King's Business - 1916-04

292

THÉ K INGS BUSINESS find deliverance. Jn the third he heard from the godly, preacher, and this was all he heard that made any impression on his befuddled brain, “When you are in trouble go to God and He will help you.” Not that night however, nor for many nights, did he put God to the p roo f; but after many months of misery and failure, he cried, and was heard, and was delivered. Now he is bringing others to the same Saviour. There was the story of his friend, to whom he told what God had done for him, who would not talk of it, nor let him talk further. For seven years prayer was made every day, no word being said to the friend himself. Then one evening the door bell rang and the friend and his wife returned the seven-year-before call, the friend desiring to know the secret of deliverance, peace, and power. Within a few week he, too, was rejoicing, and now husbands and wives are joyfully serving Him. And last, there was the story of the minister of the newly organized and rapidly growing city church. He was educated through the generosity of his wealthy aunt, and entered the ministry solely because there must be a preacher in the family and his brothers had chosen other professions. Standing in the* pulpit of his church he looked down into the expectant faces of two old saints —husband and wife— iooking up to him for spiritual food. Overcome by a sense of the mockery of his occupying such a position for which he was con­ scious he had no qualification, because he knew nothing of Jesus Christ as his own Saviour, he quitted the pulpit that day resolved never to preach again until he had something with which to feed hungry souls. For twenty years he kept to his resolution, and then God showed him the Saviour, whom he accepted, whom he has served ever since, and to whom he has brought scores of sin- burdened ones who have found rest. Verily God is living and working, as every man may prove for himself. that they are ignorant as to whereabouts in the Bible they would find the proof of many doctrines they profess to believe? Theoretically, as Protestants, they accept certain truths because they are taught in the Bible ; actually they'accept them on the authority of the church which says they are taught in the Bible. Protestantism is only a modern name for what we hold to be that system of truth revealed in the Bible, and held originally by all Christian believers. To these believers was written the exhortation of the Apostle Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, that they should J‘be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). j The exhortation has never been recalled. It is still in force. It is still the bounden duty of every Christian not only to believe the great fundamental truths of the faith, but to know why he believes them. And it is also the bounden duty of the church’s minister to instruct the church’s members in these truths. Teaching is as truly a part of the Lord’s last commission as preaching (Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15). It is not true to say that men do not want to listen to that sort o f thing. On the contrary, they are'glad to hear it. They want to know why they believe what they believe. We will guarantee that_any pastor who will take up such The authority of the church is the bulwark of Roman- ism, and boasted of as such. Protestantism appeals to the Bible as the authority in all matters of faith and practice. But how. many Protestants have to confess Why We Believe What We Believe.

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