DECEMBER, 1911
NO. 11
VOL. II.
The one sure and never-failing method of the VICTORIOUS LIFE is daily study of the Bible—Study, not hasty reading; daily, not at fitful intervals. That study must be with prayer, and faith, and a single-eyed desire to know the will of God and do it. Such a devo- tional and habitual use of the Bible beyond all dispute leads to the full experience of God's love, of Christ's saving power, of the indwell- ing of the Holy Spirit. The Bible of any one who has lived the life with which we are con- cerned is yellow with the years, thin at the edges with the constant turning of the pages, scored with lines and marks, which are all monuments of truth seen and help received, stained with tears which have been often tears of joy, falling like tender rain when the glory of God has suddenly shone out from the page. —R. F. Horton, D. D., in the Sunday School Times. Published Once a Month by THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Bible Institute Press.
MOTTO: ' I the Lord do keep it: I will water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day."—Is 27:3 THE KING'S BUSINESS J. H. SAMMIS, Editor. Entered a» Second-Class Matter Nov. 17, 1910, at the postoffice at Los Angeles, Cal Under the Act of March 3, 1879. Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES [Inc.] 260-264 South Main Street ( Second Floor ) t » o s A n g e l e s , G a l i f o r n ì a DIRECTORS: Lyman Stewart, President P r i c h a r d ' Y i c e P r e ' - T. C. Horton, Superintendent J. M. Irvine, Secretaiy-Treas. E. A. K. HacWett W. E. Blackrtone S. I. Merrill R. A. Torrey DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. The Maintenance of Good Works. The Deity of the Christ. c „„„ , „ . ,„ . The Personality of the Holy Spirit. I T x ° m i n g ° f C h r i 8 t The Supernatural and Plenary au- T h e Immortality of the Soul, thority of the Holy Scriptures. The Resurrection of the Body. The Unity in Diversity of the Church The Life everlasting of Believers which is the Bride and Body of Christ. The Endless Punishment of the Im- lhe Substitutionary Atonement. penitent The Necessity of the New Birth. The Reality and Personality of Satan. Purpose - T h e I n 8 t i t n t e trains accredited men and women, free % pi 0 1 008t > l n ^ e knowledge and use of the Bibie. Departments 3 ( 1 ) I n s t i t u t e Classes held daily except Satur- r day and Sunday. (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 Hebrew people. (7) Bible Women. House-to-house work and neigh- borhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to the men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and distribution of •elected books and tracts.
" NOT O F W O R K S r
b (Eph. 2:9.) No man can save his soul (Ps. 89:48). "Be s i d es Me , " saith t he Lord, "'there is no Savior"' (Isa. 43:11). " N e i t h er is t h e re Salvation in any other, f or t h e re is none other N ame given under heaven, amo ng men, wh e r e by we mu st be saved" ( A c . 12:4). * Un d er the reign of a Just and Almighty God this is as obvious as it is certain. The sentence of d e a th has gone f o r th already, (Eze. 18:4; Jno. 3:18), " a ll the world has become guilty b e f o re God" (Rom. 3:19);" f or all have sinned and come short of t he glory of God" (Rom 3:23). All have sinned by commission and come short b y ' om i s- sion, for, " S in is t he Transgression of t he law of God, or any w a n t of conformity t h e r e t o ." Could men live life over doing no wrong, and omitting no duty, it would not help. Wh at is done, is done, wh at was l e ft undone has p a st its time. Then is the record against us. Wh a t e v er i a m e a nt by " T h e b o o k s" (Rev. 20:12) ^ t
It \ ord is kept, and " t h e dead" shall be " j u d g ed accor- d i n g t o t h e i r wo r k s" (Rev.20:13) By no me a ns can men!erase t h at rec- ord. Wh a t is w r i t- ten is wr i t t e n, 'and whosoever is n ot found w r i t t en in t he book of life (another volume) shall be cast into the L a ke of F i r e" (Rev. 20;15). But t he d a r k e st
of t he J u d gme n t, wh e t h er literal or figurative, it is t he same.
The rec- neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7) ' 'There is no good thing i n t h e m " ( R o m . 7: 1 8 ). " W h e n t h e y
NOT OF WORKS"
My soul, you can never attain To righteousness under the law, And all of your efforts are vain, Since death is the price of a flaw.
would do good evil is p r e s e nt w i t h t h e m " (Rom.7:21) "Sothe good they would they do not' (Rom.7:19). Thus they a re "children of w r a th by n a t- u r e " (Eph. 2:3). Theref o r e J e s us said " Y e mu st be born a g a i n" (Jno. 3:7). Now no man can r e g e n e r a t e himself, " C an t he leopard change his spots? or t he Ethi- opian his s k i n ? (Jer. 13:23). Yet even so it would not be possible f or t he very twice-born to live the r e st of their lives without sin, 4- save by t he power of the Holy Ghost, f or to sin by t he least flaw is t o become an outlaw (Jas. 2:10); and even t he saints a re not p e r f e ct in this world, such is t he will of the Spirit, t h at we may be cautious, humble, and glorify t he g r a ce of Gcd. Moreover, could we be saved by our works, we should miss t he bliss of our salva- tion. The swe e t e st s t a te of t he soul is penitent g r a t i t u de f or grace, its richest ex- perience is to be.sprinkled with t he blood of God's Lamb (Heb. 10:22; Gal. 6:14); its brightest adornment is t he robe of "righteousness which is by faith" (Phil. 3:9; Matt. 22:12); i t s g l o ry is "Thereproach of Christ" (Heb. 11:26; Gal. 6:14); its very heaven is, and will be to be led by t he L amb (Rev. 7:7), t he L amb slain f r om t he foundation of the world (Rev. 13:7; 5:6, 12). Wh at could ma ke heaven for t he man who saved himself? Wh at a solitary he would be! And w h a t would t he Son of God, the Blessed Jesus be to him? Haste, G my soul, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justi- fied (Rom. 3:20)" for "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" Rom. 10:10). c h a r ge a g a i n s t men is not con- cerned with wh at they have done. b ut with wh at they are. Their very n a t u re i s " e n- mity against God and is not subject to t he law of God, But God in His mercy provides A righteousness reckoned to faith; It is all that He asks, and it hide^ The sin that condemned us to death. But could you, retracing the past, Undo all the evil you've done, And starting anew at life's task Do all that you ought to have done; Or could you, ascending the height, And wresting God's book from His hand- The record that's written unwrite And cancel the judgments that stand; Stili must you your nature renew In willing, in feeling, in thought; Do nothing you ought not to do, And all to God's glory you ought; Even then to be saved without grace Would be the unspeakable loss Of the Peace and the Joy that embrace A soul that Is saved at the Cross. Then "what must I do to be saved?" My soul, there is nought to be done; For what CAN a sinner enslaved But trust upon Jesus alone ? J. H. SAMMIS.
Inspirat ion anò illumination» From W. B. Riley, Minneapolis. Excerpt from "The Finality of the Higher Criticism."
Inspiration alone can insure the truth, discerned. Beecher was right when he The reason the writings of the most sci- said, " T h e aible will not give up its se- entific men the world has known go out crets to those who approach it with their of date and pass away, is because their bellowing passions and perverted mten- f»j successors discover error in their eonclu- t i o n s ." sions The most scientific spirit does not Darwin was supposed to be a great sci- * insure unchangeable conclusions; inspira- entist, but confessed that that part of his tion alone can do that. If you are going nature which might have enjoyed p amtmg to have a Gospel that will forever remain or music was atrophied. Does any man "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for . mean to suggest that the carnal man may correction and for instruction in righteous- not be so thoroughly lacking in all re- ness " it must be inspired. No fault must ligious intuitions as to make the meaning be found in it. The reason Harvey's dis-; of revelation to him impossible? When covery of the circulatory system will re- Abraham Lincoln, the great President, was main forever a fact, is not because Har- visiting in the Soldiers' Home, Joshua F. vey said it, but because when Hoses wr&te Speed, his intimate friend, came to the " T h e life is in the b l o o d" he voiced what Home to spend the night with him. Bis- was intrinsically true. The Teason why i n g just after sunrise he ran up to the the law of gravity will have to be regard- President's room. He found him reading ed by all great scientists, is not because a book. Looking over his shoulder he • Newton affirmed it to be a fact. Newton found it was the Bible. Jocularly, Mr. sometimes made mistakes, but because God Speed said, " I am glad to see you s o | J j | himself bethought and spoke it, as Job long profitably employed! " " Yes,' ' answered since wrote, " H e hangeth the world on the great Lincoln, I am profitably em- n o t h i n g ." The reason why our modern p l o y e d !" " W e l l , " said Speed, " I won- scientists are eschewing certain animals der if you have recovered from that skep- as unfit to eat and favoring others, is not ticism that once characterized you? I con- because of physicians (they are too often -fess frannkly that I have n o t ." Lincoln in error), but because when Moses wrote looked into his face for a moment, and• V . the Book of Leviticiis he was so perfectly then rising, put his hand on his shoulder inspired as to make no mistake as to what a l l d tenderly said, " Y o u are wrong, Speed! was under the ban and what in favor from Take all of this Book upon reason that the standpoint of human health. Science y o u can and the rest on faith, and you reaches accuracy only after a thousand w i n ; I am sure, live and die a better and • e x p e r i m e n t s , a n d c l i m b s into the light only a happier m a n . " But whether one re- a f t er a long journey out of enveloping ce ives it on reason or faith, if he is to un- darkness- but inspiration speaks once and derstand it, the Spirit must instruct him it " s t a n d e th fast.'-' It turns its face to a n d he must bring to that holy instruction the rising sun and wears light as a gar- a teachable spirit. Of the office of the ment! Of no other book written in the Holy Ghost, Christ himself said, "Wh en world can it be said, as Christ has already he is come he will guide you into all affirmed concerning the Bible, " T h y word t r u t h ." He cannot guide a man who is t r u t h ." .. , flM , reiects Him: nor yet the man who refuses rteratanding^f n the n Scriptures "The 6 Jesus as Te'acher, for of Him again it is understanding of tne scrip™ ^ k h i m s e ] f h e th1 U StórU a of God neUher i n d e e d c fn he shall take of the things of Christ and show know them, because they are spiritually them unto you."
Our ^ttarcl)irtg Orders» Xb Ijc (Taptians (Tomman6 "(Bo Ve!" By J. H. S. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mat. 28:19. , f
aries. Paul what is your opinion of this for- eign work? " I am debtor both to the Greek and to the Ba r b a r i a n ." Peter, what do you think of it? " Y e know how that a great while ago God made choice among us t h at the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel. *' But, John, you don't believe in it? " I saw an angel having an eternal gospel to proclaim to every nation, tribe and tongue and people." The New Testament writings with the exception of Matthew and Hebrews, are foreign mission literature, Mark for the Romans; Luke for the Greeks and John for " wh o s o e v e r ;" Eomans to the con- verts in Eome; Corinthians to those of Corinth; Galatians to those of Galatia; Ephesians for Ephesians; Phillippians for Macedonians; even the pastoral epistles to two foreign missionaries, Timothy and Titus at work on their mission ground; and last of all Revelations to Asiatics. Gentile Christendom today—the great church catholic among the gentiles is the f r u it of foreign missions for "salvation ia of the Jews. ' We hold today to the nations of the world precisely the same relation, so far, as the first church at Antioch. Imagine members of that church; only a few months out of heathendom, expressing a want of sympathy with, or opposition to, sending Paul and Barnabus out with the gospel! Or, pleading the home work in Antioch in opposition. I t were not one whit more absurd than for us to do it now. My brother, is not your heart with this great work of Christ? What shall be said to you? Oh disloyalty that will not obey? Oh faithlessness that will not attempt! Oh, heartlessness that will not pity! Oh apathy that shuts the springs of brotherly love. Oh selfishness that will not impart! Oh ingratitude that will not repay! Oh poverty of sorn, now and hereafter! " A n d the Lord said unto Cain, 'Where is now thy brother.' And he said, Am I my brother 's k e e p e r ?"
Our Saptain's Command is "Go Ye ." Yet it is truly said: "Christians have to be converted to the missionary spirit as the unregenerate from his unbelief." But one is inclined to believe that such cases are after all' cases of primal conversion. Do yon ask? " A m I obliged to aid the evangelization of the world? To argue that proposition is to question Christ's authority. To suggest inexpediencies is to qeustion his wisdom. " Their's not to reason why, Their's not to make r e p l y ." To refuse aid and sympathy is to dis- obey, ' ' Their's but t o do and, die.'' To disobey is to hinder and delay his Kingdom. It is only a f t er this has been done and he has ' ' taken a people out from among the nations that he will return again and build up that which is fallen down " i n order that the residue of men may seek after the Lord."—Acts 15:15 —17. To neglect it is to be out of sympathy with the "goodly fellowship of the apos- t l e s ," and to dishonor the most glorious names in the church annals, nay in all history, and to discount the greatest sac- rifices. I t is to ridicule the most Christ-like suf- ferings. For if those indifferent and op- posed to this work are right; then the noble preachers of the cross were the most egregious fools and the victims of their fanaticism. I t is to condemn the love and sacrifices whereby we ourselves are saved, for we were heathen. I t is to be out of sympathy with the true church of our own day, whose laws and leaders are evangelistic, and whose choicest spirits are evangelists. There is an answer for every objection and for every excuse: " G o y e . " " L o r d, there are heathen at h ome ," " G o ye into all the world and p r e a c h ." " B u t then perhaps the heathen may be saved with- out i t . " " G o . ' I t is too costly." " Go ." " I t is dangerous." " G o , " " g o , " " g o , " " g o . " The apostles were all foreign mission-
"TFollow
Cuke 9:59.
Rev. Louis Meyer. A Bible Study.
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." ' ' The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient in meekness, in- structing those that oppose themselves," Paul answers to our qeustion (2 Tim. 2:24, 25), and in another place (Eph. 4:1, 2), he admonishes us to walk, worthy of the vo- cation wherewith we*are called, " w i t h all lowliness and meekness.'' Peter again points to the Master who left us an ex- ample that we should follow in His steps in meekness and lowliness of heart. And James admonishes us to be " s l ow to speak, slow to w r a t h ," receiving with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save our souls. (James 1:19, 21.) (3) As again we ask our Lord, "Wh e re shall we follow t h e e ?" He smilingly an- swers, " I n your patience, possess ye your souls.;" (Luke 21:19). Centuries before He took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men, He spoke- similarly through His inspired prophet Jeremiah and said, " I t is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the- Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep si- lence, because he hath laid it upon him. Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him. For the Lord will not cast off forever. For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies." (Lament. 3:26-32). In con- firmation of the Saviour's own words, Paul admonishes us, " Y e have need of pa- t i e n c e" (Heb. 10:36), " L e t us run with patience the race that is set before u s " (Heb. 12:1), " B e patient in t r i b u l a t i o n" (Bom. 12':12) and " L e t us not be weary in well-doing ' (Gal. 6:9). (4) Once more we ask, " Lo r d, where shall we follow t h e e ?" and the answer reaches us in unmistakable tones, " I f Ye love Me, Keep My Commandments." (John 14:15). It is He who said to the people of the Old Testament that to obey is better than sacrifice, and who himself became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Does not John affirm the Savior's invitation to obedience when he
Not all whom Jesus invited to follow Him accepted the blessed invitation. Not all who walked with Jesus truly followed him. Let us study the answer of Jes.us and of His Apostles to our question,'' Lord, where shall we follow t h e e ?" (1) " I N THE WAY OF SELF-DENIAL AND SUFFERING, " is the first answer from the lips of the Master. " I f any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow m e . " Matt. 16:2'4. "Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come a f t er me, cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27. Peter confirms this when, in Peter 2:20-23 he says, " B u t if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; who, when he was re- viled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." Paul in 2 Tim. 3:12, gives the same answer to the question, ' ' Lord, where shall we fol- low t h e e ?" when he says " A l l that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer per- secution." And John, the beloved disciple, saw the end of the way of suffering and self-denial when he beheld the great mul- titude before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, and heard the elder say, " Th e se are they which came out of great tribulation." Bev. J-.9-17. • 2) " L E ABN OF ME, FOE I AM MEEK AND LOWLY I N H E A E T ," Matt. 11:29, answers God the Son, as again we ask him, " L o r d, where shall we follow t h e e ," and with that answer He points us to the way of meekness, lowliness, and humility. We hear Him say, " I have given you an ex- ample, that ye should do as I have done to y o u ," as He has washed the disciples' feet (John 13), and we remember the glo- rious truth that He " m a de himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a pian, he humbled himself, and became
in heaven is p e r f e c t ." (Matt. 5:44-48). If ye want to learn the full meaning of this answer " H a v e love one to another," " H a v e love to all me n ," and " L o ve your enemies," we must prayerfully and earn- estly study the wonderful " Charity-chap- t e r " (1 Cor. 13) remembering that the Greek word translated " c h a r i t y" in the King James version really means " l o v e . " Whosoever does not follow-the Master in the way of love to all men, is nothing. Thus the Saviour's gracious invitation, "Follow m e , " calls us to follow Him in the way of self-denial and suffering, of meekness and lowliness, of patience, of obedience, and of perfect love. To follow Him thus means to let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven. To follow Him thus means to be a partaker of the blessing of which David sang, "Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.'' ocean. Bombs and dynamite do their fear- f ul work. "Lynchings, North and. South, of inno- cent and guilty, are reported. Mobs gather at slightest provocation and defy the au- thorities. Kioters, young and old, desecrate the Sabbath. Peaceful excursionists are insulted in-our cities by young toughs and rowdies of both sexes. " T h e divorce courts are working over- time, and young women parade the streets in costumes that the chorus girls of the stage have made notorious, ridiculous and indecent. Chorus girls are on every street in flimsy, clinging garments, and the white slave traffic increases by leaps and bounds. "Legislative bodies are debauched by demagogues and rankest municipal corrup- tion is widespread. " T h e prosperity of the country is over- looked, while upstart ' uplifters' clamor t.o be heard, and climb for every office in sight., " T h e theaters are crowded, while the pews of the churches are empty, and re- ligion is at the lowest ebb. " Un d er what sign of the zodiac are we living? ^Drifting ?
