searching investi-> gation ever given any life, and we rise from the investiga tion with the overwhelming conviction that this Man was sinless; He was holy; He was impeccable. But while the moral mystery transcends the physical, there is another mystery here that surpasses the moral. It is found in the spiritual aspect of this birth. “ That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called ttye Son of God.” This Son of God was the first Child God ever had. Adam was His creature, coming by creative act’; this One is His Son', coming by procreative act. We .do not for get that God the Son was the uncreated and eternal Sec ond Person of the Trinity. The God of the Scriptures is a triune Being, three persons in the one God, each person coeternal and uncreated. But this triune God becomes the Father of a Son, who is henceforth called “ The Son of God.” There is a wide difference between God the Son and the Son of God. The former never became, He always was; the latter had a beginning. We should carefully re member, however, that the former ever dwelt in the latter; He could not divest Himself of His essential deity. This Son of God had a birthday, the day of His resur rection from Joseph’s tomb. There had been restorations before, but never had there been a resurrection: He was the “ first-born” from among the dead (Rom. 8:29 ), and the “ firstfruits” of them that slept (1 Cor. 15:20). The “ first-born” speaks of others who shall be born, and the good men, and Adam had been an in nocent man, but never before had earth looked upon one who was holy. Indeed, never since has another holy one appeared upon earth. This One was “ holy” in His birth, He then sanc tified Himself upon earth, He was al so sanctified by God the Father for His service, and He was sanctified upon the cross, thus becoming the sufficient sacrifice for sin and the ac ceptable Substitute for sinners. Well might the people, as they examined His miraculous life, and listened to His miraculous teaching, and beheld His miraculous works, cry out, “What manner of man is this?” (Mk. 4:41). The answer to their question is found in the fact that He was “ that holy thing” born of the Virgin Mary. “ firstfruits” is the pledge that the har vest is all ready, and the guarantee that all the harvest is like unto the firstfruits. God’s purpose is that “whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate tcf be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren” (Rom. 8 :29 ). As deity, He could Have no brethren, but as the Son of God, the first-born from the dead, He is to have many brethren. The Son who is to have many brethren in the One of whom it is written, “ Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Psa. 2 :7 ). Christians can never become partakers of Deity, or of God the Son, but they are to par take of the divine nature, like unto the Son of God (2 Pet. 1 :4). [Continued on page 310] His Virgin Birth B y R ussell E. K auffman Born of the Virgin Mary, Conceived by the Holy Ghost; Never the son of. Joseph, He was but earthly host; Before they had come together Mary with child was found; Miracle Child of the ages — God’s revelation profound! Prophecy thus fulfilling, Jesus was virgin born. Denying the blessed doctrine, He of His power is shorn. Reason cannot explain it, Men cannot understand; Still let His own proclaim it; Firm on the Bible stand. 299 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s July 1932 , v ' C /. ^ / Lewsfjafjer\0>vangelism (oh y ^ s h i in a in H H understood and was very happy. Later he came in person for an interview and was confirmed in his faith. T he second day, another high school student came to see Mr. Wang, and he, too, became a believer. Nearly every day from that time on, people have sought informa tion concerning the way of life. More than 200 letters have been received. But not all inquirers are genuine seekers af ter the truth of God. Some are-in search of knowledge for its own sake, much as the ancient Athenians; others have hope of charity; still others seek to learn more about Christianity that they may the more effectively oppose it. People have even written to the newspaper protesting against the use of the public press for such religious propaganda. “ Business is business,” was the paper’s reply. “ He pays, we print.” In his advertising space, Mr. Wang puts a few pithy sentences designed to awaken the curiosity of the readers, and sometimes the message is illustrated by an appropriate drawing. The response among the young people of the city has been especially gratifying. Changsha has more than thirty high schools. Students in twenty o f these have become interested in the Christian message through Mr. Wang’s questions and expositions. A S coffer M ade a S oul -W inner One of these students, by the name of Shih, was at first violently opposed to the gospel. After