VOL. IV
DECEMBER, 1913
NO. 12
FIFTY CENTS A YEAR
MOTTO: “I the Lord dö keep it. I w ill water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.”—Is. 27:3 THE KING’S BUSINESS R. A. TORREY, Editor J. H. SAMMIS, T. C. HORTON, J. H. HUNTER, Associate Editors Entered as Second-Class matter November 17, 1910, at thè postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Organ of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles [Inc.] Auditorium Building, Cor. Fifth and Olive, Los Angeles, California.
DIRECTORS.
Lyman Stewart, President. T. C. Horton,Superintendent.
Rev. A. B. Prichard, Vice-President.
J. M. Irvine, Secretary-Treasurer.
R. A. Torrey, Dean Giles Kellogg. Robert Watchorn. William Thom.
H. A. Getz. E. A. K. Hackett. S. I. Merrill.
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 Deity of the Christ. The Maintenance of Gobd Works. The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Soul. The Resurrection of the Body.
The Personality of the Holy Ghost. The ;■ Supernatural and Plenary au thority of the Holy Scriptures. The Unity in Diversity of the Church, which is the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Necessity of the New, Birth.
The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan.
OUR WORK.
(4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the Hebrews. (7) Bible Women. ,House-to-house and neighborhood classés. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and dis tribution of selected books and tracts.
PlirDOSe T^e Institute trains, free of ** cost, -accredited ■men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. Departments cept Saturdays and Sundays. (2) Extension work. Classes and con ferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists.
King’s Business Vol. 4 DECEMBER, 1913 No. 12 The Table of Contents. Editorials: Prayer the Need of the Hour—The Week of Prayer ................................................................................... 555 The Week of Prayer Topics: Suggested by the World’s Evangelical Alliance ................................................ 556 “The Power of Prayer” (Poem). By Archbishop Trench 558 The Christian Life—Its Purpose and Privileges. By Prof. W. H. Griffith Thomas, D.D............................................ 559 “The Word Became Flesh’’ (Poem) ................................ 564 The Fundamental Principles of Christianity in the Light of Modern Thinking. By John Maclnnis, B.D............ 565 “The God-Man” (Poem) By Robert Browning.............. 567 True Stories of Conversion. By an Irish Clergyman.......... 568 A Letter from China. By Helen E. S m ith ........ .............. 570 The Enduring Word. By Dr. Bettex..................................... 571 Studies in the Gospel According to John (continued). By R. A. T o r r e y ............... ............................................... 572 The International Sunday School Lessons. By J. H. S . . . 579 The Heart of the Lesson. By T. C. Horton ..................... 587 “ Hold Up Your Hand for Jesus” (Poem). By J. P. Hutchinson........................................................................... 589 Junior Endeavor Topics. By J. K. H. S. .......................... 590 At Home and Abroad............................................................. 592 Hints and Helps ....................................................................... 596 Questions and Answers. By R. A. Torrey.......................... 600 Bible Institute of Los A ngeles................... ........................... • 601 SUBSCRIPTION RATES . . . FIFTY CENTS A YEAR Published by the Bible In s t itu te of Los A nge le s Auditorium Building, Cor. Fifth & Olive Sts.
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The King’s Business
Voi. 4
DECEMBER, 1913
No. 12
Prayer the Need of the Hour T HERE seems to be an increasing feeling in the hearts of many of the children of God in all lands that the great need of the hour is PRAYER. It is felt that for years we have been laying too much emphasis on organization and advertising and effort in the energy of the flesh. There has been great activity but little result. This has been true both in the regular church work and in special evangelistic efforts. Organizations have been multiplied until many earnest Christians have become so entangled in the multiplicity of organizations that they have had little time for personal com munion with God either in the study of His Word or in prayer. The demands of this committee and that, and this organization and that, have been so numer ous and so insistent that oftentimes our most earnest men and women seem to have but little time for anything except to rush from committee to committee and from meeting to meeting. The results, of course, have ndt been at all com mensurate with the efforts out forth. We have boasted about the superiority of our methods over those of olden times but are they so superior? Is the new method of evangelism producing the definite results in the way of deep con viction of sin and thorough-going conversion to God that the method of, say for example, Charles G. Finney did ? With him the constant emphasis, as far as human agency was concerned, was uoon prayer. He reached men as almost no other evangelist has ever reached men, and men of the highest intellectual type, a very large share of his converts were among lawyers and judges and men of that stamo. We need to oray more as individual Christians; we need to pray more as ministers; we need to pray more as churches. The Week of Prayer T HIS number of T he K ing ’ s B usiness will get into the hands of our readers early in December. It is none too early to prepare for the Week of Prayer. One of the most discouraging signs of the times is the way in which the observance of the Week of Prayer has dropped out in many of our churches. It ought to be observed in everv church. The subjects sug gested by the World’s Evangelical Alliance ought to be follow'ed (see pages 556-81. not the subjects put forth by the Committee in America. The World’s Evangelical Alliance really covers the world. Its subjects are wisely chosen and cover the whole field of Christian activity at home and abroad. There is tremendous power when the whole church is praying along the same line at the same time, the church not only in America but the church in Eng land, Germany, India, China, Japan, Africa, the whole world. The old-fashioned wav of following up the Week of Prayer with special evangelistic efforts was productive of immeasurable good. It is to be hoped that many churches will follow the old-fashioned way this year.
