633
K i n g ' s
T h e
B u s i n e s s
October 1928
o f the usual fare of masticated pollen. The surprising effect o f this special diet is to make the grubs develop into “ princesses” with fully developed female organs, instead o f into workers. What the nature of this food is, no one knows. Is T his E volution ? How does' the bee come by these powers ? Her instincts are necessary for the propagation of the species and the life and welfare o f the hive. I f, as evolutionists affirm, instincts are the result of gradual development, there must have been a time when the bee knew nothing of honey gathering, wax manufacturing, cell construction, or royal jelly preparation. I f that be true, the whole family must inevitably have perished. The first bees knew as much as their modern mates, and so, must have been born with qualities conferred by their Creator. Evolution depends on heredity for the accumulation of characters. That is, parents must hand on to their children powers which they have acquired, the children in turn, passing down the improvements they have succeeded in developing. Apart from the acknowledged fact that acquired characteristics are not transmitted, in the case of the bee, the father or drone bee has nothing to transmit. He cannot make honey or wax, has no pollen basket and is an almost useless encumbrance. The queen bee, too, is totally destitute o f the powers which characterize the workers, just as the drone, so neither of the parents possess anything to hand down to their progeny. Then where could the worker bee get its powers, unless in the first moment of its existence from the Supreme Architect? The animal world is full of just such examples as these, and to the unbiased mind would seem to offer incon trovertible evidence of an omnipotent guiding Hand. Are We to Be Trusted? Here is a striking thought from Dr. J. C. Massee: “ The most startling consideration is that since Christ ascended there is no record that the Holy Spirit ever won one to Christ but through the agency o f some redeemed man or woman. It was so at Pentecost. He filled the house in which the disciples were assembled, but the 120 must bear their own personal testimony and Peter must voice the Gospel message and invitation. He took account o f the prayers and alms of Cornelius, but He must send to Joppa for Simon Peter to tell him the story. The Ethi opian Eunuch, returning from the temple with the open Bible in his hands and the Spirit o f God tugging at his heart, must wait until Philip, leaving the revival in Sa maria, joined himself to his chariot and beginning from that same Scripture, preached unto him Jesus. The Holy Spirit will shake the very foundations of the Philippian jail with an earthquake, but He will wait for Paul and Silas to answer the jailer’s question: ‘What must I do to be saved?’ “ Did Jesus do well to trust us? Did He know what He was about when He shut Himself up to men as His only agents in making the Gospel message known ? What if we fail him? Are we failing Him? What of His sor row? What of humanity’s need? Are we keeping to the main business?”
O UTLINE STUDY OF
THE FOUR GOSPELS B y D r . J. J. S im s .
ATTHEW writes o f Jesus as the “ Son of David, son of Abraham.” He witnesses to Jesus as the King of Israel, and the Blessing to the nation (Gen. 22:18). Matthew is the Royal Gospel, and its keyword is “ King dom.” Mark writes o f Jesus as the Servant o f Jehovah (Isaiah 42), and in this Gospel
the pathway o f the true and perfect Servant is portrayed, and its key-word is eutheos, straightway. Luke writes of Jesus as “ the Son of Man,” “ the Seed of the Woman bruising the Serpent’s head.” As Son of Man on earth, Jesus came to “ seek and save.” As Son of Man in the heavens, He will judge (Jn. 5: 27). So in Luke we have the humanitarian Gospel, and its key-word is “ Save. John writes o f Jesus as “ the Son of God.” It is the Gospel of “ the Word made flesh,” and its key-word is “ Eternal Life.” If we turn back to “ the Tabernacle in the wilderness,” we have a picture of the place the four Gospels fill in the divine testimony known as “ The New Testament.” The Tabernacle is the God-given type o f the way of approach to God. There were three entrances : 1. The gate o f the court, having a curtain o f blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, supported on four pillars (Exo. 27: 16). 2. The entrance to the Holy Place, having a curtain of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, supported by five pillars (Exo. 26:36, 37). 3. The entrance to “ the Holy of Holies,” having a cur tain o f blue, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cherubim, supported by four pillars ,( Exo. 26:31, 32). W e may crystallize the teaching o f the Tabernacle on one verse. W e know it is a shadow, the substance of which is Christ, and Christ said, “ I am the Way, and the Truth, and the L ife ; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (Jn. 14:6 ). So in the gate o f the court, and its curtain, we have Christ “ the Way.” The, four materials tell us that He is the One promised, for the Messiah who was to come was .to be— 1. The Son of David, Son o f Abraham. 2. The Servant of Jehovah (Isa. 42). 3. The Seed of the Woman (Gen. 3 ). 4. The Son of God (Isa. 9:6, 7 ). So in the “ purple” we have Christ, as seen in Matthew in His Royalty. In the “ fine twined linen,” Christ, as seen in Mark in His patient service. In the “ Scarlet,” Christ, as seen in Luke, in the glory of His humanity. In the “ blue,” the heavenly color, Christ, as seen in John, in His divinity. But in the four pillars that uphold this curtain, which represents Christ as “ thé Way” for the sinner, we have a picture o f the four men in the Acts who gave distinct testimonies of the Gospel.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs