the bible standard december 1906

8/2/2019 The Bible Standard December 1906

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T H B ib l e S t a n d a r d ...tbt 11 f t of 604 ISfJcnIl Dfc." m . . . ~ . . .

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"1 will COMe. . . , . . .VOL. 27. No. 12. TWOPENCE.UCKLAND, N.Z.,DECEMBER, 1906.

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m o n t b .III!jir~~"'ijl_il_'-IIIIIlI"""'lIl1iiiiiliii!liiliiillilli!il1I111W"","ijj""ffiill!ijI!!L~~~=-.~ I I I The Presbyterian Assembly meeting', heldD J this year in Dunedin, an important con-fession was made by Dr. Gibb concerning

~ the Bible-in-School, agitation, in which

~

G)f" he has been an active participator. IVe.9 '\'Q ) remember the flourish of trumpets with

which this campaign commenced, and theconfident assertions that were made as to the issue. Itwas held that the majority of the people were undoubt-edly in favour of the movement; indeed, were anxious

that Bible instruction should forma part of the daily curriculum.Dr. Gibb confesses that the move-ment, instead of gaining strength,

has lost considerable headway, and that, indeed, the en-thusiasm so pronounced at one time has proved itselfto be only a surface thing. In the report he submittedto the Assembly, he stated: "The hopes entertained ayear ago, that the General Election would advance thecause of the Bible in Schools by bringing a plebisciteBill within measurable distance, were, unhappily, falsi-fied by the event." "There is no good in blinking thefact that the cause of Bible in Schools, regarded bothfrom the standpoint of Parliamentary approval andpopular sympathy, shows not a few symptoms of de-cadence, when comparison is made between the stateof matters existing to-day and that existing three yearsago." The Doctor thinks that the failure is to beascribed to the apathy of the Church, and to the exist-ence of a "resolute, skilful, and well-organised oppo-sition," but it is possible that the present state of oppo-sition to the movement has been reached by the fact thatthe people generally have come to the conclusion that itis unwise to meddle with the present admirable schoolsystem by the introduction of that which the experience

t ,

jfailureconreseeo.

of the Homeland shows to be such a potent factor ofdisturbance. 'I'hc people are not inclined to pander tothe wishes of the ecclesiastics, who are at the bottom 01this agitation.

The Education controversy in England is before usas a red danger signal, and we have not faith that thewisdom of ecclesiastics here will succeed in steering thematter so skilfully that they can avoid the wreckage of

a system which, whatever its fail-ures, does provide for the schoolingof the children of this colony.We cannot consent to have a svi-

tern which has proved its efficicncy to be broken topieces to suit the ideas of a few. A writer in the 0 ut-look says: "England began with denominational elluca-tion, yet the remarkable Passive Resistance movementrenders it very probable that in the end the present NewZealand system will be adopted." But, apart from this,we have not seen a good reason presented by our Bible-in-Schools friends why the Bible should be introducedinto the teaching, other than that which appears in theresolution passed by the Assembly, in which ministersare enjoined "to impress their people with the para-mount importance of the restoration of the Bible topublic schools, and the danger to the moral well-beingof the nation from the purely secularistic character ofthe present curriculum." Our Catholic friends, in theirdesire to secure Government grants for their schools, gofurther, and call our present system godless." Wedeem both terms exaggerated. But, to speak as we find,we do not see that any of those who have been soanxious about this matter have really understood whatthey want. Not a few of these good folk believe inevolution, and in the Higher Criticism, and how theycan insist upon the Bible as a book of morals, thesethings being true, is a puzzle. A good many text-bookshave been suggested, but these do not fairly representthe Bible. They mainly consist of extracts, which giveno idea whatever of the purpose of the Bible, nor dothey strongly insist upon the basis, the present signifi-cance, and the future issues of the "morality" soughtto be instilled. Could these things be seen by the agita-tors, their pleas would at least have the merit of pre-senting something tangible as a reason why a change is

Wlbat is'Wtanteb.


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. DECEMBER, 1906.desired. :\0 rnoruli ty is tallghL in the Hih!c apart 1'1'0111creature rosponsibil ity and future, well-defined conse-quences, and, apart from the Divine purpose, 011 notone of these points have we een a clear utterance bythese advocates,The eminence attained by scientists ill their own par-

ticular sphere is not to be regarded as the hall-mark oftrustworthiness when thov venture into the domain oftheology. If proof of the truth of this remark wererequired, it could be found in an

article by Sir Oliver Lodge in theIlibber! Journal for July. 'I'hearticle is entitled "The First 'Prin-

ciples of Faith." The writer thinks that the difficultybefore the English nation, in connection with the Edu-cation controversy, is to determine the nature of thereI igious teaching to be given in the schools to thechildren. Jt must be sufficient. yet no more than wouldbe acceptable to all parties. His opinion is, tha, if'lheologiuns would leave off discussing ma ttcrs which arof no moment, and centre attention 11pon really vitalthillg's, thev would find "a mass of fundamental materialon whicl: the great majority are reall v agreed." As asample of what he means, he presents a catechism con-taining beliefs which "would be agreed to h~- mosttrained teachers if the} \I'Ne asked to state somethingor the view 'which they themselves take of the universe."'I'he first question and answer v in this catechism readthus : "Q.-'\Vhat are you? .\.-fam a being, alive andconscious on this earth, my ancestors having ascendedhy gradual processes from lower forms of animal life,and with struggle and suffering became men." So thiseminent scientist would make the first article of faithto be the doctrine of evolution. and by the convenient.method of a catechism taught to the children in theirmost impressionable and least reasoning years, instilliL into their minds as an indisputable truth. Yet Iha!doctrine is not accepted bv all scientists, and it: i" (N. t,linh o(lpoRP(l to the Scriptures of truth.

:E l Sc ientificcatecmst.

'I'his j a matter which becomes of the most trans-cond.mt importance to us when we consider that it i~the clod l'i ne of creation which supplies the onI\' certainhasis for hu man responsihil itv. The existence, reason-

ableness, and relation of that arcclearlv seen if the Bible story 0 I'creation is the truth: but all hopeof a solid base fOTresponsibilitv is

gOJ1{, if the doctrine of evolution is to he taught. ~\creature may ho responsible to his Creator, but if heevolved hv chance, or by a "fortuitous concourse ofatoms." whence comes, and whither trends, his responsi-bilitv? This matter naturallv comes next in order, andSiT Oliver asks: "Q.-IVhat is the distinctive characterof manhood? A.-The distinctive character of man isthat he is responsible for his acts, having acquired thepower of choosing between good and evil, with freedomto ohev one motive rather than another." But this

11mbence1ResponstbUft}2 ?

leaves us in diflicul Ly.H 011'was rcsponsibili ty acquired?And to whom is man re ponsiblo P These questions thedoctrine of evolution has yet to answer. This is anattempt to combine a scientific theory with a funda-mental idea of man as a responsible being. But the out-and-out evolutionist accepts no such impossible mixture.He holds that with the doctrine of evolution must go the'idea of Determinism, which removes altogether the ideaof human responsibility. This new catechism recognisesthe existence of respousihility, but has no word to say asto its origin and its relation. J t is not, therefore, scien-tific, and as it is not according to Scripture it C

But we have not yet done wi th the scientists, Someof them seem to take a kind of grim drlight in predict-ing all sorts of frightful disasters to come 11])Ontheearth, with no prospect of anv relief. Professor RIl int.in an article in the A rena. affirms

that the glacial period is still goingon, and that the earth's glacialzones are rapidly and permanently

enlarging. According to his view, the area of the habit-able earth will be vastly restricted. Re has no doubtthat the American States will he embraced verv soon inthe relentless grip of encroaching ice. The hope of the'inhabitants lies in JlI;.;ration to Son th America, wl: ich

~beortesin conntct.


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DECEMBER, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 179may escape. This is alarming, but we may comfortourselves that this man may be wrong, for anotherscientist, Professor See, writing in the Atlantic Monthly,gives his conclusion, from his own studies and investi-gations, that the sun has not yet reached its maximumheat, and that things will be considerably warmer. 'I'hesecan be set over against each other. Meanwhile the be-liever in the Word can go on his way with unruffledserenity, being sure that neither of these men know any-thing about the future of the earth and its inhabitants.What God hath sai.d shall come to pass, and all historypast is full of ample and convincing testimony to thatfact. In the progress of the past fcw years a good manyscientific theories havc been hustled off the stage, andboth these views may experience the same ignominiousexit, perhaps giving place to others equally foolish.

It is not a little surprising to the observer of currentevents to note that no invention or di.scovery is put be-fore the world without the airy expression of confidcncethat it will minister to the regeneration of mankind.

In Geneva recently, there was helda $uggestet l a large Congress in connectionlRemeb}? with the progress of the new auxil-iary language Esperanto. Dr.Zamenhoff, the founder of this new language, in thecourse of an address, which was enthusiastically receivedby representative's from every civilised nation, said:"For twenty years T have fought and struggled, but notfor a language-it is for the ideal. I am battling forthe spirit of reciprocal helpfulness, which shall ensurea better future for mankind." The Christian Endea-vourers, also assembled in Geneva in international con-gress, passed the following resolution :-"We, the repre-sentatives of the Kristanaj Celadaj Society of n~,lD:Vlands, who interest themselves in the propagation of theinternational Esperanto language, and who arc con-vinced that its dissemination will help the universalChristian brotherhood, and forward the reign of Christin the world, recommend the study of Esperanto to ourbrethren in all lands, and beg the committees and leadersof all national societies to advance and initiate the ac-quirement of this new bond which unites our hearts inChristian love," Dr. Clarke proposed the resolution,and representatives of seventeen lands, from Japan tothe Marshall Islands, round to Russia, confirmed it. Asa means of ready intercourse, the mover did well to re-commend it, but that it will "forward the reign ofChrist" is a somewhat doubtful proposition. Let it benoted, too, as a fact overlooked by Dr. Zamenhoff, thatthe new language is as likely to forward the interests ofevil as of good. Its use will not be confined to "recipro-cal helpfulness." vVe give its founder all praise for hisuseful labours, but that does not by any means implythat we imagine the new language to he a moral enginefor the uplifting of humanity. Its acquirement is notan evidence of a change of heart, without which no per-manent moral betterment can come.

A writer in the North American Review for Augustlast has the notion that Goel is latent within man, andthat it is in sleep that He exerts His divine influence.He holds that the recognition of this will put into our

hands the key to the transforma-anotber tion of our lives. In this way:: fBItnb jL eaber . "As one is about yielding to slum-ber for the night, let him say tohimself, for instance, that he will no longer be a slave

to the imperative conception, or the evil habit, and thathe will draw spontaneously upon the resources treasuredin his higher being." So this is but a variation of theold story-man is to secure the bighest good by his ownefforts; With confidence the writer goes on to picturethe wonderful results that could follow the adoption ofhis teaching: "Given a few thousands properly equipped,earnest persons, consecrated to the work of disscmin-ating this creed of life, and given willingness on thepart of humanity to be uplifted through this instrumen-tality, and the regeneration of the world within tenyears becomes an easy problem." Ah, just so. Withoutconsidering other things overlooked by this writer, itmay be said that the question of "willingness" is a bigone. Had the willingness to submit to good been pre-sent, there had been. no Deluge, no disobedient Israel,no rejection of the Messiah. Tt has always been thatmen love darkness rather than light, and the only pos-sible way of overcoming the prevailing evil is put beforeus in. clear and convincing form in the Scriptures ofTruth. But no mere moral improvement by any in-fluence within is likely to banish disease, sorrow, pain,and death. There arc many items in the catalogue ofcontingent ills outside the realm of mere moral regencr-ation, and man's only hope is in the almighty power of8 od for their removal.Did the activities of our late Premier cease at his

death? We believe so, but those who accept the banefnlteachings of Spiritism are not likely to agree with 118.Rather would they believe that he is now more active

than when he was in our midst.Spfrf t f s t Indeed, we have seen a broad-

municated by Mr. Seddon through a Queensland lT10-dium. This sheet was No. 0 of a series. We read thisprecious production in cornpanv with a journalist W1-lOwas in sympathy with the policy of Mr. Seddon, and hedid not hesitate to characterise it as "absolute drivel,"an opinion with which we agreed. Certain we are thatin all his public utterances on earth Mr. Seddon neverpacked a speech so full of inanities. But there is some-thing more to be said. 'I'his broadsheet was shown to usin a town where, we were informed, the local society ofSpiritists had essayed to obtain a communication fromthe great man who had "passed over." Thev had man-aged to get him, but he could not tell them anythingbecause he was a recent arrival. and was very sleepy!T'he peculiar thing to the uninitiated is to learn how it


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180 THE BIBLE STANDARD. DECEMBER, 1906.came to pass that he was too drowsy to aid the NewZealand society, but was wide awake enough to reel offyards of communications to the Queenslander, in whichhe assured the hearers that he was having such a royalwelcome that he had not time even to think of thosewho were sorrowing for him on earth!

'I'here is a recent article from the pen of Dr. Stalker,in the Home 111ssenqer, in which he urges that the onlyroyal road to the heart of the Bible is loving familiaritywith its pads. He advises the practice of reading a

whole book at a single sitting, be-cause "each book is a discourse onsome theme; and to read it as awhole transfers to the mind one of

the great thoughts of God. In such reading the wholecasts light upon its parts, and the parts are seen buildinsup the whole." He concludes: "But Ieturn to my firstposition, that the great thing is to keep reading at theBible itself. Books about the Bible are innumerable,but they are worse than useless if they keep the readeraway from the Bible itself. One portion throws lightupon another, and familiarity with the language andthought of the whole breeds an instinctive skill in get-ting at the meaning." These are wise words from amaster teacher, and we pass them on with great pleasure.

Ube lRo)?al1Roab.

cbrtet tbe


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DIWEMBER, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 181bursting the bars of the grave with more ease thanSamson broke the bonds of his captors, and stepped forthwith calm, unruffled majesty, to be from that hour "alivefor evermore," and to carry "the keys of the Grave andof Death" (Rev. i. 18).

In face of death, Buddha confesses himself defeated.His dying words are said to have been these: "Everythingthat cometh into being passeth away. Work out yourown perfection with diligence; that is, your cessation ofconscious being." Poor baffled thinker! He could notcope with the problem of mortality. All he could saywas: 'I'his is a common fate, which all share alike; what,then, cannot be cured must be endured with such patienceand resignation as we can muster. And with regard to thehope of immortality, having no power to bestow the boon,he puts it from him as an undesirable thing. "Pain,"be says, "results from existence as an individual, and acraving for a [uius: life is one chief source of suffer-ing."* Hence the only way to get rid of pain and suf-fering i 3 to be freed from this craving for a future life;and his "way of salvation" is "the way of passing outof the endless ocean of transmigration to the haven ofNirvana."]And when they reach the desired haven, what is it?

"As we read in one of their Scriptures-the RatanaSutta-'their hearts are free from longing for a futurelife; the cause of their existence being destroyed, andno new yearnings springing up within them, they, thewise, are exting~tished like this lamp.'''t And that isthe ambition of one-third of our fellow-men at this hour.No belief, but an utter repudiation of the belief in per-sonal immortality. The swallowing up for ever of allpersonal existence; this is the Buddhist's goal; "this isthe greatest blessing" he is offered. Sad escape from theweary burden of life!How different the heart-cheering words of our gracious

Redeemer : "I give unto My sheep Eternal Life, andthey shall never perish; and none shall pluck them outof My hand" (John x. 28). "Because I live, ye shallJive also." "I am the Light of the World; he thatfolloweth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall havethe light of LIFE" (J OM viii. 12).Who is there who, with his eyes open to the true dif-

ference between these two religions, would for a momentprefer the dreary faith of Buddha to the glorious gospelof Life and Immortality preached to us in the name ofChrist?The glory of our Lord is this, that He was not merely,as some pretend, a preacher of morality, nor only a shin-ing example in His own life of the character He pro-claimed. He came as a Giver of unspeakable gifts; Hecame clothed with authority and power to set right everyform of disorder now prevailing among men. Hence, ifthese be found in national and social life, He, as God'schosen ICing, with perfect wisdom and might, combined

*"The Message of Buddhism," in the FoTinighll71Review, August, 1905. t Ibid. tIbid.

with compassion and love, shall introduce a happy era ofpeace and righteous rule, in which war and all oppres-sion shall cease. If they be found in the individual,then here the riches of His healing influence cover allman's deepest needs. The understanding, the heart, theconscience, the physical constitution, are all disorderedthrough sin. He has come, forgiving our iniquities; sup-plying the wisdom and sanctification which we require;while even the bodily disorder and decay shall be putright for those who are His; for "He shall change thebodies of our humiliation, and fashion them like untoHis own glorious body, according to the working (theenergy) by which He is able to subdue all things to Him-self" (~hil. iii. 21).

As the late Edward White once wrote: "There is some-thing in our consciousness of sin, and in our pitiableshortness of life, which needs just such a remedy asChristianity, and if this be not the true remedy for sinand death, it ought to cause mourning throughout allnations; for there is no other."*

But it is true. The Lord Jesus Christ has indeedappeared, and His voice is calling to each of us "o'er thetumult of life's troubled sea;" not the sad voice ofBuddha, counselling to hopeless resignation to a crueldestiny; but words which, in the midst of life's greatestgriefs, out of the centre of our deepest darkness, come, asof old, to put new strength into us: "Son, be of goodcheer;" "Daughter, be of good comfort." Words oftender sympathy and yearning entreaty, from Him whohas all power in heaven and earth; "Come unto Me, allye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give youREST."

"This is the Father's will which sent Methat everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth onHim, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him upat the last day" (John vi. 39). These are the words ofHim who chose for His own title, "THE RESURRECTIONand the LIFE," thus for ever coupling these two thoughtstogether as the proper object of our hopes.

Surely it is because men have forgotten or ceased tolook to Him for the bestowal of Immortality, which it isHis sole privilege to give to those who are His, that somany in our day are turning for comfort to the danger-ous follies of Spiritualism, to the barren speculations ormoralities of this or that system of modern philosophy;or are sinking back into a pessimism and hopelessnesslike that of the ancient Roman world. Let us, if wewould be of the wise, cease to look anywhere else than toHim for the immortality for which we long. Let us bedone with all "traditions of men" that would rob Himof this chief of His claims, and while we wait for Hiscoming again and the day of our complete redemption,let us-

"Tell it around,Let it abound:LIFJe in the LIVING LORD."

*On Certainty in Religion.


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. DECEMBER, 1906.~ : e ~ ~ - -% - ~ ~-% -~~~~ e !-s1 5

A PITIABLE I-IOPE IN CHRIST."If in this life only we have hoped in Ohrist, we are of all

men most pitiable."-I. Oor. xv. 19.AT first sight the title of this address seems to be astrange and unlikely collocation of words, for who wouldbe inclined to associate the word "pitiable" with theexpression "hoped in Christ?" Yet the apostle has solinked them, and this should justify us in searching intohis reason for so doing. Some effort should be madeto understand the statement. The force of the passagearises from the context in which it is found. It isnecessary, therefore, to look at the course and nature ofthe argument. The apostle sets out to declare the termsof the Gospel message he had delivered to his converts,a message of plain, historical facts-the death, burial,and resurrection of the Lord. There are other .factscited in the chapter, such as the advent and the king-dom, but at the point at which the quotation is takenthe presentation is still on the resurrection plane. Thisdoctrine of the resurrection has been too strong, evi-dently, for some of the philosophic minds at Corinth,and they were casting doubts upon the idea of the futureresurrection as necessarily involved in the fact of theresurrection of Christ. This attitude moves Paul tostrong language and weighty assertion. He holds thatif there be no future resurrection, then the past resur-rection of Christ is not fact, but fable, and those whopreach it as fact are bearing false witness; faith is there-fore vain, and the dead are for ever perished. Thesearc sweeping statements made in fervent speech by aman who knows whereof he affirms.

Let me ask you to notice that this shows the im-portant position assigned to this hope by the early be-lievers. Here it is put before us as indicative of thenature of the blessing to be reached through faith inthe work of Christ. It is a future life entered by resur-rection, or by translation without death, which is soattractive to the apostle; and which affords compensa-tion for all present ills, and satisfies every legitimate as-piration for the future. 'I'he prominence here given to itis a clear protest against any doctrine which places orpermits the resurrection to be in any subordinate posi-tion in the Gospel message. How is that doctrine treatedto-day? How often is it set forth as an essential of theChristian's hope. Now and again there are spasmodicefforts to set it before the world, but they are, too often,half-hearted, nerveless efforts, lacking the force of Biblepresentation. Why is this? The answer is ready. Itis because of the prevalent belief on man's nature. N 0-

body can give the doctrine of the resurrection its Bibleimport who really believes that the soul of man is im-mortal. For, just in so far as man's future is dependentupon his own nature, so far must it detract from thework of Christ, and lessen the value of the redemptionHe has purchased. In proportion as the value of theresurrection is lessened, to that extent does any man'shope become pitiable.Some there are who deny the atoning work of Christ,and centre attention upon man's personal efforts 01'salvation. These do not, indeed, set Christ aside alto-gether, for they profess a reverence for New Testamentteaching regarding Him. But they view Him as anexample only, an incentive to personal effort, that,stimulated' by that example, they may live worthily, andbccome like Him. 'I'his is a present hope in Christ,that, by following in His steps, they attain to worthi-ness, but there is no real virtue attending His relationto them. It may seem harsh to say that such a statelived under the influence of this view is pitiable. Yetwhat other can it be called? It may be said that such aview makes e t man better and brighter, a means of help-fulness, and a comfort to those about him, and an in-fluence upon society for good. All these things may beconceded, but if that hope in Christ is confined to theinfluence of His example, then all these supposed goodthings only serve to bring the man up to a standard ofmorali ty which should be normal, but there arc 110grounds of hope for a resultant future. It is a hopewhich is pitiable, for it does not make the hope of thefuture dependent upon the work of Christ and the pro-vision of God. 'I'he influence belongs to this sphere,works here, and does not go beyond, having no connect-ing links with the future. Paul's view differs widelyfrom this. His hope is ono which, rightly followed,will do all this, and more. Where truly accepted andfollowed, it has sought to alleviate human suffering, andhas proclaimed the true brotherhood of man. 'I'hosethings have been, and are, because the present has beenviewed as the training time and place for the future, be-cause of the certainty of the life to come, wherein theseed-sowing of the present should be followed by aglorious harvest. 'I'hese modern hopes fall far short othis. There is no definite goal towards which theywork. They lack the positive, personal certainty whichis essential to the true appreciation of the hope and itspresent power.

There is often held a belief in a future state, some-how to be attained by present effort, but the conceptionis mentally nebulous. It lacks the elements of know-ledge concerning the mode of entrance upon it, and hasno prospect of a tangible organism in which to enjoy itif it were realised. If these things are so as regardsthose who accept Christ as an example, what can be saidof those who are willingly Christless, those who do.not accept Hini as their guide? Their state is pitiable,for it means that life is possessed without a worthy pur-pose; they come into life and are as straws upon thestream, presently to be engulphed in its onward sweep,


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DECEMBER, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD.They are living without reference to the full potenciesand possibilities of life; theirs is a life most pitiable be-cause it is doomed to be lost.

A pitiable hope in Christ is that which, whatever itsviews regarding Him, does not centre itself in Him asits life-giving source. I do not mean some spiritual con-ception merely of life, for I do not believe in the com-mon method of changing the meaning of Bible languagefrom its clear-cut intentions into meaningless drivel. Imay add, that to the extent that we depart from thisplain speech of Scripture, so do we become liable tocherishing a pitiable hopcin Christ, because we arcweakening the value of His work and seeking to swellour own importance. Observe what a close and vitalrelationship Paul shows to exist between the resurrec-tion of Christ and that of His people. Without the OlWthe other cannot be. He looks to Christ and says: 1He (lid not rise, then there is no resurrection of thedead; and from the forward point he looks back und,;aYH:J the} do not rise, then Christ diu not rise. \\'i;ntdoes th is mean bu t that Christ is the Life-Cl ivel', andthe moral and spiritual qual itics, 1:>0much spoken of to-day to the exclusion of this aspect, receive all their hrec

Iroiu this, for without it the,)' arc valueless as a meansof fully satisfying the needs of mau. So it is tho r1 1Y -sical, the material, the tangible, the real, here set beforeus, which, if not cherished, leaves us pOOl'and miserable,a spectacle of pi L y to heavenly beings. 'I'ho real andtangible arc connected with all God's doings in the planof redemption, whence issue the encouragements to apure and holy life, and the end to be a ttaincd is just asreal. ~"s a foremost theologian has well remarked, "Godworks for organic redemption," and therefore he whosecs not this is, to that extent, holding to a pitiable hopein Christ. 1 know that other views hold the field, andare hallowed to man by centuries of traditionary teach-ing; but I do not propose to treat C l lie with courtesybecause it happens to be venerable. Rather let it besmitten as a usurper who has occupied the field too long,and who can be ousted only by force. Is your hopefounded in your own nature? This salvation wroughtby Christ, secured by His death and resurrection, isnot designed to save an immortal soul. 1 say it plainly,and mean every word I say. Far be it from me to ques-tion the reality of the faith which has laid hold uponChrist as a Saviour from sin, but I must still say, withall the emphasis I can command, that so far as this Bibleis concerned the plan of salvation sketched therein doesnot provide for the salvation of an immortal soul ornever-dying spirit. Look to the Bible teachings on yourown nature, and sec how perfectly harmonious they arewith the latter declarations of the necessity for a resur-rection from the dead if there is to be actual participa-tion in the full blessings of eternal life. It is possiblethat some may say: "But I set aside the doctrine of theAtonement, and put forward my life lived upon a highmoral plane." I have no charge to lay against you; Isimply say that your moral life, good as it may be, isnothing to boast about. You arc not living better than

you ought, and there is no merit in that. It is a goudthing to recognise one's responsibility to society, butthen it is your duty. Goodness is to bo tested, not by acomparison of yourselves with others, but by the test ofperfect love towards God and towards your neighbour.Thus tested, 1 can come back to my point and say,without a hope in the forgiveness through Christ andin His power in resurrection, your case is pitiable. In-fluences which are merely moral and philanthropic can-not touch the needs which arise from your mortality andthe fact regarding the judgment seat. Salvation, as putbefore us in the Word of God, is a tremendous thing..} t is comprehensive, practical, perfect. Comprehensivebecause it goes under every need of ours, be it material,spiritual, or intellectual. Practical, because it proffersthe gift of life to perishing' men, and thus puts beforeus a hope worth living for, working for, waiting for.Perfect, because it will introduce to the life unending,in holy fellowship wif.h God Himself. The pledge andsample of this is before us in the Person of Christ raisedIroni the dead, alive for evermore. All this hangs Up011the original statement that Christ was raised from thedead, That resurrection is a reasonable thing. Theplan of God leading up to it inexorably demands i L .Paul's argu merits arc devoted to proving that it is allhistorical fad. His witnesses were alive, and could C011-Iirm his statement, and, that proven, there follows irro-sistibly the resurrection of the dead as the sure hope ofthe believer. All life, therefore, must be lived, and allhope must be cherished, un der the stimulus of j t. It isan active, energising hope, for it contains in it thepOlrer of God. As a theory it meets and satisfies everyreasonable question; as a fact, it should gladden theheart and gi ve us needed stimulus for service, and bringus near to God, with simplicity accepting the messageof eternal life through faith in His dear Son. Boldly,clearly, Jet LlSsay that a hope in Christ which denies11iHresurrection, or which looks upon man as possessingin himself the power of continued life by virtue of aninherent immortality, is C L pitiable hope. It holds to < tuinadequate, limited conception- of his work, and takesfrom Him His honours as the Prince of Life, the Cap-tain of our salvation. Those who are resting in Hiswork, and whose hope for the future is not in their OWJlnature, but in Him, who are awaiting His return andthe resurrection from the dead-theirs is a glad hope, ahope blooming with immortality, a hope of incorruption,and they shall not be disappointed. Let this hope beyours; no other is worthy of present attention. Noother has such present moulding power and such futurepossibilities. No other has in it, energising, feeding,and making it invincible, with the certainty of nearconsummation, the power, the omnipotence of God.

[Notes of an address by the Editor, given in West Street,Auckland, and Stuar't Street Hall, Dunedin.]

The way to be happy is to think yourself so. Whoever saw a happy man that thought himself miserable?


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THE BIBLE STANDARD.TABLE OF CONTENTS.

THE MONI'H ..CHRIST THE CONQUEROR OF DEATHl~CHOES FROM ''VEST STREETASSOCIATION NOTESPREACHERS' PLAN ..OUR ANNUAL CON]?ERENCE ..OUR CHRISTCHURCH MISSION!MMANUEL'S LANDSUPPOSED SCRIPTURE PROVERBSTHE HOME CIRCr~E-IN QUEST O~' TRUTHCHURCH AND MISSION NEWSCHRISTIAN BAND ..SUNSHINE CORNER ..A SALOON.KEEPER'S DAUGHTER

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n ew Z e alan a E " an gdis tl c ana Publ ic at ion J l ss oc la tl on.EDITED BY GEORGE ALDRIDGE.

ASSISTED BY SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS, The Editor wishes it to be understood that, while he exer ciaee a general sup er-vision over the articles and Correspondence appearing in the ST.lNDUD responsi-bility for sentiments expressed rests upon the individual writer.

aeeoctancn 1Rotes.The 'I'reasurer will be glad if Agents will send along

any moneys they may have on hand on account of sub-scriptions for the STANDARD,and subscribers who are inarrears with their payments will considerahly reduce thework and worry attached to his office by remitting byfirst post.

The Editor is still in Dunedin, giving his services onbehalf of the Church meeting there. We trust that thcgood seed sown will result in abundance of Iru it to theglory of God.

One of our Executive, in the person of our old andrespected Bro. Logan, will be with us again, D.V., aboutnext Sunday week, after an absence of seven months,having been on a visit to the Old Country. Our brothel'is usually a man of few words, although his heart andmind is full of Life and Advent Truth, and from privatesources we have heard that wherever he has gone duringthe last seven months he has spoken the truth in love tothe winning of some from error to the light of DivinoTruth.

lP rea cbers' lP lan.

Dec.C, J. GAHRATT

16 A. PAGEMONTH. BIRI


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DECEMBER, 1906. THE BIBLE STANbARD.up the business where we left off at the close of the firstpart of the day. Tea will be provided in the Social Hallif necessary. See later advertisements for fuller f;nr-ticulars- .

\I/ill secretaries of affiliated Churches kindly prepare:Reports to be read in Conference, and forward same hyyour delegates ? We will be glad to know also of thenames of delegates coming a distance, in order tha L at:-commodation may be arranged for beforehand. .Any Churches who have no representatives coming to

Conference could arrange with some of the Aucklandbrethren to read their reports and act generally on thei rbehalf.

~ur cnnetcburco f1D ission.

THE closing services' of our Mission in Christchurchwere held on Sunday, November 11, 1906. At the even-ing meeting our evangelist, Bro. Emest 'I'uck, based hisaddress on Paul's farewell words to the Church atI~phesus, ell1l1hasising this, that he had not shrunk fromdeclaring "the whole counsel of God" as far as he hadbeen enabled by the Holy Spirit to know the mind ofGod. He reviewed the ups and downs of our Mission,and spoke very feelingly of 'the circumstances whichnecessitated its close. He spoke with some emotion of:the encouragements and disappointments, the pleasuresand hardships, the joys and sorrows of his evangelisticwork. A very impressive meeting was concluded bythe reading of these two farewell addresses to Bro. andSister Tuck, which were afterwards signed by most ofthe members and friends present:-Dear Bno. TUCK-\Ve, the members and friends of the Church of Christ,

Sydenham, on this occasion of our last meeting together, priorto your departure to Melbourne, desire to express to you ourhearty appreciation of your Christian teaching amongst us.It is that, more than "any other phase of your ministry, whichhas held us together till now, and which, in p:nanner and matter,has so markedly improved with the growth of time 'and personalacquaintance. We regret that so few have given heed to yourteaching; but we 'assure you that those few will long and profit-ably remember your clear elucida.tiqn of Bible truth. We com-mend you to God and the word of His grace; and hope to hearof your substantial prosperity, and of your further usefulnessin the service of our loving Lord. With heartfelt sincerity, andwit.h oneness of kindly feeling, we unite in saying:-

Farewel l. dear Brother. Short has been your stay,And few your constant friends in this fair land;

And clouds have overcast your brightest day,Making experience hard to understand.But your brief sojourn has not useless been;Nor can your labours be devoid of fruits.The best results are oft the most unseen;Seeds deepest sown are longest growing roots.Your husbandry shall yet be better known,When ripened harvest yields its golden grain;When glad ones reap what you in tears have sown,And all together sing in thankful strain.Though men are slow to learn your native worth,\Ve know that in the Kingdom-of God's Son,\Vhen our Immanuel shall rule on earth,

You shall be honoured with the King's "Well done."

Cheered by that prospect, whither you may go,Tell out the Gospel news as best you can:What you so well nave learned let others know-God's gift of life through Christ to mortal man.

Take with you this assurance of our love,And of our kind regurd for you and yours;

Alld may your daily course, though devious, proveHOII" God His blessings on His loved ones pours.

Mav friends and brethren in another landA d vantage reap, while we our loss sustain.As one in faith and hope and love we stand,

May God be with you till we meet ag''ain.

Dear SI8. TUCK,-On this occasion of our last united gathering, we wish

to convey to you our best wishes for your future welfare. VI'parc sorry that physical disabilities have so much interrupted.your active co-operation with us in those works of faith andlabours of love which we know are your delight. We trustthat your return to your home-land will bring to you, not onlya happy rcnewa l of Iauni liu r acqua.intances and friendships, butalso a full restoration to health. "Ye wish for you and yours apleasant voyage and. constant felicity. May the hand of ourGod be upon us all for good in both going and remaining; andwhen le'agues of sea and land divide us, may we ever thinkkindly of each other, whatever may have been our individualfaults. May the Spirit of Christ abound in us, that we may bef i lled with that love which thiuketh no evil.

We bid you now a fond adieu,And hope you wi ll be strongerWhen genial friendships you renew.Which yo/. have known the longer.And when you reach your n'at ive dime,With its familiar weather,Think kindly of the chequered timeThat we have spent together.Th ink kindly of our hopes and fears;

Our pleasures and our sadness;Our efforts, failures, joys and tears;Our sorrows and our gladness.

Remember our attempts for goodBy deed or word or letter,

And know we lrave done what we could,And wished we could. do better.We may not meet on earth againBefore the resurrection,But we shall join together then,

And share Divine reflection;Shall be in healthful raptures held,

From which no harm can sever;With every anxious care dispelled,And sickness gone for ever. T.P.J.

With feeble hand we shut the closet door and trem-illing knecl; with mighty clasp we undo the knob and inpower we issue forth.

Jn proportion as the general standard of mental culti-vation is raised, and man madc equal with man, theordinary power of genius is diminished, but its extra-ordinary power is increased, its reach deepened, its holdrendered more firm. As men become familiar with theachievements and the exercise of talent, they learn todespise and disregard its daily examples, and to be moreindependent of mere men of ability; but they only be-come more completely in the power of gigantic intellect,and the slaves of pre-eminent and unapproachable talent.-Alford.


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. DECEMBER, 1906.3mmanueL 'a '1LnnO .4

("Thy land, 0 Irnmanuel." =-Lsaiah viii. 8).Two thousand and seventy-seven years before the birthof Christ, twelve hundred years before the founding ofRome, kings reigned in the city. of Salem, which isJerusalem. N ear that city the confederated sovereignsfought, and after the fight Abraham had his ever memor-able interview with Melchizedek, who was then king ofSalem (Gen. xiv.). Add to these 2,077 years the presentdate, 1906, and you have nearly 4,400 yeal's during whichthis city has braved the wastes of time and the sword ofhostile nations. It is the only city in the world of whichwe have any' reliable history for so long a period of time.~ ations have risen, flourished, and passed away like adream, and their cities crumbled to dust; but Jerusalemand the scattered nations remain. It is evidently God'spurpose that this city shall be intimately connected withthe destiny of our earth from the call of Abraham to theend of time.The Gentile mind fails to realise what a marvelloustuture is in store for the land of Syria. That in the neartuturc Palestine, and noL England, Jerusalem, and notLondon, is to he the leading country and metropolis ofthe world, socius incredible. Yet it is simple truth thatIsrael shall be returned and re-settled in their own coun-lrj, amid Iortili ty and wealth and all that dignifies andexalts the h uman kind. The rebuilding of J erusaleiuand of the other cities of Judea, and the cities through-out the land of Israel, is foretold by the Hebrew pro-phets in terms clear and explicit. Wc could fill pageafter page with quotations from the Old '1'estamentScri ptures. Two examples must suffice: "Tn that day 1will gather her that is driven out, and her that 1 haveafflictcd ; and the Lord shall reign over them ill MountZion Iroiu henceforth, e ve n for e ve r" (Micah iv. 6, 7)."Behold the days come, that the city shall be built tothe Lord . . . it shall not be plucked up, nor throwndown any more fo r e ve r" (Jer. xxxi. 38-40). It isabundantly evident that these promises, repeated overand over again, are addressed to the literal Zion-toJerusalem, and to the literal people of Israel-the fleshlydescendants of Abraharn. It is absolutely certain thatLhe prom ises have no reference whatever to the Chris-tian Church, as usually interpreted by Christian com-mentators, whose comments on matters pertaining tor srael and Canaan oftentimes cause a feeling of wonder-mcnt, and raise a smile of amusement, as, for instance,whcu they solemnly tell us that the "multitude of fish"described as "the fish of the great sea" (E. xlvii, 9, 10),represent the great num bel'S of people who shall be con-verted and brought into the Church!When Abraham was dwelling in Canaan, God said to

him, "Unto thy seed have T given this land, from theriver of Egypt unto the great river Euphrates" (Gen. xv.18). This promise was repeated to Moses, "I will setthy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of thePhi lis tines (Mediterranean), and from the wilderness

(of Arabia) unto the river (Euphrates)" (Exodus xxiii.31). A small territory situate in the very centre of theworld's highway, roughly speaking, 250 miles in lengthand 120 miles in breadth (Lhe breadth is very uncertain),stretching from the north at "the border of Hamath"(N. lat. 34 20') to "the brook of Egypt" (N. lat. 3018') in the south (Ezekiel xlvii. 17; xlviii. 28). Weread that Joshua "Look all that land" (J03h. xi. 16), butthis must mean that all resistance to tha l mighty warriorhad ceased, for chapter xiii. 1 says, "thoro remaineth yetmuch land to be possessed." Not till the time of Solo-mon's kingdom was the entire area of the promised landoccupied by Israel (1 Kings iv. 21). But the nationwill never absolutely inherit the land-s-which is calledthe land of Immanuel-and to its fullest extent, untilthey are established under Immanuel (God is with us-Is. vii. 14), who is the Son of David (T.Juke i. 32).

\\'e do not suppose that the very limited area of theland of Israel (about equal to that of Ireland) will con-tain the whole of the fu ture population of the twelvetribes. Just as the Anglo-Saxon race finds its borderstoo con fining, and has founded "colonies" in other partsof: the earth, so with Israel. Isaiah prophesies, "Thychildren shall say, the place is too strait (narrow) forme; give place to me that I may dwell. 'I'hou shaltspread abroad on the right hand and all the left, andthy seed shall possess the nations" (ls. xlix. 18-21; liv.1-10) .Tn the concluding chapters of: l~r.eki('l's prophecy wc

have plainly set forth the fresh arrangemcn t of the landor Israel among the twelve tribes, the dimensions anddivisions of the reconstructed city of Jerusalem, the planof the Temple, the order of priests, the sacrifices Lo beoffered, and the return of the visible glory of Jehovah toHis earthly sanctuary. All this is perfectly intelligibleif we let Scripture interpret itself, and understand thatthe Hebrew prophets wrote concerning their own nationand coun try; but all is mysterious and difficult to thelast degree if treated as an allegory descriptive of theblessings to be enjoyed nnder Christianity.

'I'he di vision of the land is a singular one, and is en-ti rely different from that made by J-oshua. 'I'he portionof each of the twelve tribes is distinctly assigned. Be-gi nning at the north and coming south, we find thatseven tribes succeed each other: Dan, Asher, Naphtali,Manassch, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah, each occupying the'full breadth of the land from east to west, and the mea-surements from north to south being exact and equal,i.e., about 17 miles. Then comes a portion called "theholv oblation," a square piece of land set apart as thenation's offering to God, and is flanked on either side,cast and west, by portions assigned to the Prince (Ez.xlviii, 8-22). The dimensions of this consecrated pieceof ground is to be 25,000 reeds each way (42 milessquare), which is subdivided into (1) A northern por-tion for the Levites; (2) a central portion for the priestsand the Temple; (3) a southern portion for the city-which, with its suburbs, is to be 4,500 reeds square (9'


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THE BIBLE .-_._----- ---DEO:MBER, 1906.miles square). This rebuilt city will equal in size Lon-don, the metropolis of England. 'I'hen follow, southof the city, five portions for the five remaining tribes-Benjamin, Simeou, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad-similarto those assigned to the seven. Thus the 'I'emple andthe city are guarded by Judah on the north and Benja-min on the south, the two tribes of Israel who stood firmin their allegiance to Jehovah and the house of Davidwhen the ten tribes revolted and gave their allegianceto rebel princes.

It is to be carefully noted that the position of theTemple and the City of Jerusalem will not be exactly asin days gone by. We learn from Zechariah xiv. that asthe result of an earthquake the face of the land of cen-tral Palestine will be changed. Geological changes willbe produced by the great convulsion that will accompanythe subsidence and levelling of the tract of country lyingbetween thc Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, and thusa suitable base is provided for the location of "the holyoblation." The exact location is not very clearly deline-ated, and hence cannot be determined with absolute pre-cision. A specially reserved plot of 25,000 reeds (42miles) long and 10,000 reeds (17 miles) broad is as-signed to the priests, in thc midst of which is the Temple,surrounded by a wall 500 cubits long on each side (nearlya mile square). Adjoining the "possession of the priests"is that of the Levites, of the same dimensions, lying im-mediately to the north; while to the south lies the "pos-session of the city," which-while the same in length-in size of breadth is less than the other two portions,being only 5,000 reeds (9 miles), which is exactly halfthe breadth of the land apportioned to the Priests andLevites. These three portions united form a rectangularquadrangle of 12miles on each side, quadrating with thecardinal points of the compass. On the eastern andwestern sides of this immense square the Royal Prince isassigned his portion, bounded by the Mediterranean Seaon the west and the desert of Percea on the east.

Connected with the earthquake which will split theMount of Olives into two portions, creating an earth-quake valley, is another wonder to be revealed, Twostreams of water burst forth in the vicinity of theTemple, one going towards thc Mediterranean or "wes-tern sea," and the other towards the Dead or "easternsea" (Zech. xiv.; Ez. xlvii). Of the stream flowing tothe west nothing further is said, but of the stream flow-ing to the east we have most definite particulars. By itsmeans the waters of the Dead Sea-the level of which is1,312 feet below the Mediterranean-will speedily rise,and, permeating the drift sands of four thousand years,which now conceal the southern bed of the Jordan, witha mighty, overpowering swell will force a way to theGulf of Akaba, and so find an entrance to the Red Sea.Ezekiel tells us how at 600 yards from the Temple pre-cincts the stream was only ankle deep; at a distance of1,800 yards it was found to be loin deep, and when it islast measured at a distance of 2,400 yards (more thanone and a-third mile) it has become more than chin

STANDARD.deep, "waters to swim in, a river that could not be passedthrough." Whether the stream becomes deeper, andwhat its width, we are not informed. Its gradual aug-mentation thus far at regular in tervals of one-third of amile seems to be due to subterranean acccssious receivedfrom the rent bowels of ; 1 ' 1 aunt 01i vet. Thus the watersof the Dead Sea (to-day ~G miles long and 10 broad)would not only be "healed," hu t don btlcss increased indepth and extended in length. There shall be an abund-ance of fish, and on the banks of th is wonderful water-way shall "grow every tree for food, whosc leaf shall notwither, neither shall thc fruit thereof fair' (E;,. xlvi i.12). 'I'hen, indeecl, will "the wilderness and the solitaryplace be glad; and the desert shall rejoice and blossomas the rose. And the glowing sand shall become a pool,and the thirsty ground springs of water" (lso xxxv.).It has been thought that the raising of the level of thc

Dead Sea, through its junction with tho lied SeH viathe Gulf of Akabah, and the consequent deepening andwidening of the river Jordan, will convert .Icrusalcminto a seaport, and thus this restored city will becomethe central city of thc earth, for it will stand upon thehighway for all nations, and the richcs of the Jast andof the Wcst will there finc1their great cinpori 1111 l accord-mg to thc prophecy of Isaiah (lxi. G ) , "Ye shall cat thewealth of the nations, and in their glo!'y shall ,Ycboastvourselves." It is possible that J crusalcui may becomethe harbour for the commerce of thc world.

Two additional marvellous phenomena will also bewitnessed. Spacc forbids other than a brief rucntion.Isaiah foretells that "in the day that the Lord bindcthup thc hurt of His people, the light of: the moon shall bcas the light of thc sun, and the light of thc sun shall besevenfold, as thc light of seven clays" (xxx. 2G ). Andalso, "in that day the Lord will create over thc wholeextent of Mount Zion a cloud by day, and the brightnessof a flaming fire by night, and over all the shekinah gloryshall Le spread as a covering. And there shall bc a tabor-nacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, andfor a rcfuge from storm and from rain" (i v. 5, 6). Itis the reappearance of thc wilderness cloud (Ps. cv. 89).

That the millennial J crusalem will require a 'I'cmplehas been challenged on the ground that since the Lambof God has been sacrificed no other bloody sacrifice canbe required. But it is forgotten that the millcnnialsaints, being still mortal, fleshly men, are liable to sin.The ri se n. saints-immortal and incorrupt-are in a dif-ferent category altogether. God's earthly people willstill be compassed about with infirmities. All Christianssee that the blood of the sacrifice under the law of Mosespointed onward to the precious blood that cleanseth fromall sin. The Christian Church of to-day commemoratesthat "bleeding love" by the observance of the supperwhich the Lord instituted to keep in remembrance Hisdeath. But this commemorative supper ceases at Hisreturn. And is it not clear that in the age to come, whenour Lord shall reign as King of Glorv, those on earth willneed to be kept in constant and lively remembrance that


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He was once led as a lamb to the slaughter and died 011the Cross for them? Hence the necessity of a Temple- -not merely for purposes of worship-where commemora-tive sacrifices shall be continually presented by the priestsof Israel during the millennium. "The priests, theLevites, the sons of Zadok .. shall come near tominister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offerunto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God" (Ez.xliv. 15).That this Temple is not to be erected before the final.

advent of the Messiah is obvious from the declaration ofthe Lord by Zechariah (vi. 12), "Behold the man whosename is the Branch: and He shall bu ild tile Temple ofthe Lord; and He shall bear the glo ey, and shall sit andrule upon His throne." 'I'hat this "man" is 110ne otherthan the Lord Jesus Christ is evident from the words ofJeremiah (xxiii. 5-6), "Behold, I will raise unto Davida righteous Branch, and His name shall be called 'TheLord our Righteousness.' "The government of "Immanuel's Land" is to be com-mitted to the hands of one who is called "the Prince"

(Ez. xlvi. 2), who will have sons (ver. 16). And it isinteresting to remember that in accordance with ourLord's promise the twelve (resurrected) apostles are tosit on twelve thrones and assist in ruling Israel (Matt.xix, 28). Evidently "the Prince" will be the earthlyrepresentative of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose abode willbe with His risen saints in the New Jerusalem, situatein the heavenly places, which, of course, is the real seatof the Divine government (Heb. xii. 22; Rev. vii. 17;xxii, 3). Perhaps occasionally, and at stated times, ourLord will manifest Himself at Jerusalem to receive thehomage and adoration of His earthly subjects.A marvellous fact in connection with the restoration

of Israel is the restoration of longevity to the race.Higher Critics ridicule the fifth chapter of Genesis,which seriously gives seven, eight, and nine hundredyears as the ordinary lifetime of the early patriarchs-Methusaleh, the oldest, attaining 969 years. If, indeed,death-save as the judgment of sin-will not be abso-lutely abolished, yet perhaps the lives of many earthlysaints may be prolonged to the full period of Christ'smillennial reign. Says Isaiah (lxv. 19-22), "There shallbe no more an infant of days, nor an old man that hathnot filled his days: for the child shall die an hundredyears old, and the sinner being an hundred years oldshall be accursed. As the days of a tree (many trees arehundreds of years old) shall be the days of My people,and My chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands."The man of faith may look through the telescope of

Divine revelation and behold "things to come." And aswe look we see Palestine the glory of all lands, and itssupernaturally illuminated capital (Is. lx, 19) the metro-polis of the world; we behold China, India, Africa, thepeoples and tribes of every continent and isle, gladlyacknowledging the supremacy of the Prince of Peace.Home's bloody history is closed; idolatry, infidelity, andatheism are unknown. On the hill of Zion no mosque of

DECEMBER, 1906.

Omar stands, the Crescent has waned before the Cross.'I'he leaves of the great Book of God's decrees are being

turned over rapidly, and soon the hour will strike whichwill startle with terror the godless Gentile world. Forthe end of this age is the downfall of the long supremacyof the Gentile by the direct interposition of God, whilethe Hebrew race is to be uplifted to a position of domin-ancy over the whole earth by means of miraculous signsand wonders that none can resist or gainsay. Then be-gins the new age-the millennial age-whcn the land ofPalestine shall be called "Beulah" (married), and Jeru-saJem-no mere provincial capital, but the royal earthlyresidence of Immanuel the King of the whole earth-shall be made "a praise in the earth" (Is. lxii. 7).RoLorua. C. CHlSP BH0wN.

$upposell Scripture ]pro\'erbs.

There are many common sayings which are supposedto be Scripture, even by those who should know better,and pass current among those who are ill-informed. Forexample :-

"Goel tempers the wind to the shorn lamb."This is not in the Bible, but is taken from Laurence

Stcrne's "Sentimental Journey." And he took it prob-ably from the French of Henri Etienne, Dieu mesure le[roul a la brebis iondue. And both may have been ac-quainted with Isa. xxvii, 8, "He stayeth His rough windin the day of His east wind."

"Spare the rod and spoil the child."Many use this thinking it is Scripture. Even Butler,

in his "Hudibras," says, "That may be heard ten timesto one quotation of Solomon." And yet Solomon said,"He that spareth the rod hateth his son" (Proverbsxiii. 24).

"A 1UOTrlo the wise is sufficient." (Sometimes "[orthem" is added, whereas it is singular, not plural.)This has been quoted as Scripture; but it is from the

Latin of 'I'erence, who himself is misquoted, for he said,"Dictum sapiooti sat est," not "V e rbum. sat sapienti."It is said that the celebrated Robert Hall once planned

a sermon on the words-"1n the midst of life we are in death,"But he abandoned it, we are told, when he found that

it was not to be found in the Bible, but only in thePrayer Book. It appears to have come from a monkof St. Gall, named N otker, in the tenth century, whoseLatin hymn contained the line, "M.edia vita in moriesumns."-F'/'om "Figures of Speech," by Dr. Bullinger.

It is not adversity that sharpens the arrows that hurt

us most, but guilt.No paths are ever travelled, no fields are ever trodden,

but there may be some pleasant things to be seen, andbeautiful thoughts to be gained. Turn then from theevil, and let your eyes and soul feast on the good andlovely that may be within your reach.-II. A. M.itchell.


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DECEMBER, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD.he _!* ... ,~~~~~~~~~~~~~TTTTTTTTTTTTTCb~ f i o m ~ ircl~.ttttttttttttttttttttttttt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,

3-n G 2,nes t of U t 'ntb.CHAP'lVER IX.

Jt wsas not possible that a controversy,such as that affecting the peace of theBreut on meetiug, could take place with-out leaving behind it some effects tomark its passage. Things could not beexactly the same after it as before it,and when the results were examinedthere were certain things which couldonly yield sorrow to those who wereanxious for the spread of the truth ofthe 'Word, and who saw their fellowsso easily influenced by the teachings ofmen.

Spite of the testimony so ably pre-sented by Mr. Keith, and which for atune seemed to weigh with Mr. Baker,the latter soon made it known that hehad thrown in his lot with the believersin the Mil lennial Dawn theories andthough not professing to answer the ob:jections advianoed, was quite prepared toaccept the teachings as a whole. Withinthe course of a few weeks h'is resigna-tion was received, and he -was waitedupon by the elders, who pointed out tohim that the terms of church fellowshipdid not call for such a step on his part,and tbat it was the believer's duty "notto neglect the ~assembling together" toremember the Lord's death until Hecome. But this was met at once by theassertion that the practice of the Bren-ton Church in the observance of thebreaking of bread was altogether againstthe teaching of Scripture, which taughta yearly observance as not only sufficient,but as the right and proper thing to do.This was a new thing to the elders, whoscarcely expected such an objection.They, therefore, asked him why this wassaid. In reply. he told them that theoriginal institution of the Passover wasa yearly observance, and it was at thisyearly feast that the Lord attached tothe Passover the memorial of His owndeath. They endeavoured to point outto him that the present observance ofthe memorial feast did not rest whollyupon that, but upon the fact t1,at itsrehation to the Church was given byspecial revelation to Paul after the As-cension, and that this, and not the ac-count in the Gospels, was the charter ofthe Church's guidance in this importantmatter. But all of no avail, and withsad hoods they left him, and made theirreport to the church. A few others wereaffected, and their presence and supportwere lost to the little meeting, and, sad-der still, lost to any other meeting orChristian enterprise. No effort was madeby them to preach the gospel of graceto men, or to forward any truly Church1I'0rk. Whilst members of the Brentonmeeting they had taken their part in theordinary work of the church, sand hadaided },rJ the edification of the brethren,

but the acceptance of the Dawn viewshad led them to the point where all thiswas cast away, and only a life of self-complacence was lived.

The object of those originally respon-sible for the change w-as apparentlygained. The persevering colporteur hadmade a phenomenal sale of books, andhad left for fresh fields and pasturesnew, many hundreds of volumes havingbeen sold in Brenton and surroundingdistricts.

On the other hand there were sornogains which should be noted. The wholeincident had been of great, -asststanoe toPhilip, and to the younger members ofthe Church, for they had seen as neverbefore the strength of the position takenby the community with which they wereidentified. It had proved to be a greatsti mulus to research, and they were bet-ter furnished mentally by the examina-tion given to the Word of God, in thequest to discover whether or not thenew views had a Bible basis. Althoughearly convinced in his reading of theDawn volumes that the theories thereintaught were unsound, Philip had care-fully read them through, and dilrgentlycompared them with the Scriptures. Hehad noted how often there occurred in-terpolated words into the quoted pas-sages, professedly to m-ake the meaningclear, but really desigued to bring outthe meaning the author wished; butspite of this he determined that he wouldexamine the teaching fully and fairly.He had many private conversations withhis Uncle Keith, who, according to hispromise, had carefully read land anno-tated the volumes, and these annota-tions had been of great service to. him.The long years of study and experienceof the elder man had fitted him for thetask which the new views had put uponhim, and Philip and the Church had rea-son to be grateful to him for the clearmanner in which he had met the noveldoctrines. More than ever was it seenthat the Scriptures of truth must be ac-cepted without interpolation or changeby men, and the manner in which Mr.Keitlt had adduced his proofs had formeda model for Philip and others to fol-low in relation to any teaching whichsought their acceptance.

From this time Philip gradually be-came a leader in teaching and preach-ing. When, not long after, there was aca ll for a travelling evangelist, the Bren-ton assembly had sufficient confidence inhim to urge him to take the position.This call he accepted, and within a shorttime was actively engaged in the work.It was not long before he was widelyknown as an outspoken advocate of Con-ditional Immortality, -and a clear ex-ponent of God's Kingdom purpose.

During the first months of his tourhe found that the Dawn theorics hadobtained many sympathisers, who cameto his lectures and raised questions anddiscussions, but his personal experienceat Brenton had furnished hi m with irre-futable arguments, and he was able, inmany instances, to show that those whothus opposed him knew but little of tilt!views they had professedly espoused.

It may be also said that the experi-

ence had given a directness to nispreaching not often manifested by youugevangelists. Holding, as he did, that theDawn theories presented an inadequateidea of the fact and basis of human re-sponsibility, he invariably made thisphase of Divine teaching very prominent.in his ministry. The many conversationsand studies with his uncle Keith hallshown him t.h-at human responsibilityGodward arose from the tie whichlinked the creature to the Creator, andthat it was clearly indicated, not onlyin the narrative of the Fall, but 'also inthe covenant made with Noah, in whichwas laid down the law of mut~al rcspon-sibility, with a final reference to God. Asa student of history he found thrat manwas invariably shown to be a worship-ping being, and he argued that th i-showed the existence of great constitu-tional instincts in man, which, of them-selves, demanded as their necessary cor-relates, a resurrection and a judgment.for all men. That covenant basis, he held.had never been set aside for any of thesons of men, save where the selectivecovenants had operated for the purposeof preparing the instruments for thefurther ends which God had in view.

In conformity with this view he heldstrictly to the Bible teaching, which in-variably surned up mankind into twoclasses, char-acter-ised by their standingin relation to this covenant; and he heldthat the Great White Throne judgmentof Rev. L'{. 12 and Rom. ii. was the ne-cessary issue of this universal cove-nant.

His message on the Atonement wasclear and forcible, and was set forth insimple speech, so that the humblest mindcou Id follow the argument and theproofs adduced, and grasp the signifi-cance !lnd operation of God's great pro-vision in Christ. The veil of mystery,which seemed to exist for so many, wastorn away before the convincing teachingwhich set forth the story regarding theFall, when our first parents became dis-obedient, ~nd rendered themselves liableto an immediate inflicted death-penalty,- "Jn the day thou eatest thereof thoushalt surely die." Philip would pointout that the threatened penalty did notf.1I according to its terms, but that i-stead Adam and his wife were sent forthfrom the garden under a new probation.Why was this, if not because that thelife, forfeited in a childless state, waspreserved in view of the substitution ofanother life given in childless state?In a word a race-life was pledged forthe race-life forfeited. Thus, in hopethe sinning pa.ir went forth from thegarden, looking forward to the seed oftbe woman who should crush the ser-pent's head. With a fulness of know-ledge, and with apt Scripture quotation,did PhiIip set forth these great themes.often to the astonishment of those whomuvvellad because of his youth, Ii tt.leknowing of the experiences throughwhich he had passed, and the excep-tion I advantages he possessed in the as-sociations with the Church at Brenton.He delighted, too, to set forth theBible teachings of the Kingdom. In ad-dition to his own investigations, and '"0


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. DECEMBER, 1906.the assistance rendered by his uncle, hehad wisely used his opportunities inreading many of the prophetic worksfrom th shelves of his aged friend, theprofessor, who had been I 1 1 ...oJIIL...uJh.~...uJh....aIh. 'I l l

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

AUCKLANO.-To the credit of themembers of West Street Church, be itsm id, they are loyally supporLing thel.rethren during the absence of our Bra.lddridge.

Hunuay, 28th October: Bro. Dixon ]Jl 'csided, and gave an address Irom lot'I'hess., Ist chapter to 12th verse of chap-t2,' 2. III the evening, Bra. C. Gar.rut.tgave a splendid address on the subj lct,;;1\ New Song."

Sunday 4th November: Bra. GreenSlY);'" on 2nd Tim., 1 to 1.4. We we:'epleased to have WI th us. 111 fellowsl.llpBro. Kinsey. In tllc evenmg Bro, WIldtool; f'or his subject, "Lessons from theLife of .Ioseph."

November 11th:: Bro. King';;; addressthis morning wus from Eph. 6th, s , PC!Lon the Whole Armour of God," show-ing the exhprtation to do so i~ neededa.s much as ever. In the evemng Bro.L. Falkner ",we a good discourse, en-ti-tled "utopia." Substitute, The King-dP11I of God, which will lw the real"Utopia." .'November lSth : Bra. White presided.The address was given by Bra. West-wntr-r from Philippians i. 7, "Paul'sLove to the Brethren." Bro. G. Thomasreceived the right hand of fellowship. Inthe evening an ev'la.ngelistic service ,,'(1Sconducted by Bro. C. B. King, assistedby Bros. Green and Page. Subject, "TheGospel Preached by Paul."Tt is quite cheering to those who pre-side at the Bible Class to see it so wellattended; so many questions are asked,producing an interchange of thought.

011Wcdnesday evening, 24th October,Bro. Westwater took for his subject,"The Instability of Man's Present Con-dition," and produced a wcll thought-out par~r.31st October: Bra. L. Wilcock pre-sided. Subject, "Is There Need for OurExistence as a Church Distinct fromOrthodox Churches, and the Effect ofOur Existence." The subject caused sev-eral old warriors to take the floor, whichbrought to the writer's. mind the picture

'of the old heroes fighting their battlesover "again. Bra. Caradus read a longlist of names of rev. gentlemen and lay-men, who were opposed to and combatted the views of Life Only in Christ. De-bates on "Conditional Immortality" weralso mentioned when opponents of tha tdoctrine were worsted in the fight tha tspirit af antagonism still exists. Itwas the unanimous opinion that 1 1 bu.tt.loHOW and again would do good.

Wednesday, 7th November: Bra. Pag('gave a paper on "The Apostle's Creed."which was well received.

November 14th: Bro. G. A. Green gavethe first of a series of papers on "Man'sNat.ur . and Place in Creation," takingas his base Ist chapter of Genesis.


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DECEMnER, 1906.

"Man's Nature Mort.al : Place in Crea-tion's Dom in ion."November z l st.. Bro, Gibson chose for

his subject, "Man in the Death State."Several strangers were present. One 01'-~hodox friend, although he could not, ow-mg to Scriptural quotations, criticiseadversely, held that in the main he wasrighc in his belief in inherent illlmol~ta.lity, and quoted as confirmation "Thel~lch Man and Lazarus," "Spirit Not] < Ics.h and Blood," etc. Bro. L. Wilcockrepled,. and completely upset the theory.The fnend wag invited to attend thonext ~n~eeting, when the subject of Im~mortali tv would he dealt with.

W.G.DUNEDIN.-Since last report e'a ru

est endeavour has heen mad to securethe attention of the people to thc mes-s~ge we have to prccluhm. A succcs ..sion of handbills has been issued an-nouncing the subjects of address. n ndwilling hands have dislributed thcm. Inaddition, the newspapers have fairlv re-ported several of the addresses. and' thusaided to give the meetings publ icit.v.But though we have reason (0 be thank-ful that attention has heen ca lled to themission in these ways. a nd a cert.i inmeasure of influence has bee-n Ir-lt. weare by no means sati~fi('d. 'I'her.- is notthe interest that once ex ist.ed. A fell'h.ave taken advantage of the opportuni-ties afforded to put questions. but forthe most part the address is heard. andno objections are raised. An adde'd in.t~le8t was raised hv an unexper-tse] in-cident. In the course of the month a nadvertisement appeared in the "I~I'enin"Star" inviting attendants 1 . 0 a Hle~tin~a.t the Trades Hall .. to hear lestimonil'~from members of the Anclo-Israe l So- L "w '"re .Y, o.n hy the.v were led to acceptthe belief that the British were Israel-ites." This meeting was attended 01' theevangelist and a Iew Iriends. and 'whenopportunity was given. the question wasasked. "Wha t is the evid ener- to sh owthat the covenant blessings La Isruulcould be enjoyed npart from possessionof the Land of Promise 9" This. thpchairman said, was an important ques-tion, and he would not then atte-mpt areply, but would gil'e an address in an-swer a fortnight later. This nwctin(!came off in due course, and several of U 'Rattended to hear what should be said.At the close of the paper. which OCCll-pied some fifty minutes, the chairmaninvited questions. but sta ted that a nv-thing approaching to a discussion woni(1he stopped at once. This hindered a nvremarks, but when afterwards the mee:-ing was about to he closed. Mr. Aldridgcasked "Vi/hy the Anglo-Iaracl Sociel vfeared discussion 1" The chairman repliedwarmly that discussion was not feared.hnt that it was desirable that it shouldnot be allowed because bitterness oftenresulted if it were pe rmi t.ted. It wasthen pointed out that the address wasin reply to a question al read v asked.and that no opportunity was given forthe questioner to say whether or not hedeemed the answer satisfactorv. On thefollowing Sunday afternoon' the ad-dn'ss wa s reviewed in our hall, and allmembers of the Society were invited to

THE BIBLE STANDARD.attend. A goodly number of these camealong, and our brother pointed out thatin no case did any text cited convey theexact idea sought to be deduced by hisfriend Mr. Adarns, and that the attemptto Hnswer his question did not meetwith success, for it still remained to beshown that Israel could enjoy the bless-ings of the Abraha mic covenant whilstr,ibsent from the land deeded in that cove-nant, Questions and discussion wereinvited, but no member of the Societytook advantage, except that Mr. Adamsstated that he would give a further ad-dress on the topic on the following Sun-day afternoon.The "Du ned in Star" of October 15th

contained the following report of an"interview," together with a report ofthe address which appears elsewhere inthis issue:-

"Many of our citizens will rememberMr. George Aldridge, of the Church ofChrist. He came here from Auek la ndnineteen years ago, when he held it seriesof meetings in Ihe Chora 1 Hall and theGarrison Hall, and was recognised as aforcible and easilv-understood speaker.Jn the interval he has been in chargeof the 'Vest Street Church in Aucklandmost of the time, the only break bt'inga trip to the Old Country and Arnericafour years iago. 1n the course of a ('hatthis morning, i\1r. Aldridge said: 1 aminvited here bv the local church to (-011-duct a three ;lIonths' mission. with tiledesign of setting forth the doctrineswhich are strongly held hy us concern-ing man's nature and destiny and pro-phet.ic utterances. ] represent the schoolof thought known as Conditional r nunor-ta lity, and. as on \Ill." former vieit., ] runprepared to openly discuss this subject.Popular belief has it that man possesse.'u u immort.a l soul or spirit which rancarry forward personal identity n nd con-sciousness into the dead state: that atdea t h the good pa.ss into some happyslate. and those who are not good intoa state whr re things are, to say the \c'it.,tof it .. unpleasant. Wc find th" Hihle>tear-hing that man does not posses- thisimmortal soul or spirit-that he is :lmorta 1. a perishing creature. that tome rt his needs God proffers to him thegift of otcina l life, literally understood,and tlia t by the gift of eternal Ii fp nndth .. resurrection from the dead he nHIYthus live for ever. We believe. in short.that thc wiages of sin is death, hut thegifL of God is eternal life. We acceptthis as we would accept any other state-ment made in the ordinary wa.v-aslI1?aning wha i it Slays. We also believethat Goers great purpose is the establ ish-ing of His Kingdom upon the earth-avisible kinglClom-and that it is to heruled over b v Jesus Christ bodily and inpC'rson: and' that the Church at the pre-sent is in training in prepia rat ion forassociation with Christ in that Kingdomin the age to come. The Church ofChrist does not teach that doctrine ne-cessari ly. Vole take the name of 'Churchof Christ' because we believe it to bethe common name of all believers. \ 'iTe donot take it as a distinctive name. Inthe Old Country the views thiat I havespoken of are advocated by associations

rather than churches-associations com-posed of members of various churches.\Ye as a church do not make these doc-trines a test of fellowship. Our churchis strongest in America, where the mem-bers tare known as Second Day Adven-tists-not Seventh .Day Adventists. 1nNew Zealand lye havc the West StreetChurch, with a membership of 340, andwe also have churches at the Thames,Waihi, Helensvi lle Clnistchurch. Dune-din and Timaru. 1 ha ve been editor ofthe 'Bible Stand-arrl' for about t.wentvyears. In connection with this lllissio;1I am devoting part of the week eveningservices-a quarter of an hour eachevening-to Bible instruction, speciallyfor young people, and at all the weekmeetings I invite questions from any-one!" ' . I n ! ~ C H R IS T IA N B A N D . ~

~~~.~~AUCKLANI).--On October 2lJ , the ques-

tion, "Is Heaven Ian's Future Home?"formed the subject of what proved tobe a most instructive debate. Bro. L.Fa lk ner affirimed that heaven is, indis-putahly, man's f'ut u rf' homo. and pro-cecded to cite va rious passages from theBible, which he asserted affords abun-dant grounds for his contention. Healso spoke of it as the universal beliefof man and thc comfort of Christendom.Bro. ~\. Smith unhesit.at.i ngly deniedthat the Bible anywhere teaches mall-ki nd to look forward to heaven as hiAfuture home, and thn t. on the contra rv .from Genesis to Revelation. it spcuks inlanguage, unmistakable in its clearness.of this earth as his "ternal abode-c-thi-earth made new. filled with righteous-ness. and ruled over by the Killg 01Kings. He pointed out that the pnssagp,quoted by Bro, Fa lkner. whr-n rr-ad intho ir context, fu icd onti re ly (0 supporthis view.

The, members took advantage of No-vember 5, "Question )iTight." to bringforward numerous little difficulti.-swhich had confronted thorn. To Bros. T.L. Wilcock and G. A. Green was allottedthe task of replying. These answeredwith satisfaction to the que. tioners, foreach reply was supported by Scripturalproof which they could invest.igtate f'orthemselves.The nneeting of November 12 was prc-sided over bv Bro. J. E. Green. who ledus in contemplation n long the career ofthe great Apostle of the Gentiles. First.we saw the eager, observant child inthat busy town of Tarsus, then the aptscholar sitting at the feet of Gama Iiel :and later on. a young man zealoustvpersecuting the "Disciples of the Lord."thinking by so doing to win the love andfavour of God. And then came the su-preme crisis of his life. when by Divin-revelation the truth bu rats upon him:he realises that .Iesus of Nazareth is thChrist of God, and immediately 'an,\henceforth he becomes the bondslave ofHim whose followers he had persecutee]


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'THE BIBLE STANDARD. DECEMBER, 1906.so perseveringly. The consideration ofhis life as a Christ.ian made us earnestlydesire to be as faithful in thc service ofthe Lord as he.

M.N.G.Maranatha.

CJllnST~1 AS SCKS IIINE.With this issue of the .BIBLE STAND'

AHD we enter the month of December;the month in which we celebrate thebirth of the World's Redeemer; and ourthoug-hts turn to the approaching festiveseason. To those who are blessed withan abundance of good things it is atime of rejoicing, of feasting, of the giving and receiving of gifts, and of generalenjoyment. But to many the 1advent ofChristmas brings no special joy; thereis nothing to mark it as dist.ingulshedfrom other days in the dreary routineof a sorrow-st.ricken life of hardship orprivation. The slender income will notallow of any special pleasu res; there canbe no gifts for the children. no richChristmas ture, nothing in fact to markit as a special day.What can we do to make Christmasa time of happiness for some of thesewho otherwise would know no pleasurethcrein?

Let me tell you what we did last year.WE WANT ONE POUND.

Just a few days before Christmas weasked the members of the Christian Bandto each furnish us with one poundweight of provisions suitable for aChristmas dinner. These gifts were tobe brought to West Street, where theCommittee would be ready to receive andpack them into hampers ready for dis-tribution to the homes of those in need.The response to our request was onethat gl~1ddened our hearts. One afteranother the members came bringing 'par-cels of provisions until the waiting tableswere laden with an abundance of goodthings, sufficient almost to start a gro-cery store. Flour, sugar, raisins, cur-rants, fruit, tela, coffee, cocoa, tinnedmeats and fruits were provided in largequantities, while several brought all thingredients for making Christmas pud-flings a.i:d cakes. The children were notforgotten, and little toys and packets oflollies were provided for their enjoy-mcnt. Many found the stipulated poundweight too smnl l and brought large pareels. which, needless to say. we did notrefuse. r\ 1 \ found pleasure in the giving.wh ilr- the pleasure and surprise of tl,recipients you can well imagine.

WOULD You LIKE A SHARE?We hope this Christmas to repeat the

experiment of last ye:u, and we inviteyou to share in t'ae joy of such a de-lightful way of giving if you so desire.

If you are too far 1away to send parcels,send .a postal !lOte to the Secretary, andhe Will spend It for you. If you wish tosend parcels or goods, address them tothe Sunshine Committe . clo Mr. E. F.Fulkner, Karangahape Road, Auckland,or write to the Secretary, Bro. H. AWridge, Brentwood Avenue, Mount Eden.

A Saloon-keeper's Daughter.It was evening, and Brown's saloon

was closely filled with a. noisy throng ofboys and men. when suddenlv above thedin a sweet, childish voice arose in sonsrand through the thin partition came th"~words r-e-

"Take. the name of Jesus with yon,Ch ild of sorrow and of woe;

It will joy and comfort givc you,Take it, then, where'er you go."

"That's my little daughter. Bessie,"explained thc proprietor. "1 don't takestock in such songs, but she has a praying mother.""Better hush her up, Brown; she'llhurt your business," whispered a wily-faced man.

The clear, childish voice took up therefrain:-

"Take the name of Jesus with you,As a shield from every snare;

If temptations 'round you gather,Breathe that holy name in prayer."

A young man, standing Ileal' the bar,resolutely set down his glass and left theroom.

"What's the trouble, Will ?" questioneda companion, who followed him out.

"Trouble enough," he answered. "I'vea praying mother, Tom, who has been allher life praying for me; and Ihad for-gotten, until a moment ago; that songrecalled it all; Iam for ever lost."

"Not if that song be true, Will. I hada praying mother myself once, and Godknows I loved her; though I never souzhtto follow her counsel." e

The young men gazed at each other inblank despair.

"What is there in the name of Jesusto save?"

As if in answer, the sweet, childishvoice reached them still:"0, the precious name of Jesus,

How it thrills our souls with joy!When His loving arms receive us,And His songs our tongues employ."

The young men walked silently downthe street together. .

"1 can't give drink up 11011'." said Wi ll,as ,~e cla~ped his hands in mute despair.0, WIll, let us break away from ital~?gether: it is destroying our lives."

If I only could, Oh, if I only could!""If that song be true we need not de-

spair. The dying thief was saved on thecross, and we haven't got that far yet.Come to my room; I've a Bible there inmy trunk that my mother gave to me."

Together the young men entered the

room and bent over the open book whichhad been sealed to them so long.

"Whosoever will, let him come!" "Icame not to call the righteous, but sin-ners to repentance."

What new and wonderful meaning thewords held! How they thrilled the heartsof the young men with. hope and courage!

"'Though your sins be as scarlet,'that's me," sobbed Will.

"But read on. read on," he says."'They shall be as white as snow.' 0,the beauty of such religion, which canblot out all the iniquity of the past andpresl'rve us from future evil."

Tt is three weeks later, and in a quietand humble homc far from the din of thecitv a sad-faced mother is performingher usual round of duties.

"Tt is so long- now since last 1heardfrom Will." she sighed, "and then it wasa mere line stat.ing he was well. God,preserve my hoy, and bring him into Thyk inzdom."

"Good day, neighbour; here is a letterfor vou," cried a cheery voice outside.

"From Wil]." she cried, as she seatedherself, and with quivering fingers torethe envelope."Saved t God, I thank Thee," shecried a moment later. "and my faithhad grown so weak. I shall never doubtagain, but rest for ever in the fulness ofHis words."

Little Bessie, the saloon keeper'sdaughter, never knew the wonderful in-fluence exerted by her simple song; butWill and Tom never passed' by the at-tractive room where Brown displayed hischoice liquors without thanking God thatthe proprietor had a praying wife, whoearly in life instructed about Jesus whois "mighty to save."-Sel.

The Righ ts of W oman.The Rights of woman! What are they ?The right to labour and to pray;The right to watch while others sleep,The right o'er others' woes to weep;The right to succour in distress;The right when others curse to bless;The right to love whom others scornThe right to comfort all who mour~;The right to shed new joy on earth.The right to fcel the soul's high worth;The right to lead the soul to God,Along the path her Saviour trod:-Such woman's rights, and God will bless,And crown their champion with success.'l'he N01thStar, U.S.

In Ireland, 01'. at all events, in Belfastand the neighbourhood, it is customary togrant leases "in perpetuity" or "forever." But a London builder has goneone better. He has granted a set ofleases on an estate he had developed, inwhich he makes the lessees covenant toperform certain things "for ever andthereafter."

Printed h.\' Tll." Brett Printing and Pub-lshtnc Company. Shortland Street, rorthe );ew Zealulld EVilllgelistic and Puilll-ration Assccla tlon, and publ ished by \V.A. Smith, Selwyn Road, Mt. Albert.DECEMBEH, 1906. '

the bible standard december 1906

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