World’s Evangelical Alliance Topics suggested for Universal and United Prayer SUNDAY, JANUARY 4th to SATURDAY, JANUARY. 10th, 1914 SUNDAY, JANUARY 4th, 1914. T exts for S ermons or A ddresses . “That they all may be one.” —John 17:21. “Perfectly joined together .”— 1 Cor. 1 :10. “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you .”— Acts 1 :8. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel.” —Mark 16:15. “The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord .”— Rev. 11:15. MONDAY, JANUARY 5th, 1914. T hanksgiving and H umiliation . T hanksgiving — That the Lord reigneth, and that “of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” That there is still set before us an open door for the Gospel. That Christianity is increasingly acknowledged to be the greatest benefi cent, moral and spiritual religious power in the world. H umiliation — On account of the prevalence of an un-Christian standard in the discussion of questions affecting the moral bases of Society. On account of the continued failure of Christendom to provide adequate means and agents for the work of the Lord. On account of the prevailing desecration of the Lord’s Day. S cripture R eadings : 2 Sam. 7:18-29; Ps. 96; 2 Tim. 3; Rev. 3:7-22, TUESDAY, JANUARY 6th, 1914. T he C hurch U niversal —T he “O ne B ody ” of W hich C hrist is the H ead . H umiliation — On account of our continued lack of unity and co-operation. P rayer —That as the Church is the “One Body” of Christ it may be one in spirit, and may be operative in the world as one. That as our great bond of Unity is the one Lord, the Faith of Christ, as “once delivered to the saints,” may be held in all its fulness. That throughout the Churches there may be a return to the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, as “given by inspiration of God,” and that the Holy Scriptures may be honored and accepted. That the pure Faith of the Gospel may drive away the errors and super- stititions of the unreformed Churches. That all Christians may recognize the obligation of consecrating them selves and their wealth to the service of God. S cripture R eadings : Eph. 1:15-23; Eph. 3:10-21; 1 Cor. 2:1-5; Col 1:18-24; 2 John. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7th, 1914. N ations and T heir R ulers . ., , T hanks —Be. to God for the continuance of the strenuous efforts to suppress the Opium traffic, and for the measure of success which is attending these efforts. For the awakening of the Churches to the perils of immorality.
KING'S BUSINESS 557 H umiliation —On account of the prevalence of international jealousies and suspicions. P rayer —For a righteous and lasting World Peace. That all Kings, Presidents, Parliaments and Legislators may reign and rule in subjection to the supreme will and rule of the King of Kings. That un-Christian social conditions may be removed, and that we may learn to bear one another’s burdens. For all public servants, Soldiers, Sailors, Policemen, Postmen, Railway- men, etc. S cripture R eadings : 1 Tim. 2:1-8; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Ps. 24; Ps. 138. THURSDAY, JANUARY 8th, 1914. M issions . P rayer —For a due sense of Christian responsibility in the treatment of subject races. For blessing on all Missionary agencies, Evangelistic, Medical, Educational and Industrial. For a return to first works in Missionary enterprise, the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. For a simpler faith in God’s Redemption and Salvation, through the power of the Holy Ghost, as this sinful world’s great need and hope. That the Churches in heathen lands may be kept faithful to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. For a large increase of Native agents, both for the Pastoral and Evangelis tic work of Native Churches in heathen lands, and also as invaluable • and indispensable colleagues and fellow-workers in the Mission work of the Western Churches. That mass movements in India may be guided into right channels. That the willingness of the Chinese people to hear the Gospel may be met by increased Missionary activity. That the Moslem menace may be overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. S cripture R eadings : Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 4:31-37; Gal. 1:6-11; Rom. 10:11-15; 2 Thess. 3:1-5. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9th, 1914. F amilies , E ducational E stablishments and the Y oung . P raise —That there is a keener interest in Christian Missions among young people. P rayer — For Parents, that they may themselves know what is meant by “the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” so that the training and bringing up of their children may be effective and fruitful in the Lord. For increasing recognition of the obligation of daily Family Worship. For all those engaged in practical Educational work. That in Education, the fear of the Lord may be universally recognized to be the beginning of wisdom. For all Sunday School Superintendents and Teachers, and agencies seek ing the early conversion of the young. For Bible School and Bible Class Leaders, and for all who work for the spiritual and physical welfare of young men and young women. S cripture R eadings : P s . 103:17, 119:9-11, and 130; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Joshua 1 :l-9 and 24:15; Prov. 1 :7-9 and 15 :33.
