APRIL, 1S11
U S I N E S S
"The True Sayings of God" Rev. 19: 9 Arthur T. Pierson, D.D. CnnlHESE sayings are Faithful and true. Rev. 22:6. True sayings are those " upon which we may depend for their truth; faithful sayings, those in which we may place faith. Sayings full of faith, and deserving of acceptance. The Bible con- tains the true and faithful sayings of God; all the rest of the Word, like prophecy, at- tests their truth and worthiness to be believ- ed. Examine the true and faithful sayings. It is the privilege of every believer to know for himself that he may be a TRUE witness to the contents of the Word.
Published Once a Month by THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Bible Institute Press.
•
; im
TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A YEAR.
Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.—Psalm 119:89
I t b l f J t t 0 i t t » t l> (Incorporated ) 260-264 South Main Street (Second Floor) bos Angeles, Ca l i f o r n ia
4
p * , o . The King's Business: hntered as Second-Class Matter Nov. 17, 1910, at the postoffice at Los Angeles Cal Under the Act of March 3, 1879. DIRECTORS: Lyman Stewart, President Rejr. A. B. Prichard. Vice Pre.. T. C. Horton. Superintendent J. M. Irvine, Secretary-Treaa. R. A. Hadden, Supt. Extension Work E. A. K. Hackett W. E. Blackstone S. I. Merrill W. L. Green 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 Maintainance of Good Works. The Deity of the Christ. The Second Coming of Christ. The Personality of the Holy Spirit. The Immortality of the Soul. The Supernatural and Plenary au- The Resurrection of the Body t U e , H o l y Scriptures. The Life everlasting of Believers. ™ Fellowship of the Church. The Endless Punishment of the Im- ihe Substitutionary Atonement. penitent. The Necessity of the New Birth. The Reality and Personality of Satan. Pu rDOSC Institute trains accredited men and women, free K of coat, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. DeDartments , W T h e Institute Classes held daily except Satur- ~ day and Sunday. (2) Extension Work. Classes and conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by compe- tent evangelists under our direction. (4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night for Spanish-speaking people and house visitation. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories all the year. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work in homes for the Hebrew people. (7) Bible Women. Housc-to-house work and neigh- borhood classes. (8) Aqueduct. Work among the 4000 men on the new aqueduct. (9) Oil Fields. A mission to the men on the oil fields. (10) Books and Tracts. Sale and distribution of selected books and tracts. PRAY FOR THE WORK AND WORKERS OF THE INSTITUTE, If ye abide in me and My Words abide in you, y e shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.—John 15:7. ,
WO short sentences which embrace the whole story of a ruined world-— "As by one man sin entered into the world," Rom. 5:12. One man, Adam, brought into the world that awful thing we call sin. Who would have imagined that one seed of wickedness would have produced such a harvest of woe. The sin of Adam has filtered away down the ages, poisoning the blood of the whole human family wilh its hellish virus. ; The history of man's sin is one of awful sorrow. It has blackened the pages of human history and blighted the hearts of suffering man? It has swept, on its unresistible deadly course, gathering power through the ages. Men have looked back from time to time upon the wretchedness" it has wrought and have prophesied better and brighter things for the future. Other men have followed them and have painted beautiful pictures of the future glory when man would emerge clear and white from the taint of sin, but they have proven false prophets. The world has grown no better; the sob and sigh, the moan and groan of a world which is rushing madly to its doom, gives no evidence of an upward lift. The tendency is to seek for the solution of the world's difficulties in a change of existing, laws; a change in human government. Men are always longing and ever looking for the appearance of that day of universal peace which the false prophets have held before them, but the day has not come and it seems farther off than ever before. The supreme difficulty is not to found in THINGS which. ENVIRON US, but in the TH I NG which is W I T H IN US. God has set forth very faithfully and continuously in His Word that the inherent sin in man is the one great obstacle to the accomplishment of his ideals for happiness and holiness.- It is not a difficult thing for Tien to frame a code of laws and plan a pro- gram for the introduction of a millenium, but the difficulty is to find men who will fit into the plan. You cannot make men of that fashion to order. Man always finds himself in the position of Paul as he describes himself in Rom. 7:21, "When I would do good evil is present with me." No matter how much poor fallen man may desire to do good the power is not within him " T h e heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wick- ed ," Jer. 17:9, and out of the heart proceeds all evil thoughts and deeds, Matt. 15:19. How vain is the effort then for man to stay the tide or change his nature. Only a new birth and that from above will avail, and that poor Satan-deluded man will not agree to. Sin must run its course and pass away as it came into the world, by one man. The Scriptures assure us that SIN IN MAN must culminate in the MAN OF SIN. Satan's last grand stand against God Mil be in incarnating in one man the sum total of all his Satanic power.The coming of this man will be after the working of Satan, with all power and lying wonders, 2. Thes. 2:9-10. He.will be. the one that maketh desolate, Dan. 9: 27 R. V. All human affairs must take on the form so faithfully depicted tn the Word of God. . Slowly and surely the program is being carried out for the final man- ifestation of the SIN OF MAN in the MAN OF SIN, who will be, enthroned in the hearts of men and Worshipped as God. Rev. 13:11-18. Thank God, the Bodk ¿lso tells us that the Man of Sin will be over- thrown by the Man of God who was manifested that He might destroy the works of the Devil. Rev. 19; 20.
Soul Winning.
A. T. Pierson, D. D. F IRST of all let us remember that our subject is "Soul Winning." We are told in Proverbs 11:30 that "he that winneth souls is wise." This might be translated, "he that winneth souls must be wise, or it is a wise man that winneth souls." There are many people who think that what the Bible asks of believers is to save souls and in their impetuous zeal they approach men and women without method and without a study of the peculiar circumstances characteristic of those whom they seek to bless. Sometimes without any regard to the fitness of times or seasons or the presence of others. Their methods are abrupt and sometimes verge on rudeness and incivility, and the consequence is that instead of winning they repel and instead of bless- ing they rather prove a damage and drive from the gospel and the cross those who should be won. Now with this thought emphatic as the one great conception before' us, let us consider what are the elements that enter into soul winning. We name first of all a personal and assured knowledge of Christ and salvation. Those who are uncertain of their own standing lack solid ground pn which to stand and their approach to others is like a man that slips as he seeks to advance, or like one who in muddy places finds his feet to stick and become entangled. But when one knows that he himself is saved and has no room for doubt, he can speak to others with a quietness of confidence which is born only of such as- surance. We cannot imagine pentecostal blessing without this pente- costal assurance. When the spirit of God descended upon those early disciples the first result was to make them confident of the message they were delivering and that there was salvation in no other than the Lord Jesus, but that there was salvation in Him. That when he was proclaimed faithfully, prayerfully and constantly the Gospel would be the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. In this confidence more progress was made in the first thirty years of the church's history than in some respects has been made in all the centuries since. Thev went from house to house and from place to place constantly bearing witness that Jehovah was the Christ. They told men whether they were friends or foes that there was in Him life and salvation. Whosoever believeth hath eternal life,—not shall have it or may have it or in some cases will have it, but that it is the in- stantaneous gift of God to every believer, and when this confidence does not exist there can be no soul winning. The testimony of the Gospel becomes a parrot like repetition of a message,—-the words are there but the power is trone and this is the meaning of bearing wit- ness. The word witness is from the old Saxon root wittan, which means,
to know. The word, wit, and the kindred word, wisdom, arte from- the same • root and convey, originally. the same, meaning.. Ajj witness is one who has wit, that is, knowledge. He knows and hp tells what he knoSvs; and without this knowledge the, telling is; not- witnessing. The first thing a soul winner needs to ask of God is therefore, an assur- ance of his own saved state So that he can approach others and say, "I "know whom I have bejieved arid am persuaded that He is able to 'keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." 2 Tim'. 1:12.
Christ and Antichrist. By Philip Mauro.
Ì T will help in clarifying our view "of the confused state of modern society, and will aid'in fixing the main facts in our minds, if we consider that human beings are at the, present time bein'g gathered into, two great bodies. One is , the Body of Christ ("the Church whiqh is His Body,'; Eph. 1:22/23), The other is the body of Antichrist. Two great and antagonistic spiritual forces are engaged respectively' in the formation of these two bodies.; namely,, the Spirit, of God, .who is forming the body^of.. Christ, and, Satam. the "spirit of :$he wtìfld" (1 Cor. 2 :12), who'is forming the. body of" Antichrist. The Body whi,ch is being formed by the Spirit of God is t^.e Church of the Jiving Gph; for "by one .Spirit afe we alj (that, is, all-ijelieversj) baptized into one body, whether* we. be • J e w s ' t i l e s , whether, we be bond or free"- ,(,1- Cor. T ^ i ^ j B c f t j ^ ^ h^ caught out of the earth to be ramteqi.ta Christ, itsjlmiìg Hea^.'àg - j p l a ^j foretold in 1 Thess, 4:13, 17. §U ^ ,, n '<-, .„ r ,> ... But the "spirit of the world'* is likewise iqnitning a fepdy, bjngathering together, federating, or unifying,. ;thè mass of - men" "who know not God, and who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Chiipt"' ;(2 -^¿legs.. 1 , ^ . This is the present enterprise of "the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2 \2\. The "teaching of Scripture that there is a mighty spirit concealed beneath the surface of events, and influencing all those whose thoughts are not brought wholly into cap- tivity to the obedience of Christ, furnishes' an adequate explanation of the prominence of the same ideals and impulses in communities that are remote and diverse one from another. Otherwise, these startling facts are inexplicable.. But Satan cannot work out his plan of forming a consolidated hu- manity according to the method employed by the Spirit of God. The Church of, God is: built upon the foundation o f Jesus Christ, thè Son of the Living God (Matt. 16:18); crucified for the sin of the world, and raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. God began the forma- tion of'the Churck, which is the Body'of Christ, by raising Him from amtfng the dead, seating Him at His own right hand in the heavenlies,
putting all things under His feet, and making Him "the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body" (Eph. 1:20-23). To that living Head those who believe through the preaching of the Gospel are united in a vital and eternal union. This is the Divine method by which the true and lasting humanity is being formed. Teaching the same truth under the similitude of a building, whereof Christ is the Foundation-Stone, the Apostle Peter says : "To whom coming, as unto a living Stone, disallowed (i. e., rejected) indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house". (1 Peter 2:4, 5). And the Apostle Paul likewise teaches that believers, having been "quickened together with Christ" (thus becoming what Peter calls "living stones"), "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himseli being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building, fitly framed to- gether, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" Eph. 2:5, 19-22). Thus God is preparing a building for eternity, in the preparation of which He makes use of living, that is, imperishable material, Christ Jesus, raised from the dead, being the Beginning of the new creation of God (Col. 1:18; Rev. 3:14). But Satan has to work, not with living, but with dving material; and he has no living human head to which he can attach members by living ties. Satan cannot create an organism; he can only form an organiza- tion. Hence he is drawing unquickened human beings together around the unifying idea of "fraternity," or "co-operation," or "society," and is diligently propagating the belief that when that great. organization takes shape, the permanent advantage of all mankind will be secured. When this body is formed (as it surely will be), then the.expected leader or head will be brought forth, that "man of destiny," "whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and in everv deceit of unrisrhteotisness in them that perish", (2 Thess. 2:9, 10).—From Number of Man.
The Secret of Boldness.
