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|ANNUITIES!! I What Are They I 9 9 II ¡| They are contracts made by us in which we agree to || 11 pay to the investor, as long as he lives, a certain amount of 11 || money (large or small as the case may be) each year, in l| 11 quarterly, semi-annual or annual payments, at a rate vary- 11 11 ing from four to nine per cent, according to the age of the 11 11 investor. 11 ¡ I WE WORK FOR YOU WITHOUT WORRY TO YOU I t IS This Contract Becomes a |S I Blessed Bond II ¡1 IT LIFTS YOUR BURDENS 11 ¡1 NO MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS 11 ¡ I YOU EXECUTE YOUR OWN WILL ¡1 ¡1 YOU SING BY DAY AND SLEEP BY NIGHT l| || YOU ARE FREE FROM ALL FEAR || [I No Fees, N o Litigation [ f l YOUR INCOME IS ASSURED f ] =1 and |i 11 YOUR INVESTMENT INSURED || 11 for 11 i| It can never be diverted to any object not based on our |l II STATEMENT o f DOCTRINE i f i = Write to T. C. Horton, Superintendent, for Full Information |§ |j BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES || = alllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllliiiiii |t| ill || | ill iiiiiiiif 11| 1)11111111111111111111111111111)) iiis " = 7UIIII1lltllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!llll||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||l |||l,|,||,||,||„„,| ,| ||||„ |=
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S IN E S S MOTTO: "I. the Lord, do keep It, / wiU water it every moment, test any hurt U, I w ill keep it nightand day." = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Isa. 27:3 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HOPE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CAL. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17. 1910, at the Post O ffice at Los Angeles, California, under the A ct o f March 3, 1879 A cceptance for mailing at special rate o f postage provided fo r in Section l 103, A ct o f O ctober 3, ; 1917, authorized O ctober 1, 1918 Volume XIII June, 1922 _____________ Number 6 Rev. T. C. HORTON, E ditor in Chief Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS, Managing Editor ALAN S. PEARCE, Circulation Representative Contributing Editors DR. F. W . FARR DR. FRENCH E. OLIVER REV. WM . H. PIKE DR. A . C. DIXON CONTENTS Editorials— Personal Evangelism (545), All Sorts of Sinners Saved (546), Moses and the Middleman (547), Painting Up the Pump (549), A Venomous Editors Eruption (550), Shifting the Responsibility (552), Correct Collar for a Critic (553). Bible Briefs— (555) Normal Evangelism—By Dr. W. E. Biederwolf (557) Weeping and Reaping—By Alexander Stewart (559) The'Nature of Regeneration— By Thomas Boston (561) Call to the Unconverted— By Richard Baxter (565) Impressionalism in the Pulpit—By Rev. Elmer Nichols (569) Bible Institute Notes— (572) Bible Institute in Hunan, China— (575) Evangelistic Stories—By Institute Workers— (579) Homiletical Helps— (586) Pulpit Pointers— (589) Notes on the Jews and Prophecy— (592) Thoughts for the Unsaved— (594) International Sunday School Lessons— (595) Daily Devotional Home Readings—By Dr. F. W. Farr (612) Editorial Afterthoughts— By K. L. B. (619) Good Books— (622) Song, “ He Mleans It For Me”— Dorothy B. Polsue (625) Prayer—By Dr. A. C. Dixon (626) PLEASE When sending subscriptions, address correspondence to Office o f The K ing’s Business, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 536- 558 South Hope Street. Checks may be made payable to Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Do not make checks or money orders to individuals connected with the Bible Institute. Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.25— SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS Special Club Rate for Ten or More Subscriptions 75c Each O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A
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= He takes a trip twelve times a year to thousands of homes with 1200 pages o f best religious literature E 2 cents a week for a year will buy A SMILING SILVER DOLLAR Buy one, send it to us, and we'll do the rest «5 (See inside back cover for further details) 5iimiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiMimiimiimimiiiiiiiimiiiiimiimiiimiimiiiimiii
-,111111111 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiM iii(iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiia iiiiiiiiM iiiiiiiiii||i ,||||i ||||,||,||,||,£ E D I T O R I A L MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIllllUlllIIIIIIIIIIIIINllllUl IIIIIllllllIillllllllllllllllllllM llllllllllM lllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllljlllO * ' THE APPEAL “ By Calvary’s bleeding Sacrifice; By the brevity of time; By the whiteness of the fields; By the urgency of the message; By the vastness of the need; By the agonized cry of perishing millions; “ DO SOMETHING!” .$&■ jjg ife “I have chosen you and ordained you that ye should bring forth fruit.” (John 15:16.) “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” (John 2:5.) “Whatsoever ye do, do It heartily.” (Col. 3:28.) “ Serve the Lord with gladness.” (Psa. 100:2.) “My servants shall sing for joy of heart.” (Isa. 65 :Id.) “ God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love.” (Heb. 6:10.) PERSONAL EVANGELISM We used to call it “ Personal Work” , but .in these days the word “ work” has become a kind of seare-crow to Christians and so a more dig nified phrase is now being used. Well, the title is terse and true to the Scriptures, anyway. It seems strange, after 1900 years of the history of the Church, that it should be necessary either to use the term or stress it, but it is absolutely vital to the preservation of the visible Church. We recognize that this is the superficial age. The Church is organized’ to such an extent that its spiritual life gasps for breath. New societies are organized every week for the purpose of keeping people from doing any thing worth while for the spiritual life of believers, such as “ Putting Flowers on the Altar” , “ Perfuming the Pews” , “ Pulling for the Preacher” , etc. We have been looking into the Bible to find some authority for these social events, but have not yet been able to find it. We did read about a woman named Dorcas, but she was too busy doing things to start a society. Even Nathanael never thought of starting a “ Come and See Society” . He just went and found Philip and brought him to the Lord. All that Andrew had sense to do was to go after Simon Peter. The Lord provided no organization for the early church. He only permitted persecution to scatter all of the believers except the apostles from Jerusalem, and they went everywhere telling out the Word. Whenever and wherever disciples have been willing to go forth and tell the truth into the ears of the people, God has owned their testimony by the conversion of souls. Were He standing in our midst today He would be saying to some of us, “ Why stand ye here all the day idle? Let us go into the next towns