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S orrow —That the veil is still on the mind and conscience of the Jews. That Christianity is still so little in possession of our great cities and cen tres of population and life. P rayer —For the Jews ; that the veil may be removed from the Nation, and that they may see Jesus as the Christ. That God may soon fulfil His promises to them, and abundantly bless all efforts for their conversion. For more of the power of the Holy Ghost to accompany all special evan gelistic and social work in the cities, towns, villages and homes of Christendom. S crieture R eadings : Zech. 12:9-10; Rom. 11:1-15; Ps. 2 and 67:2; N. B.—In addition to audible prayer, it is recommended that the daily Topics be made the subjects of ten minutes guided and silent intercession at united meetings. It is also asked that the Topics may be utilised at Family Worship, and in private devotions. Isa. 60:1-3.
“The Power of
By ARCHBISHOP TRENCH
Lord, what a change within us one short hour Spent in Thy presence will prevail to make! What heavy burdens from our bosoms take, What parched grounds refresh, as with a shower! We kneel and all around us seems to lower. We rise, and all, the distant and the near, Stands out in sunny outline brave and clear; We kneel, how weak!—we rise, how full of power! Why, therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others, that we are not always strong, That we are ever overborne with care, That we should ever weak or heartless be, Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, And joy, and strength, and courage are with thee?
The Christian Life—Its Purpose and Privileges* By Rev. Professor W. H. GRIFFITH THOMAS, D.D. T HERE are two books of holiness in the New Testament, Ephesi ans and First John, one cor
chapter 1 :3, “That ye may have fel lowship with us; and truly our fel lowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” There is noth ing beyond fellowship. The Christian life starts with sonship; goes on to worship; it leads on to stewardship, but it finds its culminating point in fellowship. So this Epistle at once becomes the test of our Christian life. W HA T IS T H E L IF E OE EELLOW SH IP ? During these studies in the First Epistle of John I will speak on the Purpose and Privileges of the Chris tian life; then on the Proof and Pat tern; then on the Perils and Protec tion ; then on the Prospect and Possi bilities, and thus, try to gather, from this point of view, the teaching of the Epistle. So this morning our subject is the purpose and privileges of the Chris tian life. What is.this life of fellow ship with God in the light of Divine purpose? First of all, it is , A L IE S OE PERFECT JOY. See chapter 1 :4 —“These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” That is the first part of the purpose of the Apostle in writing. That is the first part of God’s purpose for every one of us, a life of perfect joy. All sorrow comes through sin, eventually and primarily. Robert Burns says, “Man was made to mourn.” That is where Burns made his mistake. Man was not made to mourn; man was made for joy, and the keynote of the Gospel, from the very first, was “Good tidings of great joy.” Joy is an absolute necessity for all true life. As far back as Nehemiah
porate and the other individual. I believe it is true to say that there is nothing higher in regard to the spir itual life, whether of the Church or of the individual, than that which we find in these two Epistles. Bishop Westcott thinks that First John is the last book of the New Testament in the order of writing. If that be so, we have here the last word of inspira tion before those centuries of silence since that day. If it be true that this is the last book of the Bible in chrono logical order of writing, the contrast between the first verse of Genesis, “In the' beginning God,” and the last word here, “This is the true God............... guard yourselves from idols,” forms a very helpful suggestion. But if this be as I believe it is, the highest record of the personal Christian life and ex perience, we can see at once its per manent importance. Of course, this Epistle is for Chris tians, and is always to be closely asso ciated with the Gospel. The purpose of the writer of the Gospel is found in John 20-31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” Then comes this Epistle, following with 5:13, “These things are written unto you that be lieve on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eter nal life.” So the Gospel is written that we may have, and the Epistle that we know we have, eternal life. The dominant note of the Epistle seems to be that which is found in ♦An a d d ress delivered a t th e M ontrose B ible C onference, Aug. 13, 1913.
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8:10, we read, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Every one here who has had anything to do with the teaching of children knows the won derful power of joy as an educator. Let the teacher be bright and joyous, and he or she will do very much in the direction of influencing the schol- ar. Joy is one of the prime forces in all natural education, and also in all spiritual influence as well. SOMETIMES SUFFER ING HARDENS. We know that there is the discipline of suffering. But suffering does not appeal to eyery one. There is a hard ening possibility in suffering, but there never is a hardening possibility in joy. Joy never hardens; it always softens and mellows and matures the character. So let us face this in the light of this passage from God’s Word, that joy is an absolute neces sity. Not very long ago a little child said concerning some clergyman, “He must be an excellent man, he looks so sad!” Some time ago there was in an English religious paper an advertise ment for a curate who must be “Pious but cheerful.” Mercifully, we have gone past those days; at least I hope we have! Still, there is a possibility that we may think excellency is asso ciated with sadness instead of with gladness. Now, joy is only possible in fellow ship with Jesus Christ. There is a close and necessary connection be tween verses 3 and 4, “Fellowship” and “joy.” That reminds us at once that joy is a condition of soul alto gether independent of circumstances. I pause for a moment to ask some of you, at least, to remember the dis tinction between happiness and joy. Happiness depends upon what happens and it is no play upon words that sees the connection between happiness and