By Rev. J. H. Jowett M. A., D. D. W E must become enswathed, enveloped in the Holy Spirit, and allow every faculty and every relationship to be bathed in His gracious flood. Open yourself out to the Infinite, and you will put on strength and majesty like a robe! Become "filled," and yon can- not help being "bold"! "And while they were yet praying the place
was shaken wherein they were gathered together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake thè Word of God with boldness." ' There is great and peculiar need of this apostolic "boldness" today. The times imperatively demand the military attitude in the soul. The Christian character must be conspicuous for strength, intelligence, de- cisiveness, attack. Vyhatever may be allowed to lie in obscurity, or hidden away in secret and mystical depths, the masculinity of Christian discipleship must stand out in bold and flaming relief. I do not fear the serried hosts and hordes of organized deviltry, if only the temper of the Church is steeled for the fray. There is nothing in the might and majesty of the foe to make us dismayed, but we do need to fear a soft and limp and flaccid Christianty. How do we stand in the matter?. Can we say that the great char- acteristic- of our modern discipleship is its boldness, and that by the. very vim and pulse of our living we arrest the world in wonder? I must express my fèar that we are creating vast numbers of pulpy Christians, who are destitute of strong backbone. I regard with grave forboding the encroachment of an effeminate streak in Christian character, which is imperilling its robustness, The Need of Solid Food. Christian men and women of today do not sit down to the good, square, solid Biblical meals in which our fathers revelled in the genera- tions past. We have fallen upon the days of scraps, and snaps, and chips ; everything has to be reduced to the tit-bit, and we ignore the firm and solid loaf. How - can wè expect robustness from such diet? If the Christian Endeavor movement hàs a peril—and I speak not as one who looks in at its window, but as one who sits down at its table '<*—its peril Consists in the infrequency of the solid meal. When I look at the table T sometimes fear for thè muscle. I confess that I would sometimes like to see larger joints upon the table, and larger supplies of wholemeal bread, with a fine hard crust to ensure mastication. Depend upon it, our diet has much to do with our persistence ; the furnishing of our table determines the temper of the battlefield. One of the great cities of our island was recently concerned with the softness of the children's limbs. Their limbs were threaded with bending gristle rather than with firm and well-knit bone. And what is the explanation ? That the water they drink ip too soft, destitute of the harder elements, lacking; the lime which gòés to the making of bone. And in the Chris- tian life, when the bones are too soft and gristly, or when the backbone is altogether wanting, the cause may frequently be found in too soft a water supply, in the ignoring of the harder and severer elements of Christian truth. The water of Calvinism was hard, hard enough, but .it made bone, fine bone, bone tha.t would never bend, bone that could only be brokén ! We must see to it that our, water is not too.soft; that our diet be not too snipoety, that we acciuire. enough iron and lime to give strength and consistency to our character and to display naturally the unflinching. ^oMness which makes the world wonder.—From the Transfigured Church.
J i ot es by the Way.
By J. H. Sammis.
Book
Modern baptized infidelity has subtle abettors in many, in most, of our l e a d i n g
Orr is right! If one says belief in miracles is not necessary to Christian faith he de- nies the miracles of inspiration, incarna- tion, resurrection, and all the miracles, and cancels the only Light and Bule of justifiable faith. Such a one does deny the supernatural, or he would find no oc- casion to deny faith in miracles. And if he denies the reliability of the evidence of " b o d i l y" resurrection he does deny resurrection in both the Christian and common sense meaning. Dr. Orr is true! and the reviewer and his imaginary infi- dels (but they are real enough) are not true. They know well enough that the virgin birth is essential to the biblical and historical meaning of the Incarnation, but would befuddle us with new definitions of the Incarnate One. They know that to deny the essential need of faith in mir- acles is to deny the supernatural. But they discourse learnedly about God's "immanence in n a t u r e ," and of the dif- ficulty of deciding just where "the sky ends;" and how that "the supernatural" is all about us. Meanwhile they know that they are deceiving the unwary with a supernaturalism that other men call nat- ural, and a naturalism that other men call supernatural. They would deceive the un- wary also, and perhaps are themselves de- ceived (so much in charity to their pos- sible sincerity) by claiming to hold to the Lord's resurrection while they discard be- lief in His "bodily" resurrection. At the same time they know that we know that all know that there is no other resurrec- tion but a bodily resurrection in question! There is only one Book. Let none of these, or any (5th er, men, do the reviewing of that Book for YOU!
Reviewers
church papers. The reviewers commend to tBeir readers many volumes devoted to the advocacy of the "modern views," the "up-to-date scholarship." Here is a vol- ume by Prof. Jno. E. McFadyen, who does not know that Moses did anything defi- nite, nor just what was the original no- tion of Jehovah among the Hebrews, save that He was their tribal divinity, perhaps the god of thunder, but does know that Deuteronomy is a forgery, fraudulently at- tributed to Moses. But of his most recent book the "Christian" reviewer says: " P u p i ls in schools, teachers in Sunday schools, and divinity students, will profit by this admirable hand book." The safe-guard of the young and unin- formed is solid and systematic instruction by pastors and teachers that they may be fortified against such literature when it falls into their hands so highly recom- mended. On the The best of books are con- Other Hand demned and discredited by the same influential sources. Dr. James Orr's valuable defence of the truth in his "The Faith of the Modern Christian" is disparaged and modern infi- delity insidiously supported in the follow- ing examples. The reviewer says: " I f a biblical critic holds to the incarnation but questions the virgin birth, Dr. Orr assumes, that ne has questioned the incar- nation. " " I f he says that belief in mir- acles is no longer necessary to faith, Dr. Orr .classes him as a denier of the super- n a t u r a l ." " I f on critical grounds, with Dr. Lake and, David Smith (these Daniels come to judgment!) he tells.us that the resurrection stories are hopelessly con- fused, and the bodily resurrection not es- tablished by the evidence, Dr. Orr ima- gines that he has denied the-resurrection." Bight But Dr. Orr is right! Mani- and True festly right! If Christ were not virgin born, he was a nat- ural man, a mere man, the son of a hu- man father and mother, and not the Deity in the flesh, the Incarnation of God. Dr.
We Will Tell on You
A tribe on the Congo lately
challenged a group of mis- sionaries passing by: " I f you do- not, come to us- we will tell your God on y o u ! ''
"Scientists" and Bible
This is the way "Eddy-
ism" expounds the Bible: "Blessed are they wnose purpose is pure: for they shall see God in
the world..'' ' 1 Exeept a man be born to the persistent use of water—keep body and mind clean, and be born to the knowl- edge that his real self is spirit, not ever- changing flesh and bone, he shall know discord—shall not see the kingdom of har- mony. " , " Th e se alone will bring the kingdom of God to us, and change the world com- pletely. ' ' " T h e divinity, not filthiness, of sex—
evident in all animation-r-will also in time change the face of the world." There is as much sense as there is Scripture in all this, since thete is not a hint of either. But it is "SCIENCE!" And there is^therefore as much truth in other claims of the " S c i e n c e" as in the claim that they use the Bible! No one uses the Bible but merely abuses it who makes it say what it does not say, and cancels what it does say.
