No. 11
NOVEMBER, 1915
VOL. VI
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O N E D O L L A R A Y E A R
MOTTO : "I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.”—Isa. 27:3. R. A. TORREY, Editor T. C. HORTON, J. H . HUNTER and J. H. SAMMIS, Associate Editors A. M. Row, Manager Organ of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the postofBce at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Copyright by R. A. Torrey . and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 1915
DIRECTORS
Lyman Stewart, President. William Thorn, Secretary. T. C. Horton, Superintendent. E. A. K. Hackett. J. M. Irvine.
Rev. A. B. Prichard, Vice-President. Leon V. Shaw, Treasurer. R. A. Torrey. Giles Kellogg. H. A. Getz.
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Paith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ.
The Maintenance of Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Spirit. The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. :|£9) Books and Tracts. Sale and dis tribution of selected books and tracts. (1,0) Harbor Work; For seamen in Los Angeles harbor. (11) Yoke Fellows Hall. Thoroughly manned. Opr Mission for men with Boot Black and Newsboys Class and Street Meetings. (12) Print Shop. For printing Testa ments, books, tracts, etei A complete establishment, profits going to free dis tribution of tracts. (7) Bible Women.
The Personality of the Holy Ghost. The Supernatural and >Plenary au thority of the Holy Scriptures. The Unity in Diversity of the Church, which is the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Necessity of the New Birth. Purpose The Institute trains, free of cost, accredited men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. Departments: ( i) The institute Classes held daily exceptSaturdays and Sundays. (2) Extension work. Classes and con ferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists. , (4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism, > Personal work among the Hebrews.
OUR WORK
THE KING’S BUSINESS
TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial: The-Preaching of Doctrine—The Romance of the Cross—New Members of the Faculty—The Col lapse of German Authority—Civilization, not Religion, at Fault—Were German Missionaries Maltreated by British Officers and Men?.............. ................................ 941 Whence Luther’s Reforming Power? By Rev. J. Leaver— 947 Great Revivals and Evangelists—IV. Chas. G. Finney. By John H. Hunter................................................................ 955 “Lift Up Your Eyes” (Song)......... ¿, ........................................ 958 Daily Life in Africa. By Mrs. Kenneth Allen....................... 959 Christian Science Healings. By R. A. Torrey....................... 964 At Home and Abroad.................................. .......................... 966 Sowing and Reaping. By D. L. Moody......,.......... ................ 969 Light on Puzzling Passages and Problems............................. 973 My Experience in Christian Science. By A Woman Victim 975 The Gospel’s Power. By H. J. Stevens.......... ................... 981 Hints and Helps..................................................................-— 982 Bible Institute Activities. By the Superintendents............. . 985 International Sunday School Lessons. By R. A. Torrey and T. C. Horton ....................................................... 991 Daily Devotional Studies in the New Testament for Individ- uaLMeditation and Family Worship. By R. A. Torrey.. 1007 Opening of Our Training School............................ ................1022
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PUBLISHED BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HOPE STREET LOS ANGELES, CAL.
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BIBLE INSTITUTE FACULTY LEADERS Top, R. A. Torrey, dean; left, William Evans, associate dean; right, J. H. Hunter, secretary; bottom, T. C. Horton, superintendent
THE KING’S BUSINESS d — ■ ..................... - = = t n || Vol 6 NOVEMBER, 1915 H ...... - = No. 11 = d
E D I T O R I A L There is a tendency today to depreciate doctrinal preaching. We are told that it does not matter.much what you believe; sincerity is everything. It is well for us to recall, what the Presbyterian Standards so
The Preaching of Doctrine.
well affirm, that “Truth is in, order to goodness.” No opinion can be more absurd and pernicious than that which brings truth and falsehood on a level and. represents it as of no consequence‘what a man’s opinions are. No sane thinking can properly separate faith and practice, truth and duty. The history of preaching shows that all strong pulpits have laid special emphasis on this form of preaching. The preachers who have moved men have been doctrinal preachers—Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney are notable examples. * No exhortation to a good life that does not put behind it. some truth as deep as eternity can seize and hold the conscience and mold the life. Preach doctrine. Preach all of it you can. Preach it not so much that men may believe it, but that they may be saved by it. To exhort men to live up to the ethical demands of the Gospel without preaching its doctrines, which give life and dynamic force to these commands, would be like putting together the wheels and setting the hands of a watch and forgetting the spring which is to make them all go. Truth is the life blood of pietv, without which we cannot maintain its vitality nor support its activity. The absence of doctrine in preaching would make it superficial, because it would make conduct blind and weak. I Preach doctrinal sermons. The Evangel would be a narrow Gospel indeed if it were merelv a message for broken men; if the church of Christ were naught but a vast Salvation Army, and if the hunger and thirst after righteousness which .is so necessary for fellowship with the Christ, could not come until men had been plunged into the depths of sin. That men rescued from such an awful condition have a place in the economy of the Gospel and in the service of the church, we gladly admit; that :such men. have glorified by their lives and service the Christian history of the centuries is a fact in which we rejoice. But the Gospel is also a call to another class of men—a fact which per chance is overlooked in modern preaching. The appeal of Christ to the Rich Young- Ruler illustrates what is. here meant. Christ’s call to this splendid, It is likely that we are too prone to look upon the Gospel of Christ as a power of rescue and repair, merely: as a dynamic for the man who is down and out and who has fallen iiito the awful depths of sin. Romance of the Cross.