writes, " T h is is love, that we walk after his commandments" (1 John 5:3)? (5) As we ask again, " Lo r d, where shall we follow Thee?", gently the Savior an- swers, " T h is is My commandment, that ye love one. another, as I have loved Yo u ." (John 15:12). Ah, let us remem- ber that He also said, " B y this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to a n o t h e r ," (John 13:35). But let us also remember that He likewise commanded us to love our enemies; " L o ve your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For if ye love them which love you, what re- ward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye there- fore perfect, even as your Father which is [From Signs of the Times:] A heading in a San Francisco paper of September 4 reads: "Police aghast at Epidemic of Crime. Murderous thugs shoot victim who resists attempt to hold him up in hotel. Pedestrians are victims. Out of ten crimes reported to the police, three arrests only appear on records." And then the article declares that there is an unusual number of holdups and rob- beries occurring in San Francisco. And such is about the news that comes from all parts of the country. In Leslie's Illustrated Weekly of Au- gust 24 is the following striking editorial, the perusal of which we commend, to/our readers as a fulfillment of what is- stated over and over in God's Word, that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse: " WHAT IS THE MATTER ?" " T h e world 'seems to be upset. Agita- tion, unrest, and distrust prevail. King- doms are being uprooted, monarchies un- dermined, while rankest soicalism seeks its day. ' ' Gr e at labor disturbances with loss of life are chronicled on both sides of the Wl)itl)er arc
God does reign, and God will make the wrath of men to praise Him. But this old world, in the meaning of its present ar- rangement, will not, nor can it, survive under present conditions. It will survive only when created anew by the power of God. Those who see the portent of our times may well appreciate the. feelings of the prophet of old. As he felt, so may we: " I heard and my body trembled^ my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entereth into my bones, and I tremble in my place; because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of the people that in- vadeth u s . " (Hab. 3:16). [It is not in heathendom that this dread progress in crime and immorality is con- spicuous. It is in "Ch r i s t e n d om ." It is an apostasy. It is chiefly due to the re- vised theology; that gospel which is " a n - other gospel" and no gospel; which ig- nores man's juridical, or law, status before What then must sin be? in the sight of God! Consider sin in ord inary Christians. See all. there is in the heart of such a Christian, who may, how- ever, be sincere; see all there is of latent sin, of hidden corruption, of secret infec- tion, which, if the heart were suddenly laid open before us, would inspire us with dreadful horror, provided we were capable of feeling the horror of sin; that is to say if we were capable of feeling all the holiness of the law of God, and all the holiness this law requires. And then con- sider sin in men of the world, who are plunged in sin; whomever since they came into the world have drank it in like water; who breathe it like air; who are inwardly composed of sin; whose minds are so completely enveloped in sin, that no ray of vivifying, sanctifying light has ever crossed them. What an abyss, what a sepulchre, what a sight for the eyes of God, are men, thousands, millions of men, spread over the whole world, in whom nothing is to be found but this frightful , sin. of which they have at the most but a
GOD, the awful and almighty JU DGT3 of heaven and earth; which preaches a mere moral and sentimental relationship to JE- HOVAH, and denies the fact that man has offended the majestic Personality whose righteous will is the eternal law of the universe, to be maintained though the heavens fall. Men have forgotten the sig- *. nificance of "ought." They have forgot- ' ten that sin ought to be punished, and that what ought to be will be; that indiffer- ence to, and defiance of the Righteous One cannot go on with impunity; The fearful result is the "conscience seared as with a hot i r o n ," branded by Satan, who has " t h e c i n c h" on his own. And this is wit- nessed by the mad rush after pleasure of every description by men and women, by young and old, and in vicious and crim- inal self indulgence and insane revenge. There is no remedy but a return to the old proclamation of a Just God to hell doomed sinners in the doctrin es of the Cross, which proclaim the curse of sin, and the grace of salvation. J. H. S.l to them by God, to beseech them t o ' t u r n- to Him, but who still remain in this dread- ful abominable state before Him! Sin in the best Christians, sin in the Church, sin in the world—O my friends, what misery! What sin! This is what Jesus Christ saw when He came down from heaven to save us. We did not know it, but He felt it for us and this is what gave Him strength to bear the anguish of the cross, the sufferings of Gethsemane, the combat in the desert, and all the humiliation that preceded it, and which, as it were, formed His whole life. And now the sufferings that He endured for us must become our standard of. the enormity of sin in His sight, and the depth of the abyss from which He drew us. Not one of us has any idea—no, my friends, not one of us has any idea—of what sin is. Not one of us knows what sin is, be- cause not one of us knows fully the Saviour, or His sufferings, or His love. Let us be assured that we can learn this o n l 7 in the Scriptures. Our own pergonal
Sin.
