FEBURARY, 1912
NO. 2
VOL. III.
1 M E Z*INALLY, I have learned to believe in it not as one book, but as The Book. It is the one volume which in its uplifting power over the race is permanent. Books of science vary from generation to generation. Theories and forms of government come and go. Codes of law are modified by changing conditions of social and business life. Literature loses much of its power. The classics are found in forgot- ten shelves. Homer is * no longer sung in the streets. Aristotle and Plato, Seneca and Ba- con are known only to the student. But more and more does the Bible enter into the life of the race. Its copies are multiplied. Its power over man increases. The world is being sub- dued by its message. Humanity finds in it alone that which satisfies every need. Child- hood and old age alike find comfort in its pages. It is the great uplifting force in the world. It is the everlasting voice of God upon earth.—An Eminent Scholar.
Published Once a Month by THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Bible Institute Press.
FIFTY CENTS A YEAR.
MOTTO: ''I the Lord do keep it: I will water it every moment lest any hurt it» I will keep it night and day,"—Is.2/:3 THE KING'S BUSINESS J. H. SAMMIS, Editor. Entered as Second-Class Matter Nov. 17, 1910, at the postoffice at Los Angeles, Cal., Under the Act of March 3, 187?. : Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES [Inc.] 260-264 South Main Street (Second Floor) L o s A n g e l e s , C a l i f o r n i a Table of Contents.
Receiving Christ and Walking in Him. —Selected Out Door Evangelism.—Contributed. Personal Evangelism—T. C. Horton. Spiritual Service—Editor. Two Bits—Selections.
Verbal Inspiration—Editor. As the Manner of Some is.
—J. H. Brooks.
The Book of L i f e—J. M. Schaefle Is the Believer Under Law?
—T. H. Clelland.
The Holy Scriptures.—Dr. Kuyper.
DIRECTORS: Lyman Stewart, President
Rev. A. B. Prichard, Vice Pre.. J. M. Irvine. Secretaiy-Trea». E. A. K. Hackett
,
T. C. Horton, Superintendent
S. I. Merrill
R. A. Torrey
W. E. Blackrtone
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
Church as expressed in the Common ineluding: The Maintainance of Good Works.
We bold to the Historic Faith of the Creed of Evangelical Christendom and The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ. The Personality of the Holy Spirit. The Supernatural and Plenary au- thority of the Holy Scriptures. The Unity in Diversity of the Church which is the Bride and Body of Christ. The Snbstitutionarv Atonement. The Necessity of the New Birth. P u r n o s e* The Institute trains accred- ited men and women, free of cost, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. D e p a r t m e n t s : <*> T h e I n s t i t u t e Classes held daily ex- cept Saturday and Sunday. (2) Extension Work.- Classes and con- ferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists.
The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Soul. The Resurrection of the Body.
The Life everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Im- penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. (4) Spanish Mission, night. (5) Shop Work. Regular Services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among Hebrew people. (7) Bible Women. House-to-house work and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and distri bution of selected books and tracts. Meetings every
m rY "Verbal inspiration" is meant: The originals of the Old and New Testament Scriptures were word for word the words of God. How "holy men of God" were led to freely write His very words we need not inquire. We have to do with the result. This view of inspiration, we are told, is past. It is not so. Men of first rank still hold it. Nor can it be given up. When it goes all goes. Mere human opinion is all that is left. If it is false, let it go—let all go. But age-long criticism has failed to convict Holy Scripture of error. History and christian experience have verified it. But what says the Book of itself? What does it claim to be? That settles the question for us. Thousands of times it reads; "GOD SPAKE," or like words, they are called God's* "words." Its vital doctrines o f t en hang on the tense, number, or grammatical order of words. Jesus silenced the Sadducees with "lam," as against was, "(Matt. 22:32). He was near ston- ' God's Spirit, and ing for saying "I - . thatif God's willis am" as against VERBAL INSPIRATION. K N O WN H E T "Iwas "(Jno.8:58) , , . v , „ 0 „„ • " 'The Book' contains, not 4s, God 's Word," " a v e told it out. The first case in- t h e y s a y . volved t he r e s u r- "Men thought His thoughts, He aia not IS " o l ,, speak, but they; a disconnected se- rection: t he sec- The concept, or the substajnce, is divine, ries. n i o t / i. u- ond His deitV Paul But reason must assay the ore we mine." " " i s r a r y, Dl- , S* That can't be true which one's disposed to OfiTranhv l a w s a r g u e d f r o m doubt, . r , ™ ' t i s o „ j >> „ s n r t ft f The word is human, so he rules it out; types, prophecies, been, d, soi u H e h a g a n o t i 0 n, say, respecting sin, j n detail are ono seed, as against The thought's divine, and so he reads it in. . ' u " e << il '• ^ ' ay a Thus with his scissors, and his pot of paste, mosaic, where ev- seeas, a l v e r s Each suits a revelation to his taste; „„„i. , sorts of s e e d s . Amends the- Sacred Text, and writes in- ery scale,snapeand (Gal. 3:16). We What^God Almighty would or should have ® r e ' a t e d ' havp nrpqpnt as- ®i«S to. the fin i s h e d have present as Explores the depths of the Unfathomed w o r t ™ „ „ s u r e d salvation Mind, w o r K . j j r o m , . _ And naught beyond his plummet's reach can ohakespere a word because it says find. (i "hath" not "man" Then tenders us, what time his task is done, c a n n o t b e • a His Jack-o-lantern for our glorious Sun. knocked out with or sriCLii n s v 6j <>ufi>" B H i , a sledge hammer' ; Uje ( j o nn «s.aoj. N o t s o t h e S c r j p t l , r e: "God spake all these . , f Of man's word it w o r d s- s d a , ' t . „ l e s s i r o m „ , , "Words Which the Spirit teacheth, God's Book. Any could n e v e r . b e "words," "words," "words," J ooirl "It, raw mot Precept, prediction, history and song; more liberal theo- said It can no z , < T h y w o r d „ n o t t h o u g h t , s a i a one, "was r y l s b o r n o f u n _ be broken" (John in my tongue." y H UUI1 0 1 u n 1A .QK1. nnr Till tunes are played with neither note nor belief, and of that l u . d o j . n or JUI, UI horn; < ! ^ »» u- v. tittle shall not Till souls of men are without bodies born; Wisdom wnich _ „ „ , M a t r.iov "A wordless thought" shall be a thought- ; s " f 0 0 l i s h " with pass ^iviai. .-). iof . less word, — , . _ P o l l ' s mmnsri. A fool's conceit to contradict his Lord. God (1 Cor. 1:20). compari writings are inbreathed of God; Tt . son' (1 Cor. 2:11) The word, the letter, the tittle, and the yod. 1 1 18 a n opening s h o w s that just H e t a u & h t t h e Prophet, and impelled his wedge to dislodge as none know a From "In Beginning" to the last "Amen!" Truthand inserter- man's secret thot ^ ^ ^ p r e s u m p t u o u s ror. By his amend- but the man him- Shall add thereto, or dare diminish ought. ments man makes self, so none could J ' H ' S A M b ' himself the au- know God's will : ! thor of the Book, and purpose but the source above which the stream of knowledge and authority can not rise. He substitutes for our Rock a foundation of sand. He who notes a falling sparrow; numbers the hairs of our heads; fits the tiniest atom to form a creature man could not dream, has not l e ft the atoms of His word, which He has "magnified above all His works, " to the chance and choice of sin-blind men; but has woven them, with His own fingers, into mysteries eye hath hot seen; ear hath not heard; nor heart Qf man conceived.