reading one of Mr. Wang’s articles, he wrote to another newspaper at tacking Christianity. In search of material for criticism, he wrote Mr. Wang for literature. Later on, he came for a talk and went away moved by what he had heard. One evening as he was reading the New Testament, he came to Matthew 14:31, “ O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” He was sure that this was meant for him, and he laid hold of it. Subsequently, he came again and again to search the Scriptures and pray with Mr. Wang, till he was grounded in an intelligent and satisfying faith. We have referred to an article written by Mr. Shih for publication, expressing views antagonistic to Chris tianity. The paper did not print the article at first, but some time after the lad’s conversion, it appeared. Great was his humiliation, but he openly confessed the wrong to his friends, as well as to God, whereupon peace filled his heart. Mr. Wang says that this young man is a greater ad- [Continued on page 310] B y EVERETT F. IJARRISON* Changsha, Hunan, China o n the last day of March, 1931, in the city of Chang sha, central China, one of God’s servants lay down to rest with a heavy burden upon his mind. Sleep would not come, so he arose to pray. After a time, he again sought slumber, but in vain; he rose up for a second prayer vigil. This time God gave peace to his heart. His tired body needed refreshment, but he would not risk sleep until he had written down the stirrings of soul through which the Lord had now given him a fixed resolution. What reso lution? To advertise the gospel through the daily news paper and challenge the reading public for Christ! The man who made that resolution was Mr. T. E. Wang, a teacher in the Hunan Bible Institute. T he N ew W ork L aunched The next morning, Mr. Wang went to the railroad sta tion to welcome a friend. On the platform,' he met a brother in Christ to whom he confided the experience of the previous night and sought advice. The reply was posi tive’ and given without hesitation. “ If God is leading, you need not ask counsel of any one else. Do as He directs.” These words greatly encouraged Mr. Wang to go for ward in faith, and the next few days were spent in laying definite plans for the new venture. Changsha has several newspapers: Mr. Wang went to three of them. He found the first not interested and the second too expensive. The third, however, was favorable to his proposition. With that paper he entered into a contract for daily space of three by four and three-quarters inches, with the under standing that he would submit new material once a week. On the morning of April 7, the first advertisement appeared. While some 20,000 people were reading with surprise a clear and concise statement of salvation through Christ, Mr. Wang was waiting with eager impatience for the response. His article carried his address and an invita tion to write or visit him. He arranged with a fellow teacher to receive inquirers in the event of his absence. That very afternoon, a letter came from a high school student who had never heard the gospel plainly presented. After reading the statement in the paper, he felt that he *Member o f the staff of. the Hunan Bible Institute, the China department o f the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. 1 July 1932 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s 300 “From harmony, from heavenly harmony, this universal frame began.” onous SYMPHONY B y J. b . NJELD Los Angeles, Calif. make-up, that belongs to the realm of the soul, which, if rightly tuned, can hear music which neither the human eye nor the human ear can detect. We are surrounded by mysteries, only because we lack the instruments of perception. T raining the I nner E ar * he fact is, as one great divine has said, “ We are all deaf, or we should understand that the whole universe is but one great musical instrument; the stars of night only the ivory keys on which God’s fingers play the music of the spheres.” The Psalmist had the inner ear train ed, for he said, “ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shew- eth his handiwork. Day unto day ut- tereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psa. 19:2, 3 ). M aking L ife a S ong To only a few in each generation is he knew it or not, Job a great scientific truth when he said, “ The morning stars sang together” (Job 38:7). The music of the universe began with God’s perfect creation. When God had created the sun and the moon and the stars and the planets, and had set them in motion, the most glorious sym phony that was ever formed began to pour forth the grandest strains of music that have ever been heard, with God, the great Creator, as the Master and Con ductor of the sublime chorus. God’s great plan of creation is that everything which He created shall blend in one harmonious whole, circling round His throne in