By Adolphe Monod. How horrible vague feeling, which now and then is sent
meditations can never reveal to 11s what sin is; and here I particularly feel the necessity and the reality of the inspira- tion and Divine authority of the Scrip- tures, because we should never have learned to know what sin is, unless we learned it from an obedience to an out- ward authority superior to us, independ- ent of our secret feelings, upon which we ought certainly to meditate with study and fervent prayers. But enlightened truth comes from above, is given by the Spirit of God, speaking with authority of God Himself; for we must begin by believing the horror that sin ought to inspire, before we are capable of feeling it. Well, my friends, let us cast ourselves into the Saviour's arms. Shall the suffer- ings and sorrows of this world keep us back? Can we find time to consider them when the salvation of our souls is in ques- tion? Let us go to Jesus with a feeling or profound humiliation, but with unlim- ited confidence in Him, who has suffered all and accomplished all for us. Oh, what ineffable sweetness to be able to repose in peace at the foot of the crass! I begin to understand the extent of my misery; but I embrace my Savior's cross. All I want is His grace, His righteousness alone, with- out any mixture of my works. My works! they could only condemn me; but, ran- somed by Him, washed in His blood, who has made atonement for my sins, I lay hold of His cross, and rest in the sacri- fice of my Savior alone. We have often heard men and women—j mostly women—say that they have been healed of divers diseases while reading "Science and Health and Key to Scrip- t u r e . " One man declares—and he is one of the " S c i e n c e" leaders in Boston—that he was healed of a dangerous disease while listening to Mrs. Eddy lecture, ¿ u t, re- cently, in New York City, Mr. W. D. Par- h.an, whose mother was once a reader in the " F i r st Church of Christ, Scientist" and who is still a promoter of that cult, died with one thumb holding open a copy of this magic book, and with a portrait of Mr» And then let us speak of the Savior to those who know Him not. With such a disease, which differs from all other dis- eases in that it is the only real evil, and the root of all others, and with such a remedy in our hands, which differs from those of the earth, in that it alone is sure and infallible, can we pass through life and the world, associating with our fam- ilies, our neighbors, our friends, without speaking to them of sin and of Jesus Christ, who is their Savior .and ours? Let us lay hold of the cross, and proclaim the cross. Let us die in embracing it, let us die in proclaiming it, and our death will be the commencement of life, and God will be glorified in our body whether it be by life or by death, and especially by the blood and by the redemption of the Lamb of God. " S i n let loose, means punishment at hand.' —Cowper. ' ' Man-like is it to fall into sin, Fiend-like is it to dwell therein; Christ-like is it for sin to grieve, God-like is it all sin to l e a v e ." Longfellow. that the late Pope Leo died with a portrait of a woman before his eyes—a woman whom he had chosen as a patron saint. What is the difference, at bottom, between the Pope and this young man? In both cases, God was set aside, the work of Christ was dishonored and a modern form of ancient paganism was substituted in their stead. The young" man repeatedly refused medical assistance and the mother left him alone while she was luxuriating in California—and why not? There is " n o sin, sickness or d e a t h "—to her, the boy was well. What can one say? Has the strong delusion come, so that men be- lieve a lie? Rome and Rule. While Protestants are asleep, the Roman A Page from "Watchword and Truth." items that pass the censorship of Roman experts. The " N e w York Observer," that fearless defender of the truth of God, says in its issue of Sept. 12th: " T h e Roman Catholic Church is the same despotism today that it was in the Middle Ages. There are some people who delude themselves with the idea that they can reform Rome. The Romish Church maiy be overturned, but it cannot be re- formed. This is not to say that there are not good people who are Roman Catholics, just as there are good Greek Catholics and Armenian Gregorians; but the Romish sys- tem is wrong, positively wicked. I t is a tyranny from first to last, and, so far from representing Jesus Christ, the Pope usurps His rightful place. hierarchy are ceaselessly planning for the dominion of the world. Having lost con- trol in Europe, where its fruit is infidelity, superstition, socialism and anarchy, it now seeks the reins of power in America. Long ago they managed to have all histories that told the naked facts about Roman persecutions eliminated from our Public Schools. They already have the most of the daily papers under control. But they have recently formed an organization to supersede " T h e Associated P r e s s" to gather and distribute the news of the world. Tney have prevailed upon some of the great daily papers to dismiss the As- sociated Press and to accept the " c o o k e d" tëive ^our T i f e to (Bob. James H. McConkey 'I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice."—Rom. 12: 1. " B y the mercies of God." What does that mean? I t is like this. One evening you are walking quietly home from your place of business. Suddenly the fire alarm rings out; your heart leaps with fear as the thought of home and loved ones flashes upon you. As you near home your worst fears are realized; your house is in flames. You rush thither and find that wife and the children have been saved, except one little one who is in the building. The next instant a brave fire- man hurries past and dashing into the burning house, finds his way to the little one, carries her out through the flames and smoke, and puts her in your arms— safe. Weeks go by, and then one day this same brave man comgs to you and showing his hands, says, "Behold my love and mercies to you.. See these burned and blistered hands; see this scarred face, and these scorched feet. I am in need. 1 . Chesterfield dining with Yoltair and some of his infidel friends, was asked by Madame C.: " I hear that five hundred or six hundred of the brightest men in the English parliament are Christians?" "Ye s, ma d ame ," he admitted. " W h y do beseech you, by my mercies to your child that you help m e . " There is nothing in the world you would not give to that man, even unto the half of your kingdom. Even so, Jesus Christ, our loving Lord, stands here tonight. He stretches forth His hands, pierced with cruel nails for you and me. He points to the wound in His side, made by the blood-thirsty spear. He shows you the scars on His forehead, made by the crown of thorns. He says, " M y child, behold My mercies to you. I saved you from the guilt of sin; I brought you from death unto life; I gave you the Spirit of God. Some day I will glorify jj your body and will make you to sit down with Me on My throne. My child, by My mercies, I beseech you.'? You say, " L o r d, what do you want from m e ? " He answers, " I want yourself. I want you for My kingdom, and My service. 1 beseech you, by My mercies to you, give your life to Me . " they tolerate so great an absurdity as the Christian religion?" said she. " I suppose,"; Teplied Chesterfield, " b e c a u se they ,have not been able to substitute any- thing better in its stead. When they are able I do not doubt that they readily w i l l ," flotes b? tye ì & a y . J. H. Sammis Unitarian Washington, Oct. 26.—A vig- Testimony. orous attack on Christian Sci- ence was made at the annual conference of Unitarian churches to- day. Rev. George R. Dodson of St. Louis characterized it as " a menace to the country and to national l i f e ," and a ' ' fanaticism.'' i Dr. Stalker, author of a " L i f e of Jesus, of Christ," and a " L i f e of P a u l ," has a current article on "Wh at Did Jesus Mean by Calling Himself a K i n g ?" He reasons t h at Jesus limited His claims to kingship to calling a people, legislating for them (in the spiritual realm) judgment (but in spiritual matters and the final judgment only), and suffer- ing for them. He adds, " B u t the provi- dence by which His life was controlled carried Him past the Messiahship at which He aimed, in order to bestow on Him a f ar more comprehensive kingship; He missed the throne of the Jews in or- der that He might win the throne of the universe; even for Him this was a mys- tery till it was made clear by the e v e n t ( ! ) ." Jesus. 3NTot scholarship but Scripture is Shall our Bible. We believe "A ll that Reign. Moses and the prophets did wr i t e ," Luke 24:25. If they . wrote anything they wrote this: -A son of David shall reign on the throne of David over the house of Jacob in the land of David and under the whole heav- ens and of His kingdom there shall -be no end (Psa. 89:34-37; Esk. 37:21-25; Luke 1:30-33; Acts 15:15-18; Dan. 7:27; Rev. 5:8-10), The Jews rejected this kingship of scholarship; this scholarship rejects that kingship of the Jews; and God will confound both Jewry and Christendom and yet set His king on His holy hill Zion (Psa. 2:6, 10-12). Let both be wise and kiss the Son lest He be angry. King Dispensational The critical difficulty with Exposition. our " scholars" is" that pride of intellect which refuses to give due credit to the super- natural in the structure of Holy Scripture. The Divine scheme of dispensational dis- tinctions they ignore. : But no scholarship is competent to expound God's Word that is blind to those distinctions. Dr. Stalk- er's spiritual kingship belongs, indeed, to this age, but the kingship of the prophets shall also be realized in the millennial" age. Tyndale said that he "Hoped to see the day when the ploughboy should know more of the Bible than the Pope himself.'' The Bible Institute, by the aid of sound and believing scholarship, can help its stu- dents to a better knowledge of the Bible than the " s c h o l a r s" can, or have. And they shall escape the blasphemy of charg- ing the Lord to whom all His works are known from the beginning of the world, Acts 15:18, with "missing the Messiah-' ship at which He aimed." God help us. Eddyism The progeny of the father of and lies bear a striking family like- Papacy. ness. Comparing Eddyism and the Papacy we find that both: Build on borrowed falsehoods. The Pap- acy on " t h e false decretals" of the pseu- do-Isadore; Eddyism on the false phil- osophy of Dr. Quimby. Confess an infallible head, the one a pope (i. e. papa, father), the other a popess, " M o t h e r " Eddy; Enthrone the Bible by profession, but dethrone it in practice; Piously profess to interpret it, but im- piously misinterpret it; Disparage private interpretation, the one by referring to the priest, the other to "Science and Health with Key to the S c r i p t u r e ;" Pretend to a divine inspiration, which, however, conflicts with divine inspiration in the Bible; Use the symbol of the Cross, but substi- tute works for its grace; Pretend to work miracles of healing, most of which are pure invention, many are puerile trivialities, and the residuum are doubtless due to mental suggestion; Are indifferent with respect to any change of heart, or inherent disposition, in the experience of their converts. Forbid their votaries to read or hear dis- cussion antagonistic to their teaching; Hold that ignorance is the safeguard of their system; Condemn marriage as sensual, and in- compatible with the purest sanctity; Deny when expedient what they affirm on occasion; Borrow from paganism the one its rites and many symbols, the other its Buddhis- tic pantheism; Seek to subsidize press, school, and poli- tics, with ominous success; Have a covetous greed for g r a ft and power; Include many good and well meaning Christian, but deceived people. There is a wide difference between Roman Catho- lics as individuals and the Papacy as an institution. ìèiblc Briefs» 3 . H . S a m r n i s . WHAT MUST BE. If we would see the Kingdom of God, We must be born again, Jno. 3:3. If we would be saved, We must" believe on Christ, Ac. 16:30, 31. If we would pray to God, We must believe He is, Heb. 11:6. If we would be accepted, We must worship sincerely, Jno. 4:24. If we would hold fast the faith, We must through much tribulation, Acts. 14:22. If we would be tried and true, There must be heresies, I Cor. 11:9. If we would be faithful, remember, That we must appear at Christ's tri- bunal, 2 Cor. 5:10. THE LORD'S SECOND COMING. I T I S: The first Scripture promise: Gen. 3:15; Bev. 20:1-3. The .last Scripture promise: Bev. 22:20. The main Scripture theme: Luke 24: 25, 26. The great absurdity of unbelief: I I Pet. 3:3, 4; Luke 18:8. Visible, Rev. 1:7; Mat. 26:64. Physical, Ac. 1:11; Phil. 3:20, 21. Conspicuous, Mat. 24:27; 2 Thes. 4:16. Localized, Zee. 14:4; Isa. 24:23. Sudden, Mat. 24:44; 25:26. Triumphant, Bev. 19:11-16; Isa. 63:1. Redemptive, Isa. 35:4-10; 59:20; II. Thes. 1:4-10. Judicial, I Cor. 4:5; I I Cor. 5:10; Mat. 25:31. II. Men's Attitude Toward It. They desired to hear it, 13:7; gathered to hear it, 13:44; heard it, 10:44; received it, 2:41; believed it, 4:4; searched it, 17:11; quoted it, .2:25; testified to it, 8:25; preached it, 8:4; taught it, 18:11; prayed about it, 4:29; commended it, 20:32; sent it, 13:26; ministered it, 6:4; published it abroad, 13:49; glorified it, 13:48; and boldly, 4:31. III. The Acts of the Word. I t increased, 6:7; it grew, 12:24; it mul- tiplied, 12:24; it prevailed, 19:20; it came to pass, 1:16; it pricked the heart, 2:27; it cut the heart, 7:54; it proved Christ, 18:28; it induced faith, 17:11, 12; it built, endowed, sanctified, 20:32. THE HAND OF GOD. God has no bodily parts. He is Spirit (Jno. 4:24). References to His hands, feet, eyes, etc., are called "anthropomor- phisms," or man-likenesses. If He were a body He would be limited in space. ' ' The arm of the Lo r d " is a figurative expression. ' 'Underneath are the everlast- ing arms" (Deut. 33:27), cannot mean that God has literal arms in which He em- braces the countless millions of His saints! What a monstrosity the thought is I The hand is the symbol of power. "Y a d ," hand, is translated power in eleven places of the A. V., and might so be in scores more. I t means that God without hands can do all that hands can do, and more. "Shall not He that made the hand the hands handle?" (Psa. 94:9). God's hand is— Strong, Psa. 89:13; I. Pet. 5:6. Creative, . Moulds soul and body, Isa. 64:8; Bom. 9:19, 20. Holds life and breath in it, Job 12:10; Dan. 5:23. Disposes, our fortunes, Psa. 31:15; Eph. 2:10; Ac. 17:25, 26. The only palmistry is the study of that Hand. Skillful, Psa. 19:1; Isa. 45:12; Psa.. 8:3. Far reaching, To the heights, Amos 9:2. Millennial, Bev. 2'0:4. Final. I Thes. 4:17. THE WORD IN THE ACTS. I. Names of the Word. " T h e Wo r d ," 4:4; " T h y Wo r d ," 4:29; ' ' The W a y , " 2 0 : 9 ; . " The Scriptures,'' 8:35; " T h e Counsel of Go d ," 20:27; " T h e Word of Go d ," 4:31; " T h e Word of Sal- v a t i o n ," 13:26; " T h e Word of the Gos- p e l , " 15:7; " T h e Word of the L o r d ," 8:25; " T h e Word of His G r a c e ," 14:13; " T h e Word of the Lord J e s u s ," 19:10; " T h e Worcl of L i f e , " 5:20, Helping, Psa. 119:173; protecting,' To the depths, Ibid. To the extremities, Psa. 139:9, 10, Terrible, I t has a destructive sweep, Isa. 25:11. I t holds a dreadful cup, Psa. 75:8. I t writes the sinner's doom, Dan. 5:5, 6. I t blights the health and strength, Job 19:21; Zee. 2:13. Good, Redeeming, Ex. 6:6; Deut. 4:34; Ac. 7:25. Supporting, Psa. 37:34; guiding, Psa. 139:10. Dear Brother Horton: Our United Evangelistic Mission in Dublin began September 3rd. The com- mittee had provided a huge rink seating something over 5000 people. This was about twice the size of the hall t h at we had during our previous mission seven years ago. It was thought by many a bold thing to take so large a hall in a city where 80 per cent of the population were Roman Catholics, but the result abund- antly justified the committee. On some occasions the hall was hardly large enough to accommodate the throngs t h at came, many going away. People were amazed at the enormous throngs. It was said that at no meeting, political or re- ligious, for years had such crowds Been seen in Dublin; not since Mr. Moody's first mission there. A very large number of Roman Catholics were in attendance nightly, many of these went into the in- quiry room and definitely accepted Christ. Of the first 54 persons who professed to accept Christ 10 were Roman Catholics. Many of these were very bright converts. Three meetings were held daily on week days, at 1:30 for business and professional men; at 3:30 a Bible reading, and at 8 at night an evangelistic service. These meetings were preceded by a half hour's song service. We had an unusually good choir of about 500 voices under Mr. Ma c Ewa n 's efficient leadership. They took up the songs with great enthusiasm, the favorite one being, " A l l Hail Imman- u e l . " Mr. MacEwan turned the whole audience into a choir and such a volume of music arose from that great multitude as one rarely hears. The papers were full of favorable comments upon the solo work of Mr. MacEwan as well as his leading. Clergymen and others flocked into Dublin Bristol, England, Sept. 27, 1911. ' Jno. 10:29. Sheltering, Isa. 49:2; healing, Ac. 4:30. Inviting, Isa. 65:2; wounded, Zee. 13:6; Luke 24:29. Radiant, Hab. 3:4 (read " r a y s , " not " h o r n s . " See Rev. 1:15). Faithful, Isa. 49:16; never shortened, Isa. 59:1. Upon us, Ezra 7:9; full of good, Psa. 104:28. And will "receive my soul at last," Psa. 31:5. f r om different parts of Ireland, and it is -hoped they will carry the fire back to their own cities. We could give but three weeks to t he mission. If we could have gone on another week even more remark- able results would doubtless have been seen. As it was there were between 1300 and 1400 people who made a publie confession of accepting Christ and who were recorded and referred to the differ- ent (¿hurches. Besides these there were many others who did not come forward in the public meetings and were therefore not recorded. We held two children's meetings t h at were largely attended and a great many children professed to accept Christ. The workers who dealt with them personally said they seemed very intelligent in what they were doing, and as we met so many who were converted as children when we were in Dublin before seven years ago who are now young men and women ac- tively engaged in Christian work, we are hoping great things from these children. Men would meet me on the streets, in the hotels and elsewhere and tell me how they were converted at our previous missions in Dublin, seven years ago. Some of these Had been in the deepest depths of sin previous to their conversion. Many were now prominently engaged in Christian work, a number of them clergy- men. The second day of the mission four different men in Dublin received letters from the Bishop of Bendigo, Australia, urging them to send out more men for his work, and specifying that, if possible, they be of the type of two men sent out before. These two young men with a third brother were converted on the same day during our mission in Dublin in 1904. The third brother is now connected with the Dublin Medical Mission. Sincerely yours, R. A. TORREY. - C o r r e s p o n d e n c e . WORD FROM DOCTOR TORREY. ì&rief Ol)0U3l)ts for ÎÔus? Oeacfyers Tfitteritational Sunòa? School T e s s o ns b? "X1ft. Sammis. Lesson X.