R U N $e to and fro through the streets, and see now, and know and seek in broad places, if ye truth. JER. 1:5
can find a man * * that seeketh the
Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them. TIM. 4:16
OCTOBER, 1921
RECRUITS WANTED for a FOUR MONTHS’ CAMPAIGN OUR GOAL THE KING’S BUSINESS In 50,000 HOMES by JANUARY 1st, 1922 This is easily possible if every subscriber will secure at least one new subscriber. Many might be able to get a dozen. WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE TO YOU? FIRST: You will be m aking an effort in a good cause. SECOND : You m ay, u n d e r God, be a g re a t blessing to som e hom e. TH IRD : T h ro u g h reading th e m agazine som e soul m ay be saved. (R ead testim onial to this effect on p ag e 8 8 9 .) FOUR TH : Som e y o u n g p erso n m ay b e stirred to do perso n al w o rk for C hrist. F IFTH : Som e y o u n g people m ay decide to p re p a re them selves fo r C h ris tian w ork. SIX TH : Som e Sunday School tea ch e r m ay g et a new vision for service. SEVENTH : Som e p a sto r m ay be set on fire fo r service, and a w hole c h u rch th ere b y revived. E IGHTH : W h atev er good results from this cam paign, th ro u g h y o u r ef forts, y o u will sh are in th ro u g h eternity. PRAY ABOUT THIS and feel assured we will Greatly Appreciate your efforts. Every new subscriber will receive a copy of “The Funda mentals containing the choicest articles from well-known writers. Send for full particulars and sample copy.
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, 1 will keep it night and day. = = : Isa. 27:3 - a PU 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 536-558 SO U TH HO PE STREET. LOS ANGELES, CAL. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California under the A ct of March 3, 1879 . a Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917 3 k authorized October 1,1918. Volume XII October 1921 . Number 10
Rev. T . C . H O R T O N . Editor in Chief
R oy . KEITH L. BROOKS, Maneging Edit»
A LA N S. PEARCE, A d9. Manager Contributing Editors
DR. F. W . FARR
DR. FR ENCH E. OUV ER
REV. WM . H . PIKE
DR. A . C . D IXON
CONTENTS EJditorials: Making Men go to Church (957 ), O America! (95,9), D. D. D. (959 ), Death of Dr. Scofield (960 ), American T ract Society (961 ), An Excellent Example <961), Ask th e Evolutionist (962 ), B ryan Briefs (963) Suggestive S tatistics (965 ), Sin, Sacri fice, Salvation (966) Is This th e T ru th? (967) P resbyterian Ad vance Thought (967) Sentence Sermons (969) W hat W ill Save Religion?—Dr. Cortland Myers (971)
The H istoric F aith— Dr. F. D. Huntingdon (973) T rinity of th e Godhead— Dr. Edw. B ickersteth (976) Side Issues— Dr. John S traton (979) Religious Confusion— Chas. J. W aehlte (980) Studies in Revelation— Rev. W. H. Pike (9 82) “I Believe”— Dr. I. M. Haldeman (985) “To Your Tents, O, Isra e l!”-—Dr. J. C. Massee (987) Bible In stitu te Happenings— (988) Bible In stitu te in Hunan— Dr. F ra n k Keller (991) T houghtful Evangelism—Dr. W. E. Biederwolf (992) Evangelistic Stories— (993) Extension Work— (998) Hom iletical Helps— (1001) Can Peace be M a d e ? ^D r. W. B. Riley (1003) Thoughts fo r th e Unsaved-—(1005) In tern atio n al Sunday School BeSsons— (1006) Daily Devotional Readings— Dr. F. W. F a rr (1041)
E d ito rial A fterthoughts-—K. L. Brooks (1048) Bible Mnemonics-—Rev. Wm. Coburn (1050) PLEASE W hen sen d in g su b scrip tion s, ad d ress correspondence to Oflloe o f T he K in g ’s B u sin ess, B ib le In stitu te o f B os A n g eles, 5 X - 658 S outh H ope S treet. C hecks m ay be m ade p ayab le to B ib le In stitu te o f B os A n g eles. Do n o t m a k e ch eck s or m oney orders to in d ivid u als con n ected w ith th e B ib le In stitu te Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES. INCLUD ING C A N A D A $1.24 - SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A
RECRUITS WANTED for a FOUR MONTHS' CAMPAIGN OUR GOAL THE KING’S BUSINESS In 50,000 HOMES by JANUARY 1st, 1922 This is easily possible if every subscriber will secure at least one new subscriber. Many might be able to get a dozen. WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE TO YOU? FIR ST : Y ou will b e m aking an effort in a good cause. SECOND : You m ay, u n d e r God, b e a g re at blessing to som e hom e. TH IRD : T h ro u g h read in g th e m agazine som e soul m ay b e saved. FO U R TH : Som e y o u n g p e rso n m ay b e stirred to do p erso n al w o rk fo r C hrist. F IF TH : Som e y o u n g p eople m ay decide to p re p a re them selves fo r C h ris tia n w ork. SIX TH : Som e Sunday School tea ch e r m ay get a new vision fo r service. SEVENTH : Som e p a sto r m ay b e se t on fire fo r service, a n d a w hole c h u rch th ere b y revived. E IGH TH : W h atev er good resu lts from this cam paign, th ro u g h y o u r ef forts, y o u will sh a re in th ro u g h etern ity . PRAY ABOUT THIS and feel assured we will Greatly Appreciate your efforts. Every new subscriber will receive a copy of “The Funda mentals” containing the choicest articles from well-known writers. Send for full particulars and sample copy.