sublime majestic strains of earth and heaven, sea and sky, surging ocean and majestic, forest, sun, moon, and planets, all playing the divine music o f His sublime creation. Through the blue canopy of the heavens, into the ethereal vaults of heaven, the home and abiding place of the Most .High, the melodies o f God’s chorus resound. H I HETHER was speaking “ B i o l a ” ’' rofessor N ield , head of the music department o f the Bible Institute and choirmaster of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, has, with his talented wife, given to Biola a splendid new school song. The writing was no mere mechanical piece o f work. Ra ther, it was the outgrowth o f reverent appreciation and extended vision. To use Mrs. Nield’s own words: ‘‘ When I first saw the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles, nearly six years ago, it was not the fine architecture or the size o f the building that impressed me most. It was the words carved over the entrance, ‘For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.’ How they embody the great principle for which the Institute stands—the sure foundation, the unfaltering teachingl It was chiefly this idea, with the thought of this message being carried over the world by those who have been taught within the Institute’s por tals, that I have tried to express in thy words o f the B iola song.” ________________ given the gift of the poet’s pen or the musician’s art. But we can all make our life a song, if we will. The music of our lives can only hope to be music to God’s ears when our natures are redeemed and refined, attuned through His marvelous grace in and through the cross of Calvary. There God was making possible the renewing of the har monies of His love which had been lost. Sin had brought discords and dissonances into this symphony, which were never in the heart of the great Master of the Symphony. What a glorious day it will be when the redeemed sing in perfect tune with the rest of God’s celestial orchestra and chorus ! John, in the book of Revelation, gives us a little insight into the glory and grandeur of this completed symphony which is yet to be. The music of life may not seem so sweet in the evening. as in the morning. But night has a gracious ministration in renewing and retuning our natural vitality. The body is the only instrument through which we can praise Him. It must be kept fit. It requires rests as well as notes to make a measured bar of music. Just so, wise work and wise rest are indispensable factors in producing the best music in our lives. We have lost the art of true living. We are all very busy trying to get somewhere or attempting to do some thing, and when we have got there, or done something, what have we got or done that the Lord would commend T he I mportance of the R eceiving S et Professor Albertson, with his own receiving machine, says that it is a demonstrable fact that every star and planet gives off its own sound: first, by the motion of the stars through space; second, by their inherent and reflected light. The spheres give motion to ether, as does also light, together producing the sweetest music, the music of the spheres. The marvels of radio were just as possible two thousand years ago as they are today. Man, however, had not then produced a receiving instrument capable of pick ing up the marvelous sound waves. May it not also be true that the reason we do not get the great spiritual mes sages from the heart of our loving Father is that our spiritual receiving instruments are out of order and incap able o f receptivity? The human ear is a marvelous creation, but it is lim ited. When vibrations get above twenty-five hundred beats per second, or below thirty-three vibrations per sec ond, the human ear cannot record them on the inner ear of the brain. This is the reason the piano has only seven and one-third octaves. But when the vibrations get above ten thousand beats per second, then the eye picks them up, as light with its harmony in color. So, after all, the ear and the eye are but parts of the human receiving set which man is capable o f tuning in to listen to the music of God’s symphony. And there is a finer instrument in man’s July 1932 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s 301 us for? The music of the life of Jesus was sweet and beautiful because He took time for prayer and meditation. We, too, are made for communion with God. Yet the youth of today is not taught this truth. He is told to aspire. Such questions as these are put to him: “ Would you rather be a clod, or an eagle? Do you want to soar, or do you want to squirm? Will you remain in the herd, and be like ‘dumb-driven cattle,’ or will you assert your independence? You have hands to lift, feet to run, eyes to see, a brain to think, and a heart to feel; your success depends on you.” But does it ? Jesus