TO THE READER—Stick a one-cent Stamp here, hand the magazine to a postman, and it will be sent to the American soldiers. No address.
VOL. IX
MAY, 1918
No. 5
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (1NCORPORATED) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORN IA, U. S. A.
Free Training School for Christian Workers
DIRECTORS
R. A. Torrey, vice-president. Leon V. Shaw, treasurer. William Evans.
Lyman Stewart, president. J. M. Irvine, secretary. T, C. Horton, superintendent. , H. A. Getz
Nathan Newby
J. O. Smith
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 Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Spirit. 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, 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.
SCOPE OF THE WORK
-(7 ) Bible Women. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8 ) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9 ) Books and Tracts. Sale and dis tribution of selected books and tracts. { 10) Harbor Work. For seamen at Los Angeles harbor* (11) The Biola Club. Daily noon meetings for men in the down-town district, with free reading-room privi leges. (12) Print Shop. For printing Testa ments, books, tracts, etc.' A complete establishment, profits going to free dis tribution of religious literature.
P i i m n e o - The Institute trains, free lU T p U S H . o£ co8t< accredited men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. r, (1 ) The Institute Departments: ¿ u 8ses held daily except on Saturdays and Sundays. (2 ) Extension work. Classes and conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3 ) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists. (4 ) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night. . ( 5 ) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and. factories. (6 ) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the Hebrews.
T Ifo® EEnm
MOTTO: “ I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. ’’—Isa. 27:3
Published by BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the postoffice at Los Angeles, Cal., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Copyright by R. A. Torrey, D. D., and Bible Institute of Los Angeles, for the year 1918 VOL. IX MAY, 1918 No. 5 CONTENTS Editorial: Institute Plans for Next Year— Bible Teaching Campaigns— A Call to Sacrifice— A Return to the Dark Ages— Race Suicide— Why Not Tell the Truth — Seven Beerless Days a Week— Get Drunk, Kill, and Be Guiltless— Victorious Life Conference— Why Should America Go Without Bread That the British May Have Booze?— How God Works— “ My Word Shall Not Return Unto Me V oid ” ..................................... 363 The Deity of Jesus Christ. By Dr. R. A. Torrey. Continued from last month...................................................................... 3 74 Wanted-—$50,000 ...................................................................... 379 The Spirit of Evangelism. By Rev. W. E. Edmonds............. 380 The Far Horizon............................................................................. 382 Salvation Talks. By Keith L. Brooks....................................... 385 Evangelist Nicholson .................................................................... 386 Evangelistic Department. By Bible Institute Workers........... 387 Through the Bible with Dr. Evans.............................................. 395 Puzzling Passages and Problems. By R. A. Torrey................ 399 Bible Institute in China................................................................. 401 Homiletical Helps. By William Evans........................ „.............. 403 International Sunday School Lessons. By Institute Specialists 406 Daily Devotional Studies in the New Testament for Indi vidual Meditation and Family Worship. By R. A. Torrey ...................................... % ..... ........... .......................... 437 Only One Dollar a Year SUBSCRIPTION PRICE—-In the United States and its Possessions and Mexico, and points in the Central American Postal Union, $1 per year. In all other foreign countries, including Canada $1.24 (5s. 2d.). Single copies, 10 cents. Receipts sent on request. See expiration date on the wrapper. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HOPE STREET LOS ANGELES, CAL.
OPEN THE BOOK Here’s the Key — B B H
Y®nn E VERY Young Man and every young Woman whose life is consecrated to the Master’s service, should be able to Open the Scriptures to others. Here is A FREE DAY SCHOOL and A FREE NIGHT SCHOOL at your service. At a trifling cost, the same results may be attained through the C O R R E S P O N D E N C E S C H O O L L @ @ k nnad© US T @ d k j
Information cheerfully given Bible Institute of Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, CAL., U. S. A.
R. A. TORREY, D. D., Editor T. C. HORTON, J. H. HUNTER, WILLIAM-EVANS, D. D., Associate Editors A. M. ROW, Managing Editor
Voi. 9
MAY, 1918
No. 5
E D I T O R I A L
t NSTITUTE PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR.
We are able now to give, more definite information in regard to the plans of the Institute for the year beginning September 25, 1918. We have secured as an addition to the teaching force of the Bible Institute, Rev. Ralph Atkinson, D. D., of the United Presbyterian Church. We invited Dr. Atkinson to a place on the teaching force of the Bible Institute several years ago, but he was unable to accept at that time. At the present time he was considering four other invitations to labor that had come to him, but after prolonged and prayer ful consideration he decided that the work here provided a larger field of usefulness than any of these other calls that were extended to him. We shall have more to say about Dr. Atkinson and his fitness for the work at a later day. 'W e are also adding to the teaching force Miss Lula Curry. Miss Curry has had a very large experience in teaching in college and in private classes, the use o f the voice in public address, and the proper carriage, -control and movement of the body, and also Swedish Movements. The addition of Miss Curry to the teaching force.makes it possible for us to give more time than hitherto to voice culture for public speaking, and to the proper carriage of the body on the platform, and to/matters of that kind. Miss Curry has a remarkable gift in correcting unpleasant mannerisms and developing freedom, grace and force of movement. We shall also be able, by the addition of Dr. Atkinson to the faculty, to give more time to the actual preparation and delivery of sermons, Bible readings, and to teacher-training, than hitherto. The emphasis in the coming year will be placed more upon the actual preparation o f Bible addresses and sermons and upon their proper delivery than upon the mere theory of preach ing and teaching. Dr. Atkinson’s large experience in evangelistic work will make it'possible for him to co-operate with Dr.'Torrey in his lectures on Evangelism. This is ¿very necessary at the present time, when so much of the evangelism in this country has gone off into extreme, and ill-advised methods. Dr. Evans will be with the Institute two months of the coming school year—January and February, 1919.