.As tl)£ Planner of Some Ks*
D r ,
I f . » r o o k s .
i T IS sad to think of the number • of professing Chris- tians who, in the very face of t he Holy Spirit's solemn warning, habitually forsake the assembling of them- selves together. They would probably acknowledge the
Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered to- gether, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus C h r i s t ," (I. Cor. v. 4). In .the commemoration of t he Savior's death it was enjoined, " w h e n ye come together to eat, t a r ry one for a n o t h e r ," (I Cor. xi. 33); and it was t h e custom with His sanction that " t h e whole church be come together into one p l a c e ," (I Cor. xiv. 23). Those who refused thus to come together, departing f r om the faith, and mocking at the promise of His coming, are described as " t h e y who separate themselves, sensual, having not t he S p i r i t ," (Jud&19). On the other hand, in an evil and trying time,, " t h e y that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and t he Lord "hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was' written before him f or them t h at feared the Lord, and t h at thought upon his n a m e . " (Mai. iii. 16). But if there was no other precept about it in all the word of God, surely it is enough to read the plain admonition of the Holy Ghost, " N o t forsaking the as- sembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one an- other: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching." Here it stands as an unchangeable part of the inspired Scrip- tures;. and the professing Christian who deliberately disregards it ¡may well ask himself the question, whether he really has passed f r om death unto life, or whether he has only a name to live, while dead. Nothing but good can follow from giving heed to t he direction of the Spirit of t r u t h; nothing but evil can result from disobedi- ence. The Hebrew Christians who had fallen into this manner or custom of forsaking the assembling of themselves together might have pleaded as a sufficient excuse the danger of attending public service. They were called to endure a great fight of afflictions, made a gazing-stock both by reproaches and persecutions, and forced to take t he spoiling of their goods. They might have urged, therefore, t h at under the circumstance^ it would be better to worship God privately and secretly; but in the face of all their reasonings towers up the commanding authority of t he eternal Spirit, " N o t forsaking t he assembling Of
claims of t he Lord Jesus upon their love and obedience; they would perhaps admit that He purchased them with His blood; they might even confess t h at they are bound by the highest, the most saered, and the most lasting considerations and obli- gations to pay Him at least the outward respect of public worship; and yet upon the slightest excuse, or no excuse at all, they absent themselves f r om the stated services of His house. They certainly: cannot be ignorant" of the f a ct t h a t i t is t t e will of their Master to have them meet .«socially to honor Him, as well as to hold j communion with Him privately. . " Where two or three are gath- ered together in my name, there am I in t he midst of t h e m , " He says (Matt, xviii. 20), although there may be only two or three thus gathered. I t was to t he disci- ples assembled withiil closed doors He re- vealed Himself on the evening a f t er His resurrection, and Thomas, who was absent, missed a great blessing, (John xx. 19-25), Not separately but together the apostles " a l l continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of! Jesus, and with his b r e t h r e n ," waiting for t he presence and power of t he Holy: Ghost;; (Acts i. 14), " W h e n the day of j Pentecost 'was fully come, they were all with one accord in one p l a c e ," (Acts i i . - l )j and, being let go, they went to their own c omp a n y ," (Acts, iv. 23). Paul and his companions " w e n t out of the city by] a river side, where prayer was 'twont io b e 4 n a d e ." (Acts xvi. 13.; a n i ' ^ u p j o n' the ..first day of the week, when t h e j ^ s c i p l es came together to break bread. Paul, preached unto t h e m ," • (Acts xx. 7). There are many other proofs and' illus- trations of the assembling of the saints for instruction, prayer, worship or discipline; and this plainly acocrding to the mind and word of God. " I n the name of the Lord
This does .not in the least interfere with the present and certain salvation of the real believer, but it surely ought to arouse all from dangerous sleep to watchful ex- hortation; and so much t he more as we see the day approaching. It is a day of such overwhelming moment to all," that the day of Jerusalem's destruction is but its faintest type. The only other place in which the word assembling together is found, lends to it additional solemnity and tenderness: " W e beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto h i m , " (2 Thegs. ii. 1). Sure- ly the assembling together here has som© bearing upon t he joy of our gathering to- gether there, and upon the measure of our Lord's approval of our earthly service and testimony. I t is not, therefore, for His followers to meet in order to please them- selves, but to please Him, and we may be assured that every such meeting, though it be worthless as the giving of a cup of- cold water, He will remember in the day of His coming.
ourselves together, as the manner of some i s . " What, then, shall be said of those who have f ar less excuse for absenting them- selves from t he meetings of the brethren? They may t ry to persuade themselves that they do not stand in need of instruction, and that no benefit can be derived from public worship, owing to the private oppor- tunities of improvement which they pos- sess. But against all arguments, however satisfactory to themselves, is the impera- tive order of God, " N o t forsaking the as- sembling of ourselves together as the man- ner of some i s . " This is enough for every true believer, and it will scatter his diffi- culties and objections to the wind in a moment. Alas! there is too much room to conclude that worldliness has come into t he hearts of those who now forsake the assembly of t he saints, and worldliness is the forerun- ner of spiritual lethargy, and spiritual leth- argy is the precursor of final and f a t al apostasy, unless the sovereign grace of Christ awakes from the terrible slumber. ; HATEVER else may be said of the Holy Bible, all agree that this Book contains the mind of God, t he state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of wilful impeni- tent sinners and the happi- ness of believers. I ts doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding. The Book gives us. t he golden key. to God's storehouse for His children. Here we find t he water of life, the bread f r om heaven, honey out of the rock a"nd fruit from Canaan. I ts author is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we "can ask of -think. I t is God's great phar- macy. It contains 32,000 prescriptions suited to our every need. Daniel Webster said: If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on and prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instruc- tions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm ug
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y t t . S c f y a e f l e , " X o s ù n g e t e « .
and bury all our glory in profound ob- scurity. The Bible will stand repeated rea,dings and the most diligent study"; and he. who has gone over it most frequently is the surest of finding new wonders" a i d ; new light breaking forth f r om its sacred pages. All honor |to the men who stand by the Book and lovingly wield the unbroken sword. , Charles ]Hodge well said t h at the best evidence of t he Bible's being the word of God is to be found between its covers. It proves itself. , , ; . , ; All ancient documents propose to men:- Who wrote this book? to whom? and why? and when? What is the product of his busy pen? To note the facts and thus to quiz "'em, I§ called the Higher Criticism—JH.s.
3$ tt)e believer ICnbzv TLaw? » ? t^e. T a t e Z 3 . I f . ( T t e t l a t t ô.
AID a dear f r i e n d—" Is the believer under law in any s e n s e ?" " P a u l says n o t . " " N o t for holy living and as a rule o f. l i f e ? " " A r e y o u ?" " Y e s . " " D o you
life we find t h at the law is made only for the lawless, and he that is under law, and bound in fetters of iron to t he floor of his cell cannot keep the law. The truly loyal citizen is above the law. So a true Christian keeps the law. He delights in it. I t is the rejoicing of his heart. The law never made a man holy and never will. The law never gave life to a sinful man. If God could have found such a law, then Christ would not have died. The law is just as incompetent to help a saint as to save a sinner. But what the law could not do, grace can do. See the contrast. The law produces sin and death—grace, justification and life. " D o and l i v e ," says the law. " L i v e and d o , " says grace. The law, " P a y what thou owe s t ." Grace, " I freely f o r g i v e ." " T h e wages of sin - is d e a t h "—l aw. " T h e g i ft of God is eternal life,"—grace. The law curses for the least sin; grace saves the very chiefest sinnner. The law tells man what he must do. Grace—what Christ has done. The law addresses the old nature,—grace, the new. The law drives by its terrors. Grace draws by its over- flowing mercies. The law demands holiness which it has no power to impart; grace gives what it demands. Grace first brings ils salvation and , then teaches us to live soberly, righteously; and godly, in this world. Grace makes us to love God's law, and keep it, too, because it redeems us from the law and its curse—translating us from . the kingdom of darkness into thé kingdom of His dear Son. Whom not having seen we love, and in whose service we rejoice with j o y that is unspeakable and full of glory.
keep, the l a w ? " " N o , not p e r f e c t l y ." " T h e n are you cursed by it? ' f or it is written, cursed is every one who continu- eth not in all things written in the book of t h e law to do them.' If you go back to the law, and d o n 't keep it, ye are fallen from grace, says P a u l . " Gal. 3:4. " B u t does not the believer keep the l a w ? " said my friend. " A h , that is wholly a different question: the believeT does keep the law, but the law does not keep the believer. I delight in the law. I t is more precious than gold." You must not. confound things as wide as heaven and earth apart. .The believer keeps the law, and " d o t h not commit .sin, because he is not under law, but under g r a c e ." The law gives us a knowledge of sin, and of-duty, too, but gives us bo help or inspiration to do it. Grace
Iftol? Scriptures*
^ r o m D r .
" O n t h e X P o r k o f
3 f o l ? S p i r i t "
MONG the divine works of art produced b y - t he Holy Spirit, the Sacred Scripture stands first. It may seem • incredible t h at the' printed pages of a book should excel His spiritual work in hu-
out hesitation. Objectors can never have considered what this Holy Book is, or any other book, writing or language is, or what the putting down of a world of thought in a collection of Sacred Scripture means. A book is not merely paper printed in ink, but is like a portrait—a collection of lines and features' in which we see the likeness of a person.