says, “ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.” “ Gome unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We are to stop worrying. We are to rely upon His leadership, to acknowl edge His ownership, to yield to His mastery. Thus will result life-music that is sweet and true. Are our lives in tune with the will of God ? Do the chords of our natures respond to His delicate touch? Are our bodies the temples of the Holy Spirit? If these things are true, then we are in harmony with the rest of that great symphony and chorus of divine creation. Then indeed, and then alone, can we know the beauty and fullness o f the music of life —HIS LIFE. B I O L A Dedicated to Bible Institute o f Los Angeles Words by Ida Nield Con spirito I Music by J. B. Nield » m Pi iTOri 7 I r i — t- ■ a t-* I 1. To Thee, E-ter-nal God, whosehandHath all earth’swonderswroughtWhoseheart is 2. Es-tablished on the Word of God, Tho’ darksomepowers as-sail And e - vil 3. In lands a - far or near, where’er The cry of need is heard, t.v N i "l i ^_ / Bi - J la’ s § 1 a 3= f Tsh the a - bode of love, Who man's redemption bought; foes as-sault, yet she Un-shaken,will pre-vail. son’s and daughters bear The light of God’s Own Word. r U w To Thee whose love our As set-tied as God’s On them we ask Thy school hathblessed, We lift our grateful praise, And ask that great-er mer-cies yet May Word inheaven, So may her teaching be, Thatno untruth may e’er per-vert Her blessing, Lord, Forthemourprayerswe raise, That Thou theirsure defense wilt be, And frg- R efrain f f > > J------ h IS Gentile Hymns Omitted y , | ccording to the New York Times, at a f_JL recent conference in New York, “ Rabbi Louis Wolsey of Philadelphia, Chairman of the Hymnal [New Jewish Hymnal] Com mittee and a former president of the Central Council, announced that 177 hymns by non- Jewish composers had been removed from the hymnal now in use, and the new music service would include 200 new hymns by Jewish composers and poets. The principle purpose of the committee, according to Rab bi Wolsey, was to compile ’a new hymnal that would deepen the consciousness of Jew ish religious life through the works of the finest Jewish poets and composers. Pointing out that many o f the hymns now were identi fied with the Christian and other religions, he recalled that Reformed Judaism had often been criticized for a lack of unity in its song service.” Were the Christian church to take such a stand and de clare itself in favor only of hymns written by Gentiles, she would have a hymn book unworthy of her great heritage and of the central Object o f her worship. We thank God for His marvelous goodness and wisdom in blessing the Hebrew race with such fine instincts for the expression of lyric poetry. Our most glorious expressions concerning Cod and the promised Messiah, the Redeemer of the race, have come through the Hebrews. Have not all true poets gained their inspiration from the Psalms of David? Where in all literature of any race, at any period, can be found such poetic effusion, such wealth of imagery, such lofty conceptions of God, such a true picture o f man’s helplessness apart from God, such a clear revelation of « • r \ crown her fu - ture days. firm in-teg-ri * ty. Then onwardmarch Bi Guide in all their ways. ■ 1 m m HI - o -la, on, On God’s ownWord re- ■ - f - -g - m d-----1— I— do - 1— F- rit . poco f i m r ly - mg; The Gos-pel* armor thy defense, and love, thy ban-ner fly - ing. 1 J -jÄ ji o* m God’s plan to restore lost man to perfection through the promised Messiah as can be found in the Psalms, in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Amos, and Obadiah? We of the Christian faith can sing, “ The God of Ab ram praise,” because we were in that covenant when God swore to Abraham that in him (Abraham) should all the nations of the earth be blessed. Surely, then, the Gentile who was in God’s plan and covenant, and who has become an heir according to'the promise, has some worth-while contribution to make in the matter of worship. The “ grafted branch” has expres sions of religious value and experience which would profit even the Jew. It is, therefore, a matter of great regret that the great hymns o f the Gentiles have been excluded from the new Jewish hymnal. July 1932 302 T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s B y W . G raham S croggie * Edinburgh, Scotland self is dateless. Puritan terms and methods would be as un suitable today as crinolines would be inconvenient, but the realities, of which these were the drapery, have not changed. The gospel itself is not subject to fluctuations of fashion, however greatly may vary the terms in which it is expressed, and the methods by which it is applied. But it is not merely in its terms and methods that the church of our time differs from that of the period of the evangelical revival in its presentation of