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—for therefore came I forth.” Is it not His purpose and pleasure that we should be “ fruitful unto every good work” ? Have we no compassion for the lost? Have conditions changed so that there is now no call for the house-to- house and man-to-man service? Let us give you an illustration of what it is possible to d o : From the Men’s Bible Class of the Church of the Open Door and from the Fishermen’s Club (for young men), a band of men go out to the towns around Los Angeles every Sunday afternoon. They go in autos, sometimes for a hundred miles, carrying their ammunition with them—Testaments, Gospels, tracts and invitations to a street meeting. They spend the day in visiting the homes, leaving the ammunition as it is needed, seeking to bring men, women and children to a decision for Christ. In the evening they hold a street meeting, sometimes following it,'if invited, with a service in some church. Recently both bands united and with two male quartets visited a town of about 5000 people. They called at 1200 homes, had 126 confessions of Christ, and gave away 475 Gospels of John. Many Christians were revived and homes blessed. The interesting incidents growing out of this one visit are too many to relate. This is one way. Anyone who desires can do personal work; do it any where,—on the street, on the cars, in the office or shop or store, from house to house. There are hundreds of ways, and if any reader of The King’s Business is desirous of further suggestions, we will be.glad to give them without charge. What your hands find to do, do with your might. There is no joy com parable to the joy of soul-winning. “ He that winneth souls is wise.” Why not be a soul-winner? Why not commence NOW? —T. C. H. ALL SORTS OF SINNERS SAVED Readers of The King’s Business never need be without definite illus trations of how to do, and the results of doing personal evangelism, for under the head of “ Evangelistic Department” are always to be found “ Interesting Stories from Real Experience” which are calculated to inspire faith, warm the heart and serve as incentives to service for the Master. The phases of service are so varied as to prove conclusively that women in the home, young girls in school' and business life and men in all walks of life are still reachable and ready to respond to the kindly touch of devoted soul winners. Jews and Gentiles still respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit through His Word. People of every nation have the same sinful, hungry hearts and find peace and rest in the message of the Gospel. On land and sea, rich and poor, old and young, every day are being won for Christ. Men oi all stations of thought, of all stations in life, con fess their need of a Saviour, receive Him and gladly confess Him. If some men and women are doing this work every day, why should not READ THE
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 547 every believer be doing something along this line? Read the stories every month, pray for the workers and have fellowship in a blessed service which is bringing joy to the hearts and homes of our fellow-men. The following memoranda regarding twenty different persons reached at the Biola Hall meetings, where the people have the Gospel given to them in the open, and are dealt with personally, show the varied character of the converts: Son of a very wealthy father,- disowned. Found God as Father and Christ as Saviour. Young man fell among thieves, lost all his money, but found the true riches. Business man who had cursed God, after twelve years praises Him for saving such a sinner. Young crook, 18 years of age, scheming to steal auto and drive to San Fran cisco, arrested by the Spirit of God and surrendered to the Judge of all the earth. Sunday School boy brought into an intelligent acceptance of, and faith in Jesus Christ. Religious church member— born again. A banker who eagerly accepted the Word of God. A merchant brought to see the necessity of the blood atonement. Lawyer restored and delivered from besetting sin which had gripped his life for twenty years. An “ I. W. W.” saved and delivered. A minister (backslider) brought back to the fold. Well-dressed young man, served in war, given New Testament, converted; returned to tell of first soul won for Christ by himself. Miner, needed Nicodemus’ message, “ Ye*must be born again.” Professed Christ. Has himself reached several, including 76-year-old mother, with Gospel of John, a dozen copies of which he has used so far. Young telegraph operator, sportily smoking cigaret, followed crowd into en trance, received eternal life, continued on his way, now a child of God. Man who had attended many mission meetings previously, born again by the Word of God. Young boy born again by believing in His name. Sailor lad, said he had been “ born a Christian” , finds out he must be "twice born” and receives Christ. British subject (backslider), attracted by accent of New Zealand student, brought back to the Father’s house. Woman soliciting for Near East Relief, depressed and defeated, brought to see Christ as her Advocate with the Father. Street car conductor, through domestic trouble driven to sin, restored. For many years and from many sections of the earth’s surface there have come to us extracts from sermons and addresses given by' men of renown in the ranks of the new school of prophets. But it has never been our privilege to look upon with our own eyes and hear with our own ears one of these Modernists until recently, and we are hastening to pass on to our readers the wonderful words of wisdom to which it was our privilege to listen. It was upon a beautiful Sunday morning, at a quiet sea-side resort. The cold winds had given way to a balmy breeze; the sun was spreading a warm mantle over the green hills; a worshipful spirit possessed us, and with a sincere desire for a Divine message, we wended our way to the house of God. INSIDE FRONT COVER J M Meg MOSES AND THE MIDDLEMAN
548 T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S It was a matter of choosing among the Roman Catholic, the Christian Science and the Congregational gatherings,—and naturally we chose the last, seeking for bread where the bread box was supposed to he. Having seated ourselves in a rear pew, we were tapped on the shoulder by a benign-looking gentleman who, in a winning voice and manner, in vited us to go forward. We hesitated for a moment, but the sweet voice of the preacher conquered and we proved too late the truth of the saying that “ He who hesitates is lost.” The service opened with a short address to the Sunday School children, given by the minister, which he termed “ A Nameless Sermon” . It might well’ have been termed “ An Aimless Sermon” , for he told them the story of Naaman the leper, and the little captive Hebrew maiden, assuring them that this story taught us “ that there were many simple remedies which Nature had provided for our ills, if we were only wise enough to find out about them.” Of course, with our enlightened intellects we were able to see at once how he sought with muddy waters to obscure the miracle which God wrought! We were prepared now for his sermon which he preached from the first chapter of Genesis, that portion of Scripture so dear to the heart of the evolutionist. Evolutionists simply dote on Genesis. They lay the founda tion of their structure upon the back of Moses, as did this one. We will not weary our readers with the sermon, but just give a few sentences which we are sure will greatly edify them. If any one is unable to fathom their depth and meaning, it is not the fault of the preacher, but simply the fault of his untrained mind! These men do not pretend to furnish brains, but just bones from the burying places of their forefathers! Listen: “ The first five books of the Bible are supposed to have been written, by Moses, and it is really remarkable that it was possible to write such an account so many thousand years after the events took place, with such limited scientific knowledge as was then possessed, though, of course, Moses had access to the libraries of Egypt.” “ The conflict in the Garden of Eden was simply a conflict between the sub conscious and the conscious mind. The sub-conscious mind represents the body; the conscious mind, the spirit. We ( !) have set these at variance, calling one “ evil” and the other “ good” . This is where we ( !) have made a mistake. The one is simply the downward pull of heredity; the other the upward urge of the Spirit of God. The outcome of life depends on whether a man, of his own free will, chooses' to give the preference to the one or the other— the upward urge of the Spirit, or the downward pull of heredity. If he chooses the latter, then he sinks to the level of his forefathers ( !) and thus deprives himself of the benefit of the development which has come with the present age.” We judged this was a quotation verbatim from one of the big-brained men who so easily put it over upon the unsophisticated. Just at this juncture we felt a strong downward pull to leave, but when we thought of our poor forefathers,, and how they did their best to give us the Bible, we felt an upward urge to say something in defence of them, and concluded to steady ourselves between two opposite pulls. “ Moses, in giving his account of the Garden of Eden, made the same mistake ( !) , attributing these two influences to separate sources, and then introduced a middleman, who, in course of time, came to be designated as “ the devil” . (We have always had a grudge against the middleman. He is the man that keeps the prices up. Here is an easy way to dispose of this problem: Let the consumer buy of the producer, and that will be the end of the devil!)
T H E K I N G ' S - B U S I N E S S 549 “Who Is God? Who can tell? Perhaps the two most significant terms that are used in modern times are ‘Universal Soul’ and ‘Infinite Mind’.” “We all think that if Jesus were here today, He would think and act very differently from what He did 2000 years ago.” This was the climax for us. Sometimes enough is too much. We with drew to meditate and pray. A Sunday morning wasted! The Word of God denied! The Christ of God dishonored. The hungry hearts disappointed by the “ middleman’s” tool, instead of being fed by a man of God. Do you wonder that God says, “ Cry aloud! Spare not!” The people o f this country are ministering bountifully and gladly to the starving people of the East, but here at home, in this Bible land, men of this character are permitted to pose as preachers of the Gospel. God help America! —T. C. H. 3 » gfe PAINTING UP THE PUMP I t ’s the Dean of a big seminary again (we don’t like to refer to them so often), but he’s in a place of great power, and he utters “ great swelling words” that influence hundreds of people who do not study their Bibles. This is what he said in the Biblical World: “ We used to regard the foreign missionary as trying to save brands from the burning. Now we can see he is putting out the conflagration. The new social interest of Protestant Christianity wants to save men into heaven by embodying the principles of the kingdom in the state. It is less concerned in rescuing people than in educating them to keep out of danger. ” This is the new view of missions—education, social betterment, economic improvements. We have no time to see that men conceived in sin are regen-, erated by the Spirit of God. We have,no time to tell people there is “ none other name under heaven whereby they must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We are not concerned about the water in the well—the principal thing is to keep the pump shining with fresh green paint. But does increasing intelligence lessen crime in our own country—in foreign countries? We’ll all admit that it increases one’s chance of economic success, but what guarantee can it furnish that the educated citizen will have a new heart—will be a law-abiding citizen? In France they say that with the increase of higher learning the prisons have been more rapidly filled, and with a class of criminals that are even more subtle. The New York World recently pointed out that the worst crimes in America were being committed by men of trained intellects. Isn’t it about time we realize that education that leaves the conscience and the soul of a man untouched, is a subtle instrument of the devil? On top of the big dean’s statements about missions comes this answer from Chinese Christian leaders who were recently asked what kind of mis sionaries were needed in China: “ We must have missionaries who have a deep conviction of the funda mentals of the Bible. No foreigner can win us to a belief in what he only half believes.” Even the Chinese themselves can see the difference be tween purifying the water and painting the pump. —K. L. B.