| gp
1o ^
E D I T O R I A L
YOUNG PEOPLE’S NUMBER EMEMBER now th y C reator in th e days of th y youth, while th e evil days come not, n o r th e years draw nigh when th o u sh a lt say, I have no pleas u re in them .” (Eccl. 12:1.) “The fea r of th e Lord is th e beginning of wisdom; an d th e knowledge of th e Holy is understand ing .” (Prov. 9 :10 .) “H ear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide th in e h e a rt in th e way.” (Prov. 23 :19 .) “Remove n o t th e old landm ark ; an d en ter no t in to th e fields of th e fath erless.” (Prov. 23 :10 .) “W ithhold n o t correction from th e child; fo r if thou b eatest him w ith th e rod, he shall n o t die. Thou sh a lt b eat him w ith th e rod, and deliver h is soul from hell. My son, if th in e h e a rt be wise, my h e a rt shall rejoice, even m ine.” “Chasten thy son while th e re is hope, and le t n o t th y soul spare fo r his crying.” “There is a way th a t seemeth rig h t un to a m an, b u t th e end thereo f are th e ways of d eath .” MAKING MEN GO TO CHURCH How? Compel them by law? No. Quoting the Ten Commandments •to them? No. Telling them that they ought to set a good example to the boys? -No. Putting in a smoking room? No. Installing a pool table? No. Introducing moving pictures? No. (The church always plays a poor game along this line and men know it.) Tell a man he will he sorry in the next world? No. ' _ How then? By making them want to go. How do you get men to go to a ball game ? By having a good game. How do you get them to accept a dinner invitation? By assuring them of a good dinner. Men are tremendously human. They have reasoning powers. They have hungry hearts. When they go to church they do not go to be enter tained. There never was a more foolishly false notion than that. Men want to know the truth and want to be told the truth. Of course there are exceptions,—brainless, effeminate, wishy-washy men,-“ -but we are not thinking of that class. We are thinking of real men —the average man—as we have known him. A real man wants all the cards on the table, face upwards. He believes in calling a spade a spade. Up in the city of St. Paul men used to say, “ Go and hear that big-nosed preacher. He has the dope.” (That was Dr. J. R. Breed). Why did they say that? Because he gave them the straight goods from the store house. In the inmost recesses of a. man’s being God has put a soul-hunger and
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
958
A M uch N eeded Revival
a consciousness that the Word of God is true, and when you open the Book and tell him what. God says; when you tell him that there is a sentence against the sinner; when you tell him he must have a new nature, a nature like God’s, if he ever expects to live with God,—his heart responds, and he makes his own application of truth. The argument is God’s;, the con-- victing power is with the Holy Spirit. There can.be no failure. • Men hear enough of current events, of politics, of business, of social affairs during the week. They do not go to church to hear essays. Why should they? They do not care for the spectacular nothings of the pulpit. They have magazines, amusements and all these other things. They want the Gospel in the good old-fashioned style, unadulterated, handled without gloves, warmed with a loving heart. Men are human. The Bible is the most human Book in the world. The Gospel of God’s grace is the most attractive, alluring and satisfying thing in all the world. We are not theorizing now, but speaking out of a long and large ex perience, and saying to you, either minister or layman, that men will re spond to the Gospel, the pure Gospel, the old Gospel, the whole Gospel,— and there should be ten thousand laymen going forth with this blessed Gospel to their fellow-men. GO YE! The Holy Spirit is waiting to empower you! Stop marking time! Do busi ness for the Lord! T. C. H. M M TOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT PROBLEM IS SETTLED ALREADY See the King’s Business Adv. on Page 1040
959
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
O, AMERICA! AMERICA!! No honest Christian man or woman, with the Word of God in their hands and the fear of God in their hearts, and the compassion of Christ for the lost in their souls, can confront church, school and world condi tions without conscious sorrow. , There is no more pathetic picture in the Bible than that of our Lord Jesus when, on His last visit to Jerusalem, He stood upon the Mount and looking upon the City of God, with its golden-domed Temple, poured out His soul in pitiful sorrow as He said, “O, Jerusalem , Jerusalem , th o u th a t k illest th e prophets an d ston est th em which are sent u n to thee, how often would I have g athered th y children together, even as a hen g a th e re th h e r chickens un d er h e r wings, and ye would n o t!” In the chapter where this is recorded, Matthew 23, we have Him pour ing out eight woes to the scribes and Pharisees who were the religious rulers responsible for the woeful condition of the people. How our Lord loved His people! How He longed for their spiritual welfare! How His heart went out to them as the heart of a mother! He tvould have had them in His arms, close to His heart-, but they would not. Is there something akin to this sorrow in our hearts today when we think of our beloved country with the black clouds gathering which fore tell the coming days of darkness and gloom? Out Lord did His best for His people. He has done His best for us. Can the tide be turned? Will it be possible for our beloved land to return to God, the God of our fathers? We cannot tell; but we know that it behooves every believer to do his best. Live the life. Preach the Word. Let the Lord use us in saving all pos sible from the wreck. 0, America, America! How often would He have gathered you, but ye would no t! * T. C. H. D. D. D. The Holy Scriptures have some terrible words of warning,—many of them evidently not familiar to the church in these days. Christ used them. Paul used them. John used them. Peter used them. And there are three words used by Peter which are most significant,— damnable— denying-**#; destruction ; ‘.‘damnable, heresies ;P “ denying the Lord that bought them;” “ swift destruction.” (2 Pet. 2:1) “B u t th e re were false prophets also among th e people, even as th e re shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall b ring in dam nable heresies, even denying th e Lord th a t bought them , and b ring upon them selves sw ift destruc tion .” What is a heretic? A heretic is an opinionated person; one who gives his own opinions as to what God ought to say and what God ought to do. What are the damnable heresies of which Peter speaks ? Let jus put the verse into plain English: “There w ere false prophets among th e people of old, and th e re will be false« teachers -in th e church. They w ill b ring in doctrines of th e ir own originating, even denying th e doctrine of th e atonem ent, an d will b ring upon themselves etern al loss; and many shall follow th e ir pernicious ways.” The Bible will always stand the test. Is this Scripture true today ? Are there any heretics among us,-—opinionated men and women who love to
960 B U S I N E S S air their supposed scholarship? Who make light of the atoning blood of the Son of God—the blood that bought them? Do you know any of them? Do you sympathize with them? Do you apologize for them? Do you seek to satisfy yourself and others by telling how sweet and amiable and lovely they are? Do you, beloved, know a damnable heresy when you hear it? Can you endorse the teaching of a man who denies the blood that was shed to save him? Listen to Peter as he speaks of the blood of Christ. (1 Pet. 1:38) “Forasm uch as ye know th a t ye were n o t redeem ed w ith corruptible things, as silver and gold, from you r v ain conversation received by trad itio n from your fath ers; B u t w ith th e precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb w ithout blem ish and w ithou t-spo t.” Is there anything you can think of more terribly wicked in the sight of God our Father who gave His Son; in the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ who offered Himself as a sin-offering for your sins; in the sight of the Holy Spirit who indited the message of Peter,—than this damnable heresy of denying the blood—the precious blood? And is there anything more fearful than the judgment which must await these heretics who delight in slurring the sacrifice of Christ and who deliberately connive with Satan to destroy the souls of the sons of men? What shall we do? Pray for these false teachers and preachers for destruction awaits them. Pray for the poor, deluded people who have not wisdom enough to read the Bible for themselves. Lift your voice. Use your influence and all of your power to warn the people—young and old—of the horrors of these heresies and of the hell that awaits those who give ear to these seducing spirits. T. C. H. HOME-GOING OF DR. C. I. SCOFIELD The following newspaper clipping reached us by mail. We do not know who the sender was, nor the publication in which it appeared, but it is a worthy tribute to a great teacher, and we take pleasure in giving it to our readers: “On th a t sky-line where th e th ink ing o f m an comes perhaps closest to th e th ink ing of God a g rea t figure h a s disappeared, and, w ith h is going, a gap is lik e to be le ft fo r a hund red years o r more. So say tho se who know b est th e works of Dr. O. I. Scofield. Those who know th e h e a rt of th e m an feel th a t th e gap will never be filled. And yet w ith in th e la st hund red years, we a re told, no o th e r m an in h is field h as le ft behind him a monum ent a t once so notable an d so noble, lin k e d w ith th e nam e of an edition of th e Book of Books which is known around th e world, his nam e is th e p roperty of practically every nation and every people. ‘ “H ere was a m an who w as decorated a t A ntietam as a soldier on th e staff of Gen. A. P . H ill, a m an to w h om 'th e profession of law yielded distinction and j public life rew arded w ith office and honors, a m a ste r o f languages and of 'an c ien t lore, a review er of books and a connoisseur of literatu re , a la rg e m an w ith larg e powers and g rea t personality— and y et w ith th e modesty of a little child. As an au th o r h is m ail bore to him words of appreciation and requ ests for advice and help from Europe and Asia an d th e isles of th e sea. As p asto r his simple dignity and splendid com radeship won to h im a following which loved him fo r th e tru e friend th a t h e w as of God and man. As a w o rker in th e vineyard T H E K I N G ’ S
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 961 of h is M aster he labored w ith joy an d g ath ered much fru it, th e seed whereof ripen even now in th e fo u r q u arte rs of th e ea rth in to y et rich e r harvests because of h is husbandry. “When in th e fulness of years d eath came to him , it came as a rew ard. He fell on sleep and was seen of men no more. Today in Texas and in New York, in Chicago and in London and h alf a h und red land s th e re are those who knew and loved him and are ta lk in g of th e h e a rt and th e w o rth of th e m an they knew an d loved.” - THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY In a communication dated June 23, over the signature of William Phillips Hall, President; and Rev. David James Burrell, D. D., Vice Presi dent and Chairman of the Publication Committee, is a welcome statement from the American Tract Society: . “Our atten tion has been called to th e fact th a t th e Explanatory Notes on th e In tern atio n al Sunday School lessons in th e Spanish language, which have been prepared and furnished by th e editors of an d published fo r th e Comm ittee on Christian lite r a tu r e of th e Comm ittee on Co-operation fo r L atin America, con-, ta in teachings con trary to th e accepted stand ard s of evangelical Christian be lief; th a t as th e American T ract Society h