that which happens—the hap, the cir cumstances of life. St. Paul could not have felt very happy when he said he was sorrowful; and yet he said “Sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing.” We are never told to be happy al ways ; that would be impossible. Hap piness to-day on the surface of our life is like the calm of the wave; un happiness would be like the turbu lence of the waves to-morrow. But joy is like the bed of the ocean, inde pendent of any changes on the sur face. It is ¡ “Rejoice in the Lord al ways,” because joy is a condition of soul in relationship with God in Christ. This joy is three-fold: the joy of the past, the joy of the present and the joy of the future—The joy of faith, the joy of love, the joy of hope; the joy of memory, the joy of experience, the joy of expectation; the joy of retrospect, the joy of aspect, and the joy of prospect; the joy of appropria tion, the joy of appreciation, and the j°y _of anticipation. Now, this is Christianity—joy, the fulness of joy, and the fulness of joy always. We ought to ask ourselves this morning whether this is true of us or not. The second part of the purpose of God, as of the writer of this Epistle, is A L IF E OF CONTINUAL SAFETY. “These things write I unto you, that ye may not sin” (ch. 2:1, R. V.). I express that as a life of continual safety. This is a subject that needs very careful study, and, therefore, very careful handling; but we shall be perfectly safe if we proceed along the line of God’s Word, going neither in front nor behind. First of all, I want to suggest to you that you study at your leisure every passage where the word “sin” occurs; chapter 1 :7, “Sin” ; 1:8, “No sin” ; 1:9, “Sins” ; 1:10, “Not sinned” ; 2:1, “Sin not” ;
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with the Father, and the same word is used of the Holy Spirit in St. John —He is the Advocate within. There is Christ’s perfect provision for us, and there is the Holy Spirit’s perfect provision in us. There are three views about the relation of sin to the believer, and the believer to sin, which have a very special bearing on this Epistle. Two of them are wrong; one of them is right. I will use the ordinary terms, in order that we may see what these three views mean. The first is often called E r a d ic a t io n , and it means the eradication of the sinful principle within. Now, that goes too far; it goes beyond Scrip ture, and it is contrary to experience. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,” but we do not de ceive anybody else. You can ask any one who teaches eradication this ques tion—a question that .goes to the very root of the whole matter—“Do you believe in the perpetual need of the Atonement to cover any defect from the moment of supposed eradication ?’’ Is the Atonement necessary for the rest of your life?” “Certainly,” says the man. “Then you are a sinner!” As long as you need the Atonement there is sin, whether in defect or otherwise. Let us never forget that sinlessness is not merely the absence of sinning; it is thq presence of the complete will of God fulfilled in our life, and to mention this is to see at once the need of the Atoning Sacri fice, to the very end of our days. The second view is called by the term SUPPRESSION. Now, if eradication goes too far, this does not go far enough, because sup pression emphasizes that fighting and .
3 :8, “Is sinning” ; 3 :9, “Cannot sin.”. Look at all these passages, and only when you have studied them all are you in a position, by induction, to ar rive at the truth concerning our rela tion to sin. -You will find that there is a distinction ever to be kept in mind between “sin” and “sins,” between the root and the fruit, between the princi ple and the practice. Now, will you look for a moment at three verses: “If we say that we have no sin” (1:8). To have sin is to possess the principle. “If we say that we have not sinned” ( 1 :10). To sin is to express that principle in prac tice. Now notice, “If any man sin.” There is an alteration from the “we” of 1 :8 and 10 to the “Any man” of 2:1. I suppose the Apostle rather shrank from saying, “ If we sin,” be cause the ideal of the Christian life is sinlessness. What that sinlessness means we shall see presently, but you notice there are parallel words. There are three lines. “If we say we have no sin” ; “If we say we have not sinned” ; “If any man sin.” Perhaps he did not like to use the word “we” in this last connection, though the ref erence to the Christian is perfectly clear; and “If any man sin” shows that even a saint may sin. But if the saint should sin—mark that—“we have an advocate with the Father.” , There is a perfect propitiation pro vided, “If any man sin, we have an advocate” ; no allowance for sin, but a perfect provision in case we do sin; no need to sin, no right to sin, no com promise with sin, no license, but a provision in case we do. On board ship the provision of lifebelts is not associated with any intention to have a shipwreck, but they are there in case of need. When it is said here, “If any man sin, we have an advocate,” it is the provision in case of need. As you know, there are two Advocates. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Advocate
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sin might be rendered inoperative, not “destroyed.” The Greek word used, k-a-t-a-r-g-e-o, always means to rob of power, to render inoperative, to put out of employment, to place among the unemployed- That is why St. Paul stopped short always of erad ication, and is never content with sup pression, and that is what I mean when I say that our life is a life of continual safety. You remember, some of you, what you sing every Sunday, “Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, to keep us this day without sin.” That is the teaching of coun teraction. “Grant that this day we fall into no sin.” That is the law of coun teraction. “That we perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify Thy holy name.” How marvelously those .old fathers knew the secret of holiness! So the Christian, while he has the principle of sin in him, need not, and ought not, to express that principle in practice; but if he does, there is a provision, “Jesus Christ the right eous,” not the loving, not the merci ful, but the righteous. Jesus Christ deals on a righteous level, and by a righteous principle with the sin of His people. He has no favorites; there are no qualifications. Sin is sin, whether in God’s people or not. The provision is there in case we should need it. It is a life of continual safety. Thirdly, the purpose of God for us is “These things have I written unto you . . . . that ye may Know.” "Know!” How wonderfully prominent that word is in the writings of St. John. 1 believe you will find it 177 times; never a noun, but always one. or other of.the two verbs for know, the one verb 99 times, and the other 78 times. Those who recall the Greek words will know what I mean. There is one A L IFE OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY.