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A VENOMOUS EDITOR’S VOLCANIC ERUPTION His name is “ Dr. Dieffenbach” . He is the editor of The Christian Register, a Unitarian paper published in the city of Boston. He says, “ I beg of you to remember that I am an editor, cold to false alarms and keen for facts. I see this thing as a journalist.” With this introduction to the celebrated editor, let us regale you with a few of his prophetic utterances at a vesper service in Boston, reported in the Boston Herald, March 12, 1922 j “ The shame of the Arbuckle case pales In significance before the iniquity of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. The terror and violence of Torrey’s base doc trine, proclaiming the coming of Christ, dripping in the blood of men, already seethes in the minds of millions of zealous followers. He has utterly overturned the ways of Jesus in his propaganda of the Gospel. No more is preaching the love of God of any avail. No more is Christian teaching effectual, or missions of healing, and social service. The horrendous appeal to force takes the place of the appeal to the Spirit which religion has employed in its churches for the salvation of the world.” Having stamped his feet on Torrey, he now jumps on Haldeman. He read from Dr. I. M. Haldeman’s book on “ The Coming of Christ” , stating that this book was being distributed by the thousands by the “ Torrey Institute , by the Moody Institute and the Gordon Bible College, in Boston. Christ is coming, this book says, “ as one who no longer seeks friendship or love. He will enunciate His claim by terror and might. He will tread and trample in His fury till the blood of men shall fill the earth. Till their upspurting blood shall make Him crimson, He comes to His glory, but not as the Saviour meek and lowly, but as an autocrat, a despot, through the gushing blood of a trampled world.” Of course, Dr. Haldeman is expounding the Scriptural statements con cerning the Tribulation period, as recorded in the Word of God. Let the reader get down the Book and read them for himself. Having finished Haldeman, the editor now paints a word picture of the Northern Baptist Church: “ Let me tell you the great Baptist Church is being riven by the Second Com-
T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S 551 ing doctrine. Those who oppose it will probably be driven out of the meeting of the Northern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis in June. I say this with sorrow and on authentic authority.” He claims authentic authority and of course, being a prophet, it must come true. So there is nothing left for our dear brethren but to go to Indianapolis in June and witness the eruption. Having divided the Baptist Church, he now takes pleasure in probing the Presbyterians, gives good Dr. Robert Speer a blow between the eyes, and then proceeds to throw William Jennings Bryan onto the ash heap: “ The Presbyterian Church is in a hardly less grievous state of division. Their great missionary leader, who is also President of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, Dr. Robert E. Speer, is a second coming enthusiast; counting it the chief doctrine in Christendom. You all know William Jennings Bryan is another zealot, giving most of his time to lectures and Bible talks on this alarming belief.” Then he takes a fling at his old friend, Dr. Cortland Myers, and also at the Gordon Bible Institute, in these words: “ Dr. Cortland Myers, who left his pastorate in Tremont Temple, Boston’s hothouse (no doubt he meant slaughter-house) of this sanguinary doctrine, is paid to go up and down the country to preach, ‘The time is at hand’. He is wonderfully successful. Even among our Congregational friends (notice he softens down a little when he comes to the Congregationalists), there are Second Coming devotees. Dr. A. Z. Conrad and Rev. E. A. Byington, teachers in the Gordon College, which will admit no one who doubts or refuses to teach the literal coming in the flesh of Jesus Christ.” ■•/ • . Now he takes a fresh breath and vomits forth words of wrath, telling us poor premillennialists just what we are destined to do. We might as well get ready for the fray, for is he not a prophet? How then can we help our- “What gives me most concern, what alarms me most, is the inevitable results of this terrifying preaching. As you know, a religious conviction is the most pow erful thing in the world.” (It is, if it is backed by truth and courage!) “ The doctrine of trampling the bodies of men will surely lead its believers, under the power of fanatics” (Such, no doubt, as Wyclif, Luther, Melancthon, Knox, Wesley, Seiss, Bunyan, Baxter, Talmage, Spurgeon, Pentecost, Moody, Chapman, Needham, Whittle, Munhall, Gordon, Erdman, Gaebelein, Pierson, Torrey, Gray, Mueller, Myers, and a thousand others who are now living and preaching this devilish’ ( !) doctrine) “ to go forth on a murderous career against men, women clliu u m u i c u . . _ , . “ What do they teach? They teach that the world will be destroyed and that Christ will be the destroyer. I tell you within a little while you will see some of my prophecies fulfilled. The expectation of most of the Second Coming leaders is that the end of the world is due in not more than six years.” (Here this mad man becomes a first class -liar. Premillennialists do not set dates for the Lord’s coming.) ' "They are getting ready. And if tomorrow one of their recognized spokes men should say, ‘The end has come,’ we should witness a spectacle the most awful in the record of world’s wars and massacres.” Is that so ? Why not call, then, upon the government of the United States to put these premiilennialists upon an island and feed them on New Theology until the virus of the literal Word of God was eliminated from their system, and they would promise to join the Unitarian Church and sit at the feet of the latest of the world’s great prophets, Dr. Different-book? Now he comes to the crux of the whole matter: “ I call again for the flaying of this monstrous iniquity which threatens even our colleges, and gathers frenzy with its proof texts. The only question before the world in this matter is this: Is the Bible the inerrant Word of God, or is it simply a record of spiritual experience and thought, reflecting the religion, knowledge