man hearts, yet we assign to the Holy Scripture the most conspicuous place with-
Standing near, we see not the* person, but spots and lines of paint; but. at t he right distance these disappear and we see the likeness of a person. Even now it does not speak to us, f o r it is the face of a stranger; we may be able to judge the ma n 's character, yet he fails to interest us. But let his child look, and instantly the image which left us cold appeals to him with warmth and life, which were invisi- ble to us because our hearts lacked the essentials. Wh at appeals to the child is not in t he picture, but in his memory and imagination; the co-operation of the fea- tures in the painting and the f a t h e r 's image in the heart makes the likeness speak. . . . Beading the Scriptures brings to our minds the sphere of divine, thoughts so f a r as needful for us as sinners, in order to glorify God, love our neighbors, and save the soul. This is not a collection of beautiful and glittering ideas, but the re- flection of the divine life. In God life and thought a re united. . , . The Holy Scrip- ture is like a diamond: in the dark it is like a piece of glass, but as soon as (he light strikes it the water begins to sparkle, and the scintillation of life greets us. So the Word of God apart from the divine life is valueless, unworthy even of the name of Sacred Scripture. I t exists only -a connection with this divine life, from which it imports life-giving thoughts to our
minds. I t is' like the flower bed t h at re- freshes us only when the flowers and our organs of smell correspond. Hence the il- lustration of t he child and his f a t h e r 's pic- ture is exact. Notice the difference when a child pf God and an alien face that image. Not as though it had nothing to say to the ^ » r e- generate. I t addresses itself to all men as the K i n g 's Word, and every one must receive its impress in his own way. But while the alien sees only a strange face, which annoys him, contradicts his world, and so repels him, the child of God under- stands and recognizes it, He is in holiest sympathy with the life of the world from which t h at image greets him. Thus read- ing-what the stranger could not read, l e feels that God is speaking to him, whis- pering peace to his soul. . . . He (God) regenerates us by the Word. . . . Let it suffice here to say that the Word and t he Holy Spirit never oppose each other, but, as St. Paul declares em-' phatically, that the Holy Scripture is pre- pared. . . . " T h a t the man of God may be p e r f e c t ," " T h a t he may be thoroughly furnished unto all good wo r k s ." Hencè Scripture serves this twofold purpose. First, as an instrument of the Holy Spir- it in His work upon ma n 's heart. Secondly, to qualify a man perfectly and to equip him for every good work. become the sons of G o d " (Jno. 1:12). Pull of evil and utterly ruined in themselves, they joyfully received Christ in all the fulness of his great salvation. But the Scripture before us not only refers to receiving Christ, but also includes an exhortation to corresponding conduct— " S o walk ye in H i m : " that is, as you set out, so you should continue, with a self renouncing heart to appropriate Christ all the way to heaven, as your wisdom, right- eousness, sanctiflcation, and redemption; for no flesh shall glory in His p r e s e n c e ," but " a c c o r d i ng as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the L o r d " (I Cor. 1:29, 31). In other words, " P u t ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof " (Bom. 13:14). If the regenerate entertain any thoughts of creature purity and righteousness, so f a r will the infinitely
deceiving (T^rist—^alKing in Tfim ( C o l. 2 : 6 * — S e U c t e è .
OD is pleased to make the salvation of our souls to turn upon one point alone: that is whether Christ is received into our hearts by f a i th or whether He is not — " H e that believeth. not
shall be d amn e d ." The persons addressed in this epistle were'believers in Jesus; they had heard t he Gospel and received Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, Their f a i th was proved, by their love to all saints. Prior to this they were foolish, sinful, lost—'' by nature the children of wrath even as o t h e r s ," but now, having received t he slain and risen Savior, He was made of God unto them wisdom, right- eousness, sanctiflcation and r e d emp t i o n" ( I Cor. 1:30). They were " b o r n a g a i n ," for the Scripture says that " a s many as received Him, to them gave He power to
efficacious and finished work of Christ be undervalued and lost" sight of; and either a self-righteous or desponding experience will result. 11 Their righteousness is of Me, saith the L o r d " (Isa. 5 4 : 1 7 ) , " E v en the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3:22). Walking in Him implies abiding in Him, a,nd acting as being accepted in Him, and complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power; and thus, by .the constraining power of His love, follow- ing in His steps. " I n the Lord have I righteousness and strength,'^ is the watch-, word of those who thus walk. Such " a r e
strong in the Lord and in the power of His m i g h t ." They are strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1). They walk not as " f a r o f f ," but as " ma de nigh by the blood of Christ." They breathe not " t h e spirit of bondage," but " t h e spirit of adoption," whereby they cry, " Ab b a, Father'* (Rom. 8:15). They " e n- ter into the holiest by the blood of J e s u s ;" and as " s e a t ed together in heavenly places in Christ," they worship and serve with reverence and godly' fear, with holy dignity and filial awe; with humility, be- cause they glory only in the Lord, and with heavenly calmness, because of the perpetual efficacy of His blood and right- eousness. ' '
A J Í W Í. Outòoor ^Evangelism,
( T o i t t r i b u t e ò.