—Dec. 3. Work and Warfare. r* Neh. 2: I. RESPONSE TO NEHEMIAH'S PRAYER. (1) The king's favor. (2) The king's fur- lough. (3) The king's firman. Artaxerxes was friendly to his wishes; gave him a long leave of absence; and issued a command- ment to his governors to lend such assist- ance as Nehemiah might need, for the re- construction of the defenses of Jerusalem. When a man goes God's way everything comes his way. (Rom. 8:28.) II. NEHEMIAH GOES TO JUDEA. 1. His guard. A military force was de- tailed to attend him. Ezra would not ask one; for special reasons (8:22). Faith and fanaticism are often confounded. Ordinarily we should, committing our cause to God in prayer, use such means as prudence and ex- perience. suggest, and opportunity affords. To reject the common means of supply, protection, healing, etc., is presumption like that of leaping from the pinnacle of the temple (Mat. 4:7), because it is promised "He shall give His angels charge over thee" (Psa. 91:11). That is fanaticism not faith. We should descend by the staircase and trust the promise. It is the greater faith that keeps the eye on God through means rather than through miracles. 2. His progress. The Persian empire was of vast extent, divided by the Euphrates. "Beyond the river," as he went N., the king's commissioner, delivered his majesty's mandates. The envious governors were "grieved exceedingly when they learned his business. Satan always stirs up his servants to opposition, and it grieves them if there "come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel" (2:10). We need a Nehemiah. Los Angeles is looking for "Gypsey Smith." We may expect "San- ballat the Horonite, and Toblah the Ser- vant, the Ammonite," to be "grieved ex- ceedingly" tha't a man should "come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel" and we should begin already to nullify their opposition by resorting to Nehemiah's con- stant refuge,—prayer (1:3; 2:4; 4:4; 4:9; 6:9, 14). 3. His Arrival. God brought him safely through to his journey's end. For three days' he kept his counsel, being as cautious as he was courageous. • Two very high qualities, essential to greatness and success. "Abe Martin" has just said, "The feller that rushes in soon crawls out." N. did neither. I suppose (1) that "the wise man's eyes were in his . head" (Ecc. 2:14), observing the situation; the men he. had to deal with, the .obstacles to be overcome; (2) that he was meditating ways and means,, above, all (3) that he spent much of t h at time in prayer to "the Father of lights" asking "wisdom" ,(Jas. 1:5, 17). 4. His inspection of the ruins. With a few comrades he made in secret a ~ Circuit of the city by night. He found the walls in utter ruin; so that his horse could find no footing among the heaps of stones 14—4:23. M and rubbish. Being now thoroughly fa- miliar with the conditions, he was ready to call the principals together and propose his plans. III. NEHEMIAH'S CONFERENCE. 1. What Nehemiah said, (a) "Ye see the distress we are In," etc. Some 80 years be- fore the exiles had returned and built the temple, dedicating it wfth great enthusi- asm (Ezra 3:10-13). They- soon lapsed again into indifference, and when Ezra arrived 20 years later he found a sad condition of things spiritually and materially. Nehe- miah 57 years later finds a worse state than ever. Such is the record of the flesh from the beginning, and will be till Jesus comes. Such it has been with Israel from the Exodus, through the Wilderness, the times of the Judges, and the Kingdom. They were not the better for the captivity. So it is, too, with the Church; backslid- ing and revival alternating to the end. And so it is with the nominal Christian. Priests, and nobles were plenty at Jerusa- lem, yet "there was no man" (Isa. 59:16), till the Lord put it into the heart of Nehe- miah. "God give us men." Teacher, hold up these men, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, to your boys; and ask God to hold you up, and your church up. For we are "in distress." The walls are broken; there is much "rub- bish"; and much "reproach." The defenses of the church, and the soul, are the Bible, sound doctrine, faith, prayer, and consistent character and living. The Bible is robbed of its authority, doctrine is neglected, worse, it is perverted; faith, how weak; prayer, how little (real) ; consistency, not many souls ' are consistent^ and no churches. "San- ballat the Horonite, Toblah the Servant, Geshem the Arabian," laugh at us, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, have us at a disadvantage. Nehemiah told them "of the good hand of his God." And "also the king's words." First he encouraged them in God, then in earthly circumstances favor- able to their enterprise. 2. What they said, "Let us rise up and build." See what a change one man can make in his fellows. Full of information, full of prayer, of faith and hope, and zeal, he poured it into the hearts of others; he filled them, and was the fuller for it. Be a leader, if it is in a good 'cause. God's cause. "So thev strengthened their hands for the good work." "Laughed at" and "despised us." "He laughs best who laughs last," and who labors with God shall laugh with Him (Psa. 37:13). Thev that despise us shall be despised, as these enemies of the Jews are now and always will be. So it has ever been with them who despised good men and their good words and work. 2. What they said. "What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the King?" A very dangerous suggestion. Could they IV. NEHEMIAH'S FOES. 1. What they did. -ir, I
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