the gospel, but to large extent, in its contents also. The name is retained where the message is changed, and so we have heard of the ethical, the social, and other gospels. O f course the gos pel is ethical in complexion, and it has its social implica tions, but the heart of it is not the Sermon on the Mount, nor some dream of a city of God. Some preachers talk as though individual regeneration were a by-product of social service, and so transpose the fact and truth that social service is a by-product of evangelical conversion. It is just because the social implications of the gospel are so manifold and great, that it requires, as a primary necessity, the purifying and healing of the individual cells of the organism of each national society and of the body of hu manity. And in like manner, the ethical requirements of the gospel presuppose a moral dynamic in us which our fallen nature cannot supply. What the people need, and I believe want, is the gospel, the good news of a Deliverer from bondage, and of a Saviour from sin. The ethical Christ will not d o ; men need the redeeming Christ. It is not His holy life that saves us, but His atoning death, and they who stumble at the cross can never know the meaning or power of the gospel. If there is to be revival anywhere, the great notes of the evangelical message must be understood, accepted, and proclaimed, and with intense conviction and simple sincerity. „ r . T he N ote of S in There is, first of all, the note o f sin. Has that dropped out of our preaching ? Under the title, “ The Confessions of a Church Goer,” a writer in a certain magazine says, “ It wo'uld appear as though we in the pews no longer have sins worth.talking about. We have mental complexes, distorted points of view, and all that sort of thing, but as for the Garden of Eden variety of sin, it seems to be as scarce a- mong us as the dodo. They say some of the so-called funda mentalists talk about sin, and that among certain other ‘schools of thought,’ long since decadent, it is an accepted subject. Perhaps it is, but it is a shame that such an expres sive word should be confined to the vocabulary of con troversy, and not used in the field of practical living.” Is that a true indictment? Then it is time we got back he hour is ripe for a rebirth of evangelism. The de cade which immediately followed the conclusion of the Great War was one of the most difficult in the history of the modern church, and for two reasons chiefly: The church had lost its head, and the world had lost its feet, or, in other words, the church had largely sacrificed its true message, and the world was living on delusion. But during the last two years or more, a change has been ob servable in both directions. The world has got through its delusions and is now facing naked facts, and the church, to some extent at any rate, is beginning to realize again that only the message of the gospel can meet the need of a tired, perplexed, and suffering world. The church has now a supreme opportunity, and if she misses it, she may become finally discredited in the eyes of mankind; but if she will now wash her heart, her eyes, her feet, and her hands, she will do for this century what the evangelical revival did for the eighteenth century. How, then, is such an end to be attained? It can be attained only by our facing up to the fundamental realities and relating them to the present opportunities. •F undamental R ealities But some one will ask, “What are the fundamental realities?” Well, it is of the first importance that we should know, and we shall begin to know when we clearly recog nize that Christianity is not an institution but a life, not a tradition but a revelation, not an ethic nor a philosophy, but a gospel. Too long and too widely the old gospel has been regarded as not adequate for the modern world, and it has been assumed that what is old is outworn, and that only that is true which is new. But this is an utter fallacy. The majestic and the potent things are the old things. The sun is old, but it has lost none of its life-giving power. The sea and the mountains are old, and yet they are ever new. Sin is old, but it is still a tragic reality. Death is old, but no one can discount it. Love is very old, but it is the great est moral force in the universe. And does not the gospel belong to the category of the age-abiding things? Has it ever been found inadequate when fairly tried? Has any substitute for it ever been found adequate? Let us face up to these searching questions, and answer, “ Yes” or “ No.” O f course,. I am speaking now of the good news itself, and not bf. the terms in which it is expressed, nor of the man ner in which it is applied. Terms and methods must be adapted to the heeds of each generation, but the gospel it- *Pastor, Charlotte Baptist Chapel.
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