struggling which will almost, inevit ably land us in defeat again and again. You remember Romans 8 begins with “No condemnation.” It closes with “No separation.” But between the two there is. “No defeat.” Suppres sion, therefore, is inadequate, miser ably inadequate, to the truth of God. The real word and the real thing is COUNTERACTION ; not eradication —that goes too fa r ; not suppression —that does not go far enough; but counteraction, which just expresses the truth. “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” There are two laws, and just as gravitation can be counteracted by volition, the higher law of the will, so the lower law of sin and death is for ever counteracted by the presence of the Holy Ghost in our hearts. That is why in Romans 7 there are about thirty occasions where you find “I,” “I,” “I,” with no reference whatever to the Holy Spirit, while in Romans 8 you get some twenty references to the Holy Spirit and very little about “'I,” “I.” It is the law of counterac tion. A little girl was once asked by her teacher, so it is said, “What did St. Paul mean by the words, ‘I keep under my body’? How did he do it ?” Her answer was, “By keeping his soul on top,”—the Law of counteraction. There is a sinful principle. Do not dream it is eradicated, and do not trouble about suppressing it. Let the Holy Spirit so come into your life, and reign supreme in the throne-room of the will, that there shall be this con stant, continuous, blessed, and increas ing counteraction. That is the word, or something like it, that St. Paul had in mind when he said, “Our old man (our unregenerate self) was crucified with Him, that the body of
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Unless we are on the Rock our selves, it is impossible to stretch out the hand to those who are struggling to gain that Rock. So for everything in the Christian life assurance is essen tial. If St. John’s words mean any thing at all, this assurance is possible. “These things have I written unto you . . . in order that ye may know.” -Oh, I would like some young Christian to believe, not on my word, but on God’s own Word, that assur ance is not presumption, but privilege; not a luxury, but a necessity; not a possibility, but a duty; not an ideal, but that which is real and actual. It is possible, and our duty to say, as St. Paul said, “I know whom I have be lieved.” You will find that this is the key word of this Epistle. Forgive me if I prove this very briefly; “We know,” fifteen times; “we have known,” oncej “ye know,” six times; “ye have known,” three times! “he that knows,” once. These are found with a variety of aspect and experience in the Chris tian life, as you find out by study ing them as they appear in these five chapters. Now, this is If you will look at chapter 2 :12-14, you will find three classes of Christians mentioned—the “little children, ’ the “young men,” and the “fathers.’ The “little children” are those who have; the “young men” are those who a re ; but the “fathers” are those who know. When you look more closely at that section, you will find there is a repe tition about the .“little children” with an addition; a repetition about the “young men” with an addition ;■but a repetition without an addition in con nection with the “fathers.” “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the begin- TH E H IGH E ST CHR ISTIAN LIRE.
knowledge which is objective, . the other subjective. One is the knowl edge of fact; the other is the knowl edge of experience. One is intuitive, the other is perceptive; one is abso lute, the other is relative; one is com plete, the other is progressive. What do> we understand by this word “Know” ? Well, another word for it is assurance, the assurance that comes from believing. First we be lieve, and then we know. “These things have I written unto you that believe . . . . . . . . that ye may know.” Faith possesses, and assurance knows that it possesses. If you will look at Ephesians 3 :12, you will find four words which should be read in the reverse order, thus— “faith, confidence, access, boldness.” “In whom we have boldness and ac cess in confidence through our faith in Him” (R. V.). Start with faith, and you will come to confidence; from con fidence you will come to access; and from access will come boldness. This is the meaning of assurance. As St. Paul says, “I know.” Let me say something for a moment or two on the power of assurance. It is the power connected with a de cisive and decided Christian life. It is the real secret of holiness; it is the guarantee of restfulness; it is the spring of activity. There is a hymn that speaks of— “A heart at leisure from itself To soothe and sympathize.” The heart never can be at leisure from itself if it wonders whether it is ac cepted or not. But when the heart can say, “I know,” then it is at leisure from itself to soothe and sympathize with others. , 1‘O strengthen me, that while I stand Firm on the Rock and strong in Thee, I may stretch out a loving hand To wrestlers on the troubled sea.”
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ning.” There is nothing higher than that, and so knowing is the highest Christian life. Just so in Psalm 5: 11, we have the three aspects of joy, corresponding with these three aspects in St. John,—the joy of trust, the joy of protection, and the joy of loving the name, the character. Just so in St. Paul’s address at Miletus, we have “the Gospel of the grace of. God,” then “the kingdom of God,” and then “the whole counsel of God,” again corre sponding roughly, but satisfactorily, with these three standards and stages. So I repeat, this is our Christian life, a life of perfect joy, a life of continual safety, and a life of absolute certainty. Or, to put it in familiar words, “safer ty, certainty and enjoyment.” Now the question for every one of us this morning is, Is this ours? Let There once upon the earth was One by whom Great things were done: it seemed as if • His hand Were framed to wield the sceptre of the world And stay the anarchy which long had made This earth a waste. He bade the breeze be still? And it was calm. He seized the robber Death When on his way to hide his spoil, where Nain Looks out on Esdraelon’s plain, and up Old Nazareth’s brown hills, and with a word Compelled him to give back the widow’s treasure; He plucked the demon from the tortured soul
us test ourselves afresh by these fa miliar thoughts from this well-known Epistle. Is this life of “safety, certainty, and enjoyment” ours? First, it ought to be. Are we clear on that? It ought to be. Secondly, it can be. God never mocked a soul. God never puts forth an ideal without providing the dy namic. I know the man of the world says, “Hitch your wagon to a star” ; but there is the star and here is my wagon, and I want to know how I am to hitch it ! God never tells us of an ideal without telling us of the duna- mis, the dynamic. It can be. Thirdly, shall we not take this step: It shall be? And oh, that God will enable us to take one step more, and, by His grace, say, “It is.” That is Christian ity. God make it ours! Of him who wandered ’mid Gadara’s ' tombs; He poured His light into the darkened eye, And sounds, before unheard, into the ea r; He smoothed the writhing wave, and bade the storm Lie down in peace; He touched the burn ing hand Of fever, and the blood once more ran cool; He went in weakness to the Roman cross, And from the tree of blood where He was nailed Returned to Paradise, and took with Him The roibber at His side; into the home Of death He calmly entered, and came forth In triumph—every foe beneath His feet. — Selected.
“The Word Became Flesh”
The Fundamental Principles of Christianity in the Light of Modern Thinking* By JOHN M. MacINNIS, B.D. B Y SPECIAL request I am to en deavor, in thèse addresses, to state the fundamental principles newest knowledge and experience. Where there is life there is growth. Growth means development.' Devel opment, in the very nature of things, "makes necessary a constant re-state ment of the essential life.
of the Christian religion in the light of modern thought and its demands. That there is a real need for this kind of work in our day cannot be rea sonably questioned. The great majority of our church people are more or less conscious of a changing viewpoint in matters of faith and religion. Many of them have a more or less definite idea that what men speak of as “The New Knowledge” makes it impossible for intellectual people to consistently hold the old ideas of God, man, the Bible, and life hereafter. They cannot ah ways tell what has happened to dis credit the old ideas, but they feel that something very real has happened and that intelligent people are forced to change their opinions about many things that we have been in the habit of speaking of as fundamental. . As a result of this attitude of mind, “It can hardly be denied that the man of to-day has no sure convictions, either about himself or the meaning of his life.” The age is characterized by a weakened sense of responsibility and an impoverished spiritual life. A deep conviction of sin is getting to be a rare experience in the cultured life of our day. In the light of these facts many men are preaching and writing a “New Theology,” which in many in stances is “another gospel.” The need is not for a new theology, but for a positive and constructive reaffirmation of the old facts in the light of the •C opyright, 1913, by Jo h n M. M aclnnis. An ad d ress delivered a t th e M ontrose, P enn., B ible C onference.
In attempting this simple restate ment let us at the very beginning rec ognize that there are many things that we do not, and cannot know at pres ent. On the other hand, let us be equally frank in recognizing that there are some things that we can and do know. We shall begin with these things and try to logically work to the center of our subject, and then work out from the center to the cir cumference. However it came to be, there can be no reasonable question about the existence of the world of which we ■are a part. In endeavoring to under stand it we must seek its deepest and greatest meanings, not in its lowest forms of expression, but in the high est forms of expression known to us. To understand the oak we must study not the acorn but the mighty giant tree in all the splendor of its de veloped life and strength. So in our endeavor to understand the world and its life we must seek its meanings in the light of its highest expression of life. This undoubtedly is found in man in the far-reaching sweeps of his consciousness. But, here again, we must follow the highest. By common consent Jesus Christ is acknowledged to be the crowning glory of human life. Men know nothing beyond Him so far as life is concerned. He has sounded the deeps of life at a depth which has never been exhausted by the race. Therefore, for the present
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and most actual sense an historic per sonality of the period in which He is said to have lived. Amongst all the great historic personalities of the past, and towering far above the greatest of these, stands the solitary figure of the man from Galilee, who was even tually recognized -by His most inti mate friends and disciples not only as a man approved of God, but also aS a manifestation of the Divine in human form.” The story of this solitary figure is told by the Evangelists. For the pur pose of the simplest possible approach of the subject wé shall consider the story as it is given by Luke. There are several reasons why we do this. In the first place, Prof. Harnack, Sir William Ramsay and others have in recent years subjected the writings of Luké to a most thorough and search ing criticism, with the result that they have been forced to recognize Dr. Luke as a historian of the first class. Their discoveries in connection with this investigation have literally revo lutionized New Testament criticism. In the second place, Luke’s outlook on life and his temper of mind pecu liarly fitted him to address the modern mind. Hfe was a scientist, having had the advantage of a university train ing, and he approached his story ac cording to the best methods of science. In his introduction to his Gospel he tells us that he went back to the be ginning of things and investigated everything accurately and then stated it in an orderly or systematic narra tive. The investigations- of a mod ern scientist could not be more accu rately and suggestively described. And he tells us that all this was done in order that men might know the cer tainty concerning the things wherein they were instructed. This scientist of the first century was just as anx ious that men should have a solid basis for their faith as we men of the 20th.
at least, He must be the approach to life and its meanings—no scientific in terpretation of life can ignore Him. On the contrary, every truly scientific philosophy of life must approach the problem through Him. He is the oak of human life which gives its deepest and most perfect expression and interpretation. This Jesus is the heart of Christian doctrine and is Himself Christianity. All our interpretations must he brought into the light of His pres ence and tested there. He stands in the midst of the centuries as our last court of appeal. So far as life is con cerned, there is nothing beyond Him. He is ' unquestionably the final word. But you say, “Jesus is 1900 years away from us. How can we feel sure that we are reaching the real Jesus?” We shall endeavor to do this in the most natural and simple way possible. Recently there has been an attempt made to show that Jesus never lived. This attempt has been met, and most crushingly discredited by some of the foremost scholars in the world to-day. Dr. T. J. Thorburn’s book on the sub ject is a fair representative of the an swers made. He contends that it is as easy to prove that the apostle Paul was a real historic character as it is to prove that Alexander the Great ever lived. Then he shows that the Christ of St. Paul is identical with the Jesus of the first three Gospels and that the Jesus of these Gospels is a historical person. The proof of this conclusion is found not only in the New Testament but also in Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius and Pliny the Younger. Having fully answered the arguments of Prof. Drews and others, Dr. Thorburn closes by saying, “We may, therefore, with all confidence and well-grounded assurance, con clude, after making a careful survey of the evidence which we have passed in review, that Jesus is in the truest
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That is pragmaticism at its . best. Taking this man as our authority in our present study, we shall endeavor to discover some of the great truths taught by him and seek to find as to whether or not they can stand the test of what is best in our modern think ing. If Christianity is true it means everything to us and it is worth our while' to give to it the best thought, brain, and heart at our disposal. If it' is not true the sooner we discover the fact for ourselves the better. There is nothing to be gained by holding on to false conceptions of life and its pos sibilities. There is nothing one needs more than deep convictions concern ing life and its responsibilities. We cannot have convictions apart from honest thought. Religion in our day is becoming more and more the mere embroidery of a life abandoned to other interests. This is fatal to life and must be corrected if our age is not to be hopelessly damned. It is the result of a false conception of life and is already resulting disastrously. However, it is encouraging to find that some of the greatest thinkers 6f the age are raising a warning voice and calling men to repentance. If we can encourage a few to llsten to these warnings and to honestly face the facts of life as presented by Luke and then be led to deeper convictions regarding the fundamental facts of the Christian religion the effort will be infinitely worth while.
He was also a Greek, with the Greek’s cultured and broad outlook on life. This is the element which men recognize in his gospel when they speak of it as “the Gospel of human ity.” He speaks to the race and sets forth Jesus as the Son of Adam. He also had a poet’s mind which made him a literary artist. His writings are full of poetic pictures. No wonder he has long been the artist’s patron saint. In addition to all this, he had the advantage of the friendship of the greatest Christian of all time and one of the very strongest personalities -in all history. He was Paul’s intimate friend for many years, and conversed with him concerning all these eternal verities of which he writes. No one could be more perfectly equipped for the task of stating the great Christian facts for the mind of our day. The form in which this scientifically investigated fact is presented is also very, interesting and instructive. In the Gospel we have the Christian fact presented. It is the story of Jesus as God manifested in the flesh, and that is the Christian fact. In Acts we have a statement of how this fact was in terpreted by the men of Christ’s own day, and the results of this interpreta tion in the experience of that day. So we have in the first century the Christ of history and the Christ of human experience combined by this master ful mind in a most instructive way. “The very God! think, Abib; dost thou think ? So, the All-Great, were thé All-Loving too— So, through the thunder comes a human •voice Saying, ‘O heart I made, a heart beats Here !
“The God-Man” By ROBERT BROWNING
Face, My hands fashioned, see it in My self ! Thou hast no power, nor mayst conceive of Mine: But love I gave thee, with Myself to love. And Thou must love Me Who have died for thee!’ ”
True Stories of Conversion- By AN IRISH CLERGYMAN The Protestant Squire
R .EGINALD FIRBANK was a wealthy Irish landlord, and re sided at Kilmore Castle. He had enjoyed a liberal education, being an M. A. of Trinity College, Dublin, and a barrister-at-law. The fact of his being a wealthy man seems to have deterred him from following any use ful or profitable employment, and he spent his time—as too many of his class do—in a childish round of pleas ure. At the time of which I write, he had taken a shooting lodge in Con naught for the season, and was spend ing his time idly and aimlessly amidst the wild and beautiful scenery in the west of Ireland. One day it came into his head, quite unaccountably, that he ought to go to Dublin. Why he should go to Dub lin he could not tell, as he had no business to take him there. But an irresistible persuasion possessed him that he must go. Unable to account for it, and unable to resist the im pression, he found himself the fol lowing day, traveling to Dublin by the early train. When he arrived at Broadstone Station he went to his club, feeling greatly surprised to find himself there, and wondering what could have induced him to come to the city. There were not many gentlemen at the club, and he sat down and took his lunch with an old friend. The talk was on things in general; but in the course of conversation his friend remarked—“Have you heard about those fellows from America—Moody and Sankey?” “No! What about them?” “They are preaching at the Rotun da; I am told that Sankey does the singing, and Moody the preaching, and everybody is going to hear them.”
“Oh, is that so?” Firbank replied. “I never heard anything about them.” Somehow or other Mr. Firbank could not forget this conversation, or get the names of Moody and Sankey out of his mind. He spent his time idling about, and at six o’clock took an early dinner. At seven o’clock he found himself with nothing particu lar to do, and the thought came into his mind, that he ought to go and hear “those fellows from America—Moody and Sankey. So, putting on his coat and hat, he started off, and found himself at a quarter to eight sitting in the Rotunda waiting for the meet ing to begin at eight o’clock. The people all seemed to be enjoying them selves, and from timé to time broke out into some well-known hymn. The hymns and all the surroundings were entirely new to Mr. Firbank, who had never, to his recollection, been to an evangelistic meeting before. He ven tured to look around, but he did not recognize any of his friends, though he doubted not some of the audience would recognize him. The meeting began in the usual way, and the earnestness of the proceedings commanded his attention. He did not think very much of the style of Mr. Moody’s preaching, yet he felt that he meant every word he said. But as he continued to preach, the thought was borne in upon his mind, that if Mr. Moody was right, he was wrong. He had no doubt Mr. Moody was right. If the preacher had described the true way to heaven, Reginald Fir bank was on the way to hell. He be came greatly interested—In a word, anxious about his soul. That evening Mr. Sankey sang, in his own inimita ble way, the sacred song, “There were
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moment he stood upon his feet. The burden of his sin rolled away, the joy unspeakable and full of glory pos sessed his soul. He knew that he was saved! Yes! and a right glorious sal vation it was. Mr. Firbank resolved that he would not be a half-and-half Christian, but that he would follow Jesus all the way. As he had hitherto lived all his life to please himself, so he would now live solely to please God. As he had hitherto spent his time in ease' and idleness, so now he would endure hardness as a good sol dier of Jesus Christ. He threw himself heartily into the work of the Lord, fully realizing that the time was short. He was found "working in thé slums, seeking to res cue-and save those who had no one to care for their souls. ; He was often seen bravely taking his stand in the streets with his humbler brethren, to preach the Gospel to those whom they could gather to listen to them. I need hardly say that1this is a much more dangerous enterprise in Ireland than in England or Scotland. Upon one occasion, when our friend was present, the preachers were attacked by a fierce mob, large !stones were mercilessly thrown at them, and he was knocked down in the street, being stunned by a blow. But none of these things moved him. Mr. Firbank was not only anxious to promote God’s cause in the hearts and lives of other people, but determined that his life should be what God would have it to be ; and we spent many happy days together at Keswick, seeking to know more and more of what God would have us to do, and seeking grace and power faith fully to do it. All conversions are miraculoüs, for, though men may teach, God alone can save. But we see the hand of God more manifestly displayed in some cases than we do in others. Mr. Fir- Concluded on page'578
ninety and nine.” The message was with power. Mr. Firbank felt he was a wandering sheep, that he was far from God, that he was out upon the dark mountains, that he was entan gled in thickets, that he was in immi nent peril of being lost; and the ques tion was wrung from his heart: What must I do to be saved? Then followed the prayer, which seemed to bring him face to face with God; and then the after-meeting, which brought him into the Valley of Decision. Mr. Moody asked—as he invariably did—all those who were now willing to trust Jesus for pardon, and to live henceforth for God, to stand up and confess it; and in all parts of the great assembly men and women began to rise. A great strug gle was going on in the heart of Mr. Firbank. God had been speaking to him; and had shown him the danger in which he stood. God had revealed to him the sinfulness of his life, and had also shown that a perfect right eousness had been procured for him by the sacrifice and death of His own dear Son. Mr. Firbank longed to be saved, but felt he could never stand up and confess Christ before that great audience. All the proceedings were so new to him, and the standing up was so contrary to all his notions of religion, that though he was longing to be saved, he felt as if he were glued to his seat. The time was passing quickly by; the meeting would soon come to an end. Then the thought flashed into his mind—I may lose this opportunity; another opportunity may never come, and I shall be lost for ever. His mind was made up ; he determined that the fear of man should not shut him out of the Kingdom of Heaven. He made a desperate effort, and struggled to his feet; so great was the strain that he became bathed in perspiration. The blessing came. The peace of God entered his heart the
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