HEN the religious history of California is written, no chapter will be , so re- plete with interest as that which shall record the
ter how embittered he may be with life, who does not secretly long to smile. The evangelist encourages people in this de- sire. In fact, if smiling were a crime, he would be arrested as aider and abettor to many violations of the law. Not long ago when Gypsy Smith was conducting a series of revival services in Portland, Mullen was also present in that city. One day when a band of antagon- istic Socialists were making a personal attack on Smith, God' and the Bible, Mul- len suddenly walked into the crowd and, stepping onto a large box, he shouted, .that he would give $5 to any man there who had read the Bible through. At first the crowd ther&tened to mob him. Over and over again they tried to rush him off his feet. The box on which he had been standing they kicked into a thousand splinters. But by his persistency, his' quick wit and his Biblical answers to all their maddened questionings he finally succeeded in quieting the crowd . suffi- ciently to . make the. men shout for/ fair play. Presently a man came forward to claim the money, saying thfit he had read the Bible through. " H a v e .you read Genesis?'.' asked Mullen. " Y e s , " re- plied the man. " H a v e you read Revela- t i o n s ?" " Y e s , " answered the man! " H a v e you read J e r em i a h ?" " Y e s . " " H a v e you read Hezekiah?"" " Y e s . " ' ' Sure you '.ve read Hezekiah ? ' ' queried t>he evangelist. 1 ' Ye s ." " Are you cer- tain about t h a t ? " repeated Mullen. "Ye s,
. _
I A g Wf'Wt
. events connected with the remarkable open air meetings at Second and Los Angeles streets, where a disso- lute, disorderly and often drunken crowd has been transformed into a throng of men who now listen quietly and 'eagerly to messages of love spoken by the Mas- ter through the lips of one of His servants. Some months ago, under the auspices of the Bible Institute, William Mullen, an eyangelist of , power, volunteered to take charge of. these street meetings. He was told that the men who attended would not listen to the words of the gos- j pel and that they often were ' insult- ing, almost to violence. He was told that they would often try to rush men off the street, like a band of college boys in a football game. The evangelist did not flinch. He simply forgot there was such a man as William Mullen, threw aside the thought of the personal self, and, with the comforting assurance, that God was backing him, he started in to win. At first it was not an easy proposition. Men hooted and kissed when Mullen or any of his associates mounted a platform. However, one of Mullen's most enviable traits is good humor. Now, good humor is patching, because there is no man, no mat-
sir; I tell you Y E S ! " " H ow could y o u ? " said Mullen, smiling, " wh en Hezekiah isn't in the B i b l e ?" Then the Socialists clamored for Mullen to meet them in de- bate. Mullen agreed to meet his chal- lengers at a hotel near by to arrange for the debate, and told the Socialists to choose a speaker from among them. Mul- len went to the hotel and waited more than 48 hours, but no one appeared. One day when he first began his street meetings in Los Angeles the evangelist had just mounted'the platform when some one shouted: "Wh e re did Cain get his w i f e ? " "Wh y, from his mother-in-law, of course,'' replied the speaker. The crowd laughed, and though the interro- gator was somewhat chagrined, Mullen's answer procured him the respectful at- tention of the assemblage. At another time a ruffian shouted: " H o w do you know t h e r e ' s ,a Go d ?" ' ' Because,'' replied the evangelist, ' ' no one but the fool hath said in his heart there is no Go d ." " D o you call me a f o o l ?" said the man, angrily. " N o , " re- plied Mullen, " b u t God does, and I believe H i m . " The result of preaching His word, day by day, was that Mullen has won and is
winning-twinning souls for Christ, win- ning men from drunkenness, idleness and dissipation to a better, higher, cleaner life. With the help of the Lord, he is carrying on a reclamation project in the desert of human" life. He is reclaiming men from the Slough of Despond and placing them in fields that are ever green with the beauty of holiness, where waters of life are flowing and where the flowers of love make the sweet air gflad with the fragrance of compassion. Many men have been converted sihcie he began to preach, and some are attending the meet- ings of the Bible Institute at Third and Main streets. Men are becoming interested and are joining churches, missions and other branches of Christian woTk. Dur- ing the last three or four months more Bibles have been sold at the book stores than were sold in many months previous. Aided by the Institute, Mullen often finds employment for the men, and the good that is being done is- inestimable. The attendance at the street " meetings in- creases daily. Two weeks ago on Sun- day 882 men, by actual count; were in attendance, and last Sunday there was a congregation of more than 1,000. Tho meetings are held daily at noon and on Sundays at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
"personal Cvangelism,
Z5, (T. D f o r t o n . LESSON No. 2.
thing to do— hard because according to the flesh it will be the thing you will shrink . from doing. The Holy Spirit will be lead- ing, urging, impelling you to speak to the unsaved. Satan will be hindering, imped- ing and excusing you for not doing the work. When you feel the inclination and desire to win people, that is the leading of the Spirit—when you are seeking for some good reason or excuse for not doing so, that is the devil's work. He that winneth souls is 'wise. Prov. 11:30. • Be wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove. Matt. 10:16. Preparation. A Pure Life. The heart must be right with God. Many failures can be attrib- uted to people who seek to serve t he Lord without living a life of fellowship with Him. Every sin must be confessed and
N the first lesson we endeav- ored to show in a clear and concise manner the fact that every believer is called to be a soul winner. If you are not definitely settled, deeply convicted and per-
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sonally conscious of this great fundamen- tal fact, do not go on with the study, for it will be merely a professional matter and will not mean anything to you. Go over the first lesson unti lyou can say honestly before the Lord, I am by Virtue of my ac- ceptahce of Jesús Christ as Saviour ánd Lord, made a Servant, a Steward, an am- bassador, a witness, a missionary, a busi- ness, agent, a fisher of men. Suggestions. The work of soul winning is both easy and hard. It is easy in the sense that spiritually it is the natural and normal
abandoned if we would have His blessing and of what use is serviee if He does not bless? 1 J o hn 1:6, 7, 9. A Prayerful Life. A soul winner must be a soul wrestler. If there is but little prayer there will be but little performance. Prayer will prepare our hearts and the hearts of others. Plead the promises of God and pray without ^easing, James 5:18. A Purposeful Life. Be definite in your aim and determined in your purpose. You must set your stakes and order your life in the line of your call. You are to live a soul saver's life. 1 oCr, 9:16. A Persistent Life. Do not be discour- aged. Keep at it. You will make mis- takes. You will be rebuffed. You will be criticised, but you will be conscious of God's smile of approval. 1 Cor. 15:58. Dealing with the Indifferent. We take this class first, because it repre- sents the larger number of people with whom we will be called upon to deal. People who are careless and indifferent need to be convicted of sin. This class includes the non-church goers who are in no manner opposed to t he Church and the Church goers who a re gospel hardened. This class of people give but little thought to eternal matters. if We must be convicted ourselves of the enormity of sin in God's sight. The work of the Holy Spirit in the world is Seven times he had tried the, Keeley Cure, each time sinking lower and more helpless, twice the 3-day Neal Cure, then on the verge of Delirium Tremens, Tommy Hayes, the Actor, went for the third time back to the Neal Institute at San Fran- cisco. Long ago he had been turned down, couldn't hold a job. The Supt. of the Institution said: " W e Can't do any- thing for you, you are only hurting our business; but here is a card and Teh Dol- lars; take the boat for Los Angeles, fol- low the advice on the card and you give that cure a try'-': F R E E ! FREE!! FREE!!!. Liquor Habit Permanently Cured In one treatment by the BLOOD cure. Also the habit of using dope, smoking, chewing, stealing, lying, swearing, gam- bling, fighting, cheating, deceiving, wife- beating, . lusting, back-biting, talking about your neighbors, covetousness, Sab- bath-breaking, and all other habits that degrade men and women, cured in one treatment without money and without price. Chronic cases a specialty. If all
to convict men of sin. John 16:8-11. The Spirit will use the Word. Heb. 4:12. Take a f ew passages of Scripture and commit them to memory: Bom. 3:23, " F o r all have s i n n e d ." Bom. 3:10, " T h e re is not one r i g h t e o u s ." Isa. 57:21, " T h e r e is no peace saith my God to t he w i c k e d ." Bom. 6:23, " F o r the wages of sin is d e a t h . '' John 3:36, " B u t the wrath of God abid- eth on h i m . '' Matt. 22:37-38, "Them shalt love the L<5rd." Show by these passages that there is absolutely no difference in God's sight. They t h at are in the flesh cannot please God. Bom. 8:8. Show how solemn and aw f ul it is to be under the wrath of God and how great is the sinner who has broken the first great commandment. Judgment, eternal wrath, is the eternal portion of the sinner. God took vengeance upon t he age before the flood, upon Sodom and Gomorrah, upon the Jews. Press the t r u th home upon the hearts and conscience, that unless they re- pent they must likewise perish. Meditation for the Worker. Bead carefully and prayerfully Matt. 11:20-27 and then go over t he above pass- ages and pray that God may use you to awaken some indifferent ones to aJ deep consciousness of their sin. others have failed, come to us. We guar- antee the cure. Come any night between the hours of 7:45 and !> a'clock and hear the wonderful testimonials of . men and women who have been cured. We have plenty of good music ab
"3V p e r s o n a l
Spiritual Service J. H. S.
THE CALL TO SERVICE: Universal —"To every man his w o r k ," Mrk. 13:34. Personal— "Follow thou M e , " Jno. 21:22. THE NEED FOR SERVICE: " L o o k on the F i e l d ." The harvest nigh, the harvest rich, the laborers few, Lk. 10:2; Jno. 4:35. THE GIFTS FOR SERVICE: Their Abundance, " A l l your n e e d ," Phil. 4:19. Their Universality, " T o every m a n , " I. Cor. 12:7. Their Particularity, " T o every man severally," I. Cor. 12:11. Their Availability, Covet earnestly the b e s t , " I. Cor. 12:31. THE PHASES OF SERVICE: Un i v e r s a l—"Ye are my witnesses," Isa. 43:10. " E v e r y good word and w o r k ," Col. 1:10. Particular —"What wilt Thou have ME to d o ? " Act 9:6. How shall one learn his own work? By responsiveness, " B y reason of use—senses exercised," Heb. 5:14. By Providence, " W h e n the cloud was taken u p , " Ex. 40:36, 37. By opportunity, " W h a t t hy hand finds to do, do i t , " Eec. 9:10. By adaptation, " A p t to t e a c h . ". I. Tim. 3:2. By appeals, " C ome over . . . and help u s , " Act. 16:9. By counsel, of friends, " D e p a r t ed Barnabus to seek P a u l , " Act. 11:25; of the Church, Acts 13:3; of the Presbytery, I. Tim. 4:14. By the Holy Spirit, " J o i n thyself to this chariot,"y^ctS 8:29. INFLUENCES TO AVOID. Motives of the Flesh, " F i l t h y Hicre," Tit. 1:7; " P r a i se of m e n , " Jno. 12:33. Selfish preferences, " G r e at things? Seek them n o t , " Jer. 45:5; Ease? " E n d u re h a r d n e s s ," I I. Tim. 2:3. Flattery, " A flattering mouth worketh r u i n , " Pro. 26:28. Overestimation of self, " L e t no man think more highly of h i ms e l f ," Rom. 12:3; Ga. 6:3. Underestimation of self, " B u t . . . as God has dealt every man a p o r t i o n ," Ro. 12:3. Inaction, " W h y stand ye every man i d l e ," Matt. 20:6. PREPARATION FOR SERVICE. Full surrender, " N o t my will, b ut Thine be d o n e ," Lk..22:42. Consecration, " N o man that warreth entangleth h i ms e l f ," I I. Tim. 2:5. Separation From the world, " C o me out f r om among t h e m , " II. Cor. 6:17. To God, " K e e p yourselves in t he love of Go d ," J u de 21. Education I n the Word, " T h a t the man of God may be thoroughly f u r n i s h e d ," II. Tim. 3:17. I n general knowledge, " S t u d y to show thyself approved of Go d ," II. Tim.2:15. P a y t he price—-In .time,- in toil, in cash, in patience. Reputation. " A good Teport of them that are w i t h o u t ," I. Tim. 3:7. " W a l k in the l i g h t ," I. J n. 1:7; " W a l k h o n e s t l y ," I. The. 4:12; " W a l k in l o v e ," Eph. 5:2. ' " T h a t they may see your good w o r k s ," Mat. 5 : 1 6 ; . " T h at you have been with J e s u s ," " T h o u that' t e a e h e s t ," " t h a t p r e a c h e s t ," " t h a t s a y e s t ," " D o st THOU? Bo.5^:21-23. Cultivate Self Judgment, " I f we judge ourselves," Rom. 11:31. Tact, " U n t o the Jews I became as a J e w , " I. Cor. 9:19-22. • • Self Control,, " H e that ruleth his own s p i r i t ," Prov. 16:32. • Tongue Control, " I f any man offend not in w o r d ," I. Cor. 14:32. By willingness, " H e r e am I, send m e , " Isa. 6:8. By prayerfulness, " L e t him ask Go d ," Jas. 1:5.
JFacfcs of jFaitl). By J. H. S.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD:
8. The aim of it: 'Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom 1 have chosen; that ye may know and be- lieve me and understand that I am He; " " T h a t men may know that Thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the e a r t h ;" Isa. 43:10: Psa. 83:18. 9. The promise of it: " I t is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of G o d ; " " A n d they shall teach no more every man-his brother, and every man his neighbor, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me, from the least of them to thé greatest of them, saith the L o r d ; " Jno. 6:45; Jer. 31:34. 10. Head knowledge not sufficient: " T h e devils believe and t r emb l e ;" " T h ey profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work r e p r o b a t e ;" "Because that when they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were t h a n k f u l ;" Jas. 2:19; Tit. 2:16; Bom. 1:21. I. GOD—HIS REALITY, THAT HE IS. iris Existence— 1. Denied: " Wh o is that God that shall deliver you out of my h a n d ; " " T h e fool has said in his heart, " T h e re is no G o d ;" Dan. 3:15; Psa. 14:1. 2. Affirmed, (1) BY THE DEMONS, " T h e devils b e l i e v e ;" I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God; " Jas. 2:10; Mrk. 1:24. (2) BY HIS WORKS, (a) Universal— 1 "Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks, for thati Thy name is near Thy wondrous works d e c l a r e ;" " F o r the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being un- derstood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead; ' Psa. 75:1; Eom. 1:20. (b) Celestial— . " T h e heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handi- w o r k ; " Psa. 19:1; Isa. 40:26. (c) Ter- restrial —"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with & span, and comprehend- ed the dust of the earth in a balance, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a ballance?" Isa. 40:12. (d) Providential —"Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and f r u i t f ul seasons, filling our hearts with
INDIFFERENCE to It, " B u t none saith, Wh e re is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night ; wh o t e a e h e th us more than the beast of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of the
heaven? Job 35:10, Rom. (3:11). 2. Longing for it: " O h that I knew where I might find Him! t h at I might come even to His seat! As the hart pant- eth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O Go d ." Job 23:3: Psa. 42:1; 63:1. 3. Importance of it: " A n d this is life eternal to know Thee, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast s e n t ; " " F e a r God and keep His commandments for this is the whole (duty) of m a n . " Jno. 3:17; Eec. 12:13. • 4. Depths of it: " Ca n st thou by search- ing find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection? it is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou k n o w ?" Oh the depths of the riches both of the wis- dom and knowledge of God! how unsearch- able are His judgments, and His ways past finding o u t ." Job 11:7, 8; Eom. 11:33. 5. Conditions of it: " A n d ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your h e a r t ." "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," " I f any will do His will he shall know of the doctrine," Jer. 29:13; Matt. 5:8; Jno. 7:17. 6. Method of it: " T h a t they should seek the Lord, if Eaply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not f ar from every one of u s . " " I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy d o i n g s ;" " S e a r ch the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of M e ; " Ac. 17:27; Psa. 77:12; Jno. 5:39. 7. Blessing of it: " T h e people that dp know their God shall be strong, and do ex- p l o i t s ;" " T h us saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the' rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth M e ; " " t h i s is life eternal to know Thee, and Jesus Ch r i s t ;" Dan. 11:32; Jer. 9:23, 24; Jno. 17:3.
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food and g l a d n e s s ;" Acts. 14:17; Psa. 104:5-32. (3) BY HIS WORD. a. In- spired— (a) Its Prediction, Isa. 46:9, 10; 45:21; 43:8-12; Act 3:16. (b) Its Effects, Heb. 4:12; Psa. 119:11, 130, 50, 103. (c) Its Revelations —The, account of creation, which agrees with modern discovery, b. Incarnate —the testimony of Jesus, Him- self attested by (a) His apostles, Jno. 1:14; His friends, Jno. 3:2; His enemies,
Luke 20:21; thé demons, Mrk. 1:24; His character, I Pet. 2:22; His deeds, Jno. 14:11; His resurrection, Rom. 1:4. Since God exists we should: (1) Revere Him, Ecc. 12:13; Psa. 89:7; (2) Obey Him, Act. 5:29; (3) Serve Him, Josh. 24:14, 24; (4) Please Him, Heb. 11:6; Rev. 3:11; (5) Love Him, Mat. 22:37; I Jn. 4:19; (6) Glorify Him, Mat. 6:33; I Cor. 10:31.
Knterrogation fl oints* Y friend says that the Church is Christ's army, and should array herself against all the evils of the world, AS he right? The Church is nowhere called an army, nor does she seem to
white slaver,' and their abominable worldli- ness, to God and to temporal welfare. For the Church to take up the roll of reformer is to depart from her calling in the error and fostering the error that the world is or can be made better, or saved by rpform and in bulk, and not only by individual regeneration. Her business is to s b ow t he hopelessness of the situation; the futility of the wisdom, the reforms, thé" material and social betterments of the world, to save it, or a man of it, or a shred of its wealth and glory, but to stretch out the hand of evangelism to whosoever will lay hold of it. "Some say that the world cannot be made better, but my pastor says thai: We can make it better and sweeter while pass- ing through it. Is he not right? The pas- tor, no doubt, means that we, by kindaess, cheerfulness, and sympathetic counsel, should make life brighter and better for others. He is right, but not happy in put- ting it. "The world" in the New Testa- ment sense, is "This present evil age" (Gal. 1:4) and will be such to its last generation, and its last moment. Satan is the prince and god of it (Jno. 16:11), and his spirit pervades and actuates it, and > no essential betterment can come to it. It may improve socially and materi- ally, locally ' and temporarily, but the smouldering fires of sin and lust will burst forth from time to time until the " d a y of w r a t h " (Rev. 6:7). Meanwhile we shall do all the good we can to all the people we can; and make life's burdens lighter for them; we may leave a pleasant, Christian odor behind us-—but make " t h e world better and sweeter! "—You might as well talk of making the devil better by smiling on him or a certain quadruped sweeter by stroking his fur. We are " p a s s i n g" through the world, in it, not of it (Jno. 17:J.4). We
be regarded as a military body. Yet the believer is called " a soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3) and "goeth a war- fare' ' (1 Cor. 9:7); to ' 'fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12); armed cap a pie (Eph. 6:11-18); not, however, for aggressive but for defensive warfare; to "resist the devil"- (Jas. 4:7); not to pursue him; she dare not invite his • attacks. She is to stand like a rock against the stormings of hell; and" is not an on- and overflowing flood to quench its fires. She is not to "destroy the works of the devil;" that is reserved for Him who "Shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20). Her fight is in the world; against the world; not for., it. She is neither Saint Patrick to drive out its vipers; nor Saint George to slay its dragons. She is a Voice calling in its Wilderness; a Light shining in its darkness, that the "called" (Rom. 8:30) may find the way. to their Refuge. She is, indeed, "the salt of the Earth," but the Earth, now preserved for the sake of the elect, is to be purified and changed, which the world (the aion, age; or the cosmos, order); is not. As members of the commonwealth, not as of the churches, believers may join their neighbors to eliminate eivil evils and social viees. How a Christian can do other than help every "good word and work" we do not see. But we must not misrepresent the mission of the Church, nor the f a ct that from a spiritual viewpoint the respectable man and his respectable worldliness are as obnoxious to God, and as dangerous to spiritual welfare, as the saloonkeeper, the
ministry, though purely incidental, is com- ing to be regarded the essential service of the Church. The priestly ministry is passing, the altar, the laver, the inner light, the incense, the shewbread, the holy of holies, the Psalter evangelism is neg- lected; body-saving displaces soul-saving: " T h e City B e a u t i f u l ," the City Celestial; the pleasure and glory of man, the will and glory of God. The Word of Truth, the Blood of the Cross; the quickening of the Spirit; the God hated and God hating bitterness of sin and its damning nature are all but forgotten, and the " wo r ld to c ome" degraded to a " w h i t ed sepulchre," f a ir without, but within full of dead men's bones. gent young lady, but let me know whether you have ever been to s c h o o l ?" A flush of anger came to her face, broken, however, by a smile, as she answered, " I graduated at r Institute two years a g o . " " Y o u did? And yet you were not taught to read correctly," he said. She took the Book once more and read slowly and with emphasis, " H e said to the woman, Thy f a i th hath saved the, go in p e a c e ." The Book fell to her lap, and a new and joyful look came to her eyes, as she exclaimed, " O h , I see it! I see it! the woman was not trying to be saved; it was not a thing of the f u t u re with her; she was already saved, and saved without do- ing anything. My mistake has been in putting .shall in the place of hath; and no more will I doubt the word of my precious S a v i o r ." She arose and left the room, not trying any more to find eomfort in her doing, but rejoicing in the knowledge of what Christ had done. There are thousands, even in our church- es, who do not see the difference be- tween " s h a l l " and " h a t h . " They are afraid to stake their eternal interests on the Word of God alone, without the sup- port of their frames and feelings and prayeirs and ordinances. They dare not launch out into the hereafter, clinging sole- ly to the finished work of Christ, trusting wholly in His grace; and hence they hug the flinty and frowning shore of legalism, and it is no wonder that they are often in- volved in fogs and fears. They think it is presumption for one who is conscious of his sinfulness to say t h at he is already passed out of death into life, beyond the sentence of condemnation and the reach of judgment.
are pilgrims and strangers, journeying on to a pure and better age (Rev. 20:4). The type of our pilgrimage is Israel's passing through the wilderness. They did not seek to make it better; they made no assaults on its-tribes or their customs; that is not the business of travelers; they resisted their attacks victoriously (Ex. 17:8). They invited others to join them and passed on. Read the first epistle .of John .for a description of the world and our mutual relations, and read Eev. 18 for a glimpse of its fate. As said above, we should be good citi- zens, philanthropists, l i f t i ng their fellow- men as they have opportunity. But such
Owo !Ôits Z A S * U c t e ò
YOUNG lady confessed her desire to be saved, and re- counted her efforts in the Way of listening to sermons, prayer, watchfulness over her conduct, good resolu- tions, and baffled attempts
to feel her own sinfulness and to love God, until she come to the p a i n f ul conclusion t h at there was no salvation for her, as her struggles had ended in defeat and dis- appointment. A servant of Christ read to her from the inspired Scriptiires a true statement of her condition as a lost and helpless sin- ner, and also the testimony t h at is given concerning the death of the Lord Jesus to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He then s a i d , '' Your difficulty arises wholly from the f a ct t h at you do not believe the B i b l e ." " I n d e e d ," she earnestly replied, " y o u are mistaken; I do believe the Bible; and my trouble does not lie in that direc- tion, I assure y o u . " " I m e a n ," he an- sWered, " t h a t you do not believe the whole of i t . " " Y o u aré mistaken a g a i n ," she 'quickly responded, , " I believe all of it, from the first of Genesis to the last of Rev- elation. " " Well, we shall soon settle t h at q u e s t i o n ," he remarked. He opened the Bible at Luke 7:50. " B e a d that v e r s e ," he said. She took the book and hastily read, " H e said to the wo- man, Thy f a i th shall save thee, go in p e a c e ." He quietly asked, " C a n ' t you read ?' I She looked at him a moment in astonishment and scarcely suppressed in- dignation, and sharply inquired, " W h y do you ask me t h a t ? " " B e c a u s e ," he re- joined, " y o u did not read that verse as it is writt,en. You seem to be an intelli-
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