552 T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S and institutions of the ages in which its several parts were written? If you believe that it is the inerrant Word of God, then you belong to The Second Coming.” We thought he would finally land both feet upon the Bible itself. He does not believe it is the inerrant Word, of God. He just takes what he wants to take and throws overboard what he does not like. And the doe- trine of the Second Coming of our Lord so saturates the Book that he is as mad as a March hare over it and just won’t believe it, that’s all. Much learning hath made him mad. He assures us that he is an editor, “ cold to false alarms and keen for facts.” If he could say all this in cold blood, what could he not say if he were a hot-blooded prophet like Jeremiah, for instance? We are living in a wonderful age, beloved, and just think of it, we are in close touch with Boston and a brand new prophet! Ah-men! —T. c . h ;. SHIFTING THE RESPONSIBILITY Christ’s disciples, with a hungry multitude of five thousand people at their heels, sized the situation up with their calculating eyes, and then said to their Lord, “ Send them away” (Matt. 14:15-16). Have you ever noticed how little Jesus profited by the suggestions offered Him by His disciples? Once they said, “ Take these children away,” and He said, “ Forbid them not; suffer them to come unto me.” - There was a woman trying to get to Christ. They said, “ Send her away,” hut He had compassion on the woman and said, “ 0 woman, great is thy faith.” One said, “ Far he it from thee, Lord,” when He had foretold His sufferings. “ Get thee behind me, Satan,” was the stiff rebuke the disciple got. “ Let us build three tabernacles,” again it was suggested, and the words were interrupted by a voice from heaven, and a change of subject. Here again it is “ Send them away,” but Jesus replies, “ They need not depart.” We are not throwing stones at the disciples. We are all guilty of the same error. Face to face with a definite opportunity to feed the hungry or give out the Bread of Life in a large way, we are ever looking for a short way out of the difficulty. We are always frying to repudiate our own per sonal responsibilities. “ The time is now past”—this is not the opportune hour to make any large attempt. Send them to the “ town pump” . Turn them over to the preacher. Thus we hope to save our own loaves and fishes. Looking Jesus in the face, how quickly were the' disciples ’ flimsy ex cuses brushed aside. We are wiser when we turn to Him and ask Him what He would have us do about it. True, the task of feeding that multitude seems impossible. I am but one in a million. What can I do toward feeding that hungering throng ? It is well that we feel our helplessness. God would have us realize our responsi bility to the point where we feel it. Little as we are, there is our personal responsibility confronting us, and there is the command of God, “ Go ye.” What shall we do about it ? Let us not repeat the disciples’ mistake. They took an inventory (“ We have but five loaves and two fishes” ) and left out the most important thing —the power of Christ to bless the means at their disposal. - Are we in His hands for service ? Have we laid at His feet the resources we have? Are we ready to do as He bids? These are the questions that
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should have our consideration. “ Bring them hither to me.” That is the principal thing. Put your resources, your talents, your strength, your means, your time—yourself— in the hands of Christ, and see what He will do through you. Our best efforts to help men will be utterly inadequate unless the blessing of Christ be upon them. In His hands, that which men would call mere loaves and fishes, becomes the very food of heaven to perishing souls. Are you willing to be used? Let that question sink in. THE CORRECT COLLAR FOR A CRITIC “ Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea . . . woe to that man by whom the offence cometh.” (Matt. 18:6-7.) It was Jesus Christ who said that. The words “ shall offend” mean “ shall cause to stumble.” Lange translates i t : “ Whosoever shall give him occasion for lapsing into unbelief. ’ ’ Our Lord regards it as a desperately malicious piece of business for a man to deliberately undermine the faith of a trusting soul. Such a piece of work will draw down fierce retribution upon the head of the one who does it. Better, far better, according to Christ, that he had been thrown into the sea with a millstone for a collar, so he could never rise again. Occa sions for our young people to fall into sin are numerous enough without some one to teach them a lot of guesswork as though it were science forever proven, and so to inject doubt that eventually cuts them off from the source of power that alone can give victory over sin. • Many people have thought of this warning of Jesus as applying to loud mouthed infidels. But are there not many skeptical teachers and liberal preachers who are (and perhaps unconsciously) engaged in the same kind pf business ? Here are perplexed Christian fathers and mothers whose children come home to them from school denying every fundamental teaching of the Word of God. Some of them, evidently not knowing that Dr. Lyman Abbott, editor of the Outlook, is an evolutionist of the evolutionists, write to him asking, how the Bible can be reconciled to the theory of evolution taught in the schools. The question itself is foolish, for there are many theories of evolution, each claiming to be corroborated by scientific investigation, and the theory of tomorrow will not be within a gunshot of the theory of today. Must we reconcile the Bible to all this scientific guesswork? Dr. Abbott prints his reply in which he says that the Bible is not au thority on some subjects. He makes light of the Bible statements as to the creation and preparation of the earth. He says, “ Evolution is God’s way of doing things. . . . You can find better information as to the processes of creation in Lyell’s ‘ Geology’ or Darwin’s ‘ Descent of Man’ than in Genesis.” His final advice is that “ a mother can render an invaluable ser vice to her child if she can make herself acquainted with the spirit of modern education and pursue the studies of her children with them. ” What good mother can keep pace with this race of the evolutionists ? —K. L. B.
554 T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S How on earth can she hope to reconcile the Bible to these changing theories, and save her child from believing that the Bible is thoroughly undepend able? If one verse is truth and the next verse is error, pray who will in struct us how to use this Book ? If God wrote the Book and it touches here and there on scientific matters, will the Book give us the truth or something that any school child can see is falsehood? Not for the world would we rob any teacher or preacher of the privilege of believing exactly as he likes. We wouldn’t deprive them of any com fort derived from the thought that their great grandfathers were tadpoles squirming around in some mud hole, or even monkeys jibbering in the tops of the cocoanut trees—the thing we object to is their teaching these ideas to others as representatives of science, serene and majestic, with out informing them that there is much to be said against these theories and that some very eminent scientists do not regard them as worthy of consid eration at all. Here, for instance, is a clipping from a Toronto paper just received: “ Standing before the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and welcomed by that body as one of the greatest scientists in England, Prof. William Bateson, world famed biologist, in the University of Toronto, last night, uttered statements which were indicative of a change in the attitude of many scientific men towards the Darwinian theory of evolution, that were little short of revolutionary.” The paper states that he ruthlessly tore down, one by one, many of the fondly believed ‘ ‘ links ’ ’ in the chain of evolution. He admitted frankly that a lot of the text-books were worthless. There were too many gaps that evolutionists had been unable to explain, and the whole theory hangs by a very slender thread. We could print such testimonials from equally well known scientists, by the -dozen. The Word of God that has stood for these many centuries without change—this Word which addresses itself to the universal condition of the human heart—is full of conformity with all that we see and know. No one has ever seen the process of evolution in action—the various theories are •out of conformity with all we see and know. Many of the matters set forth by evolutionists are indeed interesting, showing the close connection be tween innumerable species, but there is absolutely nothing in it all to con tradict the unmistakable teaching of the Bible—the fact of God’s immediate intervention in the formation of each one. Miserable pursuits—that instill doubt of the Word of God into the hearts of our young people. Woe to the man or woman by whom the offence Cometh! i ' " " " L. B. FORM O F BEQUEST TO THE BIBLE INSTITUTE ¿•iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimuiiiiiiHiiuiiiiiiiujiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiniiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiimiiiii^
I give' and bequeath to Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, incorporated under the laws o f the State o f California.......:....,.^. ___ __________ Dollars, and I direct that the release o f the President o f the Board o f Directors o f said Bible Institute o f Los Angeles shall be sufficient discharge to my executors in the premises.
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SEE THE SMILE OPPOSITE FIRST EDITORIAL PAGE
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eousness (Col. 3:12). Robes of immor tality (1 Cor. 15:53, 54). The day of salvation-—when grace saves (2 Cor. 6 :2). The day of Christ — when Christ rewards (Phil. 1:6). The day of vengeance—when God judges (Isa. 61:2). Justified by grace—-the source (Rom. 3 :24 ); by the blood— the cause (Rom. 5; 9 ); by faith—-the principle (Rom. 5 :1). The sinner—has nothing (1 Tim. 6: 17; Lk. 7 :42 ); can do nothing (Rom. 5:6; Jn. 15:5 ); rs good for nothing (Matt. 5 :13 ); thinks he needs nothing (Rev. ’3:17). Overcoming evil with good— Christ’s principle (Matt. 5 :44); Christ’s pattern (1 Pet. 2 :23 ); the prelude to blessing (1 Pet. 3:9; Rom. lf:2 0 , 21). Psalms 22, 23, 24—Christ dying for His people, living with His people and ruling over His people. MY soul (Isa. 38:17); MY sins (Isa. 38:17); MY Savior (Lk. 1 :47 ); MY salvation (Isa. 12:2). Heaven is. reserved for saints (1 Pet. 1 :4). Sinners are reserved for hell (2 Pet. 2:9). God’s unspeakable gift (2 Cor. 9:15). The Christian’s unspeakable joy (1 Pet. 1 : 8 ). Christ gave Himself for all men (1 Tim. 2 :6 ); for many (Mk. 10:45); for me (Gal. 2:20). Whosoever (Rev. 22:17); whatso ever (Jn. 14:13); whithersoever (Rev. 14:4). Look (Isa. 45:22); Learn (Matt. 11:29) and Live (Jn. 6:57). “ I must be about it” (Lk. 2:49). “ It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). Professors (Tit. 1 :16 ); Possessors (1 Jn. 5 :10 ); Confessors (Rom. 10:9).
The Holy Spirit—-regenerating (Jn. 3 :5 ); indwelling (Jn. 4 :14 ); outflow ing (Jn. 7:38). The profession, practice and pursuit of godliness (1 Tim. 2:10; 4:7; 6:11). Peace— procured and possessed (Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:14), Sinners’ confessions: “ We labor and have no rest” (Lam. 5:5). “ Our lamps are going out” (Matt. 5:8). “We'are not saved” (Jer. 8:20). Whitewashed (Matt. 23:27). Washed white (Rev. 7:14). A ransom— found (Job. 33:24); given (Matt. 20:28); proclaimed (1 Tim. 2:5, 6). Note the sinner’s state in Eph. 2:12 —Christless, friendless, homeless, hope less and godless. The blood shed for us (Matt. 26:28). The Spirit shed on us (Tit. 3 :6). Love shed abroad in us (Rom. 5 :5). Test of believers: Do you glory in the cross? (Gal. 6:14). In tribulations? (Rom. 5 :3). In infirmities? (2 Cor. 12:9). Christ’s ability— to save (Heb. 7: 25); to succor (Heb. 2 :18 ); to subdue all things (Phil. 3:21). Salvation procured (Rom. 5:6-8); secured (Rom. 5:10 R. V .); assured (Rom. 10:9 R. V.). The leaven of ritualism (Lk. 12:1 ); rationalism (Matt. 16:6, 12); politics (Mk. 8:15). Deliverance from sinji-past (1 Thess: 1 :10 ); present (2 Pet. 2:9; 2 Tim. 4: 18); prospective (Rom. 7:24; 8:21). With God—NOTHING impossible (Lk. 1:37). ANYTHING easy (Gen. 18:14). EVERYTHING possible (Job 42:2). Change of clothes: Garments of sal vation (Isa. 61:10). Raiment of right
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SPEAK OUT FOR JESUS
Two places to meet God—Mercy Seat, in grace (Ex. 25:21, 22); Great White Throne, in judgment (Rev. 20:11). Cleansed (Rev. 1 :5 ); Clothed (Phil. 3:9) and Crowned (Rev. 4 :4). Life (Jn. 1:4; 3 :36 ); Light (Jn. 8:12) and Liberty (Jn. 8:36). Guilt (Jtom. 5 :14 ); Grace (Tit. 2:11) and Glory (Jn. 17:22, 24). Poor figuring: World gained, only to lose in the end (Maitt. 16:26). Soul lost, and no recovery (Mk. 9:43-48). See Mk. 8:36. The devil’s fool (Lk. 12:20). Christ's fool (1 Cor. 4:10). The prodigal— under law-=—expelled and condemned (Deut. 21:20). Under grace— received and forgiven (Lk. 15: 11-24). EVERYDAY EVANGELISTS Bishop Hughes once said, “ If a man is out in the Kingdom of God looking for a task that will lay upon his life an immense pressure, let him begin to be an everyday evangelist, a private talker with men regarding the things of God, and he will find the very larg est task, and in many cases the sever est task, he has ever undertaken.”
You talk about your business, Your bonds and stocks and gold; And in all worldly matters You are so brave and bold. But why are you so silent About salvation’s plan? Why don’t you speak for Jesus, . And speak out like a man? You talk about the weather. And the crops of corn and wheat; You speak of friends and neighbors That pass along the street; You call yourself a Christian, And like the Gospel plan—^" Then why not speak for Jesus, And speak out like a man? Are you ashamed of Jesus And the story of the cross, That you lower His pure banner And let it suffer loss? Have you forgot His suffering? Did He die for you in vain? If not, then live and speak for Jesus, And speak out like a man. — Selected.
SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER
FRIENDLY ENEMIES | HE Bible Institute of LosAngeles has over two hundred and | fifty employees. It has hundreds of students, both now in = the school and formerly in attendance. = We have many friends and also a host of good enemies | (for even an enemy made in a righeous cause may prove to | We cannot assume responsibility for everything said about us or . § attributed to us. = Sometimes undue credit is given us, and sometimes we are lied | about. Therefore,— f Don’t believe everything you hear about us. = Don’t believe that everybody who professes to represent us is | telling the truth. Sometimes even well-meaning people misrepresent us. | Our Scriptural position is set forth in our statement of doctrine. | This is unchangeable. We standor fall by it. = We will always gladly respond to any questions asked us con- | cerning our position upon any subject, § “ Don’t view us with a critic’s eye, § But pass our imperfections by.” •' —T. C. H. = be a good asset).
Normal Evangelism Failure in Personal Soul-Winning, the Secret of the Breaking Down of Many Churches By DR. W. E. BIEDERWOLF (In “ Evangelism” )
B T IS said of Dr. Lyman Beecher that when he was carrying on his great work in Boston and converts in large numbers were coming into the church he was asked by a brother in the ministry how it was that he was able to do so much. He replied, “ Oh, it is not I that do it; it is my church. I preach on the Sab bath as hard as I can and then I have four hundred church members who go out and preach every day in the week. They are preaching all the time, and that is the way, with God's blessing, that we get along so well.” If there is any one need greater than another in the Church today it is a practice of just that kind— the practice of the individual winning others to Jesus Christ. And it is just in the lack of this that we discover the self-evident secret of our past failure to extend the Kingdom of Christ numerically in any degree commensurate with what we must acknowledge God could have reasonably expected of us. Normal evangelism is individual. It was so in the New Testament day. It is so today. The numerical status of the church in our time furnishes no conclusive evidence that past methods will ever bring the world to Christ. The fact is, we áre not discipling this land at a rate sufficiently rapid to guarantee a Christian' nation to future genera tions. We do not forget that there is a qualitative aspect to the work the church is expected to do, but we must not overlook the fact that if the church shall ever cease to grow numerically, it' will give evidence, by that very fact,
of having lost the one thing which gives quality to its life and without which its spirit will shrivel and die. Some one has said that , if a church is existing only by letters of transfer, it is time the doors were closed and “ Ichabod, the glory of the Lord has departed,” was inscribed across them. “ Let the church cease to evangelize and it will be smitten with death.” This is not an hallucination of short-sighted pessi mism. It is a calm deduction from facts and figures in the candid recogni tion of which lies one of the greatest hopes of amelioration. Let us fairly face the situation and see if the smug self-satisfaction which has been our curse until now will not give way to a new, mighty and endur ing Pentecost which will give to Jesus Christ His rightful place in the life of this nation and of the world. What shall we say when the 25,000,- 000 of Protestant church members made a net loss in 1919 of more than 100,000 souls while our population in creased more than a million? What shall we say when all our Protestant churches are practically at a stand still, even though the world tragedy may in a large measure account for this abnormal condition? This or very lit tle better has been the story for the past two decades and more. It is this that caused me to say that our past methods seem sadly insufficient. But it does look as though the accomplish ment of the desired result would be a comparatively easy thing if every ad herent to the faith of Christ would feel a sense of responsibility, for bringing .into the Kingdom the one who walks
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S ENTHUSIAST—WHY NOT? The late Rev. Rowland Hill, in once addressing the people of Wotton, rais ing himself, exclaimed, “ Because I am in earnest, men call me an enthusiast. When I first came into this part of the country, I was walking on yonder hill, and saw a gravel pit fall in and bury three human beings alive. I lifted up my voice tor help so loud that I was heard in the town below, at the dis tance of near a mile; help came and rescued two of the sufferers. No one called me an enthusiast then; and when I see eternal destruction ready to fall on poor sinners, and about to entomb them irrecoverably in an eternal mass of woe, and call aloud on them to es cape, shall I be called an enthusiast now? No, sinner, I am no enthusiast in doing so; and I call on thee aloud to fly for refuge to the hope set before thee in the Gospel.” KEEP WITNESSING ANYWAY The Countess of Huntingdon was walking in her garden one day near to where a workman was preparing part of the garden wall. She spoke to the man about his soul, but the word seemed to have little effect. Years after, while speaking to another workman, she said, “ Thomas, I fear you have not yet looked to Christ for salvation." “ Your ladyship is mistaken,” >replied the workman, “ I have looked, and I am saved.” “How did it happen?” inquired the countess. “ It was while you were speaking to James, my fellow- workman, whSn we were repairing the garden wall.” “How did you hear?” “ I was on the other side, and heard your words through a hole in the wall.” “ Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10. 17.) ¿at ate ate
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by his side along the way. Take a church of 250 members and let us suppose that 200 of them do nothing, but that the other fifty make each one effort a week to bring some one to Christ, and let us suppose that nine out of every ten efforts thus made completely fail, do you know that in one year there would be added to that church 260 souls and her membership more than doubled? Do' you know that if the Methodist ministers of this land would bring each one, just one, soul per month to Christ, 460,000 souls would be added to the church of Christ in Just one year? If the Baptist ministers would do the same thing there would be 426,000 more, and if all the Protestant minis ters performed this small service for Christ the membership of our churches would have been increased in a single year to the magnificent number of 1,792,644 souls. Do you know that we could save every individual in this land for Christ in two years’ time if each Christian would win but'one a year? Oh, what a mighty change would take place and what a glorious age it would be if every Chris tian would only “ do his bit” and show to the world that he really believes the religion which he professes to have saved his own soul. We would find the tides rising higher and higher until the church would become “ bright as the sun, fair as the moon and terrible as an army with banners,” and we would cease to wonder why the King dom of our Lord and His Christ did not hasten on to its glorious consummation. May the Spirit of the mighty God stir us to a sense of our responsibility, and touching us anew with the endue- ment of His own mighty power, send us out to the task which the church must either accomplish or leave to God’s unfailing sufficiency to compass in some other way.
W eep ing and Reaping Our Personal Responsibility in Propagating the Gospel. The Need o f a Weeping Ministry By ALEXANDER STEWART (Glasgow,
Scotland} soil must be brought together, and he gives his whole mind to that business. The evangelist or missionary needs to i,ake care not to be turned aside from his proper work, and not to meddle with things which are not required of him. If you look at a sower in the field you will see a man with a seed-bag on his breast, scattering the seed with both hands, right and left, wholly devoted to that one work. He has gone forth to sow. IV. The Condition of the Sower It is indicated in the words, “He that goeth forth and weepeth.” I do not suppose that this is weeping over our manifold transgressions and continual shortcomings, though there is much room for that, hut it may be interpreted by such a passage as this, “He beheld the city, and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). Tears stood in the eyes of the Son of God as He looked on the city. And, later, Paul reminded the elders of Ephesus that by the space of three years he “ ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31). It is not surprising after that to read that “ they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him” (v. 37). Be sure that a weeping ministry will make a weeping people, and that if you weep over sinners they will by and by be weeping over you. V. The Results of Sowing He comes again with rejoicing, bring ing his sheaves with him. The seed has become sheaves. If there is anything certain, that is certain. No man ever yet went forth with the Word of God, and rightly affected toward God and to ward sinners, but his reward was sure.
E that goeth forth weeping, hearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with re joicing, bringing his sheaves
with him.” There are three contrasts in this passage— the going forth and the coming again; the weeping and the re joicing; the seed and the sheaves. 1. The Sower The man behind the seed-bag. It is all-important -that the seed should be right; but it is also important that the man who sows it should be right, that sound doctrine should have a sound man to publish it. A missionary or evan gelist is a messenger, yet not such a mes senger as the telegraph boy who hands you a telegram. You take the telegram and pay no regard to the hoy, who does not in any way affect the message.1 It is not so with the messenger of the Gospel. He ought to be of a character corres ponding to the message he brings, and it has been said that character trans cends performance. A man is more than what he does. II. The Aim of the Sower There are some businesses that can be carried on at home; there are others which must be conducted abroad. A man may make shoes in his back shop, but he cannot catch fish there. It is in the nature of the case that the fisherman and the sower should go forth out of doors. Let us say reverently that our great Exemplar, the Lord Jesus Christ, could not sit in Heaven and see sinners die. Therefore He came to Bethlehem and to Calvary. HI. The Purpose of the- Sower He goes out to sow. The seed and the
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