A Word For the Times. 1 1 , Q [j 1 1
r s By J. H. Sammis.
¥ TOW solemnly the Book of God warns against new and false doctriries. Jesus said, "Many false prophets'shall arise and shall'deceive many," Matt. 24:11. Peter said, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you." II Pet. 2:1. Paul, too, testified, "Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit," Col. 2:8, and "again, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ," I I Cor. 11:13. John also:solemnly and tenderly warns, saying, "Little children, it is the last time; as ye have heard that Anti christ shall come, even now are there many antichrists," I John 2:18. So everywhere . ... . - - ! . "THE SPIRIT SPEAKETH EXPRESSLY, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving'heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons," I Tim. 4:1. These new doc- trines are NOT NECESSARILY OPPOSED TO GOOD MORALS, AT- TRACTIVE QUALITIES OF CHARACTER, CHARITABLE DEEDS, AND A. FAIR SHOW OF PIETY. For, says the Apostle, "Satan is transformed into an angel of light., THEREFORE it is no wonder if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness." II Cor. 1J:14, 15; He even says that they shall have " a form of godli- ness," II Tim. 3:5; and Jesus says that " If it were possible they shall deceive the very elect," Matt. 24:24; and the Apostle Paul again, "By
good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple," 1 Cor. 16:18. See how much they must resemble the true teaching if they en- danger " t h e very e l e c t !" EVEN SIGNS AND WONDERS wiH be performed to seal the false doctrines. See II Thes. 2:9, 10; Rev. 13:13. God will permit such things to be done to try men's hearts whether they will heed His Word or not. Even the teachers themselves, being hoodwinked by the devil, are described as "deceivers and being deceived," I I Tim. 3:13. Therefore, no matter how good and attractive a new religion may be; no matter how genteel or even pious its votaries may be; no piatter what miracles it may claim, we must not be deceived by it. I t is not what of the teachings of Christ it may adopt and hold, but what of His teachings it denies or ignores, that distinguishes a true from a false faith. THE ESSENTIAL MARKS OF THE GOSPEL are these: The Authority of the Bible; the Deity of Christ; the efficacy of His Blood for the justification of believers; the necessity of the new birth, and salvation through faith by the free grao« of God, apart from works, to whomsoever will. ALL FALSE RELIGIONS DENY THESE, the very characteristics of revealed religion. The cornerstone of all is THE DEITY or OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. The Incarnation is the GREAT FACT and REASON of History and Salvation. The cardinal truth is "GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH," 1 Tim. 3:16. Those who deny this deny the rest. The "LATTER DAY SAINTS" (Mormons) deny it, and make our Lord a polygamous man. '-'Millennial D a w n" denies it, teaching that Christ did not pre-exist as God, and does not now exist as God. The " S e v e n th Day Adventists" deny it, bv teaching no existence apart from the body, hence the Lord did not exist while His body lay in the tomb; in which ease He could not,be God for God must exist ALWAYS. "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE" déniés it by teaching that "God is all, and all is Go d ." denying, thereby, the. unique Deity of our Lord Tesus, and teaching the manifest error that WE ARE GOD; "NEW THOUGHT," "FELLOWSHIP," ' ' THËOSOPHY, ' ' "SPIRITISM," etc., etc., all join thus " t o deny the Lord that béug'ht t h em ." -And though they should come' as angels of light, and bring "signs and lying wonders," we must have nothing to,do with-them.
OUR SAFETY LIES ALONE IN THE OLD BOOK.
" T h y Word is T r u t h ," Jbhn 17, 17. The Bible is a common-sense Book; you are a common-sense person. Read it for yourself. Do not read your notions into it, nor those of any other persbn. You will soon see that its language, its teachings and its God-glorifying spirit, are very different from those of any of the sects mentioned. It makes LITTLE OF MAN, and MUCH OF GOD. That is'the opposite of all man-made Gospels, or woman-made either. Of JESUS it is written, "Thfere is none other Name given under heaven among men whereby we must
be saved," Acts. 4:12. THE POWER OF THAT NAME IS I N HIS DEITY. Christ is God, in THAT lies the Power of His Word, the Power and Preciousness of His Blood; and in THAT all our hope of overcom- ing the world; rising from among the dead, I Thes. 4:13-18; and finding salvation to the uttermost, Heb. 7:25. It is because
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD INCARNATE
"Declared to be the Son of God, with power . . . by the resurrection from among the dead," Bom. 1:4, that His Name must be preached in all the world as the ONLY and ALMIGHTY SAVIOUR AND TEACHES OF MEN. It is because He is both God and Man in one, that He can be, and is, the ONLY MEDIATOR. "For there is one God, and One Mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus," I Tim. 2:5, and there is and can be no other intercessor, Heb. 7:25, between men and God but Himself. It is because HE IS BOTH SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN that there shall be no final triumph of His Kingdom until He comes to subdue the enemy of God and Man and to establish His uni- versal rule in His own glorious Person. '' THEN shall He sit upon the throne of His glory," Mat. 25:31. Compare Acts 15:14-17; Luke, 2:31, 32; Acts, 3:19-21; Reyl 30:4,5. TAKE NO MAN'S WORD FOR IT. Bead, forthwith, the Gospel of John, the first eight* chapters of ¡Romans, and the Epistle to the Galatians, and see what God's Word says of the Son of God, the Blood of Christ, the Grace of Salvation through Faith alone. "Let no man deceive you," 1 John 3:7; " I f any man preach unto you any other Gospel than that ye have received, let Him be ac- cursed," Gal. 1:6-9. I BEG YOU TO CONSIDER that if you hold TO THE OLD GOSPEL as given IN THE OLD BOOK, and followed in the OLD TIME, you CAN- NOT he CONDEMNED by HIM Who said, "That we be no longer chil- dren, tossed to and fro and driven about by every'wind of doctrine, and by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness h e r e b y they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14); that "We have the word of prophecy, made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed in your hearts as unto a Light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the Day Star appear." (II Pet. 1:19 revised); "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law (that is, the whole Bible) till all be fulfilled," Matt. 5:18; "For I testify to every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; if any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and out of the things written in this Book." Rev. 22:18, 19. This applies to the whole Bible. See Deut. 4:2; Josh. 1:7; Prov. 30:6. The test of saving truth is the Word of God, but equally important, is the jtest of persona] salvation, .There are tests for gold, and tests for diamonds,'and tests for more precious souls. No matter what your doc- trine, or what your —ism, unless you are walking in daily personal fel-
lowship with the F a t h er and the Son your hope is vain. Oifly by the Old "Gospel «an you know forgiveness of sin arid experience Christ in you th* hope of glory.