942 THE KING’S BUSINESS clean, moral, educated ypting man of -His day.'to' cast in his dot with the disciples of. the Nazarene; to bring into that apostolic circle his talents, educa tion, abilities, superior advantages, and invest them in the romance and self- denial of Christ’s Gospel and Cross, is a picture so bright and glowing and fraught with so many deep spiritual lessons that the preacher of today can well afford to study this wonderful appeal. The Gospel of Christ has a call to men and women of splendid talent, of highest education, of noblest g ifts; a call to men whose lives have not been shattered, wrecked, ruined, by the grosser sins of life; a call to such men and women to bring these high, noble and grand powers and talents into the service of Jesus Christ and see in such an investment the highest opportunity for the use of such gifts and graces—-an investment of influence and. power which brings the highest reward, that of eternal life. Here is an investment that really pays; nothing less does. The triumph of the Kingdom of Heaven is when the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. When men are at their best they need Christ; when men are at their very best Christ needs them. Deep calls unto deep. Oh, the romance of the Cross! torate of Philosophy in course, and also his B. D. in course, and having re ceived the honorary D. D., but he has very rare gifts both as a teacher and preacher. He perhaps has" no equalas a teacher of what is called the “Syn thetic” method of Bible study. While that name is quite misleading for this method of study, we use it here because it has received very wide currency on both sides of the Atlantic. Dr. Evans’ classes from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in this synthetic method of study, have awakened the largest enthusi asm, not only on the part of ministers of the Gospel, but also upon the part of people who have not had the advantages of a thorough education. Dr. Evans also has a rare gift as a teacher of Homiletics, in training men as expository preachers, and also as textual and topical preachers. He- was the man to whom Dr. Torrey looked more than anybody else, to be his successor in the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and he has had many successful years as “Director of the Biblical.Course” at that Institute. Since that he has been for a year a leader of conferences under the auspices of the Winona Extension Movement in many States of the Union and in Canada. He has been invited to be the head of a number of Bible Institutes in this country and Canada, but has declined them all to takë Up the work in Los Angeles. The accession of Prof. Charles H. Marsh to the Musical Department greatly strengthens that department. Prof. Marsh is well known for his piano and organ recitals in different parts of the country, and also as the leader of the instrumental music at the Winona Conference for a number of years. He has also had large experience in evangelistic music with Dr. Chapman and other prominent evangelists. Mrs. Marsh, having had unusual opportunities for study and travel, is also a valuable accession to the Institute circle. She has just returned from four years spent abroad; has a well-trained voice and is a talented composer. Thé coming of Dr. William Evans to the Bible Insti- lute of Los Angeles has greatly strengthened the work of the Institute In many ways. Dr. Evans is not only a thorough scholar, having takén his Doc New Members of the Faculty.
THE KING’S BUSINESS 943 One of the good by-products of this awful war is the discrediting of German Biblical criticism. Beside this, there seems -to have been a real 'awakening of faith throughout the nations at war. The Watchman
The Collapse of German Authority.
Examiner, of New York, has recently commented in an interesting and in structive way on the change in religious thought that is indicated by a com parison of the articles in The Hibbert Journal for June, 1913, with the trend of thought today. The Watchman says | ! One y e a r of b itte r conflict h a s driven th e c u rre n t religious th o u g h t so fa r from th e course of 1913 th a t few h av e realized th e v a s t change, in th is n um b er (i. e.f T he H ib b ert Jo u rn a l fo r Ju n e , 1913), th e opinions of G erm an sch o lars a re quoted w ith resp ec t; in fact, a s decisive an d convincing. A s it now read s, it is realized w ith som eth in g of a shock th a t th e view s of G erm an th eo lo g ian s an d philosophers a re no longer q u o ted a s au th o rity . T he read in g of th is issu e rev ealed afre sh th e fact, th a t th e ty p e of theology an d philosophy som ew h at d om in an t in p a s t y e a rs h a s been u tte rly d iscred ited by th e w ar. T he ascen d en cy w hich G erm an th in k ers h a d g ain ed an d m ain tain ed in th e la s t fo rty y ears, h a s been destro y ed by th e fa c t th a t th e ir theology an d philosophy h av e p erm itted th em to defend a w a r in w hich m illions of htim an lives a re bein g d estroyed, an d a larg e p a rt of th e e a rth laid w aste. . . T he n am es th a t h av e stood h ig h in sch o lastic an d theological circles a re no longer reverenced. T he ap o stles of th e ag e of dou b t a re bein g rep u d iated , an d th e people a re read in g th e B ible an d th ro n g in g th e ch u rch es in sim ple fa ith in God an d H is W ord, an d calling on H im fo r help in th is tim e of te rrib le woe. In th e n um b er of T h e Jo u rn a l re fe rre d to it is a sse rte d th a t th e Gospels are larg ely u n h isto ric a l; th a t b u t little is know n of th e real life of Jesu s, an d th a t Je su s w as m erely th e la te s t an d b e st of th e H eb rew p ro p h ets, belonging really to th e bid d isp en satio n , an d th a t th e Gospels should be considered a p a r t of th e Old T estam en t. W ho c ares fo r th a t so rt of sp ecu latio n now ? N o t th e people of G erm any! T h ey a re seeking th e S aviour a s n ev er before; n o t th e people of P ra n ce! G odless F ra n c e h a s becom e th o u g h tfu l. T he infidel w rite rs a re n e g lected or h av e th em selv es becom e religious, a n d th e people a re th ro n g in g th e fo rsak en ch u rch es. C ertain ly n o t th e people of R u ssia! T h ey a re m o re earn estly ad o rin g Je su s C h rist, w hom th e y now believe to b e V ery God of V ery God. A nd n o t even in E n g lan d is th e d estru ctiv e criticism of religion h av in g th e cu rren cy it h a d before th e w ar. T he realism of life in th e face of th e g re a t conflict h as b an ish ed all relish fo r sp ecu lativ e reaso n in g , an d tr u s t in God, a n d in H is W ord a re th e d om in atin g fa c ts in religious th o u g h t an d life. The Watchman Examiner goes on to say: “As the deluge swept the corrupt race of men from the earth; so this war is purging the earth of the doubt of the Word of God which has been eating like a cancer into the vitals of modern Christianity. At times of ease and safety men come to God because they realize that He alone can save. This lesson the world is learn ing today. Reliance on human wisdom is destroyed. Trust in God- is our only refuge.” We think that this-is altogether too roseate a view of actual conditions today, and yet there can be no doubt that German Destructive Criticism and philosophy and ideas generally, have been discredited in Scotland and Eng land, and to a certain extent in the United States, although we shall not feel it in the United States to the full extent until later, just as we did not feel the destructive criticism to the same extent as Scotland and England until some years after—the destructive Criticism in this country being for most part not merely an echo of Germany, but very largely an echo of an echo, a n . echo of the Scotch and English echo of the German voice. But even in the United States thousands of people have been solemnized by the war. One of the best known perverts from Orthodoxy to Unitarianism has boldly avowed that the war woke him up to realities and let him see the shallowness^and insufficiency of liberal thought, and brought him back to evangelical Chris tianity, which alone would meet the needs of man as he really is, and the needs of the hour.
THE KING’S BUSINESS In the early months of the war certain superficial thinkers, including some ministers who ought to have known better, said that Christianity had broken down, and some df them even went so far as to say that "the
944
Civilization, Not Religion, at Fault.
church should close its doors jand take down its sign, since it had failed in the supreme hour of its test.” Almost all fair-minded men now recognize the folly of this judgment and see that the war is not a manifestation of the failure of Christianity, but of the failure of modern civilization, science and philosophy, as was said in an editorial in this magazine some months ago. A very interesting editorial along this line, written by Lewis A. Brown, has appeared in the Methodist Recorder, of London, England. It follows: W e a re told in G enesis th a t T u b al-C ain w as “th e fo rg er of every c u ttin g - in stru m e n t of b ra ss an d iro n .” W hen th is ingenious an d d u tifu l son placed th e first “c u ttin g -in s tru m e n t” in h is delighted fa th e r’s han d , L am ech san g : T his o u tb u rst of p rim itiv e p o etry am o u n ted to an u ltim atum ; L am ech, by th e u tte ra n c e of th e se tru c u le n t w ords, flings defiance a t h is foes.' P arap h ra sed ; th e challenge ru n s, “If an y o n e strik e s m e I slay h im .” L am ech, h an d lin g th e n ew -w ro u g h t w eapon, g lo ats to th in k of th e ascen d an cy h is so n ’s inv en tio n w ill enable him to estab lish over h is fellowm en. “A h!” he exultingly cries, w h a t tim e he lovingly fingers th e edge of th is cru d e k n ife or jav elin , “L e t m en bew are! H ere is th a t w hich ra ise s m e above th e re s t of m an k in d .” A nyone w ho a tta c k s L am ech h en cefo rth w ill g e t m ore th a n h e b arg ain ed for. T h e fo rfeit of such tem erity shall be th e a s sa ila n t’s life. F o r p u g n acity th is p u ts th e m o tto of th e O rder of th e T h istle, “N em o m § im pune lacessit,” in th e shade. N or is th e case of L am ech isolated. Jab in , K in g of C anaan, “h a d nine h u n dred ch ario ts of iron, an d tw en ty y ears h e .m ightily o p p rest th e children of I s ra e l.” T he tw o fa c ts a re probably related as cau se an d effect. Jab in , finding h im self su p erio r to an y of h is co n tem p o raries in th is p a rtic u la r b ran ch of w ar m unitions, desired, n a tu ra lly enough, to p u t his ch ario ts to th e proof. B u t th e iron of th o se n ine h u n d red ch ario ts h ad so en tered in to th e soul of neighboring kin g s th a t none of th em w ould risk a q u arre l or challenge C a n aan ’s suprem acy. T h is disap p o in ted Ja b in , w ho couldn’t b ear to see h is ch ario ts lying idle. So it cam e to p ass th a t fo r w a n t of an a s sa ila n t h e w as led on to becom e a bully. H e b egan to terro rize th e n eighboring n atio n s, an d Israel, am ong o th ers, fell p rey to h is m arau d in g onslau g h ts. T h u s Ja b in goes one b e tte r th a n L am ech in his rin g in g challenge-“to th e w orld. F o r L am ech only th re a te n s to kill th o se w ho a tte m p t to m olest him , w h ereas, Ja b in doesn’t w a it to be attack ed , b u t assum es th e offensive.^ I t is exceedingly difficult to d raw th e line of d istin ctio n w ith o u t overstepping it. T he L am ech a ttitu d e so soon p asses over in to th e Ja b in a ttitu d e . T he p o s session of m ark ed su p erio rity often c o n stitu te s a tem p tatio n , fo r as tim e goes on th e position am o u n ts to th is: “W h a t’s th e good of a scientific inv en tio n re n d e r in g us su p rem e u n less w e proceed to prove o u r su p rem acy .” I t m ay be th a t th e h o rro rs of th e In q u isitio n w ere, in p a rt a t an y ra te , due to th e invention of th e ra c k arid th e th um b -screw . “H ere a re som e n e a t co n triv an ces fo r to rtu rin g people; it w ould be a p ity n o t to use th em !” . . . . T h e G re e k ' a ttrib u te d scientific in v en tio n s to th e ir gods. N ot T ubal-C ain, a m o rtal, b u t H ep h ae stu s (V ulcan), a n im m ortal, w as th e ir prim e fo rg er of cu ttin g -in stru m e n ts. T oday som e of u s incline to th e H ebrew ra th e r th a n to th e G reek view , and. w e should p ro b ab ly 'g o on to say th a t civilization is d ep reciated by m a n ’s m an y in v en tio n s in th e m ilita ry realm . Now if; a s w e all th in k , G er m an y h as been p rep arin g fo r th is w ar fo r y ears, is it n o t significant th a t she should be th e n atio n w hich occupies th e v an ' of science. H er m en of genius h av e co n cen trated th e ir th o u g h t upon th e production of first th is, th en th a t, co n triv an ce fo r secu rin g m ilita ry ascendancy. A t first, it m ay be, th e idea un d erly in g all th is m en tal activ ity w as th e L am ech id ea of self-defense. “ B ut, as tim e w en t on a n d th e n um b er of w ar-c o n triv an ces m ultiplied an d th e ir in g en u ity increased, th e id ea of ag g ressio n o u sted th e id ea of retaliatio n . G erm any, like Jab in , b egan to sigh an d c a s t ab o u t fo r an o p p o rtu n ity of p u ttin g th o se piled-up in v en tio n s to th e test. “W h ere th e re ’s a w ill th e re ’s a w ay ,” an d if o p p o rtu n ity refu ses to p re se n t itself, a d eterm in ed m an or people can m ak e one. . . . I t looks as if w e shall h av e to in d o rse th e H ebrew conception an d a ttrib u te , civilization (and its failu re) to m an, n o t God, to m a n ’s p erv erte d ingenuity, to h u m an w its sh arp en ed in to diabolical cunning. I t is civilization, n o t religion, w hich h a s failed A nd unless th e m en ace of m ilitarism be effectually rem oved, a fte r th is w ar th e bad, bad b usiness w ill begin again. A s m en stu d y th e ; sto ry of th is w ar th e y w ill read of th is d isa ste r an d th e oth er. T hey w ill th en se t to w o rk to in v en t one co n triv an ce m ore to re n d er arm ies im m une from such d isa ste r n e x t tim e. Y et by th a t v ery a c t th ey w ill b rin g “n e x t tim e” n earer. T he In q u isito rs to rtu re d th e ir v ictim s “to th e glory of th e L o rd ,” an d th e m ad n ess of w ar-in v e n tio n ta k e s its rise in th e ju s t notion of ad eq u ate self-defense. “R eeking tu b e an d iron sh a rd ” a re only th e logical issu e of th e in san ity . “I w ill slay a m an fo r w ounding m e A nd a y oung m an fo r b ru isin g m e.”
THE KING’S BUSINESS 945 We have received a number of protests against our Were German Missionaries passing reference, in the June number, to mistreat- Maltreated by British ment of German missionaries by British troops. Officers and Men? Of course it is impossible to print all the letters we receive on this or other subjects. It seems only fair to print the following letter to the editor, from Rev. Charles Edward Wilson of London, Secretary of the Foreign Department of the Baptist Mis sionary Society, which states, the case from the British side, by one who has personal knowledge of the facts of the case. Those who wish the German side can refer for themselves to the missionary periodical to which reference was previously made. Secretary Wilson’s letter follows in full: I do n o t rem em b er ev er h av in g ad d ressed a le tte r to you before, alth o u g h p erh ap s you are still able to recall th e fa c t th a t w e w ere to g eth er a t th e E v a n g elistic M ission in th e city of M adras, a good m an y y e a rs ago, an d w ere g u ests of th e P o stm aster-G en eral. I h av e now been se c re ta ry of o u r m ission fo r m o re th a n te n y ears, an d la s t y ear, w h en rev isitin g M adras, Í recalled v ery vividly th e occasion to w hich I h av e ju s t referred . I am w ritin g to d ay in referen ce to a p ara g ra p h w hich h a s ju s t ap p eared in y o u r m agazine, T h e K in g ’s Business^ fo r Ju n e 1915, p ag e 462. T h is m agazine h a s been so w idely circu lated am ong E n g lish -sp eak in g m in isters an d ev an g elists th a t th e influence of its ed ito rial n o tes an d com m ents is likely to be v ery extensively felt. S ev eral copies "of th e m ag azin e h av e been se n t to our M ission H ouse, calling a tte n tio n to th e p ara g ra p h in w hich you re fe r to th e alleged a tro citie s com m itted by E n g lish soldiers an d E n g lish officers a g ain st G erm an m issio n aries an d Am erican m issio n aries of G erm an boards. R eferrin g to “a m issio n ary periodical” a s th e source from w hich th e in fo r m atio n is obtained, th e ed ito rial com m en t is: “T h ere seem s to be no possibility of doubting its tr u th .” I can only co n jectu re w h a t is th e. m issio n ary periodical refe rred to, b u t I im agine th e sto ry o rig in ates from th e sam e source a s th e p a ra g rap h w hich ap p eared in “T he M issio n ary R eview of th e W orld” in May, p ag e 382. I w ro te to Dr. D elavan L. P ierso n ab o u t th a t, ex p ressin g m y re g re t th a t h e should publish such a p ara g ra p h w ith o u t n o te or comm ent, am ong th e n ew s ite'ms, as th o u g h it w ere u nchallenged tru th , a n d I am still m o re so rry to observe, in y o u r m agazine, T he K in g ’s B usiness, th a t you s ta te em p h atically y o u r belief in 't h e tr u th of th e allegation, b ecause from th e ex ten siv e en quiry m y colleague an d I h av e m ad e here, w e a re convinced th a t th e G erm an sto ry of alleged b ru ta l tr e a t m en t of th e G erm an m issio n aries a t C am eroons is seriously ex ag g erated an d m is leading. My ow n Society form erly carried on m issio n ary w o rk in C am eroons, an d h ad to w ith d raw a fte r th e G erm an occupation th irty y e a rs ago. T h ere w as no B a p tist M ission th e re a t th a t tim e th a t could ta k e up o u r w ork, b u t w e m ade th e b est a rra n g em en ts w e could w ith th e B asel M ission, u n d er v ery g re a t difficulty. L a te r on, w hen o u r G erm an B a p tist b re th re n s ta rte d foreign m issio n ary w o rk a n d m ade C am eroons th e ir field of operations, w e w ere rejoiced, a n d h av e k e p t in friendly to u ch w ith th em ever since. Two of th e m em b ers of th e G erm an B a p tist M ission, w ho w ere in th e p a rty of dep o rted m issio n aries from C am eroons, cam e to see m e h ere in L ondon, an d w e w ere able to help them . O ne w as an A m erican su b ject, a n d th e o th e r w as A u stralian born, th o u g h both w ere G erm an in p a re n ta g e an d speech. T hey h a d -'been se t a t lib erty in th is co u n try , an d w ere in need of help to reach th e ir hom es an d relativ es, an d in th is w e w ere h ap p y to serv e them . F rom th em I learn ed a g re a t deal of w h a t h ad transpired,, an d th e real fa c ts of th e case th ro w an en tirely d ifferen t lig h t upon th e w hole episode. Som e of th e G erm an m issio n aries in D u ala took up a rm s an d fo u g h t w ith th e G erm an forces a g a in st th e B ritish an d F ren ch . O ne of th e m issionaries—a lay b ro th er of th e C atholic M ission—w as ca u g h t in a n a tte m p t to blow up th e B ritish gu n b o at, an d th e m ilita ry a u th o ritie s w ho a t first conceded privileges to th e m is sionaries, a fte rw a rd s decided th a t, on acco u n t of> the u se w hich som e of th e m issio n aries m ad e of th e ir liberty, th e w hole m issio n ary p a rty m u st be _de- porteck F rom w h a t w e know of th e n o rm al conditions prev ailin g on th e W est co ast of A frica, w e can n o t see th a t o u r G erm an m issio n ary b re th re n h av e cau se to com plain of h a rsh n e ss of tre a tm e n t, in th e m an n er of th e ir tran sp o rtatio n . W e h av e th e evidence of th e m edical officer on bo ard th e sh ip by w hich th e y trav eled —a C h ristian m ail w ith stro n g m issio n ary sym p ath ies—w ho in d ig n an tly rep u d i a te d th e sta te m e n t th a t th e y w ere unkindly tre a te d in an y w ay. T he d eath of M rs. M a rten s in a B ritish h o sp ital a t ¡Accra, w h ere sh e w as u n d er th e care of ph y sician s an d n u rses, w as a n u n fo rtu n a te event. H e r h u sb an d v isited h e r from th e p riso n ers’ cam p. She w as once d isch arg ed from th e h ospital, an d h ad to be ta k e n b ack again. W hen she g rew w'bfse, an d w as n e a r d eath , h e r h u sb an d w as sum m oned an d sp e n t th e w hole n ig h t w ith h er, an d w as w ith h e r u n til h e r d eath d u rin g th e follow ing day. M rs. M a rten s’ illness laste d a consid erab le tim e,' an d so fa r a s w e a re ab le to learn , it w as th e only casu alty th a t oc cu rred in th e m issio n ary p a rty , a n d th e highly-colored rh eto ric w hich h a s been em ployed in G erm an m agazines, an d by P ro fesso r D eissm ann in A m erica, con-
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cern in g th is .in cid en t, a s a case of b ru ta l “m arty rd om ,” w ill n o t sta n d ex am in a tio n á t all. W e h av e m ad e full en q u iries-as to th e alleged b a d -tre a tm e n t of th e p a rty of dep o rted m issio n aries on a rriv a l in Liverpool. T he circum stan ces o f th e ir -recep tio n an d conveyance from th e ship w ere q u ite d ifferen t from w h a t is sta te d , a n d w e can find no gro u n d fo r th e alleg atio n th a t th e y w ere m o lested an d badly treated . T h ere can b e’ no d o u b t th a t th e m issio n aries an d th e ir w o rk in C am eroons suffered tro u b le an d sorrow an d loss th ro u g h th e w ar. T h a t is inevitable, an d n o t confined to them . U ndoubtedly th e ch ief p a rt of th e ir tro u b le w as b ro u g h t upon th em by th e fa c t th a t som e of th e ir n um b er com prom ised th e w hole p a rty by th e ir a c ts of m ilitan cy ; b u t th e re stra in t, an d care, a n d co u rtesy w ith w hich th ey w ere tré a te d by th e B ritish a u th o ritie s deserv es to be recognized. Som e of th e m k lo st th e ir bqggage, bu t, a s one of th e tw o frien d s w ho w as w ith m e h e re (to w hom I h av e re fe rre d above) rem inded th e o th er in m y presence, th e loss of b aggage w as n o t confined to th e G erm an m issionaries, as som e of th e B ritish officers lost th eirs, too, an d h ad to tra v e l to E u ro p e in th e ste am e r w ith o u t any. I hope, m y d e a r D r. T o rrey , th a t you w ill n o t im ag in e fo r a m om en t th a t I an i a tte m p tin g a g en eral an d com plete ju stificatio n of ev ery th in g th a t h a s tr a n spired in th e w ar, upon th e side of th e allies. T he tr u th m u st com e to be know n —-God w ill judge, an d p o ste rity w ill judge. You h av e re fe rre d in y o u r p a rag rap h to th e se ries of atro citie s com m itted by G erm an soldiers on th e C o n tin en t of E u ro p e an d to th e sin k in g of th e “F a la b a .” I w ill n o t go on to ad d to th e list, of h o rro rs p e rp e tra te d by th e G erm ans, b u t you m u st allow m e to ex p ress m y v ery stro n g d issen t a n d p ro te st a g a in st th e sto ry of th e d ep o rtatio n of th e G erm an m issio n aries from C am eroons bein g placed alongside th a t list a s in an y sense com p arab le w ith it, o r to be ju d g ed in th e sam e category. I t is alw ays difficult, if n o t im possible, to o v ertak e a p rin te d sta te m e n t th a t-h a s been circu lated as y o u r m ag azin e is circu lated in m an y lands, b u tT do v e n tu re to ex p ress th e hope th a t y o u r rea d e rs m ay a t le a st h av e th e o p p o rtu n ity of know ing th a t th e G erm an sto ry th a t you h av e so pointedly alluded to in th is Ju n e n um b er is challenged an d denied by u s as th e re su lt of carefu l in v estig atio n w e h av e m ade, an d evidence w e h av e collected. v This letter should have appeared a month ago, but was unavoidably held over. In the meantime the editor has received official notice that a lady mis sionary of a society of which he is president, working in British East Africa, has been arrested simply because she is of German parentage, and has never (being a woman) taken out American naturalization papers. After arrest she was sent to a concentration camp and*was later deported to a camp in India. She is a faithful, hard-working missionary, an intimate personal friend of the writer’s daughter. Of course, to deport a woman working in a very high altitude in Africa to India is atte'nded with great peril to that per son’s health. The effect of this war on missionary enterprise, and the hardships it has wrought for the consecrated men and women in the missionary field, form one of the appalling features of the war. Haw it is necessary to be slow in fully believing what is written about what is .actually done and written, even by earnest Christian men and women who claim to know the facts, is illus trated by Secretary Wilson’s letter, when compared with another letter pro testing against the same editorial, by another English minister claiming to know the facts at first hand. He says that the missionary who is alleged to have been caught in an attempt to blow up the British gunboat was a Lutheran minister. The Secretary says, “A lay brother of the Catholic Mission. Which was it? Was it either? But it is only natural that the British should be suspicious of all Germans, even Christians and ministers and missionaries, when one remembers that the worst atrocities have been defended by German ministers of the Gospel (e. g., in letters.to the writer). But while it is natural, it is not right.
r
By Rev. J. Leaver
peace be found—and not until then did he enter into the peace he had so long been seeking. His intense realization of this truth led to his placing so marked an em phasis upon it that Lilly in his “Renais sance Types” says, “there is nothing like it to be found in any theologian from the second to thé sixteenth century.” The question now to be considered is : Did Luther owe the marvellous power he exercised in bringing about the Reforma tion to any particular branch of Bible study ? A GRADUAL PROCESS Writers on Luther agree that the process by which he got his grip on this Protestant truth was slow and gradual. Lilly says that Luther did not fully apprehend the doctrine .of justification by faith until the year 1519, though quite fifteen years before he had reached the truth as to imputed righteous ness which is its chief foundation. There is fortunately, abundant testimony in the published accounts of Luther’s life as to the books of the Bible he studied, and the years in which he was engaged on them. When he became Professor at the University of
HILE we may be disposed to agree generally that the Bible is’ the true source of right reforming power, yet in stances of specific reforms
are far too rarely shown to have had their origin in its pages. If it can be shown that the study of a particular part of-it has produced striking results in the past, our hopes of similar results from the same source in similar needs are not likely to- be vain. It appears to me that it is demon strable that Luther’s power to carry out the great Reformation came through his appre ciation of the force of certain phases of divine truth which at first exactly met his own needs and through that means so grip ped him as to enable him to attack and overcome all that stood in the way of the revolution which we call the Reformation. His anxiety to obtain peace with God which led him to become a monk and constrained him to rigorous religious exercises was un relieved until he discovered the truth which lies at the basis of all Protestantism—that through God’s free grace alone can such
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Wittenberg—where also he was court preacher from the year 1509 to 1512—he departed from the ordinary methods of teaching and preaching. Not only were the learned men—the sharpest and best minds of the time devoting themselves to subtle sterile analysis, hair splitting definitions, etc., but the professors of theology, over looking St. Paul’s warnings to Timothy, fol-' lowed much on the same lines, and at best only taught doctrines held to be right be cause laid down by authority, considering that study of the Bible was rather the work for beginners. But Luther, as court preacher, founded his preaching upon the Bible, and especially ort the Epistles of St. Paul. His college lectures during the years 1513-1515 were upon the Psalms, in 1515 and 1516 upon the Epistle to the Romans, and in 1516 he was again occupied upon the Psalms and spoke of the insight into their meaning gained from the preparation of his lectures on the Romans; Paul, he said, was the best interpreter of David. He studied both Hebrew and Greek so that he might get as close as possible to the exact mean ing of the Scriptures, and when Erasmus’ Greek Testament appeared in 1516, he at once made it the basis of his comments in | the class room. PRACTICAL TEACHING But Luther, as a peasant, had always been used to familiar, homely language, and in stead of cpnfining himself, as the professors usually did, to the use of Latin, he con stantly translated what he was teaching into current every day language. His hard strug gles with poverty in his ybuth had sharp ened his search for the practical and useful; in his lectures he always preferred the vital and practical to the philosophical and specu lative, and. he continually referred to the events of the day .in the light of the. particu lar writer he was interpreting. Thus his work took on a reality and an interest else where quite unknown, Young men from all parts flocked'to the university to receive his teaching, for they felt that here was a man bound by no narrow conventions and tradi
tional sophistries, but one who insisted on going to the heart of things—even grave burghers says Lilly, matriculated as stu dents, and Luther became the most popular teacher in the University. His practical aims directed his attention to the conditions of university life, and particularly to the relations between the students and the young women of the town. The citizens felt themselves helpless before the demoral ization that had arisen from the presence of hundreds of young and often unruly fel lows : Luther spoke out, and though en countering the enmity of many, succeeded in bringing about a great improvement, thus winning the lasting gratitude and confidence of. the better citizens and before long he be came the most powerful influence in the town and University, and continued to be so to the end of his life. : HIS CHIEF REFUGE ' How the power of the Scriptures perco lated through his own experience into his teaching is well seen in the use he.made of the Psalms, his lectures on which his learned friend, Melancthon, said “radiated a new light on Christian doctrine.” In every great crisis of his life the Psalms were Lu ther’s favorite study, and in- preparing his lectures upon them hg often found refuge from the strife of tongues. Prothero, in his “Psalms in Human Life,” refers to Lu: ther’s use of Psalm XLVI as exemplifying his magnificent courage, and the source from which that courage sprang. “There were,” says Prothero, “moments when even he felt something akin to despair, and asked with- the Psalmist,- ‘Why art thou cast down O- my soul?’ In such hours he would say to Melancthon, ‘Gome, Philip, let us sing the XLVIth Psalm,’ and the two friends sang it in Luther’s version—The Battle Song of the Reformation.” The following two verses of this appear in Spurgeon’s “Treasury of David :” “A sure stronghold our God is He, , A timely shield and weapon; Our help He’ll be,, and set us free - From, every ill can happen.
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first time, he begins to realize how strong he is and to display that luxuriance of mas terfulness, which- often arises from such consciousness.” Yet so wedded was he to the Roman church, and so horrified at the thought of falling into the error of Uzzah in touching what he deemed to be as much a divine institution at the Ark of God, that nothing but an overwhelming sense of the demand divine truth made upon him drove him to take the steps he did. Though several writers on Luther notice this growth, yet so far as I have seen none of them appear to have marked its very close connection and dependence on his Bible studies. Perhaps this connection can best be shown by such a table as appears at the bottom of this article. The greatest Biblical influence upon Luther leading to the Refor mation appears clearly to have come from his study of the Epistle to the Galatians, upon which n lectured in the years 1516- 1517. He re-elaborated these lectures in 1519, and as we .have already noticed, it was in the year 1519 that he reached his full ap prehension of the great doctrine of that epistle-—justification by faith. SEEKS THE TRUTH When Tetzel came selling indulgences near Wittenberg in the spring of 1517, Luther was not disturbed by any doubts as to the right or wrong of the theory of indulgences; it was only against their abuses that he protested. In one of the ninety-five theses he affixed to the church door he stated that in desiring to debate on the subject he sought out the truth in regard to them in love. On the same day that he issued these theses he wrote to Archbishop Albert, of Brandenberg, urging him to look into the matter, and that letter was sent by the Archbishop to Rome. Earlier theo logians, says Lilly, had attacked indulgences in much sharper and more bitter tones than Luther did. The theses were brought before the gen eral chapter of the Saxon province field at Heidelberg in April and May, 1518. On August 23, 1518, the Pope wrote his agent,
“And were the world with devils filled All eager to devour us, Our souls to fear shall little yield, They cannot overpower us.” Luther’s independent study and search into the truth of what he was teaching led him to oppose the great authority of Aristotle in the latter’s views of human ability and free will, and he incensed his old teachers at Erfurt in emancipating him self from the traditions in which he had there been trained, and from the authorities he had been taught to reverence. His char acteristic opinions were during the years 1512-1517 slowly maturing, but though he was so firmly convinced that faith alone justifies, he had no sort of presentiment that in so holding, he was in any way opposed to the teaching of the traditional theology. With reference to the year 1516, McGiffert says:' “There is no sign that Luther was pass ing in those days through a mental struggle or consciously breaking with his ;past. In a sermon in this year he reveals a loyal de votion to. the Pope.” He seems to have realized with the Apostle John: “That which our hands have handled of the word of life; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,” and further, to have entered into the ex perience of the seed which “sprang and grew up he knew not how.” It was only after much shrinking and hesitation that he ac cepted the truth as applying to himself which the Psalmist declares as to having “more understanding than all his teachers.” GROWS IN CONFIDENCE His deeping “hold on doctrine during the years 1512-1517 was also accompanied by a no less striking growth in confidence. Kolde, quoted by Lilly, shows how notably during the years 1513 to 1516 Luther grew in self- - confidence. “Strength,” he says, “is indeed from first to last, a distinguishing note of his charac ter ; the strength of convictions, which, whether right or wrong, dominated his whole being ; the strength of narrow vision and of indomitable will. But now for the
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Cajetan, to cite Luther to Augsberg at once, and if he did not recant to send him bound to Rome; but the Elector, Frederic of Sax ony, would not arrest Luther as desired. A LOYAL REFORMER. The contest in Luther’s mind between loyalty to the Pope and the growing convic tion that Bible truth demanded his boldly opposing him, is well shown in his letter written early in the year 1518 to his old master at Erfurt, in which he says: “I absolutely believe that it is impos sible to reform the church unless the can ons, the decretals, the scholastic theology, philosophy and logic, as they are now treat ed, are utterly rooted up, and new studies put in their place. I may seem to you no logician, nor perhaps am I ; but one thing I know, that in defense of this opinion I fear no man’s logic.” But his great reluctance to oppose the Pope, even at this stage of his Convictions, is seen in his letter to Frederic, Elector of Saxony, of January 5 or 6, 1519, in which he stated that he would humbly submit and recognize that he had been too hot and hasty, and promising to admonish every one to follow the Roman church, and to obey and- honor her. Luther’s sincerity in this letter is borne out by his all along de siring reform, and not contemplating revo lution. A Roman Catholic writer character izes Luther’s development as a “growth from- a harmless, necessary reformer into that of a noxious rebel.” Professor Ramsay emphasizes the re markable fact that though, as the narrative in the Acts shows, Paul was often led by the Holy-Spirit where to go and preach, his visit to the Galatians came about by acci dent: “Ye know,” says St. Paul, “how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel, unto you at the first” (Gal. 4:13). Thus the great Scripture armory from which Luther "got his ammunition against Rome, would, humanly speaking, never have existed had it not been for the seeming accident of Paul’s illness. God’s truth, however apparently acciden tal in its' manifestation, contains within it
self the dynamic force sufficient for all our needs. Truly is it “quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4 :12). LIKE UNTO PAUL How thoroughly suitable the truths so emphatically brought out by Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians were to the condi tions Luther had to meet in his own per sonal experience and in that of the Romish church! What could have better fitted him for the controversies he was forced to en gage in ? The Epistle to the Galatians is a strong, sustained argument almost from be ginning to end. And this cup of divine truth, when taken.in hand to drink from, forged a two-edged sword to fight with and supplied the necessary energy to wield it against the enemy. Luther doubtless did not for a long time realize what was clearly the fact, that “all things were working to gether for good” and that “the things that happened to him were turning out for the furtherance of the Gospel.” When John Eck, probably the ablest de bater of the day, won a dialectical advant age over Luther and thus directed the world’s attention to the subjects of discus sion, it also obliged Luther to examine more deeply his own views and thus to obtain a clearer insight into their stability. The net result, as Creighton puts it, was “that Eck’s reputation was staked updn crushing Luther; that two parties began to form in Germany; and that the time for con ciliation was past.” ON THE ANVIL- As Beard tersely says: “It was on the anvil of controversy that Luther’s doctrines were beaten out.” But still the practical rather than the dogmatic side continued to. fill his vision, he even yet seemed curiously unconscious of the course to which he was drifting. How controversy drew out his fire and energy may be seen in his reply to the epitome-of Prierios, which came out in the spring of 1520. To this; which af-
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firmed the extremist views of the papal prerogatives, Luther at once replied in lan guage of extreme fierceness, calling the car dinals and popes masters of perdition, and speaking of the “sink of the Roman Sodom.” Strong language, no doubt, but can we won der, following so closely as it did on the discovery that the document or decretal— the Donation of Constantine—relied on as the basis of the Pontiff’s temporary prince dom, was nothing but an impudent forgery. It was at this date that the view of the Pope as Antichrist really took hold of Lu ther. How forcibly in the Epistle to the Gala tians does St. Paul Characterize opposition to the truth he had received from God— whether by man, the church, an Apostle, Or even an -angel; calling down a curse upon any who preached another gospel. Paul withstood Peter, the very chief of the Apos tles (Gal. 2:11). The decided stand Paul made in defense of his own authority as equal to that of the other Apostles, must have fortified Luther in his similar stand in defense of similar unrealized vital truth. NERVED HIS ARM We cannot doubt that Paul’s entrench ment in this strong position reacted upon Luther and nerved his arm to the stern conflict against the teaching and practice of the Romish church. St. Paul unhesi tatingly cast aside whatever stood in the way, however venerable, however authori tative; nay, even though divinely appointed, if it hindered the enforcement of the needed vital truth. The God-appointed law, given through Moses, had to make room for what was higher—the covenant of faith with Abraham (Gal. 3:17); so with the rite of circumcision (Gal. 6:15); everything that supported the former privileged position of the Jew must cease (Gal. 3:28). Every thing opposed to faith in Christ, and to the fuller and more spiritual life, that He had brought to light, must be given up, not only as useless, but as positively injurious (Gal. 5:1-4). What could more strongly justify Luther’s root and branch opposition to the
Pope and the Romish church than this earthquake epistle? HIS GREAT TOWER The marked accession of power that Lu ther had now attained is well described by Preserved Smith, who says: “During the years 1519-1523 especially, it almost seemed as if Luther were lifted above himself and transcended the limits of his own personal ity;” and Professor Harnack says: “For a period—it was only for a few years—it seemed as if his spirit attracted to itself and moulded into a wonderful unity all that the time had of living vigor in it; as if to him, as to no one before, the power had been given to make his personality the spirit ual center of the nation, and to summon his century into the lists, armed with every weapon.” OPEN REVOLT It was in May of the year 1520, the time of his; greatest controversial activity, that he openly revolted from Rome. In October he published his treatise on the Babylonian cap tivity of the church, in which he attacked the Catholic doctrine of the sacraments and denied the sacrifice of the Mass. In the same month appeared his book on “The Freedom of a Christian Man,” wherein he developed to the fullest extent the individ ualism which was really his underlying ideal. The almost world-wide influence he now began to exercise is shown by the wide spread dispersion of his various books. They were exported to France, Spain, Italy, the low countries, and England, as well as to all parts of the Empire. In that year (1520) 1400 copies of his works were sold at the annual fair of Frankfort, the great book mart of Germany. The power exercised by the Epistle to the Galatians upon Luther is testified to by writers, some of whom were peculiarly well qualified to speak of their estimate of the value of his commentary on that Epistle. John Bunyan said he preferred Luther’s commentary on this Epistle to all the books he had ever seen except the Bible. Spur geon described it as “a great historic work,
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