In Ibtlfldjern a babe was born
Whose infant arm should grow in strength, Until the crowns that now adorn The World’s great monarchs shall at length Be gathered in one crown for Him Before whose throne all glories dim
His name shall he called Wonder ful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting F a th e r, The Prince of Peace* (Isa. g:6)
DECEMBER 1919
Bible Institute ofLosAngeles (INCORPORÀTED ) LOS ANGELES, CAL IFORN IA , U. S. A . Free T raining Sckool for Christian Workers
D IR E C T O R S
R. A. Torrey, vice-president Leon V. Shaw, treasurer W illiam Evans J. O. Smith
Lym an Stew art, president J. M. Irvine, secretary T. C. H orton, superintendent H. A. Getz
N athan Newby
D O C T R IN A L S T A T EM E N T W e hold to the H istoric Faith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The T rinity of the Godhead. The D eity of the Christ. The Personality of the H oly Ghost. The Supernatural and Plenary authority of the H oly Scriptures. The U nity in D iversity of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Necessity of the New B irth. The M aintenance of Good W orks. The Second Coming: of Christ. T he Everlasting Existence of the Spirit. The R esurrection oi the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishm ent of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. The In stitu te trains, free of cost, accredited men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. D E P A R T M E N T S : l i t The Institute Classes held daily except on Saturdays and Sundays. ' # (2) Extension work. Classes and conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. M eetings conducted by our evangelists^ (4) Spanish W ork. Personal w ork am ong Spanish speaking people. (5) Shop W ork. R egular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the H ebrew s and mission for Jews. (7) Bible Women. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and distribution of selected books and tracts. (10) H arbor W ork. F o r seamen at San Francisco harbor. (11) The Biola Hall. Daily noon m eetings for men in the down-town district, with free reading-room privileges. Evangelistic service every evening. (12) P rin t Shop. For printing Testam ents, books, tracts, etc. A complete establish ment, profits going to free distribution of religious literature. SC O P E O F T H E W O R K P U R P O S E :
T H E K IN G ’S B U S IN E S S MOTTO: “I, the Lord, do keep it, / will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. ......... , ................ ..... - ■■ = Isa. 27:3 J. — ■!--------- -- '■■■ = P U B L IS H E D M O N T H L Y BY T H E BIBLE I N S T I T U T E O F LO S A N G E L E S Rev. T . C. HORTON , Editor in Chief Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS, Managing Editor Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California under the Act of March 3, 1879 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917 authorized October 1, 1918. Volume X December, igig. Number 12 Editorials: A Book for the Hour (1083 Eliminating Undesirable Sun day School Helps (1083) Mr. Stubbs on the Millennium (1084) The Home Builders (1087) Signs in the Heavens (1088) The Day of the Layman (1090) Sentence Sermons— Short sayings (1093) The Rough Cradle of Christ— Dr. T. DeWitt Talmage (1094) Fundamental Studies- —Rev. T. C. Horton (1122) The Star of Bethlehem— Dr. Joseph A. Seis (1124) International Sunday School Lessons (1129) Daily Devotional Readings —Dr. F. W. Farr (1153) The Far Horizon— Notes on missions (1161) Book Review (1164) The Annihilation Theory Exploded— Rev. F. E. Marsh (1166) PLEASE W hen sending1 subscriptions, address correspondence to Office of The K ing’s Business, Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles, 536-558 South Hope Street. Checks m ay be m ade payable to Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles. Do no t make checks or money orders to individuals connected w ith the Bible Institute. Y E A R S U B S C R IP T IO N PR IC E— In tke United States and Its Possessions and Mexico, and points in tke Central American Postal Union, $1.00 per year. In all otker foreign countries, including Canada, $1.24. (5c. 2d.) Single copies 10 cents. See expiration date on tke ■ wrapper, BIBLE INST ITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 South Hope S t r e e t ........................................... Los Angeles, California O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A The Virgin Birth of Christ —Dr. 0. P. Gifford (1099) Reconstructing Christianity —Rev. G. L. Clark (1104) Bible Institute Happenings (1108) Evangelistic Stories from Actual Experience (1110) Notes on the Jews and Palestine (1116) Homiletical Helps— -Bible Outlines (1118) Thoughts for Unsaved People (1120)
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F a ith of ou r fath ers, living still In spite of dungeons, lire an d sword! O how o u r h ea rts h ea t h igh w ith joy Whene’er we h e a r th a t glorious Word!
Our fath e rs chained in prisons d ark W ere still in h e a rt an d conscience free, How sweet would be th e ir children’s fate If they lik e them could die fo r Thee.
F a ith of ou r fath ers! Holy faith ! We w ill be tru e to Thee ’till death.
A. BOOK For the Hour Dr. G. W. McPherson has performed a great service for the church fh the publication of his recent hook “ The Crisis in Church and College,” re view of which you will find in another part of this issue. We earnestly desire every one of our readers to own this book, read it a,nd then pass it on to others. The book is designed for the laity and is packed full of facts which every loyal follower of our Lord should possess. There are obligations incumbent upon us now so tremendous that every true believer must be a real soldier, having on the whole armour of God, and handling the sword of the Spirit dextrously. Most' Christians are unconscious of the conditions that threaten the very foundations of the Christian church. And to whom could the Lord look for aggressive leaders save to those who know the perils of the day, and who are willing to do their best to lift their voices and use their means to sound the warning? A Practical Plan Suggested: Let some reader buy the book, gather a coterie of friends together and read its contents, and then discuss the best plans to avert the dangers it so clearly defines. Then let some other friend purchase another book dealing with the essential fundamentals and read that in like manner. Let there be a little circulating library of “ best books,” and combine with it a prayer circle. We would be glad indeed to have “ King’s Business Circles” organ ized throughout the land, and would also be glad to suggest best books for reading and circulating, and to furnish same at a special low price. Write us about it.—T. C. H. ^ IT ELIM INATING Undesirable Sunday School Helps The following statement was adopted by a Baptist church, in stating its objection to the literature furnished by its denominational board for Sunday School purposes: Our objection to th e lesson helps is based upon th e following tendencies which in our judgm ent they reveal—
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T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S tendency to exalt th e ethical a t th e expense of th e redemptive 'elem ent of Christianity. We believe th is to be a rev ersal of th e Divine order since conduct is th e outgrow th of character. Second—A tendency to sh ift th e emphasis of moral sanction from etern ity to time. We believe th a t th e p resen t life can only be rig h tly in terp reted and properly conducted In th e ligh t of etern ity and th a t th e New Testam ent so relates it. Third— A pedagogical tendency tow ard th e Bushnellian theory of Chris- ^nature which m inim izes the need of regeneration. We believe in educa- tion but no t tn a t th e flesh can be developed by cu ltu re into sp irit F o u rth—A tendency to ignore th e Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ by unduly stressing the hum an phases of H is life and m inistry and by not giving Him H is Scriptural names and titles. o • tendency to set aside the office work and m inistry of th e Holy Spirit by inculcating th e quasi-virtues of th e moral life which are n a tu ra l and impulsive, to th e exclusion of the fru its of th e Spirit. . Shith— A tendency to in te rp re t the Kingdom of God in th e term s of an improved social o rd e r b rough t about by hum an initiative and making a recon structed environm ent th e church objective in th e present age s c uu ~ finally’ our objections to th e Q uarterlies re st more upon th e ir omissions th a n upon general and p articu lar declarations and we regard these several tendencies as indicating a trend of modern religious though t which ?-e a ^adlcf ! d ep artu re from th e faith of our fath e rs; th e faith once for a ll delivered unto th e saints. .We congratulate*this church upon its bold stand for the truth We predict for it intensified interest upon the part of teachers and scholars in the study of God s holy Word. We are assured that the God of all grace whose Word has thus been honored will bestow rich blessing upon church and school. May the Lord multiply the number of pastors who will lead their churehes and Sunday Schools out of the maze of modern religious teaching by eliminating the objectionable literature and installing that which is true to the Word.—T. C. H. 6 18 M R . STUBBS Speaketk on the Millenium His name is Stubbs, and in an article published in The California Christian Advocate of August 14, 1919, he makes an effort to be funny at L ^ ^ P i i 186 >°f Room>where we dispensed about six thou- sand dollars worth of Bibles, best books and other literature during the month ot feeptember. < •, Advocate has a horror of the premillennial doctrine. It gets all ^ riled up, red m the face and would spit fire if it were able,—but, un fortunately, the Advocate is very short on Scripture—very short. R u n n in g our eye over every column of the twenty-four page paper we found hut two passages of Scripture, and of these one was at the head of the Sunday School lesson, and the other in the exposition of same. y , ff°,f Paper has such brilliant writers as Stubbs on its staff it would hardly seem necessary to condescend to the Scriptures! Well here is what Stubbs says,—and what he denies of God’s Word: I ^ b ris t is in Heaven in H is e a rth ly body, flesh bone hu t n« hi« a so said th e Book-store-man a t th e Bible In stitu te, Los Angeles ’ bUt blood> A lady atten d a n t said he was as well posted as any of th e professors.
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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How Shall W e Keep Our Balance L et’s see— flesh, hone, no blood,— th en dead— a mummy. F o r 2000 years Jesus has occupied a mummy body. Go farth er. He has blood, flesh and bone. Then Heaven must ru n a com m issary d epartm en t to supply H is body w ith food, and we are to suppose He has lived bodily 2000 years. Oh, h u t He is m iraculously preserved. Yes. But— No, I do no t mean to lim it God’s power,— h u t I do believe He has good sense. God can’t make a body live w ithou t food. More, death m ust come to every living thing. I t’s th e law of N ature. If th e re are physical bodies in Heaven, they m u st he k ep t alive by food,— and filling N atu re’s law they must have all th e physical passions, and in due tim e m u st die. Take ano th er View. Jesus Christ is in Heaven, pure spirit, which can he th e only ju st claim to imm ortality. J u st about now He is coming to reign a thousand years. He is coming bodily. Wl^ere is He going to get his body? We know how He came a t th e glad Christm as time. In like m anner to be born again? No. Then w here does He get His body? Then when th e trum p e t blows, all th a t are in th e grave are to come fo rth and be caught up in th e a ir to meet the Lord. Physical bodies, you understand. When th u s g athered togeth er they are to hover over Jerusalem ,— and reign a thousand years. So one of these en thu siasts inform ed me. T h at’s certainly a strik ing sight. Jesu s holding cou rt in th e air, and the sain ts floating around having a good tim e.. The same question of supplies confronts one. If they are going to live 1000 years, it will requ ire more food th a n all th e arm ies -that fought th e Huns. W hat is Jesu s to do in th e air? Why, th e Jews Will be gathered and the te rro r of His th rone in th e sky will convert them . How easy. L et’s get th a t airy th ron e down to earth . W here are you to make your h eadquarters, I asked one. Jerusalem . Jerusalem . Oh, in th a t d irty little city. How many w ill th e re be of you? will it be ju s t 144,000,— or all th a t now live? Saints,— and all th a t slept, to occupy th e chief city? The Holy City would w in 144,000 additional, call for a lively building en terprise. He is to be king, an u n fo rtun ate word ju st now. Is He going to establish forced conversion of th e Jews?
THE K I N G ’ S BU S I N E S S
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Now H is Kingdom grows as fast as people accept Him. He stands a t the door and knocks. Is th a t to he reversed to open or I ’ll make you? The difficulties of the whole business multiply over and over. Rule. Are th e saints to ru le? Rule what? Is Christ to ru le? Does he not now? Are you M illenarians any more to be tru ste d th en th a n now. If your service is no t honest now, it would only be hypocritical in His bodily presence. If He is embodied He would be forced to deal w ith a few personages, as when He was here among men. Not one in a thousand could ever meet Him personally. Now He meets every loving, tru stin g h eart. Now we h ear His voice and obey. W hat more do you want? SOME of the Things Mr. Stubbs Denies He denies Luke 24:391, where our Lord say's “ flesh and bones.” The blood was shed. Then he denies God’s power to make a body live without food! Well, Mr. Stubbs, we will leave that with you and the Lord. You tell Him what you think about it. Then he denies Stephen’s testimony in Acts 7 :55, 56: “ But he, being full of th e Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on th e rig h t hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on th e rig h t hand of God.” Jesus was there, standing, visible. Then he quotes the word “ immortality” and shows his ignorance of its meaning in Scripture; for it is found but four times in the Bible and always refers to the spirit and body united. He denies the plain statement of the Scripture concerning the resurrec tion of the saints; 1 Thess. 4 :16, 17: “F o r th e Lord him self shall descend from heaven w ith a shout, w ith the voice of th e archangel, and w ith th e trum p of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and rem ain shall be caught up togeth er w ith them in th e clouds, to meet the Lord in th e a ir; and so shall we ever be w ith th e Lord.” Then he amuses himself by suggesting the impossibility of a food supply! Well, the same God that supplies the blood in Mr. Stubbs’ body, and gives his brain the power to act (apology, of course, to brain) could probably take care of the food question, if food were necessary. And if Stubbs does not think so, let him ask the eleven apostles. Or if he is not going that way, he might inquire of Judas. Mr. Stubbs does not like Jerusalem, but the Lord does—there is the difference—and we are sorry for Stubbs; because if the Lord should please Stubbs and change His throne room, He would violate His Word, and He has never yet done that. So Stubbs will have to put up with it anyway. The promise made by the angel to Mary must be made good, Luke 1 :32, 33: “He shall be great, and shall be called th e Son of the H ighest; and th e Lord God shall give unto him the th ron e of his fath e r David: And He shall reign over th e house; of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom th e re shall be no end.” There is only one place where David’s throne could be, and that is in Jerusalem; and there is but one people who compose the house of Jacob, and that people—the Jews.
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 1087 Mr. Stubbs cannot see how we could reign with Him. Well, he must take that up with Paul, for Paul says we will, 2 Tim. -2:12: “ If we suffer, we shall also reign w ith him ; if we deny him , he also will deny us.” And John says in Rev. 20:6 : “ Blessed and holy is he th a t h a th p art in th e first resu rrection ; on such th e second death h ath , no power, b u t they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign w ith him a thousand years.” However, if Brother Stubbs is obstinate and does not want to join with the rest of the saints in the first resurrection, he can, of course, rise with the rest of the dead in thè second resurrection and take part in the judg ment of the Great White Throne. But we would warn him. that at that judgment the deniers of God’s Word, the unbelieving living and dead, those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, are all relegated to the place in which there is no second chance. Rev. 20:12-15. “And I saw th e dead, small and great, stand before God; and th e books were opened; and ano th er book was opened, which is th e book of life; and th e dead were judged out of those things which were w ritten in the books, accord ing to th e ir works. And th e sea gave up th e dead which were in it; and death and hell deliv ered up th e dead which were in th em ; and they were judged every man according to th e ir works. ' / And death and hell were cast into th e lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found w ritten in th e book of life, was cast into the lake of fire.” It is a great thing to have a Bible in whose every word one places implicit trust, and such a Bible have we in the Bible Institute, and we com mend it to our friend Stubbs. The Scripture cannot be broken.—-T. C. H. T H E HOME Builders From an editorial in the Los Angeles Times, bristling with strong, virile, pungent metaphors, concerning the home, and its relation to our civilization, we quote the following: “The hum an home is th e very h e a rt of civilization. Courtesy, kindness, politeness, fairness and faith are th e perennial plants which m ust be grown in th e garden of th e home. We ta lk w ith the policeman, th e Sheriff, th e ju d g e ,‘con cerning th e d istu rbers of the peace. The overwhelm ing m ajority of these dis tu rb ers, especially th e younger persons among them , have ju st “ growed up” like Topsy, The paren ts in these homes have no t been careful to teach th e ir children to love tru th . The keen in stin ct of childhood discerns p aren tal prevarication. Children will not grow to manhood and womanhood w ith a love for tr u th ,, if b rough t up in a home where tru th is disregarded. If b rough t up in immoral homes children will grow to manhood and womanhood w ithout caring for th e sanctities of society. We do no t need a sermon to know th is; all we need to know it is sense. We do not need a preacher to tell us th a t we Cannot grow grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles. B u t thousands of p aren ts are acting every day as if we could h atch linnets and mocking birds and tu rtle doves from snake eggs. They are not foolish enough to th in k it when dealing w ith a hen ’s nest, b u t they are foolish enough to ac t it when dealing w ith th e home nest. Your home-w recker th ru sts his or h er stiletto rig h t into th e very h e a rt of civili zation. It is th e trag ic lesson of ancient Greece and Rome and Nineveh and Babylon th a t th e fall of each was preceded by th e degeneration of th e hum an home. We cannot make good hum an homes out of bad hum an hearts. And if w4 le t th e home go we cannot keep civilization. The home is th e key to the music of man. I t is th e foundation of all worthwhile democracies. The hum an
1088 THE K I N G ’ S BU S I N E S S home is th e solid g ran ite on which alone th e temple of civilization can stand. Given enough domestic indecencies and divorces andi civilization would die. P rin t it, preach it, sing it and say it in a thousand ways— th e hum an home is th e creato r of all rea l civilization. I t is th e conservator of civilization. If th e principles of real p atrio tism are to be passed on to posterity they m ust be passed on th rough th e home of man. The home is th e spring hoard from which th e feet of civilization m ust leap into our w idening world. We m ust a t any price keep inviolate th e h e a rt of th e hum an home, if civilization is to be perpetuated. If they are used for hum an weal it is good to build railroads, canals, bridges, skyscrapers, and many ano th er tow ering wonder, bu t th e home-builder is the fundam ental arch itect of civilization. So le t all th e forces of civilization p u t th e b rak es on th e home-breakers. L et every civil in stitu tion— th e home, th e school, the church, the court, th e free press and th e fre e assembly-—hold up th e hands of th e home-builder. We must p u t th e home-builder more and more into, our modern society, our services and our songs.” Here is an appeal,—strong, sturdy, sensible and well worthy of our reading and re-reading and applying to ourselves as Christian people. If the home is the “ heart of civilization” then every Christian father and mother must take this to heart and put a new emphasis upon the necessity of loving their children enough, loving the Church enough, loving their country enough, and above all, loving their Lord enough, to make the home what God intended it to be. Of what use to say to children, “ Honor thy father and mother,” if the father and mother do not so live in the home as to merit the injunction? Hundreds of fathers and mothers have cried unto God, with broken hearts, in behalf of sons and daughters, when they themselves were responsible for their waywardness. “ Train up a child in the way he should go.” Train them up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Bead the Bible to them and with them. Pray for and with them. Keep the home fires burning with loving devotion to the Lord. Make the home a Christian home; not the so-called “ Puritan” home, nor the “ Pharisee” home,—but a real Christian home. Put the emphasis with your children upon the Word of God,—the un failing Word of God. Make it real. Make it interesting. That is your business. If you fail in this you are unfit to have children. If you have erred in this, confess your sin and cry unto the Lord for wisdom and help. Confess it also to your children and commence now to erect an altar in the home. Take time to pray. Take time to read the Word. Take time to talk to them. Take pains do put into their hands facts about the conditions con fronting them. Don’t leave your children in the hands of some Sunday'School teacher, or even some preacher. It is your business,—your solemn and sacred busi ness—and God will hold you accountable. Every child is a sacred trust. How do you consider yours?—T. C. H. SIGNS In the Heavens Kepler, the great astronomer, on consulting the periods of conjunc tions between certain planets, declared that such conjunctions astronomi cally coincided with the approach of each climacteric in human affairs. Such conjunctions of planets are said to have occurred at the revelation ta Adam, at the deluge, at the birth of Moses, at the birth of Cyrus, the
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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 1089 birth of Christ, the birth of Luther, and many others of note. Josephus stated that it was the knowledge of the astronomers of Christ’s time con cerning certain star combinations about to take piène which caused thè general expectancy at that time that the promised Messiah was about to be born. * While it probably may not be said that at every conjunction of the great planets some great leader has been raised up, it is at least peculiar that so many great crises have come at these particular periods. Again it is a fact worthy of remark that just at the present time there is a universal expectancy of some sort of a crisis. There is a general feel ing that some great leader must arise, capable of taking the helm of affairs and bringing some kind of order out of the chaos. Some Bible students express their belief that even now the person of the anti-christ may be somewhere in the world. There has also been a certain foreboding that we are about to witness unusual changes in climate as indicated by the strange weather conditions the past few years. With no desire to be sensational, we want to call attention to the statements recently published by Professor Albert F. Porta, the noted astronomer. He says, “ Be w arned in advance. T remendous things are going to happen from December 17 to 20, 1919 and th e re afte r,” and explains his prophecy as follows : “The planets in th e ir orbits swing in g reat eclipses about th e sun. They are linked to th e sun, and to each other, by chains of electro-magnetic energy whose compelling forces counteract each o th er and hold each planet in its regu lar path. Whenever two planets wheel into such positions th a t they pull tog eth er on th e sun— eith er in “ conjunction” on th e same side of th e sun, or in “ opposition” w ith th e sun between-them— th e ir united pull causes th e sun ’s gases to “ explode” — to leap ou t into space in th e w hirling volcano we call a sunspot. These sunspots in tu rn cause storm s in th e atmosphere of our ea rth— doubt less on o th er planets as well. Two planets, united, are enough to cause a small sunspot and a small storm . Three cause a la rg e r one— four make a very g reat storm indeed. But— on December 17, 1919, no less th a n seven p lanets will pull jo in tly on th e sun. These will include all the m ightiest planets, those w ith th e most power ful pull. Six of them— Mercury, Mars, Venus, Ju p iter, S atu rn and Neptune—will be in conjunction; grouped tog eth er in th e g reatest “ league of p lan ets” ever known in the annals of astronomy. They will be massed in the narrow lim it of hu t 26 degrees, on th e same side of th e sun. D irectly opposite, coming into opposition w ith th is gigantic league, will be th e huge p lanet U ranus. The m agnetic cu rren ts between U ranus and th e six p lanets will pierce th e sun like a m ighty spear. Our earth is outside the league a t an angle of nearly 90 degrees— in perfect position to receive almost th e full force of th e monster electrical disturbance as it leaps into activity on what, to us, will be th e eastern horizon of th e sun ’s disc. Such a close grouping of p lanets h as nev er been recorded before. The whole so lar system will he strangely out of balance. W hat will he th e outcome? My knowledge does no t p erm it me to state, beyond th e fact th a t th e storm s, eruptions and earthqu ak es may be trem endous in th e ir stren g th and scope.” Can the believer help but turn his attention to the prophetic state ments concerning the last days, “ Great signs shall there be from the heav ens—great earthquakes shall be in divers places, famines, pestilences and fearful sights.” (Lk. 21:11.) “ There shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars; upon earth distress of nations with perplexity—■
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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Lk. 21:25, 26.) Professor Porta may prove to be a" mistaken prophet, yet let us not forget that connected to the prophecies, of these latter day heavenly disturbances is the further word', “ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads ; for your rédemption draweth nigh—then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds.” (vs. 27, 28.). ; . . . ' y Whatever may come, the believer in Christ’s literal and premillennial coming is doubly prepared, for “ he doth not sleep as do others but watches and is sober” knowing that “ God has not appointed him to the coming wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us that whether we wake or sleep (when He comes) we shall live together with Him.” “ Be ye also ready.”—K. L. B. W Î T ^ TH E D A T of tkè Layman It begins to look as though the Lord purposed to lay His hands more and more upon laymen for the work of completing the mystical body of Christ. Denominational machinery in many places is utterly failing to produce results in souls reported saved. Scores of ministers have aban doned tbe one message of saving power, but new armies are being raised up to carry forward the old banner of the Cross. Unordained and un-- schooled men and women are taking up the work of evangelism and God is signally honoring them. In California the Christian Endeavor Union is undertaking a great evangelistic program entirely under the auspices of young people’s so cieties. Tents are to be put up, strong young people’s evangelists have been engaged and the campaigns will move from one section to another, several being in progress at one time. In preparation for these meetings personal work classes have been under way for several., weeks and the attendance of young people from all denominations has been most encour aging. The instruction has been of the most practical kind and scores of young people have already been greatly blessed. Many pastors have heartily endorsed the movement while others have been notable for their silence on the subject. This great movement is an experiment but indi cations are that it will spread over the entire state and possibly will be .taken up by many other states. The most unique movement has been sweeping over England. Route marches have been carried out. Companies of consecrated laymen are marching from town to town preaching the simple message of salvation in the open air or wherever opportunity was presented. These laymen were practically strangers to each other and all working or business men. Christians in the towns through which the line of march proceeded were notified in advance of their approach and homes were thrown open for the entertainment of the Lord’s messengers. The marchers carried ban ners bearing Scripture texts, distributed copies of the Scriptures along the way and sang the familiar Gospel hymns. The inception of this idea began by two men “ seeing the day ap proaching” (Heb. 10:25) and the coldness and apathy of the churches
THE K I NG ' S B U S I N E S S 1091 to the perishing world. The burden of their message was “ It is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we be lieved’’ (Rom. 13:11), and “ Seek ye the Lord while He may be found;' call ye upon Him while He is near.” (Is. 55:6.) No appeals for money were inade anywhere. The leader had no money in hand when planning the tours, yet all along the route God supplied every need. The ques tion of the Lord was truly answered, “ When I sent you forth, lacked ye anything? They said, Nothing.” (Lk. 22:35.) There was no place where souls were not definitely led to Christ and along the road many found peace in believing. (Rom. 15:13.) In principal towns the gatherings were very large. In one place three thousand people stood for three hours. It is very evident that the world needs to be awakened with the ade quate message of “ Now or never,” for “ the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” (James 5:8.) May God help every true Christian to see the opportunity presented to them in these days when many of the recognized leaders are turned unto fables.—K. L. B. NOT SOME BUT SUM
went out. I had used no m aterial means and proved th a t ‘perfect love casteth ou t fear,’ for on page 586 of Science and H ealth Mrs. Eddy has in terp reted fire as ‘fear.’ ” F rom th is we see th a t it may be pos sible Shortly to do away with, our fire departm ents by simply recognizing th a t fire cannot burn. If we could have Christian Science p ractitioners as chiefs for our fire departm ents, we m ight be saved m illions of dollars. But some one may a s k ,, “How can th is w riter prove th e tru th of h er statem ents? Would she he w illing to dem onstrate ag ain ?” I t is something like Mrs. Eddy’s story about th e apple tree she caused to blossom in m id-w inter by simply cen tering her th o u g h t upon it. None ever saw it h u t herself and she never offered to blossom ou t ano th er tree to substan tia te h er claim. KNEW HIS BIBLE “Boys,” said a teacher to her Sunday- school class, “ can any of you quote, a verse from th e Scripture to prove th a t it is wrong to have two w ives?” A b rig h t boy raised his hand. “Well, Thomas,” encouraged the teacher. Thomas stood up. “No man can serve two m asters,” he said proudly.
Our atten tio n has been called to a typographical erro r on Page 856 of the September issue of The K ing’s Busi ness, where reference is made to Psa. •119:160 (R. V.) “some of th y word is tru th ,” which should have read “ the sum of th y word is tru th .” We greatly appreciate th e kindness of th e good b ro th er who called th is to our atten tion . CAN YOU BEAT IT ? H ere’s a story th a t “ tak es th e cake,” bu t it m ust be tru e fo r it is recorded in th e Christian Science Sentinel of May 10, 1919. Under th e heading of “Testi monies,” a con tribu to r says: “One morning while I was using an alcohol lamp a fire broke out on my table. Several inflammable articles were n ear and the blaze was quite high. I left th e room to get w ater b u t could find nothing in which to fetch it. On re tu rn in g I found th a t th e flames had increased. The window cu rtain s were near, and my fear was intense, for I was alone in a stran g e r’s house. I cried out, W hat shall I do? and th e answer came: There is b u t one way. T u rn to God. I stood and faced th e flames, know ing th a t m a tte r cannot burn, for all is infinite Mind. They immediately
CTKe Diarj) O f A Bible Ja n u ary 15— Been resting quietly for a week. The first few n igh ts afte r th e first of th is year my owner *read me regularly, bu t he has forgotten me, I guess. F eb ru ary 2— Clean up. I was dusted w ith o th er things and put back in my place. F eb ru ary 8 — Owner used me for a sh o rt tim e afte r dinner, looking up a few references. W ent to Sunday School. March 7— Clean-up. Dusted and in my old place again. Have been down in th e lower hall since my trip to Sunday School. April 2-—Busy day. Owner led League m eeting and had to look up references. He had an aw ful tim e finding one, though it was rig h t th e re in its place all the time. May 5— In g randm a’s lap all afternoon. She is h ere on a visit. She let a teard rop fall on Colossians 2:5-7. May 6 — In g randm a’s lap again th is afternoon. She spent most of her tim e on 1 Corinthians 13 and th e la st four verses of th e 15th chapter. May 7, 8 , 9— In g randm a’s lap every afternoon now. I t’s a com fortable spot. Sometimes she reads me and sometimes she talk s to me. May 10— G randma gone. Back in th e old place. She kissed me good-by. Ju n e 3— Had a couple of four-leafed clovers stuck in me today. Ju ly 1— Packed in a tru n k w ith clothes and o th er things. Off on a vacation, I guess. Ju ly 7— Still in th e tru n k . Ju ly 10— Still in tru n k , though nearly everything else has been tak en out. Ju ly 15— Home again and in my old place. Quite a journey, though I do not see why I went. A ugust 1— R a th e r stuffy and hot. Have two magazines, a novel, and an old h a t on top of me. Wish they would tak e them off. September 5— Clean-up. Dusted and set rig h t again. September 10—-Used by Mary a few moments today. She was w riting a le tte r to a friend whose b ro th er had died, and wanted an appropriate verse. September 30— Clean-up again.
Advice is like castor oil— easy to give b u t hard to take. The present moment is divinely sent; th e p resen t duty is th e M aster’s will. You may know you’re going down hill when ypur way is continually easy. We can’t all he apostles b u t we can all be epistles. The early church was characterized by poverty and power; th e p resen t is characterized by w ealth and weakness. Tem ptations th a t find us dwelling in God are to o u r faith like w inds th a t more firm ly root th e tree. Duty makes us do things well; love makes us do them beautifully. A m an may suffer w ithout sinning, b u t he cannot sin w ithou t suffering. Be sure of th is: if you cannot sanctify your p resen t lot, you could sanctify no other. Is anything more p itifu l th a n a life spent in th ink ing of nothing b u t self? To deserve praise where none is ob tain ed is b etter th a n to obtain, it where none is deserved. Live in Christ and you are in the suburbs of heaven. Bolted food never unlocks its es sences. M editation is m ental m astica tion. A bad conscience em b itters the sweetest com forts; a good one sweetens th e b itterest crosses. Though S atan build a hedge about us, he cannot roof us in and prevent our looking up. The Gospel professed may lift a man TO heaven. Only th e Gospel possessed will bring him INTO heaven. The Gospel is perfect. I t is a crime to add to it; treason to a lte r it; felony to tak e from it.
Christ no t diffused is Christ misused. A b lun t tongue may m ake a sharp cut. People often ask for advice when they mean they w ant approbation. An empty man is full of himself. The doors of opportunity are m arked “ Pu sh .” How many people have you made homesick for God? It is a solemn th ing to say “tom or row” when God says “ today.” If we indulge a sin we invite a sor row. There is no re st on th e road th a t tak es you away from your duty. No one is perm anently in ju red save by himself. Be w hat you would have others to become. W rite in ju ries in th e du st b u t k ind ness in marble. He should not be w eary of th e cross who is sure of th e crown. God’s choicest p lants often live in the shade. Though th e sun of ch arity arise at home, it should always set abroad, a The sm allest good deed is b etter than the g rand est good intention. A tru e C h ristian loves no t th e world yet he loves all th e World. W hat your prayers are you will be. It will no t h u rt ydu to be called a fool unless you are one. God does no t reveal w hat you your self can discover. H ea rt’s ease is a flower th a t grows not in th e world’s garden. We cannot tru s t God w ith too much or ourselves w ith too little. N eu trality in religion is always cow ardice. . P ray your pastor up and pay him up.
A Christmas Sermon Preached Many Years Ago bj) the World-Famed Preacher DR. T . DE W IT T TALMAGE
sar, had issued a decree for an estim ate of th e resources, and an enum eration of th e people, of th e many provinces th a t composed his empire. Ostensibly, this census was tak en for th e purpose of fix ing th e levies of th e tax which m ight equitably be tak en for th e dependencies of th e Roman governm ent; b u t its appli cation to Jud ea seems to have been ra th e r an in itial act, under God, tow ard th e fulfilment of Micah’s prophecy: “And thon, Bethlehem , in th e la n d of Jn d ah , a r t n o t th e le a st among th e princes of Ju d a h ; fo r o u t of th ee shall come a governor th a t sh all ru le my people Israel.” At the tim e th e decree was published, Judea was not publicly recognized as a Roman province, bu t ra th e r as a de pendency. Herod was nom inally king of Judea, b u t in fact he was only a vice roy and a Roman subject, who had to observe th e edicts of Caesar. In order to give th e appearance of independence, he recognized Jew ish customs, and therefore, in obeying th e decree he is sued an o rder th a t every fam ily w ithin his government should proceed for en rollm ent to th e place where th e ir re spective genealogical records were kept. As both Mary arid Joseph were of the lineage of David, in pursuance of H er od’s o rder they proceeded to Bethlehem for registration. Thus the edict of A ugustus Caesar, issued when the world was a t peace, and w ithou t any app aren t reason for tak ing an enum eration (since th e taxes were collected in Judea by Herod, who in tu rn paid th e fixed trib u te to Caesar, ap pears conclusively to have been an in-
OW painfully and wearily o n e ' thousand years of the world’s existence r o l l e d along and no Christ. Two thousand years, and no Christ. T h r e e thousand years, and no Christ. F ou r
thousand years, and no Christ. “ Give us a Christ,” had cried Assyrian, and P ersian and Chaldean, and Egyptian civilizations, b u t th e lips of th e earth and th e lips of th e sky made no answer. The world had already been affluent of genius. Among poets had appeared Homer, and Thespis, and A ristophanes, and Sophocles, and Euripides, and Alex is Aeschylus; yet no Christ to be the most poetic figure of the centuries. Among historians had appeared Herodo tus, and Xenophon, and Thucydides; b u t no Christ from whom all history was to date backward and forw ard—KB. C, and A. D. Among conquerors Camil- lus, and Manlius, and Regulus, and Hannibal, and Scipio, and Pompey, and Caesar; yet no Christ, who was to be conqueror of earth and heaven. But th e slow century, and th e slow year, and the slow month, and th e slow hou r a t la st arrived. The world had had m atins, or concerts in th e morning, and vespers, or concerts in the evening, bu t now it was to have a concert a t m id night. The black w indow -shutters of n igh t were throw n open, and some of th e best singers of th e worlfl stood there, and, pu tting back th e drapery of cloud, chanted a peace anthem , un til all th e echoes of hill and valley applaud ed and encored th e h allelu jah chorus. The Roman emperor, Augustus Cae
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S strum en tality of the Divine will. The h irth of Jesu s was so n ear a t hand th a t God moved th e Emperor of Rome to do the one necessary th ing th a t would ful fil th e words of Micah. In obedience to th e order of Herod, Joseph and Mary made ready imme diately for th e jou rn ey to Bethlehem , which lies almost due south o f Naza reth , th e ir home. The jou rney was completed w ithout special incident of apostolic record, hut upon reaching th e ancient place of Dav id, Mary and her husband found th a t so large a th rong of strang ers, brought together for th e same purpose, had pre ceded them th a t all th e public lodging places in th e town of th ree thousand inh ab itan ts were already occupied. What! no place to house the royal mother? No couch in which to lay th e K ing of ea rth ? No lords of state aw aiting in antecham ber? No messen gers mounted a t th e doorway ready to herald the advent from city to city? No satin-lined cradle to receive th e infan tile guest? No, none! But hum ans m ust he sheltered as well as beasts. Some place m ust he found. If not among th e lords, th en among the lowly; if not among th e lowly, th en let it be among th e beasts, for these poor creatu res will not refuse to sh are th eir qu arters, even though th ey stand in n ar row stalls and feed a t th e hands of those who begrudgingly give sm all allowances of food while taxing them to th e lim it of endurance. So Mary and Joseph, find ing no welcome in eith er inn or cot tage, are forced to seek sh elter among th e beasts, to accept th e discom forts of a stable even a t a tim e th e most critical, a t the approach and a t th e fulfilment of motherhood. And in a stable among th e asses, and cows, and th e camels, while the a ir outside was d isturbed by th e vexatious cries of muleteers, host lers and camel-drivers, Mary bowed herself and was delivered of h er first born, th e jo in t-heir of Gbd; th e arch-
2095 K ing; a monarch upon whom th e night pointed her hediamonded finger, while the door of heaven set wide open to give th e angels sight of H im ; and or chestral batons of ligh t waved oratorios of the Messiah across th e sky, and the m instrelsy of heaven flung out melodies of glory and good-will. But while heaven was all aglow w ith joy, th e Son of God was not yet raised from th e straw in th e m anger where His m other had laid Him, covered w ith coarse linen. F o r h er th e re was n eith er com fort nor privacy. A b etter adapted place h ath th e eaglet in th e eyrie, hath th e whelp in th e lion’s lair. The exile of heaven lieth down upon th e straw ; th e first n igh t ou t from th e palace of heaven, spent in an outhouse! One hour a fte r laying aside th e robes of heaven, dressed in a w rapper of coarse linen. One would have supposed th a t Christ would have made a more gradual de scent, coming from heaven first to a half-way world of g reat magnitude, then to C aesar’s palace, th en to a mer ch an t’s palace in Galilee, then to a pri vate home in Bethany, th en to a fisher men’s 'h u t, and last of all to a stable. No, no! It was leap from th e top to the bottom! Let us open th e door of th e caravan sary in Bethlehem and drive away th e camels. P ress on th rough th e group of idlers and loungers. W hat, O Mary, no ligh t? “No lig h t,” she says, “ save th a t which comes th rough th e door.” W hat, Mary, no food? “None,” she says, “ only th a t which is b rough t in th e sack on th e jou rn ey .” L et th e Bethle hem woman who has come in h ere w ith kindly atten tion s p u t back th e covering from th e babe th a t we may look upon it. Look! Look! Uncover your head. Let us kneel. Let all voices he hushed. Son of Mary— Son of. God! Child of a day— monarch of eternity! Omnipotence sheathed in th a t babe’s arm . Omnisci ence strung in th e optic nerve of th a t child’s eye. T h at voice to be changed
1096 from the feeble p lain t to a tone th a t shall wake the dead. Hosanna! Hosan na! Glory be to God th a t Jesu s came from th ro n e to manger, th a t we m ight rise from m anger to throne, and th a t all the gates are open, and th a t th e door of heaven th a t once swung th is way to let Jesu s out, now swings th e o th er way to let us in. Let all th e bellmen of heaven lay hold of the rope and ring out th e n ew s:; “ Behold, I b ring you good tid ;ngs of g reat joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born th is day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ, th e L o rd !” Bethlehem lies upon a hillside over looking a beautiful valley, rich w ith suc culent grasses on which g reat flocks of sheep were sent to graze in th e tim e of Christ, and over which shepherds ' were appointed to watch. I t was so in th e days of David, perhaps long before, and it is so still. These shepherds were accounted faith fu l, honest and relig ious; th e ir occupation has ever been a symbol of hum ility and providential V care, and th e shepherd ’s crook has been made to tak e its place in church ritu a l ism as a token of complacency w ith the Divine will, as well also to serve as an emblem of priestly authority. It is not strange th a t to these faith fu l watchers th e first news of th e b irth should be conveyed; b u t it was no t by messengers a-foot, nor by acclaims of priests, nor by cymbals and hautboys in th e hands of worshippers. The efful gence of the day would have been need ed to give them dispatch. The tim e was night, a holy night, when silence was n a tu re ’s invocation, and the sta rs blazed th e ir orisons w ith trem blings of ecstasy. W hile “ n igh t,” in all languages, is th e symbol for gloom and suffering, it is often really cheerful, b righ t and im pressive. I speak not of such nights as come down w ith no star: pouring light from above, or silvered wave tossing up ligh t from beneath— murky, hurtling , pprtentous— b u t such as you often see
THE K I NG ' S B U S I N E S S when the pomp and magnificence of heaven tu rn out on n igh t parade; and it seems as though th e song which the morning sta rs began so long ago were chim ing yet among the constellations, and th e sons of God were shouting for joy. Such nights th e sailor blesses from th e forecastle, and th e trap p er on the vast prairie, and the belated trav eler by th e roadside, and th e soldier /from the tent. E arth ly hosts gazing upon heaven ly, and shepherds guarding th e ir flocks a-field, while angel hands above them set the silver bells a-ringing: “ Glory to God in th e highest, and on earth peace, good-will tow ard men.” On th is blessed n igh t the angel of the Lord rode out from th e mansions of ala b aster, down th e steep from th e skies, draw ing w ith him stream s of dazzling radiance like shadows of sun and stars, and w ith a ru sh of glories floated over the heads of th e sta rtled shepherds as they were keeping th e ir quiet, perhaps half-sleeping watch. It was Gabriel, th e holy messenger, who now came bear ing more joyful tidings th a n ever be fore unfolded. But a flaming presence, a t once so aw ful and magnificent, stru ck th e sim ple shepherds w ith fear, for they did not imm ediately perceive th e im port of th e angel’s coming. F ear came upon them ; and I imagine th a t a sigh t of so wondrous a spectacle, a revelation of sublime glorification floating in a blaz ing sea, would bring a flush of fear to th e bravest h eart. But th e shining mes senger a t once spake peace to th e shep herds by these inspiring words: “F ear not, for, behold, I bring you good tid ings o f great joy, which shall be to a il people, fo r unto you is born th is day in th e city o f David a savior, which is Christ th e Lord. And th is sh a ll be the sign un to you: Y e sh a ll And th e babe wrapped in sw addling clothes, lying in a manger.” To th e splendor of the holy messen ger th ere suddenly flamed up a yet
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T HE K I NG ' S B U S I N E S S
He slept. He had so little estate th a t in o rder to pay H is tax He h ad to per form a miracle* pu tting th e am ount of th e assessm ent in a fish’s m outh and having it hauled ashore. A fter His death th e world ru shed in to tak e an inventory of His goods, and th e entire aggregate was th e garm ents He had worn, sleeping in them by n igh t and trav eling in them by day, bearing on them the dust of th e highway and the sa tu ra tio n of th e sea. P au l did no t gp far from h ittin g th e m ark when He said of th e m issionary P rince: “F o r your sakes He became poo r!” The world could have trea ted Him b etter if it had chosen. It had all the means for making His ea rth ly condi tion com fortable. Only a few years before, when Pompey, the General, re tu rn ed to Rome in trium ph , he was greeted w ith arches and a costly column which celebrated th e twelve m illions of people whom he h ad killed or con quered, and he was allowed to w ear his trium ph al robe in th e Senate. The world had applause for im perial butch ers, bu t buffeting for th e P rince of Peace; plenty of golden chalices for the favored to d rink out of, b u t our Prince m ust pu t H is lips to th e bucket of the well by th e roadside afte r He had begged for a drink. Poor? Born in ano th er m an’s barn, eating a t another m an’s table, cruising th e lake in an o th er m an’s fishing-smack, buried in ano th er m an’s mausoleum! F o u r in spired au tho rs w rote H is biography, and innum erable lives of Christ have heen published, b u t He composed His autobiography in th e most compressed way. He said: “ I have trodden the w ine-press alone.” Poor in the estim ation of nearly all th e prosperous classes. They called Him Sabbath - breaker, wine - bibber, traito r, blasphemer, and ransacked the dictionary of opprobrium from lid to lid to express th e ir detestation. I can th in k now of only two well-to-do men
g reater light, throw ing Its radiance higher in th e sky,' un til th e re was re vealed to th e sta rtled shepherds th e vi sion of a heavenly host, an angelic hand raim ented w ith an effulgence th a t flooded the fields afar, a constellation of imm ortals th a t bejeweled both earth and sky w ith an ineffable illum ination; and from th is holy choir th e re poured fo rth a song of trium p h a n t joy, a chorus of blissful oblation, a symphony of rap tu rou s pronouncement, an oratorio of doxology filled w ith glory and good will: “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGH EST, AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN.” If one of th e g reat princes of th is world steps ou t a t a depot cheers re sound; and th e bands play, and the flags wave. B u t for th e arriv al of th is m is sionary P rince of th e skies no t a torch flared, no t a trum p et blew, not a plume fluttered. All th e music and th e pomp were overhead. Our world opened for H im nothing b etter th a n a barn-door. The R ajah of Cashmere sent to Vic to ria a bedstead of carved gold and a canopy th a t cost seven hund red and fifty thousand dollars, bu t th e world had for the P rince of heaven and earth only a litte r of straw . The Crown jew els in th e Tower of London am ount to fifteen m illion dollars, b u t th is member of etern al royalty had nowhere to lay His head. To know how poor He was, ask th e camel drivers, ask the shep herds, ask Mary, ask the th ree wise men of th e E ast who afterw ard came there. To know how poor He was, examine all th e records of real estate in all th a t O riental Country and see w hat vineyard, or w hat house, or w hat field He owned. Not one. Of what mortgage was He th e mortgagee? Of w hat tenem ent was He the landlord? Of w h at lease was He the lessee? Who ever paid Him ren t? Not owning the boat on which He sailed, or the beast on which He rode, or th e pillow on which
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