DIBLE TEACHING CAMPAIGNS.
For some time, Dr. William Evans of the Bible Institute faculty has felt that he ought to have more time to give to Bible Conference and Bible Teaching campaigns throughout the country, and the Dean of the faculty has thoroughly agreed with him in this matter. By the new plans of the Institute Dr. Evans is able to carry out this long-cherished desire. With the closing of
364 THE KING’ S BUSINESS his work as Associate Dean, of the Bible Institute, October 1, 1918, he will take up a regular systematic campaign of Bible Conferences. A circular has just been published giving definite information in regard to his plans, which can be had by addressing Dr. William Evans, Bible Conferences, South Pasadena, Cal., and after July 1, Wheaton, 111. It is planned in these Bible Conferences to have, in addition to himself, a Director of Music, and occasion ally, when so desired, to secure the services of other prominent Bible teachers. He aims to cover, with his Bible Conferences, the larger and principal cities o f the United States and Canada, though in some instances he may go to the smaller cities, and invitations to smaller cities will be considered, as far as it is possible to do so. It is planned to have these Conferences to extend over one or two weeks, according as circumstances may suggest in each case. There can be no question that there is need for such Bible Conferences. The Dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles has been overwhelmed with invita tions to work of this kind. While some of' these invitations have been accepted, he has felt that he ought to put in most of his strength for nine months in the year to the work in Los Angeles, which is increasing with such rapidity, and which has been so greatly blessed of God. We áre glád that Dr. Evans is to be so largely set free for this work, for which he has a peculiar fitness. ^ A letter from a friend, received this week, speaking of a recently married couple with bright prospects before them, who have decided to go abroad for Red Cross work, the husband being too old for the draft, says: “ It is wonderful the sacrifices people are making.” Yes, it is wonderful and inspiring, the way in which men and women in all classes of society are giving up their financial and social ambitions andVolunteering for all kinds of service for thpir Government and for other nations in distress. It is one of the bright sides of this appalling war. But the fact that people are so willing to make the' great sacrifices that many doubtless are making for their country and for liberty, suggests the question, shall Christians make less sacrifice for Christ and for the salvation of the lost than patriotic men and women are willing to make for their country? Many young men and women'throughout our land who call themselves Christians and followers of Christ have shrunk from the call of God to go and preach the gospel amid the hardships of a foreign field. Thousands of young Americans are putting them to shame at the present time by the sacrifices, not only which they are ready to make, but which they are actually making. But there is a call not only for men and women for the foreign field, a louder call than ever before, but there is also a call for money. So much money is being given, and gladly given, to the Government for the prosecution of the war, and to the Y. M. C. A., and the Red Cross, and other agencies that are putting forth such Herculanean efforts to make our soldiers, and the soldiers of the allies, as comfortable as possible, that the task of the various missionary societies is harder than ever before, and the burden is increasing. Some of the societies feel they must curtail their work, but is this necessary? Was their work ever so necessary before as it is at this present time ? What is needed is greater sacrifices on the part of Christian people. We are economizing, and economizing gladly, in order to save foodstuffs and clothing and other matters for the nations of the earth / " ' ’ ALL TO SACRIFICE. ^
THE KING’ S BUSINESS 365 that are in such great distress at this present time, but in practicing these, economies shall we forget our crucified Lord and His parting message to the Church, that we should go and make disciples of all the nations? A hundred dollars given now will count more than a thousand dollars given a few years from now'. We have learned that we can go without luxuries that we once almost considered necessities. There is no doubt that we are all better off physically because we have to cut down in our eating, and especially in our use of meats and sweets. It will be for our ultimate benefit to economize even more rigidly in the matter of eating and the matter of dressing, and in other ways. It was considered, not more than a year ago, a disgrace to wear a shabby coat or shabby dress, but we are coming to look upon it as a mark of patriotism and not of disgrace to do so. Why can we not go further and make larger sacrifices for a cause that is even dearer to a true Christian’s heart than our national interests, viz., the cause of our crucified and risen Lord? Henry Watterson, in a Christmas editorial in the Louisville Courier- Journal, expressed a fear that the. world “may stand upon the edge of a new descent into the Dark Ages.” To many this may seem preposterous, and yet to one who is at all acquainted with history it is not at all unlikely, provided the Lord tarries. President Wilson and others may entertain the hope that as the outcome of this war we shall have an international league of peace that will make war impossible, but there is no basis for such hope either in the teaching of history in the past, nor in any known facts regarding the character o f statesmen and rulers in our day, nor in the Word of God. When we look at the wonderful civilization of our own day it would at first glance seem impossible that we could ever revert to the Dark Ages, but the student -of history knows that there was a civilization in Rome, under Octavius Augustus and his successors of a very high type, so high a type that if any scholar in Rome at that time had been told that the whole world would plunge into such universal intellectual chaos-as ruled in the Dark Ages it would have seemed to him an impossibility. But we know as a matter of history what did occur. Mr. Watterson’s editorial is worthy of careful thought, not merely because of its expression of this fear, but because of its strong presentation of the only hope. He says: “ Surely the future looks black enough, yet it holds a hope, a single hope. One, and one power only, can arrest the descent and save us. That is the Christian religion. Democracy is but a side issue. The% paramount issue underlying the issue of democracy, is the religion of Christ and Him crucified; the bed-rock of civilization; the source and resource of all that is worth having in the world that is, that gives promise in the world to come; not as an abstraction; not as a huddle of sects and factionsbut as a mighty force and principle of being. The Word of God, delivered by the gentle Nazarene upon the hillsides of Judea, sanctified by the Cross of Calvary, has survived every assault. It is now arrayed upon land and sea to meet the deadliest of all assaults, Satan turned loose for one last, final struggle. “ The Kaiser boldly threw down the gage of battle—Infidel Germany against the believing world—Kultur against Christianity—the Gospel of Hate against the Gospel of Love. Thus is he Satan personified— ‘Myself and God,’ ■ p ETURN TO THE DARK AGES.
366 THE KING’ S BUSINESS merely his way of proclaiming it— for his ‘God’ is Beelzebub, the Angel of Destruction, his creed the devil’s own, his aim and end a hell on earth. Never did Crusader lift battle-ax in holier war against the Saracen than is waged by our soldiers of the Cross against the German. The issues are indeed identical. “ If the world is to be saved from destruction—physical no less than spiritual destruction— it will be saved alone by the Christian religion. That eliminated leaves the earth to eternal war. For fifty years Germany has been organizing to supplant it with Kultur, the genius of infidelity. Her college professors have been obsessed with it. Her universities, have seethed with it. In acclaiming ‘Myself and God,’ the Kaiser has put the Imperial seal upon it. .When our armies have run it to its lair—when they have crushed it—naught will have been gained unless the glorious Banner of the Cross is hoisted—-even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness—and the misled masses of Germany are bade to gather about it and beneath it as sadly they collect the debris of their ruin for the reconstruction of the Fatherland. “ Let every American soldier swear this day—this Christmas morn—that he will link him and his with the Christ-childB-the Light of Love—that suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, that descended into Hell, that the third day arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.” This certainly was a very appropriate Christmas message. We should moreover, bear in mind the fact that this same Kultur, “ the genius of Infidelity,” is what many professors in bur own land are striving hard to introduce into our Universities in their evolutionary teaching and in their promulgation of the Higher Criticism. If it obtains such a universal sway in our Universities, Colleges and High Schools as it has in Germany it will produce the same, results here that it did there. - “ The cry of ‘race suicide,’ when raised in a time of peace, provoked as much derision as serious thought. But the world-war has changed all that. The first official statistics coming out of Germany since the beginning of the war show that the rate of mortality in the Empire, not from injuries or wounds received in battle, or from the war death-rate, is twice that of the birth-rate. . . . . In France the problem is also acute. And there the law-makers are already considering measures for assisting and encouraging those who marry and -become parents. Under the terms of a proposed French law, the preamble of which declares that maternity is ‘the highest and greatest social function for which the Government should assume the responsibility,’ every Frenchwoman who works, or is in need, shall receive from 40 cents to $1 a day during the four months preceding the birth of a child. Fathers of large families, or mothers, shall be entitled to a yearly subsidy from the Gov ernment amounting to from $100 to $200, dependent upon the number of children.” The writer might.have gone on to call attention to the fact that one of the most fundamental reasons why France was helpless against Germany at the opening of the war, was because of her small birth rate, consequent upon D a c e su ic ide . A suggestive article has recently appeared in the St. Louis Globe- Democrat'. It reads'in part:
THE KING’ S BUSINESS 367 their practice of the limitation of families. If France had had a normal birth rate during1 the years from the close of the Franco-Prussian war to the opening of this war, or a birth equal to that in Germany, she would have had millions more men to send to the front, and her lack of man power was very largely due to her own folly and sin. The mother of children, of a large family of children, is not only one of the happiest women in society, she is one of the most useful women in society. The present war is waking the nations of the earth up to this fact. And the events of the last three and one-half years has awakened many people to the folly of the recent vigorous agitation in this country to promote the limitation of families. Our Government is wise in calling single men into the army before the married men are called. It would probably have been wise to have carried this still farther and to have made unmarried men between the ages of 30 and 45 liable to the draft, and not only unmarried men, but men who have been married for a period of years and were having no children. 29th, a correspondent in France, John F. Bass, writes : “ Paris, France, Jan. 15. A number of correspondents sat near the battle line on one of the fronts of Western Europe. With them was a statesman of international fame. The conversation fell upon a recent battle. The news paper men were commenting ori the fact that they were allowed to tell of the heroic deeds of a certain regiment, but that they were not allowed to tell what became of that regiment. “Yes/ said the statesman, T have often wondered whether a day of reckoning would not come when we would be called to account for these suppressions.’ Every newspaper correspondent in Europe has felt the burden of these misleading accounts, in which he has been a more or less innocent collaborator. He has supposed that he was hiding things from the enemy, but probably he was only deceiving people at home. At the present moment the atmosphere ought to be cleared in order to force action without which victory is impossible. It is not entirely the censorship that misleads; it is the whole process of self-deception that has arisen, partly through the censorship, partly through a' professionally optimistic and mis guided propaganda, partly through the bombastic half truths of public men, who, in the absence of the healthy tonic of free public discussion, find their vision obscured. The German people have been more lied to, but the peoples of the entente have been more deceived.” ' Is there any good reason why we should feel it necessary to put our dependence in lies. On January 31st, an article appeared in the papers saying that certain of our soldiers had been killed in action some days before, that at the time their death was reported as due to accident, that it was not thought wise at that time to tell the facts. In other words the Government lied to the people. Of course, any one can see that there are things that ought, not to be disclosed at the time for military reasons, but if anything is told the truth Should be told. Lying never does any good. It only undermines faith in the liar. If a few more misrepresentations are made to the people by our Government, when true statements are made they will be disbelieved, and people will begin to wonder whether thè stories that have been told about IIITHY NOT TELL THE TRUTH. In an article in the Los Angeles Evening Express, Tuesday, January
368 THE KING’ S BUSINESS German brutality and German outrages are true. O f course, we have the very best authority for believing that they are true, but if the powers that be pursue the course of lying in other matters, people will begin to distrust them in these matters. There was great complaint in England in the early years of the war about the follies of the censorship. No one questioned that there was a need of a wise censorship, but the censorship was conducted in such a way as to deceive only the English, not to conceal anything from the Germans, for they knew the facts. Lies never pay in the long run. Last week (March 12th) the papers of the whole country raised a storm of protest against the decision of the Government to hereafter keep back information along some lines from the public. The papers were advised by the Government to learn wisdom from England’s experience, but seemingly it is .the Government that needs to learn wisdom from England’s experience, for it is now widely agreed that England’s press censorship was foolishly conducted. From the very start this press censorship has been the weakest spot in our own Government’s conduct of the war. But there has not been recently such outrageous mistakes as those o f the early days when romantic and utterly false accounts o f experiences of troop ships with -submarines were given out. S EVEN BEERLESS DAYS A WEEK. Our, very active and very competent Food Administrator has been asking us to have one meatless day a week and two wheatless days a week, and two porkless days a week. Why not request, or even demand, seven beer less days a week. A large amount of food stuifs is going into beer. We were told at the outset that only barley was going into beer and that barley was not good food for man, but now we are being urged to use barley! Why not conserve all our barley for the use, of men and cattle instead of wasting it, and worse than wasting it, in beer ? Why not save also the coal that is being wasted in breweries, millions, of tons annually? Why should people go hungry and why should they go cold, and why should factories and mills shut down in order that the breweries may have barley and coal to carry on their, not merely useless, but positively destructive business? If barley is an inferior food, why not then require that the fields that are used for raising barley be used for raising something else? G e t d ru n k , k il l , a n d be gu ilt le ss . Dr. T. D. Crowther, of Hartford, Conn., in a long and ably written article in “American Medicine” bitterly opposes the holding of men account able for their crimes if they first get drunk and afterward commit the crime while they are drunk. He "contends that a man who commits a crime under the influence of alcoholic drink is ‘ as irresponsible as an insane person and should not be punished, but given medical treatment. His reasoning is very specious, but carried out to its logical issue, all that any one would have to do, if he wanted to kill somebody and not be held accountable for the murder, would be to get drunk. It is true, as Dr. Crothers contends, that when men do commit crimes under the influence of alcohol, King Alcohol is responsible for the crime, but who is responsible for the man’s putting himself under the control of King Alcohol? Men do not have to drink, even though they have inherited an appetite for strong drink, they do not have to drink. There
THE KING’ S BUSINESS 369 is a way of deliverance from the power of strong drink as has been proven over and over again, and if men will not take that way of deliverance they should be held responsible for anything they do under the bondage of the drink to which they have handed themselves over. Dr. Crothers contends that “ the object of the state through the law to deter crime and protect society from criminal inebriates by dealing with them as sound and responsible fails in every particular.” But this is not true. It is true that men, in spite of being held responsible, still do get drunk and commit crimes, but far more o f them would do it than do if they were not deterred by the fear of the punishment that would come from their getting drunk and committing the crime. If there were no legal penalty, far more people would commit crimes o f violence and of all characters than do now. A very large experience with drunken men and their conduct teaches the writer that this is the fact. Dr. Crothers says further: “ The fear that the plea of insanity in crime and the failure to inflict punishment is an excuse and encouragement for crime is opposed by all statistics and experience.” This statement is simply untrue. Many a man and many a woman has been encouraged to commit murder by the hope that they would get off on the plea of insanity. Confidence in crim inal lawyers who know how to work the insanity plea to the utmost, has begotten countless murders. and other criminal acts of violence. A Victorious Life Conference i.< to be held at Whittier College, Whittier, Cal., June 1 to 9. The purpose of the conference is, to us their own words, “ to teach hungry-hearted Christians the blessing God has for them in a life of daily victory in Christ; to help faltering followers of our Risen Lord to a higher plane of steadfastness in H im ; to enable willing work ers to more clearly know God’s plan for their lives.” The conference is inter denominational. The principal speakers are: Rev. Prof. W. H, Griffith Thomas, D. D., Toronto, Ont., and Mr. Robert C. McQuilkin, formerly asso ciate editor of the Sunday School Times. There will also be other speakers with messages along the same line. The Conference Committee is composed largely of those whose own lives have been greatly blessed at the Princeton Conference, and through the messages of the Sunday School Times. Any one wishing further information should address J. E. Morris Kimber, Whittier College, Whittier, Cal. The Conference desires the prayers of all of God’s believing children. It is hoped that this Conference'will become an annual feature of religious life here on the coast. w HY SHOULD AMERICANS GO WITHOUT BREAD THAT THE BRITISH MAY HAVE BOOZE? A number of items from London in the news columns of our papers must make Americans do a lot of thinking. For example, the following from the Los Angeles Express: “ London, March 15.— Simpson’s, the famous Strand restaurant, submits a list of 101 meatless items on meatless days, mostly sea food and egg dishes, together with spinach, lettuce, beetroot, cauliflower, onions, and good old- fashioned rhubarb pie. There are always stout, ales, wines and whiskies at the prescribed hours.” A riCTORIOUS LIFE CONFERENCE. *
370
THE' KING’ S BUSINESS Here we are told that while they are economizing on the various food products, that “ there are always, stout, ales, wines and whiskeys at the pre scribed hours.” All of these except the wines require a waste of wheat or barley. We are told that we must send wheat to England and that we must rigidly economize to do it, but why should we send wheat to England as long as they waste their wheat in the manufacture of intoxicating liquors, which at the best are not needed. When they save all their own wheat for food then we might wisely send to them, but as long as they persist in not doing it they ought to be left to take the consequences of their wicked waste at such a time as this. And as for barley, barley is good food, and if it is not the best food, the land now put into barley could be put into wheat, for land that will raise barley will raise wheat. This item is headed in the Los Angeles Express with this caption: “ L. A. Restaurants Might Follow London’s Lead.” No, they could not, for after the 31st of March intoxicating liquors are pro hibited in Los Angeles. If they could it would be much to be hoped that they would not. Better far eat meat than squander good food products in drink. In the same issue of the Los Angeles Express is another item as follows: “ London; Wednesday, March 13.—Consumption, of intoxicating liqubrs in Great Britain, owing to the reductions instituted by the government, is now only one-third of what it was four years ago, Premier Lloyd George declared in an address to the Free Churchmen at the City Temple today, when chal lenged about the drink traffic. No spirits were being manufactured at all, he said, and any one who four years ago had predicted such a thing would not have been believed. The premier reiterated that if it came to a question of choosing between bread and beer the government would not hesitate a moment. The present, he added, was an hour of grave national emergency, the appeal of war was greater than patriotism because it was an appeal for help against the forces of brutality and a cry of conscience against the greed and lust of one power. Speaking of the manner in which the carrying on of the war taxed his strength, he said : “ I know that the very zeal which, by my oath to my king and country and by my love of my native land, I felt bound to throw into my task, has led to misunderstandings with my best friends that have caused me more distress than I can tell you. But pardon me, I have no time to clear that up now. I have a terrible task upon my shoulders, a task almost more than a man can bear, and I ask your help, sympathy and prayers. Show me any way by which we can make peace without betraying the great and sacred trust for which we entered the war. I will listen gladly, gratefully, and thank God for the light given me. Short of that, more peace lalk is undermining the fibre and morale of the nation.’ ” It will bé noted here that it is, said, “ The premier reiterated that if it came to a question of choosing between bread and beer the government would not hesitate a moment.” If this is true, why should we not let them choose between bread and beer and instead of cutting down our own people on these necessaries in order that we may send wheat to them to make up for the wheat they squandér in the manufacture of strong drink, keep our wheat to our selves until such times as they show that they need it. Certainly we ought not to compel our own people to go without bread in order that the English may have booze. We ought certainly to sustain our allies, but we ought not to help them in their folly. It may be all very well to say that “ the consumption
THE KING’S BUSINESS 371 of intoxicating liquors in Great Britain is now only one-third of what it was four years ago” but why should it not cease altogether until the grains thus wasted are no longer needed to keep people from starvation or at least from suffering? We received yesterday a letter from Japan from Mr.-Archie L. Dyer, an associate of the well-known Rev. Barclay Buxton, that contains Some para graphs of the deepest interest as showing God’s way of working in behalf of those who trust in Him. He Writes : “ Some of us have long felt that Convention work in Japan needs to be more closely linked up with evangelism, and under the stress of a deep convic tion that it could be successfully accomplished I felt led to arrange a series of special meetings in Himeji in the autumn of last year in which we proposed to bring before the churches these two phases of Christian life 'and service con jointly. “ I sent a. letter home in which I wrote of my desire, and the response in the matter of financial help and prayerful sympathy was both Spontaneous and liberal, and we were given to See the fulfillment of our program beyond our most sanguine thoughts. Those special meetings of holiness and evangelism were wonderfully blessed of God and proved a most happy and effectual com bination. The program ran through six days and cpnsisted of sunrise prayer meetings, morning Bible readings, afternoon convention meetings and evening evangelistic services, these latter being held in one of the largest theatres in the city which we hired for the occasion. Pastors, evangelists and Bible women, together with a goodly number of Christians of almost every denomination gathered for these meetings, some cycled in from a distance of thirty or forty miles, while others came by train from even greater distance. The two chief speakers were Rev. B. F. Buxton and Nakada San, and both seemed to be spe cially anointed of God for those services. The Daily Bible Readings and Con vention meetings were very searching and very blessed, and as far as I could find out there was hardly a soul present at those meetings that was not met and blessed of God. This of course prepared the way for a time of blessing at the evangelistic services in the evenings, and the spirit of expectant faith and prayer of the Christians, interspersed as they were all over the building, helped to clear the atmosphere of unholy associations and made it electric with Divine energy. So intense' was the spirit of desire and eager listening pn the part of thè large audience which gathered at those services; that many felt the nightly evangelis tic meetings ought to have been continued on after the Convention for Chris tians had closed. As a matter of fact some one brought me a message during the meetings that the people were complaining that the evening meetings were far too quickly brought to a close ! Some of them had come from the farthest limits of the city to hear the Gospel and the addresses were all too short to satisfy the hunger of their spiritual natures which had been aroused as they sat thrilled by the peerless Story of the Cross, notwithstanding the fact that we had two and sometimes three speakers each evening. A good part of the audi ence consisted of theatre-goers who were accustomed to the suggestive plays and lewd songs and coarse jokes tainted with the sulphurous atmosphere of the pit, which are always to be seen and heard in such places, but they were moved and stirred and melted by a new and mystic power as they listened to the sub1 I T OW GOD WORKS. ■“
372 THE KING’ S BUSINESS lime story of the Gospel, and found it so wonderfully fascinating that they were prepared to sit on until the midnight hour with an untired mind. The after meetings I will not now attempt to describe. I want to hurry on to the main purpose of this letter—suffice it to say Mr. Buxton pronounced them ‘wonder ful.?;-.;- r;'yv-Y':' "■ - A vV-' - - ■y ,v \; / : ; ^ “ At the close of that series of remarkable and powerful Convention and Evangelistic meetings, someone asked me why I did not get a large tent and do such work up and down the empire. On the face of it it seemed an impos sible question as far as I was concerned, and yet the bold suggestion contained in it was ablaze with possibilities of a larger and more effective work for the Band apart from any personal interest I might have in the matter, however, I wondered whether God may not be calling the Band to launch out into a wider and more fruitful ministry among the churches throughout the land by means of the tent work, find seeing the, suggestion embraced one of the very funda mental principles of the J. E. B. and practically gathered to itself the whole policy and method of the work of the Band in Japan, I passed it on to Mr. Buxton as presenting a new field of opportunity. It came with a very strong appeal to him, and his decision was that it was a matter for the Band to con sider. and consider with a view to the fulfillment of the wider ministry to which he felt God was calling us. “ The subsequent question was, How and when could it be accomplished? There was not a penny in sight on which we could lay our hands—and the mat ter of finance must perforce bulk very largely, in the furtherance of the Tent Mission work up and down the empire. My own desire was to wait until fur lough and then bring the matter before God’s people while at home on deputa tion work. That was the only possible ‘How’ that seemed practical to me. But it was just when we were face to face with the problem of ways and means and seeing no way out, that God signally interposed and vouchsafed a clear indica tion of Tlis will in this matter. ■ “ It was not very long after we had discussed the question of the Band branching out into this new method of work, that Mr. Buxton received a letter from America in which the writer asked if there was any new scheme of Gospel work in which he was specially interested, and wished to see carried through in Japan, as a generous-hearted friend of the writer’s was desirous of placing a sum of money at the disposal of the Band for that purpose. In reply to that letter Mr. Buxton wrote mentioning, I think, three matters for consideration, one o f these being the purchase and equipment of a large tent to be used on a. wide scale throughout the empire in connection with the churches in Conven tion and evangelistic missions combined. In response to that letter to America, a further communication was received saying that the only thing that was likely to appeal to the donor was the Tent Mission work. This subsequently proved to be the case, and but a few months elapsed before a liberal sum of money was sent to Japan to be used exclusively for this special purpose. “ This generous gift-came as a clear evidence of God’s will in our undertak ing this Forward Movement, and it became apparent to us all that the Band was being sent forth on the wings of a new commission. “ The 'purchase of the tent and its equipment is now an established fact,, and the first mission is to be held during this month, November, at Kure, near Hiroshima, a city of one hundred and thirty thousand people, and one of the chief naval bases of the empire.”
THE KING’ S BUSINESS 373 So much for the Japanese end of God’s working. As to the American end,' the editor of this magazine some time ago was led to think of Rev. Barclay Buxton whom he had met in Japan and also met at Keswick, and at his meetings in Cambridge University where Rev. Barclay Buxton had been one of his most efficient helpers, and he wrote inquiring about the needs of Mr. Buxton’s work in Japan, with the results recorded in this letter. It seems like another one of the many cases of God’s working with two men far removed from one another, but whom He wishes to co-operate with or help one another, just as He wrought with Cornelius in Cesarea at one end of the line, and Peter in Joppa at the other end of the line. TV/fY WORD SHALL NOT RETURN UNTO ME VOID.” * In the same letter from Japan to which reference has been made, there is another paragraph illustrating the power of the Word of God. Mr. Dyer says: “ There is one item which I feel will be of special interest to you in con nection with the first Tent Mission held last month. On the last night of the services the wife of a Japanese evangelist who is working in the city of Hiro shima. about twenty miles distant, came over with her husband to that meeting and asked if she might be allowed to give her testimony. She spoke with great power iand some were melted to tears as she told the story of her search after God. She was living in Tokyo and was in deep concern about her soul, she went the round of the churches in that city but heard nothing that brought peace to a troubled conscience, she was in despair and brought to the verge of suicide, so great was her mental strain. Passing some church with an advertise ment of some evangelistic services at which you were announced to speak by interpretation (it was of course, when you were in Japan some years ago), she said the thought flashed through her mind as to whether she might not hear some wdrd that would bring her rest of soul, and so resolved to come to hear you.’ Your text that evening was'Gal. 6:7, and she was terribly searched by. the Spirit of God. She went home and spent the whole night before God and after a long struggle was very blessedly saved. She is a woman who knows God and is a real trophy of Divine grace. It struck me as very remarkable that one of the first speakers in these Tent services, which you have been instrumen tal in bringing about should have been one of the converts from your visit to Japan so many years ago, and yet she was utterly unconscious of your connec tion with the Tent at this time. It seemed to me another link in a very striking chain of events, as recorded in the article which I am enclosing with this letter, o f God’s leading.”
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III. Divine Offices. But we do not need to rest the case here, There is a third unanswerable line of proof that Jesus Christ is God, namely, all the distinctively Divine offices are predi cated of Jesus Christ. There are seven dis tinctively Divine offices. That is to say, there, are seven things that God alone can do, and each one o f these seven distinc tively Divine offices are ascribed to Jesus Christ. The seven distinctively Divine offices are : Creation, Preservation, For giveness o f Sin, the Raising o f thé Dead, the Transformation o f Bodies, Judgment, and the Bestowal o f Eternal Life, and each o f these is ascribed to Jesus Christ. Cre ation is ascribed to Him. In Heb. 1 :10 these words are spoken to our Lord : “AND THOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING HAST LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EA R TH ; AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF THY HANDS.” The context clearly shows that that the Lord addressed is the Lord Jesus. In John .1:3 we are told that “ALL THINGS W ERE MADE THROUGH HIM ; AND W ITHOUT HIM W AS NOT ANY TH ING MADE TH AT W AS MADE.” Preservation o f the universe and o f every thing is also ascribed to Him in Heb. 1 :3
where it is said o f the Lord Jesus, “WHO , BEING THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY, AND THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS (I. E. GOD’ S) SUBSTANCE AND UPHOLDING ALL THINGS BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER, WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH.” The forgiveness o f sin is ascribed to Him. He .Himself says in Mark 2:5-10 when His power to forgive sins was questioned, because that was recognized as a Divine power, “ THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT THE SON OF MAN HATH POWER ON EARTH TO FORGIVE SINS.” The future raising o f the dead is distinctly ascribed to Him in John 6:39, 44, “AND TH IS IS THE FATHER ’ S W ILL WH ICH HATH SENT ME, TH AT OF ALL WH ICH HE HATH GIVEN ME I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING, BUT SHOULD RA ISE IT UP A T THE LAST DAY. NO MAN CAN COME TO ME, EXCEPT THE FATHER WH ICH HATH SENT ME DRAW H IM : AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP A T THE LAST DAY.” The transformation o f our bodies is ascribed to Him in Phil. 3 :21, R. V. In 2 Tim. 4:1 judgment is ascribed
THE KING’ S BUSINESS 375 to Him. W e are told that He «hall “judge CAUSE.” Here the prophet distinctly says
the quick and the dead.” Jesus Himself declared that He would be the judge of all mankind, and emphasized the fact of the D ivine, character of that office. In John 5 :22, 23 He said, “FOR NEITHER DOTH THE FATHER JUDGE ANY MAN, BUT HE HATH GIVEN ALL JUDGMENT UNTO THE SON, THAT ALL MEN MAY HONOR THE SON, EVEN AS THEY HONOR THE FATHER.” The bestowal o f eternal life is ascribed to Him time and time again. In John 10:28 He Himself says, “ AND 1 GIVE UNTO THEM ETERNAL LIFE, AND THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH, NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK THEM "OUT OF MY HAND .” And in John 17:1, 2, He says, FATHER, THE HOUR IS COME; GLORIFY THY SON, THAT THE SON MAY GLORIFY THEE :. EVEN AS THOU GAVEST HIM AUTHOR ITY OVER ALL FLESH, THAT TO ALL WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN HIM, HE SHOULD GIVE ETERNAL LIFE.” Here then we have the seven distinctively Divine offices all predicated o f Jesus Christ. This alone would prove that He is God, and we might rest the case here, but there are still other proofs o f His absolute Deity. IV. Statements which in the Old Testa ment Are Made Distinctly of Jehovah, God, Taken in the New Testament to Refer to Jesus Christ. The fourth line o f proof o f the absolute Deity o f Jesus Christ is found in the.fact that over and over again statements which in the Old Testament are made distinctly of Jehovah, God, are taken in the New Testa ment to refer to Jesus Christ. W e have not time to illustrate this at length, but will give but one illustration where many might be given. In Jer. 11:20 the prophet says, “BUT, O LORD OF HOSTS, THAT JUDGEST RIGHTEOUSLY, THAT TR IEST THE REINS AND THE HEART, LET ME 'SEE THY VEN GEANCE ON TH EM : FOR UNTO THEE HAVE I REVEALED MY
that it is Jehovah o f Hosts who judgest and triest the reins and the heart. And in the 17th chapter and the tenth verse Jeremiah represents Jehovah Himself as saying the same thing in these words, “I, JEHOVAH , SEARCH TH E JH IND , I TRY THE HEART, EVEN TO GIVE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS, ACCORDING TO THE FRUIT OF HIS DOINGS.” But in the New Tes tament in Rev. 2 :23 the Lord Jesus says, “I AM HE WH ICH SEARCHETH THE REINS AND THE HEARTS : AND I W ILL GIVE UNTO EVERY ONE 0 9 YOU ACCORDING TO YOUR WORKS.” We are distinctly told in the context that it is “ THE SON OF GOD” who is speak ing here. So Jesus claims for Himself in the N. T. what Jehovah in the O. T. says is true o f Himself and o f Himself alone, and in very many other instances state ments which in the ,Old Testament are made distinctly o f Jehovah, God, are taken to refer to Jesus Christ. That is to say; in New Testament thought and doctrine Jesus Christ occupies the place that Jeho vah occupies in Old Testament thought and doctrine. V. The Way in which the Name of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son Are Coupled Together. The fifth line o f proof o f the absolute Deity o f our Lord is found in the way in which the name o f Jesus Christ is coupled with that of God the Father. In numerous passages His name is coupled with the name o f God the Father in a way in which it would be impossible to couple the name of any finite being with that of the Deity.' W e have time for but a few o f the many illustrations that might be given. A strik ing instance is in the words o f our Lord Himself in John 14:23 where we read, “JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, IF A MAN LOVE ME, HE W ILL KEEP MY W O RD S : AND MY FATHER W ILL LOVE HIM, AND WE W ILL COME UNTO HIM, AND MAKE OUR ABODE W ITH HIM.” Here our
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13 the four living, creatures and the four and twenty elders are represented as fall ing down before the Lamb and offering worship to Him just as worship is offered to Him that sitteth upon the throne, i.e., God the Father. In Heb. 1 :6 we are told in so many words, “AND AGAIN , WHEN HE BRINGETH IN- THE FIRST BE GOTTEN INTO THE WORLD , HE SAITH , AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM." One night in the inquiry room in Chicago I stepped u p 'to an intelligent looking man at the back o f the room and said to him, “Are you a Christian ?” He replied, “ I do not suppose you would consider me a Chris tian.” I said, “Why not?” He said, “ I am a Unitarian.” I said, “What you mean then is that you do not think that Jesus Christ is a person that should be wor shipped.” He replied, ‘“That is exactly what I think,” and added, “the Bible nowhere says we ought to worship Him.v I said, “Who told you that?” He replied, “ My pastor,” mentioning a prominent Uni tarian minister in the City o f Boston. I said, “Let me show you something,” and I opened my Bible to Heb. 1 :6 and read, “ a n d A g a i n , w h e n h e b r i n g e t h IN THE FIRST BEGOTTEN INTO THE WORLD , HE SAITH , AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSH IP HIM,” and he said, “ Does it say that?” I handed him the Bible and said, “ Read it for yourself,” and he read it and said, “ I did not know that was in the Bible.” I said, “Well it is there, isn’t it?” “Yes it is there.” Language could not make it plainer. The Bible clearly teaches, that Jesus the Son o f God is to be worshipped as God by angels and men, even as God the1Father is worshipped. VII. Incidental Proofs of the Deity of Jesus Christ. The six lines o f proof o f the Deity of Jesus Christ which I have given you leave no possibility . o f doubting Lord Jesus does not hesitate to couple Him self with the Father in such a way as to say “rw e” i.e., God the Father and I will come and make our abode with him. In John 14:1 He said, “LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED : BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME.” If Jesus Christ was not God this is shocking blasphemy. There is absolutely no middle ground between admitting the Deity of Jesus Christ and charging Christ with the most daring and appalling blasphemy of which any man in all history was ever guilty. *VI. Divine Worship to be Given to Jesus Christ. There is a sixth line o f proof o f the absolute Deity o f our Lord Jesus. Those already given, have been decisive, each one o f the five have been decisive, but-this, if possible, is the most decisive o f them all, and that is that we are taught in so many words that Jesus Christ should he worshipped as God, both by angels and men. In numerous places in the gospels we see Jesus Christ accepting without hesita tion a worship which good men and angels declined with fear, and which He Himself taught, should be rendered only to God (Matt. 28:9; Luke 24:52;' Mark 14:33; cf. Acts 10:25, 26; Rev. 22:8, 9, R. V .; Matt. 4:9, 10). A curious and very misleading comment is made in the margin of the American Standard Revision upon the meaning o f the word translated “worship” in these passages, and that is that “the Greek word translated worship denotes an ■act of reverence, whether paid to a. creature, or to the Creator.” Now this is true, but it is utterly misleading; for while this word is used to denote “an act o f reverence paid to a creature” by idolators, our Lord Jesus Himself distinctly says, using exactly the same Greek word, “ THOU SHALT WOR SHIP THE LORD TH Y GOD, AND HIM ONLY SHALT THOU SERVE," and on the other hand He says in John 5 :23 that “ALL MEN SHOULD HONOR THE SON EVEN AS THEY HONOR THE FATHER.” And in Rev. 5 :8, 9, 12,
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