as always stood fo r those views of th e Bible and its teachings held by tru ly evangelical Christians and holds in reprobation such teachings as it h a s been unknow ingly and innocently publish ing in th e Notes m entioned above,-—it hereby annnounces th a t it h as ceased th e publication and d istribu tion of said Notes; th a t it confesses it h as been grievously m isled and deceived in th is m a tte r; th a t it denounces th e aforesaid teachings an d will h e re after m ore carefully an d fully scrutinize all m anuscripts in foreign languages th a t may be presented fo r publication, and so avoid o th er experiences of a lik e n a tu re .” We felt that these beloved brethren—stalwart defenders of the Word of God—were .not cognizant of the character of the Sunday School notes which were being foisted upon the native converts in Latin America, and with real pleasure we make room for this statement. The American Tract Society has been and is faithful to God’s Word and we commend to our readers the following appeal from these good brethren: “I f sufficient encouragem ent and means shall be forthcom ing, th e Society will, a t an early date, p lan to secure th e w riting and publication of an annu al volume upon th e In tern atio n al Sunday School Lessons in th e Spanish language th a t may be implicitly relied upon as setting fo rth only such views an d teachings as may fully accord w ith th e evangelical standard s of belief.” AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE Many churches have found it expedient to have a definite statement of their faith in such form that there could be no question as to their standing, and we are glad to cite an excellent example of a large and in fluential church which rings true to the old Book. Dr. 0. P. Gifford, that veteran, gifted servant of God, is now supplying •the pulpit of this church’, the First Baptist Church of Pasadena, and at tracting large numbers of people to the services by reason of his strong, virile, Gospel messages, and a recent number of their church bulletin contained the following statement of belief: A t th e meeting on Wednesday evening, th e follow ing resolutions w ere p re sented and passed and on fu rth e r m otion o rdered to be p rin ted in th e bu lletin : Whereas, th e p resen t seems to be an opportune occasion in th e histo ry of our church wherein to announce o u r stand upon w hat we believe to be th e funda-
962 B U S I N E S S : m en tal doctrines of th e church of Jesu s Christ, as ta u g h t in th e W ord of God, th erefo re be it Resolved, th a t we hereby declare our adherence among others to th e following articles o f faith—We believe in th e fu ll au tho rity and inspiration of th e Holy Bible as, itself, in very essence and in fact th e W ord of God. W e believe in th e Deity of Jesu s Christ, in whom “ dwelleth all th e fulness of th e Godhead,” and th a t, as th e g reat h ead of th e church, He m u st have th e supreme place in th e lives of H is followers. We believe in th e triu n e God, F ath e r, Son and Holy Spirit, and we recognize th e m inistry of th e Spirit in th e conviction and conversion of sinners and H is abiding presence w ith and in th e people of God, to be th e ir in sp iration to faith and good works, and th e ir guide into all tru th . That, in th e sacrificial offering of H im self upon Calvary, Jesu s bore th e fu ll penalty of o u r sins as o u r substitute, th u s making atonem ent fo r th e sins of th e world. T hat, salvation is wholly of th e free grace of God, th rough H is appointed way in th e exercise of faith in th e finished w ork of ou r crucified Redeemer and th a t regeneration, a sp iritu al new b irth , is a prerequisite to acceptance by th e F a th e r in to th e fam ily of th e redeemed. We believe in th e virgin b irth of ou r Jiord, in H is resu rrection from th e dead, 'an d in H is ascension to th e rig h t h and of th e F a th e r, in glory, whence, in due tim e, He will come again to g ath er to H im self H is own as subjects of h is ever lasting kingdom . Wherefore, be it fu rth e r Resolved, th a t we in stru c t our pu lp it comm ittee th a t, in th e ir quest fo r one to recommend as a suitable p asto r of th is church, they con sider only such men as sta n d w ith us, unreservedly, upon th e fundam en tal doc trin e s expressed in th e foregoing resolution. This is a step that will bring into fellowship with this church numbers of people who want to know—and who have the right to know—what position is taken by the church with which they unite, and what the pastor of such a church is expected to preach. This position also makes it impossible for any minister to secure a place as pastor who would juggle with the truths of God’s Word. We congratulate the First Baptist Church of Pasadena and predict for it an era of blessing from the pierced hands of the Son of God. We com mend it, also, as an example for other churches knowing from definite experience that it will work and work well. It is a solution to a difficult problem now confronting many, many churches,—a reliable remedy, easily applied. T. C. H. ASK THE EVOLUTIONIST FOR AN ANSWER Among the many splendid addresses given at the Bible Conference held at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles during the month of July, was one by Dr. J. G. Kennedy, pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana, on the theme “ Evolution vs. Special Creation” which we hope, later, to print in pamphlet form. Dr. Kennedy arrayed the professors one against another in an interesting manner, quoting the name and position of each- writer and showing the impossibility of there being any agreement between them. Every theorist exploited his own theory and none of them could produce any foundation in fact. He closed his address by submitting the following questions for the professors, or their followers, to answer: “Before we discard o u r Bibles and reje ct God as our C reator would it no t be well to in sist on positive and convincing answers to most of th e following ques tion s? T H E K I N G ’ S
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 963 Where did matter come from, if not from an Almighty Creator? How did life originate, if not from a creative, infinite Spirit of life ? How did the reasoning faculties come into existence if not from an infinitely wise Mind? How did it come that man alone developed the power of speech, unless it were from a God who could give expression to His thoughts? Whence that spirit in man that leads him to worship and long after communion with God if he possesses not a divine nature? How did germs first reproduce themselves since all life germs come only from the mature members of the species? How did these life germs preserve themselves from destruction since they now require such constant care and nourishment from the parent during the period of development? How is the regeneration of the soul accomplished by natural law and resident forces? Why has evolution developed but one Perfect Being on earth and that One over two thousand years ago? What provision is there in evolution for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and those who believe in Him? J1®8 evolution p ractically ceased, according to th e ir adm issions, during th e whole period of recorded tim e? - B Ask the evolutionists to answer these questions honestly. Don’t let them lecture you, but answer you. Of course, they will be “ up in the air for an answer because their “ hy-pot-the-sis” is “ high up ’’—floating around trying to find a footing, .and no footing is to be found. Fancies are but little toy balloons, but facts always furnish a solid foundation upon which to stand. T C H Jia? BRYAN BRIEFS The Hon. W illiam Jennings B ryan may not su it all people as a political leader, bu t he does stand in the fro n t ran k as a stalw art soldier and princely leader in defense of the Holy Scriptures. We could wish th a t th is man of God could give the rest of his life to th e greatly needed m inistry of tou ring th is country, visiting every educational and commercial center, and opening the eyes of stud en ts and laymen to th e perils confronting us and arousing th e churches to a consciousness of th e menace to our civilization resu ltan t from th e unw arranted, unscriptural and ungodly teaching and preaching of th e destructive critics of th e Bible Who are laying the foundations for th e disruption of our national and religious life. This man, w ith his splendid abilities and unwavering faith in th e Word o f Godr would command the atten tion and stir th e h earts of multitudes, and help to rally to th e old standard s thousands of people who are now under the spell of th e pro fessional pulpiteers and teachers whose little brains have been cracked and crazed w ith criticism of th e in e rran t Scriptures. We take pleasure in 'giving a few excerpts from Mr. B ryan’s recent address a t the Moody Bible In stitu te: Enem ies in th e Schools ^ come to present to you th e Bible as th e Word of God, and to p ro test against the enemies, open and secret, who would lift man from his knees, tak e from him
964 B U S I N E S S his faith in God and w ithdraw from his life th e restrain ing influence of a belief in immortality. T h at is w hat I believe th e Darw inian theory is doing. It leads people into agnosticism, pantheism , plunges th e world into the worst of wars, and divides society into classes, fighting against each o ther on a b ru te basis. I t is tim e th a t th e Christian church should und erstand what is going on and a rra y it self against these enemies of th e Church, Christianity and civilization. “The Bible has come down to us through th e cen tu ries and we find th a t along every line except th e one of which th e Bible treats, th e re has been marvellous progress. But along th a t line,—^ th at is the science of how to live,—we have made no progress. We go back to th e Old Testam ent fo r th e foundation of our sta tu te laws, and we go back to th e Sermon on th e Mount for th e ru les th a t govern our sp iritu al development. More Dangerous T han A theism “The ath eist is like th e man who blows ou t th e light. I know w hat he has done and can ligh t it again and express my opinion of him. But suppose a man comes up and says, ‘I beg your pardon; I am afraid th a t ligh t is so n ear you it will h u rt your eyes’; and then moves it hack and hack un til finally I do no t see th e ligh t a t all; T hat is the man I am afraid of. The H igher Critic moves th e ligh t away, a little a t a time, and finally tak es it out of sight altogether. . . . Few men are brazen enough to call Christ a bastard, yet th a t is exactly th e belief of most of the H igher Critics, many of whom teach in our colleges, for they say they .do n o t believe in th e V irgin B irth. . . . I believe th a t th e g reatest menace to th e Church today is found in th e Dar w inian hypothesis— the doctrine th a t man was no t created by God— as recorded in Genesis— hu t is blood kin to th e b ru tes below him. . . . There is no t an illu stration in all God’s' universe, so far, of one single species coming from an other and different species, and y et th e whole Darw inian hypothesis rests upon th e assertion th a t in th e beginning th e re were ju st a few invisible germ s of life, and th a t everything came from them . If th a t were tru e, we could find evidences of tran sition everywhere, bu t not a single example is to be found— not a single species in process of transition. Evils of th e Evolutionary Theory There was a time, according to evolutionists, when animals had no eyes and, as they now have them , th ere must have been a tim e when they came. Since God is not allowed to make an eye, it ju st happened. These people sh u t God out of His own universe and then try to explain how things happen. This is one guess: There was a tim e when th e little anim al did not have any eyes, bu t— as it was tim e for it to get an eye— th e re ju st happened (no design about it; it ju s t hap pened) th a t a little piece of pigment (some call it a freckle) came on th e skin. T h at concentrated the rays of th e sun and when th e little animal felt th e heat on th a t spot, it tu rn ed it tow ard th e sun to get more h eat and th e sun’s h eat irri ta ted it, and a nerve Came th e re and out of th e nerve came th e eye! Can you heat it? This accounts for one eye, hu t as th e re had to be another one, another freckle came p retty soon in ju s t exactly th e rig h t place! “Darwin tells us how men came to have brains superior to the women. He . says th a t when our ancestors were brutes, the males fought for the females, and they fought so hard th a t th is strugg le increased th e brain power in th e males, and th is increased brain power descended to the males— ju st to th e males! Even if we cannot prove th a t we have superior brains, it is nice to know how we came to have them . . . . One Guess as Good as Another “This doctrine of evolution leads one into the w ildest speculation. The Arabian nights have nothing to compare w ith th e guesses of scientists. Science can do anything when it builds on facts. It gives us rules for th e use of electricity and steam and gas. It tells us about th e fertility of th e soil and the ro tation of crops, b u t h ere it is dealing w ith facts. When a scientist goes to guessing he is no b etter th a n any other guesser. If we w an t fiction, it would he b etter to h ire a crippled girl who cannot work to read Grimm’s fairy tales to th e stud en ts than to have them ta u g h t th e fiction of evolution. “W hat is th e resu lt of Darw in’s theory? W hat would you suppose would be th e resu lt? H ere is a boy reared in a Christian home. He learns to pray. He reads the Bible and finds th a t the Heavenly F a th e r is more w illing to give good T H E K I N G ' S
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 965 H S U S th an earth ly p aren ts are. Then he goes off to college and a S a W tak e® a hook ®1X hundred pages thick and tries to convince him th a t o n tî,0 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 966 F rom the Two hund red Sem inaries and T raining Schools in th is country, about o ro erva fin o t Pfi fifl.P.h V fiä F . ■ 1 »—‘ — SIN, SACRIFICE AND SALVATION Three outstanding dangers in present day though t are seen in th e weak def initions of sin, th e low estim ate of th e work of Christ upon th e cross and the socializing of th e Gospel. .......................... Sin is now characterized as “ th e growing pains of hum anity or an m cidental Some -go so far as to make crime th e dim Thus sin is glorified when in God’s estim ate step in th e evolution of th e race.” groping of n atu re for th e divine.” it is a fearfu l abom ination. The newer ideas of th e atonem ent make Christ’s death to affect man only, not God. The Bible clearly teaches th a t He died to appease th e divine w rath against sin and to make a way .of escape from th e inevitable and etern al punishm ent th a t m ust come upon men because of th e ir sins. The New Theology declares He died to show th a t th ere was no obstacle to he removed. It was merely a,n illu stration of th e love of God. God needs no sacrifice. He can receive all into His bosom. Christ died as an un fo rtun ate victim. I t was th e climax of a series of events calculated to exhibit God as a God of love, no t w rath. _ , , All th is is directly contrary to th e one testim ony of Scripture. Such weak sentim entalism m isjudges God and h as no power over th e lives of men. If this theory of Christ’s death is correct, it does not prove God a God of love, h u t th e very opposite. . ' g ■ 8 I An infidel recently told Dr. F. W. F a rr of Los Angeles th a t he could no t accept Christianity because of “ th e scandal of th e cross.” He declared it was un righteous fo r God to allow such a good man to die such an ignominious death. To his surprise Dr. F a rr agreed w ith him, declaring th a t unless th e death of Christ was an absolute necessity because of th e awful exigency of th e situation, it is a blot on divine government. The awful fact of sin and hell positively demanded th e gift of th e beloved Son. There was no other way for God or for man. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ The outcome of th is low estim ate of the sacrifice is th a t Christ is made a Saviour only in th e sense th a t He is a Teacher of lofty principles. The Gospel is being socialized— th e individual Gospel is now ou t of place. The fact th a t a Gospel th a t will gloriously save an individual would save society which is comprised of individuals, seems to have no appeal to these thinkers. We m ain tain th a t unless th ere are rig h t relations between individuals and God, ■it will be of no avail to satisfy economic and social needs while leaving man T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 967 under th e w rath of God because of sin. The most effective way to improve society is to transform individual lives through presenting th e well proven doctrine of faith in th e vicarious suffering of th e divine Saviour. K. L. B. IS THIS THE TRUTH? At th e recent national assembly of th e E lks, held in Los Angeles, a high officer of the Salvation Army presented to the convention a beautiful banner on which it was stated th a t th e E lks were th e g reatest ally of th e Salvation Army in th e helping of th e poor and th e relieving of th e suffering. Where does th e church of Christ come in? Jesus Christ “w ent about doing good.” Christians are exhorted to “ follow in His steps” and to be “ rich in good works.” But are the churches carrying out th e ir appointed work? Is th a t being le ft to th e lodges? George S tuart, th e southern evangelist, some years ago was riding in a pas senger coach when a little child died in its m other’s arm s in a seat ju st adjoin ing his. He made in q u iry 'an d found th a t the parents were enroute to a d istan t city in hope of finding employment which they had long been seeking. Their funds were very low and they were fran tic over the loss of th e ir beautiful child and th e circumstances in which they found themselves. Mr. S tu a rt sta rted through th e car to raise funds for th e ir relief and had gone h u t a few seats when a gentlem an wearing a lodge pin approached him and informed him it would he unnecessary for him to trouble him self about th e m atter as h is lodge would assume full responsibility upon th e arriv al of th e couple a t th e ir destination. In speaking of th e incident Mr. S tu art said, “Has the church of Christ so long neglected its appointed work and left i t to th e lodges th a t now we are not even to he allowed to do it? ” The lodges pride themselves in outstripping th e churches. They are doing it in many cities. Many lodge men are basing th eir hopes of heaven on these good works in which they engage. I t is not th e love of Christ th a t is constrain ing them . They are not moved by th e Gospel bu t only by hum an itarian princi ples. W hat opportunities the churches are missing! M inistering to th e helpless and needy is intended to he the Christian’s entering wedge to lead souls to Christ. Will we allow th e best of these opportunities to be seized by those whose helping hand can give b u t brief assistance, and who know nothing of how to point the afflicted ones to Christ and heaven? Perhaps th e Salvation Army banner comes near stating the tru th . K. L. B. n H i “PRESBYTERIAN ADVANCE” THOUGHT of a yellow jou rnal m ight be excused for such a breach of editorial eitquette, but in th is case th ere can be h u t one of two explanations. E ith e r th e editor read h u t one sentence from Dr. Torrey’s sermon or he was bent upon pu tting him in a false ligh t before th e Presby terian church in which Dr. Torrey is a m inister. The editor is opposed to th e teaching of Christ’s second coming, which may possibly furnish a clue to th e situation. Dr. Torrey is quoted as saying, “The d ark e r th e n igh t gets, th e ligh ter my h e a rt gets.” It is charged th a t he re joices in the sinful state of society and leading P resbyterian paper re cently published an editorial quoting a single sentence from a sermon by Dr. R. A. Torrey and charging th a t th e doctor “rejoices in iniquity,” a charge th a t is ridiculous in view of th e sp iritual work which Dr. Torrey has carried on for many years. We could, by tak ing sentences ou t of th e ir setting in th is ed ito r’s magazine, m ake him appear to say things th a t were farth est from his though t and th a t would expose him to public ridicule if not th e fury of th e mob. The editor T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 968 outcome of having rejected Him and by pointing to th e glorious victory over these evil forces th a t aw aits His second advent (Luke 21:25-28). “ So, we, too,” he continued “ as the n igh t of th e pres en t dispensation advances, should have h earts becoming buoyant w ith high hopes bu ilt upon God’s sure Word of prophecy. ‘When these th ing s begin to come to pass,’ . . . w hat shall we do? Hang our heads, trem ble, get frightened? No. ‘Look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draweth nigh’.” It is indeed strange th a t in one strain prem illennialists are accused of being pessim ists and then when they declare th eir optim ism in spite of conditions in the world, they are accused of re joicing in iniquity. These new methods of reasoning are wonderfully confusing. K. L. B. would seek to hasten th e Lord’s coming by encouraging evil as a sign of th e la st days. He is made to teach th a t it is rig h t to do evil th a t good may come. Can you imagine it? Can you find any possible excuse for th is editor? Dr. Torrey, in his sermon on “The Unconquerable Optimism of Christ,” re ferred to our Lord’s etern al optimism as He faced th e clearly evident facts of His day and as He approached th e trials and agonies of His la st days. “ So we, too,” said Dr. Torrey, “should look be yond th e present loss, suffering and shame to th e tim e when, having over come, we shall sit down w ith Christ on Hfs throne even as He overcame and sat down w ith th e F a th e r” (Rev. 3 :2 1 ). He declared th a t Christ’s optimism fu rth e r manifested itself in foreseeing all th e turm oil and chaos th a t would come upon th is age as th e inevitable Stork of Agra Scripture Psalms 62:5-8. Ex. 83:22. Hymn. Rock of ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Cleanse me from its guilt and power Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill the law’s demands: Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone, Thou must save, and Thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the Fountain fly ; Wash me Saviour or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyelids close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee. 1 John 5 :6. John 19:34. 2 Kings 2:9, 10. Isa. 1:18. John 5:30, (1st clause.) Matt. 5 :17, 18. Psalm 69:6, (1st clause.) Psalm 6 :6. Isa. 55:1. Gal. 6:14. Rom. 13:14, (1st clause.). Phil. 4:13. Psalm 51:7. John 13:8, (2nd clause.) Psalm 103:15, 16. Ecc. 12:3, 7. John 14:2, 3. Matt. 25:31. 1 Cor. 10:4,^(3rd clause.) Psalm 17:8. Charles Arthur Jones. Hebrew 10:5, 6. Hebrew 10:8-10. SEN TENCE SERMONS REMARKABLE REMARKS GATHERED FOR BUST READERS H HE best remedy against an noyance from small things is to battle w ith g reat things. To behold th e beautiful w ithout becoming the more beautiful for it yourself, is to become less so. Seldom does one show his tru e character so much as when bestowing praise or-blame. F ou r things are required of th e com plete man: an orderly mind, a steady will, a patien t temper, a loving heart. To go against one’s conscience is surely wrong. To go according to one’s conscience is not necessarily right. The only legitim ate covetousness is th a t of ano th er’s virtues. Even th e brave man may run from danger, th e coward runs also from duty. To express our feelings is n atu re ; to understand the feelings of others is culture. However retired you may live, you cannot escape being a debtor. One place is ever safe— th a t of duty. Only th a t is tru e education which remembers th a t boys will some day be husbands and fath ers and citizens, th a t girls will some day be wives and mothers. He who can bear all things is already fit for heaven, bu t he who can endure all things is not yet fit even for earth. The envious fire w ith an inverted gun; th e kick goes from them , th e shot goes into them. Evil to be conquered in the end must be resisted in th e beginning. To abstain from retu rn in g evil for evil is one way to make up for our in ability to re tu rn good for good. F o r finding excuses for themselves, men use a searchlight. Fo r finding ex cuses for others, they are slow to use even a match. Experience, like manna, spoils on our hands if not used a t( once. It is no t experience people are short of, bu t the inability to profit thereby. He who w ants to s ta rt a fire, should not m ind the smoke. F lattery is like mud in th a t it sticks, b u t should, unlike mud, be brushed off before it is dry. O thers’ goodness you may behold w ith joy; your own only w ith suspicion. However good a man, from the moment he deems himself especially good, he is no t so good. The small man is bold after success; th e g reat man even afte r failure. H alf of w hat we hear is seldom so. The other half is seldom exactly so. The h ard est thing to learn is th a t we of ourselves can do nothing. Many are able to fill a high place; few are worthy to hold it. A g reat tragedy: to be a t home only when one is away from home. Honesty is tested as much by our pleasures as by our business. In ju ries are best never mentioned; often forgot, always forgiven. The g reat king is he who rules him self and only reigns over others. W hat counts against a man is not so muph w hat he is as w hat he does not try to be. Gross ignorance may keep one poor. Refined knowledge is ap t to make one poor. There is danger in living below what one knows; th ere is danger in living above w hat one knows, b u t the g reat est danger is in living only in w hat one knows. To remember a good tu rn is to de serve it. To remember an ill tu rn is to deserve it still more. Two m inds are quickly made up: the very great, the very small. The going through the m ire is not always our responsibility; the letting th e m ire stick to our clothes is. a » a s FADING FLASHES You have seen the canopy of heaven covered w ith the black clouds of a thunder-storm , and every now and then th e darkness has been made more visible or sensible by sudden flashes of lightning. Ju st like these flashes are the pleasures of the world, they last bu t for a. moment, and leave darkness and misery behind whereas tru e happi ness sheds a continual daylight on the soul.— Sel. What Will Sa^e Religion in These United States? Getting Back to tke Family Altar, the Church Altar And the Altar of Sacrifice By DR. CORTLAND MYERS see no reason for conscience, or moral law, or th e government of God in th is earth , and Russia today is in th e most perilous position of any nation in the world, unless it comes back to God. Germany in recent years got almost entirely away from anything th a t could be called real religion, and th e reports are th a t thjere is less and less of religion . in Germany as th e days go by. It makes no difference how industrious they may be, nor how they may flood th e m arkets w ith th e ir goods,-^the supreme necessity for Germany today is “back to God and religion.” And all th e nations are in th e same position, eith er more or less. In F rance recently one of th e ir senators, in a scathing speech, declared on th e floor of th e Senate, th a t the morality of F rance had gone to th e dogs. In one of th e P aris th eaters recently the King of Sweden and all his p arty rose and left th e th e a te r in disgust because of the imm orality of th e scenes de picted. The Senator declared th a t the streets of P aris were plastered w ith immoral posters; th a t th e women, even from th e so-called “best fam ilies” were indecently dressed; th a t unless a h alt was called, F rance would fall even as Rome fell. B u t w hat about th e United States? W ill th e conditions which have been th e downfall of other nations, bring about th e downfall of th e Uniited States? Do God’s statem ents apply to some nations and are other nations re lieved of responsibility? Has He made an exception of th e United States? A people may question, religion in these United be lo st?” th e ir atti- . . JjL evidently being th a t God takes care of fools and of the United States. Is th e subject w orthy of serious con sideration? I th ink it is of trem endous importance. Religion h as been lost in other nations, or else degraded into something th a t is not w o rthy of th e name of religion a t all. If we read history we see th a t nations rise and fall according to the religion of th e people. If th is is true, then it is tru e th a t re ligion is of supreme importance in th e history of nations. If it is tru e th a t religion is of supreme importance in th e history of th e nations, th en it is tru e that religion is a question worthy of th e atten tion of the people of the United States now. The question of imm igration, or the tariff or politics is not th e question of supreme importance, bu t “Are we going to save religion?” If we don’t save re ligion, then we cannot save th e coun try. J u st glance across th e sea to th e European countries where th e Great W ar sta rted— th a t w ar th e resu lts of which we will not be rid of for th e next hundred years. Look a t Russia where m illions and millions of people are starving today. W h at passed for religion th e re was a m ixture of super stition and religion, apd when it came to a head, Bolshevism got th e ascend ancy and destroyed th e rem nants even of religion in R u ssia .' The Bolshevists
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker