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  ABILENE1919 LECTURES
  by Abilene Christian College
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The annual Abilene Christian College Lectureship for 1919, featuring a series of
sermons, lectures, and addresses by prominent preachers and teachers in the
Churches of Christ on themes of faith, doctrine, and Christian living.

  Chapters: 21

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 1919 Abilene Bible Lectures
    2. Introduction by J.P. Sewell
    3. A Great Door Is Opened
    4. The Preacher: His Task and Opportunity
    5. The Verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures
    6. The World As The Subject of Redemption
    7. Our Educational Program
    8. The Well Armored Man
    9. The Religion For Today
   10. Why Study The Bible?
   11. How To Study The Bible
   12. Some Present-Day Perils and Problems
   13. Origin and History of Churches of Christ in the British Isles
   14. God Revealed
   15. Missions
   16. Who Wrote The Bible?
   17. Christian Education
   18. Mysteries of the Bible
   19. Divisions of the BIble
   20. Destructive Criticism
   21. Christian Education

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  CHAPTER 1: 1919 ABILENE BIBLE LECTURES
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1919 Abilene Bible Lectures Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures 1919
DELIVERED IN THE AUDITORIUM OF ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE ABILENE, TEXAS FEBRUARY
23-28 1919 F. L ROWE, PUBLISHER, CINCINNATI, OHIO


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  CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION BY J.P. SEWELL
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Introduction by J.P. Sewell INTRODUCTION BY J. P. SEWELL. It is with an earnest
desire that it may contribute some­thing to the extension and exaltation of the
kingdom of Christ that we send forth this the first volume of A. C. C. Lectures.
We hope each year to present a similar volume. In this way we trust to add
something of permanent value to Christian Literature. A. C. C. Bible Lecture
Week is a regular part of the program of Abilene Christian College, —the last
week of February each year. The lectures begin on Sunday morn­ing and continue
until Friday night with three each day. Brethren, preachers and laymen, who are
outstanding in their Christian living and teaching are invited to deliver the
lectures. An effort is made to cover a broad field of Chris­tian- thought and
activity. This week was inaugurated for the purpose of deepen­ing and
strengthening the teaching and influence of the col­lege with its students. The
service proved to be so rich that we decided to invite our patrons and friends
to be our guests during the time to enjoy it with us. Large numbers have
accepted this invitation and our memories are filled with sweet association and
communion. In this the service has been very greatly extended. That it may be
extended still more we have decided to present these volumes each year. Abilene
Christian College exists for the purpose of promulgating Christian teaching and
influence. If we can extend some of the rich blessings which we are permitted to
enjoy here to those who cannot be present we count it a duty to do so. And
practically all who are present for A. C. C. Lecture Week desire to keep the
lectures. The first order was for five volumes, from a gentleman who was present
and desired a volume for each of his children. We desire to record permanently
the sincere apprecia­tion of the trustees, faculty and students of Abilene
Chris­tian College for the work done in preparing and delivering the lectures
which appear in this book. Each of them gave his time and labor without pay and
the profit, if any should be made, is to go to the religious section of the
college library. Special mention is made of Bro. G. Dallas Smith who delivered
the excellent series of five. This volume is offered to the public by Abilene
Christian College as a part of its educational program. We feel that our mission
is a worthy one. As the people are educated to know and appreciate the truths
and principles of Christi­anity they are saved and developed in Christian
manhood and Christian womanhood. We believe there is no greater service than
Christian education so I close this introduction with a little sermon on that
subject.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. Text: Matthew 28:28 , "Go ye, therefore, and teach all
nations."

I. Introduction, —Education. By education I mean that teaching, training,
develop­ment which equips the individual to live his life in such a manner as to
achieve the greatest amount of real success and happiness for himself and to
give the greatest amount of genuine service to the world. This education enables
the farmer to make the soil pro­duce more and better, the stockman to make his
stock yield more profits, the school-teacher to give better service to his
students, the merchant and banker to better serve their patrons, the doctor and
lawyer to better protect the interest of their patients and clients, the
preacher to more effectively preach the gospel, in fact, the individual, in
every activity of life, to better meet the obligations and duties oi life, and
to find more real joy in living.

Any process through which the individual may be taken which does not thus equip
him does not deserve to be called education. It may result in knowledge,
information and a certain kind of culture; but if it fails to equip the
individual for life as it must be lived it is not education.

11 . Christian Education. By Christian education I mean the training suggested
given from a Christian viewpoint, in schools where not only the body and mind
may be trained but the heart also. This is the only way in which man may be
equipped for the high­est, broadest, fullest, richest, noblest living and
happiness.

I care not how perfectly you may develop and train the body and the mind, if you
fail to plant in the heart an un­wavering faith in the justice and power of an
eternal God, and a strong moral character to guide, direct, support and restrain
that body and mind in the activities of life, you fail to fully educate; and the
man becomes a greater injury and hindrance to society than he would be with no
training at all.

1. Christianity is preeminently a religion of teaching. Our Lord says to us, "Go
ye, therefore, and teach all nations." Why? This binds on us a vast
responsibility. It is an obligation demanding vast thinking, effort and
sacri­fice. Again I ask, Why? "Neither for these only do I pray, but for all
them also that believe on me through their word." Jesus included in his prayer
those who were disciples then; but he expected them to obey his commands and
teach the gospel to others. He understood that at least some of these others
would be led by this "word" to believe on him; and he included them in his
prayer. Here is one answer. We must teach the gospel; for through it men are
made be­lievers. "So belief cometh of hearing and hearing by the word of God."

Again. "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life in his name." Jesus, the Son of God, came to give life. To enjoy this life men must believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God. And the gospel, —the words of the Holy Spirit, written in the Rook of God, —are written for the express purpose that men "May believe" this very thing. And again. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God." Why? "Every one that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh unto me." Rather strong, isn't it? "They shall all be taught of God." We are to do the teaching. There is no other way to draw men to Christ. They must be taught the gospel, —the words heard from the Father,---until they learn. "Every one" thus taught comes to Christ.

And, beloved, just here lies the great obligation and op­portunity of God's
church. Are we meeting and using it as we should? The extension of the kingdom
of heaven depends on teaching. And just here I desire to say that the greatest
ambition of every Christian heart should be the extension of the borders of the
kingdom of God, and its exaltation, honor and glory. You desire it, of course.
We can't take guns and swords and go out and capture citizens for God's kingdom.
There is just one way to do it. Teach them the gospel, —the words heard from the
Father, —until they learn; then they will come. They will fall out with sin,
Satan and his king­dom; fall in love with Christ, righteousness and his
king­dom; obey the gospel and become citizens of his kingdom. This is why Paul
says the gospel is God's power to save, ft is what Jesus meant when he said, "
Ye shall know the truth; and the truth shall make you free."

It is what Paul had in mind when he said, "Take the sword of the spirit, which
is the word of God." Christianity is not a negative, defensive religion only.
Not only are Christians to put on the protective armor provided for them, and to
plant themselves in the trenches of sound doctrine and pure living and defend
themselves; but they are to take their weapon of offensive warfare, —the word of
God, —and under the leadership of Christ, go out and charge the trenches of
error and sin. And, beloved, we have re­mained in the trenches too much. It
makes no difference how pure our lives, if we fail to get this doctrine into the
mind of others and this purity into other lives, we are fail­ing in the purpose
of God's church.

Christians may teach the word of God at any pos­sible time and place. It is
scriptural and right to teach (he Bible anywhere, any time. The gospel is God's
power to save when vou get it into an honest mind and heart, regardless of time
and place. But, of course, this greatest of all services should be performed
with the greatest of care and the best possible judgement. It should be done
where the greatest good will result to the greatest number.

"Now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him, when he
saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue
with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them
that met with him." Just in the home, or in the home and church only? Paul
didn't wait for a church. He saw a city lost and ruined in sin. His great
Christian heart was stirred. He couldn't wait; he didn't wait. He began teaching
them that they might be saved. He taught them in the synagogue; but that didn't
satisfy him. It was too slow. It would take too long. There was the market
place. Many people frequented it daily. He could teach them there. It was an
opportunity. Paul used it.

"He went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months,
disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when
divers were hardened, and believed not, but spoke evil of that way be­fore the
multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily
in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so
that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews
and Greeks." Great, wonderful work! This time Paul is teaching in a school. He
kept it up for two years. And the Holy Spirit says "all Asia" heard the gospel
as a result of it. Do you think of a more fruitful work in the lives of any of
the apostles?

Why these quotations and observations? That we may see that it is our duty to
teach the word of God anywhere, anytime, —even in school.

It is with reference to the opportunity for accomplish­ing God's purpose by
teaching the word of God in schools and colleges that I speak at this time. The
school is not the only place furnishing an opportunity for obedience to Our
Lord's command, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations." There are hundreds of
others. But the school does furnish an opportunity for this greatest of all
services, so wonderful in its possibilities that Christians cannot afford to
neglect it.

While in school the individual is passing through the formative period. He is in
the making. His body, mind and heart are being formed. His faith and notions and
con­ceptions of life are being formed and fixed. He is being developed, very
largely, into what he is to be in time and eternity. Very few people are very
radically changed in faith or in life after full maturity. In spite of the fact
that most of our sermons are prepared and preached with the adult mind and heart
in view a vast majority of the souls converted by them are still in the
formation period.

During this important period shall we train the body and mind and neglect the
heart? But, you say, the school is for training the mind and the home and the
church for training the heart; and surely the great work of the home and church
may not be overlooked without disastrous results. The school cannot possibly
take their places or do their work. Neither can it overcome defects of character
resulting from their failure. Too often this is expected.

Why do a vast majority, practically all, of the children of Catholic homes
become Catholics and remain Catholics? Are they more diligent in their homes and
churches than Protestants? I don't like to think so, still a minority of
Protestant children are not becoming members of any church. The difference is in
the school rather than in the home and church. Catholic children are taught and
trained religiously not only at home and church, but in school also. We see the
results. Is it good judgment, and does the law of God require that we properly
teach and train our children spiritually at home and church and then place them
in school where every spiritual influence and all religious teaching are
calculated to counteract and destroy our work in the home and the church? You
may as well argue that it is proper to guard the health of your child at home
and at church carefully, and then knowingly and deliberately send him to school
where you know conditions are unsanitary, and where you know he will be exposed
to all kinds of contagious diseases. As surely as there is anything true and
worthy in Christian­ity, from the viewpoint of the undenominational Christian,
our children are exposed to moral and spiritual diseases in the state and in
many denominational schools far more seri­ous than mere physical malady; and we
sec the social and spiritual disease that so often conies from thus exposing our
children.

Christianity is not merely a delightful and helpful pro­fession for those
specially inclined toward it and particularly adapted to it, as the practice of
law, medicine, etc. If so we might talk about general education, professional
education, vocational education, Christian education, etc. Christianity is for
all men and for each one, not merely a profession but life itself. Hence from
the Christian point of view all com­plete education must be Christian whether it
be general, professional or vocational. The entire training of the child must be
Christian not secular and Christian. The failure to understand and practice this
great truth properly, is respons­ible for the fatally erroneous notion that the
individual lives two lives, his secular life and his Christian life. This isn't
true. Christianity either permeates the entire being and makes it every whit
Christian or it isn't Christianity.

Christianity is not merely for those of your boys who are going to make
preachers, but as well for those who are to be farmers, mechanics, doctors,
lawyers, —for all. Chris­tianity is not for Church, prayer meeting, Sunday
school and funerals alone. 'It is for plowing, hoeing, cutting wood, selling
goods, cooking, sewing, playing, courting, every­thing, everywhere. Then from
the Christian point of view all education must be Christian. In anything and
every­thing the child is to be trained for, —educated for, —there must be
Christianity in the training. This is why God had the Jews educate their own
children, and prescribed his law as a part of the entire course. This is why
early Christians did the same thing. This is what Brothers Lipscomb and Harding
had in view when they started the Nashville Bible School. It is what "Uncle
David" meant when he would say, "I long for the day when there will be not only
colleges where the Bible is taught to every student, but when every congregation
of disciples will have a school in which every child can be taught God's Word."

We have barely touched the hem of the garment! For us such terminology as
secular education should be for­gotten. Everything that is taught our children
should be Christianized in the process. Anything that cannot be Christianized
should not be taught our children. Any sur­roundings, and conditions making
impossible the teaching of Christianity are absolutely unfit for the education
of children from the Christian point of view, Christians cannot afford to accept
such conditions.

Why don't we send our children to the Catholic Sunday school and the Catholic
church on Sunday? They will be taught error. That is a good reason. But our
children are taught as much error in the state schools and many denomi­national
schools and colleges during the process of their education as they would be in
these Sunday schools and churches.

They are taught by people with the same conceptions, faith, and ideals exactly
in the state and many denomina­tional schools as in the Sunday schools and
churches re­ferred to. If it will affect our children to have them taught error
on Sunday how may they be taught error five days in the week and escape?

Ah! You say Sunday school and church train for the religious life, the, school
for the secular life. This is the fatal point in our thinking. The Christian
life is not Chris­tian and secular. It is Christian. Christianity must
per­meate, restrain, inspire and control every act of life just as genuinely as
it does the praying, singing, teaching, taking the Lord's Supper or any other
act of public worship or service, or the life is only part Christian.

If we meet the situation and educate our children as they must be educated if
their education is to be genuinely Chris­tian there is a great task to be
performed. It can't be done in a day. We have done something but we have fallen
fear­fully behind. It will take time, sacrifice and study, prayer and work. It
can be done. But if so all personal and sec­tional pride and ambition must be
set aside. Every effort must be for the good of the work. If we are not big
enough and good enough to proceed thus we will fail and should fail. J. P.
SEWELL.


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  CHAPTER 3: A GREAT DOOR IS OPENED
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A Great Door Is Opened "A GREAT DOOR IS OPENED." 1 Corinthians 16:6. BY GEO. A.
KLINGMAN. The letter in which we find these words was written by Paul at Ephesus
on his third missionary tour and near the close of his two years' protracted
meeting in that city. Every day witnessed multitudes of Jews and Gentiles from
all parts of Asia pursuing their various interests in this great center of
trade, religion, and education. The school of Ty- rannus attracted scholars and
students of all classes. Paul used this school as an "open door" through which
to reach all that dwelt in Asia. In Acts 19:8-10 we read: "And he entered into
the synagogue and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and
persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when some were
hardened and disobedient speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he
departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school
of Tyrannus. And this continued for the space of two years, so that all they
that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." Here we
find the apostle located at a central point and note the hearts and minds of
many people were disposed to receive the truth and that Paul continued
preach­ing daily for the space of two years. In making an application of Paul's
method to present- day conditions we observe:

I. That there are many centers from which the influ­ence of the truth should
radiate. In our own beloved coun­try we may direct attention to the most
favorable condition possible. We have forty-eight states with the great capital
at Washington; each state has its own capital and is divided into counties each
of which has its county-seat. Politically and commercially we are so situated
that in a short time we can reach every citizen of our great Republic. Let us
take Texas with its 244 counties as an illustration. Every county- seat is an
open door through which to reach the population of the county. What is true of
Texas is true of every other state in the Union. These doors are standing wide
open and there are hundreds of them through which a preacher of the pure gospel
has never passed. Let us bring the matter closer home still: Take our own county
—Taylor; we are centrally located. Abilene is the gate-way North and .South,
East and West, for a large territory. On account of recent develop­ments in oil
and other industries, the eyes of the country are turned toward Abilene. This is
a great country and no one is able to forecast the extent of its awakening and
develop­ment. Abilene is not only a commercial center but is also known as an
educational center. Our own school, like the school of Tyrannus, has the word of
God taught in it daily; and with its present equipment and generous support is
des­tined to become one of the great educational institutions of the world. With
Paul's fervor and love of souls aided by the earnestness of the early disciples,
the gospel message was spread throughout all Asia. We have the same message, the
same advantages of situation, and with the same spirit of devotion and love of
human souls, Abilene will become an Ephesus —a "great door and effectual."

11 . Our second consideration is that of the mental and religious attitude of
the people. The whole world has had a shaking up religiously. The war has proved
to us the inefficiency of denominationalism. To meet the demands we found it
necessary to unify our forces. Just imagine every camp of soldiers having a
hundred or more chaplains of "different faiths and orders" looking after the
spiritual welfare and moral interests of our boys. Never before has the need of
unity and union among Christians been more powerfully felt. The "clashing creeds
of Christendom" have also been "weighed in the balances and found wanting." The
slogan "Deed not Creed" gives expression to a senti­ment shared by millions of
our fellowmen. The world feels its need of a merciful, heavenly Father, whose
Son, Jesus Christ, willingly offered himself for us all and one who is our
"elder brother" bearing our burdens and healing our wounds. The world is sick of
speculative theology and philosophic discussions; we want the simple creed of
the Christ finding itself in ministering to others; the only creed that is
perfectly adapted to every human heart and condition, the one on which all the
Christians in the world can unite. This world's hungry heart is crying out
"Thou, Oh Christ, art all I want, More than all in Thee I find." To be sure we
are divided into groups and always shall be; but with an absence of envy,
jealousy, wraths, factions and such like, each group will labor for the glory of
God and in the Name of the Master who prayed for the spiritual oneness of his
disciples in every generation, and the practical unity and union that will
inevitably follow. The plea for the unity of God's people on God's Book has
never had a more hopeful opportunity than the present. The door is wide open,
breth­ren, waiting for us to enter. To be more specific: The people are calling
for an ef­fectual message and an efficient religion. They want to know how to be
saved, and being saved, how to serve not only in acts of devotion and items of
worship but "in deed and in truth." They are asking, How can we evangelize the
world? How shall we educate our children? How can we best care for the poor, the
widow, the orphan, the aged, the sick, the feeble-minded, and the criminals? How
shall we provide for wholesome recreation especially for our young people? The
modern mind is one of inquiry and search, eager to be instructed and led. The
president of the Wal- densian church in Italy told us that 30,000,000 Catholics
had left the Romish church in Italy alone. They had demanded Bibles and when
these were furnished them they "read themselves out of the Roman Catholic
Church." Think of 30,000,000 people adrift —scattered as sheep without a
shep­herd, for they know not where to go and there is no one to "gather them
together" and teach them the simple gospel. China, Japan, Korea, India, Africa,
—wanting to hear and know what is best for them, are waiting to be told. A
min­ister sent out by the Baptists was relating some of his expe­riences on the
foreign field. He said: "Brethren, my arms have ached from baptizing so many
converts, I have been compelled to rest a while and keep the people waiting, and
then resume." The hot tears coursed down my cheeks as I listened to "the story
of the iron bands." Several years be­fore this missionary arrived on the scene
of his labors, another missionary had just "passed through" and had told the
natives about the true and living God. When he left them they had iron bands
fastened around their wrists and ankles and decided to wear these until another
God-man should come along and preach to them about the living God. He was to
break these bands and they would all obey the true God. This missionary quietly
and modestly remarked. "Brethren, can you imagine the joy of my heart when I
took a hammer and broke the iron bands and at the same time, with the gospel
hammer broke the shackles of sin and super­stition that had bound these people
for centuries? Then he significantly added: "Those people do not know that I am
a Baptist; I did not tell them one word about the different denominations; just
preached Christ to them and told them about His church which He purchased with
His own precious blood." A woman who is caring for many child-widows in India
related to us the sad experience she had in passing through many villages from
which great multitudes followed her crying and begging her to stop and tell them
about Jesus. As she crossed a certain river hundreds of women were standing on
the shore calling loud and long, "Come to us and tell us about God and the
Savior." You do not wonder that this woman said, "I can hear them always, and
see their outstretched arms pleading for salvation." Great doors just swinging
wide open and no one to enter in and take pos­session for God. But what avails
all this? Our hearts are stirred to no purpose if we fail to act upon the holy
impulses awakened by a consideration of these startling facts. Not that we do
not need enthusiastic meetings; our Lord himself provided for our "gathering
together," and there is nothing to take the place of a large assemblage of
kindred spirits. We need the inspiring singing, the soul-stirring prayers, and
the mes­sages fresh from the throne of God's grace through His Holy Word, and
the exhortations from warm and loving hearts; but how often is it the case that
the people are will­ing and anxious to do the work of the Lord but for some
reason it is not done. "I wish we would do this;" "I want to help in this good
work;" "Let's get at it and do some­thing;" "Why don't we?" These and similar
questions re­veal the willingness on the part of the people. Where is the
trouble? What principle of Scripture teaching is ignored? I believe we shall be
unanimous in our verdict. May I be privileged to set it forth in our third
consideration of the theme before us:

III. The great door opened to Paul at Ephesus became "effectual" because a
definite purpose and plan was wisely executed during the two years' protracted
effort in that great center of population. Do you know of any congregation that
has conducted such a campaign? Brother T. B. Lari- more once offered to hold a
year's meeting for a church, preaching twice a day and three times on Sunday,
and the church refused the offer. We cannot expect the results en­joyed by the
early Christians unless we are willing to adopt their methods. It is not
difficult to find persons who refer to God's ways and methods as "hap-hazard."
"no plan at all," etc. They are correct in the usage of such expressions if they
have in mind the erroneous ideas held by some folks in regard to God's plans,
and more so, if they refer to the "slip-shod, slovenly, niggardly" way in which
some congre­gations "carry on their work" (?). But nothing can be farther from
the facts in the case, nor more out of harmony with the truth of God than to
represent God's ways and methods as "hap-hazard," etc. Reflect for a little
while on God's method and plan in creation! How wonderful the design! How
marvelous its execution! How perfect the system! Consider the carefully
developed plan of Redemp­tion! With what simple order and efficient methods the
work of evangelizing the world was undertaken and ac­complished in the days of
the apostles —the gospel being "preached in all creation under heaven."
(Colossians 1:23) Read the book of Acts carefully and note the most efficient
and expeditious methods employed in meeting every demand, any exigency, any
emergency. Under the Headship of Jesus Christ, elders took the oversight of the
flock, tended the sheep, ministered to the spiritual wants of the believers;
deacons were appointed to care for the poor, the widows and orphans;
deaconesses, such as Phoebe in Cenchrea, (Romans 16:1-2) served the church in
matters of special business suitable for women to do, and they were sent on
important missions in order to enlist the help of other con­gregations;
missionaries were sent out by the congregations: evangelists were commended for
the "work of the ministry;" the very best and most economic methods of finance
were adopted and practiced. No better system has yet been de­vised than that
which requires that "each lay by him in store" on the first day of the week, "as
the Lord has pros­pered." Several years ago I suggested this plan to a
con­gregation that was virtually dead. One of the elders said. "The Lord's plan
won't work; I've seen it tried too often." T remarked to him, "My brother, you
have never seen the Lord's plan tried." Finally, he said, "Go ahead if you want
to risk it." We tried it. At the end of the year the treas­urer made his report.
It was too much for the good man; he could not finish; tears of joy blinded his
eyes and he cried out. "Brethren, I can't finish this report —there's over a
hundred dollars in the treasury." This was thirty years ago in a little country
church and there was but one doubt in the minds of the members expressed
somewhat like this: Do vou suppose everybody gave as he was prospered? What
could we not do if every one gave at least one-tenth? How can any blood-bought
child of God think of giving less? The apostolic ways and methods of doing God's
work have not been adopted and followed and for that reason more efficient work
has not been done. The world has not been evangelized and the suffering mass of
humanity has not been ministered unto because we have not been LOYAL to New
Testament ideals and plans. The same never- changing principles of Christianity
must be applied to pres- ent-dav conditions. With the church organized after the
New Testament pattern, recognizing no other head but Jesus Christ, we must
systematize our work and arrange for defi­nite work in a definite way. Let us
not be afraid of doing the right thing because some one else does right; neither
let us refrain from doing God's work because some one else may do it in the
wrong way; let all prejudice, pride, jealousy, and sectarianism be put away; let
us not fear counsel nor hesitate to co-operate in the larger spheres of
activity. Let every congregation decide what it is able to do and, if
neces­sary, appoint certain ones to see that it is done. There should be regular
preaching, if only once a month, in every com­munity where there is a
congregation; smaller congregations can co-operate in the spread of the gospel
message in the home community, and the same plan works admirably for preaching
the gospel in the foreign field. That is, instead of having "independent"
missionaries abroad, or "free­lance" preachers at home, let the congregations
select and send out their representatives in the proclamation of the gospel; and
just as it may be necessary for several con­gregations to co-operate for the
purpose of evangelizing a county, so let any number of churches co-operate in
send­ing out a missionary, the element of mileage being the only difference. In
this way we shall steer clear of the Scylla of Ecclesiasticism on the one side
and the Charibdis of neglected duty on the other.

"Behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut." (Revelation
3:8.)


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  CHAPTER 4: THE PREACHER: HIS TASK AND OPPORTUNITY
========================================================================

The Preacher: His Task and Opportunity THE PREACHER, HIS TASK AND OPPORTUNITY.
BY HENRY ELI SPECK.

Every preacher is facing the most commanding situation in human history. Never
before was there such need of the clear mind and the flaming soul in the pulpit.
Today, as never before, the preacher may come to his throne. But in what spirit
is he to come? What is his distinctive message? How is he to prepare and
discharge the task? These ques­tions surge to the center of our thoughts. The
act of preaching is a complex and difficult matter under the easiest conditions.
Many forces enter into it, and they are often difficult to understand. No task
today is more difficult than that of the preacher. He must go into the pulpit to
instruct men, to rebuke, to inspire, to comfort, and to regenerate them. The
preacher must speak oftener than the lawyer, visit more than the doctor, and
teach with more patience than the professor. In doing these things he will
continually be adjusting himself to new conditions.

There is the truth to be proclaimed. It is God's power to save and this power is
set to work through the preached word. The preacher, as I see it, must never
lose sight of the power of the message. The argument, the essay, or the
descriptive presentation of social situations have intruded upon the message
which was originally given with the fire of deep conviction straight from the
preacher's flaming soul. The truth must be heralded to the very heart of the
genera­tion. The flame of the prophets and missionaries has burned low. The
torch of the teacher and educator has taken its place with imperfect success.
This is not to disparage the work of Christian educa­tion and the task of the
teacher —preacher. But it is to as­sert that nothing has ever taken the place of
the ardent message which is "good news" still. There has been much sorrow
expressed because the church has seemingly lost some of its worshipers. We hear
a great deal said in a lamenting way about the shortage of preachers. Either one
of these conditions is to be prayerfully guarded against, but I think a worse
condition may prevail. There is something far worse than to lose the crowd;
there is something even worse than a preacher shortage. It is loss beyond remedy
when the church loses its message. Message is a word often misused, but it is
one of the great words nevertheless. The preacher is the messenger and his
sermon is the mes­sage. I want to take occasion to voice a prayer worded by
Brother Klingman a few days ago.

"God forbid that the day may ever come when our boys may feel that theology, or
man's philosophy, or anything else, will make a sermon stronger than the word of
God." Young preacher, make it the burning passion of your soul to be filled to
the overflow with the words of this great message. Let your speech and your
preaching consist, not of the enticing words of men's wisdom, but in the
demon­stration of the spirit and of power that man's faith may not be founded on
the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.

Remember that the gospel is God's power to save. That is your message. That is
my message. Do not be afraid to preach those things peculiar to the Church of
Christ. A popularized gospel leads to popular Christianity, and pop­ular
Christianity leads to formality and spiritual degeneracy. But the beauty of this
message, in all the depth and range of it, can be seen and appreciated only at
the cost of intense search and patient, prayerful thinking. And this brings me
to the second force or element in the matter of preaching. It is the preacher
himself.

It is well for the preacher to realize that he is the medium through which the
truth is transmitted in oral form. This is as varied under the most favorable
circum­stances, as personality itself is varied. It is altogether neces­sary
that this medium should be well prepared. Real prepa­ration for preaching is
nothing less than the preparation of the whole man. For the final means by which
the truth gets itself expressed is the refined and kindled soul of the man in
the pulpit.

It is quite probable that you may, yes, it is likely that some of you will stand
in the way of the message —you will lessen its power; you will stifle its
influence through a lack of preparation. The continued and growing
responsibility of preaching must he met with service that involves all the
resources at your command. Today, as in other generations, the preacher must
preach his sermons, make his visits, per­form his wedding ceremonies, conduct
his funeral services, make his occasional addresses, do his community tasks; and
these duties are multiplying. There is only the strength of the average man to
be used in the work. But there are better tools at hand —not a better Gospel
—but better oppor­tunity for personal preparation. Time must be made for
reading, for serious thinking, for painstaking sermon prepa­ration, and for
seasons of real prayer. These are dangerous days for the man who is fluent in
speech and can easily get away with a public address. Almost anyone can consume
the time set apart for the sermon in the order of public wor­ship. Too few men
can really preach a clarifying, moving, and convincing sermon that shall set
confused minds straight and bring them to great decisions. But this is the kind
of preaching we must have if the Church of Christ is to serve the present
generation in the place of its supreme need. When a layman is forced to say of
your sermon, "I couldn't make head nor tail out of it," in nine cases out of ten
the difficulty is not with the head of the layman but with the heads (the
firstly, secondly, thirdly) of the discourse. The sermon very probably had
neither head nor tail nor body, and what is worse, not even a neck. The
preachers of to­morrow must work as they have never worked.

I stand ready to condemn that doctrine as heresy which pleads the eligibility of
all men to the public ministry. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,"
"and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit
thou, to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Every Christian is a chosen vessel —is called by a heavenly calling. They divide
themselves into two main classes, public and private servants. We can not rate
too highly these faithful men whose lives are spent largely in quietness and
obscurity and who are contented, even happy in their lot, and to whom the Church
and the world owe more than can ever be paid. The public servants of God are
sent of him under the Great Commission. They come with a message from God, and
one of the most precious gifts Heaven bestows on the earth is a man with a
message for his fellows. A man sent to deliver tidings of great joy, to acquaint
us with God's thoughts and purposes about us, to pour light into our darkness,
and to fill the heart with a song of gladness —what greater boon could be ours,
or should be more acceptable? And he gave some apostles and some, prophets; and
some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." All gifts and graces,
offices and officebearers flow from Christ. He is the ruler in his own household
under whose hand the order of the house proceeds and the servants, great and
small come and go. Primarily they are not man-made nor man-appointed. They
receive not their commission from priest, not at the hands of the Presbytery.
The ministerial call and function are not imparted by any holy Consecrated oil
nor by the imposition of human hands, not by education or theological lore.
Properly speaking, man has nothing to do with the great office save gladly to
recognize what God in His sovereign good pleasure has given, chosen and sent.
The man who accepts the commission must be swayed by an impulse, a force that
ever impels him to fulfill his mission, to finish his work. Pie must regard it
as the voice, the will of God, heard in the central deeps of his being, even
insistent, urgent, irresistible. Paul refers to it in language that may well be
that of everyone called into the ministry —"necessity is laid upon me; yes, wo
is me if I preach not the gospel." That strange impelling necessity drove him a
glad and willing servant over much of Asia, over large sections of Europe, amid
privation, suffering, victories, and defeat, that he might make men know the
love of God which surpasses knowledge. Men properly called can not do otherwise
—they must accomplish their mission, fulfill their task, or die. One of them the
prophet Jeremiah, actually sought to stifle the voice with in his soul. He said
to himself, " I will speak no more." but the mighty words within him became as a
burning flame in his bones. He was weary of for-hearing; he could not contain.
Ease, comfort, home, wealth, social position, friends are all secondary and are
sacrificed without a pang of grief when they would thrust themselves between the
man and his mission, when they would arrest his feet. He is God's messenger and
he cannot be stayed nor linger.

It is not sufficient for the preacher to acquaint himself in a formal way with
the message, with the peculiarities of his fellows and have a burning desire to
tell the story. It is not enough that he be endowed with great natural talents
and capacities; he must be set down to those lessons which will fit him for his
task. John the Baptist was in the wilder­ness until his showing unto Israel. His
wilderness sojourn was one of thirty years. God led him there, and there
schooled and disciplined him. There in the profound soli­tude afar from the
enervating influences of hollow forma­lism and artificial life, with none near
but God, his spirit was chastened and tempered for the solemn duties that
awaited him. This is characteristic of all men sent of God. When he would fit
his servants for some vast work requiring spiritual might and heroic
self-sacrifice, He takes them afar from the distracting cares of the world to
commune with Himself in the grandeur of solitude. Forty years Moses spent in the
desert of Midian, a keeper of sheep —the best years of his life utterly wasted,
worldly wisdom would tell us. But that sojourn qualified Moses to become the
de­liverer of Israel, the leader of the Exodus, the conqueror of Egypt, and the
law giver of his nation. No man is fit to do God's work who has not had some
training with the Lord Himself. Nothing can take its place, nothing can make up
for its loss.

All of God's servants have been taught in this stern school, Elijah, at Chareth,
Ezekiel at Chebar, David in Exile, Paul in Arabis are eminent examples. The
divine Servant, the Lord Jesus, spent by far the largest part of his earthly
sojourn in the privacy and obscurity of Nazareth. Then in his public ministry,
He often retreated from the gaze of man to enjoy the sweet and sacred retirement
of the Father's presence. None can teach like the Lord. The man whom He educates
is educated and none other—(May you never measure any man's education by his
degrees), it lies not within the range of man's ability to prepare an
in­strument for the service of God. Man's hand can never mould "a vessel meet
for the Master's use." Ordinarily great truths are not revealed to man in an
instant of time, they are not fired into his mind instantaneously as if they
were fired from a catapult. The truths a man can live and die by, are wrought in
the fires of the heart, in bitterest soul-agonies, in plash of tears and sobs of
secret longing. In silence and loneliness generally the true world-workers are
trained for their mission. Men who have learned to nurse their souls on truth in
solitary meditation and com­munion with the Invisible speak at length words that
men must hear and heed. A firm persuasion of the absolute truth of their
messages is another characteristic of the preacher. Indeed it is im­perative. It
is conviction of its truth and more than con­viction, it is assurance of faith,
profound, immovable, un­alterable that the preacher must have. God has spoken to
him and in the central deeps of his being God's word is unshrined. More certain
than life or death, more stable than the everlasting hills, firm as God's Throne
itself, he knows the message to be. Standing in the midst of a world full of
uncertainty, of doubt, and skepticism, the preacher knows in whom he has
believed. This faith stays with him through all his vicissitudes and
discouragements, his victories and defeats. He has received the message of God,
has felt the power of the world to come, the Spirit of God has borne witness
with his spirit. He can not be flattered nor persecuted out of his faith and his
testimony. The world wants such assurance. The preacher must be confident of the
infallible certainty of the message. Multi­tudes are weary and sick of
speculations, of barren idealities and hollow formalism. They want realities,
not hypotheses; food, not husks nor stones. The preacher should have pre­cisely
such a message, and his faith in his message must be unwavering. Tie must know
that he knows —God forbid that he should think more highly of himself than he
ought to think, but God help him to love the message and know it. With
passionate love for the truth let him go to his field, eager to bear the glad
tidings without addition or subtraction without fear or favor, without apology
or ride — cule. Let his faith be strong enough to lead him to know that the
things for which he stands are fundamental, and that nothing else however
honestly it may be contended for. will not take the place of the gospel —or any
part of it. Let him go, too, knowing that the world is hungering for the living
bread. But let him not go looking for an opportunity to build on another man's
foundation. Let him learn now and forever that the rural districts as well as
the urban are calling him Let him know that his opportunities lie out in the
field. Wherever man lies, in whatever activity he may be found, the preacher's
call is heard. The time has gone forever when the preacher can sit in his study
and dream dreams, and see visions, while the pilgrim host is out in the darkness
and the storm, plunder­ing and stumbling, sinning and cursing, repenting and
dying, without a physician, without a shepherd, without a leader. The preacher's
place and opportunity is at the head of the host. The sage may feed his lamp in
solitude, but when the blaze begins to burn brightly he must carry it out into
the night, to lead his little band of pilgrims through the storm to the district
home.

Young men, stay in college or in your closet with your Bible and your God as
long as you can, for they are your treasury house of learning, your storehouse
of information, your armory full of weapons for tomorrow's battles; but remember
that your, service is to be performed out in the world. When your desire to hold
up before your people the spirit of Christ and to permeate their social fabric
with His gospel can no longer be controlled, then go —go know­ing that medicine
must be taken to sick, and that leaven must be east into the meal. Go and with
the gospel of the Son of God leaven the whole Community, whether the matter be
social, civil or religious. The service of the preacher as a creator of public
opin­ion can not be over estimated in this present age. In the churches gather
the people who represent the highest ideals and the noblest living. The preacher
has time after time the privilege of speaking to them on the most supreme
sub­ject that can engage the mind and stir the emotions. It may seem at first
glance as if he had scant opportunity to do any creative work in the precious
"thirty minutes to raise the dead;" but the value of these times of quickening,
if they are rightly used, are beyond our present realization.

If ever there was a call for ministers who are enlightened on matters of
international moment, it is now. Here is our civilization faced with most
searching questions and exigent problems of history; here is the Church, even in
the smallest community, charged with the sacred and solemn responsi­bility of
creating the ideals that will guide the nation in this great day of
reconstruction, and now and again we meet a preacher who seems to interpret this
task as that of watch­ing the denominational preachers on the other street
corners, and saying over and over like a wearisome parrot the old phrases that
the fathers wore out. The very spirit of the times call for a renewal of
intellectual energy and deter­mined utterances that will help create in the
minds of the people the ideals which will bear the country through this time of
suffering and renewal. I do not mean to intimate that this work is to have,
first place —the preaching of the gospel is to come first. The opportunities are
too numer­ous for this work to hinder the preaching of the gospel. But the work
of creating public opinion is a part of his task and opportunity. It will take
hard work to measure up to the trust; no minister who is inclined to insolence
or arrogance can last long these days. The contention has been made, largely by
these who feared the influence of the preacher, that it was not his place to
take part in community activities; but it is highly desirable that the warp and
woof of the social fabric be Christian. We will all admit that present day
conditions might be improved upon.

There are principles and tendencies at work in modern society which if left
unchecked will ere long result in dis­aster and ruin. A lawless drift is already
on us. The rest­lessness under restraint, the revolt against authority and even
law, the growth of agnosticism, Bolshevism, the as­saults on the Bible, the
prevalence of materialism, fostered as tin's is by the present day philosophy
and the commercial­ism of the time, the enormous greed of those who have and
want still more; the deep ominous growl of those who have not but who want and
will have —all these and many more are facing the preacher today.

There never was an age, perhaps, when there was a greater need for men sent from
God —men who know the message, believe the message, love the message with their
whole mind and heart, soul and strength; believe, and en­dure as seeing Him who
is invisible.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 5: THE VERBAL INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
========================================================================

The Verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures VERBAL INSPIRATION OE THE SCRIPTURES.
BY MAURICE D. GANO.

Paul, writing to the church at Corinth with reference to the great truths and
facts of the Gospel which he and other inspired teachers were then revealing to
the world, made this positive statement: "We speak not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but in the words which the Holy Spirit teacheth." Through the
address tonight let us each bear in mind this inspired utterance of the great
apostle. A serious question confronts us upon the very threshold, or rather
before we reach the threshold of our discussion. The question is this: when the
words of the scriptures are alleged to be inspired what specific words are
meant? Cer­tainly not the words of any translation of the scriptures, because no
translator has ever been inspired, either in the understanding and exact
comprehension of the divine thought which he is translating, or in the selection
of words in which to clothe what he conceives the divine thought to be. The
translation may possibly contain errors in failing to grasp the thought of the
original and also errors in failing to express aright the thought of the
original when understood. Hence inspiration cannot be claimed for the words of
any translation.

Inspiration can only be alleged with reference to the words used in the original
manuscripts written or dictated by the inspired authors themselves. An objection
to the discussion of this proposition has been urged and admirably stated by
Isaac Errett, for whose Christian character and splendid talents every one has
the profoundest respect. He objected to the discussion of the question as to
whether or not the words of the original manuscripts were inspired be­cause the
gift of inspired thought ceased with the death of the last apostle, and the
original manuscripts perished from the face of the earth before the close of the
second century; and therefore the discussion of inspiration or lack of
inspira­tion in the words of the original manuscript is now an aca­demic
question of no practical interest whatever to any Christian, man, woman, girl or
boy upon the broad face of the earth, The great editor in stating his objection
does not fairly state the question. He appears to overlook transmitted copies of
the original manuscripts. We have to do with the original words not documents.
Suppose the original manu­scripts are gone but the original words remain,
preserved in copies. If we have the original words what matters it if the
original manuscripts did perish from the earth in the long ago, or that grasses
have for centuries been growing upon the graves of the apostles? If we have the
original words, then proof that these words are inspired is not a theoretical or
academic question as suggested; upon the contrary it is a burning,, practical
question of temporal and eternal moment. But have we the original words?
Important as is this question, only brief time and space can be given it here
and now. The work accomplished by the church in answering this question occupies
one of the most stirring epochs of church history, and the volumes which set
forth how the work was done fill many of the most intensely interesting chapters
of church history. Perhaps the Christian world never received a greater shock
than when, in the year 1707, John Mills, an eminent critic of Oxford University,
an­nounced that the manuscript copies of the New Testament scriptures including
the two accepted versions in use in Europe and England contained over thirty
thousand errors or differences in text readings. Subsequently upon exam­ination
of additional manuscripts the number of errors was increased.

It was not until the sixteenth century, many years after the invention of the
art of printing, that the Greek New Testament was given to the world in printed
form. After this editions and copies were multiplied rapidly and the at­tention
of scholars was drawn more closely to the differ­ences among the printed
editions, and between them and the manuscript copies. The art of printing, while
it brought into clearer light the various readings also brought to a close the
possibility of future errors. The American Bible Society claims there is not a
single misprint in the myriads of copies of the English Bible which they are
annually printing in various editions. It follows, since the perfection of
printing, that the language of the ancient texts, if corrected, will no longer
be exposed to such errors. These errors, however, upon close examination, were
found to consist in differences of Greek orthography; in the form of words not
affecting the meaning; in the insertion or omission of words not essential to
the sense; in the use of one synonym for another; in punctuation; in errors of
spelling; and in the transposition of words where the order was immaterial.
These errors, immaterial in nature, would naturally result from the work of the
copyist under then existing circum­stances, however careful he might be. For we
must remem­ber that in ancient times the letters extended across the page in
unbroken succession with only pause marks at stated intervals. There were no
sentences, no accents, no division of words, no punctuation and no division into
chapters or verses.' It is no cause for wonder that copyists made many clerical
errors and yet there is much consolation in the state­ment made by Hort and
Westcott, two of the most eminent Bible critics of the last half century, to the
effect that "only one thousandth part of the New Testament was so variously
expressed as to make any substantial differences in the meaning; and that at the
time of the discovery of the various readings the book of the New Testament as
preserved in extant manuscripts assuredly spoke in every important re­spect in
language identical to that in which they spoke to those for whom they were
originally written." Of the thousands of errors noted, "only about four hundred
mate­rially affected the sense; of these not more than fifty were really worthy
of notice; and of these fifty not one affects an article of faith or a precept
of duty." Such was the wonder­ful preservation of the original text,
notwithstanding the errors found. The existence, however, of a single error in
the text, it mattered not how trivial or insignificant, was of deepest concern
to the church. The accurate and sensitive scholarship of the Christian world,
Catholic and Protestant, immediately set about to remove this cloud upon the
text. The task assigned by the church and undertaken by the ripest scholars of
the age was to correct every error however insignificant and restore in all
their purity the words of the original apostolic documents. The task was great
but the means requisite for the work had been preserved and were at hand ready
for use. Never in history was such an abundance of materials found for the
correction of error and the restoration of an ancient text. The scriptures in
ancient Greek manuscripts, in ancient versions, in verbal quotations scattered
through the writings of the church fathers, containing text and internal
evidence of the great originals, were gathered from the four corners of the
religious world. The number of recovered manuscripts was legion because no text
of ancient times was ever studied, circulated, preserved, and transmitted like
the text of the sacred scriptures. The reason is evident. To those who believed,
these writings contained the plan of salvation and hope for the human race; and
these believers were the ones who copied, studied and preserved the
manu­scripts. Under such conditions who need wonder at the abundance of
materials found and furnished. More than two thousand manuscripts were found.
These manuscripts included eighty-three uncial manuscripts (i. e. written in
uncial letters which prevailed from the fourth century to the tenth century);
and one thousand nine hundred ninety- seven cursive manuscripts (i. e. written
in cursive letters which were employed as early as the tenth century and
con­tinued in use until the invention of printing which super­seded the humble
labors of the scribe). Among these manu­scripts were the four great uncials and
the seven famous versions known to all Bible scholars. The work of restor­ing
the identical words of the original text from this great mass of material was an
herculean task; it required the comparison and grouping into families of the
numerous manuscripts; it required the careful detection and elimina­tion of each
error; it required patience, perseverance and sound judgment; it required time.
But the result, the rest­oration of the identical words of the original text of
the in­spired writer, was sure and certain. The great mass of material increased
the labor but rendered the result the surer, provided the work was faithfully
done. A few words upon this feature. Dr. Philip Shaff, perhaps more deeply and
broadly versed in the history of this work than any scholar living in the
generation just passed, says that no work involving the restoration of an
ancient text ever en­listed the talents and abilities possessed by the scholars
of international reputation who toiled successively from 1707, when John Mill,
of Oxford University, published his critical Greek text of the New Testament,
until the 17th day of May, 1881, when Hort and Westcott, of Cambridge
Uni­versity, gave to the world the purest Greek text of the New Testament. These
two eminent scholars last named, stand­ing upon the shoulders of the great
English, French, Ger­man, Swiss, Danish, Italian and Russian critics who had
gone before, and devoting their own lives to the work, gave to Christendom the
Greek text which was used in the Re­vised Version and in the American Revision
with which we are all familiar. In this Greek text of the New Testament the
warranted word, the word supported by the evidence as the correct word, was
placed in the. body of the text and the few words of doubtful claim to notice
were placed upon the margin. This text contains the identical words of the
orig­inal manuscripts written or dictated by the Inspired Writers. Why not?
Virgil's Aenead, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, and Euripides' Medea were written
before Christ, (with the exception of Virgil, centuries before), and each
contained thousands upon thousands of errors when the printed text was first
produced. If the original text of each of these classics has been restored from
only one uncial copy and a relatively small number of cursive copies; if Homer's
im­mortal epic, written hundreds of years before Christ and containing fifty
thousand errors, has been completely re­stored from a few fragmentary uncial
copies, one complete cursive copy of the thirteenth century and a few fragments
of cursive copies; then I ask in the name of reason and common sense, yes, I
reverently ask in the name of Heaven, why have not the identical words of the
New Testament scriptures been restored by the greatest specialists in this
particular character of criticism after devoting nearly two hundred years to the
work and with nearly two thousand manuscripts as a basis for the detection and
correction of errors? Brethren, the task has been accomplished. Thank God we
have the words of the original manuscripts (in­spired or uninspired) and tonight
can propound a practical question of vital import by asking, are these words
inspired?

These ancient manuscripts, penned or dictated by those specially prepared and
commissioned of God to communicate revealed truth, are contained in the genuine
books of the New Testament Scriptures. Here are revealed to the world the
fundamental principles of the Christian Religion, the plan of human redemption,
the conditions of salvation, and that vast fund of infinite wisdom which Christ
gave to his chosen apostles and specially commissioned them to teach all
nations. The New Testament text contains thoughts and words. Thought and word
are distinct, though one is the medium through which the other is expressed.
This enables us to state the issues raised and the specific issue before us.

There are those who believe this so-called sacred text contains only the
thoughts of men expressed in the language of men; that neither language nor
thought is in any sense inspired; that it is the word of man and not the word of
God; that this side of the grave its moral maxims may be used with profit, but
with reference to matters beyond the grave its statements are human guesses and
its promises a delusion and a snare. With that class we have nothing whatever to
do tonight. We shall not prove the truths of the scriptures, we shall assume
them. We shall not prove the thought which God gave the writers of his book
inspired. This, too, is assumed. The discussion is with Christians, not
infidels. We are taking part in the great battle raging within and not without
the Church.

There are those within the Church, thoughtful men and women, who believe that
this book contains the thoughts of God expressed in the language of God's own
selection; and that it is what it purports to be, the word of God. These
brethren to converts of a like faith can say in the words of Paul to the
converts at Thessalonica: "We thank God without ceasing because when ye received
the word of God, ye received it not as the word of man but as it is in truth the
word of the living God."

Again, there are those within the Church, thoughtful men and women, who say,
"No, that cannot be. We con­cede that the thoughts are the thoughts of God, but
the words are the words of men. God gave the thoughts, safely lodged them in the
minds of men, but left to these men the expression of those inspired thoughts."

They tell us that the language of the sacred writers is the language exclusively
of men because of the different, distinctive and personal styles of the various
writers. Paul's style differs widely from Matthew's, and his in turn differs
from Luke's, and so on through the entire list; and further that the style
changes with the same writer at different ages, citing in proof of this
contention John's Gospel and John's Revelation. This position overlooks the
principle that miraculous power is never exercised beyond the neces­sities of
the case, and further overlooks the fact that whether God selected the words or
did not select them a change of style or unity of style has nothing whatever to
do with the issue. The purpose was the expression of truth. Clearness of thought
and accurate selection of the proper word is absolutely essential to the
expression of truth; but peculiarities of style have nothing whatever to do with
the expression of truth. Truth can be expressed and a lie can be told in any
style. Style has to do with personal habits of thought, with the arrangement of
the elements of a sent­ence, the marshalling of clauses, the arrangement of
phrases, the use of connectives and the selection of synonyms. The Stoic
philosophy has been presented to the world by two men whose styles widely
differ. Its truths were clearly and truthfully presented in the terse, graphic
style of Seneca; but no less clearly and no less truthfully were the same truths
presented in the rounded and beautiful periods of Cicero.

You will pardon a homely illustration which will make my meaning clear to all.
My Grandfather many years ago told a story which I shall never forget. In the
early days a certain fop (they called dudes "fops" in those days) was traveling
in a one horse gig along a public road in Old Vir­ginia. Just about nightfall he
stopped in front of an old fashioned inn beside the road. A little negro opened
the door, stuck his head out and held it out long enough to hear this remarkable
speech: "Youth, extricate the noble Pegasus from the vehicle; stabulate and
donate him with a suf­ficient supply of nutritious aliment, and when the Aurora
shall adorn the Eastern horizon I will compensate thee with a reward suitable to
thy genial hospitality." You would not have used a single clause of that stilted
and bombastic style. You would not have said "Youth, extricate the noble
Peg­asus from the vehicle." You would have said, "Boy, un­hitch the horse." You
would not have said, "stabulate and donate him with a sufficient supply of
nutritious aliment." You would have said, "'put him in the stable and give him
plenty to eat." You would not have said, "when the Aurora shall adorn the
Eastern horizon I will compensate thee with a reward suitable to thy genial
hospitality." You would have said, "at sunrise I'll pay you what it is worth."
How widely different these styles, and yet the thought expressed is identically
the same. What on earth has difference of style to do with the accurate
expression of truth? Any fact of history, any proposition of mathematics, any
truth of philosophy can be stated as clearly in the terse Anglo Saxon style of
Dean Swift as in the involved Latin English style of Joseph Addison. It was not
necessary to change Paul's style, or Matthew's style or John's style in order to
secure an accurate and truthful expression of the truths with which they were
each inspired, provided the proper words were chosen. It would be as sensible to
urge sameness of color in Apostolic eyes, as to urge sameness of style in
Apostolic writing.

Again it is urged that the writers of the sacred scrip­tures were only
mouthpieces if they stated the truths of God in the language of God; that such a
contention destroys the originality of the writers. The thoughts are confessedly
not theirs and if you deny to them the selection of the words in which those
thoughts are clothed, the last vestige of orig­inality is gone. This is true,
but certainty and authenticity in the scriptures is of infinitely greater value
than originality on the part of the writers. I know not how others may feel, but
as for me I can look with the kindling eye of faith and trust upon God's great
plan of human redemption if it rests for its expression upon words of God's own
choosing —be­cause then I know it rests upon the rock of eternal truth. But I
look with distrust and fear and trembling upon that same great plan of human
redemption if it rests for its ex­pression upon the possibly fallible words of
fallible men, because then I know it is resting upon the sand.

We do not wish to limit or qualify the meaning of the word inspired when applied
to the words of the Scriptures. The word is used in its broadest and deepest and
truest sense. As God illumined the human mind in the concep­tion of divine
thought, so he illumined the human mind in the accurate verbal expression of
that thought. Did he miraculously coin the thought? Then he miraculously
selected the words in which to express that thought. We contend that as the
thoughts are God's, the words are God's; that God inspired the thought and
censored the word. Under this broad and comprehensive statement of inspira­tion,
rather than definition of it, we affirm the proposition that wherever in the
Holy Scriptures the thought is inspired the language is inspired; and the
thought is inspired in all matters of duty, in all matters "profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and for the com­plete
furnishing of the man of God for every good work;" and this comprises all of it
except certain statements of fact or opinion declared by the writer to be
uninspired, both in thought and language.

Apart from the plain scriptural teaching touching this question of verbal
inspiration, there are three unanswerable reasons why the writers of the sacred
text did not person­ally and unaided select the words in which to express
in­spired thought:

First. The inherent difficulty in the accurate expression of thought in words
and the absolute impossibility of so expressing it in the case before us. It
requires long prac­tice and patient training to express well known and clearly
conceived thought in words. In this particular not one but all writers have made
mistakes. Pardon a shop illustration. Lord Tenterton perhaps knew the law of
wills as thoroughly as any man in England. He had threaded all the shallows and
sounded all the deeps of that intricate subject. He was regarded as a great
authority upon that branch of the law. He was also a trained specialist in the
use of language. A short time before his death he wrote a short will making
disposition of his properties. After his death this docu­ment, scarcely more
than a page in length, came before the courts for examination and construction.
It was declared of no force and effect. An ambiguous word did the work. If I
should ask the name of the profoundest thinker, the most critical student that
England has ever produced, your minds would almost instinctively turn to Sir
Isaac Newton. It is not generally known that an unfortunate clause, an ambiguous
term, so obstructed the meaning of one of his laws that the world was delayed a
quarter of a century in the comprehension and acceptance of a great law of
nature,. King James gathered together a body of men who were past grand masters
in the use of language. They gave us a trans­lation that for graphic power has
never been equalled and we can safely predict that it will never be surpassed.
And yet this learned body of great linguists darkened the heavens of religious
thought and blinded the world's conception of the great underlying principle of
the Christian religion and of the chief attribute of God himself by using the
word "charity" where God had used the word "love." How necessary and how natural
it was, human agency considered, that these mistakes should occur both in
translation and in the framing of simple and thoroughly comprehended thought
into words! Think a moment of the character and scope of the thought which
called upon the sacred writers for ex­pression. The New Testament deals with
every phrase of human life and human character. It deals with the entire human
family. It comprises two worlds. It presents a broad comprehensive plan of human
redemption that touches every spiritual life at every vital point. It is God's
hand­book containing the true philosophy of life, temporal and eternal. Its
principles, applicable to the affairs of every day life, a child can comprehend
and apply; its broader and deeper principles have tested the strength of the
giant minds of earth. It is like the ocean, said a wise one; in the shal­lows
along the shore line a child can wade; out farther the strong can go in safety;
farther yet the mental giants may venture; while far out in the deeps rise and
fall and ebb and flow the great tides of eternal and unchangeable truth in the
comprehension and application of which God alone can move and not be lost. And
yet we are requested to believe that God gathered together some ignorant and
untrained fishermen, one educated doctor and one Jewish philosopher and passed
through their minds this great gulf stream of infinite wisdom with the
instruction that they should sit down and word it for him, without miraculous
assistance or supervision. Could the great masters in the use of language, had
they been simply inspired with the thought, have per­formed the task? Lord
Tenterton could not have written the will of God, he made a mistake trying to
write his own. Sir Isaac Newton could not have written the Infinite law of God.
He made a mistake trying to express one of his own exceedingly finite and well
known laws. The great trans­lators could not have furnished the words; they made
mis­takes just trying to translate it, with thought and words both given. And
yet we are told that Peter and the rest in their ignorance and inexperience
selected the right words and clothed in language infallibly correct infinite
truths which they did not and could not understand and concerning which they
were explicitly told to take no thought. Do you believe that? If you do, you are
not illumined by faith, you are afflicted with credulity.

Second. The church has no means of testing the cor­rectness of the thought
except by and through the language in which it is expressed. Primarily the words
are all the church has. If this language does not express the inspired thought
then we have not the inspired thought and have no means of ascertaining it. If
the language may not express the inspired thought then all is confusion and
uncertainty. If the words of the book are the words of men, then an erring human
agency is placed between the inspired message and the sinner for whom it was
intended. Thus is intro­duced the most pronounced rationalism into the
interpreta­tion and application of the scriptures. It makes the human judgment
the supreme test. If the principle of conduct plainly expressed does not secure
the sanction of my judg­ment or contradict conclusions drawn from my personal
experience, then the writer may have made a mistake in the statement of the
principle; and if not, why not? He was as liable to err in the proper selection
of words as I in the in­terpretation and application of the principle. Thus the
Im­perial Book, the Book of books drops from the hand of God into the hand of
man. It becomes logically and practically the word of man and ceases to be the
word of the living God.

Third. The perfection and use of the Greek language in connection with the
inspired message suggests a question worthy of our serious consideration. No
study is more fascinating than the study of linguistic expression —the clothing
of thought in appropriate and accurate language. Professors tell us that no
medium for the expression of thought has ever equalled the Greek language. Under
the fair skies of Greece, in the hearts of her poets, on the tongues of her
orators, in the reason of her logicians, flow­ing from the pens of all her
gifted sons and her one gifted daughter, the Greek language slowly perfected
until at last it became easily expressive of every thought of the mind and of
every emotion of the heart from the lightest play of human fancy to the deepest
surge of human passion. This language at last in its perfection became a fit
medium for the expression of God's thought. At this opportune time Christ came,
and the plan of salvation, the Gospel for the human race, was written in the
words of this perfect lan­guage. And then God suffered the language to die. Its
terms became rigid in death. A dead language does not change. The meaning of its
words remain fixed forever. Thus for that age and for all coming time we have
the per­fect law crystallized in the perfect language, the living, changeless
and perfect law expressed in the dead, changeless and perfect language. This is
a comforting thought. But tell me. Do you believe that this wonderful language
was slowly perfected through the centuries in order that men, lettered or
unlettered, should grope among the words of the ripest and richest vocabulary on
earth, and select such words as erring judgment or arrant fancy might prompt to
clothe in language for all time a law infinite in scope and application, and of
which they had personally no correct or adequate conception? And do you further
be­lieve that God then killed the language in order to crystallize forever the
possible errors of fallible men? If I believed that fully and conscientiously, I
would take my Bible and my pencil and after every duty of the present and every
promise of the future I would put a question mark.

These are cogent reasons why we should believe the scriptural language inspired;
but was that language in fact and in accord with plain scriptural teaching
inspired?

We are all familiar with the Mosaic law, resting upon the ten commandments as a
foundation broad and secure. This law was not universal; it was in this sense
imperfect; it was restricted; it covered only a brief span in the history of one
people; it was simply a means of preparation, a make shift. It was a
schoolmaster whose cradle was rocked upon the summit of Mount Sinai and whose
grave was dug at the foot of the cross. Its work was soon finished and in the
light of the grander law that followed the old law was cruci­fied, nailed to the
cross as the Apostle Paul expresses it. And yet Moses says that God worded the
old law himself. He says this twice in Exodus and once in Deuteronomy. The
following passages can bear no other construction: "He (God) gave unto me
(Moses) the two tables of stone written upon with the finger of God." "The
tables were the work of God and the writing was the writing of God." "God wrote
them (the commandments) upon two tables of stone and then gave them to me." Oh,
yes, short lived though it was, temporal though it was, narrow in its
appli­cation though it was, God would not permit the greatest writer of Jewish
antiquity to word it for him, but came down and traced the words with his own
finger, so careful and solicitous was God concerning the wording of the old law.
But in the ripeness of time when the perfect law came, the eternal law, the
universal law, broad enough to compass the human race and strong enough to save
those upon the outskirts, imposing duties in one world and rewards and penalties
in another; when the time came for the expression of this law, some Christians
would have us believe that God selected some ignorant, inexperienced and
fallible men and gave them full authority without his help or supervision to
word this infinite law. If there is any kind of sense in this proposition it is
non-sense.

Let us look a little more closely into the fundamental law of the New Testament
as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount. "How do you know the ten commandments
are imperfect?" some one asked Isaac Barrow, the greatest preacher of his day
and generation. "Because," said he, "I have read the Sermon on the Mount
containing the Golden Rule." Who worded that sermon? Matthew was only an
inspired reporter who reproduced word and thought. The words were the words of
the Master. This would be sufficient to insure their inspiration, but we need
not rest here. The words in which that wondrous sermon was expressed were the
words of God. The Savior, speak­ing to bis Father of those whom he had taught
and whom he had brought into the fold, said, "Father, I have given unto them the
words Thou gavest to me." So says John in the eighteenth verse of the
seventeenth chapter of his Gospel. The words that clothed the inspired thought
of the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount and in all his teachings were the words
which God had given. Think you that he gave the words to his son and did not
give the words to Paul and Peter and Matthew and the rest?

John wrote Revelation. The language of Revelation is inspired because God says,
" I f any man shall add to the words of this prophecy, to him shall be added the
plagues written therein; and if any man shall take away from the words of this
prophecy God shall take away his part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City."
The language of that book must needs be apt and accurate. It had to be. The book
was a prophecy. If a mistake was made in a word the thought was apt to be
corrupted. So God supervised the words of that book. It was a glorious vision
that greeted the eyes of the lonely exile when God touched them. It is a grand
thought that the grave stone of the Christian does not mark the end of the
journey; that it is only a mile stone upon a road that is ever brightening as it
sweeps upward and onward to the very gates of the City. John saw that City with
its gates of pearl, its walls of jasper and its streets of burnished gold. So
vivid is his description that we too can see it. But, Oh, John, there is a
question of vaster import­ance to us than a vision of that City, and that is how
can we reach it? John answers our question in his Gospel. They would have us
believe that God gave the words to describe the city and let John in uninspired
words try to tell us how to reach that City. My Christian friends, I know that
my Father in Heaven is concerned that even I shall know some­thing about the
City not made with hands; but I know with far greater certainty that he is
infinitely more concerned that my wayward soul shall know the way home. And if
God inspired the words of John's Revelation telling me about the City, then I
know of a certainty that God inspired the words of John's Gospel showing me the
way to reach that City. The second chapter of Acts presents an unanswerable
answer in the affirmative to the question, "Were the words of the Apostolic
teachers inspired?" The apostles were to tarry at Jerusalem until they should be
endowed with power from on high. The day for this miraculous endowment came, and
filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to speak with other tongues as
the Spirit gave them utterance." Among the listeners were gathered devout men
from every nation under Heaven; men who were amazed, as well they might be, when
they every one heard the message presented in his own language. The words spoken
were, to the speaker, words in an unknown tongue. The Holy Spirit giving
utterance in a language unknown to the speaker must have selected the words.
These inspired speakers in the first place did not know the words of the
language spoken, save and except as such word was given by the Holy Spirit, and
in the second place the inspired speakers did not under­stand the thoughts
presented, and hence could not have selected the words even had the language
been known. On that day the Apostle Peter said, addressing the Jews, " T o you
is the. promise and to your children, and to them that are afar off." —(meaning
the Gentiles). That statement was as broad as humanity. It meant the arm of the
Gospel was long enough to reach and strong enough to save a recreant sinner upon
the uttermost limits of the human race; but the apostle did not so understand it
then. It sub­sequently took a miracle to induce him to preach the Gospel to the
Gentiles. He thus stated broadly and accurately a truth which he not only did
not comprehend but which was contrary to his own conscientious conviction
touching the matter; and he further stated this and other truths equally broad
and equally incomprehensible in a language the words of which he did not know.
The surrounding conditions here demonstrate that thought and words were both
inspired and that the speakers conceived the thoughts and expressed the
appropriate words by virtue of the miraculous power with which they were endowed
from on high, and by virtue of this power alone. No evidence of insanity could
be pro­duced more conclusive than a serious and conscientious statement upon the
part of the accused that he could express accurately truths he did not
understand in the words of a language he did not know.

However conclusive the argument may be and however strongly reason may establish
verbal inspiration, the convic­tion remains that upon a subject of such great
importance the scriptures should speak, and in no uncertain terms. And so they
do. The Savior said to his apostles, "Take no thought what ye shall speak; for
it is not you that speak but the Holy Spirit." These are his words reported by
Mark in the elev­enth verse of his thirteenth chapter. Let us examine these
words closely. What is it to speak? What does speaking include? Thinking alone
is not speaking. You are at this moment thinking but you are not speaking. Upon
the other hand the expression of thought does not necessarily involve speaking.
Both thought and feeling may be expressed with­out speaking. A smile may express
happiness or content­ment; but a smile is no form of speech. The poet reads,
"joy unconfined in sparkling eyes, those open windows of the soul;" but eyes do
not speak except in metaphor. The hog wallowing in the mire may grunt his
satisfaction and the serpent may hiss his venomous anger, and yet hogs and
serpents cannot speak. To speak is to express thoughts in spoken words. Speech
includes thought and words; but primarily words, since it is literally the words
that are spoken. Let us paraphrase by substituting in the passage quoted the
meaning of the word speak, and we have the Savior saying, "It is not you that
express these thoughts in words, it is the Holy Spirit which expresses these
thoughts in words through you." Language could not be more ex­plicit. The
speaking Apostle was simply an agent for the expression of divinely inspired
thought and divinely chosen word. The Holy Spirit in speaking through the
apostle ex­pressed both thought and word.

Excepting speech there is only one other way of ex­pressing inspired thought in
words, and that is by writing. The Scriptures are the expression of inspired
thought in written words. The Scriptures or writings include thoughts and words,
but primarily the words, since it is literally and directly the words that are
written. Paul says in his second letter to Timothy, (Chapter 3, verse 16) "All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction and for instruction." This set­tles the question. All
words expressing inspired thought whether such words were spoken or written are
inspired.

Lest, however, some dreamer should dream, or some caviller should cavil, or some
hair-splitting reasoner should seek to confuse, and for the purpose of laying
the question forever at rest, Paul says, (1 Corinthians 2:13) "We speak not the
words which man's wisdom teacheth, but the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth."
Thus endeth the discus­sion.

Let us not forget the conclusion of the whole matter. This is God's Book, God's
Imperial Book. It contains thoughts of God, expressed in the inspired words of
God's own choosing. Such is the rock upon which rests the plan of human
salvation and the faith and hope of the human race. How comforting is a
conclusion like that! It gives to the martial spirit something in the noon-day
of life to fight for; and it gives to the poor, frail, unanchored soul
some­thing in the hour of death to which to cling.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 6: THE WORLD AS THE SUBJECT OF REDEMPTION
========================================================================

The World As The Subject of Redemption THE WORLD AS THE SUBJECT OF REDEMPTION.
BY ARTHUR R. HOLTON.

Christianity has primarily to do with individuals, but it does not wholly
overlook institutions of men for these insti­tutions are made up of individuals.
It is a mistake for the Christian element of the world to overlook its wider
applica­tion. For who can say just where in the world Christianity may have
influence and just where it may not.

It is the purpose of this paper to show that the true ideal for Christianity is
that it shall not only influence the individual but that its influence shall
spread into wider and wider spheres until the whole life of mankind shall come
to be influenced by it. By this view it is not the purpose of Christ to save
individuals out of the world, but to save the world itself. The history of
Christianity shows that at times there has been a tendency to asceticism but the
ascetic has never been for long the ideal Christian. This tendency brought to
completion is the extreme of individualism. Today we look with much regret upon
the age of monks and cloisters.

And, too, when at times men have turned away from asceticism to broader
conceptions of their duty they have not at all chosen the higher good. This is
well illustrated by the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church of our time. There
is no hope for a world redemption in this view, they only hold out the hope that
the world outside the Church will finally fall away into decay and leave the
Church in undisputed possession of the field. The Church is pictured as a frail
woman being persecuted by the world, to be finally redeemed by God interposing
in her behalf and destroying her wicked enemies. Many Protestants have the same
con­ception. Is this the true ideal for Christianity? Is the Church a weakling
being persecuted? It was not the attitude of the apostolic Church, though it was
persecuted bitterly. Paul never for one moment doubted but that his Gospel was
able to go on conquering during the centuries as it was conquer­ing in his day.
In Paul's day it spread from the individual outward. We are to hold the hope of
this growing influence as completing itself, the final completion to be when
every individual in all his human relationship shall be fully influ­enced by the
spirit of Christ. This may be an ideal. But an ideal is the most practical thing
in the world. Jesus with an ideal has projected him­self across twenty
centuries. And we are still looking at the ideal with ever increasing interest
as the centuries go by. Can we afford to limit our work to the mere saving of
the individual and forget the wider sphere of human relation­ships and leave
them outside the sphere of our influence?

If we have ever held any lower ideal for the Church I think it has grown out of
a mistaken conception of the Church. This conception is that the Church is
identified with public worship, and outside of public worship and acts of
benevolence the Church has no sphere of activity. It is easy to see how it is
possible for individualism to go to extremes when the sphere of public worship
is the only sphere for religious activity. The worshiper sings and prays and
contemplates going to another world, but forgets the one in which he lives. When
this occurs on a wide scale the great tide of humanity with its many unsolved
problems goes by the Church and the Church wonders why its influence is not any
stronger and why it is that the world is so worthless and cruel. The truth of
the matter is that public worship is but one of the activities of God's Church.
And since it is confined to one day in the week it is a very small part of man's
activity. The other six days are spent in various human relationships. Shall
these relationships be Christian? This question can be answered only in the
affirmative. Spirit must interpenetrate and vivify material; God is not separate
but is a spirit pervading the universe; the human soul is not separate from the
body but is transforming the body; re­demption does not make men separate by
removing the redeemed into a different sphere of existence, but draws them with
all their surroundings into holy and loving rela­tions; the Church is not a
separate body for public worship only but is seeking always, and destined,
finally, to embrace the whole race of mankind. To be specific, what are some of
these relationships out­side of public worship? The Family Life. Here it is
evi­dent that the spirit of Christ has a great field in which to work. When we
contemplate the divorce problem in the world we are appalled that this sphere of
life is as much neglected as it is. But steps are being taken to sweeten and
purify family life and from whatever source these steps come they are
nevertheless Christian and are not to be de­cried but commended in our
assemblies for public worship. Some have the idea that nothing good can come
from any source but the source of public worship. Is it not better and more
Christ-like for the pulpit to encourage every Chris­tianizing influence from
whatever source it comes? Is it Christ-like to deride a move just because it
does not orig­inate with us? My point is that our pulpits are to inspire just
such moves and not to block their progress. To the everlasting shame of the
pulpit it has stood in the way of many reforms.

Turning next to the sphere of Knowledge. Has Chris­tianity anything to fear from
any legitimate field of human knowledge? If it has, its spirit has been
misrepresented in New Testament Scriptures. There has been an unholy war between
sciences and Christianity. Representatives of both are to blame for this
situation. It is our business to see that in our day the departments of
knowledge are co-ordinated. True science is as much an inspirer in its place as
any other branch of knowledge. In fact, all the facts of nature and all
knowledge should be at the disposal of Christianity. The pulpit then is not to
denounce as unchristian all knowledge that is not specifically termed religious
as over against sec­ular, for there is no such thing as secular Knowledge and
religious Knowledge for all Knowledge is valuable for religion. Christianity is
a circle, small, perhaps, but is to widen its circumference until it becomes
equal to all the life of mankind. In reference to the Life of Art, what is
needed is that it should be popular not that it should be debased to de­praved
taste, but that it should raise the popular taste by the presentation of its
ideals in an intelligible form. All forms of art are but the modes of the
individual expressing an ideal. Let this ideal be imparted to others, in music,
in drama, in eloquence, in all forms of Art, thus it is that the Artist in any
line can truly be a benefit to his fellow-men. And this is Christian. The pulpit
should encourage the purest and truest expression of life's purest joys, but no
others.

Passing on to the Life of Society, the great danger we face here is its
exclusiveness. We need a real Christian democracy. The clannishness and class
hatred and social distinctions, less in America than elsewhere perhaps, are
foreign to the spirit of Jesus. Society should more and more take on a
missionary character, the best giving its best to those not so fortunate. This
spirit is abroad since the War as never before and great strides have been taken
in the right way to rid society of many of its evils. It is our privilege to see
that many more evils are done away with and this, too, is Christian. The
expansion of Trade in the present century has opened up a great new field for
Christianity. The expansion of trade is always a great avenue for the
dissemination of ideals. Many times did Greece and Rome influence the world
through their enormous volume of business. This sphere of life comes close to
all of us for we are all engaged in making a living. If we can succeed in
inspiring trade with Christian ideals, the influence of Christ here will be felt
around the world.

We are all members of the nation. What kind of nation shall we have? Let it be
hoped that the nation will more and more take into consideration its duty of
safeguarding the best interests of the people. In our day we have seen in our
country human slavery abolished. The expulsion of the saloon and many other
reforms have ennobled all life. Let the pulpit encourage all such moves.

What then is the place of public worship? Let it stand with outstretched arms to
receive the needy of all the earth and within its folds be willing to protect
and nurture the good of all the world. Let it stand as the one quiet spot where
the toiling mass of humanity can be inspired to higher and nobler life. Let it
stand for the Christ of Gallilee and for all that he ever taught. Let it stand
as a friend and ally of any man or any set of men who are making genuine
sacrifice for the good of their fellows. This ideal may be a long way in the
future, but whether it be a thousand years or more, we cannot afford to have any
lower ideal. The world is wicked, yes, very wicked. The way may seem dark
indeed, Hut did you ever stop to think that in our day there is not a wrong but
it is being loudly cried out against. It was not always so. In our day there is
growing up a brotherhood of man. National life is broadening into international
life. We have every hope to be confident that these relationships of broader
life will be founded on the principles of Jesus. Let us pray that the scourge of
war will never again darken our land, but that the combined forces of the races
of mankind may move in peace toward that far off divine event when the Kingdom
will be delivered back to Cod, and that in the meantime that all the joy and
progress of undisturbed peace may be the heritage of all mankind.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 7: OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
========================================================================

Our Educational Program OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. BY J. U. YARBROUGH In every
field of man's endeavor, it is essential that he have some plan of action. One
of the most fundamental differences between man and the lower animals is his
ability to formulate plans and to work with a purpose, ever holding before him a
definite goal. Wherever we find a problem solved we find back of it a mind which
set for itself a cer­tain goal and planned and worked carefully and diligently
to that certain end. Our great problems are not solved by chance or accident,
but by the most persistent efforts directed by skill and discernment. The great
problems of educating our young will be solved in the same way. We need not
delude ourselves by thinking that it will work itself out. It commands the best
of our talent and energy for solution. The supreme question of our day is,
whether the church founded by our Lord, Jesus Christ possesses the spiritual
energy and sense of duty to measure up to its educational task. There are many
signs that the church is beginning to experience a mighty reawak­ening with
reference to Christian education. A recent writer says: "There is no greater
problem before us as a people than the question: how can our educational system
do more for the moral and spiritual needs of the young?" Another writes:
"Right-thinking people know there was never greater need for true (Christian)
education than now, and we are glad to think there was never a greater demand
for it. Shall not schools be built and maintained which furnish the facilities
for such education?" The day has come, the opportunity is at hand for the church
of Christ to place itself in the leadership of educa­tion. She is to be no mere
hand-maiden of the public schools, trying in a half-hearted way to supply what
the State dare not do, by doling out a little, religious informa­tion for half
an hour each Sunday. Her hand is upon the switchboard which shall unite the
currents and release the power which vitalizes all culture and learning. The
church must direct the education of our young toward the noblest ideals by
correlating the influences of the home, the schools, and our colleges. This
difficult but glorious task must in­evitably fall upon the young preachers and
teachers of our churches. And they must in an open-hearted and broad­minded way
take up their enlarged duties for the new Chris­tian Education. This idea of
educational duties of the young preacher was forcefully presented to us
yesterday by Dean Speck.

It is my task at this hour to present to you a program which will unify our
efforts, bring our activities from the level of random movement up to the realm
of rational, pur­posive conduct; a program that will enable us to set for
ourselves a distinct goal. Thus, working by formulated plans and forgetting the
little and petty things of the day, we can push forward with a hope of reaching
the coveted goal. Such a program will call upon the church to use all its
educational agencies. These agencies —the home, elemen­tary public schools, our
junior colleges, and colleges are at the services of the church and should be
used by the church. We shall take these agencies up in their order and show
their possible service in Christian Education.

I am fully aware that rational people differ in their methods of procedure, and
will, therefore, not be disap­pointed if, when I have completed this
presentation, I find that you have an entirely different opinion. I will rather
appreciate an expression of your viewpoint, that by our dif­fering, we may both
be better prepared to do our part for the cause of Christian Education.

All education has its beginning in the home. Some one has called the home "God's
first and holiest school." The Old Testament sets forth a divine injunction for
the parents to instruct and train the young. Unless the home lays the foundation
there can be no super structure, and both church and civilized society will
ultimately crumble into ruin. The lessons of the home are honesty, cleanliness,
loyalty, love, consideration for others, truthfulness, and justice. It is the
birthplace of reverence and piety. The intensity and the rush of modern times
permit the parents but little time for instruction in these fundamentals, and
tend to destroy that sweet relationship between mother and child, between father
and son. We find, therefore, many children today who did sacred things. The
responsibility for this home training is being shifted to our public schools. No
one questions this, but had you ever thought of the fact that the public schools
are poorly prepared to assume such a grave responsibility? Their own problem was
great enough without having a new one thrust upon them. We question, therefore,
their ability to carry forth this two-fold responsibility —home-training and
pri­mary education. The Catholics realize this condition, and have hundreds of
schools throughout our states for the purpose of giving their young an
elementary education. We do not want such church schools, but our program should
call for a more co­operative effort in elementary education by the church and
state. Our great national peril is found at this point in our educational
program. The church is saying, education is no longer in its hands; the state is
saying, we teach no religious doctrine, and the result is astounding ignorance
of the Bible with all its principles of life. An investigation in the year of
1904 revealed the fact that in 818 out of 1,098 cities of over four thousand
inhabi­tants, the Bible was read to the pupils. In 162 cities all religious
exercises were strictly prohibited. In 915 of these schools sacred songs were
sung by the pupils. In 162 neither songs nor prayer were permitted. In most of
these cities where the Bible is read and prayer is made and sacred songs are
sung, the teacher is not permitted to comment on the Scripture read. Statistics
show that about one-half of the children of public school age in our states are
ignorant of the Bible, while only a few of the remaining half are really
familiar with it.

We need Christian teachers in our public schools. The public schools could and
should be teaching those large Chris­tian principles concerning which all the
religious people are agreed. These principles of Christian living can be taught
by putting a greater number of Christian men and women in Our schools; by more
sacred hymns in their services; by a co-operation of church and state for the
success of the great problem upon which the destiny of them both equally rests.

Higher education in the church has grown up in a chaotic way, hence that the
various institutions are entirely lacking in correlation of purpose. Colleges
have been established without any relation whatever to others about them.
Con­fusion, competition, duplication, and consequent waste have been the result.
The time has now come in the history of education for a clear-cut classification
and for a careful dis­crimination of the functions of our Christian institutions
of learning. The junior college, college and university must have their status
defined. Realization of this has been forced upon us: the recent struggle for
state certificate priv­ileges is a case in point. We had to measure up to
definite standards in order to secure this privilege. And we shall have to meet
other equally definite standards in order to achieve any real standing in the
educational world. The location and equipment of such institutions of learn­ing
are becoming more and more difficult. Small colleges should necessarily be few
in number and placed in the most strategic centers. They should not be rivals of
public schools, but should serve a specific function, exceedingly important for
the community and church which supports them. This special work calls for
special equipment and prepared teachers, and the church is permitting harm to be
done to it when it tolerates the poorly equipped and unpre­pared.

Small, compact colleges wisely distributed over the country, with a few
well-manned departments within the resources at command, and a professional
staff of ripe, scholarly, thoroughly qualified teachers of unselfish, Chris­tian
spirit, is the duty and should be the policy of the church. The small college
must be in our educational pro­gram, for it offers peculiar advantages to our
church popu­lation. It is a fact that it offers the best advantages to the many,
for it is best adopted to their needs. It is truly an expression of American
civilization —purely democratic. And again it makes a certain amount of
education possible for those of small means. The Junior College must be able to
give an account of itself. Every institution which aims to be permanently
suc­cessful must have some distinctive purpose and function which it fulfills
for the benefit of the people. The excuse for its existence and the hope for its
success will depend upon its ability to create for itself a place in society.
The Junior College should be a part of our educational program because it does
have a distinctive place in society, and it does have a peculiar service to
render to its people. It is here that most of our preachers receive their early
training. The church today demands and deserves a trained minister. Statistics
show that our educated ministers received their early education in Christian
colleges. The age calls for great preachers, well trained. The ministers of the
past, though largely untrained did their work heroically. The preachers of the
future must possess all the eloquence and evangelistic fervor of their
predecessors, and to this they must add the learning, the social interest, the
sympathy, and the teaching power which comes through college training. The small
college must train for the church Christian laymen; men who live above narrow
prejudices and pettiness of spirit. Another great need of the church today is a
large number of trained laymen. The largest hearts full of pure human sympathy
and guided by trained intellects and cool judgment, should be mixed with our
fundamental church doctrine if we hope to prove ourselves the light of the
world. Men should know that God has a mighty program to be real­ized, and that "
Thy will be done" is a challenge to the best that there is in them. The small
school must give the preliminary training for our social workers among the poor
(for is there not a piti­able scarcity of trained workers of this kind among
us?): the preliminary training for our lawyers, teachers, and doctors so that in
all these professions may be found the principles of Christianity. There will
come from these schools our trained missionaries, (for the church has learned by
hazardous experience that it takes certain special train­ing to do missionary
work successfully). But the small college can give only the elementary training
for this large group of workers. They need a few more years of training
—training that will prepare them for their particular work in life. If we want
more lawyers, doctors, professors, and statesmen of religious conviction, we
must prepare our boys and girls for these professions. We are proud of our
Christian men who stand in the front ranks of their profession holding aloft the
principles of Christianity. It is when we see these men of courage and
leadership that our faith is strengthened and our hope in the church as the real
salt of the earth is increased. How far can the church lag behind and still
retain the title of candle-bearer? When the church is actively doing its full
duty, we will find both men and women stepping forward from its ranks, with the
light of religion in their souls, to lead and direct the destinies of their
fellow men. Another great need of the church today is leadership, and before it
can ever have this leader­ship, it must bear the expense of producing its
leaders. The church must go with its students through their entire prep­aration
if they are to give it the glory in the end. And to the extent the church holds
her influence through these final years of preparation students will hold forth
the light of Christianity during the remainder of their lives. The church has at
present no means of following these students through their last few years of
preparation, and those who are ambitious, those who are the possible material
for the leaders in the church, must go alone if they secure additional training.
At this dangerous point, the church is often left behind, and loses its best
material. Not that a large number are lost here, for not many reach this point,
but those few who are lost are excellent material. It will be a large and new
task for the church to undertake the preparation of these ambitious young men
and women. But it should be both pleasant and profitable —pleasant because of
the innate nature of the problem, and profitable because it will save for the
church this exceptional material, and at the same time act as an incentive for
others to join their ranks. To carry out a program such as has been presented,
we must bring system out of confusion and secure a united effort of all the
educational forces of the church. Every school must become a unit in the
educational program of the church. Every congregation and as nearly as possible
every member of the church should know that the church has an educational
program and that he has a part in it. No school superintendent can build a
school better than his patrons want, no government can surpass the governed, and
no man or group of men can build and maintain a Christian college above the
wishes of the members of the church. To carry out this program every active
member of the church must feel the need for such an institution, and with common
pur­pose and united effort do his bit for its, realization. When the church
undertakes this new task in the higher education of its young, it must establish
and maintain a col­lege or university of the first class. But before taking hold
of such a tremendous task it will be wise to examine and recount our physical
means. "For which of you, in­tending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,
and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest hap­pily,
after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold
it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to
finish." In count­ing our physical means can the wealth of all the churches of
our state be used as a basis? Or the wealth of only certain portions of the
state? The present need is not great enough, and besides the task is too large
for the church to undertake to build and maintain more than one such college in
our State. Now, when Paul was intrusted with the dissemina­tion of the truth, he
sought the centers of learning and the leaders of men. Likewise we, who claim to
be the light bearers of the truth today should select for this, our highest
institution, the most strategic point of our civilization. A light-house is
never placed behind a cliff, but out in the open where it can give light to all
the country round about. The first step in building such a college is to raise a
large endowment fund. For higher institutions of learning are far more costly to
equip and maintain than many of us seem to think. Buildings are an important
item of expense, but with them erected the continued expense begins. Equipment
and laboratories for all the sciences are necessary; books must be bought for
the library; a larger and better prepared and better paid faculty must be
secured; scholarships, muse­ums, printing establishments, and many other
features must be provided. A Christian college cannot afford to fall be­hind the
best in these respects. The fact that it is a Chris­tian college is no excuse
for its asking a worthy and self- sacrificing staff of instruction to teach for
underpay. No faculty, however, consecrated, can render the best service when the
institution in which they labor faces a deficit year after year. For an
institution to sound its trumpet before men and profess to be doing a standard
of work far beyond its physical means, brings shame to the church and
eventu­ally dishonor to itself.

It is impossible to maintain a first-class college by the fees of the students,
unless, of course, the fees are beyond reason. In this case, the very purpose of
the Christian col­lege is defeated, for only the wealthy few could attend. Of
all colleges the Christian college should receive and instruct, regardless of
class or funds, all students who knock at its doors. Consequently, it is
absolutely essential that the" Christian college be endowed if it is to survive
and be of service to its people. And again it is to the best interest of the
members of the church and to the success of the college that this endow­ment be
raised, for it establishes a vital relation between the institution and the
individual members. The Christian col­lege exists for all classes of society,
and it should, there­fore, be vitally dependent upon the people. From the people
must come the raw material, and the college in turn should send back to the
people young lives enriched and equipped for service. For these important
reasons I insist that the raising of a large endowment is the first, step in
building a college or university. But before an endowment can be secured we must
as a church make some arrangements for its proper supervision. No member is
going to give freely of his means until he fully understands the purpose for
which it is to be used. And no man of business sense will give of his means
until he is convinced that plans have been worked out carefully, and that the
movement is properly manned. When the members of the church are convinced that
their money will not be misused and wasted, they will come forward with
sufficient funds to build a college second to none in the land. But until they
are convinced they will give a bit here and there with a hope that they will
live to see the day when the church will be able to receive and economically use
their real and substantial gifts to Christian education.

I am reminded just here of a situation that developed in the early church. The
number of disciples was multi - plied, and there arose complaint that some of
the poor widows were being neglected. When this matter was brought to the
attention of the twelve, they called the multitude of disciples unto them, and
asked that they look among them­selves and select seven good, well prepared men
"whom we may appoint over this business." This was a matter of business, and as
the record shows it was handled in a busi­nesslike way.

Since we are followers of the early church in many other ways, may I suggest
that we take its lead in handling mat­ters of business? In this problem of
education, which is one great problem of the church and one upon which the
vitality of the church depends, could not those most vitally interested in
Christian education call "the multitude of disciples" to­gether to agree upon
some plan of action? When the plan of selecting the seven was made known, it
"pleased the whole multitude." Should not the selection of a number of well-
prepared members from among us to attend to our educa­tional business be
pleasing to our entire membership? Surely there can be found in the church not
one friend of education who would object. We would all not only be glad but
would rejoice to see business handled in such a business-like way.

We should, then, at some early date have a general mass meeting where our
different educational problems could be presented. Every factor that we have
that is making for Christian education should be present, and feel free to
ex­press its views. Each representative should come remembering that he is
representing that good, wholesome Chris­tian influence which is so common in his
community. At the close of such a meeting, permeated with Christian love, would
be an ideal time to select from our number those members whose duty it shall be
to attend to our business of education.

These men appointed would be able in a short time to formulate plans for our
educational program, and in due time could correlate all our efforts into one
united power for the purpose of driving the curse of ignorance from among us.
They would give stability and permanence to our educa­tional efforts, and
therefore, make possible a large endow­ment, an essential factor in the success
of any Christian col­lege. They could in the light of the wishes of all the
mem­bers lift the educational activities from the realm of con­fusion and random
movement up to the level of rational, purposive conduct. Their program should be
so planned as to assist the church in reaching the goal set for it by our L,ord
and Savior, namely the real salt of the earth, the light of the world. Since our
Father is unlimited in power and leadership; should not his sons be capable of
leading the races of men into the light? If Christians are bearing the light for
the world, they should place their light in the most advantageous position. A
light must be at the front in the hands of the leader, if it is to keep men from
stumbling and falling. The light that falls too far behind becomes a mockery. We
are in danger when mankind is pushing forward in the march of life with the
light far in the rear. The world will be safe when its leaders are guided by the
principles of Christianity; when the church realizes its duty and gives to the
world trained Christian leaders, who stand in the front ranks of their
professions with the light of Christianity expelling the darkness and making
plain the path of human progress. Then, and not until then, will the church of
Christ render its real service to mankind by making the world a safe place in
which to live.


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  CHAPTER 8: THE WELL ARMORED MAN
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The Well Armored Man THE WELL-ARMOURED MAN. BY CLED E. WALLACE. The idea of
armor first had reference to certain physical defensive preparations for
conflict. It very early, however, was used figuratively to describe spiritual
states, attitudes and mental bearing. Horace used the expression "aes trip­lex
circa pectus," "breast enclosed with triple brass" as a symbol of indomitable
courage. The morale of the soldier who went into battle, the armor of his soul,
meant incom­parably more than the steel or brass plates which protected his
body. Paul in the most exalted spiritual sense exhorts the Ephesians to "Put on
the whole armor of God." He used the expression to summarize the equipment of
the Christian in the most intense of all conflicts, that of the spiritual hosts
of light against the "spiritual hosts of wick­edness." Robert Louis Stevenson in
that delightful personal essay of his which he, following Horace, calls "Aes
Trip­lex," declares that "courage and intelligence are the two qualities best
worth a good man's cultivation." These two qualities according to Stevenson
should remove all the terror from either life or death. "A frank and somewhat
head­long carriage, not looking too anxiously before, not dallying in maudlin
regret over the past, stamps the man who is well armoured for this world." This
address will be largely confined to things religious. "Sons of God" is the
supreme expression of well-armoured manhood. There can be no higher conception
unless man would deify himself. Indeed, it means nothing less than that we are
"the offspring of God," "a God in the germ," a spark struck off from the
Personality of the Almighty. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are."
And what, pray, can be more becoming to a son of God than intelligent faith and
steadfast courage? They constitute the sine qua non of a life armoured for the
world.

What an imposing thing is an abundant Christian faith! The big men who have
achieved the greatest victories, who have left the largest foot-prints on the
sands of time, have been men with strong convictions, of great faith. The
ex­periences of a man like Paul are incredible until we see his faith. The full
measure of persecution with all its harrow­ing experiences was his and he almost
takes our breath away by the characteristic remark, "I have learned in
whatsoever state I am, therein to be content." A full explanation is found in
such outbursts of fervor as the following: "I can do all things in him that
strengtheneth me;" "For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not
ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able
to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day." And faith is no
faith that is not worth a life in sacrifice. The man who does not have
convictions that he would die for or who does not endorse his faith with his
life is not armoured for the world. "What things were gain to me these have I
counted loss for Christ. Yea verily, and I count all things to be less for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I suffered the
loss of all things, and do count them but refuse that I may gain Christ," is the
testimony of the best armoured man of his time. He headed straight into the
furnace of persecution with no further thought for his life than that he might
accomplish his course and the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus.
With a life bleeding on the altar of faith and a heart bound with triple brass
this soldier fought his way to "the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus." He was

"One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds
would break, Never dreamed, tho' right were worsted, wrong would triumph, Held
we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake."

He ran his race, like all of us can run ours, with a single mind. "But one thing
I do," the overpowering influence of the ideal which his faith kept before him
gave him sweet immunity from any paralysing terrors that might arise, like
ghosts, out of the past. Terror is a goblin born of ignorance and unbelief. "I
know him whom I have believed" is triple brass before dragons of fear.

Faith in God is the leading motif of the wonderful dra­matic stories of the Old
Testament. "And it came to pass after these things that God did prove Abraham"
is the way one of them begins. Years before Abraham had left his homeland at the
call of God, he wandered about as a so­journer "by faith." God called him out
under the stars one night and told him that his seed would be as innumerable as
they. He was old and childless, his wife well past the age of bearing children,
besides being naturally barren. Yet, when God promised him that he and Sarah,
his wife, should be the parents of a son, Isaac, Abraham believed. The marvel of
his faith is the subject of a Pauline tribute: "Yet looking unto the promise of
God. he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving
glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able
also to perform." In due time the child was born and became a vigorous lad, the
delight of his old parents, the foundation of all their hopes. All that God had
promised Abraham was to come through Isaac. "And it came to pass after these
things that God did prove Abraham." In a terse command without explanation God
told Abraham to take the boy and offer him as a burnt-offering upon a certain
moun­tain. The old man didn't understand, the command came quick and unexpected
and must have broken his heart. He asked no questions. He made no complaints. He
did not tarry. He arose early in the morning, took two of his young men and the
lad of dreams and promises and went to the fated mountain. He took wood and fire
and a KNIFE. There is no doubt as to his purpose, although the boy was ignorant
of it. Quickly and silently he erected the altar of stones, bound the boy and
laid him thereon. He slipped his left arm about the boy's neck and drew him to
his heart. With jaw set tight he raised the knife for a quick decisive thrust
and "Abraham stop" cried an angel as he reached down out of heaven and grabbed
him by the arm. "Abraham believed God." In the light of "so great a faith" we
understand why "he was called the friend of God" and why God loved him so. The
cause of Christ needs men today of "a like precious faith;" reverent men with
holy lives and deep convictions; men "afire with God" who can fight. As I am a
young man, I will be pardoned if I have young men in my mind's eye in this part
of the discussion. As I view the matter the young man who walks into the pulpit
today, goes in with an un­paralleled opportunity for the signal service if he
goes in well-armoured with an intelligent faith and a fighting spirit. The
pulpit of the Church of Christ is no place for your nice little men who are so
"liberal" and "broad" that they have no convictions. That kind had better stay
off the firing-line. They are liable to get hurt. God is calling big men into
His work who are not afraid to tell folks what He wants done with an exclamation
point after it. If you are not that kind, sail on to smoother seas. The pulpit
can't use you. The man of God has a charge to keep. He knows whom he has
believed and has a positive message for the world. Dogmatic he may appear to be
and can afford to be when God has spoken; vacillating, never. His attitude
towards his task is fully set forth in the two letters Paul wrote his spiritual
son, Timothy. The father is helping the son to bind his armour on. "O, Timothy,
guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane
bab­blings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so-called; which
some professing have erred concerning the faith." 1 Timothy 5:20-25. The son is
exhorted to "preach the word," to be urgent in reproof and exhortation; to "give
heed to reading to exhortation to teaching. . . .be diligent in these things
take heed to thyself and thy teaching . . . .for in doing this thou shalt save
both thyself and them that hear thee." 1 Timothy 4:13-16. His is a message of
life and death entrusted to him by the Father for deliverance to a world sorely
beset. He must deliver that message as it is given to him without any concern
whatever for the "tastes, feelings and conveniences of the people." "For am I
now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please- men? if I
were still pleasing men I would not be a servant of Christ." Cal. 1: 10. The
preacher who keeps his ear to the. ground or plays to the galleries is
con­temptible beyond any description. If this were the age of miracles he would
suffer the fate of Nadab and Abihu; he is an Ananias in the 'sight of God.'

There is a lot of foolish talk in the air to the effect that the gospel and the
church of today must adapt themselves to the changing demands of a new age. The
man of God must contend for the "old paths." He must make men un­derstand that
the church is the sanctuary of God and has the blood of Christ on it; that it is
holy as the dwelling- place of God in the Spirit. It is not a place for
entertain­ment, but a spiritual hospital where diseased humanity may receive
treatment from the Great Physician. Those who try to make the church
"attractive" by means of novel ap­peals to the sensuous are guilty of sacrilege.
Neither church nor gospel of the New Testament can be improved upon. God Himself
planted the seed of redemption six thousand years ago and it grew through
Patriarchal and Jewish dis­pensations and matured in Christ. " It was the good
pleasure of the father that in him should all fullness dwell that in all things
he might have the preeminence through him to reconcile all things to himself."
Colossians 1:19-20. "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily. ..
.In him ye are made full." Colossians 2:9. The gospel which came through Christ
for the healing of the nations "is not after man" but came by revelation. Even
the angels of God are not allowed to alter it. It is called the "faith once for
all delivered to the saints." It is the faith of the well-armoured man. Fie must
not tickle "itching ears." To consistently maintain this attitude requires
courage of the most pronounced type. The man who does it must have a genuine
fighting spirit. "Fight the good fight of faith," "war the good warfare; holding
faith and a good conscience" were written to encourage his kind. The world is
demanding to flay some sort of organic union of con­flicting sectarian bodies in
lieu of the genuine unity for which Christ prayed. In the face of the strongest
kind of opposition the man of God must "contend earnestly for the faith once for
all delivered to the saints," demanding that union, and that union only which is
based on a strict observance of the Law of God. No other union is or ever will
be pleasing to God.

Let us take a few Bible examples of what it means to "quit you like men, be
strong." Paul meant by the ex­pression that Christians are fighters, that they
have some­thing to fight for and the spirit which turns battles into victories.
Jesus Christ is a perfect example of what I am pleased to call fighting spirit.
His entire life was a fight­ing protest against sin and wrong. He issued a
challenge that stirs the blood of every true man. "I came not to send peace but
a sword" is a challenge to follow Him in the battle for right even if the price
must be paid in blood. The writer of the Hebrew letter probably had the passage
in mind when he chided the Hebrews in these words: "Ye have not yet resisted
unto blood, striving against sin." But Christ is the perfect example. He cast
the "den of robbers" out of the temple in righteous wrath when the spirit of
merchandise displaced the spirit of prayer in the house of God. No follower of
His can remain passive when the worship of God is profaned. You are a fighter or
you are no Christian. "Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypo­crites!" is a
scathing denunciation of hypocrisy and empty display in religion. No follower of
His can look on the "scribes and pharisees" of our own age and not want to
fight. There is a "form of godliness" held by those who deny its power toward
which every armoured man of God is sworn to eternal enmity. The great men of the
Bible were all fighters. "I have fought a good fight" was Paul's victory-song.
Watch him before the council when the High Priest commanded him to be smitten in
the mouth contrary to all law and every principle of justice! Smarting under the
blow and the in­sult, he quickly retorted: "God shall smite thee, thou whited
wall." See him before the profligate Felix, spurning the opportunity to make a
plea on his own behalf, choosing rather to risk his head in a passionate speech
on "righteousness, self-control and judgment to come!" Hear his elo­quent appeal
to Agrippa and know him as the master cham­pion of a great cause, " the noblest
Roman of them all." "Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus"
are words fitly spoken by such a man. The axe that sent his head rolling and
bleeding didn't make a scratch upon his invincible courage.

Daniel was a kindred spirit and worthy of glorious imi­tation. He is first
introduced to us as a noble "youth in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and
skillful in all wisdom, and endued with knowledge, and understand­ing science,
and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace." Young men of such
attainments were always popular in corrupt oriental courts and it was not a
matter for wonder when the king selected Daniel, the young foreigner, as a
favorite and ordered that he be taught the "learning and tongue of the
Chaldeans." The king among other things appointed for him "a daily portion of
the king's dainties, and of the wine which he drank." But the youth, Daniel,
unlike some of the young men of the present day who are "endued with knowledge
and under­stand science" or think they do, had decided religious con­victions
which he had brought into captivity with him. He was conscientiously opposed to
either eating the king's dainties or drinking his wine. It was contrary to his
re­ligion. Only a well-armoured man, one with faith and courage, could have
withstood the extraordinary tempta­tion. "But Daniel purposed in his heart that
he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he
drank." God was with him and he carried out his purpose and kept his conscience
clear. He was com- paritively alone in his convictions as the majority were all
on the other side. By prudence and wisdom Daniel was promoted until he became
second to none in the king­dom except the king. He had many rivals and enemies
who watched vainly for some fault in his life as a weapon to discredit him. "But
they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was
there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find
any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the
law of his God." They knew that Daniel was unyielding in his loyalty to God. So
they prevailed upon the king to sign an edict forbidding the worship of any god
save the king. Then they watched Daniel. "And when Daniel knew that the writing
was signed, he went into his house, (now his win­dows were open in his chamber
toward Jerusalem); and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed,
and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." "AS HE DID AFORETIME!"
What a wonderful demon­stration of manhood!! They put Daniel into the lions'
den, but he came out again for "he had trusted in his God." And old Micaiah! Ah,
but he was wonderful! Rugged, fearless prophet of God he was, discredited and in
prison as most of God's prophets were, the few that were left, in the days of
Ahab and Elijah. Ahab and Jehosaphat sat each on his royal throne. Ahab called
out his four hun­dred prophets of Baal, those flattering liars of his idolatrous
worship, and had them recommend the course that he wanted to pursue —to go down
to Ramoth-Gilcad to battle. Jehosaphat was a nominal worshipper of Jehovah and
had a little conscience left. Things didn't look orthodox and he called for a
prophet of God. Ahab clouded up and sent a messenger to bring Micaiah from his
prison cell. "And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake unto him,
saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with
one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them and speak
thou good." How nice it would be for Micaiah to contribute to the beautiful
unity prevailing among that notable assembly of kings and prophets. But Micaiah
must have been "an old crank." "And Micaiah said, As Jehovah liveth, what
Jehovah saith unto me, that will I speak." And into the presence of the king he
walked, looked him in the eye without a tremor and delivered God's message. The
king was furious but to the everlasting glory of Micaiah he didn't compromise an
inch. "And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon,
Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets; who through faith
sub­dued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths
of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from
weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of
aliens." These men come as a "great cloud of witnesses" out of the past with a
supreme message for the men of the present. Without exception they testify that
abiding faith in God and invincible courage in the execution of His will fill
the measure of the well-armoured man


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 9: THE RELIGION FOR TODAY
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The Religion For Today THE RELIGION FOR TODAY. BY F. L. ROWE. Our secular papers
have been very prompt in telling us, now that the war is over, what must be the
religion of the future. They base their declaration on the demand that they say
the boys, who have been in the trenches, are making, whereby will be brought
about a harmonizing of the religious differences that have existed since
colonial days.

It is really wonderful how much profound wisdom (or remarkable ignorance) these
city papers possess regarding the purpose of God, the mission of his Son, and
the divine plan of salvation as revealed to us in the teaching of his Son. To
listen to these editors today we are told, from the standpoint of the boys who
have been thrown in contact with all forms of religion, of no religion, and of
open hostility to all religion, that the future basis for church activity must
be established on morality, uprighteousness and a square deal. These boys tell
us that the army chaplain, the camp pastor and religious workers, as such, were
not regarded with favor; but that these individuals were treated like any of the
rest of the boys if they made themselves one of the boys. In other words, that
the boys in the trenches did not have much use for any doctrinal teaching, or
any religion that set itself up as opposed to any other form of religion. It has
been valuable information, however, to learn through these religious workers,
that the boys in the trenches were most studious in reading their little pocket
testaments in what little seclusion they could obtain; and that the word of God
had not lost its power when the boys found time to enjoy it as a source of
information or for individual comfort. We can rejoice, therefore, in knowing
that the word of God, or the Gospel, is still the power of God, whether that
power is exerted in the churches, in the quiet of the country home, or in the
trench on the firing line.

Another thing that has been revealed by these boys in their reading, is their
admiration for a character like Paul. Those who have been with them say that as
a result of their reading Paul has become their embodiment of all that is noble
and manly. They admire him because they say he was so much a man that when he
found he was mistaken he was not ashamed to admit it. Let us lie comforted,
there­fore, in feeing that the present war has aided the cause of our Master by
bringing these boys in direct and personal touch with the Gospel. Let us do our
part in helping them, now that they are coming home, to better understand the
meaning of the Scriptures and assist them to properly grasp it and to
appropriate it to their own needs. If this result of the war should lead to the
salvation of thousands of souls, we can feel relieved that the war, after all,
was for some spiritual purpose, as well as for some great international up­lift
through human agencies.

Paul's work, as an individual and through his writings, was wholly constructive.
He sought not his own elevation, but rather to lift Christ up in the hearts and
minds of the people. Our own nation, as a party to this terrible war, had no
selfish purpose to advance, but assisted from a purely humanitarian motive that
others may be blessed through the sacrifices that our noble boys have made.

Paul as an individual is not known to have been person­ally attractive, nor
possessed of eloquent speech; and doubt­less when he entered the city of Athens
the people looked at him derisively and wondered who he was and what his
pur­pose. Paul also quickly sized them up and soon perceived that they were idle
talkers, always wanting to hear some new thing. Their interest in him was
concentrated in the cynical query, "What will this babbler say?" What he said
then has come on down through the ages, even to the present time, and we still
hear him with wide-open mouth and eager ears, and drink in of his spiritual
wisdom that we may conform more and more to the divine likeness. The religion of
Paul has not changed from the time Paul spoke to the Athenians or addressed
himself to Agrippa. The same eternal truths stand out as fundamental to our
continuance as individual Christians and as collective organizations. Men,
through their so-called wisdom, have changed much truth into de­liberate lies,
so that good men are misled, confused and lost. The fault is not in the truth,
but in the failure of men to honestly present that truth; and in the inability,
or unwill­ingness, of men to investigate to know the truth, which is able to
make them free. The quiet study of the Scriptures by the boys in the trenches is
bringing the boys to a knowledge of the truth in a way that they will be quick
to defend it when they hear it perverted by those who claim to be leaders of the
people. The word of the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. The
Gospel that was needed at the time of Christ is the Gospel for today. In spite
of what the newspapers tell us, there is nothing that we can change and there is
nothing that needs changing, except that men's minds must become more
susceptible to the truth and evince a willing­ness, yea eagerness, to receive
the truth.

Personally, I regard our so-called "modern critics" as far more dangerous than
all the books written by Voltaire, or other infidels. Modern criticism is a
miserable camouflage that has made wreck of thousands of precious souls.
Vol­taire as an infidel came out four-square in his opposition to the Bible, and
we know exactly his position and expect no admissions or concessions or
apologies from him. While we, therefore, admire his frankness as contrasted with
the in­sincerity and infidelity of modern critics, we are neverthe­less made to
smile as we recall the total failure of the prophesies made by Voltaire and
others. His name even would be forgotten today if our pulpit speakers did not
constantly refer to him. Other infidels, who have lived and profited by so much
per night from the gullibility of de­luded people, who wanted comfort for their
perverted lives, would also be relegated to the rear and be long ago forgot­ten
if we did not bring them back to point out the results of their misdirected
energy. Voltaire was bold to say, that within one hundred years from the time he
wrote, the Bible would be a forgotten book. Over against that rash proph­esy he
tried to calculate the influence of the life and death of our Lord, whose words
are read daily in six hundred and fifty distinct languages in every portion of
the globe. Verily the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea.

It has been calculated by Bible publishers that nearly seven hundred million
volumes of the word of God, in whole or in part, have been circulated since the
art of printing was invented. The British Bible House today contains records of
editions of the Scriptures in about seven hundred and twenty-five languages and
dialects. This total includes the complete Bible in one hundred and forty
different forms of speech. During the past ten years the Scriptures have
appeared in a new language on an average of one every six weeks. During the
period of the war four million copies of the New Testament have been given to
the boys in the service. During the first four years of the war the British and
American Bible Societies issued the Scriptures in eighty-five languages or
dialects, which means that that many tongues have been involved in this present
world war.

Now that the period of reconstruction and readjustment is upon us, what must be
the religion for today? I have already told you that the big newspapers tell us
that we must shape it to meet the changed views of the boys coming home; but if
I can read between the lines, I cannot see that the boys are asking us to change
the word of God. It may be that they will demand that we preach the Gospel the
way it is written, and I believe they will, because the boys have had lessons
through their terrible experiences over seas that will cause them to think
seriously of every­thing for the rest of their days. They will look upon life in
a way that life had never before impressed itself. They see new responsibilities
that they did not know they would have to assume. They recognize, in a degree
never before considered, the importance of nobility in life, the value of truth,
as well as the highest in personal character. Their serious consideration of
everything will make them equally serious in matters spiritual—in their defense
of God's word that it may be properly and honestly presented. In this way the
boys are going to be a powerful incentive for more intense preaching than we
have ever heard. Are we going to take advantage of our opportunity to use these
boys to the glory of God while they are in this serious mood? The . church has a
great work before it; a work that should be impressed upon the church in a way
that the church has never realized it before.

These boys in your own homes, in your own towns, in your own audiences, are not
the only ones to reach, but they are the ones that we should work especially
hard for, because of the great value they will be to the church when we once
enlist their efforts under the Captain of our Sal­vation. Accordingly the duty
of the church must be im­pressed and the churches stirred up to greatest
activity. I am glad to find that our semi-religious and even secular papers are
urging the importance of this agitation. I want you to hear what the Sentinel of
Toronto has recently said along this line: "Any church will not do. Christianity
is an appeal to the individual conscience. 'Let ..-very man be fully per­suaded
in his own mind,' says the Scriptures. If any be­liever will give the Bible a
reasonable examination he will certainly arrive at definite conclusions. Truth
is eternal and worthy of the most diligent search. Protestantism appeals to each
individual to search until he finds it. Those .who teach that it is not
necessary to have any definite ideas will naturally drift toward Romanism, where
laymen are not expected to exercise their God-given intelligence in re­ligious
matters. The Reformation did not produce a new religion. It was a return to the
primitive truth. True Protestants believe that Protestanism is the purest form
of Christianity, and the nearest approach to what is taught in the word of God.
It has stood the test of time. If the war has shown anything it has proven the
value of, and emphasized the self-sacrificing spirit of, Protestantism. Why
attempt to alter, or abolish that which has stood the test? Those who would
abolish definite beliefs are no friends of Protestantism, and their propaganda
will be re­sented by every true Protestant. It is still right to 'prove all
things, hold fast that which is good.' Christianity is the sum and substance of
all truth, and cannot be improved upon. It is foolish to strike at the
foundation of Protest­antism until something else more closely approaching
Christianity is discovered."

I also want you to hear what one of our English church papers (the Bible
Advocate) has said along the same line: "We are all rejoicing that the war is
over. A great many questions, however, yet remain to be settled. The nation and
the church must make earnest preparation for the coming days of peace. We want a
new world. The church of the living God exists to make known the Divine will, to
bring to the world the treasures of grace and truth of which it has the
stewardship: and this it can do by preaching Christ and Him crucified.

"Now, therefore, is the hour of the church of Christ. Before her stands open a
door of opportunity which no man can shut. Let her enter with the message of
hope and brotherhood. God is the Creator of the new world, not man; man shall be
the laborer. It has been well said that if there were no God we should have to
invent one; for if man is the highest thing in the world, the world is insane.
But God has revealed Himself to us in the person of His Son. Have we seen that
Divine vision? If so, then the former things shall not be remembered, nor come
into mind; we shall labor to get the Spirit of the Christ into all human life.

"Three things must be clearly seen by us in all our work. (1) The Cross of
Christ reveals the terrible earnest­ness of the Divine government in dealing
with transgres­sors; it shows that the ends of goodness are impossible if the
demands of justice are not satisfied. (2) Christ is the Exemplar of moral
heroism; He:ame to do the will of His Father, and He was faithful to that unto
death. (3) A personal conscious acceptance of the Saviour is everywhere taught
in the New Testament as being the condition of sal­vation. And there must be the
individual regeneration before there can be the collective newness in our day."

I also want you to hear one of the tersest statements I ever read and one that
to my mind shows more of the real heart in it than any similar document I ever
saw. This is sent out by the Publication Committee of our churches in England,
and is an appeal to the boys from the churches as they return from the firing
line to engage in the more enduring and satisfying service if fighting for the
Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Listen and weigh every word of this
wonderful appeal to these British soldiers:

"OPEN LETTER TO DEMOBILIZED CHURCH MEMBERS. "Brothers all, "Thank God you are
giving up the stern, sad duties of war. You have been brought safely through
severe peril by land and sea. The gates of a new life have now been opened to
you by the. Father of all mercies. "Your restoration lo us is not only a matter
of unspeak­able joy, but one of immense importance. We missed you from our
churches when you went out. We have prayed without ceasing for your safe return.
Our prayers are answered —we believe with a purpose. The churches unite in
declaring their welcome home to you all. An increasing desire for a great
forward movement is in the atmosphere. Tn that victorious advance we need every
man of you. Like you, we are dissatisfied at the meagre results of so many
years. We want to share not only the idea, but the power and reality, of a
reconstructed Britain. "Call it by what name we will, we are. quite certain the
best and most enduring of all regenerative forces is New Testament Christianity.
To advocate the claims of Christ and to spread the truths preached by His
Apostles is our joint aim. " Your choice of occupation may not yet be decided.
The call of Christ and the need of this country for preach­ers of a full-orbed
salvation admits of no denial, and allows of no delay. Why not make your mind up
to this, the most honorable of all callings? You feel your own limitations!
There is no work for you unless you do! Christ cannot use men, who are
self-sufficient. Your sense of inadequacy is not any reason why you should hold
back from this exalted Crusade. Today this is more than ever true. Many of you
have become what you are by training —not by in­clination. Once you were raw and
reluctant recruits, per­haps. Now you are inferior to none in your fitness as
soldiers. "We have to remind you that you will have an oppor­tunity of training
for the glorious campaign to which the Saviour-Captain calls. A Training College
is in formation. Here everything likely to make you acceptable and fit as
preachers will be at your disposal. The arrangements are almost complete. "The
peoples of this land, already safe from the peril of foes that are seen, ran
only be saved from spiritual disaster if men, real men, will take them Christ's
redemptive message. We in the churches are determined to help you all we can. We
want to see not 16,000 only, but thousands more set for the propagation of a
simple but sufficient gospel. "Lend your ears to this call —dedicate your lives
to this sublime end. Make this Homeland a veritable Habitation of God, to the
blessing of the generations for whom so many of you have fought and so many of
your comrades have fallen. May your thoughts be directed from above in this
momentous day of opportunity! With heartiest greetings, THE GENERAL EVANGELIST
COMMITTEE.” Not only must the church throughout the world be awake to these
splendid opportunities, but we must also have faithful men in every congregation
who know the truth and can defend it. One of the great reasons for our weakness
in some sections has been the lack of spiritually - minded men, who are
sufficiently impressed with the truth to realize their great responsibility to
the God of Heaven. Too many times our elders are officials and nothing else.
Often we will find that the deacons are incompetent and without much local
prestige. We must bring to the front and keep at the front our strongest and
brainiest men — men who have been tested and found capable and ready. We must
have leaders who can act as generals in directing the activities of the home
work. It they can act as. over­seers and simply direct the activities and act as
watchmen on the tower, all well and good, but we must have men protecting every
inch of ground if we expect to hold that ground and to advance into new
territory. We must have men so thoroughly consecrated that they are willing and
ready to lay down their lives for the truth. We read about such things in Paul's
experience, but we don't often see it where we happen to live. We must have men
who are able and ready to spring to the front and defend the banner of Jesus
Christ.

Perhaps I can illustrate my meaning by this illustration, which is an experience
I had some years ago, I took a trip through the Thousand Islands of the St.
Lawrence River. That year had been an unusually dry one through­out the north
and even the Great Lakes were reported to be a foot lower. There are three
series of rapids through the St. Lawrence, the third being the most dangerous.
They are known as the Lachine Rapids. The boat we were on was a pleasure craft
operated for sightseers and was es­pecially built for the narrow channel. Of
course, there were great masses of rock in the course of the river, some of
which was not visible, but every rock was known to the pilot. As we entered the
rapids I could notice the terrific speed at which we were going by observing
objects on the shore. We were dashing through the water with almost the speed of
an express train. The average passenger was ignorant of any particular danger,
but as I recalled the fact that the river was lower than common, I was made to
realize that we were in real danger, and T regarded it as almost foolhardy to
have taken such a risk. I glanced once at the pilot house and saw the faithful
pilot with his eye fixed on the course and holding the little boat under
control, but a moment or two later our boat gave a sudden lurch with such force
as to throw nearly every passenger to his knees. My first thought was, "We are
gone." In­voluntarily I looked to the pilot house again and there, instead of
one man at the wheel, were five men and a sixth one stood by for emergency.
These men sprang to the wheel at just the right time. The current of the river
was such that the one man could not have held the vessel in the narrow channel
and avoided the rocks. The other men were there when needed. A second or two
later all would have been lost. This illustration drives home the responsibility
of the standard-bearers in the Church of Jesus Christ. We must have men today
who are equal to any emergency that may develop; men who can stand by and see
the ship of Zion sailing peacefully in still waters or where the current is not
dangerous, but men who are ready when the call for help is heard to spring to
the front and take their hand at the wheel and help guide the old craft through
the danger­ous rapids and bring it safely again into the calm waters below.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 10: WHY STUDY THE BIBLE?
========================================================================

Why Study The Bible? WHY STUDY THE BIBLE? BY G. DALLAS SMITH. The study of the
Bible is of vital and supreme importance to the whole human race. To Timothy in
the long ago, Paul said, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy
2:15). Timothy had been reared under quite favorable circumstances, in that his
mother and his grandmother were both women of faith; they believed in and
worshiped the God of our fathers. This mother, no doubt, and probably the
grandmother, had taught Timothy the Holy Scriptures from his youth; for Paul
says, "that from a child thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Timothy had known the sacred writings from a child. But where is the child today
that knows the Holy Scriptures? Where are the young people who know the sacred
writings? And where are the older people of whom it may be truthfully said they
know the Holy Scriptures? WHERE ARE THEY? Our chil­dren may enter the first
grade of our public schools and pass from grade to grade until they are
graduated, and still know nothing about God's great book —the Bible. They may
enter the higher schools and training schools and grad­uate with honors from
these, and still be almost as ignorant of the Bible as they were when they first
saw the light. They may enter the colleges and universities of the land and
graduate from these with high honors and still know prac­tically nothing about
the greatest book in all the world. I do not mean to criticise the public
schools, the colleges and universities. It is not their mission to teach the
Bible, or religion. In the main, they are strictly literary institutions. But I
am merely stating the facts as they really exist. One may be indeed learned and
brilliant without a knowledge of the Bible, but no one is truly educated—in the
truest and best sense —as long as he is ignorant of the sacred writings. It has
been said, " I f you educate a mean man, you make him meaner still." If I
believed this I should favor the closing of all educational institutions; for
there is more or less meanness in air of us. But while it is not true that
educa­tion makes a mean man meaner, still it is true that an educated mean man
is a greater enemy to society than the uneducated mean man—all because he is
more capable of devising and scheming, and of executing his wicked schemes by
virtue of his education. The fault lies in the character of the education. The
mental faculties are trained and de­veloped while the moral faculties often go
undeveloped. We should plead for an education that develops one phys­ically,
mentally and morally. But such an education is impossible if we do not take into
account the one Great Book —the book of sacred writings.

There are many reasons high and holy why we should study the Bible as we do no
other book in the world. There are vital and eternal reasons why we should know
the Bible as we know no other book in the world. In the first place, no one can
know God without knowing the Bible. We can­not know God as he is without a Bible
education. Oh, we may have heard about him; we may know some things about him;
but we cannot know him as he really is unless we know him as he is revealed in
his holy word. To Solomon, in the long ago, David said, "Thou, my son, Solomon,
know thou the God of thy fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a
willing mind." And it is just as necessary for us to know God as it was for
Solomon to know him, and the only way for us to know him is to study his
revela­tion —know him as he is revealed. From the famous Areop­agus in Athens,
Paul addressed an educated, cultured and refined audience, and, among other
things, he said to them: "I perceive that you are very religious, for as I
passed by, and beheld your devotions, I saw an altar with this inscrip­tion, 'To
the unknown God.' Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."
(Acts 17:22-24). Now here is an audience of educated, cultured and refined
people —a people who spent their time in learning something new and imparting it
to others, a real learned audience, but they were ignorant of the one true and
living God who had given them existence in the world and from whom all their
real blessings came. And it is possible today for people to be learned, cultured
and refined, and still be ignorant of the God from whom all blessings flow. It
is not only possible for it to be thus, but we are living in the midst of just
such conditions right now. Many of the most learned, cultured and refined, from
a worldly viewpoint, are grossly, densely and shamefully ignorant of the
fundamental principles of God's revelation to the human race; and, therefore,
ignorant of God, of course. We can never come to know God through the wisdom of
this world. To the church at Corinth Paul said: "For after that in the wisdom of
God the world by its wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolish­ness of
preaching to save them that believe." (I. Cor. 1:21). He says, "The world
through its wisdom knew not God." And we may truthfully add, that the world
through its wisdom cannot know God. But is it not possible to know God through
the book of Nature? Does not Nature in all its beauty and glory speak to us of
him who in the begin­ning created all things? The condition of countless
thou­sands among the heathen nations today, many of whom are close students of
Nature, but who do not know the God of their spirits, answers in thunder tones,
NO! As a matter of fact, man left to the study of Nature, without a revela­tion,
falls to worshipping Nature. He is never able to see through Nature to the God
who stands behind it. In the long ago, the Egyptians who lived on the banks of
the historic River Nile, discovered that as a result of the annual overflow
there was left a sediment which enriched their lands and gave them abundant
harvests. But they did see through all this and recognize the God of heaven as
the giver of all good?

No, they fell to worshipping the River Nile, and it be­came a sacred river to
them. When Primeval man, in ages past, began to study the heavens, he observed
that the rising sun dispelled the mists and fogs and set all Nature to singing.
But did he discover in all this the God of Nature who stands behind the Sun? No,
he fell down and wor­shipped the sun. And when the sun went down behind the
western hills, and the stars began to blossom, one by one, "in the infinite
meadows of heaven," "forever singing as they shine the hand that made us is
divine," did primitive man hear the "music of the skies" and discover the Cod
who spake the worlds into existence? Not at all. He became a star worshipper. No
wonder Paul says. "The world through its wisdom knew not God." There is just one
way to know God, and that is to know the sacred writ­ings —to know the Bible.
But does not David say, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
showeth his handiwork?" Yes, the heavens do declare the glory of God, but only
to the man who knows God created them. The heavens do not declare the glory of
God to the man who is ignorant of God. We can know God only through his
revelation —by studying his word.

We should study the Bible, also, as a means of knowing Jesus our Savior. We can
know great and prominent men without knowing the Bible, but we cannot know the
man Christ Jesus, "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" unless we, know
God's revelation respecting him. One day while Jesus sat at Jacob's well near
the city of Sychar, or ancient Shechem, a woman of Samaria came to draw water
and he asked her for a drink. The woman, not knowing him, except that he was a
Jew, said to Jesus, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest a drink of me,
which am a Samaritan woman?" And Jesus said to her: "If thou knewest the gift of
God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me drink, thou wouldst have asked of
him and he would have given thee living water." (John 4:1-15). Now here is a
woman who had been married five times, a woman who is versed in her own religion
and that of her fore­fathers, but she does not know Jesus. And there are
multi­tudes of people today, grown people, educated people, and people who know
their religion, who do not know Jesus as he really is —all because they do not
know God's revelation respecting him. The only way possible to know Jesus is to
know him as he is revealed, and the man who is not familiar with his life story
as pictured in the New Testa­ment, does not know Jesus, regardless of whatever
else he may know. The Jews of Jerusalem condemned and killed Jesus —all because
they did not know him, and they did not know him because they did not know the
Scriptures. Some years ago back in Tennessee a man shot and killed one of his
best friends who had driven till late in the night that he might spend the
remainder of the night with him. The man had had some trouble with another man
during the after­noon, and his life had been threatened. He went home and
retired, expecting trouble before morning, and therefore prepared for it. Mis
friend drove up to the front gate late in the, night, and invited him out. lie,
thinking it was the man who had threatened his .life, opened the door and fired
the contents of his gun into the body of his friend. It was a pitiful
circumstance, and genuinely regretted by the friends of both men. So it is a
pitiful wail that goes up from the Jews of Jerusalem when Peter convinces them
that they have crucified their own Messiah. They at once, cry out and say, "Men
and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). They had killed, not only their
best friend, but their Savior and Redeemer, just because they did not know him —
just because they did not. know the Scriptures pertaining to him. But is it of
so much importance that we know God and Jesus? Is it essential to our salvation
to know them? The importance of knowing God is suggested and empha­sized by the
apostle Paul when, in writing to the church at Thessalonica, he says: "To you
who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that
know not God." (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). Since Jesus, when he comes, is to take
vengeance on all those who know not God, it is of supreme importance that we
"know the God of our fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing
mind." Again, the importance, yea, the. necessity, of knowing both the Father
and the Son, is clearly set- forth in the language of Jesus himself when he
says, "This is life, eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."' (John 17:3). Jesus says our eternal life
depends on our knowing him and his Father, and our knowing Jesus anr| the Father
depends on our knowing the Bible. And our knowing the Bible de­pends on our
studying the Bible. Hence we should all heed the admonition to "Study to show
thyself approved unto God." And again, we should study the Bible as a means of
knowing the great plan of salvation which was wrought out in the life work of
Jesus and scaled by his own precious blood. Jeremiah says: "O Lord, I know that
the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his
steps." (Jeremiah 10:23). And this is the very reason why God has given us a
revelation. If man were capable of directing his own steps, he would have no
need for a guide­book. If all men knew intuitively just how to be saved — just
how to direct their steps and alter their ways, so as to meet the divine
approval, then we would not need this reve­lation. But God has graciously
revealed the plan of salva­tion to us because it was an absolute necessity. Just
as the eunuch in the long ago needed some one to guide him, since he had not the
New Testament scriptures to guide him, just so man today needs a guide in
matters to religion, and God has given us the Bible for this purpose. But is it
neces­sary to know the plan of salvation? Is it necessary to know how to be
saved? Suppose one does what he honestly thinks is right, maintaining at all
times a good clear conscience, can he not be saved in this way? The fact that
Jesus sent the apostles into the world to proclaim and make known the plan of
salvation, with the assurance that they would be persecuted, shamefully treated,
even killed for the perform­ance of this duty, shows that it is necessary for
the world to know the plan of salvation. Why should Jesus subject the apostles
to such labor and toil, persecution and death, if a man can be saved without
knowing the plan of salvation. Furthermore, Jesus says, "If the blind lead the
blind, both will fall into the ditch." (Malt. 15:14). It matters not how honest
one may be, if he is blind to the truth, and is led by some one who is blind to
the same truth, he and the leader both will be lost. There is no other
construction to place on Jesus' language.

We should study the Bible because of the fruit it has borne and is bearing even
today. Have you stopped to con­sider what the Bible has done for the world of
mankind? It has made better homes, better fathers, better mothers, better
husbands, better wives and better children. It has made better masters, better
servants, better teachers and better pupils. It has made better everything. The
Bible has ever been the forerunner of enlightenment, civilization and progress.
Wherever it has been read, loved and obeyed, the land has been made to prosper
and to blossom as the rose. It has built our schools, established our
orphanages, and founded our institutions for the blind and the infirm. Contrast
for a moment the conditions in Spain and in the United States. In Spam for
hundreds of years the Bible has been, in a large measure, a closed book, because
it is a priest-ridden land. In the United States there is an open Bible in
practically every home. And what do we find? In Spain, out of a population of
more than nineteen millions, there are more than twelve millions who can neither
read nor write. There are said to be thousands of towns in Spain which have no
schools of any kind, and hundreds of villages in the interior where there is not
a soul who can read. Con­trast this with conditions in the United States, where
almost every child is within the sound of a school bell, and you can begin to
realize what an open Bible has been to this "land of the free and home of the
brave." The Bible has done much to lift up the human race, in lifting up woman,
who is the mother of the race. The Bible found her in slavery, and has in an
important sense liberated her and exalted her to her proper sphere in life. It
has been said, "Woman was not taken from man's foot that lie should tread upon
her; nor' from his head that she should rule over him; but from his side that
she might walk side by side with him through life, to enjoy his pleasure and
share his sor­rows." But she enjoys this privilege only in a land where the
Bible is read and obeyed. In other lands, as a rule, woman does not appear with
her husband and sons on the streets. And in the home she serves them and then
eats as the servants do in this country. It is a matter of history that the
American Indians made their wives do all the hard work —all the drudgery —and
then occupy the coldest place in the wigwam, as every school boy and girl knows.
In the East Indies it was for a long time the custom to burn the widow alive on
the funeral pyre of her dead husband, until the English law forbade it. The
princes in the Fiji Islands were accustomed to build their palaces with each
corner over a woman buried alive, so little were the rights of woman considered.
It is only in a land where the Bible has molded the sentiment that woman enjoys,
to any extent, her God- given rights. And if she does not enjoy all her rights
and privileges in our own land, it is all because we are still far from being a
Bible people even yet. When we all learn to practice unreservedly the principles
of divine truth, as set forth in the "Golden Rule," then all men and women will
enjoy their full and just rights, and then will dawn that happy time of which
the prophets of old dreamed, when "they shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks" —a time when the nations shall learn war no
more; when every man may sit down under his vine and fig tree, and none shall
make them afraid; for the glory of the Lord shall fill the whole earth.

I must not fail to suggest one more reason why we should study the Bible as we
do no other book in the world. It is the one book by which we are to be judged
when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ in that last great day! Paul
says God has "appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness" (Acts 17:31) by his Son Jesus Christ. Again he says, "For we
shall all stand before the judgment seat of Chirst." (Romans 14:10). And once
more he says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath
done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10). There is no possible way
to escape the judgment. We must meet it either prepared or unprepared. And when
we stand in the presence of the Judge of all the earth, we shall not be admitted
into the "Realms of the blest" by our various church registers. We must be
judged by the Bible. John says, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works." (Revelation 20:12).
Surely, in view of the great judgment day, toward which we are all hastening, we
should study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen who need not to be
ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. The Bible is the one living and
eternal book. Jesus says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall
not pass away." (Matthew 24:35). And the apostle Peter said, "All flesh is as
grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and flower falleth: but the word of the Lord endureth forever." (1 Peter
1:24-25). This was spoken nearly two thousand years ago, and still the word of
God endures —it still abides, and is destined to live throughout eternity.
Voltaire, the great French infidel, who died in the year 1778, predicted that in
one hundred years Christianity would be swept from the globe and the Bible lost.
But what really happened? About twenty-five years after his death the British
and Foreign Bible Society was founded, and this one Bible concern alone has
given to the world some two hundred million copies of the Bible in some four
hundred different languages. In the year 1905, this Bible society issued about
six million copies of the Bible. This means eleven copies every minute, seven
hun­dred copies every hour, more than sixteen thousand copies every day for the
entire years. Even Voltaire's printing press, on which his infidel literature
was printed, was made to print Bibles after his death, and the very house in
which he lived was used as a storage room for Bibles, so mightily grew the word
of God. Thomas Jefferson, in his book on Western Virginia, published about the
time Voltaire died, predicted that in fifty years from then there would not be a
Bible in America, unless it was found in some Curiosity Shop. But what happened
in this case? Well, just about fifty years from that time the American Bible and
Tract Society passed a resolution to place a copy of the Bible in every home in
the United States, and that good work has continued with marvelous success,
until today it is practically impossible to find a home where there is not at
least one copy of the Bible. Truly the Bible lives!

According to reliable estimates, there are now in circu­lation some seven
hundred million copies of the Bible, in more than five hundred different
languages. And the de­mand for it is greater today than ever before. Well may we
ask, how has the Bible won this rare distinction among books? Strange as it may
seem, it has won its way in the world in the face of the bitterest opposition.
And its exist­ence and popularity today is little less than a stupendous miracle
which attests its divine origin. The original manu­scripts from which the Bible
was compiled were committed to the Jews for safe-keeping. These writings
abounded in the severest denunciations of the Jews, and proclaimed, over and
over, again and again their utter destruction on account of their many sins. So,
the most natural thing at all would have been for the Jews to rid themselves of
the whole of it; but they preserved them with even superstitious care. Infidels
have from time to time spent their strength in trying to destroy the Bible,
while Rome has tried to burn it and its readers out of existence. Still, the Old
Book rises up today like a phoenix from the fire, as little harmed by their
feeble attacks as were Shadrack, Meshack and Abed- nego by Nebuchadnezzar's
fiery furnace in the long ago. It- reminds one somewhat of the Irishman's fence
which was built about his premises, three feet high and four feet wide. When
asked why he had been so foolish as to build a fence wider than it was high, he
replied. "So when the storm blows it over it will be higher than it was before."
It is even so with the Bible. After all the storms of persecution that have been
hurled against it by atheists, infidels, skeptics and higher critics, it
occupies a higher place in the world today than ever before. The most popular
books written by men seldom ever reach a sale of more than fifty thou­sand
copies a year, and they do not often survive the cen­tury in which they were
produced. Few books will bear a second reading. But here is the oldest authentic
book in the world; one that has been read more than any other book in all the
world, and yet it is the most popular seller in the whole catalog of books today
—selling at the enormous rate of fifty thousand copies a day —a million and a
half copies a month, or twenty million copies a year! How sublimely true are the
poet's words,

"Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same Year after year burns on that quenchless
flame; Shine on, that inextinquishable light."

Let us remember that the Bible is a divine product, wrought into the texture of
human history and literature by the gradual unfolding of the ages. It is the one
book that deals with man as an immortal soul —making known the beginning of the
race, and going even beyond the begin­ning unto God, who is "from everlasting to
everlasting," and who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. It is
the one book that reveals the origin, the mission and the destiny of the human
race. Without it we are lost in the maze of human speculation in our efforts to
answer the question, "Whence came man and whither does he go?" True, men may
theorize about it, look wise, and tell us we are only highly developed apes, or
an improved stock of monkeys; but this is not very complimentary to the human
race, and should be repudiated by all who have any respect for themselves or
their forefathers. It is decidedly more reasonable and rational to accept the
simple, straightforward story of man's origin; namely, that he was created in
the express image of his Maker. The Bible not only reveals man's origin, but his
final and ultimate destiny, and it is the only book that does. Other books will
tell of a man's birth, his education, his failures and achievements, his death
and burial; but there they all close. The Bible is the only book that lights up
perpetually the pathway of the living and then throws its bright rays of hope
beyond the river of death, bidding us- to walk through the valley and the shadow
of death and fear no evil. The Bible is pre-eminently the "Book of books" —the
one book forever outshining all other books in the literary firmament as the sun
outsplendors all the planets that move in their orbits forever around him. And
in the language of another: "This old book contains the mind of God, the state
of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of
believers. Its histories are true, its doc­trines are holy, its precepts are
binding, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be
safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to
support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the trav­eler's map, the pilgrim's
staff, the sailor's compass, the soldier's sword and the Christian's charter.
Here paradise is restored, heaven is opened and the gates of hell are
dis­closed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of
God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read
it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory
and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be open at the judgment,
and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the
greatest labor and con­demns all who trifle with its holy contents."


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 11: HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
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How To Study The Bible HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE. BY G. DALLAS SMITH The importance
of Bible study was discussed and em­phasized in Lecture IV. It was suggested
that we should study it as a means of knowing God the Father, Jesus Christ his
son, and the great plan of salvation. Further, that we should study it because
of the fruit it has borne and is bear­ing, and because we are to be judged by it
in the last great day. We may add, furthermore, that the Bible should be studied
because it is the medium of all spiritual light. David says, "Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalms 119:105). And again he says,
"The entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the
simple." (Psalms 119:130). As far as we know, or have reason to believe, there
is never one ray of divine light blesses this old world except that which comes
through God's word. And he who is ignorant of the Bible is in the darkness even
until now, regardless of his attainments other­wise. Again, we should study the
Bible because it is the basis of all divine faith. Paul declares that "faith
cometh by hear­ing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). And Peter
says, "Ye know how that a good while ago the Lord made choice among us, that the
Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe." (Acts
15:7). It is just as impossible to have faith or to believe without a knowledge
of God's word as it is to raise a crop without planting the seed. It takes the
seed to produce the crop, and it required a knowledge of God's word to produce
faith. The Bible is not only the medium of all spiritual light and the basis of
all divine faith, but it is also the ground of all genuine hope. Paul says we
are saved by hope (Romans 8:24), and that it is an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." (Hebrews 6:19).
But this sure and steadfast hope comes only through the study of God's word. So,
of course, the study of the Bible is of first and supreme importance.

Then the question, too, of how to study the Bible is paramount. We cannot place
too much stress on this question since our eternal destiny depends on our
knowing the scriptures. I confidently believe that much of the little time that
is given to Bible study is wasted for the lack of a systematic plan of study. An
old brother who had been an elder in the church for many years, and a teacher of
the advanced class on Sunday mornings for twenty-five years, told me a few years
ago, that after studying the Bible all his life he was still fearfully ignorant
of it —that he did not know anything about it, to use his own words. Now what
was the trouble with this old brother? The Bible can, in a large measure, be
learned; and this old brother was capable of learning; but still, with a
lifetime study, he knew almost nothing about it. Evidently this old brother's
trouble lay in his method of study, or rather in his lack of a method. So I
repeat, the question of how to study the Bible is of paramount importance.

Perhaps the most common way of reading the Bible among the masses is to allow it
to fall open at random and read, without anything definite in view'. This common
way of reading the Bible is without plan, method or system, and is but little
better than no Bible reading. One may open the Bible today at the story of
Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, and tomorrow, or the next time it falls open,
at the story of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich disciple; and the reader, knowing
but little about the Bible and its characters, may get the two Josephs mixed. Or
he may open the Bible today and read about Saul seeking the life of David, and
the next time he opens his Bible he may chance to read where Saul was "yet
breathing out threatenings and slaugh­ter against the disciples." (Acts 9:1). In
this way he may get the two Sauls mixed. Again, he might open today and read
about the "kingdom" in the Old Testament, and the next time it may chance to
open in the New Testament and he may read, "Repent ye; for the Kingdom of heaven
is at hand" (Matthew 3:2), and so he may get the two kingdoms mixed. Yes, these
are extreme cases, and may but crudely illustrate the point, but they do suggest
the importance of a more systematic plan of Bible study. If in our literary
schools the pupils should be allowed to deal with their text­books in this
hap-hazard, unsystematic manner, it is doubtful if they would ever be able to
turn out any graduates. And so it is doubtful if anyone will ever be able to
know the Bible, even in a very limited sense, by reading and studying in this
hap-hazard, unsystematic way.

Others think the only way to read the Bible profitably is to read book by book
—from "lid to lid," in order. And while this is admittedly much better than
allowing the Bible to open at random, still this is not entirely satisfactory,
and will not produce the best results. The arrangement of the books of the
Bible, as they appear in our Bible today, does not give the story of the Bible
in connected order. For instance, in reading from Genesis to Revelation —from
"lid to lid," one reads the account of the return of the Israelites from
Babylon, as told by Ezra and Nehemiah, before he reads the very interesting
story of their sojourn in Babylon, as told by Ezekiel and Daniel. This is not
the fault of inspi­ration, of course; but a blunder of uninspired men who
com­piled the Bible. Why they thus arranged the books I do not know; but I do
know that it is always best to study events in the order of their occurrence —at
least until the story is well fixed in the mind. After this it does not matter
so much.

Many others are contented to follow, year after year, the International Sunday
School Lessons, limiting their Bible study almost altogether to this. The
International Lesson plan, to my mind, far from being perfect; in fact, it is
distressingly defective. I seriously doubt if one would ever be able to get a
clear and general grasp of the Bible as a whole by following the International
Sunday School Les­sons. It is largely a skip, hop and jump plan. Frequently
there is but little or no connection between the lessons which follow in rapid
succession. And this makes it practically impossible to ever get an intelligent
hold' on the word of God. Understand me. I am not criticising those who pre­pare
the comments on the lessons. It is the unsystematic plan we are, by common
consent, forced to follow, that I am criticising. I do not believe this plan
will produce satis­factory results, it matters not who prepares the lesson
helps. But I do not want to be misunderstood; a Bible class in which these
lesson helps are used is a thousand times better than -no Bible class. To my
mind the analytical method of Bible study is the method of all. One needs, in
the very first place, to see the Bible as a whole. He needs to see it in all its
parts, its divisions and its subdivisions —to get a bird's-eye view of it, if
you please. Until one is able to thus see the Bible in its general outlines, he
is unprepared to properly appreciate the study of the individual text. Some
years ago over in Memphis, Tennessee, I was permitted to stand and gaze with
pleasure and admiration on a very famous painting. It was a picture of the
"Village Blacksmith," and was pos­sibly some twenty feet square. The painting
had recently sold for $42,000.00, and was then being displayed by one of the
great department stores as a means of advertising their business. I saw this
picture as a whole —saw it in all its parts, its divisions and subdivisions, so
to speak. I saw the shop, the anvil, the hammer, and the stalwart form of the
smith himself. I saw wagon wheels, plows, hoes and rakes. I saw the glow of the
fire as it was fanned by the bellows, lighting up the whole shop. And I saw the
clear eye and the brawny arm of the smith as he stood at his anvil, a
representative of honest toil. I got a bird's-eye view of the whole picture; and
although I am neither an artist nor the son of an artist, and was not accustomed
to studying fine paintings, still I was able to enjoy that picture immensely.
But had I undertaken to study that painting, a square inch at a time, without
ever seeing it as a whole —studying a square inch here and there, moving from
place to place, and from side to side, without any practical plan, I am sure I
never would have formed any conception as to how it looked. I might spend years
on that painting, studying a square inch at a time, jumping from place to place
—-from side to side, without ever seeing the whole picture, and I am sure I
could not give an intelligent description of it. I must first see the picture as
a whole; then descend to its parts, and finally come to the square inch plan.
So, in the study of the Bible, one must first see it as a whole —see it in all
its divisions and subdivisions; he must first get a general grasp of the whole
book; then descend to its divisions and subdivisions, and finally come to the
individual text. This ana­lytical method will surely produce results if
faithfully followed, and it makes the study of the Bible both pleasant and
interesting. But regardless of the plan or the method of study, there are a few
rules that are indispensable to profitable Bible study. These rules should
always be kept in mind. First, we should remember that, while the Bible is all
inspired; while it is all the word of God, yet it is not all applicable to us.
This does not license one to go through the Bible and weed out, so to speak, the
things he dislikes and declare these are not applicable to him. But it is an
important fact, which all should understand, that everything in the Bible does
not apply to us. There is an old song which says:

"No book is like the Bible for childhood, youth and age; Our duty plain and
simple we find on every page."

It is true that there is no book like the Bible for child­hood, youth and age;
but it is not true that we find our duty plain and simple on every page. Many
pages are purely historical, dealing with genealogies and long lists of names.
There are many, many pages on which we cannot find our duty, of course. There
are many commands in the Bible which we are not required to obey, to be sure.
For in­stance, there is a command requiring all the males among God's people to
assemble at Jerusalem three times a year— at the feast of the Passover, at the
feast of Pentecost and at the feast of Tabernacles. But while this is a positive
command from the Lord, it has no reference to us whatever. This command was
given to the Jews when they dwelt in the land of Palestine, and is now
applicable to no one. There is another command which says, "Remember the Sabbath
day to keep it holy." This is another positive command, but it was never of
general application. It never was a command to the Gentiles, of course. There
are even com­mands in the Bible which it would be a sin for us to observe. If we
should chance to see a man gathering up sticks to make a fire on Saturday, and
should kill him for this, it would be considered a great crime against the law
of the land, and a great sin against high heaven, and so it would be. Still
there is a command in the Bible which requires the killing of a man for this
very thing; but it was never of general application —never did apply to us. We
are accus­tomed to send missionaries to idolaters —to those who are pleased to
worship the sun, moon and stars. Still there is a command in the Bible requiring
such people to be stoned to death. But this command was given only to the Jews,
and for the purpose of preventing the spread of idolatry at a very critical
period of their existence as a nation. This command was never of general
application, and it would, of course, be sin to obey it today. There are some
things, even in the New Testament, which do not apply to us. I read a book a few
years ago on the second coming of Christ, in which the author urged the reader
to enter upon the study of the subject in full assurance of faith; "for," said
he, "God has promised to send you the Spirit to guide you into all the truth."
Of course, this promise applied only to a select number of men, and never was of
general application. It is a clear misapplication of scripture. Again, when
Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit; whose
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye
retain, they are retained" (John 20:22-23), he did not speak this for all
people, and for all time; not even for all preachers.. Nor is it applicable to
the priests of Rome today, the Catholic contention to the contrary
notwithstanding. And these are only a few of the instances in the Bible where
the language does not apply to us. But these are sufficient to emphasize the
importance of the rule which says, "Always observe to whom the lan­guage is
addressed."

Another important rule in the study of the Bible is this: ' Study each passage
in its proper setting. It is quite easy to take a passage out of its connection
and apply it as you choose, and be able to prove almost anything thereby. And
this is quite a common way of proving things by the Bible. For instance, if I
were making a speech on prohibition, and wished to convince my audience that it
is wrong to touch, taste or handle the vile stuff, I might quote Paul's language
to the church at Colosse, "Touch not, taste not; handle not" (Colossians 2:21),
and declare the Bible says so; and so it does, in the plainest language. But if
we will study the passage in its proper setting —in its connection, we will
discover that Paul was not speaking of strong drink when he said, "Touch not;
taste not; handle not," and so it proves absolutely noth­ing as far as strong
drink is concerned. The Bible does condemn strong drink, of course; but in this
passage Paul is discussing the doctrines and commandments of men, and says,
"Touch not; taste not; handle not" —have nothing to do with the doctrines and
commandments of men; for they all are to perish with the using. Again, if I were
making an argument on the duty of a sinner to pray, I might quote the language
of Peter to Simon, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if
perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." (Acts, 8:22). Here it
is, and from the mouth of an inspired apostle. But study Peter's language in its
proper setting, and it appears at once that Simon is not a sinner in the broad
sense of that word. Simon had believed on Jesus and had been baptized, and was
therefore saved; for Jesus says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved." So, Simon was a child of God who had sinned, and not the sinner out of
Christ. The pas­sage therefore proves nothing as to the alien sinner's prayer. A
few years ago I heard an old preacher trying to defend the direct call to
preach. He said a man's ability to preach did not depend so much on his training
in school, all of which he said was well enough, but that it depended on the
divine call. He then quoted, "And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he
that is called of God, as was Aaron." (Hebrews 5:4). And the audience seemed to
drink it down as if it were the truth. But if we study this passage in its
proper setting —in its connection, we will see that it does not even touch the
subject of a direct call to preach. When Paul said, "No man taketh this honor
unto himself, save he that is called of God, as was Aaron," he was discuss­ing
the High-priesthood, and not the call to the ministry. So I repeat, it does not
even touch the subject, and this is a very fruitful way of proving false
doctrines. Almost anything can be proven in this way. Why, I can prove, in this
way. that it is right for a man to go out and hang himself, and do it quickly.
Just take three passages, somewhat discon­nected, and we read, "Judas went out
and hanged himself; go, thou, and do likewise; and what thou dost, do quickly."
How easy it is! But if we will study these texts in their proper setting, it
will put an entirely different face on the whole matter, of course.

Again, in our study we must let the Bible speak fully and freely on every
subject; for we must remember that while every passage tells the truth, it takes
every passage of scripture on any particular subject to reveal all the truth on
that subject. So, to select one passage on a subject and refuse to listen to
others on the same subject is to deal unfairly with the word of God. If a juror,
who has been sworn to decide a certain case according to the evidence produced,
should, after hearing one witness, refuse to hear others, saying he had made up
his mind already, while there were a number of other witnesses to be examined,
he would be summarily dismissed by the court as incompetent. And yet this is the
very way many deal with the sacred —the divine witnesses. Take, for example,
Matthew, Mark and Luke as witnesses to the great Commission. Matthew says, "Go
ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and the Son and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have com­manded you." (Matthew 28:18-20). Now, this statement of Matthew's
tells the truth, of course; but it does not tell all the truth respecting the
Great Commission. He says go teach all nations, but he does not say what the
nations are to be taught. He says the taught are to be baptized, but he does not
say what baptism is for and says nothing about the necessity of faith or
repentance. So, it is clear that this passage does not tell all the truth on
this subject. Mark's testimony gives additional truth on the subject. He says,
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:15-16). So Mark tells what
is to be taught, and preached, and he makes it clear that faith, or belief, is
nec­essary, and he shows furthermore that baptism is a condi­tion of salvation.
And Luke's testimony reveals the fact that repentance is to be taught as well as
faith and baptism. The same is true with respect to the recorded cases of
con­version. No one of these accounts gives all the truth on the subject. We
must take what all the witnesses say to get all the revealed truth on
conversion. For example, in Acts 16:30-31, in answer to the jailer's question,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved," Paul answers, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Now Paul tells the truth here,
of course; but lie does not tell all the truth in these words, to be sure. Yet
many people absolutely refuse to hear anything further, and make up their minds
from this testimony alone. It says not one word about repentance or baptism,
both of which we have learned were incorporated in the Great Commission. But
turn to the account of Peter's work on the great Pentecost, and we hear Peter
say to believers, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." (Acts 2:38). Here Peter makes it plain that one must not only believe
but repent and be baptized to be saved. So, in order to learn all the truth on
conversion, we need to study every case of conversion. Again, in (Romans 5:1),
Paul says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ." Evidently this is the truth; but it is not all the truth
on justification, for James says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:24). Paul says nothing about works
or obedience, and many desiring to prove that salva­tion is by faith only, have
accepted Paul's statement as in­cluding everything essential to justification,
and are there­fore led to reject James' statement —when both these witnesses are
inspired. Paul and James do not contradict each other; they rather supplement
each other. But men have made Paul contradict James by adding the little word
"only" to his statement.

Finally, we must always approach the Bible with an honest and open heart. What
one sees in the Bible depends, largely, on what he is looking for, and in this
way only can we account for the many conflicting and contradictory doc­trines in
the world today. Unless we honestly seek for the truth, we shall hardly find it;
and if we are prejudiced against it we are certain not to find it. lie who
conies to the Bible honestly seeking for the truth—only this and nothing more,
is certain to find it; while he who comes seeking support for his peculiar
doctrine is almost as certain to find that, too —at least he will find
some­thing that will serve his purpose to his own satisfaction. We should come
to the Bible to find our doctrine —not to prove it. Any other course is fraught
with serious dangers. We must be perfectly willing to accept what God says,
whether it is to our liking or not. The importance of this rule is set forth in
the case of Balaam.

Many years ago when the Israelites, en route from Egypt to Canaan, pitched their
tents in the land of Moab, the king of that land (Balak) fearing they would lick
up everything as the ox licketh up the grass from the field, sent messengers to
Balaam, a prophet of Jehovah, asking him to come and curse the Israelites that
he might be able to overcome them. Balaam received the messengers and
entertained them over­night, the while waiting to see what God would advise in
the matter. During the night the Lord appeared unto him and said, among other
things: "Thou shall not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they
are blessed." (Numbers 22:12). This should have settled the matter with Balaam
for ail time, and would have settled it, had he been willing to abide the Lord's
decision in the matter. These messengers returned to Balak and reported that
Balaam had refused to come with. them. But Balak, knowing the weak­ness of the
human race, sent unto Balaam messengers "more and more honorable." saying, "Let
nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me; for I will promote thee
unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do; come
therefore, I pray thee, curse me this peo­ple." Now when these "more honorable"
messengers reached Balaam with that very flattering proposition of wealth and
honor, he, knowing what the Lord had said, that he should not go; that he should
not curse the people, "for they are blessed," Balaam, knowing all this, said to
these "honorable" gentlemen, "Tarry ye here also this night that I may see what
the Lord will say unto me more." Remember, the Lord had already spoken plainly
to Balaam, forbidding him to go; but he is unwilling to abide this decision, and
wants the Lord to say "more?' He wants the Lord to tell him to go. Just like an
unruly child, after the parent has forbidden him to go some place, he comes and
renews the request — not willing to be submissive to the parent's will. So,
Balaam, after the Lord has forbidden him to go, wants the Lord to say more —he
wants the Lord to tell him he may go. Well, the Lord does not compel or coerce
people to obey him. He allows them to pursue their own course, after having
ad­vised them. So the Lord came to Balaam and said. " If the men come to call
thee, rise up and go with them," but he assured Balaam that only the words which
he should put into his mouth that should be speak. So Balaam arose and went with
the messengers; but the Record says, "The Lord's anger was kindled against him
because he went." Balaam did not go to God with an honest and open heart,
seeking the truth only. He did not go to God to learn what his pleasure in the
matter was. Balaam had his own way marked out, and went to God to have him
approve it. Like most men when they ask you for advice, they want you to advise
them to follow their own will in the matter. So Balaam wanted God to tell him to
go. And many come to the Bible, as Balaam went to God, with their own course
well defined, wanting to find something that will encourage them, in their own
way. Hence they hunt about from place to place, until they find something that
justifies their course, to their own satisfaction, at least; and then go away,
like Balaam, with the assurance that God said so! But remem­ber "The Lord's
anger was kindled against him because he went." We must not incur the anger of
Jehovah by trying to bend the divine will to suit our own way. This is a fearful
thing! Let us be sure in reading and studying the Bible that we seek at all
times to know the Father's will — only this and nothing more.

" 'Tis one thing, friend, to read the Bible through; Another thing to read, to
learn, to do. 'Tis one thing, too, to read it with delight, And quite another
thing to read it right,

"Some read it with design to learn to read, But to the subject pay but little
heed; Some read it as their duty once a week, But no instruction from the Bible
seek.

"Some read to bring themselves into repute By showing others how they can
dispute; While others read because their neighbors do, To see how long 'twill
take to read it through.

"Some read the blessed Book, they know not why — It sometimes happens in the way
to lie; While others read it with uncommon care; But all to find some
contradiction there.

"One reads with father's 'specs' upon his head, And sees the things just as his
father did; Another reads through Campbell, Stone and Scott, A nd thinks it
meant just what they thought.

"Some read to prove a preadopted creed, Thus understanding little what they
read; And every passage in the Book they bend To make it suit that all-important
end. Some people read, as I have often thought, To teach the Book instead of
being taught."

HOW READEST THOU?


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 12: SOME PRESENT-DAY PERILS AND PROBLEMS
========================================================================

Some Present-Day Perils and Problems SOME PRESENT-DAY PERILS AND PROBLEMS. BY F.
L. YOUNG

I am no alarmist. Neither am I a pessimist. I firmly believe in the triumph of
right over wrong; that the Lord can make even the wrath of his enemies to praise
Him.

It is, however, the part of wisdom to look on both sides, the dark as well as
the bright. If one would avoid and overcome difficulties, they must be seen and
recognized.

There are some perils and problems common to all the ages, and, then, there are
others peculiar to each age. The fathers of the Restoration had to meet
ignorance, prejudice, and sectarian bigotry; but the masses were honest and
intensely religious. Great battles were fought and wonderful victories gained by
those heroes, for there were giants in those days.

They bequeathed to us, their children, a restored gospel, a restored church, and
a restored worship. In fact they restored to the world that gospel which was
preached by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, that worship so full of God's
simplicity, and that church so adequate for carry - ing on all the work of God.
Shall we be as true to the next generation as they were to this? Our perils and
problems differ from theirs, both in kind and in degree. Shall we meet them
bravely and solve them wisely, or shall we be swept from our bearings by that
great avalanche of worldliness that threatens to engulf everything? The spirit
of worldliness is running riot; it knows no bounds. With it are no sacred
seasons or sacred precincts. The amusement craze has defied the God of
entertain­ment, whose attributes are mainly fun and frolic. If this deity were
satisfied with his own territory, the devil's domain, it would not be so
serious. But, like his old proto­type, he intrudes into the meeting places of
sons of God, where is being offered worship in Spirit and in truth. When we turn
to the pages of medieval history and see how the Romans desecrated the church of
God, we lift our hands in holy horror. To gain favor with the heathen they
sanctified their games, festivals and music, saying that, "the end justifies the
means." This spirit of wantonness that would open the door of God's house to
these heathen amusements would sacrifice the fellowship of purity, virtue and
righteousness.

Worldliness today is the deadly apostasy that is poison­ing the atmosphere of
God's Sanctuary. The devotees at this shrine are neither vile nor wicked, as men
count vileness; but they are actuated by a Spirit that would secularize and
commercialize every sacred prin­ciple. A Christless morality is the hidden rock
that is wrecking the old Ship of Zion in many places.

Indifference is another peril with which we must reckon. It is that insidious
negative condition of church life that is sapping the very foundation of God's
Spiritual Temple. No care for the lost; deaf to the wail of the widow and the
cry of the orphan. Heedless to the call of missions; and blind to the great work
of the Christian education. No wonder the apostle asked the question, "How shall
we escape if we neglect?" This spirit of indifference has so deadened the zeal
of the Saints in many places that a deadly pall seems to be hanging over the
church. Like the Ephesians they have gone to sleep in the midst of perils and
surrounded by great opportunities. The voice of the Apostle, "Awake, thou that
sleepest, and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall shine on thee" should be
heralded from the rivers to the ends of the earth.

Another peril that threatens the church in this com­mercial age is business. It
is well to have a business, and to be diligent in business and fervent in
spirit. Serving the Lord. But when one is so absorbed in business as to neglect
to serve the Lord, he needs to hear the warning voice of the Apostle when he
cried saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." The Lord needs
busy men and business men, but, like the Master, one should attend the Father's
business first.

Surrounded as we are with the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is difficult
for christians to stem the current and heed the command.;!o "withdraw yourselves
from everyone that walks disorderly," "mark them," "have no company with them,"
"that they may be ashamed." The lack of wholesome discipline is a peril that is
menacing the efficiency of the church more than any other one thing.

If the life of a citizen of God's Kingdom differs not from the Alien in
self-denial, cross-bearing, and spiritual devotion, why be a citizen? Can the
profession of theory save?

There is no doubt in my mind about the restoration of the faith and theory of
primitive Christianity, but there is room to doubt the restoration of the
practice. Having discovered our need, let us say with the Apostle, "This one
thing I will do." We have been trying for years to set the denominations right;
in fact, we have worked at that so much over-time that we have almost gotten out
of plumb ourselves. May the dear Lord deliver us from a lop-sided Christianity,
from faith without works, from the body without the spirit.

Let us show by our manner of life that the faith we hold not only purifies the
heart, but that it works by love and purifies the church also. A good woman,
after listening to a sermon on the beauty and simplicity of God's plan of
salivation, came up to the preacher and said, "I want to ask you a question."
The preacher, who was accustomed to the use of the query box, said that he would
gladly answer any question. She said, "Do you practice what you preach?" That
question came nearer knocking that preacher off his galavanic battery than any
he had received before. I Jut, holding the woman by the hand, he answered her
question by saying, " I f the time ever comes that I fail to practice what I
preach, I shall quit preaching until the practice catches up."

How to produce an efficient eldership is a present-day problem that needs
solving. The lack of qualified over­seers is a handicap to the church in many
places. The church will not shine as clear as the sun, as fair as the moon, and
as terrible as an army with banners while this condition exists. In solving this
problem there are several prime factors to be considered. A man to be an
over-seer, or superintendent, in the church of Christ must be the result of five
prime factors. First, nature must do her part well. A man with no natural gifts
cannot meet the demand. Time is an element that cannot be discarded, for it
brings ripe­ness, experience, and maturity. Then the Holy Spirit ex­presses the
qualifications or lays down the standard of at­tainment. As the Holy Spirit
makes Christians by reveal­ing God's will and inviting man to accept, so that
same spirit makes men over-seers or bishops in the church of God. Before the
Holy Spirit can make one a Christian, he must desire to adorn that character
that will please God. Before the Holy Spirit can make one a bishop, he must rle-
sire the work. Desire it so earnestly as to meet the standard of measurement.
Desire is a factor not to be neglected. Having found one whose character
possesses these four factors, it is then the duty of the church to recognize
such and appoint him to the work of an over-seer in the house of God. As I face
an audience of more than forty preachers and nearly as many "near" preachers, I
am reminded of another problem —the preacher problem. What shall we do with the
preachers? You no doubt have heard of the old sister's solution. A preacher who
lived hard-by —and he may have lived" hard-up too —had a pea patch, and the
sister had a mule. The mule had a fondness for the preacher's peas. So the
preacher loaded his gun with beans and slipped too close to the mule before he
shot. The mule managed to get outside into the brush before he died. Suspicion
rested heavily on the preacher; so he quit preach­ing for a while. During the
summer revival he got warmed up; his old time zeal returned. He arose in meeting
one day and said he loved everybody and expected to meet nearly everybody in
heaven. "Brethren," he said, "the Baptists will be there, and the Methodist too;
so, also, will the Presbyterians. But —and —brethren, what shall we do with the
Campbellites!" The old sister whose mule had been shot, arose from the rear of
the audience and shouted, "Shoot 'em with beans." There are several phases to
the preacher problem, some of which need considering. Elderly preachers should
encourage the younger by cheerful and optimistic views of the ministry. There
should be no more jealousy or envy among old and young preachers than there is
between one's manhood and boyhood days. Paul, the aged, needs a Timothy as well
as a Timothy needs a Paul. One of the most important phases of this problem is
the attitude of the church to the preacher and the relation of the preacher to
the church. Should the church take charge of the preacher, or the preacher the
church? What is their relationship? Should a preacher hold membership and be in
fellowship with a local assembly like other folk? Should they be members where
they live or somewhere else? Are preachers amenable to the bishops or the
bishops to them? Should a church invite a preacher to labor with them when he
repudiates the church and her overseers? Can a church scripturally withdraw from
a preacher when he does wrong and refuses to repent, just as it can from anyone
else? What should be the attitude of other churches of Christ toward the one
withdrawn from? What should be the atti­tude toward the church that did the
withdrawing? These questions are simply suggestive. A correct answer to them
will help in solving the preacher problem. Many earnest, faithful, loyal,
self-sacrificing men have gone preaching the gospel without money and without
price. They recognized the local assembly with its bishops and deacons as the
highest ecclesiastical authority on earth. With them the preacher is a minister
or a servant of the church and is always amenable to the congregation of which
he is a member.

Censorship. The position of the religious censor is not always recognized or
appreciated. What is sound, or what is unsound is sometimes hard to determine.
Then the ques­tion arises, "Who made him a judge? Where did he get his authority
to pass on the soundness or unsoundness of another's teaching?" Does not the
Apostle teach "to his own master he stands or falls?" Too often the man who
differs from us, because he has learned more than we have, is pro­nounced a
heretic, while the man who thinks as we do is sound in the faith, though he
never spent a moment in the examination of the foundation of the faith. Can a
faithful minister afford to trifle with his conviction because some
self-appointed censor cries, "unsound?" There is no doubt, much teaching that
should never be taught publicly or pri­vately either. And there is much written
that should never see the light. As long as one's life is above reproach, and he
teaches faithfully and plainly God's plan of salvation, should he be condemned
and disfellowshiped because he has clearer glimpses of sonic of God's great
mysteries than I have? No earthly censor can dictate to a faithful gospel
preacher. The overseers of the flock may suggest the best message for the
occasion, but the faithful messenger gets his authority higher up. I have read a
few books on religious theories that I considered speculative Some of their
theories I accepted some I rejected Shall I dis-fellowship the good brother
whose theory I reject? I have resolved never to make anything a test of
fellowship that the Holy Spirit has not made a condition of salvation.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 13: ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN THE BRITISH ISLES
========================================================================

Origin and History of Churches of Christ in the British Isles THE ORIGIN,
HISTORY AND POSITION OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN THE BRITISH ISLES. BY JOHN
STRAITON.

I esteem it a great privilege and honor to have the op­portunity of addressing
this representative body of students and preachers. The subject for our
consideration is The Origin, History and Position of the Churches of Christ in
the British Isles. With this subject I am familiar, and out of the fullness of
the heart the mouth speaketh. My more than twelve years residence in the great
com­monwealth of Texas has endeared to me the Churches of Christ in this State
and has given me many convincing proofs of their good qualities, while my twice
twelve years association in the days of my youth and young manhood with the
Churches across the seas have planted them deep in my heart, there to abide with
a love strong and fervent.

Tonight I am not called upon to preach to you, nor yet to teach, admonish, or
exhort. My role is that of the his­torian, and I will try to place before you in
the clearest pos­sible light the rise, development, and present position of
those Churches with which I was formerly associated. Wherein they differ in
faith or practice from the Churches here I will paint the picture as faithfully
as I can. T do not appear as an advocate tonight, but only to give the facts and
let each draw his own conclusion. If I should be thought to show any partiality,
my only defense is found in the words quoted by the Savior: "No man having drunk
old wine, straightway desireth the new, for he saith the old is better." The
American Restoration Movement began with the Declaration and Address of Thomas
Campbell, and has de­veloped in the full light of history, and may be compared
to an underground river, which when it comes to the surface of the earth is
flowing in full force and volume. The British Movement does not owe its origin
to any one man. About the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth
century a few persons here and there were slowly groping their way towards a
return to the faith and practice of Christ and His apostles as recorded in the
New Testament. They may be compared to the drops of rain which fall upon the
earth, but whose progress from the time they descend upon the earth and until
they appear as part of a flowing stream cannot be clearly or fully traced. The
Church at Rose Street, Kirkcaldy, Scotland, claims to have been formed in the
year 1798. This was the year that Thomas Campbell received a call to a
Presbyterian Church near Armagh, Ireland. I do not think that there is any
question but that the Church at Kirkcaldy has been in continuous existence from
that time till now. and that they have observed the weekly breaking of bread and
have oc­cupied other distinctive New Testament positions. No doubt they have
changed with the passing of years, and grown into a fuller knowledge of
Scriptural teaching. All Churches grow, and there are but few congregations but
have modified their teaching and practice in some respects. In Ireland, as early
as 1804, three years before Thomas Campbell, and five years before his son,
Alexander, sailed for America, a congregation of Independents had so far
progressed as to break bread every first day of the week, and to establish the
mutual teaching of the brethren.

About this time Robert Tener, who knew nothing of the existence of Baptist
Churches, was struck by the accounts of missionary work among the heathen. He
saw that converts were always baptized after believing, and that this was in
accordance with apostolic records. After a while he re­moved to Dungannon, but
knew no one who could baptize him. Soon one Robert Smith, having completed his
train­ing for the ministry, returned to Dungannon. With him Robert Tener sat up
whole nights which resulted in his de­termination to be baptized. Still they
could not hear of a baptized believer in the whole North of Ireland except one
old man in the County of Armagh. It was agreed that Robert Smith should go to
him and be immersed and upon his return baptize Robert Tener, his wife, and his
own brother, William, which was done. These four formed a Church after the
apostolic order, It is pleasant to state that the descendants of the Smith
family are still in fellowship with the Church in Londonderry, Ireland. Other
relatives have come to the United States, and the families by the name of Smith,
Oliver and Tener are descended from them. Sen­ator Tener of Pennsylvania is, I
think, a direct descendant of Robert Tener of Pennsylvania. In 1825 a man in
Newry received from a relative in the United States a copy of Campbell's debates
with Walker and McCalla on Baptism and several odd numbers of the Chris­tian
Baptist. In this way the first news of the American Restoration Movement was
brought to the British Isles. A correspondence with Alexander Campbell followed,
and sev­eral complete sets of his writings were sent to Ireland. From them a
commercial traveler —a Mr. Woodnorth — learned the Truth, and made it known in
Liverpool and Not­tingham, England, and several places in Scotland.

Another beginning may be noticed. In 1809 at Coxlane, a small place in North
Wales, there was a small body of be­lievers who were led to a fuller knowledge
of the Truth by John Davis, who, a few years later, was instrumental in planting
the Churches at Chester and Mollington.

Although here and there a few Churches were found approaching the primitive
order they had little or no knowl­edge of each other and until 1825 knew nothing
of the American Movement. In 1833 there was a small Scotch Baptist Church (a
body differing very considerably from both American and English Baptists)
located in Windmill Street, Finsbury Square, London, which was presided over by
two venerable, but energetic, men nearly eighty years of age. It was not often
that strangers found their way into this unpretentious building; and when during
the summer months of 1833, a young man entered during public worship, it
awakened some curiosity. At the close of the service he talked to one of the
elders, who was none other than Wm. Jones, the well- known author of the
Biblical Cyclopedia, History of the Waldenses, and other works. The stranger's
name was Peyton C. Wyeth. He was an artist and had come from America to Paris to
improve himself in his profession. After a stay in France he was on a visit to
England where he knew no one. For several Lord's days he had wandered about
seeking for some Church where he could hear the same doctrine and find the same
order of worship he had been accustomed to in the United States, but wherever he
went he found himself sorely disappointed. It had pleased God on that day to
conduct him into the chapel in Windmill Street, where he at once found himself
at home, and de­lighted to see disciples worshiping God according to New
Testament order.

Mr. Jones was delighted to learn from the American artist of the work that
Campbell and his co-laborers were doing in the United States. He wrote to
Alexander Camp­bell in September of that year. One may be reminded of conditions
at that time when we learn that it took Mr. Jones's letter seventy days to
travel from London to the United States. An interesting correspondence took
place between these two great men. In March, 1835, Jones began the monthly
publication of the Millenial Harbinger and Vol­untary Church Advocate for the
purpose of republishing and circulating among the Scotch Baptist Churches, of
which he was a member, the writings of Alexander Campbell and other writings of
the Reformation Movement. The bound volume for the year 1835 lies before me as I
write. The first number is copies almost entirely from the writings of A.
Campbell, but contains also a letter from James' Hen- shall, from which we learn
that the Church at Baltimore, Md. had a meeting house which they built
themselves, "neither asking other Churches or the world for one cent." This
Church had as its officers: three elders, three deacons, and three deaconesses.
At that time there were five papers of the Movement being published in the
United States.

Mr. Jones was mistaken in his views of the American Restoration Movement. He
thought it was a reform move­ment among the Baptists, higher than this he never
aimed. With the June number of 1836 he ceased the publication of his paper after
a short life of sixteen months. He promised to resume its publication after a
rest of a few months, but never did so. He found that the Reformers, whom he had
lauded to the heavens, paid no respect to Scotch Baptist theology. It was clear
that his reprints of Mr. Campbell's articles had shaken the opinions of many of
his readers, and that they were likely to abandon that which was sectarian in
their teaching. The seed which had been sown was des­tined to bear fruit far
beyond his wishes. In March, 1837, there appeared the first issue of the
Christian Messenger and Reformer edited by James Wallis of Nottingham. This
paper has continued, under several names, from that time to the present day, and
is still active and useful. During the long period of eighty-two years there has
only been three editors. James Wallis from 1837 till the close of 1861. David
King from 1862 till his death in 1894, and Lancelot Oliver from then till the
close of 1918. The present editor is R. K. Francis, an evangelist of ability and
power. Our hope and prayer is that he may be spared to carry on the work as long
as any of his predecessors. Among the choicest possessions in my library is a
set prac­tically completed of this magazine from 1835 to the present day. Most
of the facts given in this lecture are copied from the pages of this
publication. It was my privilege to count David King, Lancelot Oliver, and
Robert Knight Francis among my dear personal friends.

There was in Dundee, Scotland, in the year 1839, a con­gregation known as the
United Christian Church, and hav­ing a membership of about three hundred. Its
pastor, who was destined to exert great influence on the Churches of the
Restoration, was George C. Reid. He is described by one who knew him as a man of
great intellectual vigor and yet a man of deep and warm human sympathies. He was
wide awake, a keen observer, quick at perceiving the nature and bearings of a
question. Convinced of the accuracy of his thoughts before he uttered them, they
were expressed with an emphasis that made you feel he was prepared to defend
them to the uttermost. Possessing a deep and powerful voice, he used it with
grand effect. When in an impassioned mood he manifested such flights of
eloquence that he seemed almost inspired. The writer continues "I have heard
many great speakers on sacred themes including Charles Spurgeon, but in my
estimation none were equal to George Reid. One could see at a glance even in his
opening sentences that he was no common manufacturer of sermons. He threw his
whole being into his theme, and I have seen him, after an hour and a half's
speaking, with the veins on his forehead and hands standing up like whipcords. I
have known him, after an exciting meeting, lie prostrate for a day or two before
he could recover stamina." On Thursday evenings Mr. Reid lectured to his
congre­gation, his subjects being taken from Exodus. From the passage of the
Israelites crossing the Red Sea, he endeavored to prove infant baptism. At the
close of the service a few of the members more intimate with the pastor than the
others adjourned to the vestry where the discussion of any knotty point was
continued. On this occasion some ex­pressed the opinion that he had not
established the scriptur­alness of infant sprinkling. The investigation
continued until even Mr. Reid began to doubt. At the close of a ser­mon on 1
John 5; 8, "There are three that bear witness on earth, the spirit, the water,
and the blood, and these three agree in one," the question of believers baptism
presented itself to his mind in so irresistible a manner that he was un­able to
any longer stifle his convictions. At the close of his discourse he startled his
congregation by declaring that he would be a clergyman no longer, that he was
convinced he had not been preaching the Way of Salvation in its fullness, and
that he was now determined that he would no longer sin against God and his
conscience, but would himself be immersed, and trust to the Lord to guide his
lot in the future. A short time after his own baptism Mr. Reid im­mersed
twenty-two in the River Tay under a starry sky. These formed the Church of
Christ in Dundee which still exists as a faithful and loyal congregation.

Mr. Reid did not hide his light under a bushel. He soon became engaged in active
and arduous evangelistic service both in Scotland and England. Congregations
were planted and existing ones strengthened and increased. He was the first
evangelist of the primitive Gospel in the British Isles. In his tours he went
forth without purse, without connection with any committee, depending only upon
such help as the Churches might be disposed to supply. But his journeys soon led
him to see the need of some system of co-operation among the Churches. The
congregations were few in mem­bership, poor in the things of this world, and
utterly unable to do much individually for the support of a preacher and the
spread of the Gospel. Those who have read Charles Kingsley's book "Alton Locke"
can form some idea of the conditions of things in Scotland and England at that
time. But without some reference to history one can hardly im­agine, far less
realize, the poverty and distress of that period. These circumstances led Mr.
Reid to issue an ad­dress to the brethren in November, 1841. He said. "We want a
correct co-operative plan for the bringing out, and continuing in the field of
labor, of efficient men to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation. In what state
are the Scotch Baptist Churches in consequence of their supineness after so many
years of existence! At death's door! And shall we follow in their wake? Every
grateful heart says, No! No! Never! In what state would the Re-formation in
America have been now but for the exertion of their zealous and self-denying
proclaimers? And shall Britons lag be­hind? The simultaneous shout we hear even
now is "We will go forward!" Yes, and we have every reason to antici­pate a
glorious victory. We will, therefore, suggest that the elderships of the
Nottingham and Dundee Churches be re­quested to take this matter into
consideration, and that all those congregations that desire this thing to go
forward should correspond with the said elders on the subject and suggest the
means by which it may be best executed. Let us quit ourselves like men." In
response to this appeal a general meeting of brethren was held at Edinburgh,
Scotland in August, 1842. At that time some fifty Churches were known. These had
a mem­bership of about 1,300 giving an average membership of only twenty-six.
One brother of metre than ordinary interest to us in America was present at that
meeting. I refer to Philip C. Gray. He was spared to send a letter of greet­ing
to the jubilee meeting in 1892, which was also held in Edinburg, a gathering at
which I had the pleasure of being present. On April 6th, 1849, a company of
sixteen includ­ing Brother Gray and his family left Edinburgh, Scotland for
America. Nearly all the Church members were at the station to bid them
God-speed. Arriving in this country they settled in the State of Wisconsin.
Religious meetings were held in private homes in which Brother Gray took an
active part during the time he remained there. In 1857 he moved to Detroit which
was his home till the time of his death. His son. John S. Gray, followed in the
footsteps of his father. He rendered yeoman service to the Church at Plum
Street, Detroit. During his frequent visits to the old country I had the
privilege and pleasure of becoming well acquainted with him. His son, the
grandson of Philip C. Gray, is now an active and honored worker in the Churches
of Detroit. The year of the first general meeting was also the year in which
David King was baptized. Of all the writers and preachers which the homeland has
had, no one has exerted a greater influence or been more faithful to the Truth
than David King. During the next fifty years he labored with pen and voice to
preach the Gospel, to establish the Churches in the Faith, and above all to
resist those who would have perverted the Gospel of Christ. The period from 1842
till 1847 was not marked by much increase. Efforts were made to have Alexander
Campbell visit the old country. He, with James Henshall, visited Scotland and
England in 1847. So much had been read of Mr. Campbell's immerse audiences in
America and of num­erous conversions, that many were expecting similar results
in Britain. But though good halls were occupied and some considerable audiences
assembled, additions were small, owing to the different conditions, politically
and religiously, between that country and this. On reaching London, Mr. Campbell
was the honored guest of the United States Minister at the court of St. James,
the Hon. George Bancroft, the distinguished his­torian; and through him, as well
as through letters from the first men of this country, Mr. Campbell was the
recipient of honors and attentions from the great leaders and mould­ers of
thought in England.

Other experiences not so pleasant fell to his lot. While in Edinburgh, three
clergymen called upon him to congratulate him on his arrival in that city, etc.,
and to inquire of him the position which he held towards American slavery.
Shortly afterwards bills were posted all over the city denouncing Campbell as
the abettor and upholder of menstealers. So excited became the people that Mr.
Campbell had reluctantly to abandon the delivery of his last lecture. A
Presbyterian preacher, challenging him to public debate, wrote, "I am prepared
to maintain that your position and opinions on the question of American slavery
and slave-holding are at once ungodly, unchristian, and inhuman. Mr. Campbell
replied in a vigorous manner and said some things that Mr. Robert­son, the
aforementioned clergyman, did not like. To soothe his ruffled feelings and
repair the injury Mr. Campbell's remarks had done his reputation, he sued Mr.
Campbell for twenty-five thousand dollars damages, but on the sugges­tion of a
friend he reduced the amount to one thousand. Mr. Campbell was advertised to
lecture in Belfast, Ireland, and was about to sail for that place when Mr.
Robertson had him arrested on a fugitive warrant as leaving the country without
waiting the result of this suit. And so Campbell became an inmate of Glasgow
jail. While there his meals were brought to him by two young ladies, Sister Linn
and her cousin, Sister Gilmer. In after years it was my privilege to be a member
of the same congregation as Sister Gilmer, who in course of time had become Mrs.
Dowie. A note of suspension and liberation was presented on Mr. Campbell's
behalf to Judge Murray who promptly ordered him to be set at liberty as there
was no ground for the alleged libel on which the imprisonment was based. In
October, 1847, a second general meeting of the Brit­ish Churches was held at
Chester, England, at which Mr. Campbell presided. The need for some kind of a
co-opera­tive plan whereby the small, weak and scattered congrega­tions could
unite their forces was still felt as much as when Brother Reid had issued his
appeal rive or six years before. There were present at the meeting brethren from
England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The first resolution was "That all the
Churches now represented agree to co-operate in contributing to the support of a
general evangelist." Two brethren at Nottingham and one at Newark were appointed
as the committee to carry the plan of co-operation into effect. The last
resolution was that a meeting of messengers from the Churches be held in the
city of Glasgow, during the third week of September in the year 1848. The annual
meeting thus begun has met every year from 1847 down to last year. The plan of
co-operation has re­mained practically the same. The meeting is a mass meet­ing
of brethren, open to all, without authority of any kind. Each year a committee
is selected to look after the general evangelistic work for the time being. For
many years my British brethren honored me with a place on that committee. The
British brethren are very jealous that ecclesiastisms of any kind should not
grow up among them. In 1861 the fol­lowing resolution was passed to define and
limit the work of the co-operating Churches: "That this cooperation shall
embrace such of the Churches contending for the primitive faith and order, as
shall willingly be placed upon the list of Churches printed in its annual
report. That the Churches thus co-operating disavow any intention or desire to
recog­nize themselves as a denomination, or to limit their fellow­ship to the
Churches thus co-operating, but on the contrary, they avow it both a duty and a
pleasure to visit, receive and co-operate with Christian Churches, without
reference to their taking part in the meetings and efforts of this
co-oper­ation. Also, that this co-operation has for its object evan­gelization
only, and disclaims all power to settle matters of discipline or differences
between brethren or Churches." To this ideal the brethren have adhered with
remarkable fidelity. There is no such thing as buying a place on the committee
by paying a sum of money, nor are there any life members. Brethren are asked to
serve on the committee because of their supposed ability to serve the work and
not because of their wealth or worldly standing. To return to our historic
sketch, the period extending from the first meeting held in Edinburgh in 1842 to
that held in Glasgow in 1848 shows an increase of Churches from fifty to
eighty-seven, and of members from 1,300 to 2,057, an addition of 757 members in
six years. The next eight years showed but little progress due to internal
difficulties, which, alas! were imported from the United States. There had been
baptized by Walter Scott, one Dr. John Thomas. After a short and stormy career
among the American Churches, he repudiated his baptism by Scott, and was
immersed into the Gospel of the Land of Canaan and Materialism. In 1848 Dr.
Thomas visited the British Churches, but concealed from them the fact that he
had repudiated his baptism by Scott on the simple confes­sion that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God. He was at first received by the brethren with open arms,
but as his real position became known he was repudiated. Thomasism, or
Christadelphianism, became, as it remains to this day, a body with but small
power against the Truth.

During the next ten years considerable progress was made. Among a number of
evangelists two stand out with prominence, David King, who labored first with
the Churches in London, and later planted the cause in Man­chester; the other,
J. B. Rotherham, who is known to many as the able translator of the Emphasised
Bible. Tn 1866 the Churches had increased to over one hundred, with a
cor­responding increase in membership. Progress continued normal until about
1876 when the brethren were called upon to face new and serious difficulties. At
the beginning of the Movement the British and Amer­ican Churches occupied
practically the same position, but their development proceeded along somewhat
different lines. (Perhaps it is as well to say that in Britain, the brethren use
the word "American" to describe those Churches which we in this country call
"Digressive," while the old British Churches come more nearly to correspond with
the loyal Churches of this country. Hereafter I am to be understood as using the
words "American" and "British" in that sense. Our loyal brethren and papers are
not so well known in the old country as their merits entitle them to be.) This
difference in development was noticed in Great Britain in 1868 and 1869, and
David King wrote a series of nine letters protesting against the growing spirit
of digres- sionism. These letters were published both in papers in the United
States and in the British Millenial Harbinger. Among the things to which Brother
King objected were: The practice of open communion or permitting the unbap­tized
to have fellowship at the Lord's Table. This has grown until now there are
Christian Churches which advo­cate receiving the unimmersed into membership. The
use of the title "Rev.," a practice which in some small degree is being
tolerated by some loyal preachers as witnesseth the telephone directories and
newspaper reports. The tendency to make the evangelist into the pastor was yet a
third thing to which Brother King objected. In reply to a critic he wrote, "I
have no quarrel with education nor with educa­tional institutions. Nor do I
suppose that your colleges are too numerous, or that too many young men are
being edu­cated for the Lord's great Gospel work. I may not be quite satisfied
with some sample of college made pastors, and I may conclude that the fewer we
have of such the better." And many of us in this country are quite ready to say
Amen to that. Of the early Christians Mr. King quoted because that for His
Names's sake they went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. Milking the goats
had not then become fashion­able in the Church. The British Churches have always
re­fused to accept money from the unsaved for the Lord's work. At that time Mr.
King thought that the great majority of the Churches in America were still loyal
Of them he wrote that "there is conflict between those who would re­trace, to a
large extent, the steps taken by A. Campbell, and those who stand firm, cannot
be denied. Every Reformation when it gains power and large progress comes to a
point when half-hearted supporters in the camp play into the hands of those by
whom the Movement has been opposed at every stage and in every possible way. So
it is now (1868) in the Churches in America. There are those who ought to be
with the sects they so much love. They are gen­erally preachers made at the
colleges, therefore, it be­hooves us to take care that in calling for American
evan­gelists we do not import men of the wrong stamp." That the British brethren
generally shared the views expressed by David King is evident from the fact that
the annual meeting of the Churches co-operating for evangel­istic work held in
1866 passed the following resolution: "That we learn with deep regret that some
evangelists in America commune at the Lord's Table with unbaptized per­sons, who
,without formal invitation, as it is alleged, on their own responsibility,
partake; we hereby decline to sanction evangelistic co-operation with any
brother, whether from America or elsewhere, who knowingly communes with
un­baptized persons, or who in any way advocates such com­munion." In the early
days of the British Movement one of its most prominent workers was Timothy Coop,
of Wigan, England. His energy and business ability enabled him to become
comfortably wealthy. As early as 1847 he had a strong desire to visit America.
This desire he expressed to A. Campbell when he visited England, but Brother
Camp­bell urged that his duty to the congregation at Wigan de­manded that he
stay there. This settled the question for a number of years. In the spring of
1869 Mr. Coop and his wife made the long desired visit to the United States.
While here he attended the annual meeting of the Christian Missionary Society of
the State of Ohio. Brother Coop writes. "Brother Isaac Errett was then President
of Alliance College and was living in the town. I well remember taking tea with
his family and spending an afternoon at his home with General Garfield. During
the Convention General Gar­field gave one of the grandest addresses I have ever
heard. It seemed to me that we had gotten into a new world. His address was
characterized by such a comprehensive outlook and such wide-sweeping
generalizations." After a few months in the States Brother and Sister Coop
returned to their home in England, but unfortunately for the peace and progress
of the British Churches he brought back with him the seeds of digressive
teaching which in a few years were destined to bear their usual fruit. In 1872
Brother Exley from the United States was pres­ent at the Annual Conference of
brethren. After careful inquiry into Brother Exley's position on the question of
communing with the unbaptized the brethren declined to employ Brother Exley as
an evangelist. This action by the brethren greatly excited Brother Coop, between
whom and Brother Exley there had grown up a personal friendship. The tendency of
Brother Coop's mind is shown by the fol­lowing extract from one of his
letters:"The Baptists in Wigan and the brethren are much more friendly now than
formerly, and if we had more evangelists in this town I have no doubt but that
they would interchange with us." In 1875 the Foreign Christian Missionary
Society of America was for the first time practically inaugurated, and one of
the first foreign missionaries sent out was Mr. H. S. Earl who was sent to
England to open work there. Thus began the digressive invasion of the British
Isles, The work thus began ran its separate existence for many years, but was a
disappointment even to its best friends. Compare the first sixteen years of the
American Movement in Eng­land with the first sixteen years of the native British
work. During this period the Foreign Christian Missionary Society- spent
thousands of dollars and sent over some of the best preachers America could
produce, among whom were Brother W. T. Moore, Brother Mobly. now of Amarillo,
and many others. In the first sixteen years the British, Movement numbered
eighty-one Churches with over two thousand members; at the end of forty years
the imported digressive Movement had only about sixteen Churches with less than
two thousand members. In 1901 a movement was begun to bring about a union
between the two groups of Churches. A pamphlet printed in 1905 gave a report of
the efforts made to secure this union. In the Introduction it describes the
differences be­tween the British Churches and the American in these words: "The
Churches in America did not continue strictly upon the same lines. A semi
clerical class emerged, a spirit of compliance with sectarianism was manifest,
the Table of the Lord was displaced from its central position, Mutual Teaching
gave way to Sermons, the Eldership was subordi­nate to the Evangelist ranking as
Pastor. For the pure of­fering of praise of sanctified lips was substituted
musical performances with instruments, and in some cases paid alien singers.
Money was solicited and accepted from all willing to contribute, and, of logical
consequence, those not scripturally qualified were admitted to participation in
the privileges of the Lord's people." The effort to get together the two groups
of Churches continued intermittently till 1917, when the fifteen Churches of the
Christian Association (The American Group) with 1,341 members became identified
with the Churches of Christ which co-operate for evangelistic purposes only. How
far the American group has been modified lack of informa­tion prevents me from
saying. However, a few of the older British brethren are not yet quite
reconciled or satisfied with their new associates. And now having given you a
brief and imperfect sketch of the rise and progress of the British Churches let
us pay a visit to one of their congregations. The building as we approach it is
not conspicuous, neither for its ornateness nor for its shabbiness. A neat,
comfortable and modern erection meets our view. We pause a minute at the outside
to read the Notice Board at the door. Christians' Meeting House or some such
name meets our eye. The printed list of Churches shows such names as Oxford
Street Chapel, West Street Hall, Hope Chapel, Townholm Assembly Hall, Gospel
Hall, Bethesda Chapel, etc. The brethren in the old country are careful to
distinguish between the house where the Church meets and the Church itself. They
have not yet acquired the bad habit of speaking of the Church building as the
Church,,and so they are careful that the Notice Board should not read "The
Church of Christ" as if that were the name of the edifice, but when such words
are used they read "The Church of Christ meets here for" and then follows the
announcements. The first is usually Bible Study or Sun­day School. The second is
Worship (including the Break­ing of the Bread); and the third is preaching. This
distinc­tion between worship and preaching is a vital matter to these British
brethren, and' as far as is known to me not a single Notice Board has the word
"preaching" as descriptive of the morning service. As we reach the bottom of the
Board the chances are that the preacher's name is conspicuous by its absence.
Not one of them would think of advertising their evangelist as minister. On
account of their opposition to the one-man ministry they are often spoken of by
the sects as having no minister. This, of course, is a mistake . An amusing
story is sometimes told by an old friend of mine, Brother John Brown, who had a
tailor's shop opposite the meeting house. A visitor to Mr. Brown's shop remarked
to him "I under­stand that these people have no minister." "That is a mis­take"
said Mr. Brown, "they have several ministers. If you look across the street just
now you will see one of them sweeping out the hall." In this way Mr. Brown laid
empha­sis upon the fact that the word "minister" simply means servant, and that
any person who renders any kind of serv­ice has as much right to be called a
minister as the one who proclaims the Gospel. Indeed the expression "The
Min­ister" (with emphasis on the definite article) is, in their judgment, just
as unscriptural as the expression "The Pas­tor" or "The Clergyman."

Having finished reading the Notice Board we step inside the building. At once we
are impressed with the quietness of the assembly. "A solemn silence filled the
hall and touched the hearts of all." There is no bustle, no loud hum of
conversation, no laughing or anything of that kind. There is a reverence, a
dignity, and a solemnity about the gather­ings that seems becoming at a time and
place where the God of the universe condescends to be present, and have
fellow­ship with his people. As the appointed time draws near a number of men
take their places on the rostrum or platform as the British breth­ren usually
call it. If 'there is any professional preacher present he is not on the stand
but sitting with the audience in the auditorium. These brethren are usually the
elders and such deacons as will assist that day at the service of the Lord's
Table. At the appointed hour the presiding elder, who is in the center of the
group, announces the number of the opening hymn, which he will usually read
right through from beginning to end. Indeed, all the hymns are always read
before being sung. This is probably a survival from bygone days when hymn books
were scarce and audiences illiterate, and it was necessary to read the hymns
stanza by stanza in order that the congregation might be able to join in the
singing. No importance is attached to this custom, although it is looked upon
and used as a very helpful way to train younger brethren to become public
readers. In looking through their hymn book, one is struck by the absence of
rag-time ditties. There is but one song book in common use in all the Churches.
The present edition is but a revision of an older one which goes back thirty or
forty years. The opening song may be that splendid poem by Isaac Watt:

Before Jehovah's awful throne, Ye nations bow with sacred joy; Know that the
Lord is God alone; He can create, and He destroy. or it may be another equally
as old, one by John Newton slightly altered to suit the occasion: —

Safely through another week, God has brought us on our way; Let us all His
blessings seek Waiting in His courts today; Day of all the week the best, Emblem
of eternal rest.

After the singing of the one opening hymn the opening prayer is offered. The
universal attitude of the British brethren during prayer is that of standing
with reverent bowed head. They have no objection to kneeling, but inas­much as
the seats there, as here, are usually so constructed as to make kneeling
inconvenient, if not impossible, they stand. When I first came to Texas, a good
brother sus­pected me of digressive tendency because I alone stood while the
rest of the congregation lolled in their seats.

After prayer there follows the reading of the Scripture lessons. The presiding
elder will say. "Our Old Testament lesson for today is Isaiah, Chapter 53, and
Brother Smith will attend to the reading." After the brother has read his
passage, the elder will announce the New Testament lesson as Acts, Chapter 8,
which Brother Brown will please read. The New Testament is read through from
beginning to end which takes about five years. The Old Testament lessons are
usually chosen because of their connection with the sub­ject matter of the New.
These lessons are selected by a good brother and published at the beginning of
the year for the following twelve months. All the Churches read the same lessons
on the same day much as we all use the Inter­national subjects in our Sunday
Schools. All the brethren who can read are encouraged by the brethren, to do so.
The custom is for each congregation to prepare a plan for three months showing
the lessons and the brother who is expected to read each. This gives the reader
ample time for prepa­ration and practice. I must say these readings are done
very well. This reading custom, if not derived from, is at least .similar to,
the ancient Jewish custom in the synagogue where the Law and the Prophets were
read every Sabbath Day. (Acts XIII, 15, 27.)

Following the readings the president says, "There is now opportunity for the
singing of another hymn." Some brother rises, announces, and reads another song,
which al­most invariably has some bearing on the Communion Service. The hymn
book contains not less than thirty-six songs all with special reference to the
Lord's Table, while there are thirty-two devoted to the Lord's day itself.
Perhaps this morning the brother selected a very old song by an ancient monk,
Bernard of Clairvaux, translated into English by Ray Palmer.

Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts! Thou Fount of Life! Thou Light of men! From
all the bliss that earth imparts. We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood; Thou savest those that on Thee call; To
them that seek Thee, Thou art good; To them that find Thee, all in all. On Thee
we feast, Thou Living Bread! And here would feed upon Thee still; Here drink of
Thee, Thou Fountainhead, Whose streams each thirsting soul can fill. Our
restless spirits yearn for Thee, Where'er our changeful lot is cast; Glad, when
Thy gracious smile we see, Blest, when our faith can hold Thee fast.

Oh, Jesus, ever with us stay! Make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the
dark night of sin away, Shed o'er the world Thy holy light. This song marks the
close of the introductory exercises of the day and prepares the way for the
special object of the meeting. For the British brethren like those at Troas come
together on the first day of the week to break bread, and the discourse, whether
by a Paul or some lesser light, is inci­dental and subordinate to the main
purpose of the gathering. Almost always the presiding elder makes a short
helpful address as an introduction to the breaking of the bread. 'Phis is no
wearisome reiteration of platitudes but a care­fully studied and prepared
exhortation to bring in our wan­dering minds from the perishing things of time
and sense and center them upon Jesus. The manner of attending to this
institution differs but little from our own. Perhaps it is worthy of mention
that the table is placed on the platform on the same level or elevation as the
elders and the preacher. Perhaps there is the feeling in some of their minds
that it would be derogatory to the divine institution to have it oc­cupy a lower
place. So far everything that has been said and done has been said or done as a
preparation for the Communion Service. One is made to feel that this is a
re­union of the family of God—a gathering for worship and praise.

After the contributions has been taken up, another song is given out and read.
This time it is by a poet of our own, Gilbert Y. Tickle, who met Alexander
Campbell when he landed at Liverpool. We join them as they sing.

We close the feast, so sweet, so blest. The pledge of our eternal rest. When
glory shall our souls invest. And we shall feast with Thee! Thou, blessed Lord,
a feast shalt spread Whose living wine and living bread Shall lift with endless
joy each head That sits and feasts with Thee. Within Thy Father's kingdom, then.
Thy saints redeemed from every stain, Shall hail His universal reign. And give
all praise to Thee. Thyself the true and living Vine Shalt nourish them with
fruit divine. And they shall be forever Thine, In perfect life with Thee. No foe
to mar their bliss complete, No sin, no stain, no death to meet, All crushed
beneath Thy conquering feet, They live at home with Thee. Oh, Jesus, till we
thence remove, May this sweet token of Thy love, This antepast of joys above,
Still bring us near to Thee. At the close of this hymn a short time will be
given for the prayers of the Church, when several brethren unnamed and
unsolicited by the brother conducting the service will offer brief fervent
prayers.

One feels as if the service had come to an appropriate end, but no, it is not
yet over. The elder intimates, "This is the time for teaching and exhortation;
if any brother has a word to say to the congregation, this is his opportunity."
Again we are reminded of the synagogue. "Ye men and brethren, if ye have any
word of exhortation for the people say on." And nearly always some brother is
prepared with a brief exhortation —some non-professional preacher who will
receive no pay for preaching. Or if there is an evan­gelist present, the elder's
notice will be to this effect: "We have Brother Wallace with us today. We are
sure the breth­ren will desire to hear him, and so we invite him to address the
meeting. The British brethren lay great stress on the question of mutual
ministry —teaching and admonishing one another. From a recent issue of the Bible
Advocate I quote the fol­lowing: "The principle of mutual teaching is clearly a
New Testament one; a constitutional law in the Church of Christ." And mark this
"The Church is so constituted that unless the means for its edification are
carried into practice its spiritual life will suffer. ..We contend that it is
the right and privilege of all male members of the Church, duly qualified, to
share in the exhortation and teaching of the Church." This plan has worked well
with the Churches in Great Britain. It has developed into useful workers many
members, and made congregations strong which would have been weak and sickly if
they had had to depend on the min­istration of a paid professional preacher. The
usual closing exercises of singing and prayer follow and the assembly is then
dismissed. And now in conclusion let me give a brief statement of the present
strength of these Churches. There are now 208 congregations on the list of
co-operating Churches which report a total membership of 16,437. They raised for
Foreign Mission work during the twelve months ending June 30th, 1918, the sum of
over twelve thousand dollars or about 75c per annum per head. They sustain about
twelve white workers in India, Siam, and Africa. I see by a prospectus of a
proposed senior college signed by reliable brethren that it is estimated that
there are 100,000 loyal disciples in the State of Texas. I think the census
returns gives Disciples of Christ (two bodies) as 1,600,000. Is it too much to
claim one-third as faithful Christians? If we gave only 75c per head per annum
to the foreign work how many missionaries would we have today in the distant
places of the earth preaching the Gospel of Salvation through a Savior who said,
"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature?"


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  CHAPTER 14: GOD REVEALED
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God Revealed GOD REVEALED. BY G. H. P. SHOWALTER

"No one knoweth the Son save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him" (Matthew 11:27).
With the wording but slightly different Luke also records this lan­guage of
Christ: "No one knoweth who the Son is, save the Father; and who the Father is,
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him" (Luke 10:22).
I take it that the Saviour meant to teach that aside from revelation —without
revelation—it is impossible to know God. Without this man can neither know him
nor know who he is. It is impossible to form any safe, adequate, or correct
conception of his infinite, divine attributes —of his eternal power, of his
exalted, matchless dignity, or of the supreme holiness of his character —unless
it is revealed to us through those supernaturally endowed. That a knowl­edge of
God is of the highest importance, and that revela­tion is, as a consequence, of
the greatest value is set forth in the clearest possible terms by our Saviour in
the interces­sory prayer: "This is life eternal that they might know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). The reception
of eternal life depends upon a knowledge of God, and of Christ, and a knowledge
of them depends upon revelation. The author of the Hebrew letter in beginning
this remarkable document, states concisely what is claimed by all writers of the
sacred canon—God has spoken to man. He is very specific, sub­mitting two clear
and distinct propositions.

God spoke to the ancients through the prophets. God has now spoken to us by his
Son. (See Hebrews 1:1).

I shall address myself first to arguments sustaining the proposition that God
can be known only through revelation, and shall seek to sustain the conclusion
that this revelation s given man in the book we call the Bible. I shall next
show hat this revelation was progressive, and, so far at least as our present
state, condition, and hope, are concerned, closed in the first century of the
Christian era.

It is conceded by all that the idea of God is in the world. Now an idea can not
obtain except for the existence of the object or the thing which originates the
idea. A little study of concepts will make this perfectly clear, I presume, to
all thoughtful and honest minds. Every word representing a name is coined in
accordance with this invariable law. Let us take the word "horse." This is a
term used to designate a distinct concept or idea. Whenever this word is
employed there is, in the mind, a certain distinct and peculiar concept of idea
—one that does not present itself to the mind when any other word is employed.
If we should use some other word, "pig," for example, we would have an idea in
the mind wholly different from what the mind would entertain when the word
"horse" is used. When the latter term is used, we think of a certain kind of
animal, and the word is used to represent but a single species. However, the
species must first be in existence, else there can be no such an idea, nor could
there be a word, expressive, at least, of the slight­est intelligence to us, for
a word is nothing more than a vehicle for conveying an idea. The order is: The
existence of the species or the thing. The idea or concept. The word, the
vehicle of conveyance. Nor is it possible to change this order, or dispense with
the relations that appear therein. When we have an idea, there is of necessity,
in existence, or has been in existence, the thing that produced the idea.. We
have the word "horse," and the idea conveyed by it, and there are horses; we
have the word "mouse" and the idea conveyed by it, and there are mice; we have
the word "God" and the idea con­veyed by it, and God is. We might illustrate
with one thous­and words and the result would be the same. Try to use a word
that conveys no idea —rather to coin a word that ex­presses no idea, and behold
the blank on the mental canvas. Throw together any number of vowels or
consonants repre­senting no known word and observe that it expresses no idea,
either material or abstract. I will throw together some letters and make the
word Oldze. Now you might pronounce this combination of letters but they convey
no intelligent significance whatever. We inquire why they carry to the mind no
idea, and the answer comes that there is nothing in existence, and has never
been, that produced an idea to which this aggregation of letters of the alphabet
have been applied or may be applied. They are simply meaningless.

Every name comes from an idea and every idea comes from that which is. The idea
of God is in the world, and is one of the most general ideas or concepts known
to man. Wherever the race is found this idea prevails, a condition which could
not be if God is not. You might as well argue that there is no sun as to argue
that there is no God. Both may be done with the same degree of logic and
intelligence. To argue the possibility of a concept without the existence of
that which originates it, is a presumption that is nothing short of a
metaphysical absurdity. Some skeptics have argued that the idea of God is a
product of the imagination, but this can not be. Imagination does not and can
not create a new idea. It may dispose and re-arrange, but it can not create, and
hence it can not be responsible for giving to the world the idea of God. It uses
ideas but does not and can not originate them. But whence comes the knowledge
that God is? It must be through: Intuition. Rational deduction, or, Revelation.

Some have tried to solve the problem on the supposition that such knowledge is
intuitive, but this can not be. All knowledge that is innate, instinctive, or
intuitive, is also universal. If the knowledge of God comes in this way, all men
would know him by nature, and atheism would be im­possible. But the existence of
atheism argues the impossi­bility of our knowing God by intuition. Moreover, it
ap­pears from actual observation that a knowledge of God is not possessed by
those who have not had opportunity of re­ceiving this knowledge from others.
Man's instincts are very few, and cover only the most simple and primary truths,
and in their very nature must be accepted and rec­ognized by all men. For these
reasons and others, neither the idea of God nor the knowledge of his existence
and at­tributes can come through intuition. Nothing that is intui­tive is
debatable, or can possibly be a subject of controversy. Does this knowledge come
through reason? Are we to suppose that it is a deduction from premises supplied
us through nature? David said; "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the
firmament showeth his handiwork." This is true, but David did not say the
heavens reveal God. The works of his hands praise him only in the minds of those
who know of his existence and power. We can praise an architect only when we
know who he is. We look upon a building with admiration, but must learn who the
builder is before we can praise him for his skill. A building does not tell who
the builder is. The works of nature do not reveal God. They are a commentary on
his attributes only to those who have a knowledge of his existence and power.
Once possessed of this knowledge, and all the works of creation speak of his
wisdom, goodness, greatness and power. But we can hardly conceive of one who had
no knowledge of God, bursting forth with the eloquence of David and ex­claiming:
"The heavens declare the glory of God." No reason can not reveal God. It is not
the office of reason to create. It uses materials already supplied. It combines,
generalizes, arranges, compares and draws conclusions, but the materials which
reason uses are not created by reason itself. They must be supplied from some
other source. Reason, then, can not and does not reveal God.

Since the knowledge of God can not be by intuition, and can not come through
reason, and still such knowledge is in the world, we prove by a process of
elimination that this knowledge must be through revelation. We know nothing of
the unseen except as it is revealed to us by others. I have an idea of London,
Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. I have some knowledge of these cities, but all this
knowledge is derived either from reading or hearing spoken words from others.
All the knowledge I have is received from someone else who either speaks or
writes that which he knows. We accept as true, the statement: "No man hath seen
God at any time." Hence the necessity of revelation, as the only possible means
of conveying a knowledge of him. What we know of God, of Christ, of redemption,
of redeemed spirits, of heaven and hell, have been revealed to us. The great
thinkers among the philosophers of Greece and Rome recognized the necessity of
revelation. Socrates, the prince of Greek philosophers, met Alcibiades on his
way to the temple to pray, and said to him: "You can not know how to worship
until a divine being instructs you. You can not know how to pray till informed
by some divine being. As you must learn from men, what to do in reference to
men, so must you learn from the gods, what to do in reference to the gods. The
great philosopher in this was right. No man know- eth the will of God, nor is it
possible that any one should know the will of God without divine instruction.
The best thinkers among the Romans agreed with the Greeks. The eloquent Cicero
quotes Socrates with approbation. The province of nature, as it relates to
divine instruction, is simply and solely to confirm revelation. The heavens and
the earth, the planets in the wonderful precision of their movements in the
solar system, the moon, stars, and all mountains, seas, land, snow, hail, rain,
the lilies of the field, and every blade of grass that springs forth from the
earth, speak forth to the believer, words of confirmation of re­vealed truth,
and magnify the infinite divine attributes.

It is needless, at this juncture, to submit argument that the Bible is the only
specimen of literature that challenges the attention of man as worthy to
sustain, in any way, or manner, a claim to divine origin, and as the one book
that reveals God. When once the necessity of revelation is es­tablished, the
proposition that the Bible is itself the revela­tion, follows as a corollary: It
is now in order to consider the nature and character and significance of this
revelation. The author of the Hebrew letter has told us that God in sundry times
and in divers manners, spoke to the prophets, and that in this day he has spoken
unto us through his Son. The apostles of Jesus Christ became his spokesmen, his
ambassadors, his chosen and properly qualified heralds, to make known the
revelation peculiar to the new covenant. God spake in sundry times and in divers
manners. This, of itself sufficiently indicates that revelation was not
completed in its beginning, that it was not consummated in its incipiency. That
part of the human race that lived in the patriarchal age, enjoyed the blessings
of revelation, but only in a limited de­gree. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, job,
and all the patri­archs had a sufficient knowledge of God to meet their
re­quirements, and to complement their nature, but they were not possessed of
the glorious light of truth that now il­lumines the world, in the fuller
representation of the divine character. A careful study of the Old Testament
will make it clear to all that the patriarchs did not possess that degree of
knowledge of God that was vouchsafed to Israel through the law of Moses. When
the Lord appeared to Moses in the land of Midian, and divinely qualified him for
leading forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, he stated to him
distinctly that he had not revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in his
name "Jehovah," but that they had known him as El-Shaddai —God Almighty. This
sufficiently suggests that Abraham and his illustrious son and grandson had a
conception of God not enjoyed by the antediluvians, and those who lived
immediately following the days of the del­uge. They knew the God of heaven as
Elohim, the high conception of dignity and awe, and as such they adored him as
the most exalted conception of personal existence. God revealed himself to
Abraham as the Almighty, and in this way his power and providence became
distinctly known. We see this beautifully exemplified and illustrated in the
case of the call of Abraham from the land of the Chaldeans, and during the whole
of his subsequent life. He must needs look to one who was not only able but
willing to make pro­vision for him, for he went out in accordance with the order
—not knowing whither he went. When he was called upon to offer the son of
promise as an offering unto the Lord, and when the provision of another offering
became, as it were, a necessity, it is clear that Abraham had learned fully, a
new and wonderful lesson —intended for all subsequent ages of the world —that
God is the great Provider. When a ram was furnished Abraham to offer in lieu of
his son. he built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah-Jireh —the Lord,
the Provider. This conception of God has remained in the world. Every man of
faith in the world today looks to God as the great Provider. We may not always
understand how provision is to be made, Abraham evidently did not. But he, as
the father of the faithful, and as the friend of God, and as a prophet, had
learned a lesson that all good men should learn that:

"It may not be my way. It may not be thy way; And yet in His own way. The Lord
will provide."

God is not only the infinite, exalted being of dignity and awe; he is not only
the God of power, the Almighty, but he is also the great Provider, and Paul, the
apostle, consoled himself with this knowledge when the assurance was given him,
" I will never leave thee nor forsake thee; my grace is sufficient for thee."

Some centuries had passed when to Moses God revealed himself as Jehovah, and as
the "I am." As the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness and made
that wonderful history that was intended to be a lesson to all peoples of
subsequent time, they met with opposition, and it was necessary for them to go
forth into battle. They went into this war with the Amalekites trusting in God
as their leader and director. The hands of Moses were reached forth toward the
heavens, and as long as he could reach to­ward God for help the armies of Israel
were successful. Aaron and Hur held up his hands when his physical powers were
weak, in order that Israel might continue to prevail. Amalek was routed. A great
victory was won. A proud and powerful nation were rebuked because they arose up
against the people of God. "And Moses builded an altar and called the name of it
Jehovah-Nissi" —The Lord my banner. And thus we have an added conception of the
benevolence and protecting care of God. Those who wage war will always be
successful if they enter it by the author­ity of God. He has never lost a battle
for those who fight under his instruction. One man can chase a thousand, and ten
men can put ten thousand to flight, if their battle is waged with the I_ord as
their banner. Victory is deter­mined by the God of heaven, and in the great
spiritual con­flicts it is equally true that he will win who fights under the
instruction and leadership of God and of Christ, the great captain of our
salvation. We may say triumphantly with Paul, "We are more than conquerors
through him that loved us." In the days of the Judges we find an added
conception of God, aptly illustrating this subject. Moses, Joshua and the early
leaders of Israel in Canaan, had long since passed from the earth. Israel was
hard pressed by their enemies. When they sowed their fields the hostile nations
about them reaped their abundant harvests. Midian and Amalek went forth against
them with powerful armies. Gideon, a mighty man among the oppressed Hebrews,
arose. Israel rallied to his standard, and accepted him as their leader. He
looked to God as the only hope for bringing peace to the disturbed land. Gideon
erected an altar and called the name of it Jehovah-Shalom-Jehovah, a God of
peace —a most satisfy­ing conception of God's power and protection. Who can
bring peace to a disturbed nation except through the direc­tion of our God? He
is the God of peace. In our day when the fuller light of the gospel shines forth
in the hearts of all men, we are, or at least should be, more confident than any
other people who have lived since the world began, in the sublime and consoling
truth that God is a God of peace. The angles on Judean hills, who announced the
birth of the Messiah, issued the proclamation: "Peace on earth, good will to
men." The Christ is pre-eminently the Prince of peace, and he has given
distinction to this gratifying concep­tion of God in the beatitude, "Blessed are
the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God." Our God is
assuredly the God of peace; and if we would have peace, the peace that passeth
all understanding, the peace that is secure and abiding, we must be led to that
peace through trust in God.

Scanning the further revelation of the divine attributes, we note that Ezekiel,
in the closing part of his prophecy, pictures to us the beauty, splendor, and
excellence of the city of God. The culmination of his description is recorded in
the last verse of his remarkable prophecy, "The name of the city, from that day
shall be Jehovah-Shammah—The Lord is there." This brings to man the assurance
and the blessedness of the divine presence. John saw the new Jeru­salem, the
city of God, and pictured the happiness of re­deemed spirits. He drew attention
to that which was and is a most consoling hope. "The throne of God and of the
Lamb was there, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face,
and his name shall be in their foreheads." The Jews had a meager conception of
the dwelling place of God. They thought that he was at Jerusalem, that he abode
in the temple, and that they must worship him there, because this much they had
received as suitable information for them in that age of the world. The woman of
Samaria declared that the Samaritans believed that they ought to worship in the
mountain, and the Jews thought men ought to worship at Jerusalem, but the
Saviour disclosed to her and to all mankind, the wonderful knowledge that God
will hear and receive the adorations of men at any point of the globe where man
may live.

Referring to the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14), we have one of those strange
predictions made in reference to the coming of the Messiah, and his new name
—Immanuel —God with us. It is one of the pre-eminent distinctions of the fuller
revelation as set forth in the new covenant, that God is omni­present. Of a
truth God is everywhere. Wherever man is found today, who has received the
Bible, he has likewise re­ceived the knowledge that God may be worshipped at any
place. He speaks to God with the confident assurance that God will hear him on
land, on sea, in the desert, in the fer­tile fields, or in the populous cities.
And it is certainly a consoling and glorious truth that God is present
everywhere to hear the cries of those who trust in him. God is an ever-present
God, a very present help in time of need.

There remains the most important conception of deity, and this was likewise
deferred as a revelation to be a dis­tinct peculiarity of the gospel age. Man
had sinned and the fiat of God had gone forth, "The soul that sinneth it shall
die." No limitation was made. A small sin or a great sin was sufficient to
result in the utter condemnation of the human race. When all had sinned and come
short of the glory of God, it became necessary that some provision be made for
man's life, otherwise the entire race of responsible beings would be forever
lost. God's prophet. Jeremiah, gave the promise (Ch. 23:6; 33:16) that in the
glorious age that was to come, his name would be called Jehovah- Tsidkeneu —the
Lord our righteousness. When our sin and pollutions had become such that it was
impossible for our righteousness to bring us to a position of acceptance with
him. he became himself, our righteousness. Christ died for the race, he became a
propitiation for the sins of the whole world. Through him was atonement made for
sin. He was without guile, entirely without sin, and this ideal sinless­ness has
been vouchsafed to us through an acceptance of the atonement made for our sins,
and thus we have Christ as the Son of God, and the burden-bearer for us. He took
our sins away in becoming righteousness for us.

We live in the most favored age of the world. All the divine attributes that
have gradually been revealed to the world, are now known to us. God was known to
the first inhabitants of the world as the Elohim. and that set forth the
infinite dignity and loftiness and holiness of his nature. Later he was revealed
as El-Shaddai. the Almighty; then as Jehovah-Jireh, the great Provider:
Jehovah-Nissi, the God of battles —the one to whom all men must look, and under
whose instructions they must fight if they will win the victory in battle;
Jehovah,Shalem, the God of peace, the one to whom we can look, and whose orders
we must abide, if we would achieve and enjoy peace; Jehovah-Shammah, and
Immanuel, which terms signify to us the presence of God. his remaining with us,
and the possibility of approach to him everywhere —the Lord is omni-present;
Jehovah-Tsid-keneu, the Lord our righteousness, the one who has borne our
griefs, has received our stripes,, has suffered for us. Thus far has the divine
nature been revealed to man, and and we are prepared to receive the triumphant
announce­ment made by Paul in his letter to the Colossians: "Christ is all and
in all." He is everywhere, and is everything to us. Our relations to him may be
sustained by abiding in him (John 15:3). We may feel1 his presence, enjoy his
so­ciety, grow in his grace, and be made happier and richer through these
gracious experiences of the divine benefaction. This much is essential for this
life and the age in which we live, and is sufficient for our present happiness,
and our hope for the future; and the ultimate consummation of his revelation to
us will finally be realized when we shall have passed the confines of time and
landed on the eternal shores where we shall see him as he is, and know as we are
known.


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  CHAPTER 15: MISSIONS
========================================================================

Missions "MISSIONS." BY F. B. SHEPHERD.

There are two great, personal, heart-searching questions that have confronted
man in all ages, upon the answers to which hinges his eternal destiny; i. e.,
"Where art thou?" "Where is thy brother?"

"Where art thou?" is a tremendous question and one vital in every walk of life,
to which God and man demand an answer. He who has no strong convictions of his
own upon which he entertains no doubt is a spineless member of soci­ety. To the
professed Christian the question, "Where art thou?" on the vital dogmas of the
Church —Faith, Repent­ance, Confession, Baptism, The Supper, Discipline,
MIS­SIONS —is a test of his integrity. Do you believe the mis­sion of the Church
is the grandest mission man has ever had or will ever know? Is this an
all-absorbing faith or a mere tacit acknowledgement?

"Where is thy Brother?" In Romans 1:14 Paul ex­presses the true philosophy of
life-debtors to others. Service was the crowning glory of the life of Christ,
the outstanding feature of the Apostles' ministry, and should be the motto and
slogan of the church to-day. It includes all that is high­est, noblest, and best
in life. The Christ life, the great ideal for man, was the embodiment of
unselfishness sympathy, service (Php_2:5-8); so now the Christian who is simply
conserving a creed, and is not exemplifying the life of the Christ, is a blight
upon the Vine. The fact that the standard of greatness in the Kingdom is service
(Mark 10:42-52) ought to make us appreciate that: — A crucial test of the
scripturalness of a church is as much its WORK as its WORSHIP. It is not merely
what we know but what we do and are; an attitude of mere tacit acknowledgement
that "Jesus is Lord" falls short of the divine requirement (John 12:42). The
church of Christ must be something more than a mere assembly, It should be the
expression of the life He lived, and which He left us to exemplify; it should be
an aggressive force. Being entrusted with the "Word of Reconciliation" (2
Corinthians 5:18), and constituted, as it is, the only institution through which
the Spirit is to propagate the "Power of Cod" to the salva­tion of a lost world
(Ephesians 3:20), its right to he termed "Christian" or "Of Christ" depends upon
its being the ex­ponent of Him who gave His life that we might live. When we
behold the "Lamb of God," "The Lion of the Tribe of Judah," we must be impressed
with his untiring energy .and all-absorbing zeal during the three and a half
years of his personal ministry and must strive to emulate it. With the early
church, membership in the body was not a matter of mere formal creed, but of
conscious, living union with the Fountain Head; so its phenomenal growth
resulted as much from the implicitness of its trust, the fervency and devotion
of its obedience, and the vehemence with which it told the simple story, as from
the orthodoxy of its theology. ()ne thing it learned, which we to-day seem slow
to grasp, was that Christ commissioned them, not to convert the world, but to
"preach the Gospel to every creature." Had the subterfuge resorted to by stingy
ones to-day, "We need to convert the heathen at home before going abroad" been
offered by the apostles, the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus would never have reached
beyond the confines of Palestine, and we of the western hemisphere would still
be in the dark­ness of paganism. That there is an urgent need for a definite
policy for the doing of Missionary Work at home and abroad is self evi­dent in
view: Of the spread of falsehood in religious things. Of our high claims to
apostolicity, which make it incumbent upon us to evangelize to the uttermost
parts of the earth. Of the facts that the salvation of men depends upon their
acceptance of the Gospel, and our salvation de­pends largely upon the effort we
make to preach it fully.

There are 900,000,000 heathens in the world while we have but nine American
missionaries in foreign fields. Of the something like 9,000 churches of Christ
in America, fewer than 100 give regularly and fewer than 500 give anything for
the spread of the primitive teaching beyond their own borders. These 9,000
churches with a membership esti­mated at half million give about $7,000 a year
for such work, which amounts to the munificent sum of one and two- fifths cents
per capita per year. Certainly this fact in itself is a rather insignificant
argument against the work of the F. M. Societies, etc. Hence the questions, "How
shall we do?" What shall we do?" are poignant.

Undoubtedly, the local congregation is the one God or­dained missionary society
to send evangelists into all parts of the earth preaching the Gospel to every
creature. We have seen the failure of self-appointed missionaries amenable to no
one, dependent for financial support upon no one in par­ticular, but the
brotherhood in general. For years one man has devoted himself to an almost
fruitless effort to find men with the qualifications who are willing to go
overseas to the work, and then to get their support assured. There is little
more apostolic precedent for either course than for the "F. M. S.," and with
less practical results. Where, then, shall we turn? What provision has the
divine mind made to meet the need? The greatest missionary in the Christian
dispen­sation, the Apostle Paul, was SENT by the church at An­tioch to the work.
In this case (Acts 13:2) the Holy Spirit was directly responsible for the
selection of the men who should go, but the church was made the agent to do the
send­ing and the board to which the missionaries were subject (Acts 14:26-27).
Were such a course followed to-day and missionaries SENT by local bodies, those
bodies would have a definite missionary policy; and, if one church was not
strong enough itself to support a man, it would solicit help for him. Its local
evangelist would preach definitely and specifically about some "Mission" rather
than for "Missions" in a general vague, unsystematic way. Shall the church in
the aggregate send missionaries? If so, it needs some official board and the
Bible makes no provision for such. Is it not the God-ordained appointment of the
local institution? This course would also remove the possibility of unscriptural
institutions growing out of a combination of churches to support one man, and a
missionary thus sent would be under the over-sight of the congregation sending.
Such a dis­graceful condition as we now have in India would be easily dealt
with, for some congregation would have jurisdiction over the men and could
recall them for trial, passing on the case and dealing with the guilty as the
New Testament pre­scribes, rather than merely withholding financial support
until an investigation can be made by nobody knows who. Reason itself demands
that workers in India, Japan, or Africa be under the over-sight of a
congregation as much as a worker in the U. S.

Then, again, what have we in the way of organized churches in these foreign
fields? Did not the apostles or­ganize local congregations, appointing elders in
every church? (Acts 14:23) teaching them to become independent local bodies from
which should go out other missionaries to establish other congregations? Are we
in this country to carry one, two, or a dozen native congregations indefinitely?
Is it possible they will never become self-supporting, not to say missionary? If
it is true, as has been demonstrated, that the best way to assist our own
foreign element is to leach and encourage them to help themselves, will not the
same plan work successfully abroad? The Presbyterian Church in England has for
years been systematically with­drawing part of its financial support from
certain African missions, and those missions have automatically assumed the
responsibility. Such a system would conduce to the growth and ultimate
independence of some mission points and would release funds and men for work
elsewhere until we should establish the primitive Gospel in every corner of the
globe. In conclusion let me urge that we throw off our spiritual neurosis, and,
in view of our unique position in the religious world with no man-made theories
to propagate, ecclesiastical system to protect, or human creed to adhere to, of
the scrip­tures in the freedom, let us get a vision of "Greater things for God"
in a systematic way. Let us become a people of leaders and boosters, not just
hinderers and knockers. Too long have we practiced iconoclasm instead of being
propa­gandists. What we need is to be pro-gressive (Php_3:13) that we may expose
the unscripturalness of di-gression: and, if this is to be, we must first of all
get an all-consuming love for Christ burning in our hearts, which is the only
true in­centive to service. Let us see the millions of earth, weak, erring,
driven to and fro by winds of adversity and false teaching, "sheep without a
shepherd," and remember the depth and quality of our love for Christ can be
expressed only in the attitude we sustain towards the salvation of men. "Lovest
thou Me more than these?" Then reach out after the ones for whom He died. There
is hope for the man who possesses a consuming desire to honor God, no matter how
far wrong he may be, hut the case of the indifferent is almost hopeless. Let us
show a more excellent way.


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  CHAPTER 16: WHO WROTE THE BIBLE?
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Who Wrote The Bible? WHO WROTE THE BIBLE? BY. G. DALLAS SMITH.

Some one has said, "I know that no man made the rose or painted the heavens, for
no man can do such a thing." So we know that no man, nor set of men, unaided by
a higher power, wrote the Bible, for men cannot write such a book. Mr. Bryan has
challenged the scoffers and infidels who say the Bible was written by men to
produce such a book as proof that men could write a Bible. But the chal­lenge
has never been accepted. Mr. Bryan insists that if men two thousand or three
thousand years ago could write the Bible, surely men of today, whose advantages
are far greater, ought to be able to produce a Bible. Still they make no attempt
to do it, and thus they stand self-con­demned. The writers of the Bible are
strictly in a class to themselves, writing as no other men ever have written.
These men were able to look into the future and to write about things hundreds,
and even thousands of years before they came to pass. No other set of men have
been able to do such a thing. Hence, I repeat they are, as writers, in a class
to themselves.

Other men have been able to guess as to what the future would bring, but their
guesses have been wild and wide of the mark. The great world war has served to
show how mere men guess as to future events. It has proven a many a man to be a
false profit. For instance, before the war, it was freely predicted that there
would never be any more wars —none of any consequence, at least. We were led to
believe that culture and refinement had driven war far from us, and we could but
be amazed at the stupidity of the ancients, and even at our forefathers, for
settling their troubles at the point of the sword. But our eyes have been opened
—our dream has ended; for from the very hot-bed of education, culture and
refinement came the outburst of the awful war. Men who predicted there would
never be any more war just did not know. They were guessing, that is all. And
after the war had begun, it was confidently predicted that it would not last
more than a year; that prob­ably six months would see the end of it. But somehow
it was drawn out over a period of four long years and more, thus proving these
men to he only false prophets. And while the Germans were continually harassing
and insult­ing this government, sinking ships and murdering Americans it was
everywhere predicted that Germany was seeking to get us into the war that she
might throw up her hands and declare she could not fight the whole world. And
while this sounded plausible, the events that followed our entrance into the war
proved this prediction to be without foun­dation in fact. These men were just
wildly guessing, they did not know. Even when the first drafted boys were being
sent to the training camps, it was freely predicted that they would never get
into the fight. I heard quite a learned judge, in a very eloquent address to
some boys who were enroute to the training camps, assure them that they would
never reach, the firing line. It is useless to say that this prophecy, like many
others, was proven false as some two hundred thousand dead and wounded boys
loudly proclaim. But these would-be prophets are not limited to war times. Men
have guessed all along throughout the ages. And their guesses have been just as
wild and speculative. Voltaire, the French infidel, was a great man, a ripe
scholar and an intel­lectual giant, but he could not look into the future and
tell what would come to pass. He confidently predicted that in one hundred years
Christianity would be swept from the earth, but his prediction did not come
true. Had he predicted that in a few years Christianity would spread over
practically all the earth, he would have been much nearer the truth. Thomas
Jefferson was a great man, a great statesmen and a practical thinker, but like
all other mere men, he was blind to the future. He predicted that in fifty years
there would not be a Bible in the United States, unless, perhaps, in some old
curiosity shop. But time proved this prophecy to be false, too. Had Mr.
Jeffer­son said in fifty years there will be a copy of the Bible in every home
in the United States he would have been much nearer the truth. But he just did
not know. The future was dark to him and he was only guessing. The subject of
the second coming of Christ has always been a fruitful theme for would-be
prophets, notwithstand­ing Jesus declares that no man knows the day nor the
hour. About a thousand years ago, men began to predict that Jesus would come
again in the year 1000. All Europe be­came excited, and many pilgrimages were
made to Jerusalem and the Holy Land from all parts of the country. These
pilgrimages finally led to the Crusades—"the war of the cross," which was an
effort to rescue Jerusalem and the Hob' Land from the infidel Moslems. But the
year 1000 came and passed away, and almost another thousand years have passed
since then, and still Jesus has not made his second advent. Hence all these men
have been proven to be only false prophets, having missed the date almost a
thousand years. But men still continued to guess. About the year 1831, William
Miller, the founder of Second Adventism, began to predict that the Lord would
come in the year 1843. He had carefully figured it all out, and was quite sure
of it, since figures do not lie. Well, the year 1843 rolled around and was about
to pass without seeing the coming of the Lord, and something had to be done to
save the reputation of the prophet. So Mr. Miller hurriedly revised his figures
and discovered that he had made a mistake of one year; whereupon he announced
that Jesus would come the next year, in the year 1844, and his deluded followers
believed1 it, of course. But that year passed away too, and some seventy-five
more years have passed, and still Jesus has not made his second advent. And the
strange thing about it all is that the doctrine of Second Adventism still lives
— that men still continue to guess about when Christ will make his second advent
to this earth. A score of years ago, or more, Charles T. Russell of Milennial
Dawn fame, announced that in the year 1914 the Millennium would be ushered in,
with all its attendant blessings —including an opportunity for all who had not
had at least a fair chance, to be saved. According to Mr. Russell Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, with other Old Testament wor­thies, were to come back to this earth
and live here among the newly resurrected peoples as models for all to follow.
The dead were to begin to rise, the last to die to be raised first, and this was
to continue until all the dead were brought back to earth. Every man was to live
at least one hundred years, and if he showed proper signs of improvement, he
might live throughout this one thousand years. And re­member, all this was to
begin in 1914. Well, what happened in 1914? Was there anything to suggest that
the Millenium was dawning? Did the dead begin to rise? Did Abraham Isaac, Jacob
and others come back to this old earth to serve as models for mankind? Has there
been any indi­cation that men from then on would live a hundred years, and
possibly some a thousand years? Have any of these things come to pass? Has there
been anything to suggest that the time of the Millenium is here —a time when the
whole earth is to be filled with the glory of the Lord, and peace, like a river,
should flow on forever? Has there been anything like this for the past four
years? All this was to begin, according to Mr. Russell, in 1914. But what
happened in 1914? Well, as everybody knows, in the very year Mr. Russell
designated as the beginning of this glorious Millennium —even in the year 1914
the greatest war that has ever cursed this old earth was ushered in. And for
four long years the world was subjected to such horrors as were never witnessed
before. Instead of the dead rising, it began to look as though the nation were
going to be buried, millions of people dying of disease, starvation and the
ravages of war. And in the face of all this, it is strange that the followers of
Russell are still Russellites. But such is man. And now in striking contrast to
these would-be prophets and their wild guesses, let me invite your attention to
some real prophets and to some predictions that were true, and which have come
to pass. While time has proven the afore mentioned men to be false prophets,
time has proven the prophets of the Bible to be inspired and worthy of our
con­fidence. The apostle Peter, referring to Bible prophecies says, "No prophecy
ever came by the will of man, but holy men spake from God. being moved by the
Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21). And the following examples which we now introduce,
attest the truthfulness of this declaration. After the city of Jericho had been
taken by the Israelites in the long ago, Joshua uttered a prophecy respecting
the rebuilding of the city. He said: "Cursed be the man before Jehovah that
riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho; with the loss of his first-born shall
he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he
set up the gates of it." (Joshua 6:26). For many years the city of Jericho lay
in ruins. It was some five hundred years before any one undertook to rebuild it,
but finally a man by the name of Hiel rose up to rebuild it and the Record says,
"He laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his first born, and set
up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub, ac­cording to the
word of Jehovah which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun. (1 Kings 16:34). But
how did Joshua know this hundreds of years before it happened? The answer is
found in the language of Peter, "No prophecy ever came by the will of man, but
holy men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit." As a mere man, the
fu­ture was as dark to Joshua as it was to Voltaire, Jefferson. Miller or
Russell. But the Spirit of the Lord enlightened him —he spake as the Spirit
moved him. Joshua is one of the men who wrote the Bible; hence it is worthy of
our ac­ceptance. Again, just before the death of Joshua, he. called together the
elders and' chief men of Israel, and delivered unto them his farewell address,
in which he uttered a con­ditional prophecy. He assured them that if they would
be faithful and true to Jehovah, he would continue to drive out the nations that
still remained in Canaan, and that they should possess the land, and that God
would be their God and they should be his people. But he warned them, on the
other hand, saying, "If ye do at all go back, and cleave unto the remnant of
these nations, even these that remain among you, and make marriages with them,
and go in unto them, and they to you; know for a certainty that Jehovah your God
will no more drive these nations out from your sight; but they shall be a snare
and a trap unto you. and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until
ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you."
(Joshua 23:11 — 14) Every student of the Bible knows what happened. After the
death of Joshua, these Israelites made marriages with the people about them and
bowed down and worshipped their gods doing the very thing Joshua warned them not
to do. And what was the result? About seven hundred years after this, ten of the
twelve tribes were captured and carried away to Assyria, from whence they never
returned. About one hundred years later, the other two tribes were carried away
to Baby­lon, and the few Israelites who were left in this land, killed their
governor, Gedaliah, and fled to Egypt. Thus they all perished from off this good
land —all because they did the very thing Joshua warned them not to do. But how
did Joshua know hundreds of years before it occurred, what would happen to them
if they pursued this course? How did Joshua know? It is the same answer; he
"spake from God being moved by the Holy Spirit." To the good king Hezekiah,
Isaiah the prophet said, "Be­hold the days come that all that is in thine house,
and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried
into Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the Lord." (2 Kings 20:16-18) Nearly
fifty years after this Nebuch- adnezzer brought his armies against the Kingdom
of Judah and beseiged Jerusalem for two years- The city was taken and utterly
destroyed, and the people, with all the wealth which Hezekiah's fathers had laid
up, were carried away to Babylon, according to the word of Isaiah. But how did
Isaiah know before hand that this was going to befall the Jews? Again the answer
is found in the language of Peter, "No prophecy —Bible prophecy —ever came by
the will of man, but holy men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit."
Isaiah is another writer of the Bible, and so it is worthy of our acceptation.
Just a few years before the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, Jeremiah predicted
that Ne- buchadnezzer would come against Jerusalem and that the people would be
carried away, because of their sins; that the sound of mirth should be taken
away, and that the land, because of its desolation, should become an
astonish­ment; and that the Jews should be servants of the Baby­lonians for
seventy years. (Jeremiah 25:11-14) But how did Jeremiah know before it happened
that the Jews would be carried to Babylon and their land become desolate, and
that these Jews would serve the Babylonians just seventy years? How did Jeremiah
know all this? Well, anyway, it is a matter of history that just seventy years
from the time these Jews became subjects of Babylon they began their return to
the "Promised Land." And it was just seventy years from the time Nebuchadnezzar
destroyed the temple until Zerubbabel and others rebuilt it. But how did
Jeremiah know this in advance? Well, he was another man who "spake from God,
being moved by the Holy Spirit." And he is another writer of the Bible. So I
repeat, the Bible is worthy of our acceptation. And it happened about the time
the "seventy years" of Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled that Cyrus the Great,
who evidently knew little or nothing of the God of the Jews, came to the throne
of Babylon. And the Lord having stirred up his heart, he made a decree allow­ing
the Jews to return just in time to fulfill Jeremiah's prophecy. Now, a very
interesting question arises here, namely, how did Jehovah stir up the heart of
this wicked and heathen king? We do not know, to be sure, just how it was done;
but there is a strong probability that it was ac­complished through the
fulfillment of prophecy. About two hundred years before Cyrus came to the throne
of Baby­lon, Isaiah had uttered quite a strange prophecy in which Cyrus is
referred to by name as the Lord's "shepherd," as his "anointed." Isaiah said
Cyrus should fulfill all the Lord's pleasure, and that Jerusalem should be
rebuilt, sug­gesting that Cyrus should have a hand in the rebuilding of
Jerusalem. Isaiah further stated that Cyrus' name was there used that he might
know that Jehovah is God. (Isaiah 44:24 to Isaiah 45:6.) Now when Cyrus came to
the throne Daniel was the foremost man in the kingdom, and he knew by the
prophecies that it was time for the Jews to return —that the seventy years had
been fulfilled. So the most natural thing at all would be for him to present
Cyrus with a copy of the prophecy, which was then two hundred years old, where
his name was used in connection with the rebuilding, of Jerusalem, and where he
had been called the Lord's "shepherd" and his "anointed." This would, no doubt,
have stirred Cyrus' heart thoroughly, and this is the way it may have been done.
We do not know. But how did Isaiah know more than one hundred and fifty years
before he was born that there would ever be such a man as Cyrus?

How did he know that he would in any sense he (aid's shepherd to care for his
people? And how did he know he would he the Lord's anointed to rebuild
Jerusalem? There is but one answer, lie "Spake from God, being moved by the Holy
Spirit." Such men as Isaiah wrote the Bible, and it is thus proven to be
inspired. When the kingdom of Israel divided and Jereboam set up his golden calf
and his altar of incense at Bethel, the Lord sent a messenger out of Judea unto
Bethel that he might speak against Jereboam's altar. This man of God, for his
name is not given, said, among other things, as he stood before Jereboam's
altar, "a child shall be born in the house of David, Josiah by name, and he
shall burn the priest's bones on this altar." (1 Kings 13; 1 Kings 1, 2. Well,
some three hundred years after this there was a child born in the house of David
—in the lineage of David, and they called him Josiah- This child became king
when he was only eight years old, and when he was hardly grown he began his
reformations in Jerusalem and Judea. And after this he proceeded with his
servants to Bethel and standing be­fore Jereboam's old altar he asked, "Whose
are these sepul­chers?" Being told that they contained the bones of the priests
who burned incense on the altar, he sent his servants to bring the bones of the
priests, and they burned them on that altar, according to the words of the Man
of God. who had predicted it more than three hundred years before. But how did
this man of God know it more than three hundred years before it happened? How
did he know that there would be a child born of the lineage of David who should
be named Josiah? And how did he know that Josiah would burn these priests' bones
on that altar? Evidently this man, also, spake from God, being moved by the Holy
Spirit." And, I repeat, this is the kind of men who wrote the Bible. Hence they
are in a class to themselves, and the Bible is, therefore, in a class to itself.

Many years ago there sat four lepers at the gate of an ancient city. The city
had been under siege for many days by the Syrian army until famine conditions
prevailed; and women reduced to starvation, were cooking and eating their own
children. Elisha, the man of God, lived in that city and he uttered a wonderful
prophecy. He predicted that in twenty-four hours the famine would be over and
food plentiful in the city. It was so unreasonable that the cap­tain of the
king's host declared that if Jehovah should open the windows of heaven to give
them food, that it could not become plentiful in twenty-four hours. Elisha then
repeated his prediction, and said furthermore that this captain should see it,
but because he had doubted he should not be allowed to partake of the plenty.
The four lepers who sat at the gate of that city began to reason as to what
should be their end. They reasoned thus: "If we sit here we will die; if we go
into the city the famine is there and we shall perish; let us turn unto the
Syrians, and if they save us alive we shall live, but if they kill us we shall
but die." So they turned their faces toward the camp of the Syrian army, perhaps
with many doubts and fears and with many mis­givings as to what the outcome
should be- But to their delightful surprise when they reached the Syrian camp
they found it intact, but deserted. The Lord had caused these Syrians to hear
the sound of a mighty army coming upon them, and they had fled, leaving great
quantities- of provi­sions. These lepers feasted themselves, and then returned
to the city and reported their find. So the people of Sa­maria went out to this
deserted camp and brought in pro­visions in great abundance, and the famine was
over. And the captain of the king's host was standing at the gate when the
people returned, bringing in great stores of food, and in some way he was
knocked down and the people trod upon him and he died. So Elisha's prophecy was
fulfilled to the letter. The famine was ended in the twenty-four hours according
to his words, and the captain who doubted his words was permitted to see the
great plenty, but was not allowed to eat of it. (See 2 Kings 6, 7.) But how did
Elisha know the day before what was going to happen? Well, this was the Lord's
message —not Elisha's. So with the many messages in the Old Book. The whole
Bible is a message from God —not from men. The writers of the Bible "Spake from
God, being moved by the Holy Spirit."

Great men have their histories written after they are dead and gone; hut Jesus'
life work was written in marvelous detail long before he was born. Let us notice
a few things which were said about him before he came into this world- Isaiah,
some eight hundred years before his birth, predicted one of the most
unreasonable and absurd things about him imaginable; and no doubt, the scoffers
ridiculed him for predicting such a thing. Isaiah boldly declared that the
Messiah should be born of a virgin, a thing never heard of before. But in due
course of time the seemingly impossible was accomplished when the virgin Mary
became the mother of Jesus. Some seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus,
Micah declared he should be born in the little, insignificant village of
Bethlehem. But even after Mary- had been designated as the favored woman, still
there seemed little probability that the child would be born in Bethlehem, since
Joseph and Mary lived at Nazareth, some­thing like one hundred miles north of
Bethlehem'. But in due time there went out a decree from Augustus Caesar which
brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where the child of destiny was born, in
fulfillment of Micah's words. Isaiah some eight hundred years before Jesus came
into the world, very graphically describes some things connected with his trials
and crucifixion. He describes him as being "like a lamb dumb before his
shearers, that he opened not his mouth." This was fulfilled in his conduct
before Pilate when, in answer to his questions, he answered him never a word.
Isaiah said he would be "rejected and afflicted," all of which was literally
fulfilled by the Jews rejecting him and1 allowing him to be afflicted in many
ways. Isaiah said further that "his judgment should be taken away." This was
fulfilled in that, while Pilate said over and over "I find no fault in him,"
still they over-ride this judgment and kill him as though he had been guilty.
Again, Isaiah said he should be "numbered with transgressors." This was
ful­filled when he hung on the cross between two transgressors, as a third
transgressor- On the cross he cried, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" in fulfillment of David's words uttered a thousand years before. And down
at the foot of the cross are the soldiers dividing his clothes among themselves
and gambling for his coat that was made without a seam from top to bottom—all in
fulfillment of the prophecy which says, "They parted my garments and cast lots
for my vesture." When the soldiers who had been sent to break the legs of the
three reached Jesus, he was already dead, and they brake none of his bones, in
fulfill­ment of an old prophecy which said not a bone of his body should be
broken. But these soldiers, for some reasons, thrust a spear into his side in
fulfillment of the prophecy which says, "They shall look on him whom they,
pierced." Joseph of Arima?thea was a rich man. He and Nicodemus came in boldly
unto Pilate and asked for and obtained the body of Jesus, and they buried it in
Joseph's own new tomb, and thus was fulfilled the prophecy that he "shall make
his grave with the rich." Jesus, on the third day after his cru­cifixion, rose
from the dead in fulfillment of David's proph­ecy that "His soul should not be
left' in Hades, neither should his body see corruption." And probably the
Psalm­ist refers to his glorious ascension when he breaks forth exultantly,
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and
the king of glory shall come in." Now, how did these men know so many things
about the story of Jesus so many years before he lived? We answer once more in
the language of the apostle Peter, "No prophecy ever came by the will of man,
but holy men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit." And while these
are only a few of the many prophecies which have been fulfilled, these will
serve to show, as stated in the beginning, that the writers of the Bible are
strictly in a class to themselves. Those who have taken the pains to count them
say there are some five hundred prophecies in the Old Testament which have been
fulfilled in the earthly career of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament. And
these prophecies cover a period of fifteen hundred years, from Moses to Malachi.
Now, how were these men able to tell in such minute detail the life story of
Jesus so long before he came into this world? We answer once more that the
secret of it is revealed in the language of the apostle Peter, "No prophecy ever
came by the will of man. but holy men spake from God, being moved by the Holy
Spirit." Five men stand here, each with ten arrows in his quiver- They desire to
shoot these arrows at a target, but they do not know just where the target is.
nor how far away it is. The first man stands fifteen hundred yards away, as he
afterwards learns, arid shoots his ten arrows out into the darkness of the
night. The second man stands one thousand yards away, and sends his ten arrows
out into the midnight darkness. The third man stands eight hundred yards away,
and shoots his ten arrows away into the inky blackness. The fourth man stands
six hundred yards away, and the fifth man stands four hundred yards away —all of
them shooting into the darkness. They call for a light and find every one of
those fifty arrows in the bull's-eye —in the center of the target. This would be
wonderful, indeed. But no more so than the fulfillment of the many prophecies
relating to Christ. For instance, Moses stands fifteen hun­dred years away from
Christ and sends forth his prophetic arrows; David stands one thousand years
away from Christ and sends out many striking prophetic arrows; Isaiah stands
eight hundred years away from Christ and sends forth a number of prophetic
arrows; Daniel stands six hundred years away from Christ and sends forth his
prophetic ar­rows, and Malachi stands four hundred years away from Christ and
sends out his prophetic arrows. None of these men knew just how far away they
were, and just where the target was. But when the light of New Testament
revela­tion is turned on we find all these prophetic arrows centered in the life
story of Jesus. But how did these men know so many things about Jesus, and so
long before he came to this earth? Well, these men "spake from God, being moved
by the Holy Spirit." Hence I repeat, the writers of the Bible are in a class to
themselves, and this places the Bible in a class to itself.

Some one says, "We are so accustomed to the sight of the Bible that it ceases to
be a miracle to us- It is printed just like other books, and so we forget that
it is not just like other books; but there is nothing in the world like it or
comparable to it. The sun in the firmament is nothing compared to the Bible, if
it be in reality what it assumes to be, an actual, direct communication from God
to man. Take up your Bible with this idea, and look at it, and wonder at it. It
is a treasure of unspeakable value to you, for it contains a special message of
love and tender mercy from God to your soul. Read it in the secret of God's
presence, and receive it as from his lips, and feed upon it, and it will be to
you, as it was to the prophets of old, the joy and the rejoicing of your heart."


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 17: CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
========================================================================

Christian Education CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. BY BATSELL BAXTER.

I appreciate the privilege of being in another meeting of preachers and other
Christians to study about the things that will make us better and cause us to be
more effective in the service of the Lord. And right here in the beginning I
want to say a word to these preachers:

Brethren, I think a worthy Gospel preacher is one of the noblest creatures of
God. I am a teacher, but I preach every Lord's Day, and I come in contact with
preachers all the time. Most of you have homes and yet you do not have homes;
they are your homes, and yet you are denied the blessings and comforts of life
in the midst of your families. You are for weeks at a time away off somewhere
sowing the seed of the Kingdom, while your loved ones at home are struggling
along without your presence and comfort and guidance. Just how you can stand it
I don't know; and I am sure you could not stand it at all were it not for the
faith you have in God, and the conviction that prompted Paul to say "Woe is me
if I preach not the Gospel." May the Lord abundantly bless you in every good
work, and may his rich­est blessings rest upon those at home who most of the
time must struggle along without you.

Religion is a natural and necessary part of man's char­acter, and there can be
no genuine moral life without it. The child is not a lump of clay or wax to be
passively molded; neither is he a blank sheet of paper upon which the teacher
may write. He is a living acting organism full of energy and power, and this
energy and power are daily growing into a character with fixed habits and
beliefs. Edu­cation must direct these thoughts and habits. It must build
Christian manhood, form character, impart high ideals, and train for effective
and righteous service. No education that leaves out the Bible and God and Christ
can do this. Other kinds of education can fill the memory and stimulate the
ambitions, but only Christian education can guide the heart and brain along the
right paths of life. One atom of living faith is worth more than all of the mere
historical knowl­edge that could be brought together; and one drop of true love
and reverence for God is worth more than a whole ocean of scientific learning.

There is no genuine education without some connection with the religion of the
Bible. An education exclusively in­tellectual leads to arrogance and a contempt
for moral influ­ence. I have in mind a brilliant and learned man. He is an
intellectual giant; his mind roams at will in the high alti­tudes of
intellectual achievement, and he fills his students with awe and admiration at
the wealth of his learning". His mind is keen and sharp; but his moral
sensibilities are blunt and dull. He knows nothing of the Bible; he cares little
about God; and his thoughts are far above the problems of the welfare of his
fellow-man. That man is a failure what­ever he may attain in an intellectual way
—a failure because he is one-sided; he has left God out. The Bible tells us
about Samson, God's strong man. He once met a lion in the way and ripped the
jaws of the king of beasts; he wanted once to get out of the city of Gaza when
the gates were locked. He pulled up the gates —posts and all —and carried them
off up a high hill. But he had a weak and undeveloped character. He had little
connection with the divine" will. He was a failure. His enemies feared his
physical strength, but they scorned his weak character. He fell because he was a
one-sided man. An education ex­clusively physical leads to animalism. An
education exclu­sively moral leads to bigotry and Phariseeism. Don't you
remember that Pharisee who went up into the temple to pray and tell the Lord
what a good fellow he was and how proud the Lord ought to be of him? And don't
you remember that the Lord was better pleased with the poor publican who knew he
was a sinner and made a clean breast of it all? That Pharisee was a moral man;
that is about all you can say for him. He certainly lacked everything pertaining
to the spir­itual side. He was a failure. No man can attain the highest life,
and do the good that he ought to do without religious instruction to go right
along with his other instruction. That religious instruction must not be a kind
of A MAKESHIFT, A KIND OF SOME­THING TACKED ON TO THE REST OF THE COURSE.
TREATED AS A KIND OF NECESSARY NONSENSE, PUT IN SIMPLY TO SATISFY WHAT IS
REGARDED BY THE INSTITUTION AS SUPER­STITION AND IGNORANCE. THAT RELIGIOUS
INSTRUCTION MUST NOT BE BELITTLED AND HEDGED IN. IT MUST BE THE MAIN THING IN
THE COURSE AND THE OTHER WORK MUST ALL BE BUILT AROUND IT AND BE A HELP TO IT
AND NOT A HINDRANCE. THAT RELIGIOUS IN­STRUCTION MUST BE IN AN INSTITUTION WHOSE
VERY ATMOSPHERE IS PERVADED WITH THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIANITY, AND WHOSE TEACHERS
BELIEVE THE BIBLE AND PRACTICE ITS PRECEPTS. Fire extinguishers are filled with
carbon-dioxide. You can throw a stream of carbon dioxide into a room filled with
fire and shut the door, and your fire is smothered out. Fire cannot burn in an
at­mosphere of carbon-dioxide. We expect students to go off to some big college
which is filled with worldliness and tinctured with atheism with a little
religious instruction on the side, and come back filled with the spirit of
Christianity. We might as well expect a candle set down in a room filled with
carbon-dioxide to keep on burning as to expect a stud­ent to get any real
strength out of religious teaching in an institution whose very atmosphere
chokes the religious spirit out of him and mocks his faith in God.

I want us to remember that a great factor in moulding the destiny of the student
is the teacher. Teachers are gen­erally chosen in many schools for what they
know and not for what they are. I believe that a teacher ought to know the
subject that he is going to teach. He ought to know it as thoroughly as it is
possible for him to know it. He ought to be able to impart it to others. But the
teacher must be a strong character, and ABOVE ALL. HE MUST BE A CHRISTIAN. The
teacher has a tremendous responsi­bility. His life must be a living example of
Christianity. For his heart is in touch daily with the hearts of his students
and he is moulding their destiny. His heart must be clean and pure and filled
with righteousness. Have you ever watched the little boy following along and
trying to walk in the father's steps? Every father has seen it. When you turn
that boy over to some school to finish his education he picks out some teacher
as his ideal, and he tries to walk in that teacher's steps just as he used to
try to walk in yours. And he has all confidence in that teacher just as he used
to have all confidence in you. He is dazzled by that teacher's learning. He
longs to get up on the intellectual heights where that teacher stands. That
teacher can tell him that the faith of his father is superstition and he will
believe it; that teacher can tell him the Bible is a bundle of contradic­tions,
and he will think it must be so; that teacher can tell him there is no God, and
the boy's faith will waiver and fail, and he will come back to you wrecked and
ruined for eter­nity. Or if that teacher is the right kind; if he is a strong
Christian, he can send you back that boy stronger in faith and more diligent in
God's service than when he went away. I f I were sending a boy or girl to
school, I would not only want to know about what the ideals of the school were;
I would want to know what were the ideals of its teachers. I would want to know
that every teacher in that school was a Christian and that the influence every
day was on the side of Christianity and not against it.

I want to say right here that I am in favor of small col­leges. Oh, I don't mean
little schools of thirty or forty students. I think the ideal school in point of
numbers should contain not less than two hundred students and not more than
three hundred. That is about all one faculty can do justice to. Mere bigness is
paraded before our eyes until we have come to believe that bigness is
everything. We see bigness in industrial institutions, thousands of tools being
turned out of this factory every day where the old fashioned blacksmith used to
hammer out only one or two. But those old hammered tools have never been equaled
for strength and service. It is alright to have big schools with classes of
fifty or a hundred each, in which the students are mere num­bers unknown to the
teacher except as numbers; this is alright if we are just making machines out of
them. But we are not doing thai; at least we don't intend that. We want to build
character; we want the classes to be small enough so that the teacher can have
time to talk heart-to-heart with each student once in a while. For character and
individu­ality, the records show that the big schools are far behind the little
ones. Most of our great men have come from col­leges whose enrollment was small
enough that the teachers could come in personal touch with their students.

I want us to notice our obligation toward the cause of Christian Education. The
state provides free education. We pay for it whether we have children in the
state schools or not. We may say "Education is no longer in our hands." The
state says "On religious matters we are silent." So some of us are content to
just let religious instruction drop. As Christians we must realize our
obligations. We must, and we will continue to provide the right kind of
education. As I look around me I see evidence that Christians have been
sacrificing for the proper training of boys and girls. I don't know how much
sacrifice it has cost men and women all over this country to put these buildings
and this equip­ment here; but I do know that if this school results in saving
for God "and for a life of usefulness and service to humanity one boy or girl
that would not otherwise have been saved all this outlay of money and effort
will have been well spent. A big estimate of the worth of one boy? NO! Not if it
is my boy, or your boy. I am confident that this institution and others like it
have already been an eternal blessing to hund­reds of boys and girls; and I hope
and pray that its useful­ness has but begun. This work is a monument for good to
every man and woman who has sacrificed in any way for it. When we die what we
have given we take with us; what we have kept for ourselves we lose. Brother
David Lipscomb left little or no property. He has no costly monument; yes he
has; one of the grandest monuments a man could wish. There is the Nashville
Bible School. It has been a blessing to boys and girls for thirty years and its
prospects "re brighter now than ever before. It is a lasting monument to the
memory of the man who gave thousands of dollars that it might exist.

1 wonder how much we who are younger and have reaped and are reaping the benefit
of the sacrifice and love of others appreciate it. When Brother T. B. Larimore
started over the mountains of Tennessee from his mother's humble cabin to attend
a little college a few miles away that good mother fixed him a lunch and gave
him her blessings. When, about three o'clock in the afternoon, he stopped in the
cool shade near a spring to eat, he found that the basket was filled with better
food than his mother had at home. As he bent over the basket, tears dropped down
upon the food; he folded the cloth over it and started on his journey again. He
was not hungry; he could not eat. Many of you students are wearing new clothes
while mother or father have mended the old ones. Mother is wearing the old hat
so that you girls may have a new one and not be embarrassed. Oh! she rather
likes the old hat anyhow. You understand. Can you fail when parents have an
interest like that in you? The charge has sometimes been made that Christianity
and education are opposed to each other. The Catholics in the Dark Ages were
opposed to education for the .common people. But God's people have never been
opposed to it. The more education of the right kind, the better. The Lord has
always stood for education, especially for religious edu­cation. He has not
shown special interest in having his people study mathematics and the sciences,
but he has always made it plain that the more they could learn about Him and His
will the better He was pleased. Away back yonder in the early day Babylon had a
system of education. It was effective. From a worldly standpoint it was great.
But it left God out. So Jehovah took a man, Abraham, away out to himself and
trained him so that he could be the father of a people who would go to school to
the Lord and his prophets. The order among the Jews was "precept upon precept,
line upon line; here a little and there a little." Moses was educated for forty
years in the wilderness before God would have him lead Israel out of bondage. He
edu­cated the people in schools conducted specially for the purpose. After the
entrance into Canaan the Jews carried the Ten Commandments in a leather case on
the wrist and nailed them in a metal case upon the door of their houses. Later,
the teaching almost stopped and we hear Jehovah saying through his prophet
Hosea: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast
rejected knowledge I have rejected thee" (Hosea 4:6). Twenty years later Isaiah
warned the people that their lack of knowledge would bring them into captivity.
(Isaiah 5:13). At one time there were the schools of the Prophets —communities
with buildings set apart at Ramah, Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal, where the young
went to school to Cod's chosen teachers. It was the prophets from these schools
who repeatedly warned Israel of apostasy and turned the people back con­tinually
into the right paths. After the captivity, there were the synagogues for
teaching the Law. Paul was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in just such a
school in Jerusalem. At the age of twelve or thirteen years the boy was taken to
one of these synagogue schools and there began his work. We find our Lord, at
the age of twelve in the midst of the teach­ers, asking and answering questions.
Thus we see that our Saviour himself partook of the educational training that
God had provided for his people. After the new dispensation began we find Paul
teaching daily at Ephesus in the school of Tyrannus. Here was a school that
opened its doors to the teaching of the Bible every day. And here was an
in­spired apostle taking advantage of it and the Holy Spirit in­dorsing the
work. And the Scriptures dominated the policy of that school. This arrangement
continued for two years. And I want you to notice what the Holy Spirit says of
the effect, "All Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." And a
little further on we are told of a further effect; "And not a few of them that
practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight
of all —so mightily grew the word of the Lord and pre­vailed." (Acts 19:10; Acts
19:19). That's the way the Apostle Paul got rid of the wrong kind of education;
he just set the right kind right up by the side of it and kept hammering away
until the victory was won and that whole region had turned to the Lord. Can't we
do the same thing today? Brethren, education counts, and counts heavy, in the
work of the Lord. Here were twelve apostles, all inspired alike with the Holy
Spirit; Paul was educated and the others were not. Whose influence has come down
to us with the greatest force today? Who wrote most of the New Testament? Who
stood before kings and carried the Gospel into the strong­holds of heathen
learning and superstition. Paul. He was not any better than the rest of the
apostles, but his educa­tion enabled him to get into fields that they could not
touch. Now. as then, the educated world is against Christianity. Now, as then,
education is one of our greatest weapons with which to fight false theories.

I admire a man who fights in the open. Suppose that an enemy invades our shores
and begins to devastate the land. Our forces are hastily organized and a
terrible battle is fought. We drive the invader into the sea. We go back home
thinking he will never return. But secretly his agents slip in and poison the
water in our wells, poison the food in our markets and on our tables. The poison
is not strong enough to kill grown men and women, but it has its deadly effect
upon the young; upon our boys and girls. A physician is called to a home; a boy
is dying. He searches for the cause; he finds the poison in the food that the
parent has been giving that child. The enemy put it there. He finds the poison
in the water the child drinks. There is no cure. Not many years ago Robert Owen
came to these shores as the champion of Infidelity. He attacked Christianity as
a mighty Goliath. When the others had fled, Alexander Campbell took his sling
and stone and went out to meet the man who had defied the armies of Israel.
There was a mighty struggle. At the end of it the mighty Goliath sat with his
head in his hands and wept like a child while the Lord's David drove home the
truth. The mighty Owen was crushed. He left these shores and his theory went
with him. All religious people rejoiced. But stealthily and stead­ily the
infidel has been poisoning our food and drink since that day. Not water and meat
and bread, but the food that goes into our minds and makes up our character! The
poison is not strong enough to affect much those of us who are rooted and
grounded in the faith of Christ. But it is deadly to the young. A mother comes
to you or to me and says: "My boy is declining spiritually. He has been off to
school and he has no interest in the Lord's work any more." You talk with him a
little while and have to tell that mother, Your boy is dicing. There is no
remedy for his condition but the Bible and he has already discredited that."
Then vou begin to look for the poison, Yes, here it is:

History: "The first men had no history. They lived a savage life. In thought and
act they were brutelike; and in brain power they were only a little above the
beast about them." ("In the image of God created he him.") History: "The early
Hebrew conception of the future life was borrowed from the Babylonians" The
Story of the Flood was taken from the Babylonians." Physiography: "The earth was
not created; it was flung off in ribbon­like bands from the Sun." ("In the
beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.") Zoology: "No one knows when
and where life originated on the earth. Many of the ancients believed that
animals were created by divine providence, but this theory of special creation
is no longer accepted. The first animals that existed on the earth consisted of
a single cell. The complex animals have evolved from these simpler forms in some
period in the world's history. .Man is no exception to the evolutionary process
but is closely allied to the anthropoid apes, and doubtless arose from an
ape-like ancestor!" When I look into the clear innocent blue eyes of my little
boy and hear him say, "God is up in Heaven, Bad men killed Jesus, Jesus loves
us, He wants us to be Good;" I am filled with trembling at my responsibility. I
will give him over some day to other teachers to complete his training. I had
rather that some one steal into my home and take his young life in its innocence
and purity than that some man deliberately —under the cover of education —wreck
his faith and damn his soul.

Let us hold up the hands of Christian men and keep them provided with every
possible means for teaching the full truth about God along with the secular
education. The destiny of our boys and girls demands it.


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  CHAPTER 18: MYSTERIES OF THE BIBLE
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Mysteries of the Bible MYSTERIES OF THE BIBLE. BY G. DALLAS SMITH. When I was a
young man, just starting out to- preach, there were no mysteries in the Bible to
me! Some things, indeed, seemed to be mysterious — all because I did not
un­derstand them! Of course, as soon as I could come to an understanding of
these things the mystery would all be sure to disappear. I had been taught that
the Bible is not a book of mysteries —that it really contains no mysteries, and
I had accepted it without investigation or reason. But why did such an idea ever
possess any one? Well, perhaps, we swung to this ridiculous extreme in an effort
to refute the erroneous idea that conversion is a mystery. But, anyway, the
Apostle Paul says, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness." He
says without controversy, with­out question, without doubt, the mystery of
godliness is great. There is no room for discussion, no ground for debate over
the question of the greatness of this mystery. "Without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness-" But what is a mystery? It is something we cannot
un­derstand without further explanation or revelation. A mys­tery is something
hidden, something we cannot fully grasp until further enlightened by explanation
or revelation. The original signifies something that is inexplicable except to
the initiated —to those on the inside so to speak. For instance. Pharaoh's dream
of the fat and the lean kine and the full and blasted ears of corn was a mystery
to him; but Joseph being initiated, being inspired, was able to make known the
significance of the dream to Pharaoh. And so the hand­writing on the wall of the
palace in Babylon was a profound mystery to "Belshazzar and a thousand of his
lords." But to Daniel who was initiated, being inspired, its meaning was plain,
and he readily made known to the king and his associ­ates the significance of
the writing And the apostle John saw on the Isle of Patmos what was to him, at
the 'time. a great mystery. He saw seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst
of them he saw one like the Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot,
and wearing a golden girdle. His head was white as snow, and his eyes were as a
flame of fire. His feet were as brass, in his right hand there were seven stars,
and out of his mouth went a sharp, two-edged sword, while his countenance was as
the sun shining in his strength. This was a profound mystery to John. He could
not understand it; he could not grasp its meaning until the Spirit further
enlightened him. So, I repeat, a mystery is something we can not understand —can
not grasp, until further enlightened by explanation or revelation. But what is
this great mystery —the mystery of godli­ness? Fortunately we are not left to
guess what this mys­tery is, for the apostle proceeds to tell us. He says,
"Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angles, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:13.)) In these
six items there is much mystery. But wherein lies the mystery? It is largely in
every item mentioned by the apostle. First, "God was manifested in the flesh,"
God is a spirit, and yet Paul says he was manifested in the flesh. But how was
God manifested in the flesh —made known in the flesh? Evidently this refers to
the incarnation of Jesus, which is the mystery of all ages. John says; "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God * * *
And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (And we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only be­gotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." (John
1:1-14.) So God, in the person of Jesus, was made flesh and dwelt among us,
living in the flesh as a man. Many years before Jesus made his advent to this
earth, the prophet Isaiah declared that a virgin should conceive and bring forth
a child and that his name should be called "Emmanuel," and Matthew informs us
that "Emmanuel" means "God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23.) So Jesus was God
manifest in the flesh. He was "God with us." And now we can under­stand what
Jesus meant when he said to Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."
This is, indeed, the mystery of all mysteries. We can not understand it —we can
not grasp its meaning, but we can accept it unreservedly.

Second, "He was justified in the Spirit." The Holy Spirit bore witness to the
fact that he was all he claimed to be —that he was God manifest in the flesh.
For instance, at his baptism, the Spirit said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I
am well pleased." At the transfiguration the Spirit again says, "This is my
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." And after he left this
earth and went back to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles, and
through them the Spirit continued to bear witness of Jesus. Hence he was
"justified by the Spirit," or in the Spirit, in that the Spirit justified him in
claiming to be the Son of God —or Cod manifest in the flesh. And the work­ings
of the Spirit in bearing witness of Jesus present many mysteries. We can not
understand how the Spirit spake the words on the banks of the Jordan commending
Jesus as God's only beloved Son, nor how the Spirit spake to the apostles on the
holy mount further commending Jesus as God's son and representative.
Furthermore, we can not understand how the apostles were "all filled with the
Holy Spirit" that they might continue to bear witness of Jesus after he went
home to his Father. These are mysteries which no finite mind can grasp.

Third, he was "Seen of angels." It is a fact, worthy of our consideration, that
angels sang at his birth, ministered to him after his temptation, strengthened
him in the garden of Gethsemane, announced his resurrection, and were pres­ent
at his ascension. Thus angels attended him through­out his earthly life. But
these angels' visits were mysteri­ous. We can not understand them, of course. We
can not understand how these angels came to this earth and re­turned to heaven,
nor do we know how they could sing so as to be heard and understood by the
shepherds and how they conversed with people on this earth. These are mys­teries
which none can fully understand.

Fourth, he was "preached unto the Gentiles." Paul says the fact that the
Gentiles were to be fellow-heirs with the Jews in the blessings of the Gospel
was a mystery which for ages was hidden, but in due time was made known by the
Holy Spirit. While this mystery was for ages hidden —kept secret, it was finally
made known by the Spirit through the preaching of the apostles, and is no longer
a mystery.

Fifth, he was "believed on in the world." Countless thousands, yea, millions,
have believed that mysterious story of the incarnation of Jesus. It is at least
wonderful, if not mysterious, how this story of the Babe of Bethlehem has won
its way in the world until teeming millions bow in rev­erence at the name of
Jesus. The lamented Edward W. Carmack, of Tennessee, in his lecture on
"Character," said, on the hypothesis that Jesus "was only a man. this would be a
greater miracle than the virgin birth.

Sixth, he was "received up into glory." Jesus' departure from this earth was
just as mysterious as his coming was. We can no more understand the one than we
can the other. While in conversation with his disciples, "while they beheld, he
was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9.) And
these disciples, filled with won­der, stood there gazing into heaven, not
understanding how it was possible for him to ascend in this manner. And we are
still wondering at it —still not able to understand it. So it is clear that this
"mystery of godliness" is without con­troversy, without question, without
debate, a great mystery. But this is not the only mystery in the Bible, and it
is not the only great mystery. In fact, the tinge of mystery runs throughout the
whole Book. There are many things in the Bible which we can not. understand. For
instance, how God, "in the beginning" created the heavens and the earth; how he
afterwards brought on the flood of waters by which the first world of mankind
was destroyed; how he opened the Red Sea and the Jordan River to allow the
Israel­ites to pass through on dry ground; how the walls of Jericho fell down
after they were compassed about seven days; how the sun was made to stand still
at Joshua's command; how the sun was veiled in midnight darkness for three hours
at the crucifixion of Jesus; how Paul, or some one, was caught up to the third
heaven; and just how John received that wonderful vision on the Isle of Patmos.
These are all mys­teries to us. Again, how God brought water out of the rock
when Moses smote it; how he sent manna day after day for the space of forty
years; how he preserved the Israelites' clothes during the entire forty years,
that they did not wear out nor grow old; and how these Israelites were healed
when they looked on the brazen serpent. And again, how Jonah was kept alive in
the whale's belly for three days and nights; how the Hebrew children were
protected from the intensive heat of Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace; and how the
Lord shut up the mouths of the lions that they did not destroy Daniel. And once
more, how Jehovah healed Namaan when he dipped in the Jordan River; how the
blind man was healed when he washed in the pool of Siloam; how Elijah, Elisha,
Jesus, Peter and Paul all raised the dead; and, finally, how all the dead are to
be raised at the coming' of Christ. These are all mysteries great and profound,
and which none can fully comprehend. And these are only a few of the mysteries
about which we read in the bible. But let us bear in mind that mysteries do not
in any sense discredit the Bible. They rather confirm its divine origin. If we
could grasp the whole of this wonderful Book, it would be proof that men can
produce such a book; while the very fact that we can not grasp it all, can not
understand all about it, is a strong evidence that man did not write it. At a
dinner given in honor of Daniel Webster, the conversation turned upon
Christianity, whereupon a gentleman asked Mr. Webster if he could comprehend how
Jesus Christ could be both God and man. Mr. Webster, looking fixedly at the
inquirer, replied: "No, sir, I can not comprehend it. If I could comprehend Him,
He would be no greater than myself, and such is my accountability to God, such
is my sense of sinfulness before Him, and such is my knowledge of my own
incapacity) to recover myself, that I feel I need a superhuman Savior." And so,
if we could comprehend all the Bible —understand ever thing about it, then it
would be no greater than books written by men, while we feel, with Mr. Webster,
that we need a super­human book. But the book of nature is just as full of
mysteries as is the book of revelation, and we never think of rejecting nature,
just because there are mysteries connected with it. The tinge of the mysterious
everywhere surrounds us in nature. For instance, just how our physical bodies
are fed in all their parts is a mystery to us. True, we know some things about
it, but much of it is a mystery to us. We do not understand how the very same
food will produce white skin, yellow skin and black skin on three different men.
We do not understand just how the food we eat is so assimi­lated that it goes to
build up the different parts of the body; some to build up the delicate tissues
of the body, some to make the nails on the fingers and toes, some the bones,
some the blood, some the brain, and some the nerves, etc. Again, we do not
understand how a sheep and a goose can eat the same food and produce wool on the
sheep's back and fea­thers on the goose's back. We do not understand how a red
cow can eat green grass and give white milk, .from which we churn yellow butter.
Can any one understand how- a tender stock of corn will push its way through the
hard ground, even bursting a hard clod of earth that it may see the light? Yet
it does it. A few years ago I saw this mystery —not to say miracle. On the north
side of an old brick house where one of my best friends lives, there is any ivy
growing. One day while this friend and brother lay on his bed sick he discovered
a tender branch of ivy that had found its way through the brick wall, plaster
and all, and had pushed its way through the wall paper —burst through the wall
paper that it might reach the light. My attention was called to this wonderful
mystery in nature with the suggestion that the God of Nature is the God of
Revelation. This mystery of nature we had to accept, for there it was right
before our eyes. But how did this tender shoot of ivy burst that wall paper, to
say nothing of how it found its way through the brick wall? Well, we just do not
know, but it did it nevertheless. Once more, why will three rose bushes, all
growing side by side, all fed from the same soil, all basking in the same
sunshine, and all fanned by the same breezes —why will these three rose bushes
produce three colors of roses —red, white and yellow? Do we understand it? Not
at all. But we accept it without question, for we have all seen it, and seeing
is believing. Here is a long, ugly worm, green in color with white spots on its
sides and a hard sharp horn for a tail. Not a woman, and but few- men, would
dare to pick it up, it is such an unsightly thing. But place that worm under
proper conditions —take good care of it for a very few days, and he weaves about
himself a house of silk, entirely enclosing himself in a cocoon which is much
smaller than he was to begin with. He is now perfectly harmless, for, to all
appearances he is en­tirely lifeless and enclosed in a tough silk shell which it
would be difficult to tear open. Rut just wait a short time, and one end of that
tough silk shell opens in some way, and presently there is flying about the
house a beauti­ful silk butterfly which any woman would be pleased to pin on her
Sunday hat. Now, how was this thing of ex­quisite beauty produced from this
unsightly worm? Who can tell? To the masses, at least, this is a profound
mys­tery; we cannot comprehend it. But we do not think of rejecting it, for
nature is replete with just such mys­teries as this. Who can tell why a baby one
year old will walk off a bluff one hundred feet high, while a pig only three
days old will take care of itself? You could hardly get enough men around that
pig to run it off the bluff where there was danger, but the baby will
thoughtlessly walk off, never fearing. Do we understand it? We all know it is
true, nevertheless. Again here is an old hen out in the barnyard with a brood of
little chickens, just from their shells. They are taking their first sun bath.
These little chickens never saw a hawk, and never heard the distress signal of
their attentive mother. But presently a pigeon dips down too near them, and the
old hen gives that peculiar signal, which they never heard before, and every
little chick will at once hustle for his life, seeking shelter under the mother
or anything that will hide it from sight. But just across the way there is a
beautiful baby, the joy and satisfaction of the home. Its mother has given it
every opportunity, and it has developed wonderful powers of intellect, until the
family begins to think, no doubt, this particular child has been marked by the
angel of death, it being too smart to remain here below. This child, being about
one year old, has just begun to toddle about and wanders out into the street. A
team of horses come dashing along, running away. The mother, frantic with fear,
calls to the babe to turn back —to come to her; but all to no avail. That year
old babe, smart as it is, pays no. attention to her danger signals. The mother
is unable to arouse any sense of fear in the child. Why will these little
chickens heed the voice of their mother when they have had absolutely no
training, while this child, with all the care a fond mother could bestow upon it
for a whole year, still pays no attention to her danger signals? Who can tell?
Then, why do men have to be taught how to build their houses, while a little
bird that never built a nest and never saw one built, can build one just as
per­fectly as the old bird which has built them before? It does not relieve us
of the difficulty to say that the pig. the little chickens and the little bird
all act through the power of instinct, for we cannot understand the workings of
instinct. Even this old earth on which we live, in its movements, presents many
mysteries. It rotates on its axis at the rate of one thousand miles an hour, or
sixteen miles a minute, it revolves around the sun at the rate of seventy-five
thousand miles an hour, twelve hundred and fifty miles a minute, or twenty-one
miles a second. The inclination of its axis swings first the north pole and then
the south pole nearer the sun and this gives us our seasons —winter and summer,
spring and autumn. And these movements have continued for thousands of years
without varying a second. We cannot understand all this, of course, but while
some of the more simple minded reject it, still it is generally accepted, and
especially by the edu­cated class.

Why, even as common a thing as the telephone is full of mystery. How can we
stand here and speak to a man a thousand miles away and our voices be heard as
readily as if we were in adjoining rooms? Sound cannot and does not travel that
fast, scientists tell us, and yet the voice is heard, and may be recognized as
that of a friend or a relative, even thousands of miles away. But just how it is
we do not know. Wre do not even know what electricity is, for that matter, and
many of its workings are still mysterious to us. Mr. Wood, of the Edison
Laboratory, at a chautauqua a few years ago, gave some wonderful demonstrations
with electricity. By throwing a strong light on a face for a few minutes he was
able to transfer the facial outlines on the canvas just to the rear, so that
when all lights were turned off, there glowed the full face on the otherwise
dark canvas; and it remained there several min­utes before it finally vanished.
Mr. Wood then stated that they could not explain it —that they did not
understand it. So, I repeat, the book of nature is just as full of mysteries as
the book of revelation is, and it is just as absurd to reject the one for that
reason as is the other. But the mystery, both in nature and grace—in the book of
nature and in the book of revelation, is always on God's side —never on man's
side. We do not have to grasp the mysterious nor understand the
incomprehensible. Man's side, both in nature and grace, is very simple. It is
not nec­essary for us to know just how our food is assimilated so as to properly
build up the various parts of the body. Our part is to eat, and nature takes
care of the assimilation. Even a man who does not know what mastication,
digestion, and assimilation mean, can nevertheless eat to the satisfying of
every demand, and a half-witted fellow can care for a sheep and a goose while
they eat the same food which pro­duces wool on the sheep's back and feathers on
the goose's back, knowing absolutely nothing about the mysterious process by
which the wool and feathers are produced. So anyone can care for the red cow
while she eats green grass and gives white milk which produces yellow butter.
And a man who knows practically nothing about the science of agriculture, and
one who could not even pronounce the name, can plant corn and raise a crop as a
means of feeding himself and others, knowing nothing about how the tender shoot
pushes its way through the hard soil. And so a man who does not know what
horticulture is, can cultivate a whole garden of rose bushes and know absolutely
nothing about the process by which these different bushes produce their
different colors of roses. Too, the man who knows nothing about how the silk
worm spins his long strand of silk and then weaves it into his cocoon, which
then becomes valuable as an article of commerce, can care for the worm which
produces the butterfly and then care for the butterfly which in turn produces
the worm, and thus add to the world's supply of silk. The mystery here is all on
God's side. And so a man who knows absolutely nothing about electricity, can use
the telephone to his own satisfaction, as multiplied thousands are doing every
day. And the same principle holds true in the system of grace, in the book of
revelation. The mystery is all on God's side —never on man's side. Man's part is
always simple and easy. For in­stance, Noah's part at the flood was quite
simple. God told him what to do and how to do it. Noah's part was to believe and
obey, and the instructions were plain and simple. The Lord did the rest.
Israel's part at the Red sea and at the Jordan was very simple, too. God parted1
the waters, how we do not know, and they simply walked through on dry ground. No
mystery on their side whatever. And the part the Israel­ites played when the
walls of Jericho fell down was all very simple, too. They had to march around
the walls once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, seven times, then
blow a blast on the trumpets and raise a shout. All this was perfectly simple
and easy. It was a mystery how the walls fell down, but that was the Lord's part
and he took care of it. So in feeding the Israelites on manna for forty years,
there was a great mystery, but the mystery was all on God's side, as ever.
Israel had only to gather up the food and prepare it for eating. This was easy
and simple. And there was a great mystery about how water came out of the rock
when it was smitten by Moses, but Moses' part was not mysterious in the least.
He simply took the rod and smote the rock three times. The mystery, here again,
was all on God's side. And it was a great mystery how God healed the Israelites
when they looked on the brazen serpent in the wilderness, but Israel's part was
plain and simple —not mysterious. And, too, it was a mystery how God healed
Naaman when he dipped in the Jordan and gave to the blind man his sight when he
washed in the pool of Siloam. But all the mystery in both cases was on God's
side. Their part was plain and simple and easy. They had only to believe and
obey. And so it is with the "mystery of Godliness," which Paul tells us is
great. The mystery is all on God's side. There is absolutely no mystery on man's
side. True, we cannot understand the incarnation —how Jesus was

God in the flesh. And we do not know why Jesus had to die to save us., or how
his blood takes away sin. We do not know just how his blood is applied to our
souls, nor even why baptism was made a condition of salvation. But, like
Abraham, we can believe and obey. Or, like Naaman and the blind man, we can
"trust and obey, for there is no other way." And this is man's whole duty in the
matter. God always looks after the mysterious. He will see that the blood is
applied to our souls if we will believe and obey. And he will see that our
bodies are raised incorruptible if we will only walk righteously before him in
this life. Hence let us leave the mysterious to him who is "able to do
exceed­ing abundantly above all that we ask or think." But all mysteries may
some day be made known, as some of the mysteries have already been revealed. But
until then, we must hold these mysteries in a pure conscience, never doubting.
John Mason says, " If we love the Bible as we ought, it is dearer to us than
life, nearer to us than our relations, sweeter to us than our liberty, and more
pleasant than any earthly comforts; all arguments against the word of God are
fallacies, all conceits against it delu­sions, all derisions against it
blasphemies, and all oppositions against it madness." And the illustrious Sir
Walter Scott, one of England's most distinguished poets, has very truth­fully
said:

"Within this ample volue lies The mystery of mysteries. Happiest they of human
race To whom God has given grace To read, to fear, to hope, to pray, To lift the
latch, to force the way, And better had they ne'er been born Who read to doubt
or read to scorn."


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  CHAPTER 19: DIVISIONS OF THE BIBLE
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Divisions of the BIble DIVISIONS OF THE BIBLE. BY G. DALLAS SMITH. To Timothy,
Paul says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15). From this
it is clear that the "word of truth," the word of God, has its right divisions,
that it must be rightly divided. And it is evident that any effort to study the
Bible without ob­serving its right and proper divisions must in a large meas­ure
be profitless and confusing. The Revision says, "Give diligence to present
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling
aright the word of truth." We cannot handle aright the word of truth if we
ignore its proper divisions. To study the Bible in its right divisions renders
it more easily understood, and at the same time enables us to retain it the more
readily. To my mind there is nothing that has produced more confusion among
religious people in general than a failure to observe the proper divisions of
God's word. And there is nothing that would be more conducive to the union of
all religious people on the Bible alone than to observe Paul's admonition to
rightly divide the word of truth. The "word of truth," the Bible, is divided,
first, into two Testaments —the Old Testament and the New Testament. We
sometimes very incorrectly speak of the "Old Bible and the New Testament": and
now and then some one will refer to the "Old Bible and the New Bible." There are
not two Bibles, of course, as this language would imply. But there are two
Testaments —the Old Testament and the New Testament, and these two compose the
"Old Bible." And while both of the Testaments are inspired; while both contain
the words of God, still the New Testament is the better Testament. This may
sound a bit strange to some, but I make the statement based upon what Paul says
in Heb., 7:22. Contrasting the two Testaments, he says, "By so much was Jesus
made a surety of a better testament." A "surety" is one who gives security.
Jesus is the surety of —the one who gives security to —the New Testament. Hence
the New Testament is the better Testament —it is better than the Old Testament.
In our short-sightedness we may not be able to see wherein the New Testament is
better than the Old Testament, but Paul says it is. and that settles it. But
there are clear evidences of it right on the surface, if we will open our eyes.
For instance, under the Old Testament the high Priests were human and sinful,
while under the New Testament we have a divine and sinless high Priest. Under
the Old Testament the high priesthood was continually changing, since the
priests were continually dying. But under the. New Testament we have a
changeless high priesthood, Jesus being our high priest "forever after the order
of Melchizadek." Under the Old Testament there was nothing but the blood of
animals with which to make atonement for sins: while under the New Testament we
have the blood of Jesus which cleanseth us from all sins. Under the Old
Testament there was "a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Hebrews
10:3-4). But under the New Testament our sins, being once forgiven through the
blood of Jesus, are remembered "no more forever." And Paul says the New
Testament cove­nant is established upon better promises than the Old Testa­ment
covenant was. (Hebrews 8:6). Old Testament promises pertained largely, if not
wholly, to temporal affairs; while under the New Testament the faithful have
"promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Further­more,
the New Testament is, in and of itself, a complete waybill —a perfect guide-book
from earth to glory. It tells the sinner what to do in order to be saved, and it
tells the saved how to live that they may continue to be saved and thus finally"
enter the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Hence. I
repeat, the New Testament, separate and apart from the Old Testament, is a
complete guide-book from this world to a home at God's right hand. If a man will
believe all the New Testament teaches, become and be just what it requires, and
live as it directs, he will be safe here and saved in the world to come,
regardless of how little he may know about the Old Testament. I know this
statement, to many, sounds radical —even absurd; but it is true, nevertheless.
But do not conclude from this that we have no need for the Old Testament. It may
develop that we cannot believe all that is in the New Testament, be­come and be
what it requires and live as it directs without a knowledge of the Old
Testament. Because we insist that the plan of salvation is in the New Testament,
many have concluded that we have no use for the Old Testament — that we do not
believe in it. And a few of our own brethren have gone to ridiculous extremes at
this point. They insist that it is useless to study the Old Testament, and so
when our lessons are in the Old Testament, they take no interest in preparing or
reciting the lessons. I met one old brother a few years ago who insisted that it
was useless to study the Old Testament, because, he said, we could not
understand it. And as proof, he quoted Paul's language in 11 . Cor. 3:15, "For
even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart." But he
failed to note in the same con­nection that Paul says, "which veil is done away
in Christ."

But, since the plan of salvation is in the New Testament —since it is a complete
guide-book from earth to glory, then why study the Old Testament? Why spend time
and energy in the study of the Old Testament if we can be safe here and saved in
eternity by following the instructions found in the New Testament? This is an
important question, and should have our serious consideration. The apostle Paul,
after quoting from the Old Testament, and seemingly in justification of his
course, said, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have
hope." (Romans 15:4). The study of the Old Testa­ment scriptures, then, will
produce hope, and Paul says we are saved by hope (Romans 8:24), and Paul says,
further­more, that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for
our learning." Then, since the Old Testament was written for our learning, we
should study it as we do the New Testament, for we can learn neither without
study, of course. But what do we learn by studying the Old Testament scriptures?
This, too, is an important question --one that must not be lightly considered.
There are some tilings we cannot learn from the Old Testament. As has already
been stated, the plan of salvation, both to the sinner and the saint, is found
in the New Testament. Therefore, we cannot learn what to do to be saved by
studying the Old Testament. The question of what church to become a mem­ber of
is, to many, a vexing question. Owing to so much con­fusion among religious
teachers on the' question, the only safe course for one to follow is to study
the Bible for him­self. But he might study the Old Testament carefully from the
first of Genesis to the last amen of Malachi and still be no wiser on the
subject of church membership. This is clear from the fact that the church is
nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament. Of course we cannot learn WHAT church to
become a member of from a book that says nothing about any church. And another
vexing question, with many, is how to be baptized —what is the act of baptism.
This should not be a troublesome question in the face of so much plain teaching
on the subject; but it is, nevertheless, owing to so much conflicting teaching
in the world. Now, to all who are troubled on this question the safest course is
to let the Bible settle it. But suppose one begins at Genesis and reads
carefully everything in the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. Would he
then know what baptism is? Could he in this way learn how to be baptized?
Certainly not; for there is nothing said about baptism in the Old Testa­ment.
But is not the word "sprinkle" in the Old Testament a number of times? Yes, and
so is the word "dip" in the Old Testament, but that does not prove anything as
to what baptism is. I heard a debater say some years ago that the word
"sprinkle" is in the Bible seventeen hundred times, and his conclusion was that
sprinkling is baptism. This is about as reasonable as to contend that satan is a
child of God because his name is in the Bible a number of times! I repeat, the
word "baptism" is not one time found in the Old Testament, and therefore we
cannot learn how to be bap­tized by studying the Old Testament. Neither can we
learn how to worship God in spirit and truth from our study of the Old
Testament, for Jesus very clearly implies, in his conversation with the
Samaritan woman, that true spiritual worship was a thing not known in Old
Testament times. And of course we cannot learn from the Old Testament how to
worship God in the church, when the church is no­where mentioned in the Old
Testament.

Then what do we learn from the study of the Old Testa­ment? It has been said
that the "Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, while the New Testament
is the Old Testament revealed." This is true in a measure, to be sure; for,
strange as it may seem, we may learn much about the New Testament by studying
the Old Testament. In fact, we cannot understand all the New Testament without a
knowledge of the Old Testament. There are many refer­ences in the New Testament
to characters, incidents and events in the Old Testament which cannot be
understood without a knowledge of the Old Testament record. For example, in John
3:14, Jesus says.. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Could one who knows nothing about the Old
Testament —one who knows nothing about Moses and the brazen serpent —could such
a one understand this statement of Jesus? Evidently not. Again, Jesus says, "Why
take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in
all his glory- was not arrayed like one of these." (Matthew 6:28-29). What could
this reference mean to the man who knows nothing about Solomon and his glory?
Could he appreciate it? Could he appropriate the lesson to himself? It would be
utterly impossible, of course. Then James tells us that Elijah prayed earnestly
that it might not rain, and that it rained not on the earth for the space of
three years and six months. (James 5:17). Now, there are doubtless people in
this audience who are wondering why Elijah prayed such a prayer —why he wanted
such a long drouth. We have heard of many people praying for rain to break a
drouth, but Elijah is the only man, as far as I know, who ever prayed for a
drouth. And you are probably wondering why God heard such a prayer —why he
answered Elijahs' prayer and withheld the rain for more than three years. Well,
the man who does not know the story of Elijah as related in the Old Testament
cannot answer these questions, of course. He cannot understand and appreciate
this refer­ence to Elijah and his prayer. And there are many references of this
kind which we cannot understand and appreciate without a knowledge of the Old
Testament. And in addition to this, we learn from the Old Testament the
principle on which God deals with his people. The Old Testament makes it quite
plain that faith and obedience has been the unvarying principle on which God
deals with man. The Old Testament is replete in examples of faith and obedience
and the attendant blessings. And there are many examples of disobedience
followed by God's just condemnation. So we learn from the Old Testament, in the
language of one of our good old songs, to "Trust and obey, for there is no other
way." The Bible is further divided into three great ages, or dispensations,
known as the Patriarchal Age, the Jewish Age, and the Christian Age. These
divisions of the Bible are just as distinct as divisions in secular history; for
instance, Ancient history, Mediaeval history, and Modern history. The
Patriarchal age extends from the creation to the giving of the law on Mount
Sinai, or from Adam to Moses, a period of twenty-five hundred years, in round
numbers. The Jewish age extends from the giving of the law on Mount Sinai to the
death of Christ on the cross, or from Moses to Christ, a period of fifteen
hundred years. The Christian age extends from the death of Christ on the cross,
or more exactly, from the first Pentecost thereafter, to the second coming of
Jesus, a period now of about nineteen hundred years. The Patriarchal age was
charac­terized by a family religion, in which the father, or patri­arch, was the
officiating priest. The Jewish age was distinct from this in that it had a
national religion with a central place of worship —first the tabernacle and then
the temple. The Christian age is characterized by an international re­ligion,
and the place of worship anywhere the disciples may come together for that
purpose. We know but little about the Patriarchal law, further than it required
faith and obedi­ence to whatsoever God commanded. Under the Jewish age the law
of Moses was the rule of action for all Jews. This law was taken out of the way
when Jesus died on the cross. Under the Christian age we have the "law of
faith," the gospel plan of salvation. The law given from Mount Sinai, including
the Ten Commandments, is the "old covenant" in contrast to the "new and better
covenant" of grace. The "Abrahamic covenant" was a covenant of promise,
embracing Jesus and the plan of salvation. This promise has now been fulfilled,
and we are enjoying the privileges of the "Abrahamic covenant," if we are
Christians; for Paul says, "If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29). The Bible is still further
divided into fourteen natural, historical periods. I say natural divisions,
because the Bible really falls naturally into these historical epochs, being
di­vided by great events which rise mountain high above the ordinary happenings
of Bible history. These periods are, in order: the Antediluvian, the
postdiluvian, the Patriarchal, the Egyptian Bondage, the Wilderness Wanderings,
the Con­quest of Canaan, the Judges of Israel, the United Kingdom, the Divided
Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah continued, the Babylonian Captivity, the
Restoration of the Jews, Between the Testaments, the Life of Christ, and the
Church of God. The Antediluvian period extends from the creation to the Flood, a
period of sixteen hundred and fifty-six years. Under this period we may study
the creation, the story of Eden, Cain and Abel and the genealogy from Adam down
to Noah. This genealogical line contains the names of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan,
Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Me­thuselah, Lamech and Noah. The Postdiluvian period
extends front the Flood to the Call of Abraham, a period of four hundred and
twenty-seven years. Under this period we may study the cause of the Flood, the
preparation for the Flood, extent and duration of the Flood, after the Flood,
the Tower of Babel, and the genealogy from Noah down to Abraham. This line
contains the names of Shem, Arpach- shad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug,
Nahor, Terah and Abraham. The Patriarchal period extends from the Call of
Abraham to the going down into Egypt, a period of (wo hundred and fifteen years.
Mere we may study the call of Abraham, journeys of Abraham, Abraham and Lot,
Abra­ham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and the twelve patriarchs — the twelve sons
of Jacob. The Egyptian Bondage period extends from the going down into Egypt to
the coming out of Egypt, a period of two hundred and fifteen years, hi this
period we may study the story of Joseph's being sold into Egypt, the descent of
Israel into Egypt, the oppres­sion in Egypt, Moses the deliverer. Moses and
Aaron, and the ten plagues. The Wilderness Wanderings period ex­tends from the
crossing of the Red Sea to the crossing of the Jordan, a period of forty years.
Here we may study the crossing of the Red Sea, the march to Sinai, happenings at
Sinai, journey from Sinai to Kadesh, the twelve spies sent to Canaan, from
Kadesh to Moab, and Israel in the plains of Moab. The Conquest of Canaan extends
from the crossing of the Jordan to the time of the Judges, a period of fifty-one
years. Under this period we may study the crossing of the Jordan, the encampment
at Gilgal, the fall of Jericho, the capture of Ai, the altar at Ebal, the two
com­bined efforts to drive Israel out of Canaan, and the division of the land
among the tribes of Israel. Following this we have the judges of Israel, a
period of three hundred and five years. Here we may study the lives of Othniel,
Ehud. Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Jephthah. Ibzan, Elon,
Abdon, Samson, Eli and Samuel. The history of this period clusters around these
fifteen judges. The United Kingdom extends from the beginning of the King­dom to
the division of the Kingdom, a period of one hun­dred and twenty years. Under
this period we may study the call for a king, the reign of Saul, the reign of
David, and the reign of Solomon. Here, too, we may study the genealogy from
Abraham down to David. The line con­tains the names of Isaac, Jacob, Judah,
Phares, Esrom. Aram, Aminadab. Naason, Salmon. Boaz, Obed. Jesse and David. The
Divided Kingdom extends from the division of the Kingdom to the fall of the
Northern Kingdom, a period of two hundred and fifty-three years. In this period
we may study the cause of the division and the long lists of kings who ruled
over these two kingdoms. In the King­dom of Judah, the Southern kingdom, .there
were thirteen kings, as follows: Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram,
Ahaziah, Athaliah (the usurper), Joash, Amaziah. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezekiah. In the Kingdom of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, there were nineteen
kings, as follows: Jereboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah,
Jehoram, Jehu. Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jere­boam 11, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem,
Pekahiah, Pekah and Hoshea. The story of this period clusters around these
thirty-two kings. The Kingdom of Judah Continued ex­tends from the fall of the
Northern Kingdom to the fall of the Southern Kingdom —when the Kingdom of Judah
went into Babylonian Captivity, a period of one hundred and thirty-five years.
Here we may study the seven ad­ditional kings who reigned in the Kingdom of
Judah. They are: Manasseh, Anion, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoi- achin, and
Zedekiah. To know the story of these forty- two kings is to know the story of
the Old Testament kingdom in considerable detail. The Babylonian Captivity
extends from the fall of the Kingdom of Judah to the return of the Jews to
Jerusalem, a period of fifty years, not including the twenty years of partial
captivity. Under this period we may study the partial captivities, the general
captivity, the four Hebrew children, Nebuchad­nezzar's two dreams,
Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, the feast of Belshazzar, and Daniel in the Lion's
den. Follow­ing this we have a period of ninety-two years, known as the
Restoration of the Jews. Under this period we may study Daniel's prayer and
confession, the Decree of Cyrus, the first return of the Jews under Zerubbabel,
the second return under Ezra, and how Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.
"Between the Testaments" is a period of about four hundred years, from the close
of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament, sometimes called the
"Blank leaf of the Bible." There is no inspired rec­ord covering this period, of
course, but in secular history we may very profitably study the Jews under
Persian rule, the Jews under Grecian rule, the Jewish independence (including a
study of the Maccabees), the Jews under Roman rule, and the rise of the Jewish
sects. The Life of Christ is a period of some thirty-four years, from his birth
to his ascension. Here we may study the life of John the Baptist (the forerunner
of Jesus), the birth of Jesus, His flight into Egypt, His return to Nazareth,
His visit to Jerusalem when he was twelve years old, His baptism, His temptation
in the wilderness, His preaching (including the Sermon on the Mount), His
sending out of the twelve and the seventy, His transfiguration, His miracles and
parables, the last Passover and the Lord's supper, His agonies in Gethsemane,
His trials and cruci­fixion, His death and burial, and His resurrection and
as­cension. The Church of God period extends from the death of Christ, or the
first Pentecost thereafter, to the close of the New Testament record, a period
of seventy years. Here we may study the establishing of the church in the city
of Jerusalem, the extension of the church through the preaching of the scattered
disciples, and through the preaching of Philip, Peter, Paul and others. But the
Bible is still further divided into sixty-six parts, or books, each of which has
its own story to tell The first book in the Bible, among other matters, gives us
an account of the beginning of things, and therefore is called Genesis. The
second book in the. Bible, because it relates to Israel's going out of Egypt, is
called Exodus, from a Greek word which signifies "a going out." The book of
Leviticus takes its name from the fact that it re­lates, in a large measure, to
the Levites and their service. The book of Numbers was so named because it
gives, among other things, two accounts of the numbering of Israel. Deuteronomy
comes from a Greek word which signifies "a repetition of the law." The book
contains a re-state­ment of the law, with certain revisions necessary to the
national life of the Jews after they were settled in Canaan. The book of Joshua
tells the story of Israel under the leadership of Joshua, and hence its name.
The book of Judges gives an account of the reign of the fifteen judges of
Israel, and hence its name. The Two books of Samuel are named from Samuel, their
author. These two books give an account of the last two judges, Eli and Samuel,
and of the first two kings, Saul and David. The two books of the Kings are named
from the fact that they give an account of forty of the forty-two kings of
Israel and Judah. The two books of Chronicles are so named from the fact that
they chronicle or register many important events from the creation to the
Babylonian Captivity, covering a period of more than three thousand years.
Ezekiel and Daniel both take their names from their writers, and they give us
glimpses of Jewish life in Babylon during the captivity The books of Ezra and
Nehemiah also take their names from their writers, and they give us an account
of the Jews' return from Babylon to Jerusalem. The book of Ruth is the one love
story of the Bible, and takes its name from Ruth the devoted daughter-in-law of
Naomi, whose devotion to her mother-in-law has won the admiration of every
reader of Old Testament history. The book of Job relates the patience of a loyal
soul under many trying difficulties, and takes its name from its principal
character, Job. The book of Esther tells us how a little Jewish maiden became a
queen, and then was instrumental in saving the whole Jewish nation. It gets its
name from Queen Esther, of course. The book of Psalms, written by David and
others, was the Hebrew Hymnal, the book of praise. It contains a collection of
hymns, or psalms, and hence its name. The book of Proverbs was written by
Solomon, and is a collection of wise sayings, or proverbs, from whence it gets
its name. The book of Ecclesiastes was also written by Solomon, and represents
him as "The Preacher." It was written to teach us that the whole duty of man is
to "fear God and keep his commandments." The Song of Solomon is just one of the
one thousand and five songs which he wrote. The book of Lamentations was written
by the "Weeping Prophet" Jeremiah, and it laments the deso­lation of the land of
Israel while the Jews were in captivity. Hence its name. The rest of the Old
Testament books —Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hoshea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi —all get their names
from their writers. These books, among other things, contain much prophecy
relat­ing to the coming of Jesus and the establishment of his Kingdom, the
Church of Jesus Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all take their names from
their writers and they give us four accounts of the life story of Jesus. The
Acts of the Apostles gives us an account of the labors of the apostles, the
doings of the apostles, in establishing the church in the various parts of the
world, and hence its name, The epistles, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians,
Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians and Thessalonians, all get their names from
the places to which Paul addressed these letters. Timothy, Titus and Philemon
are named from the individuals to whom the letters are addressed. Hebrews gets
its name, probably, from the fact that it re­lates much of God's dealings with
the Hebrews. James, Peter, John and Jude also take their names from their
writers. These epistles contain messages to Christians, teaching them how to
live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world that they may at last
enter the "Home of the Soul" over there. Revelation is the one prophetic book of
the New Testament and relates largely to the future glory of the Kingdom of
Jesus Christ.

All these books of the Bible are subject to still further divisions, of course.
Take the book of Ruth as an ex­ample. In this book we find four distinct parts,
or divisions. First, Elimelech and Naomi leaving Bethlehem because of a famine;
second, the story of their so-journ in Moab and what befell them there; third,
the return of Naomi with Ruth to Bethlehem, and fourth, the sequel to the story
— the birth of Obed. In the same way we might be able to divide every one1 of
the sixty-six books of the Bible. And to thus know the Bible in all its
divisions and subdivisions is an accomplishment worthy of our best endeavor.

I believe if is possible for every one who desires it to have a working
knowledge of the Bible —to be able to use it intelligently and profitably. It is
not possible, neither is it practical for us to commit to memory the whole
Bible, but it is possible, and it is also necessary, to have a working knowledge
of it. For instance, no man knows every word in an unabridged dictionary, but
any of us may know it well enough to use it intelligently. So, no man knows
every­thing that is in an Encyclopaedia of twenty thousand pages, but we may
have a working knowledge of it; we may know it well enough to be able to find
just what we want. No man is able to know everything that is in a library of one
thousand books, but every man should be able to use his library intelligently
—be able to find in it just what he may want. So, with the Bible. We cannot
commit it all to memory, or if we could, I do not think it would be prac­tical,
but we can and should have a working knowledge of this great divine library; we
should be able to find what we desire, and find it readily. Some years ago I was
on a train and just in front of me sat two young men who were swearing, or
cursing, quite freely. An old man who sat just across the aisle decided to
reprove the young man gently, and ventured the assertion that the Bible forbade
their conduct ,and quoted, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain." Recognizing me in some way as a preacher, he asked me for my Bible that
he might read the quotation to them. I furnished him the Bible, but to his great
surprise he could not locate the passage. He then asked me to find it for him. I
took the Bible, and not being as familiar with it as preachers should be, I
searched diligently —first in the New Testament and then in the Old, until the
situation became quite embarrassing before I finally found the desired passage,
but I have not forgotten where that passage is until this good day. It was this
general knowledge of the Bible —this working knoel- edge of the Bible that I so
much needed at this time. The Bible has been quite appropriately compared to a
great temple with many rooms, each room being known by what it contains. We
should know where these various rooms in this divine temple are, and what each
room con­tains. We should know it well enough to pass from room to room with
ease —without any trouble or inconvenience. Some one has said1: "Many years ago
I entered the wonder­ful temple of God's revelation. I entered the portico of
Gene­sis and walked down through the Old Testament art gallery where the
pictures of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David and
Daniel hung on the wall. I entered the music room of the Psalms where the Spirit
swept the key-board of nature and brought forth the dirge-like wail of the
"weeping prophet" Jeremiah, to the grand impassioned strains of Isaiah, until it
seemed that every reed and harp in God's great organ of nature re­sponded to the
tuneful touch of David1 the sweet singer of Israel. I entered the chapel of
Ecclesiastes where the voice of the preacher was heard, and into the
conservatory of Sharon, and the 'lily of the Valley's' sweet scented spices
filled and perfumed my life. I entered the business office of Proverbs and
passed into the observatory room of the prophets where I saw many telescopes of
various sizes, some pointing to far off events, but all concentrated on the
Bright Morning Star which was to rise over the moon-lit hills of Judea for our
salvation. I entered the audience room of the King of Kings and caught a vision
from the standpoint of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, passed into the Acts of
Apostles where the Holy Spirit was doing his office work in the formation of the
infant church, and into the correspondence room where sat Paul, Peter, James,
Jude and John penning their epistles. I stepped into the throne of Revelation
where all towered into glittering peaks, and I got a vision of the King seated
upon his throne in all his glory, and I cried, "All hail the power of Jesus'
name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him
Lord of all."


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  CHAPTER 20: DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
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Destructive Criticism DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. BY G. A. KLINGMAN

Ever since the author of Destructive Criticism tempted Eve, he has been trying
to destroy the word of God. He employs his multifarious arts and devices in a
most insidi­ous manner, and is most dangerous when he poses as an angel of light
or a minister of righteousness .All the attacks made upon the Bible have not
only failed but the Bible has gloriously triumphed over its enemies and is found
in all parts of the world today and is being read by more people than at any
other time in the history of mankind. The latest effort of the Old Serpent to
rob us of our blessed hope and only infallible guide is made through the channel
of crit­icism. He has wrapped his coils around our public schools, colleges, and
universities; our printing presses, our plat­forms and pulpits. Many are taken
unawares; they are led to believe that if they expect to be recognized in the
educa­tional circles they must accept the views of the destructive critics. It
does not take a prophet to "discern the signs of the times," nor the son of a
prophet to forecast the nature of the fight that must be fought within the next
few years. The enemy has challenged us and must be met; yea, rather, "the fight
is on" and we must meet the foe and give to the great hosts of young people who
should and will be educated "the heritage of them that fear the Lord;" we are
under obligation to show that the Bible stands the test of criticism; the
present age makes that demand upon those of us who believe in God and accept the
Bible as His inspired word. But one may ask, What do you mean by Destructive
Criticism, In order to answer this question properly it will be necessary to
define several terms that are being used in the discussion of this subject.

Biblical Criticism concerns itself with the contents of the books of the Bible.
It deals with the text, the date, the authorship, genuineness, reliability, and
literary character­istics of each of these books. There are three distinct
de­partments of this science: (1) Textual Criticism, which has to do with the
text itself; (2) Historical Criticism, which inquires into the date and
authorship of a book, and (3) Literary Criticism, which examines the literary
style. In 1707 Mill's "Critical Creek Testament" was published and Textual
Criticism was recognized as a science. This was at first called Biblical
Criticism, but as the science de­veloped, the other forms of criticism, namely
Historical and literary, claimed recognition, and since that time the
expres­sion "Biblical Criticism" has been as the general term with the three
divisions as above indicated. Near the close of the eighteenth century Eichhorn
introduced the title "Higher Criticism" to denote the historical and literary
elements and to distinguish these from Textual Criticism which is also called
Lower Criticism. While the expression Biblical Crit­icism was first used in the
beginning of the eighteenth cen­tury to designate this branch of research as a
science, we must not conclude that there was no biblical criticism before that
time. All the labors bestowed by scholars in an attempt to gather together the
writings of inspired men properly belong to this science. We owe a debt of
gratitude to those Hebrews who gathered together the thirty-nine books of the
Old Testament and established what is called the "canon" or "rule" by which the
writings are shown to he inspired, genuine, and reliable. Another great work of
Biblical Crit­icism "was done by those who gathered together the twenty- seven
books of the New Testament as the productions of the holy men of God who were
moved by the Holy Spirit. The title "Higher Criticism" has been very much
mis­understood. We have shown that in its correct usage it refers to a work that
has given us our Bible in its present form of sixty-six books. The expression
has been brought into disrepute by certain German Rationalists who adopted and
pursued the wrong method of investigation. To be accurate, we should say that
they followed only one line of reasoning —the experimental or empirical. Now
this kind of reasoning is valuable provided it is sustained by the other two
kinds: the Inductive and Deductive. By the Inductive method we mean that process
of the mind by which we infer that what we know to be true of the individuals of
a certain class is true of the whole class; we pass from particulars to the
general, from parts to the whole; from certain proposi­tions to a principle. By
the Deductive method is meant that operation of the mind by which we pass from
general to particular, from the class to the individual; from the prin­ciple to
the propositions. We start with an established premise or one that is admitted
and thus arrive at necessary conclusions or consequences. A certain class of
Bible critics have ignored both of these methods and followed only the empirical
or experimental. We would not be understood as denouncing this method of
investigation; it is very valuable; it has its place in the world of thought; we
learn many things by observation and ex­periment, but we cannot depend upon
these alone. Em­pirical Laws are denned as Laws founded on conformities
ascertained to exist, but have not yet been traced to any broad general
principle. Empirical Knowledge has been described as knowledge gained purely by
observation or experiment, and has no guarantee for its truth but the judgment
and opinion of its author. It is not difficult to see that there will be two
results of such a partial and un­scientific investigation: (1) There will be
many erroneous statements made and many of the conclusions reached will be
false; the human mind is not infallible, and our obser­vations and experiments
are of necessity limited since we are not in possession of infinite knowledge.
(2) There will be bold assumptions and claims to superior scholarship on the
part of those who follow this method exclusively; they will consider themselves
as leaders of advance thought and intellectual progress; men of broad minds and
liberal spirits. And this is exactly what has happened. Those who pursued the
wrong method of investigation have reached conclusions which if true would
destroy the Bible as the inspired word of God, and we have no apology to make
for designating them Destructive critics and Infidels; they represent an abuse
and perversion of the principles of Biblical Criticism. As to boast of superior
scholarship on the part of this school of critics, I wish to present an extract
from the gifted Prof. L. T. Townsend, L. L. D. In a lecture delivered in Tremont
Temple in Boston, January 28, 1906, he said: "The advocates of the new theology
appear to be working for all it is worth, the respect —almost reverence — that
the masses of our people have for those who are thought to be very learned; a
respect that often is immensely greater than it ought to be; for a man may know
all the idioms of the Hebrew and Greek languages and yet be a fool in
archaeology, history, philosophy and science, and even be deficient in common
sense. And somehow the new theology people have been remarkably successful also
in giving the impression that there are scarcely any advocates of primi­tive,
orthodoxy who have much standing among scholars or thinkers and that the higher
critics, beyond dispute are masters in the educated world." This boasted
popularity is easily accounted for in the light of the following facts: "It was
when the throne of Germany, and her universities, pulpits and press had gone
over to rationalism, and when King Alfred 11, the greatest conqueror and ruler
Germany had had for centuries, was filling every university under his control
with professors of the infidel stamp, and when even the hymn books were taken in
hand and freed from every­thing objectionable to infidelity, that there was
established in Berlin, in 1765, under the patronage of the King and the
universities, a publication called The Universal German Library, whose aim was
to commend in extravagant terms every rational book or writer, and to pour
contempt upon every other. Now, while in our country there happens to be no such
Universal Library Magazine, dealing out this kind of injustice, yet there is
plenty of evidence that our religious press, and especially the secular, have
pretty gener­ally been doing this Universal German Library kind of business, and
are responsible for the fact that Christian people have been only poorly
informed as to what is really doing in the theological world, and are left
without a knowl­edge of even the names of eminent American scholars who hold
conservative views. Nor is it too much to say that these religious
denominational papers of which better things ought to be expected, have no
intention of being fair in their treatment of books and authors that are not of
their way of thinking." (The Bible Champion, September, 1913). THE REAL ISSUE.
We are not objecting to Biblical Criticism. Lower or Higher. We rejoice that
through the. avenue of Lower or Textual Criticism, the pure text of the Sacred
Scriptures has been preserved and handed down from generation to generation; and
that through the medium of Higher Criti­cism we have come into possession of
very valuable in­formation regarding the date, authorship, inspiration,
genuineness, reliability and canonicity of the several books of the Bible, and
have been taught to appreciate their liter­ary beauty and value. We have no
fight to make against criticism properly and legitimately conducted; nay, we
wel­come every test to which the Bible may be subjected for we know it will come
out of the crucible sweeter, richer, purer, and more radiant with the promises
of God and his eternal truth. Our fight is against the destructive criticism of
the rationalistic school. James Orr in The Problem of the Old Testament shows
clearly that the fundamental issue is found in the answer to the question. Is
the religion of Israel of natural or supernatural origin? Those who with Kuenen,
Graf, Wellhausen, Duhm, Smend, Stade, Gunkel and others hold the position that
the Religion of Israel was of natural origin, simply a historic development or
evolution of older forms of religion, are without a doubt destructive critics.
Wellhausen, one of the foremost repre­sentatives of this school acknowledges
himself to have been a disciple of Vatke. Let him speak for himself: " It is
only within the region of religious antiquities and dominant re­ligious ideas
—the region which Vatke in his Biblische Theologie had occupied in its full
breadth, and where the real battle first kindled —that the controversy can be
brought to a definite issue." (Orr p. 5). Now Vatke was a disciple of Hegel, a
German rationalist of the most pronounced type. Hegel was one of the successors
of Kant the great German philosopher whose system tended toward idealism; this
idealistic tendency was carried to an extreme by Hegel, who began with pure
nothing and reasoned that thought it­self or pure logic is the revelation of the
absolute; that thought itself is the sole existence, the very process in which
the Absolute, or God, consists. For instance, you see a tree; Hegel says the
tree has no real existence; neither has your perception of the tree any real
existence; the only thing that really exists is the idea, the thought, or the
re­lation of your mental perception and the tree. Now when such ideas as these
are applied to the Bible what is the result? Kunen, a Dutch scholar, and one of
the principal leaders of the "modern movement" among the Dutch, says. "So soon
as we derive a separate part of Israel's religious life directly from God, and
allow the supernatural or imme­diate revelation to intervene in even one single
point, so long our view of the whole continues to be incorrect." What an
admission!! Not only does this doctrine of Destructive Criticism bear the brand
"Made in Germany," but its very foundation rests upon the denial of the
supernatural or immediate revelation from God! The Mosaic account of the
creation of the material universe is thrown away and we are offered the Nebular
Hypothesis. The germs of this theory are in Kant's philos­ophy; the suggestion
of its development was first made by Sir Wm. Herschel, the great astronomer, but
it remained for La Place to carry it out to its conclusions which repre­sent the
great and wonderful panoply with its millions of stars, planets, moons and suns,
as resulting from a process of natural development beginning with a cloudy
vapor. Who can believe this? Scientists themselves say that this theory must
give way to the planetesimal theory, which in turn will have to give way to
another theory, and so add in­finitum. How can man obtain the consent of his
mind to substitute such theories for the simple fact that "God made the two
great lights; the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the
night: he made the stars also" (Genesis 1:16). Let others pose as great
thinkers, philosophers and scientists, but give me the simple faith of a child
by which I "understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that
what is seen hath not been been made out of things which appear;" (Hebrews
11:3), and let me sing with Joseph Addison: And spangled heavens, a shining
frame, Their great Original proclaim. Th' unwearied sun, from day to day, Does
his Creator's power display, And publishes to every land, The work of an
almighty hand. Soon as the evening shades prevail, the moon takes up the
wondrous tale, And nightly, to the listening earth, Repeats the story of her
birth; While all the stars that round her burn, And all the planets in their
turn, Confirm the tidings as they roll, And spread the news from pole to pole.
What tho' in solemn silence all Move round this dark ter­restrial ball — What
tho' no real voice nor sound Amid their radiant orbs be found— In reason's ear
they all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice; Forever singing as they
shine, "The hand that made us is divine."

Applying the principles of destructive criticism to the creation of man, we must
strike out the scriptural account as given in Genesis, and accept the Darwinian
Theory of Evolution. This theory starts with a bit of protoplasm or an Amoeba
and through the process of natural development finally introduces to us a
sentient being called man, with all his wonderful intellectual powers, his moral
nature, a con­science, and a soul-hunger for the Infinite! What comfort do men
find in a theory that makes them no better than a tadpole, lizard,
boa-constrictor, house-fly, June-bug, hippo­potamus, giraffe or gorilla? When
the Bible declares that man was made in the image and likeness of God! Again we
call upon scientists to sit in judgment and this is what they have to say:

"As early as 1889 Prof. Virchow of Berlin, admittedly the ablest anthropologist
of modern times, when summing up the results of investigators of his subject, by
himself and other leading scientists, covering a period of twenty years,
declared: "In vain have the links which should bind man to the monkey been
sought; not a single one is there to show. The so-called proanthropos, who
should exhibit this link, has not been found. No really learned man asserts that
he has seen himPerhaps some one may have seen him in a dream, but when awake he
will never be able to say that he has approached him. Even the hope of soon
discovering him has departed; it is hardly spoken of." Shortly before his death,
some ten years later, in an address before the International Medical Society, he
spoke to the same effect, and with even a greater degree of positiveness,
asserting that, "the attempts to find the transition from animal to man has
ended in total failure. The middle link has not been found and never will be."
That the Darwinian theory of descent has in the realms of nature not a single
fact to confirm it is the unequivocal testimony of men as distinguished in their
respective depart­ments of scientific research as Dr. N. S. Shaler, of Harvard
University, Dr. Etheridge, fossiologist of British Museum, Prof. L. S. Beale,
King's College, London, Prof. Fleisch- mann, of Erlangen and others.

Several notable books bearing on this subject have ap­peared during the past
year. One by George Paulin, pub­lished by Scribners, entitled "No Struggle for
Existence; No Natural Selection" presents an array of facts in support of the
two assertions made in its title, and against Evolution, which must carry
conviction to any unprejudiced mind. Another to the same effect is by Professor
L. T. Townsend entitled "Collapse of Evolution" Still another and we believe an
epoch marking book, is from the pen of Professor E. Dennert, Ph. D., recently
published in Germany, and en­titled "At the Death-bed of Darwinism." A perusal
of this book "leaves no room for doubt," as asserted in the preface of the
American edition, "about the decadence of the Dar­winian theory in the highest
scientific circles of Germany. And outside of Germany the same sentiment is
shared generally by the leaders of scientific thought."

Thus we see that, in the opinion of the vast majority of those best qualified to
judge in the matter, the Evo­lutionary theory is in extremis. Nay, more, is
already dead, since the spirit (the theory of Natural Selection) has de­parted.
Some of its friends may sit about the remains in­tently watching for some signs
of renewed life, but they watch in vain. That among those who mourn the passing
of Evolution there are some naturalists and others who clung to it, as said by
Dr. Goette, the eminent Strasburg Zoologist "simply because it seems to furnish
a much desired mechanical ex­planation of purposive adaptions," is not
surprising, since it leaves them nothing but the hated alternative of accept­ing
Genesis with its personal God and creative acts.

We have shown that it is this method of reasoning that has produced a school of
literary critics of the Bible whose erroneous conclusions are destructive and
that continually — they assume that the religion of Israel was developed
natur­ally through the experience of the Israelites and their asso­ciations with
the Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians and Babylonians, and that it was not
revealed to them by Jeho­vah. Just here we wish to introduce the testimony of
the learned Dr. R. A. LeMaster:

It is one of the wonders of modern times that just when the faith of Christian
men in the Inspired Authority of the Scriptures is being so sorely tried by the
professed friends of the Bible, that the records of antiquity should so
providentially open to the aid of the genuine seeker after the truth. The
testimony of Archeology definitely and uniformly sustains the historic truth of
the Scriptures, and does not support the hypothesis of Higher Criticism in a
single par­ticular. The only answer which the Higher Critics can make to this
fact is to make the claim that the religion of the Bible had its origin in
Babylonia, and the historic dates and events of the Old Testament were obtained
from the older records of Egypt, Syria and Palestine. An assumption which rests
wholly on a forced misinterpretation of history. The exact reverse of this is
true. The Semitic Babylonian religion came from Syria and Palestine, and the
creation, deluge and the antediluvian patriarchs of Babylon came from Pales
tine; instead of the stories of the Hebrews having come from Babylon, as held by
nearly all Semitic writers. But let us be fair and let these critics speak for
them­selves In the Brooklyn Eagle, June 7, 1909, we have the following
quotations from lectures delivered to the students of Michigan University at Ann
Arbor:

"The Patriarchs are legendary beings" "As yet we have no evidence of Israel's
sojourn in Goshen" "The popular idea of the exodus has no foundation in fact."
"The Gospels con­tain 2,899 verses; of these only about one hundred furnish
strict biographical details" "Our information about Jesus is scanty indeed." "We
do not know what Jesus' descent was" "We do not know his birth-place for
certain" "We do not know his age at the time he undertook his mission" "We have
no absolute cer­tainty that any single saying in the Gospels was uttered in that
precise form by Jesus" "We do not know when or where he was crucified" "We do
not know exactly what claims he made with respect to his mission on earth."

We close these infidel sayings with another from Well-hausen in these
blasphemous words: "I knew the Old Testa­ment was a fraud, but I never dreamt of
making God a party to the fraud." (Beecher's Biblical Criticism, pp. 7 and 8).
The critics we have so far considered have come out in the open. Like the giant
of the Philistines they have defied the armies of Israel, and with David of old
they have been met "in the name of Jehovah of hosts." But there is another class
to which we now invite your attention. They are styled "Moderate Higher
Critics." These are men who do not deny the supernatural but have consciously or
unconsciously adopted some of the principles of the destructive school and are
on that account the more dangerous. They follow what is known as "The Historic
Method" and try to harmonize it with the Bible. They are carrying on a submarine
warfare; we do not always know where they are; they have unsettled the minds of
many; they are eloquently preaching about the man Jesus but say very little
about "God manifest in the flesh." They discourse learnedly on the character of
Jesus the Nazarene, but have ceased to preach "Christ and' him crucified." They
find no place for the atonement and deem it unwise to preach doctrinal sermons;
the sinner is not warned to "flee from the wrath to come" and the saint is not
encouraged with the hope of "entering in through the gates into the city." This
form of subtle infidelity, justly styled "Crypto-agnosticism" is slowly working
upon the hearts of the unsuspecting and poisoning the lives of the innocent. Our
young people need to be warned. A gradu­ate of one of our state university told
me that in his division of the graduating class there were 150 men all of whom
had shipwreck made of their faith while at the university. Never has there been
a time when there was greater need of preaching the gospel of the Son of God in
a plain and simple way, and "contending earnestly for the faith once for all
delivered to the saints." Let us not be affrighted by the adversaries; they can
do nothing against the truth; God has magnified his word above all his name and
Jesus the Son of God has said: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall never pass away." The Bible has noth­ing to fear from Lower Criticism,
Higher Criticism, or the Highest Criticism; it has stood the test for centuries
and will endure them all until the end of time.

Let us give ourselves more devotedly than ever to the great task of educating
our young people for whom we may well entertain fears if they are set adrift on
the ocean of life beneath whose waters the sub-marines of Teutonic rationalism
and bombs of crypo-agnosticism await the ap­proach of the unsuspecting mariner.
That their voyage to the haven of eternal peace and glory may be safe, let us
give them the only infallibly safe guide —the Book of books.

"Bring me the book," said the great Sir Walter Scott when he was about to die.
"What book?" asked Mr. Lock­hart. "There is but one Book now; bring me the
Bible."

"Most wondrous book! bright candle of the Lord! Star of eternity! the only star
By which the bark of man could navigate The sea of life, and gain the coast of
bliss Securely; only star which rose on Time, And on its dark and troubled
billows, still, As generation, drifting swiftly by. Succeeded generation, threw
a ray Of heaven's own light, and to the hills of God The everlasting hills,
pointed the sinner's eye."


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  CHAPTER 21: CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
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Christian Education CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. BY HENRY ELI SPECK.

I. Introduction. What makes schools necessary, and what art they for? We are all
familiar with the facts which answer these ques­tions. Schools exist for three
reasons. There are those who have the ability to learn, there are facts and
ideals that should be taught, and there are people who make the claim of being
able to teach. A conception of a goal, or a kind of life that is really worth
living, presides, explicitly or implicitly, over all edu­cational effort.
Education gives to children the benefit of experience other than their own, and
in advance of their own. Thus the factors involved in the idea of education are
these: an immature being, a goal or destiny for life, and older people who can
help the younger to realize this goal or destiny.

It might be well to stop just here long enough to define education. As a
definition is a relative thing, let us con­sider several definitions. "I believe
that the school is primarily a social institution. Education being a social
process, the school is simply the form of community life in which all those
agencies are concentrated that will be most effective in bringing the child to
share in the inherited resources of the race, and to use his own powers for
social ends. I believe that education therefore, is a process of living and not
a preparation for future living." —Dewey. "Education is a gradual adjustment to
the spiritual possessions of the race." —Nicholas Murray Butler. "Education is
the sum of the reflective efforts by which we aid nature in the development of
physical, intellectual, and moral faculties of man, in view of his perfection,
his happiness, and his social destination." —Compayre. "Education can not be
better defined than by calling it the organization of acquired habits of conduct
and ten­dencies to behavior. James. "To prepare us for complete living is the
function which education has to discharge." —Spencer. "The true end of teaching
is one with the true aim of life; and each lesson must be presented with the
con­scious purpose of making the most out of the life of the one taught."
—Tompkins. "The question to be asked at the end of an educational step is not
what has the child learned, but what has the child become?" —Monroe. For the
sake of convenience of language, and especially because the public schools of
our country do not give re­ligious instruction, we have designated education as
general, technical, professional, religious, and so on. This has re­sulted in an
unfortunate habit of thought. Education in religion is looked upon as some sort
of special training, or as a side current apart from the main stream of
education, or the exploration of the polar regions, religion is supposed Like
the training of musicians, the study of mathematics, to pertain only to those
who have a special interest, therein. Religious education can no more accept
this place than religion can consent to be a mere department of life. If
religion were just a specialty of priests, monks, and nuns, or if it belonged
only to Sunday, or if it applied to only a part of our conduct or ideals, then
religious education and general education might be compared with each other.
Re­ligion claims to belong to the man. Whatever religion may have been to the
ancients, or whatever it may mean to the civilizations that are to follow; to
us, it is an all-inclusive, all-commanding principle — the very stuff that human
life is made of. In keeping with this idea then religious educa­tion is simply
education in the complete sense of that term, or else it is not education, but
mere training.

Education is not divided against itself. It is a unitary process. Education is
not made up by aggregating parts, each of which exists on its own account, any
more than life realizes itself in the various organs of the human body. The
unity of education is seen from a psychological point of view. The idea of
education is that the whole child is at work in each of his studies, not memory
in one, reason in another, and perception in a third. The idea is not so much
that the child acquires one thing and then another as it is that he is one thing
and develops into something else. (Not so much what he learns as what he
becomes). This carries us to a consideration of the ethical point of view and
this too is a unity. For the ethical view of life is an effort to introduce into
life, or rather to discover in life, organization, harmony, and unity. That is,
ethics tries to develop towards an ideal self in which this ideal presides as
mistress over the whole process. The unified self with which ethics has to do is
the social self or the self realized in society. And just here we see unity in
education from the religious point of view, for religion looks to the
unifi­cation of the self with its entire world. Thus religion in­stead of being
a department of education is an implicit motive thereof. It is the end that
presides 'over the begin­ning and gives unity to all stages of the process. The
relation of education and religion seems so intimate that we cannot separate
them without disturbing the founda­tion of each. As education presupposes
immaturity in the taught, so religious education presupposes a positive
reli­gious nature. This does not imply that the child is all right as he is,
that he can grow up properly without divine help, that the life principle in the
child can take care of itself, that the child has any definite conscious
religious ex­perience, or sense of God; but speaking positively it means that
the child has more than a passive capacity for spiritual things, and that
nothing short of union with God can bring a human being to himself.

II. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND ITS INFLUENCE An education may be religious,
however, and not be Christian. Christian education sets the perfect man Jesus as
its ideal. Paul declares that he and his associates labored, "teaching every man
in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." God makes
the heart hungry, and in Christ He responds to this hunger. Feeding upon Christ
we grow in the likeness of God —that is we develop —we are educated. Christian
education then con­sists in so presenting Christ to the immature souls that they
shall be by him enlightened, inspired and fed according to their gradual
increasing capacity, and thus made to grow continually within the courts of the
Lord's House. But the question may arise, and has arisen, when should we begin
Christian Education? Is there a time when, and a place where? Some say begin it
as soon as language is ac­quired while others oppose all religious training of
the young on the ground that religion should be a matter of deliberate and
rational choice which, they say, is not possible, before maturity. Both of these
views are based upon false assump­tions. The first is the intellectualist's view
of man, which makes life grow out of knowledge instead of knowledge out of life.
The other is the notion that training with respect to religion can be postponed
until some definite or particu­lar period of life. Not for a single moment does
the mind remain neutral or blank with reference to the interpretation of life.
Very early the child witnesses specific religious phenomena. We can not hide
from him our Bibles, our churches, and our worship. The real question then is
never, when shall Christian training begin, for it really begins with the
beginning of the child's experience. The real question is what kind shall it be?
Shall it be positive or negative, sym­metrical or distorted, repressive or
emancipating.

We speak of America as a Christian nation. It is Chris­tian in sanction, in
public opinion, if we use the term to differentiate the religion of America from
the pagan or other religions. There was a time in the history of this nation
when it was Christian in purpose. The forefathers sought out this country as a
place in which they might serve God in freedom and in peace. A profound faith
was in the very bone and sinew of national life. The development was along
religious lines, and it seems to me that almost everything good and great that
the American commonwealth has stood for among the nations of the earth has been
pre­eminently Christian. The greatness of the people came from the spirit of the
religion that possessed them, and whatever greatness there is in us today is due
to the inheritance of religious faith which we have. We are living on the
in­heritance of Christian faith bequeathed to us by men and women who were
ardent believers in the God of our fathers, and who were devoted professors of
His holy law. But what is the new spirit of America? Without allow­ing ourselves
to become pessimistic, we must confess that there are numerous signs of
degeneration forcing themselves upon us, and we can not but deplore the sinking
of religious ideals into a very inferior place. Before the nations of the world
we stand for money making. This is perhaps the first time in the history of the
world when the temples of mammon overtop the cross that crowns the spires of the
temple of God. It is to be hoped that the present world conflict will change
this greed for gold into a consuming passion for service. But until the last
year or so that sorbid principle "Get money honestly if you can, but get money,"
has been leading men of place and power into ways that are dark and devious,
whose ends are destruction; so that there has been a moving picture of one
public man after another standing for a moment under the white lights of public
investigation and then going down in shame and dis­grace because his
questionable business methods could not bear the gaze of public scrutiny. The
Gospel of Christ would have us, "lay up treasures in heaven" —"Seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness." So far we drifted from these ideals that
we have begun to glory in our false standards, and to point to our material
prosperity as a sign of our marvelous progress. But Christianity doesn't consist
in the abundance of things which we possess.

Another sign of how much we have forgotten or how far we have drifted from
Christian ideals is the cheap way in which we hold human life. There is no mark
of distinction between a Christian and a pagan that is more noticeable than the
value placed on a human soul. It was made a little lower than the angels. It
cost the blood of the Son of God for its redemption. All the treasure and
measure of this earth would be as nothing compared to the loss of one soul. The
constant affirmation of this fact will save the weak from the oppressive tyranny
of the strong. It guards the life of the unborn and protects helpless in­fancy.
It struck the shackles from the limbs of the slave as he stood on the
auction-block in the slave market. It stretches out its hand to helpless women
and safe guards the most precious jewel in her crown. If a man to-day enjoys
civil and religious liberty it is because of the Chris­tian affirmation of his
individuality in the possession of an immortal soul, and his rights to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness because of his infinite redemption by our
God manifest in the flesh. Pagan civilization has no such idea of the value of
man. An Assyrian monarch wrote on the stones of Ninevah. "I took prisoners, men
young and old. Of some I cut off the hands and feet; others I mutilated. Of the
young men's ears I made a heap, and of the old men's skulls I made a tower. The
children I burned in the flames, (Sounds as if it were written by the Kaiser).
Paganism to-day under the flag of a new world religion is drenching the allied
nations in similar blood. But in our own America every day hundreds of lives are
being snuffed out in order that our dividends, our salaries, and our coupons may
satisfy our greed. Little wonder that when we bow down before the golden calf,
the worship of this false god demands false sacrifice, but the pity of it all is
that on consuming altars are laid helpless womanhood and weak innocence. The
incidents of the last three years have in a measure stopped us in our mad rush
for gold. We stand paralyzed with amazement when we hear the agonizing cries of
our neighbors, and live in constant dread and won­der of what another day may
bring. I believe we are really being touched with the feelings of others
infirmities.

What is it that has changed our standards? The thing that is going out of our
American life is the spirit of re­ligion. How has it been brought about? The
answer is patent. For two or three generations the young have been educated in
our schools in which the name of God is prac­tically forbidden and from which
the dogmas and precepts of religion have been driven. Are we not inviting
dis­aster by shilling God out of our schools? If our perpetuity as a people
depends on the stream of the spirit of Christ that flows in our veins, are we
not rushing on to a speedy death by shutting off those streams? How long can we
live on the inheritance of religious faith bequeathed to us by an older
generation, if we are spendthrift and profligate and do nothing to conserve the
inheritance we have re­ceived?

III. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION There is absolutely
no way to conserve the inheritance of Christian faith on which the perpetuity of
our national institutions depends, nor to make Christian ideals again dominant
in our civic life unless the teaching of Christian doctrine and the practice of
Christian faith are in some way or other conjoined with the great public school
system by which the youth of our land are trained to citizenship. We are shut
out of the public schools by the laws of the land. What shall we do?

We have presumed that we might relegate the teaching of religion to the homes.
The American home has never been able to do that —especially is this true of the
modern home.

Wre have thought the Sunday school, or Bible study, if you prefer to call it
that, would help out the homes and re­lieve the schools of the necessity of
teaching Christianity; but how miserably incompetent it is when we make the most
of it. No science can be learned by being taught only one hour a week. I do not
mean to say that the Sunday school stands for a Sunday religion. I consider the
Sunday school a factor in Christian education. But re­ligion is to our daily
life what salt is to our food. It enters into every act. To follow a method of
living that carefully withholds the salt from our food six days in the week and
gives us a peck of unadulterated and undiluted salt to eat on Sunday is not the
best way to preserve our health and to continue in our mouth the pleasing taste
for salt. In an effort on the part of some of our best thinkers to keep alive
the sentiment of religion, some sort of ethical culture has been injected into
the curriculum of our public schools to supply this need by simply teaching the
principles of morality. In the course of study for the Boston schools, we find
the following statement: "In giving instruction in morals, teachers will at all
times exert their best endeavors to impress on the minds of the youths the
principles of piety and justice and a special regard for truth, love of country,
humanity, universal benevolence, sobriety, industry and frugality, chastity,
moderation and temperance." This moral instruction, it is declared, shall have
no trace or shadow of sectarianism or doctrinal teaching. It is very plain that
this will eliminate the teaching of the existence of God. The Atheist may be a
good American citizen and desire to send his child to a public school, but he
will not allow the ears of his child to be offended by teaching the existence of
God. The Hebrew denies the divinity of Christ. And just so, we could eliminate
all moral and spiritual teaching. The law says morality must be taught without
any dogmatism. It is absolutely impossible. If it were possible then we should
have a solution for this prob­lem at least. But you may just as well try to grow
apples without a tree. You may just as well try to build the walls and roof of a
house without the foundation. Dogmatism is the foundation of all morals.
Eliminate all the dogmatic teaching and you cannot formulate a complete code of
morals. What motive for well doing can be suggested if there is no Law-giver who
rewards the faithful and punishes the violator? Will you say to me, be good
because it is nice, because it is gentlemanly, because you will be happier? The
only power by which we can enforce our moral teaching is the fact that there is
an eternal Law-giver who has the right to bind our wills and the power to
vin­dicate that right. The mere knowledge of the beauty and fitness of an act
will no more compel me to do it, or not to do it, than the mere knowledge of
geography will compel me to travel around the world. Man must recognize the
absolute authority of the Law-giver and His compelling power, so that His love,
His power to punish, can over­come all allurements to present immoral pleasures.
Morality can not be inforced without such dogmatic teaching.

There is still a more serious aspect. In teaching, or try­ing to teach, morality
separate and apart from Christianity, we make the wrong impression on those we
teach. They can have little respect for Christianity although we consecrate it
in the church and defend it in the home, if it be condemned in the schools and
driven from its doors. Children love school life, and if Christianity is so
hurtful a thing as to be denied admission into their studies during school
hours, are you going to be surprised to find them scoffing at it in after life?
Can we hope to build up a God-fearing people, a people fit to be entrusted with
domestic management and the guardianship of this great commonwealth, if they are
trained with the conviction that Christianity, the only perfect basis of
morality, is an outlawed thing during the best and brighter hours of the day,
through the tenderest and most impressionable years of life?

If, then, we can not teach morality without Christianity, and if the home and
Sunday school are not adequate; and since we must have it in some way or other
if we are going to fulfill our God-given mission; in what way must it come? The
problem is pressing for solution. The crisis may be nearer than we think. Of
course we never realize a danger until the crash comes. They were eating and
drinking and merry-making when the handwriting shone out on the wall It was so
when the waters come and covered the earth. It was so when the Assyrians came
down on Babylon, and when the Goths and Vandals swept over the mighty empire of
Rome. It was so when the iron fist of the Teutonic hordes cursed the twentieth
century civilization with its hell­ish slaughter. It will be so "when the Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with His mighty angels in flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of Jesus
Christ."

I have laid bare the disease. Perhaps I have been too ex­plicit. I may have
sounded the note of a pessimism or of an alarmist, but I have had only one
desire, and that is to be as conservative as the facts allow. But what is the
remedy?

It is difficult to realize how it was even possible to give over our magnificent
public school system to the agnostic and the godless to serve his purpose and
yet we have done so. You might be surprised to know that in one of these United
States of America, the teacher who conducts any sort of devotional service in
his school will have his certifi­cate cancelled. There are other states in which
the laws are almost as radical. I have taught ten years. I have never taught one
day without having gone to God in prayer. I am too weak, too apt to err, to take
responsibility of teaching one of God's highest creations without his blessing
me in a special way. The door is perhaps forever shut against Christianity in
the public schools. What are we going to do? What are we doing?

IV. Some Historic Reflections L,et us notice the history of religious movements
in this respect. History bears irrefutable witness to the fact that education
and the growth of Christianity are inseparably connected. Every great religious
movement has been im­mediately followed by an educational revival, and the
move­ment has been successful and permanent only in so far as it has taken the
schools into its alliance. A striking example of the power of education under
religious influence is to be seen in the case of the Scotch Presbyterians.
Through the leadership of Knox, Scotland established a system of schools in
close affiliation with the church. Ever since that time the ministers have been
search­ing out the most gifted boys, and encouraging them to get an education
and enter the ministry. It has been this splen­did co-operation between the
church and schools which has made Scotland the land of great preachers.

Another remarkable historical evidence of the value of schools in strengthening
a religious movement is to be seen in the case of the Jesuits. When the Roman
Church had lost all northern Europe through the Protestant revolt, and was being
threatened even in Italy itself, she sought defense in the establishment of
Jesuit colleges. Every one knows what the result was. So insidious and
persistent were these colleges that for almost two centuries they trained and
controlled the leading intellects of the Continent, both Protes­tant and
Catholic. Do you want to know what the Catholics are doing in America? It was
decreed in the last Plenary Council of Baltimore, in 1885, that within two years
of the date of the proclamation of the decree every parish priest must provide
an adequate school for the children in his parish or give the reason of his
inability in writing to the Bishop. This official attitude towards the school
question gave such a renewed impetus to school building that there are now
1,350,000 children educated in schools immediately under the control of the
Catholic Church, and during the last three generations, $300,000,000 have been
spent for this purpose.

Quoting from Dr. Eby on Baptist statistics we have these startling facts, "At
the beginning of the 19th century the Baptists in the entire Dominion of Canada
numbered about ()00 and they had no schools. Denominational lines had all along
been very closely drawn, and expansion could take place only under the most
difficult circumstances. With heroic faith the small body established Acadia
University, in the Maritime Provinces: Feller Institute in the very heart of
Catholic Quebec: Me Master University, with its two adjuncts in the expansive
Northwest. At the end of the centure there were approximately 100,000 Baptists
in Canada. More than any other factor these Christian Col­leges are responsible
for the result. At the beginning of the 19th century there were 100,000 Baptists
in the entire American Union; today there are about 6,000,000. At that time they
possessed only one institution of learning, now there are over 200 in all. These
schools have been an indis­pensable factor in this marvelous development." The
story is the same, no matter where we look. Will I be considered an heretic if I
say that today if "we as a people" ever intend to come into our own and to make
the influence of the religion of Jesus Christ felt through us, we must build,
maintain, and perpetuate a system of schools in which Christianity in its beauty
and simplicity may be taught in some way co-ordinate with the state schools. And
I am willing to go on record today as being one who is not in sympathy nearly so
much with the idea that now prevails, wherein any one who chooses may establish
a school of this sort, as I am with a systematized, organized, purposeful effort
on the part of all the Christians of all the congrega­tions of God in all the
counties of all the states of these United States. Call that a system of "Church
schools," or what you wish. I am willing to go one step further, and say that
that individual who purposefully puts himself in the way of the progress of
Christian education through the Christian college is either ignorant of the
opportunity it affords, or he is a slacker in the army of Jesus Christ, and a
traitor to His cause.

V. What Shall We Do? Whatever you want a people to become put that thing in the
schools. Education was imposed as a divine obligation upon every Jewish parent.
The dwellings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were at once the home, the school,
the state, and the church. It was especially the duty of every father to teach
his children the significance of the Passover feast, and other ceremonial
observances, God made the teaching of the divine law compulsory upon every
parent in the most imperative terms. We read. "Now these are the command­ments,
the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord, your God commanded to teach
you, that you might do them in the land whither you go to possess it. That thou
mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his command­ments,
which I command thee, thou and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy
life; and that thy days may be prolonged, that it may be well with thee,, and
that ye may in­crease mightly, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised
thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey." "Hear, O, Israel: the Lord
our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord, thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might and these words, which I command
thee this day, shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto
thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and
when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and
they shall he as frontlets between thine eves. Thou shalt write them upon the
posts of thy house gates." They wore the word of God on their wrists as we wear
our watches, and had a copy of it on the gate posts and door facings. No other
people in all the world's history have been so completely immersed in an
atmosphere of religious instruction as the Jews have been. The whole Mosaic
econ­omy was an educational enterprise of the most far reaching character. The
law was their schoolmaster, pedagogue, to lead them to Christ. Jewish
institutions were to be pre­served in no other way than through religious
education. Has God's method in the respect of having his people taught changed?
Is the Church of God to be built up in any other way than through teaching? Is
there any imperative reason why the Church as an institution should interest
her­self in education? Some one has said that there are three E's which stand
for the promulgation of Christianity. They are, evangelism, education, and
expansion. The latter seems to come as a consequence of the first two.
Evangelism and Christian education are inseparable, and this fact may be more
obvious the next generation.

There are many new obligations, responsibilities, and op­portunities ushered in
with every generation. The business of Christian education is to prepare us for
their solution. Never has Christian civilization been confronted with such large
and difficult problems as today. Some of which are, the liquor question,
divorce, child labor, the white slave traffic, increased criminality, political
corruption, the rela­tion of labor and capital, rampant materialism, education,
the redemption of the segregated districts of the large cities, universal peace,
and the salvation of the world. With the solution of these problems comes a
demand on Christian education for a trained ministry and for an in­telligent
layship. The solution calls for great preachers, well trained. Those of the past
though sometimes largely un­trained, did work heroically. The preachers of the
next generation must have all the eloquence and evangelistic fervor of the
pioneers, and they must add to these the learn­ing, the social interest, the
sympathy, and the teaching power that conies through college training. We all
admit the need of a trained ministry. What we need more is a generation of
trained elders, deacons, —Christians. The greatest service that Christians can
render in the immediate future lies in the training of a new type of laymen. I
wonder what our vision would be if we could realize the tremendous power of a
trained and consecrated body of laymen. (God hasten the day when our loved ones
at home may enjoy the oppor­tunities of a week like this.) Give us men of
militant faith and deep piety, trained not only to feel that God has a mighty
work for them to do but able to do it. To how many places have you gone where
you had to lead in every­thing? The church needs men and women trained to teach,
to sing, men as leaders, men into whose hands the care of the Church can be
placed. We are conducting a young men's meeting every Sunday afternoon for this
very purpose —that we may send back men and women, and especially men, to a
community trained in the work of the l,ord. May the shame of neglected duty rest
upon us if ever there goes from this place a Christian boy who is not trained to
lead in some public capacity.

Whether in the Church assembled, the Sunday school, some individual, the
Christian college, or in whatever way it may come. Christian Education must lead
every member of the Church of Christ to know that "religion is no mere matter of
ceremony; no merely beautiful thing for esthetic admiration; no mere practice of
self mortification; no mere idle longing for heaven; or an awaiting of some
miraculous deliverance from hell; no bare adoption either of abstract
principles, or anything arbitrarily laid upon him from with­out, external and
foreign to him; no mere negative aim of any kind; but that positive will of God,
laid down in the very structure of our being, that means the kindling of great
and new enthusiasm, great devotions as great sacrifices." Christian education
must teach the world to know that the prayer "Thy will be done," is no slave's
submission to superior strength; no plaintive wail; no outcry of an en­feebled,
broken will, as we may be sometimes tempted to think. Rather it is the highest
reach of a will sublimely disciplined to a world task, enlightened by a reason
that can think the thoughts of Cod, inspired by an imagination that sees the
ultimate consummation, warmed by a heart that feels the needs of men, and glows
with the greatness of the Father's purpose for them."

Whatever attitude others may assume, or whatever course they may pursue with
reference to Christian educa­tion. Father, give me a life full of opportunities
to spend and be spent in Thy Church, growing in grace and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that I may be able to teach others also.


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