"Jesus, Lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly, While the billows near me roll,
While the tempest still is n i g h ;'
.' «
Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee; '' Leave, ah, leave me not alone, • Still support and comfort me. " .
-
" If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Bom. 10:9.
Nòte.—The sum of the m a t t e r: ,1. The Scriptures foretell the rise of false teachings; 2. of teachings so fair as almost to "deceive the very elect"; S. Of "accompanying signs a n d wonders" as proving-their truth; 4. and they wa rn us most solemnly and constantly against them. 5. T he old Gospel must t e itself the standard of the test. 6. Wh at is contrary to, or negligent of its teachings, it detects and condemns; ,7. Compare the Bible, prayerfully, with the new teachings, and you will read and feel the great difference in the doctrines, the language, and the spirit. 8. Do not let the new teachers ex- plain the Book for you; use your own common sense and stand by the plain teachings, for your very life! 9. You cannot go wrong if you heed the old, you may, you surely will, if you follow the new. 10. There ir nothing good in the new but what is borrowed from, and already in the old, if you will heed and practice it. Forty thousand copies of this pamphlet were distributed by the Fishermen's Club on Sundays recently—reaching most of the homes in Los Angeles. ' vW „,,.
Copies of this leaflet may be had at the Book Boom for 20 cents a hundred,, postpaid.
BIBLE NUMERIC TRACTS. Genesis i:l. Ivan
Panin. sevens (Features 5 and 6). The numeric value of the first and last letters of the seven words of the passage is 1393, or 199 sevens (Feature 73. These seven features of sevens are either accident or design. The chance" for their being accidental is only one in 7x7x7x7x7x 7x7, only one in 823,543. These sevens are therefore designed. There is not a paragraph in the whole Bible that is not constructed on a similar mathematical plan, and the Bible can thus ' easily be shown to be absolutely verbal!" inspired in every letter of the original text as no man or set of men could possibly have written a book thus.
The number of words in this first verse of the Bible (in the original Hebrew] is— seven (Feature 1). These seven words have 28 letters, or 4 sevens (Feature 2}. And these 28 letters are thus divided:'the first three words have 14 letters, or two sevens, and the last four words have also 14 letters (Feature 3). And these last four words are in their turn sub-divided thus: the 1 fourth and fifth words have seven letters, and the sixth and the sev- enth have also seven (Feature 4). The numeric value of the first and last letters of the first three words is 42, or six sevens. The numeric value of the first and last let- ters of the last four words is "91, or' 13
THE KING'S BUSINESS
79
Drief Thoughts ^
For Busy Teachers
International Sunday School Lessons by J. H. Sammis Comment "Pith and Pivot" By T. C. Horton
Lesson for April 2, 1911
A SYRIAN SINNER SAVED. Lesson I.—2 Kgs. 5.
not its own burned in her h e a r t; and her tongue was moived by it to apeak words kind as the oil ' on Aaron, a nd sweet as morning dew." 3. Saved to serve, she served to save. Little maids and little men ma ke famous missionaries, home or foreign. A small hand may lead a big blind m an to the doctor; a tiny,' tongue m ay tell the Story; even a servant m ay lead the ma s t er to the Master of all men, and of all mis- fortune. 4. She could- not speak to the great captain in person, but she could reach him through others, and she did:' Tact can find contact. 5. She V/as of a true Israelltish family for she knew the prophet, she k n ew the wonders he did in the n a m e of the Lord, and being b ut a child She knew no distinction in saving grace between persons, between J ew and Gentile, and did not doubt but t h at the God of Israel would sbow kind- ness- to all t h at called .upon Him. 6. Father« anfi mothers, get your little opes safe in the a r ms of Jesus at the earliest oppor- tunity; you'cannot tell how soon some Syrian raider m ay bear t h em f r om you (or you from them), and w h at then? Shall they lead the heathen or be led by t h e m? ill. NAAMAN IN SAMARIA. 1. At the palace. a. Bearing a letter from the King of Syria to the King of Is- rael, and" a royal gift of about $75,000 in gold, silver, and costly garments, N a a m an with his retinue came to the palace of King Joram, who read the letter as follows: "I have sent N a a m an my s e r v a nt unto thee t h at thou ma y e st recover h im of his lep- rosy." A sentence may be read with either a peremptory or . a courteous tone and in flection. J o r am chose the former and found a quarrelsome purpose in the document: b. It is a oontemptible disposition which looks for slights and injuries In the words or acta of others, but a very common one, with a s small occasion for such suspicion as a rule as the King of Israel had in this case. Then and now a concessive question or two would set things in the true light, c. He should have felt honored to be recognized as h a v- ing power with the Most High God and counting among his subjects t he wonder working prophet of God. B u t he had for- gotten God and His prophets, and the gods whom he honored had no more power to help than Benhadad's. Nor had he a ny con- ception of the place of "the Lord's anoint- ed" among the kings of t he e a r t h. T h a nk God there Is a King who can heal; whose Person is royalty to the, hem of His g a r- ment (Matt. 9:20). d. "Am I God?" E v i- dently not! nor a son of God. J o r am was
I.
NAAMAN. 1; "Naaman"
me a ns and Pleasant he seems to have been by n a t u re as by name. See how his king cared for him; how his little captive sympathized with him; haw affectionately his servants pleaded with him; how he yielded to their expostulations and acknowledged his fault; how he humbled himself to obey the prophet; how grateful and generous he was at his c u r e ; - h ow courteous to Gehazi the servant of Elisha. It pays to be pleasant; ..to keep pleasant; to look pleasant; to speak pleas- a n t; but we should show kindness whether It pay« or not. 2.. "Naaman" also means "Fortunate." See then his good' fortune: He was a great m an with his king; was commander-in-chief of the a r my; known as a m i g h ty hero, valiant, courageous, victori- ous, and his country's deliverer. Besides God's favor rested on his enterprises (for the Lord decides the issue of every battle, Syrian, Assyrian, or Samarian). 8. "But" he was a leper." There is no unalloyed happiness in this world. There is a fly in the sweetest unguent . The great "but" and cause of all the evil "buts" Is SIN. But there Is a "but" to cure this universal lep- rosy: "But God who Is rich In mercy for the great love whirfewlth He loved us" (Bph. 2:4-6). II. THE LITTLE CAPTIVE. 1. Naomi? Don't you wish we knew her name? Let us call her "Naomi," which has the s ame meaning as "Naaman" (Ruth 1:20). 2. We might have called her "Ma r a h" had we seen the Syrian cavalcade dashing through her village the day a fierce dragoon seized and lifted her screaming to his sad- dle and disappeared in the dusty distance while her crazed mother vainly followed till she fell fainting in the chase. B ut the Lord had need of her, Judea C a p t a; she must fulfill in t y p e ' , h e r, people's mission, for through their fall salvation comes to the Gentile (Rom. .11:11),.,..She became the first maid missionary, so t h at her light affliction, which was but for a moment, worked for her a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17),.. Pleasant she Was, too. "She was spirit of .peace in a w a r- rior's palace—a living leaf nf, mercy scat- tered among the Gentiles. , Charity seeking "Pleasant,"
subjected himself to reason and wisely s aw t h at if he would have the salvation of God he must heed the commands of his prophet, e. He took his way to the Jordan, he con- temned and dipt once, twice, six times,— he did not faint; full surrender was fol- lowed by conscious salvation. His "flesh came again as a little child's for he trusted and obeyed as a child, f. Filled with won- dering gratitude, he turned back, fifty miles from his straight course, and took a straighter course—to give t h a n ks for his cure. g. Elisha refused his gifts. Cour- teously, no doubt.' iFreeljf he received as freely he gave. . He was' steward of ( the < grace of God; of a King, not a merchant; who gives b ut does not sell or barter. • •••h; Naaman was cured,— not of the leprosy of the flesh merely, but of the spirit and of idolatry. Jehovah alone henceforth he would serve. If he bowed attending his master in S i mmo n 's house he would, not bow in R i m- mon's honor. I. Elisha dismissed him with a benediction. J. There was a happy little maid who waited on a happy mistress in Damascus, and there is joy among, the evan- gelists and the angels over a leper saved. ' V. And there was Gehazi! the J u d as of his day; the Ananias of the Old T e s t ame n t; the Simon Magus Senior in Samaria. Sold ; for a mess of pottage. He had the shekels and fine clothes, "but he was a leper!" artifice of man h as been able to remove the simplest stain of sin from the conscience. Sin is against God and only He Himsielf can provide a 'cure. Carnal 'greatness, posi- tion, possessions only. aggravate the enorm- ity df ma n 's sins a na sinks him deeper in the mire. The agency which God employs . in pointing to , the place of healing seems ' insignificant; a mere cijjld. 1 The method which God uses ¿or cure" is singular in the simplicity: "wash and be clean"—"Look and live"—-"Taste and see"—"Come and rest"—"Believe and be saved." The de- mand of God is definite and Involves a com- plete surrender of the will. All preconceived notions and ideas mu st be put aside; all prejudices mu st be abandoned; the lepor .must bow his will 'neath the waves of Jor- dan. Six times is not sufficient when God says' seven. The man who shrinks from the .Oospel of the BLOOD, who battles against the atonement of God's beloved Son, must; die in his sin. A^banofl, the golden stream like the system of the sages m ay appeal to the senses, b u t j t he gashing 1 by the blood of the Son. is God's/ ordained ordinance, and he only can be washed white who will- ingly yields to the/ will and Way of a loving God. thev would be content with a "Log College" and. a most hopeful fact, each man was willing to "lend a hand," vv. 1, 2. One un- lucky wight, whose axehead, which he had begged, not "borrowed," fell into the river; in his distress he appealed to the prophet. Who "cast" or t h r u st a stick into the place, where it lay and "the iron did swim." The Lord who walked t h é' waters, Jno. 6:19, 'co'ild make the ir,o 4 n .swim as easily as m y 'will can lift, the w e i g h t, of my h a n d .' 2. By this miracle all may see t h at He who counts the hairs Of ovlf 'heads, Matt. 10:31?,
right; only God could cleanse a leper, for leprosy is the symbol of sin, and Joram w as himself a conspicuous sinner. The sinless alone can make sinless. 2. At the prophet's door. a. Elisha was king In that day. The m an of faith is al- ways the royal character. He has the courage of convictions, the m a j e s ty of the godlike, the authority of the truth. Elisha rebuked the King of Israel and summoned the Syrian captain suppliant to his door. b. N a a m a n 's splendid pageant drew up at the humble cell of the man of God, and looked for him to come forth to do obeisance. But meek and lowly in his private capacity, so they despise the simplicity of the Gos- divine majesty, he sent his servant to in- struct the servant of Benhadad w h at to do. c. "Go, and wash (dip) in Jordan seven times." The proud prince turned away in a rage. J u st so men refuse to acknowledge their moral degradation; their spiritual help- lessness; their absolute poverty of soul. J u st as they despise the simplicity of the Gos- pel; the efficacy of the Blood; the humility of confession; the foolishness of baptism; the offence of the cross. Wh e r e as the sov- ereign Savior will have nothing from princes or paupers but t r u st and obedience, d. The Servants, a t t e n d a nt nobles, remonstrated with their angry lord, who in nothing showed his worthiness of his high military station than in the conquest of his own spirit. He NAAMAN. We have today a strangely sweet and simple story, one of the most picturesque in the Old Testament. There are five chief characters—a little lass, a great general, a sinful sovereign, a peerless prophet and a sacrilegious servant. There are six different scenes. In t he house of N a ama n, at" the palace of Ahab, twice at the humble home of the prophet, at the river Jordan, and on the road to Syria. Every incident is suggestive of large lessons. The simplicity of faith in the heart of the captive child; the unbelief of the King of Israeli, the faith and faithful- ness of the prophet of Israel; the test arid testimony of N a a m a n; the covetoUsness and condemnation of Gehazi. The lessons are so obvious and numerous t h at they need b ut little amplification. Leprosy is God's chosen type of sin. N o case of leprosy was cured save by the interposition of God's power. Sin is universal and incurable. No a rt or THE LORD OUR HELP IN TROUBLE. Lesson II—2 Kgs. 6:1, 7:21. I. THE LORD IN LITTLES. ¿1 1. The last axehead. The schools of the prophets flourished under the lead of Elisha. They, were obliged to seek more roomy ouar- ters. A happy circumstance for schools and churches. In their poverty, which is no drawback to men of God, and, we are inclined to think, to schools and churches,
PITH AND PIVOTv
Lesson for April 9, 1911
^
and notes a falling sparrow, sympathizes with His humblest creatures, and is both able and willing to help if they seek Him in their troubles, however trifling they may seem to others. II. FOREWARNED, FOREARMED. 1. Syria and Israel were waging a guerilla warfare. Benhadad made his plans and set his ambushes to capture King Jehoram. But He who knows men's "thoughts a f ar off," Psa. 139:2, who seeth in secret, Dan. 2:22, • told E'lisha; he in turn told Jehoram, who eluded the trap "not once nor twice." Why God still shielded this wicked king? Because He is longsuffering and forebear- ing and would by His merciful deliverance turn him to repentance. So He ever deals with godless men until, no hope of their sal- 4. We are daily moving among the snares set by the world, the flesh and the devil and the prophets and apostles inspired of God have forewarned us that we may not be "ignorant of their ' devices," 2 Cor. 2:11. The whole campaign of the "spiritualities and powers" against which we fight, Eph. 6:12, is mapped out In the Book of Proverbs. Let every youth study t h at chart t h at he may save himself "not once nor twice." "Enter not Into the path of the wicked ; avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away," Prov. 4:14, 15; "Look not thou upon the wine- when it is red, . . . at the last it stingeth like an adder," Prov. 23:31, 30; "Your adversary the devil like a roaring lion goeth about," 1 Pet. 5:8; "The snare of the devil,'? 2 Tim. 2:26; "Wherefore, put on the whole armor of God . . . stand against the wiles of the devil," Eph. 6:11. (See Prov. 1:17:) III. THE BELIEVER'S BODY GUARD. 1. Benhadad's Blunder. There are no fools like those who "fight against God." They are always "hoist with their own petard. They fall into their own traps, Psa. 7:15; vation remains. should believe a lle,' T 2 Thess. 2:11. Wh at a. delusion to suppose the prophet himself, who told Jehoram wh at Benhadad said in secret could be "ignorant of his devices' against himself! Or t h at He who "seeth In secret" could not deliver His servant, Dan 2:22. B ut this incident shows how Anti- Christ and his host can actually w ar against the manifest Christ oome down from heaven; "strong delusion" will make him mad, Bev. ' 9 1 9 2. Deliverance at Dothan. "When the enemy comes in like a flood the Lord shall lift up a standard against him, Isa. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him," Psa. 34:7. "He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee," Luke 4:10. "Are they not ministering spirits sent forth to minister to then that shall be heirs of salvation," Heb. 1-14 That these angels are real, and this safeguarding a reality, our text and m a ny incidents go' to nrove. See Gen. 19:1b; 28:1.!, 32?'; f'«n 6:22; Ma r* 1:13; Matt. 18:20; Acts 5:19; 12:7, etc., etc. "How oft do they their silver bowers leave And come to succor us who succor.went; How oft do they on golden pinions cleave The flitting skies; like flying pursuivant Against foul fiends to aid us militant; They • fight for us; they watch and duly And W round about us their bright squadrons plant; 59.19 Ecc. 10:8. Their Almighty delusion Antagonist that they "sends them strong
And all for love and nothing for reward; Oh, why should heavenly God to us have such regard?" 3. Let us not forget these blessed facts when the Syrians of sin and sorrow shut us in. Then we shall not say, "Alas!" with Elisha's terrified servant. The Lord opened nis eyes and recorded his spectacle in order t h at faith's eyes might see forever more t h at "they be with us are more t h an they t h at be with them." "Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." IV. THE TRAPPERS TRAPPED. 1. The Prophet went boldly out in the face of thè enemy. And why should n ot a m an be bold around whom camp the "bright squad- rons" of the F a t h e r 's legions? Matt. 26:53. 2. E'lisha, who prayed t h at the young 'man might see, now asked t h at . the Syrians might not see. They were struck blind. !Not with physical blindness but mental; a confusion of the understanding fell 'upon liiem. And this is the most apt symbol of sinful blindness. Sinners, like the gods they worship, "have eyes, but they see not," Psa. 115 :o; Jno. 12:40; Rom. 1:21, 11:10; Eph. 4:18. Such darkness is far more dismal and dangerous t h an physical darkness. The Syrians did 'not mean it so, but su.ch blind men could nòt do better t h an submit to be led by the prophet of the Lord. 3. Elisha did not lie to t h em; he led t h em to his city and where they could find him, "and" (He- brew, not "but") he led them to Samaria." They would have trapped Elisha in Dothan; he trapped t h em in Samaria. 4. Heaping Coals of Fire, Rom. 12:12. (1) Elisha now prayed t h at they might see. All divine judgments but the final one are designed to lead the wicked to see error and confess Gòd's righteousness and mercy. (2) But the wicked again, like Jehoram, ha.ve no mercy on. their fellow sinners and would use their misfortunes to gratify their own lusts. Or if enemies, they know no way to subdue them b ut returning evil for evil, "óhall I smite them?" (3) Elisha reproved the revengeful and bloody proposal, and commanded t h at the Syrian foe should be killed, conquered, by kindness and en- tertained as guests. "Forgive your enemies; do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despltefully use you and perse- cute you," Matt. 5:44. Syria set siege to Sa- maria. So soon do men forget a kindness, and so slow are they to learn the fear ór the Lord. There was great distress in the city. Abominable foods were sold a t great prices. Mothers quarreled over eating their own babes (such horrors belong to war) as Moses predicted, Deut. 28:52-54. The de- spairing king charged all to Elisha and or- dered his execution. Whereas he himself Was the wicked cause, and Elisha his best friend. In a saner mome nt he repented his passion and happily overtook the executioner and stayed the process. Beware of an evil temper and of sudden passion; one cannot always stay its consequences. 2. 'The Feast. (1) Elisha promised plenty within t w e n t y- four hours. So improbable an event t h at a courtier said, "If God should open windows in heaven might this thing be. By which he meant t h at he did not believe thè m an V. FROM FAMINE TO FEAST. 1. The Famine.
*
•
^
¡^
£
1
f
K
f
r
^
•
"
. '
i
r
Almighty," Psa. 78:41. He is never a t His "wits', end" and there is no end to His power. ;
Of God; for which reason the Lord doomed him to. see it but not to taste it. Unbe- lief shall not inherit the blessing. (2) God does not need to make windows in heaven. Our unbelief is largely due to short-sighted- ness. In the simplest and most n a t u r al way He can provide by agencies we never would dream of. We mu st not "limit the The lesson is radiant with the manifesta- tion of the supernatural, f r om the humblest service of restoring a borrowed ax-head to t h at of leading a blinded a r my into the most imminent oeril. God worked through His servant to the praise of His own glory. It will afford a splendid oooortunity to ma g- nify the supernatural power of God—as il- lustrated in His dealings through Elisha. p f HR the supernatural knowledge given to Elisha, who w as able to tell the King of Israel wh at the King of Syria was planning to do. This corresponds to the knowledge which our Lord had of the hearts of men. He k n ew all (Jno. 2:24); He knew the thoughts of men's h e a r ts (Jno. 13:21). Elisha warned the king and the king was saved ' more t h an once. How well it would be if men would but listen to the warning of the Word and be saved from the sorrows and distress which mu st come upon the world! Second, he had supernatural vision. He saw the Invisible agencies of God. There was no fear in his h e a rt concerning the chariots and horses of Syria, for he saw God's host. He knew they outnumbered and out ranked the enemy. It Is difficult for us to believe t h at the atmosphere about us is filled with principalities and powers, t h at HOUSE OF AHAB. A BOY CROWNED KING OF JUDAH. Lesson 111.—2 Kgs. 8:11. I. THE JUDGMENT OF FAMINE. God mingles j u d gme nt with mercy in deal- ing with sinners. Men are neither warned by the one nor moved by the other; they "will revolt more and more" (Isa. 1:15). The chapters 8-11, following the deliverances, we have considered, record a series of. dread- ful judgments. We have: 1. A seven-year famine, the horrors of which we are left to imagine, and 2. The raising up of Hazael as King of Syria to become by wa rs a scourge of the nation, and 3. The anointing of Jehu to inflict the long delayed b ut com- plete destruction of the wicked house of Ahab. Note: The Lord never forgets His own when trouble comes. Sometimes He bears them through it, sometimes He saves t h em from it. The fact is t a u g ht and illustrated, and ever stands true, b ut the case of the SThunammite. As faithful Noah e s c p e d the flood, and righteous Lot the doom of Sodom, by divine warning, so this pious and faith- ful mother in Israel, warned by the prophet t h at "the Lord had called for a famine," found as asylum among the Philistine^ till JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL AND THE
"Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His works in vain; God is His own Interpreter, And He will make it plain."
PITH AND PIVOT.
unseen forces are arrayed against us t h at would crush us in an instant were it not t h at there are forces for us which • are mightier. T h at was a splendid faith t h at could see the unseen and laugh at the seen; this was. the faith of Paul, who could say, "These light afflictions which are but for a moment work for a f ar more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen" (2 Cor. 4:17-18). T h a nk God, the believer walks by faith; he lives by faith; he is in touch with the invisible powers of God and, like little David, he fears to face no foe; even a Goliath is insignificant in the presence of the mighty God. The clairvoyants talk of a second sight; we talk of an insight, a sniritual in- sight. Surely the angel of the encamp- eth about them t h at fear H im and deliver- eth them. The prayer for the true teacher for the scholars will be, "Lord, open their eyes t h at thpy may see." We mu st first see for • ourselves; we must live in touch with the supernatural and then will we be able, in faith,- to invoke sight for others. When we come to realize t h at the real things are spiritual and the real world the unseen world and the greatest blessings are those which are given to our spiritual lives, then wiil we indeed begin to live. the distress was passed. H er lands, alien- ated during her absence, were restored on her return by the same gracious Providence; as she came into the presence of the kirfg to petition for their restoration at the psy- chological moment while Gehazi was re- counting to him the miracles of Elisha, with the raising of her boy from death (chap. 4), and said, "this is the woman, and this is her son!" We may confidently entrust ourselves to such a God at all times. "A thousand may fall at pur side and ten thou- sand at our right hand, b ut It shall not come nigh u s" (Psa. 91.7). II. THE JUDGMENT OF WAR. 1. Benhadad was about to fall into the hands of Death, a captor who would npt release him so freely as Ahab (1 Kgs. 20:34, 42). Though wicked men escape again and again, they mu st go to Judgment at last. 2. Hazael was sent to ask Elisha the result of the king's sickness. "Tell him, Thou mayest certainly recover," and (he added to Hazael), "Howbeit the Lord hath showed me that he shall surely die." 3. The eye of Elisha fell searchlngly on the face of Ha- 7ael, till conscious t h at his purpose to de- stvov his master was perceived by the man of God. his guilty sould shrank before his g a z e . But h e' was not dissuaded f r om his evil purpose. 4. How often God's word CH»b. 4:12) discloses a man's soul to h'-^- self. Would t h at its design to save him
Lesson for April 16, 1911
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs