the bible standard july 1906

8/2/2019 The Bible Standard July 1906

1/16

. T H .

B ib l e S t a n d a r d ... tb c ,1 f t 01 l O C I Is atnat Dlt." ~ ~r : : < r . : < . " 1 l~-----------------------------------------~~~~-"'hi 11I1Ilit.

"T will co.t

VOL. 26. No. 7. TWOPENCE.UCKLAND, N.Z., JULY, 1906.

, IT .....

C b ~ m o n t b .HE colony mourns the loss of its first citi-zen. The late Premier had been for iO Omany years at the head of affairs, that itseemed as if no change was likely to come.Least of all was it expected that it should

~ be in so sudden a fashion. The stren-H uous life came to a dramatic endinz.Visiting Australia, renewing acquaintance with form~~friends and scenes, and using every available oppor-tunity to advance the interests 'Of the people he repre-

sented, he made a memorable jour-ney. Everywhere he had beenreceived with enthusiasm. Hisname and fame assured for hima warm-hearted welcome. Hardly had he commenced

his homeward journey, than the end came. Deathtouched him, and the busy brain full of large plansrested, and the man who for so many years has stoodout so prominently as a great Imperialist, and as a socialreformer, fell on sleep. During his life the judgmentspassed upon his politics have been widely divergent, butwe cannot forget that after so many years of publicservice, he was returned to high office again in a Parlia-ment almost wholly devoted to him. It is non likely,that any Administration which may follow will dare toexpunge any of the Acts from the Statute Book thathave been passed under the Seddon Administration. al-though all will confess there is room for improvement-v-a characteristic of all human legislation. It is some-thing to reflect upon that this land so recently colonised,and but lately come to a standing amongst the peoplesof the earth, should have nurtured a statesman whosedeath is mourned the world over, but it is worth yetmore to recall concerning him, that the bitterest oppo-nents of his administration-those who knew him best,

lDeatb oftbe ~l'emtel'.

and watched the closest, should vie ill their tribute to hisgenerosity to his foes, to the sincerity of his friendshipsin spite of political differences, and to the irreproachablecharacter ' O f his home life. Honoured by his monarchand by the Empire, he remained true to his earlvfriends, true to his home and family, and these arethings to br remembered by all o'er the dead statesman'sgrave.

How sad the lot of the unhappy Jew in RUssia.Whatever the state of that country, there is always theliability of persecution for the son of Israel. There isall ample array 'Of evidence going to show that many of

these persecutions are planned hythe authorities as a means ofdiverting the popular thoughtfrom the failures of the Govern-ment, and the latest massacre seems to be another ofthese "arranged" outbreaks. For two days in the town

of Byolostok it is reported the Jewish inhabitants wen>?,iven ove~ to continuous butchery, the victims being var-iously estimated from 700 to 2000. The cablegrams from'" . d"~Rpll'e . sources state that the massacre was a popularnsmg agamst the Jews because of the throwing of abomb into the midst of a Corpus Christi procession, buttelegrams which pass without the censor's revision showthis charge to be without foundation. Russian Jewsbel ieve that this is but the prelude to further massacres,and their leaders have appealed to America and Eng-land for intervention. To this appeal the reply hasbeen sent that no assistance can be rendered. It doesseem that the rulers of these nations could serve thecaus.e of righteousness, and help a suffering people, bya WIse appeal to the Czar, to exercise his authority toprevent these ever-recurring massacres of his subjects.It mav well be that Jewish suffering has its origin in thenational rejection of the Messiah, but that does not avertthe fact that the nation which oppresses the seed ofAbraham is storing up judgment against itself-ajudgment based upon the covenanted word, "I will blesshim that blesseth thee, and him that curseth thee will Tcurse."

again, tbeJBatte~ g .ew .

"The perversion of Princess Ena in order that shemight become the wife of a king, and wear a crown, is a


2/16

r

THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1906.sad illustration of present-day indifference to truth onthe part of man, and of the rigid adherence to highpretensions and bitter exclusive-ness 'On the part of Rome. Thetransfer of this gra-nddaughter of

good Queen Victoria to the RomanChurch, and its formula of pretended conversion, is aninsult to the majesty of truth and to the sacredness ofthe human conscience. We do not refer to this act in itsrelation to Protestantism-although that has its seriousside in view of the persecutions of the past. It is thebroad relation of a human being to God and to therevelation 'Of His will that makes this act so serious.In an age of doubt like this, when people are too carelessto think and reason deeply, they will leap to the con-clusion that religious. conviction is a sham in high placesaU0 of little consequence in any place. And then, thePope, who is reputed to be a man of some spiritualenlightenment, and who is supposed to know somethingof what true conversion means, hastens to bestow hisbenediction upon the farce while he commends it to theadmiration of 'The Church.' He who claims to be theVicar of the God 'Of Truth, does homage to a conven-tional sham! This is a sorry business-it is anotherdiplomatic' agreement of Pilate and Herod at theexpense of Him who is 'the Way, the Truth, and theLife.' "-Watchword and Truth.

'lRome'Ulncb anoe tl.

The streets of Madrid were thronged with thousandsof sightseers, gathered to witness the display on theoccasion of the royal wedding. There were many well-wishers for the future happiness of the young couple,but there were also those who, forUbe Hnarcbt s t the sake of what they believed to@utraoe. be a good principle, were preparedto destroy them on the weddingday. What occasion so suitable for the assassin's deed,and for. escape without detection? S'O, doubtless,the nght the anarchist, as he prepared for the dastardlydeed which roused indignation in every heart in whichanything like human sentiment had a place. Britishhearts were sore that a member of the Royal familyshould so far forget her heritage, that she could consent

to the utterance of a "confession" which "rejected andcondemned" that which gave her family its position andits power, and which denied the truth of that which hercountry has so. strongly upheld; but there was no sym-pathy .in them. for the black deed which would haverobbed the young couple of life in sacrifice to the prin-ciple of anarchy. Misguided men, smarting, it may be,under oppression, conceive that the only possible curefor their ills is the abolition of all government, and seemto imagine that to kill the visible ruler, is to deal adeathblow at all government. Yet, if report is to betrusted, they organise a rule for their own control anddirection, than which nothing is more autocratic.Anarchy is a foe to human government, and is in utteropposition to the will of 'God, who has ordained that alaw of mutu-al responsibility, with' a final reference to

Himself, should be the basis of human government,until the judgment. We abhor the action of the Prin-cess, but have no sympathy with the outlaws who woulddestroy a ruler's life to gratify the insane desire to havea world without government-a state of things whichwould not be tolerated by the people for a moment,

The event referred to in the last paragraph servedto bring out a piece of egregious folly on the part ofthe Catholic Bishop of Auckland. It is sometimes saidthat great men are not always wise, but whilst theutterances of the Bishop markedthe lengths to which folly couldgo, it gave no indications of"greatness," unless it were the SUl'-passing size of the foolishness. When the outrageoccurred, this man, in a public utterance, called atten-tion to the Protestant feeling evoked by the "con ver-sion" of the Princess, and then went on to connect thestrong Protestant feeling with the outrage in a manner.which more than suggested that this bomb-throwing.business was the result, and that because these enthus-iastic people could not get their way, they proceeded tothe length of seeking to destroy the lives of the royalpair. Such a conception only serves to show the kind ofatmosphere in which the priests of the Roman Churchare trained, and from which they are never freed, eventhough they reach to high positions in the church. LeLBishop Lenihau ask where the principles of anarchyare strongest, and he will find that they have theirorigin in priest-ridden countries, and, that if the plotsare conceived and planned on British soil, it is becauseBritons give refuge to those who, trained under oppres-sive princely and priestly rule, have no conception ofwhat true liberty is, and are out of harmony with theirnew surroundings. We have not the slightest doubtthat if the antecedents of the anarchist who threw thebomb at Madrid were known, he would be found to bea mure or less ignorant devotee of the Roman Church.Protestantism fights for liberty, but it does it in consti-tutional methods, and leaves the bombs and assassin'sknife to the natives of countries where liberty cannotthrive for the blighting influences of Roman rule.

a 1Bisbop 'sjfoU)?

Let the following, from the pen of perhaps thegreatest living historian, find a place here :-"Theaffrays caused by taking inventories of Church pro-perties in France on the final separation of the Church

from the State call forth from thePope a touching appeal to the ser-vices rendered by the Church tothe State. If His Holiness meansthe services rendered by Christianity, wherever andthrough whatever channel they have reached the heartof the people, his appeal is perfectly well founded. Butthe services rendered by the State Church in itself havebeen such as the persecution of the Reformers, a number

of whom were swung in chains over fires, the massacreof St. Bartholomew, the wars of the League, the revoca-tion of the Edict of N antes, the barbarous expulsion of

H 1b istortan 's5utlom ent.


3/16

JULY, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 99the Huguenots, the torturing of Callas and La Barre,and finally, the vast accumulation of ecclesiasticalabuses which had no small share in bringing on theFrench Revolution. To the account must be added aperpetual series of clerical intrigues against the Re-public, and a considerable share, through the influenceof the Jesuits, in bringing on the Franco-German war.French Protestantism, which was not established, butpersecuted by the State, gave birth, while it was sufferedto live, to "cl really Christian as well as a worthy andindustrious population. Manifest consequence of theodium brought on religion by the tyranny and corrup-tion of the State Church was the violence of Frenchinfidelity. The Revolution rushed at once into thedestruction of religion. The too celebrated war cry ofVoltaire was directed in reality, not against Christianity,but against intolerance and persecution."

Since our last issue, the papers to hand assure us thatthe first news of the Californian disaster did not in anyway exaggerate the awful character of the overthrowwhich had visited one of the fairest cities of the earth.

The photographs of the ruinedcity show us that, where once stoodlong lines of great buildings, withthe footpaths in front crowdedwith passengers, there is now nothing but heaps of

bricks and stones, with gangs of workmen clearing awaythe debris. Probably the number of the dead willnever be fully known; estimates range from a fewhundreds to many thousands. The sufferings 'of theliving can only be feebly imagined. Such narratives aswe have read serve to give the idea that there has beenno similar event of the past where the actual horrorswere greater. But the feature which we here note asworthy of a place is that this disastrous overthrow, whenit would seem that purely human laws and restrictionsmust inevitably be wrecked, became a reason for morestringent measures. The moment when Anarchy mighthale leaped, like Minerva, fully panoplied for its oppor-tunity, was the moment when Law and Order tightenedthe reins, and compelled all to feel that submission togovernment meant safety. The city was placed undermartial law, and the prick of the bayonet or the crackof the rifle told the story of law's enforcement. For thesafety of the people this was necessary, and to the creditof the authorities be it said, they stood for law andorder, not only to protect property and life from thethieves and looters, but to supply food and water to thcthousands that otherwise would have gone without them.Anarchy was not a good thing to contemplate in suffer-ing San Francisco. l'here is another thing, which maywell find a place here, and we pass it on for the benefitof those who find a good word to say for the liquor~rHftlc. We quote from "Messiah's Advocate":-

mul eIn m utn .

"To talk of San Francisco as having become a Prohi-bition city sounds something like speaking of the infer-nal regions banishing sin. Nevertheless, it is. a fact

that what is left of San Francisco, and also the citiesof Oakland, Berkeley, and Ala-lProbibitioll ill meda, have had no open saloonsSan jfrancIsco. since the morning of the earth-quake. Here is a comment madeupon the situation by the California 'Voice,' of Lo,Angeles :-'An order from the mayor was all that wasneeded. No protests, no arguing about constitutionalrights or personal liberty. Nobody said it would "killthe town" to close the saloons. Nobody argued that"prohibition would not prohibit." The mayor said"close the saloons," and they closed. He gave 'no ordersto close grocery stores, clothing stores and the like, hutthe 3,000 and odd saloons must close. Why? Thestricken city had all the disaster it could bear. Eighteensquare miles of rocking and falling houses, hundreds ofher people dead and dying, earth trembling in the throesof awful convulsions; panic-stricken, the people were ina frenzy of fear and disorder. An emergency was uponthe people, and to meet it the people must keep sober.This, the mayor knew-the mayor who had endorsed thesaloon, and argued for the saloon, and supported thesaloon. He knew, as all men knew, that every so-calledargument advanced by himself and by every other manwho ever argued for the saloon, was a tissue of Iies,

"There come times when men are honest, when dis-believer" believe, and when liars tell the truth; andamid the wreck and ruin of an awful earthquake, ani]falling houses and devouring flames, the shrieks of the

frightened and groans of the dy-Bbministratfoll mg, political sophistry and fawn-lEffecti"e. ing subserviency to party ann tothe saloon power forsook the man,and without consulting its constitutionality, or any-thing else, and without admitting once that "you cannotprohibit," he issued the order and saw to it that prohibi-tion did prohibit. This order is an admission of twothings: first, that the saloon is a dangerous thing intimes of elections or panics, and so admitted to be evenby its strongest advocates; second, that to prohibit themis right, lawful and constitutional, and that all that isnecessary is simply an order from the mayor. Everyman knows that if the saloon is a dangerous thing, thatthe State, or even the nation, has no right to impose itupon the people. San Francisco was a tremendouslycorrupt city, with a tremendously corrupt administra-tion. While many, verv many, good people were there.the cup of her iniquity was full, and it is to be ho-pedthat she will come out of this ordeal a purer and a het-ter city."

Cultivate the habit of truth. Let it become the verygenius of your life. It will strike all hypocrisy out ofyour life. it will strike all compromise with evil out ofyour life, it will inspire in a11 men confidence in youwhen thev come to know that at all times ann under all('ircunlf::t~nces you will be as your custom is.--.I. F.Corson, .

_


4/16

100 THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1906.H~bristian (JOanl incss."

.\ CHRISTIAN is one "whose inward and outward lifeis conformed to the doctrines of Christ."J\Tanliness-the quality or state of being manly.Manly-s-having qualities becoming to a man; notchildish, not womanish ; brave, courageous, resolute,noble.That there is more than one known demonstration of

manliness is conceded by you when you set my subject as"Christian manliness."There have been, and are still living, many noble char-acters evincing deep and earnest concern for their fellow.

men, whose lines have not fallen in pleasant plaees ; forthose against whom social conditions operate adversely,for those upon whom birth and environment has imposed" il severe handicap, for those who by reason of the corn-bination of vested interests have been almost deniedthe right to a particip-ation in the fruits of the Roiland the products of their own skill and ingenuity, forthose upon whom the social customs have entailedmisery and degradation; these noble moral entities ba vein opposition to vested interests, social standing, classprivileges and power, stood for the uplifting of theirfellows when it required the truest element of manlinessto stand against social ostracism, men whose hands havegone deep and often into their pockets to alleviate phy-sical suffering, who would scorn a mean or secretive actfor gain' or personal aggrandisement or power, whosewor d is as their bond, whose home, business, corporateand national obligations arc discharged with such afoarlessncss and high sense of moral responsibility as toput to shame (to their sh-ame be it said) some who bearthe name of Christian-This is manliness.But if the characteristics Ihave cited arc indicativeof manliness and are found in men who have not come

into contact with the Christ, what will be the nature ofthat form of manliness which is the product of associa-tion with our Lord and Master, and His Spirit operat-ing through us?

Let us take up the crv that the realisation of ourartificial conditions has evoked, "Hark back to Christ,"for both in moral worth and spiri tua 1 perfectness I-Ieis our great Exemplar. Let me here say that in the"Word" man is a generic term, and where any conditionsfire applied to man it is implied that woman is included.Christ's m-anliness was evinced for women in con-sidoration for and deference to them as the mothers ofthe nation. by obedience to Hi~ own mother in His youthand loving solicitude for her in His hour of greatestagony; in His sympathy with the suffering, His indigna-tion against evil, His calm and dignified bearing underindignities and scorn and reproach, and in His consider-ation for others.

* The R. V . renders this 'a fu l t-m -own m an ;' the word ill f heoriginal suggests the idea of 'a finished man.'

'I'hese, then, are some of the distinctive features orOUl" manliness, and because we belong to Christ, its de-monstration must partake of the character of Christ,and the natural man must be kept in subjection by thatsniri t whose fruit is "love, joy, peace, long-suffering,I:inclness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance."

\\' e find the Apostles, when prosecuting their com-mission, "Go ye, etc.," manifested their manliness bytheir tact, consideration, moderation, determination,fearlessness, and devoid of that trimming to conditionswhich has rendered effeminate and ineffective so muchChristian effort.

Can we have a nobler exponent, after the Master, ofthat which constitutes Christian manliness than theApostle Paul, who for Christ's sake bore indignitiesin the shape of seourgings, whippings, cold, hunger,nakedness and shipwreck? Who were the menwhen the earthquake-rocked prison at Phillipi hadreduced its staff to abject fear, but the two who, though'with lacerated backs, calm and confident in their trustin God could reassure the terrified gaoler? Who wn~ thman w110,confident in the keeping .po wer Q f :the AlmightyGod, quietly and forcefully took command 'of the storm-battered ship, after they had jettisoned the cargo, andcalmly addressed those who had lost control: "Sirs.YOU should have listened to me, and not haw left Crete ?.~nd when, under most tr~'ing circumstances, and beingill' g,1lh' smitten at the instigation of a priec;Uy. tyrant,he made a hasty retort, he manifested his manliness bva prompt apology for an offence against the office of the'High Pried.One of the evidences of Christian manliness is to make

use of personal experience and example of those who can"show us a more perfect way;" it is an evidence ofchildishness when one petulantly refuses to be guided,and young people so del ight in having their own wnvthat at times there is no room for manly development.So is it but spiritual babyhood. to insist upon exercisingone's energies 'OnIv in the order and after the mannerthat "J" may thi~k best, instead of finding out God'sway; the capital "I" will always be a bar to the perfect-ins of Christian manhood; remember, "Christ pl e ase dnot Hi rnself."

One way to develop Christian manliness is to adoptthe advice, "each esteem other .better than himself ;"there is nothing so dwarfing as the contemplation 'O f ourown achievements, and he who is satisfied with themwill never be looked up to as the natural development ofa life of unselfish service.

Shall Iindicate some of the lines in which we mayshow the stuff of which man 1 )' Christians are made?Error is abroad, undermining men's conception of theplan of Salvation. Fight it; apologise not for the posi-tion you take up; you have the sword of the Spirit-.strike. You may be thought unkind in rooting up oldSlI pcrstitions and throwing on the dunghill the decreta l~of a theology that sprang from the devil, but flinch not;you are going to gin' t1 ern in its place a real grip of theglorious purposes ' O f God, you are going to give them a


5/16

JULY, 1906. ~rHE BIBLE Sfl~ANDARD. 101true conception of the work of Christ, you are going tointroduce them to such a realistic relationship to andcompanionship with Christ by the understanding of Hispurposes in the "glory yet to be revealed," that yourmanliness will stand out boldly when they realise thejoy that attaches to the fuller conception they havegained of the elevating power of a more comprehensiveand comprehended Gospel. You have probed thewound; you did it in love; the rankling irritant is re-moved, the wound is healed.

'I'here are evils about you which in your every-dayexperience will demand from you the exercise of yourChristian manliness. Better to resist courageously andgo down than to suffer defeat without striking a blow indefence of right.

You will be called upon to assert your position, at,followers of Christ, in many ways. You will be temptedto take IIp habits which arc harmful and unworthy yourChristian manhood, which are endorsed bv Christianleaders, and you will be taunted with squeamishness,off 'em inacy, loss of individuality, and slowness; but everydetermined resistance of that which is evil will makeyou sensible of a development of the spiritual muscleswhich augurs well for the onc day "full stature of theman ill Christ," or the Christian man.Your Christian manliness may cost you position; you

may, Ly your employer, be asked to stoop to the "tricksof the trade,' and thereby lay the train for dishonesttrading which is so rife in our day; but no, you arcgoing 1 - 0 say, "I am Christ's man, and nothing that ieunworthy of association with His character shall mar m yexperience," and parallel with an incident I know of,"they'll 11ave none of that nonsense," and out you willgo, but do not fear. He will not let you suffer, whosewitness you are. You have talents differing in kind andquality, IV hi ch yu u can employ in the service of yourMaster, and for which there is unlimited scope; it is notmanly for the sake of case 0]" freedom to "wrap them ina napkin and bury them;" the Lord demands from youan assertion of your manhood and exercise 'Of thosequalities which will fit you for the "inheritance with thesaints in light." Bravery, courage, resolution, nobility,and the distinguishing features of manliness, and ton-ing, modifying, impelling, guiding, checking, inspiri ngis the Spirit of Christ, conjointly producing in us thu tnobility of character which is rightly designated"Christian N I anliness." C.B.K.An address given to the West Street Christian Band.

"Lonely pilgrim, sad and weary,Who hath many ills endured,What though troubles round thee gather rThere's a final rest secured;For the 'Children 'Of the Promise,'Those in faith who firmly stand,Heirs with Christ, awhile they suffer,Soon to reign in Israel's land."

Ube Smitten jfig Uree.~ ot a few of us have at times been brought to C l pausewhen reading the incident of the fig tree (Matt, Hi. andMark xi.). The unbeliever points with scorn to the"unreasonable expectation" of our Lord that there

should be fruit on the tree when it was not the season orfigs. A careful reading of the records to ascertain theproper connection of the clauses will, however, en] ightenus. Mark's account contains a few words beyond Mat-thew's, and the right connection of these expla ins whatwe once felt to be a difficulty, none the less that wc hadentire trust in our Lord's action, and knew that nocharge of unreason could he set against the Perfect andHoly One. In Mark we read :-"And seeing a fig treeafar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might findanything thereon ; and when he came to it. he foundnothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs."We believe that the last clause should be understood asconnected with "if haply he might find anything there-on ;,. the intervening clause being, as it were, in bracki-ts.Read thus, light is thrown on the entire incident, andno violence whatever is clone to the inspired Record. Itis well known that the punctuation is of late elate, andthat it has had to be changed in 'various places; to use acommon expression, "the punctuation is not inspired."Wc may feel sure that at Bethphago (the house offigs), near where OUr Lord then was, there would Lemany fig trees, vet, because "it was not the season offigs," they were leafloss, and, the fi.gs COIning-before thefoliage, He did not look for fruit 011them; But here is

a fig tree, apparently standing by itself, and, owing tosome un stated cause, whether wanner site, better soil,or special irrigation, it has come on earlier than tileothers, bears foliage, and thus should he carrying figs.Although it had a name that it lived. when its Lordcomes, He "fonnd nothing bu t leaves," and it is c or n -manded to hear no fruit "henceforward for ever," Iiter-ally "henceforward unto the age." Tile fig tree is a typeof Israel nationally, EOlet us "from the fig tree le arnher parable.' The other trees, without fruit and with-out leaves, may well typify the Gentile nations, fromwhom our Lord did not then expect fruit, nor, leaflessnd all as they were, did thev pretend to offer it. Butthe fig tree, Israel, exhibited plenty of foliage, of out-ward ceremonial and self-righteousness, without vestigeof fruit such as \n18 to be expected when "He came to1-Ji~0\;11." And thenceforward. Israel has home none.Yet the end of the aw~ approaches, and we behold thefig tree's branch becoming tender and putting forthleaves (Mark xiii. 28).

For much help in this connection we are indebted tothe Ilcv. D. Rutledgc's (New South Wales) "Christ,Anti-Christ, and the Millennium," a monument of de-vout research. No more compendious work on prophecyhas been issued for many years, and the author is en-titled to the grafeful thanks of all Christians, howeverwe may disagree with some of his conclusions.-Oontri-buied,

-- -


6/16

ioi THIt- BIBLE $1'ANDARb. JULY, 1906.==========================-===-~--_~-=_c:

A LECTURE TO SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS, DELl VJ ;;HED INAUCKLAND, N.Z.

(Continued from page 87.)'I'he Bible is not continuous history. Great gaps occur

in it. 'Long periods of time are passed over with littleor no mention. Good men may have lived and laboured;important events to the people of the day may have hap-pened, but they are not recorded. As in the life ofJoseph selections only are ~ven)so in theBible as a wholethe same- feature appears. There is an adequate explan-ation of this, and that is, that history is considered ofimportance only as it gives the matters which directlybear upon the progress of God's plan. It is when someprominent step is taken that history becomes full and de-tailed. It is that fact- which supplies us with the reasonof so large a portion of space being found devoted to thehistory of J oseph.

Turn with me to Gen. xii. In the early verses of thatchapter we find the promise given to Abram, This is thepromise which gives, in intelligible form, the first revela-tion of the manner in which God intended to work outredemption through the seed of the woman. It is thispromise which the great apostle expressly calls "thegospel" (Gal. iii. 8). But observe, on the way toreach the attainment of that great and glorious purpode,it is said, "I will make of thee a great nation" (ver. 2).Here is a solitary man, without natural prospect of de-scendants, but God makes the promise which demands asone of its important factors "a great nation." Again, inxviii. 18, it is asserted, "Abraham shall surely become ugreat and mighty nation." How strong the asseveration,-"I will make I" It is not to be left to the law ofchance, or development, but there is to be a Divine over-ruling towards the end designed. He who provides thegifts, the "land" and the "seed," will bring that seedupon its pathway until it becomes a great nation. Thatpurpose will not end with the formation into a nation.In the history and development of that promised nationthere is a mighty display of power together with wondrouslongsuffering, but that is not the "end." The "making"is a means to the end.Two things, therefore, are clear. First: God under-takes, to see that His designs are carried out-"I will

make.': Second: The formation of the nation is not theend, but the preparation of an instrument for furthe;operations, But, so far as our story is concerned, we arecalled to see the process by which the instrument is pre-pared; we are shown God's method of fashioning the

nation. The steps in the story are clear enough. InGen. xv. 13 we read: "Know of a surety that thy seedshall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, anu shallserve them." No indication is given of the exact period.when this should occur, or of the extent of the family atthe time. It is given when there is no seed, and thehope is centred wholly upon the word and the power ofGod. But that which lies ahead as an evil to be en-countered is one of the means to be adopted in the pro-cess of "making" the nation. 'I'his gives us the key tothe story of J oseph; his history and experiences fall intoplace in this line of purpose, and are the factors in theinitial stages of the nation-making process.

When the story opens we have the family of J acob,apparently in one encampment, of which he is the head,or sheikh. The pastoral life is being carried on withoutapparent thought to what is to follow. But to Jacob tnatoriginal promise had been repeated with Divine emphasis,and with additional details (Gen. xxxv. 9-12), and thereis little doubt that it supplied him with nourishing men-tal and spiritual food as he reflected upon the greatnessand grandeur of the promise. It would also be the themeon which he would often speak to his sons, for it is thisknowledge only which can explain the patience and hope-fulness of J oseph in later days. But so long as it re-mained promise only, there could be no knowledge of howit should. be transmuted into fact. It needed God's handto take hold and lead the family forward to the goal. Inaccordance with this we read that when Joseph had sentfor his aged father, and the impressive procession fromEgypt had evidenced to J acob the truth that his son wasalive and in high esteem in the court of Pharaoh, Godspake to J acob in the visions of the night, and said: "Iam God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down intoEgypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation"(Gen. xlvi. 3). How that declaration was in process offulfilment can be read in Exod, i. 7: "And the childrenof Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, andmultiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the landwas filled with them." There they became numerous,and there the afflictions they suffered, and the hopes theycherished, welded them into a nation. The experienceand the purpose are both put in the declaration whichthe Israelite was afterwards to make when he brought ofthe first-fruits of his ground to the priest: "A Syrianready to perish was my father, and he went down intolgypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he be-came there a nation, great, mighty, and populous" (Deut.xxvi. 5). This, then, is the central purpose around whichcircles the history and the experience of J oseph, and 1submit that it is in the light of that fact that the narra-tive should be read, the experiences judged, and thecharacter considered.

Look at the materials out of which God is weaving Hispurpose,and carrying out the Divine asseveration, "I willmake." The partiality of J acob for J oseph ; the honestand candid report of J oseph concerning the evil doingsof his brethren; the want of pasture which induces thebrethren to remove their flocks to Dothan; the commis-


7/16

JULY, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 103sion froni the father to J oseph to learn as to the welfareof the brethren; the diabolical plot to slay the youth, withthe half-hearted attempt of Reuben to save him; the sug-gestion of J udah to sell him; the sale to the Midisnites,and the slavery in Egypt; the service inPotiphar's house;the sudden downfall and casting into prison because ofresistance to temptation ; the growth in favour with thegaoler; the dreams 'Of his fellow-prisoners; the faithfulinterpretations; the call from the prison to interpretPharaoh's dreams ; the call to become administrator inthe land of Egypt; the famine in Oanaan, causing thenecessities in the family of J acob ; these are but some ofthe events, all of which go into the process of accomplish-ing the purpose of God. J acob, J oseph, the brethren,Midianites, Egyptians, officials, Pharaoh, dreams, inter-pretations, abundance, famine, administration, andEgyptian rites and customs, are all woven into the make-up of the story, and contribute to the will of the greatNation-maker. It is when the piece is taken from theloom that the pattern of the Designer is seen.This, then, is the great governing purpose apparent inthis story, and it is the link which binds it in order ofsuccession to what precedes, and makes it the necessaryprelude to what follows. To the student who has seenthis uniting fact, the Bible becomes a book of unity, heldtogether by one central theme. It is the chain of whichevery golden link is hall-marked with the purpose of God.

In close connection with this, one item may be men-tioned. In the original promise to Abraham, Godasserted, "I will bless them that bless thee." The storyof J oseph affords an evident instance of the working ofthis promise. For the skill and wisdom manifested,Pharaoh shows to J oseph, and to J acob and the family,much kindness, and in turn there came the Divine bless-ing. God "gave to J oseph favour and wisdom beforePharaoh king of Egypt," and the king extended hisfavour and protection over all the family for J oseph'ssake, and the benefits that followed came back to him athousandfold. The incident supplies an illustration ofthe working of that principle which has had other exem-plifications in the past, has them now in the present, andwhich will have them in the days which are yet to come.

This narrative of Joseph in Egypt has become of greatsignificance to Bible students, because of the close agree-ment which it shows with the history, habits, customs,official orders, and government of the times. As thescience of achmology has extended by the spade of theexplorer and the skill of the decipherer, it has revealedthe intimate acquaintance which the writer of Genesishad with the times and circumstances of which he wrote.One who wrote long afterwards could hardly be expectedto show such close agreement with the facts of theperiod, as these are revealed by the study of contem-porary monuments. Allusions which are but casual,having no apparent direct bearing upon the story, arefaithful to the facts of the times, and at ffi1Jeryturnunexpected agreements are shown between the Biblerecord and the monuments, inscriptions, and paintingsof ancient Egypt. "From the opening of the prison

doors to receive Joseph the monuments .and inscriptionsreproduce the background of every incident in his career.The prisoners in fetters (Gen. xl. 3) ; the butler or cup-bearer, pressing the juice out of the ripe grapes (Gen.xl. 11); the baker, holding the long basket of rolls ofbread on his head (Gen. xl. 16); the professionalmagician or wise man, who must not be brought intothe prison to interpret the dream (Gen. xl. 8); theking's birthday, celebrated with public feastings andamnesties (Gen. xl. 20) ; the prompt shaving of the headof the liberated prisoner (Gen. xli. 14), for in EgYIJtonly men of low station and mourners over the deadallowed their hair to grow; the kine in the riversidemeadow, the full and thin ears of corn (Gen. xli. 17,22, 23) ; the public investiture of a favoured official withrobes of fine linen; the signet ring; the crowds falling inreverence before the royal and vice-royal chariots (Gen.xli. 42-43) ; the store-houses; the official distribution ofcorn in years of famine (Gen. xli. 35-56); the prostra-tion of the rough shepherds before the polished ruler(Gen. xlii.); evidence of the contempt with whichEgyptians held shepherds (Gen. xlii. 32; xlvi. 34) ; thedivining cup (Gen. xliv, 5) ; all are here in the picture."At El Kab is an inscription on a rock tomb which hasreceived much attention from Egyptologists. Of it M.

Brugsch writes: "From the peculiarities of the lan-guage, and from the style of the internal pictorial de-coration of the rock chambers, we may con-sider that the tomb was erected in the times immediatelypreceding the eighteenth dynasty;" that is, about thetime of J oseph. 'I'he owner of the tomb was an officialnamed Baba, who served under king Sekenen-Ra, avassal k.ing under Apepi, the very monarch whom Josephserved. Baba sets forth his own virtues, and in themidst of the list we come upon a sentence which isstartling. "I collected the harvest," he says, "as 'C lfriend of the harvest-god. I was watchful at the timeof sowing. And now when a famine arose, lastingmany years, I issued out corn to the city each year offamine." "The conclusion from this," says a recentwriter, "is inevitable. There was in the reign of Apepi-the Shepherd King whom tradition has from ancienttimes declared to be the Pharaoh of J oseph-there wasitn his reign a famine- lasting many years." Brugschpoints to the fact that famines following one anotherare in Egypt events of the greatest rarity, and he adds:"The only just conclusion is that the many years offamine in the time of Baba must precisely correspondwith the seven years of famine under J oseph's Pharaoh,one of the shepherd kings."

(To be concluded.) The Lord Himself is coming personally the second

time to earth-no~ at death, but at the harvest time, theend of the world. This is the good hope, the blessedhope, the hope that purifies, the hope of the Church, theScripture hope, and the great incentive to holy watch-'ing.-Rev. S. J. Austin. . ..


8/16

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1906.PAGE117-99

.. 100-101101

.. 102-103101

.. lO5--1071071 0 7

lO8-109J o nJ09lU91101 1 0110III111III112

THE MONTH .0' CHRISTIAN MANLINESS"'l'H>; SMITTEN FIG TREEECHO~S .F'ROM \VEST STltEE'1'ASSOCIATro:s NOTESWHAT ARE You LOOKING FOR 1A CARNEGm STORYPARTNERS IN 'I'HE FIRM'l'HE HOME CIRCLE-IN QUE3T O~ TRUTHTHE TlG~R'S TEMPER",\NCE SIRMONHOLLANDIs 'l'U]~RE ANY MOTHER TJ-I.EHE1 ..CHURCH AND MISSION NI':wSCURISUAN BAND ..SLEEPERS IN CHURCH ..SU'NSt-lINE CORNEROUR GIWfS-AND GOD'S ..THE COMING OF THE MONKSTREASURER'S ACKNOWLEDG.\.lENTS -- -= = = ~~tb~Bibl~ t a n d a r d . ~

/ : . u J :, ;rMONTHTLY ORGAN

OF THE

n ~ w Z~aland Ellangdisti c an d P ub lic at io n Jlss oc iatlon.EDITED BY GEORGE ALDRlDGE.

ASSISTED BY SPECLti. CONTRIBUTIO~~.

The Editor wishes it to be nnderstood that, while he exercises it ":i.1lJeral snpee-vision over the art icles and Oorrespondenoe appear-lug in the STANDARD, responsi-bility for sentiments expr-essed reats upon the individual writer.

B ss oc ia tion lR otC B.The Annual Tea of the West Street Church is to beheld on Wednesday, July 4th. We are expecting a good

number to the tea, and there is the promise of an inter-esting meeting afterwards.The Thames brethren hold their Annual 'I'ea on Tues-day, July 3td. Warrn-hearted hospitality is assured toIieitors.For the past two months members and attendants atthe West Street Church have been reading together theGospel of Matthew. About a hundred "Bereun Papers'have been issued each Sunday, containing the readingsfor the week, and brief comments on the portion. Nineof the "Papers" have been issued, and the last bringsthe Gospel of Matthew to a close. The fact that somany are reading the Word together gives us a feelingof comradeship, and affords a much-needed stimulus todaily life. The first series has been issued privately,but the Church Executive has determined that so longas the interest continues, "Berean Papers" are to appear.The next book to be read is the Gospel of John. Should,my of our readers desire to join in this Bible-readinamovement, we shall be glad t-o hear from them. Thel:~is a weekly cost in the production of these "Papers,'which, it is hoped, the interested readers will help tomeet.Two issues of "The Faith Library" are to hand sinceour last number. These are both worthy of notice. 'I'hefirst is by Mr. Townsend Storrs, on "Why am I a

Christian ?" This is a simple, but telling presentation

of effective "Christian Evidences." It is just the thingto put into the hands of young people, who are in doubtas to the kind of reasons to offer in favour of the Bible,and the Gospel it offers to man. We have manyvolumes of "Evidences" on our shelves, but SOllH!or these could n-ot be recommended to a troubledmind; others are too costly, and only useful tothose who have the requisite time to give to theirperusal and study. This is small, compact, and cheap,and anybody can understand it. The price is three-pence. The other number is entitled "Spiritism-Demonisrn," and well deserves a reading by those whoare noting the prevalence of the doctrine of Spiritual-ism. Mr. Albert Smith presents a good case, and if inall things we cannot follow him, yet in the main wemust give our endorsement to his contention that thisspreading doctrine is- "Dangerous and Delusive, that itsPhenomena are real, and its Philosophy is a Fraud."Number 3, price twopence. Both may be obtained fromC. E. Brooks, Cols ton Works, Malvern.A contractor of Detroit, U.S.A., a Mr. Mend, has puttup in that city a m-onument to Satan. It is fourteenfeet high. and represents the devil crouching in a pulpit.It bears the inscription, "Man is not created, but de-

veloped. God did not make man, but man has madegods." ']'he gentleman (is he?) may think he has donea commendable thing, but both statue and inscriptionare mendacious, and if the author does' not mend hisways, and sincerely repent, his portion will be that ap-pointed for "all liars."The Bible is a volume of highest wisdom, but its teach-

ings are conveyed in crystal thought and simple lan-guage. It will bear comparison with, and will out-distance in these respects, that which finds ready accept-ance as the "wisdom" 01 men. Here is a choice extractfrom a recent book by a Mahatma, professing to give"the way of life." He says, "You should abandonthe ego of sole existence in the infinite, Eternal Bliss,and be yourself the omniscience of the UnfathomableReality." This lis as clear as mud! N o T h v n . r J S itCome remarks, "Now we know all about it, a~d knowwhat to do. No doubt it will be quite easy when we arctold how to do it!" A grateful heart never murmurs; it always finds some-thing to thank God for. However bad things are, theymight be worse. In every trying experience there issome compensation. A poor w-oman and her child,homeless, and compelled to seek shelter where they couldfind it, one cold, stormy night found refuge under acellar door that leaned against a wall. As the stormbeat outside, the boy said to his mother, "What do thosepoor children do to-night who have no cellar door toshelter them?" Such a spirit takes the bitterness outof the worst condition. Our hearts make our world forus. An ungrateful heart would find misery in paradise.A grateful heart turns a prison into a palace. Thesecret of a joyous life is a contented spirit, and one thatalways trusts God keeps sweet and sings.-Selected.


9/16

JULY, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD.UUlb a t B re W o n 100king j f o r 1

,VE are not raising this question in connection with theexpectancy of the unconverted man, but confine it solelyto those who are professing Christians. What are you-as a Christian-looking. for? To the worldly man"the things seen and temporal" are everything, "the un-seen things which are eternal" enter not into his calcu-lations, or if believed in are so dim, visionary, far distantas not to be of any immediate importance. His great

- desire is to increase business, to get wealth, to make ahappy marriage, to be enrolled among the famous menof earth to cuter Parti.uneut to live Lo a g()od old agc',in enjoyment of sound health and respect of neighbours,and-if you press the enquiry-at last full of years todie, "and there's an end of it all so far as we know."

But we turn from the man whose hopes are centred illthis life and ask the average Church-member, "What arc. you looking forr" Of course, the ambitions of this lifefigure very largely in pvery man's mind-and rightlytoo, for the inspired Word bids us "be diligent in busi-ness," by means of which family needs must be supplied.But our question goes beyond all that, it passes all meretransient and temporary hopes, and refers to some oneevent to which all others are but preparatory. And theanswer that nine out of ten Church-members will giveis, "I am looking 101' death, whereby I shall attain eternalfelicity." That death may one day come to them, andthat therefore they expect presently to die and resignthemselves to the inevitable, is of course not to be dis-puted, but we are quite sure that they are not "earnestlylooking" for this event. For it is perfectly certain thatno person who has a healthy physique, who is comfort-ably circumstanced, and happy in bis surroundings isdaily looking with earnest desire for death to come, eventhough it be to remove him to a celestial sphere. A;matter of fact, nothing is dreaded so much as death, : :m r " \every precaution is taken to keep it away.

And what is Christendom looking for? 'rite RoruauCatholic section are looking for the ultimate triumph ofthe Church of Rome, which, they say, shall attain touniversal dominion, and Christ in the person of Hisinfallible vicar the Pope-the sucessor of Peter-shalltake unto Him His great power and reign. 'I'he Protes-tant party look forward to the conversion of the worldto Christ by the preaching of the Gospel and the powerof the Spirit accompanying that preaching. Somefuture great revival movement shall altogether eclipsethat of the day of Pentecost, and by the multiplicationand increased efforts on the part of spiritual agencies athome and abroad, the kingdoms of this world are grad-ually to become the Kingdom of our Lord and of HisChrist.

Men who muster under the banner of scientificmaterialism and philosophic scepticism ridicule thesehopes. They speak of the religion of Christ as an effeteand worn-out superstition; they tell us that the Biblehas no better claim to be regarded as a trustworthy re-

velation from God than the Koran of the Mussulman orthe Vedas of the Hindoos; that in point of fact we doand can know nothing of any higher powers, if suchthere be, than the matter and force out of which theuni verse is cvolved; that death in all probability endsour existence, or at all events, if there be such a thingas a future life, wc neither know, nor ever can know,anvthi ng about v i t here. '1 '0 them-seeing that Kingsand Priests, the Bible and Religion ha ye ever been thegreat troubles of mankind-e-thcsc thiJ1 gs must be sweptaway, and social democracy, scientific progress anduniversal education become the watchwords of a newana better era.What are we looking- ror ~ 'I'his is a question of thchighest importance, for our lives will be largely affectedhy the answer we give. JVligllty and accumulating force:';of good and evil are at work a round us. The battlebecomes more strenuous, ann the issue, to human fore-sight at least, more doubtful day by day. Nothing isheld sacred. A member of the ncwly returned EnglishParliament expressed the other clay his utter contemptfor Christianity as a religion, but said he had no quarrelwith Jesus Christ, "who, when alive, was a very goodfellow." (Parenthetically we may remark that not-withstanding his blasphemous irreverence, this Englishlegislator was right in one thing, his discri mination be-tween Christ and Christianity, which-it is well for m;to remember-must never be confounded. They are asdistinct as Jehovah and Israel. And as J ehovah "putaway" Israel because of their sins, so will Christ at theclose of this age "utterly remove" the corrupt organisa-tion which bears His name and claims to be His rep re-scntati ve on earth). What, then, are we looking for?What is to be the outcome of all that is happening to-day? Shall the noise of the present conflict soon behushed in the eventual victory of good over evil, and theestablish ment of righteousness through the earth?We turn from the vain speculations and foolish imag-inations of fallible and ignorant men to the dogmatic

utterance of the inspired Word. We ask, "Does Reve-lat.ion set before us anyone hope-a hope which will notmake us ashamed?" It cloes. The Old and New Tes-taments are in perfect agreement as to this. The hopesof Patriarchs and Prophets 'Of the old dispensation, ofApostles and Disciples of the new, are alike centred inone event, i.e., the advent into the world of a GreatDeliverer. All other events are subsidiary to thiscrowning appearance. Israel of old lived and died inexpectation of their promised Messiah, as they do to-day.Unhappily, they failed to recognise Him in the personof Jesus of Nazareth. But this Jesus rejected by Israelwas acknowledged by the early disciples to be theirDivine Lord and Master, and on His departure forheaven the one thing they looked for and most earnestlydesired was His return in power and glory.The words of the Apostle Pa.ul are very decisive. He

bade the Christians of his day to be "looking for thatblessed hope, even the glorious appearing of our greatGod and Saviour Jesus Christ." He says they had

l-------------


10/16

106 THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1906.turned from idols to serve a living God, "and to waitfor His Son from heaven." The Apostle James alsoexhorts to patience under trials because "the coming ofthe Lord, draweth nigh." Again we read, "Unto themwho look fOTHim shall He appear." And yet oncemore, "Blessed is that servant whom the Lord when Hecometh shall find watching." And the very last pro-mise which the Bible contains is couched in thesewords, "Surely I come quickly," and almost the lastwords of the book of Revelation is the Church's responseto the Lord Jesus, "Amen, even so come, Lord Jesus."What should I be looking for? Nothing less than the

return of the Lord Jesus from heaven to earth. TheApostles and their fellow-labourers all lived and taughtas if the day of the Lord and His Kingdom of glorywere at hand, and their most forcible and impassionedappeals have their spring and roots in such ground. Itwill not be denied by anyone familiar with Church his-tory that the leading men of the early Church made thecoming of our Lord and the Kingdom of prophecy, asthe one Gospel hope, exceedingly prominent. But whenthe Emperor Constantine avowed himself a Christianand took the Church under his imperial protection, thisdivine hope which had sustained the martyrs under theirpersecutions was soon abandoned, and the Church, nowraised to honour, power, and glory, altogether lost sightof the divinely-given hope, and gave out that the King-dom of God was now established, and that Christ wasreigning in the person of the Pope at Rome.Alas, Protestants have perpetuated this deadly error.

Do we not constantly read in printed discourses appealsto extend the Kingdom of God in the world, and tobring about its full establishment? But that is notwhat the Apostles sought, anticipated and looked for-ward to. The return of the King must precede theestablishment of the Kingdom.A few days before His death, our Lord spake a parable

concerning a certain nobleman who went into a farcountry to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return,He spake this parable to correct a wrong impression inthe minds of His disciples because "they supposed thatthe Kingdom of God was immediately to appear." Notmany hours later He said plainly, "I go away. Icome again." But stop! there are several ways in whichChrist can "come again." He can return providentially.He can come spiritually. He may be present figura-tiv.ely. And so we must decide what manner of returnour .Lord referred to .. Thus spea.k the. Church authori-ties. But with all respect for such, we venture to thinkthat not one of these suggested modes of return meetthe exigencies of the. case. In what other way exceptpersonally can Jesus of Bethlehem return to earth inorder "to sit upon the throne of His father David"(Luke i. 32), and to establish the Kingdom of God uponearth? Evidently the angels believe in His personalreturn, for when the sobbing disciples were strainingtheir tcar-bedewed eyes toward heaven as their depart-ing Lord and Master disappeared from their gaze, thesewere the cheery words which fell upon their astonished

ears, "Yemen of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into hea-ven? This Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye beholdHim going into heaven." And that no providential,spiritual or figurative return is intended, is made mani-fest by that magnificent passage in Hebrews (ix. 26-:38),"So Christ also once. shall appear a secondtime to them that wait for Him." How welcome sucha clear, authentic voice from the source of authority.What are we looking for? The Divine revelation sets

only one hope before us. The dead as well as the livingare depending upon it. "Without us they cannot bemade perfect" (Heb. xi. 40). They await "a resur-roction" (vel'. 35), "for God is able to raise them up,even from the dead" (ver. 19). When Christ returns,"all that are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shallcome forth" (John v. 28). But if Christ returns not,then those "that sleep in the dust of the earth" (Dan.xii. 2) will not awake, and so Paul's words will cometrue that "if there be no resurrection of the dead thenare the dead perished" (1 Cor. xv. 12-19). The hopethat so many dying saints entertain, i.e., that their soul"are going to glory, is a hope that has no scriptural foun-dation at all. When Paul was nearing his end, his hopewas, "if by any means I may attain unto the resurrectionfrom the dead" (Phil. iii. 2), when he should receivethe crown which the Lord would give at that (resurrec-tion) day, to all who love His appearing (2 Tim. iii. 8) ..]f we die ere that blest hour when, "in the twinkling ofan eye," the living saints "shall be changed" from mor-tality to immortality (1 Cor. xv. 50-54), yet we shallclose our eyes in death without fear, our hope still holdsgood, and at that last solemn moment we shall be stilllooking and longing for the coming of our Lord, for hasHe not promised at His advent to "change the body ofour humiliation and fashion it like unto His OWIJ.loriousbody hy the energy of His all-subduing power?" (Phil.iii. 21). The Divine life which belongs to us is wiselyveiled for a season, hid with Christ in God, but it is ourhope and joy to know that when He who is OU1' Life shallappem', then shall we also-whether in that day amongthe living or the dead-"appoor with Him in glory"(Cor. iii. 4). .We are not to be worrying about the signs of the

times, anticipating the secularizing of society, watchingfor the downfall of Church Establishments, the returnof Israel to. Palestine-their fatherland, the rise ofAnti-Christ, the marvellous reappearance of Elijah theprophet (Mal. iv. 5-6, Mark ix. 11-12) in conjunctionwitli a second "witness" (Rev. xi. 3-12), or the fulfil-ment of the Book of Revelation. We are profoundlyinterested in these things because God has been pleasedto make them known to us; but we are not "looking forand hasting" unto them. There is absolutely no eventprophesied of that must take place between now and thesecond Advent of our Lord coming for His saints (Johnxiv. 3), when they meet Him in the air (1 Thess. iv.17) . There are many prophecies to be fulfilled ere Heshall descend with His saints to this earth (Col. iii, 4),when His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives


11/16

107- - - - -- --==--==-------

THE BIBLE STANDARD.ULY, 1906.from which He ascended (Zech. xiv. 4). The Jews asa nation will be intensely interested in such prophecies,because personally involved in the tribulation of the lastdays, but the Church 01 Jesus Christ will have been re-moved from earth, and from "the heavenly places" viewthe last tragic scenes which shall characterise the closeoJ: this Gentile agc.

If a man is patiently waiting and looking for the re-turn of the Lord Jesus from heaven, this daily attitudeof his will-must-infiuence his every action. It iswhen he loses sight of or gives up this expectation thatthe frailties of his erring nature may gain power overhim. He need not be constantly scanning the heavens,01' neglecting th t- ordinary duties of life. 'I'he shop,the parlour, the kitchen, the hours of recreation willeach be all the better because of his desires. The atti-tude or waiting is the attitude of daily service. If I amengaged in domestic or business avocation when the Lordcomes and finds me so doing, it is c xac tlv how He w


12/16

'fHE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1\)06., " " 0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C b ~ f i o m ~ ircl~.r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r x r x r r r r. . . . , ,

:tn (ll lu e st of \trutb .CHAPTml\.

For a time it seemed that the littlechurch at Bren ton ",


13/16

JULY, 1906. THE BIBLE STANDARD.1bollanl).he application made by his son. Hedetailed the satisfaction with which theofficers of the church had observed thegrowing interest in spiritual mattersmanifested by thc youth, and assuredthe father that his boy's confession ofthe Lord had been heard with great glad.

HeR: . He, wit.h others, was shortly tobe Immersed, and had expr?ssed the wishto join the church. "But," wrote, ]\[1'.Ke ith, "we have decided to place thismatter before you, because of t.ue viewsyou have adopted. It strikes lIS thus:If Mi llennia.l Dawn teachings are true,can we publicly receive candidates intoa coml1lU1~ity wher~ they have only aproblematical standing ? Faulty thoughIt may be, the Church is still the visibletest.imonv to the great fact of the rela-tion of Christ's people to Himself. Or,shal! we say to these young people: 'VVereceive you, but, to be honest, must sa vthat whi 1st your present faithfulness toChrist assures you of the possession ofeternal. life, we c~n~lOt say that anyplace III church pnvIlege and standingIS op('n to you. It may be, 01' it maynot. Rome under test may fail, and youmay win; hut, again, n'o such opilOr-tunity may bp open to VOII, and vou rdevotion, service, obedience. Christ."lik('-ness, will give you no place in His borlv.'To th is we beg an immediate reply. Forourselves, we rejoice at the confessionmade, and are prepared to welcome vourson with the rest, teaching them 'thatthe ' ~ Tord holds out to them the assur-ance of present identification withChrist as to their standing, and theprospect of future glory with Him nstheir privilege."In the course of a few days an answerwas returned from Mr. Irvino thank ino:\1 1'. Keith for his letter. and"'~xDressin~his I-(Iadn('ss at the news regarding hi'~son. It then went on to state that the

letter had caused him no little concern.Hitherto he had accepted the teach inzschiefly because of their harmonv withhis Own views on man's nature, 'but hehad not given close' attention to thegenera I scheme. He found that theclaim to prophetic insight was made oninsufficient evidence, and the teachinowhich so arbitrarily asserted the clo;~of the door of entrance to the h izh call-ing, was made on human authoritv only.He had not seen the awful consequencesinvolved, nor had noticed the arrozantposition necessarily taken by those ~Yhoaccepted such teaching. He confessedtha t the letter had been effective, be.cause, by placing the case of his own S0nbefore him, the matter had been brounhtclose home, and he had f('lt it an imp~m-tive duty to examine the subject. Hetrusted that the reception of the youngpeopl: to tile church would be a happyoccasion.This it proved to be. The presidingolder that morning gave a thoughtfuland stimulating address to the new con-vr-rts, largely based upon the letter tothe Ephesia ns. Parts of this addresswere noted bv Herbert Trving, and senthv him to his father. "Remember, be-loved, you have taken upon you tllf'nn mo of Him who is the express Imago!'and Rrigh1n('ss of the Glorv of God. a nrlnt Hi~ ~(,colld advent will appear a~ thegreat Lord and Master. See, then, thatyou dim not the lustre of His glory, but

reflect in your dispositions and lives thebeauty of our Exemplar's character, Beye moons to His solar light, radiatingHis effulgence forth, that men may blessyou f'or the light you shed upon thenight of darkness; and in so doing youW Ill glorify your Father. Your electionof God in Christ ranks you as His sons,entitling you to Divine or Morninsr Starexa ltn.tion. And as such you must'\rino-lIO discredit on the family name, Re":member that we are the future aristo-cracy of the world; therefore let us havethe true pa trician pride As youhavc received Christ -Iesus the Lord, sowa 11;: in Him, rooted and built up in.RiIl1."That morning service was a memor-able one to all who took part in it, andnot least because it marked a victoryfor truth over dea.d ly erro r.--- .. . . . . . ...----.'{t be t rlg e l"l;3 { t emperanc e

Sermon.A remarkable story of animal percep-t ion 1S told by Mr. Frank Bostock, thewell-known showman, who is perhapsihe greatest a uthoritv on wild animalsin eapt iv ity. v"I ?nce had a tra.iner," he says, "anold Lri sh ma n, who had served in a Brit-ish regil1l,'nt in Iridin, and who knewthe ways of tigers in every deta il. Hetnught three of them to do more workIn the arena than I hnve ever seen doneby any other tigers,

"r have seen him sitting down be-tween two of them at rest-time durino re-hear:nls, and examining their chtw~ tosee If any of them were sore or split._-\nvoru- who has ever tried tha t witheven a house eat, knows that it strikesthe fr lin nature as an unwarrantablefa miia rity , but they never did morethan show their teeth and whine, andtlInt half in playfulness,

"One day the old fellow got vervdrunk-the first time in his life, to mykno\\ledg


14/16

110 1'HE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1906.

~C h u r c h a o d M i s s i o n N e w s .I ~ ~~ill~~'~~~ J i~~~k*ii****- : .* * * * . .i " ku .***-

AucKLA.'O.-The subjects since ourlast issue have held the interest and at-tention of large audiences, the seriesof addressc on "Spiritism" coming op-portunely, as so many wel l-intentionedpeople are being carried away from thefaith. We trust tha.t the exposition ofthe cult will have the desired effect ofdeterring manv from having dealingswith demonism (see Timothy iv. 1).Sunday, fay 27: YVe had with us in

fellowship this morning Bro. Sheldon.Tn the evening the subject was "Bearingthe Yoke of Christ.".Tune 3: ,Ve were pleased to have withus this morning Bro. Donaldson, ofWa ihi, who gave an exhortation from,John's Gospel, lOth chapter. In theovoning the f rst of a series of addresseson "Spiritualism" was delivered, en-titled. "Spiritualism and the Bible."lOth: Again a visitor, Bro. Jenkins,

of Komokorik i. In the evening "Spir it-ua lisrn at the Beginning of Christianity."17th: A visitor from Hastings this

morning, Bro, J. Payne. Evening,"Spiritualism at War with God's Pur-poses."At the Wednesday evening Bible Classthe Gospel of Matthew is still being con-sidered. Owing to the holiday, EmpireDay, many could not attend on the 30thMay. The subject for that evening wastaken from Matthew vi ii. June 6:"The Keys of the Kingdom." On the13th the Class was not held. the buildingbeing occupied hy the No-License Con-vention. W.G.DUNEOIN-Since last report, I ampleased to Ray that our meetings have

been fairly well attended, consideringthe inclement weather, nnd other adversecircumstances, over which we seem tohave little control. We are passingthrough another trying time, which isinjuring our little cause, and is verydisheartening to those who have strivenso long to maintain it, and to preachthose things we as faithful stewards arebound to. Our labourers are few, but,with God's help, we intend to hold upthe harmer of Life only in Christ, stillhoping and trusting that help will comeere long. Next Sunday we commenceour lantern lectures. Bra. R. W. Law-rence speaks on "The Prodigal Son," illustrated by lantern views, Some weeksago we were cheered by a visit from Bro.and Sis. Falkner and their daughter,Sis. Aldridge, iunr., who spent a fewdays with us. With Christian greetingsto all in Christ. S.L.GEORGETOWN,B.G.-Grace and truth

be multiplicd to all the brethren. LastSundnv we were cheered by the presenceof two strangers from the goldfields.Whilst at the mines they had heard ofthe doctrine of life only in Christ, butit was misrcprer ented to them. Tbeyhad been informed that I did not believein ovorlast.ing punishment, mill taughtthat there was no future for men, death

being the end. On passing the Sea Wallon the Monday night they heard myaddress on "Hell: Is It a Place of Ac-tivity or Silence?" I read the fourthchapter of Malachi, and spoke upon thefirst three verses, showing (1) there is aday of judgment; (2) it has not yetcome; (3) it will burn as a furnace;(4) it shall devour and consume; (5)the Lord of Hosts bath said it. Thisgave me the opportunity of setting forththe Scripture teaching on future punish-ment, and of the way of escape from it,and thc gift of eternal life. A SalvationArmy captain raised some objections, towhich J replied. This discourse broughtalong the two miners on the followingSunday. W(' are still keeping the watchon Zion's tower, and looking for theKing. The en(,JllY is against us, but weare all wcl l who are engaged in thetight..-Youl'S in love, V{. EDGEIULL.

an orderly fashion, therefore he does notpresent to their minds isolated facts,but facts falling easily into groups, thatin days to come, if one member of agroup be recalled, all its fellows willcome trooping after. Thus, taking thefirst twelve chapters of Acts, he gave toeach a name:-Ascension, Pentecost,Lame Man, Boldness, Ananias, Stephen,Eunuch, Saul, Cornelius, Extension, andHerod. Around each of these names willnaturallv cluster the events containedin each rcspective chapter.Message to absent members, 1 Cor.

xvi. 13, 14. Maranatha. M.N.G.TlTAlIlES.-l am glad to be able once

again to tell you we have held our usualweekly meetings, and thev have beenhelpful and instructive to us all. Al-though but a small band of followers ofour Lord Jesus Christ, we know that HisHoly Spirit has been with us and keptand guided us up to the present. Letus never forget that we are not too smalla number for our Heavenly leather tonotice, and we have fplt that His pre-sence has been wi th us to cheer llS whenwe have been cast down. Mav each oneof us realise our need of His' protectingcare, and as the days go on still believethat His watchful eye will be upon us,and His hand keep us if we are faithfulto the end. M.S.

. t

Sleeper; m


15/16

JULY, 1906.

irbe (!omino of tbe !monJu;.~I k ~ ~ k \1/ ~ .1 .1 .1 I t ; J e it ;~Jl!L. ' ... l!L~l!L~: : W S l l n s h i n e C o r n e r . 'l: :- * i , l v " . 1 1 . 1 * -~-" .... 1it;it . r~' J m 1 \ 1 f l ' l ' JI\. I f T T 1 f ~ ~Our first word this month must beone of thanks for the hearty responsewhich has been made to our appeal for

assistance. From far and near we havereceived gifts of money, clothing, blan-kets, and other useful articles, and weare correspondingly grateful. 'Tis a far"ry from Auckland to 'I'irnaru, yet evenso far has our cry been heard, and fromthence "Sunshine" sends us the hand-some donation of 5. From distantTaumarunui also we ha ve received a finepa rcel of useful clothing, etc., whilefriends in and about Auckland have re-sponded liberally.

V;THAT WE ARE DOING.T would like to tell von just what we

'He doing with your gifts, but space for-bids anv detailed account. -Iust let metell you about one case that YOIl havehelped. A little company (a motherand her children) gathered round thet.'lhle the other rln.y. They had just laidtheir breadwinner to rest in the silenttomb, and now they were count ing upthe few coins that must provide themwith the necessaries of life for the nextweek. But though the few friends whohad gathered round them in the hour oftria I had done their best. the few re-ma ining coins were not sufficient, to sup-ply them with necessa rv food. Just thenone of our "Sunshine" workers arrivedon the scene with a parcel of groceries,to be followed by another with a load ofcoa I and fire\\ood. You can imaginebow greatly such help was appreciated.coming as it did in the hour of greatneed.'l'hu~ we are lIsin[.!' your gifts to help

the WIdow and the fathp.rless. the sickand afflicted, the poor and needy. Eachcase is carefully considered, 'inquiriesmane, and the help given in the formhest suited to the need : and if you couldhut hear the words of grateful thanksfrnm those thus assisted, you would feelwell repaid for your efforts, and for thehe.p you have so cheerfully given.

I

I have recently heard of a most en-gaging little lad who is so devoutlya ttached to his grandmother that hisfirst thought seems ever to be of her. Onedav he received a very large and beauti-ful apple-by far the finest he had seenso far that season. "I'll take it toGrandma," he said. and at once startedout on the more than half-mile trudgewhich lay between their homes. All theway along he feasted his eyes upon itsbeauty, and finally burst into her pre-sence with, "See, Grandma, what I'vebrought you. Isn't it a be-eautiful apple?And it's for you. Now, will you eat it,or shall J'"'Ve smile at the ingenious expression

which, after all, looked at in one way,

THE BIBLE STANDARD.simply shows the little fellow's confi-dence in his grandmother's love, thoughin the same brea th confesses his own tobe less generous: but I'vp been wonder-ing ever since I heard the story if itdoes not represent a ~oocl deal of ourso-called giving to God. We bring Himthe /lift, but somehow we expect thehenefit of it ourselves. Tsn't it so, veryoften? Of course. we have learned bvexperience' His delight to bless us fa;'beyond even our prayers ; hut it is notouite "giving" when we expect a return.Sh"JI we not l r- a rn rea.Ilv to give for.Jesus' sake, and not for our own in anysense?Another day this same little boy very

much wanted somoth in-r from his grand-father. hut. fearing lest his requestmight he deemed extravn.oant, went tohis grandmother first. "T wish you'dask .grandpa for it." he said. "I'mafraid he won't !!ivc it to me. and youknow how to rnana.se him better than Ido." ,Grandma conr=n led hpr smile as she

renl ied. "I think hp would !!ive it to youif vou ask vourself. hut T am perfectlvwilling to do the nski n-r if vou wouldrather I would." Before she had theounorbunity to no this. however. thechild came to her with: "T asked him.and I didn't have n.nv tronhle with hima t all. He just said 'Yes' as soon HS everI told him what T wanted."And I've been wonderinz. too. if this

was not another parable of the waymany of llS feel toward God. We thinkTIe ~vilJ be more willing to !live us thehlessinz we crave if sornebodv else asksfill' it for us- whe reo s nersonal applica-t.ion in the ri!!'ht snirit will nrove thatHe is more will+ne to "ive than we ~rf'to ask. or even recciv-. Not tha t Ithink He will answer with the /lift everywhim which we mav choose to call anraver. but if wo persona.Ilv wa.it uponHim in love and reverence He will soconform 0111 wills to Ris own holv willthat thc hlessing will 1 1 ( ' instant andabound ing. 'Yon have heard the story of Abraham

Lincoln, who, when told. during theCivil War, "I believe God is on ourside," instantly replied. "It is more im-portant that we be on God's side." Whenwe have learned this in its broadestapplication in all our prayers we willnot fear to go personally and alone toHim with any petition which His Spiritprompts in our bearts-and we shall notfail of a gracious answer.-May Field!l1cKean in "Baptist Commonwealth."

I

JE!:tract from a 1Letter trom 1Rortb

*

IT I

\\'hprefore should they come to England,Com pa n ies of handed foes:-Come to England in the open,\rhile their tactics Enghnd knows?1 their influence is evilWhere the legislature ties.

What their mischief where the systemT,cgislative law deflas ?Freedom: Aye, aye, give them freedom,Such as we and ours may claim,

Tn the ranks of social labourTo uphold an honest name;But I know not. oh. I know not'Vhere is England's common sense,

That she lets her halls to traitors,And ignores her own defence.

Is it not enough that latelyUp and down the land has sprangLocked and barred and bolted bn id ings1"01 the hiding of our young?

Many a father wonlrl have soonerParted with his household stuff;

"lnllY a motho r's hca r t is broken-Tell me, is it not enough?

Do we want our boys to wither'Neath a monaster ic blight:

With the priest!v hands n round them,And God's Bihle out of sight?

Should we swell the list of voters,Who, at ton ch of foreign spring,

Through the ballot could endangerThe position of our King?

\Yherefore should they come to England?'Vherefore should tlleir haunts be free

From the Govern ment inspector,In this land of liberty?And since nuns are noted beggars,How does English law avail,

While these bold ba.g-carrying spinstersA 1 1 escape the common gaol?

All a larm ist ! Aye, I know it,My opponents know it, too'

Know the danger and the duty. Of .the Protestants they woo.It might rouse us could we ,vitnessHow ~hey grin behind their cowl,AL OUI' ineffectual clearingOf the nest they come to foul.

0, the sorrow would be lessenedIf old England did not know'

But slle has the light of azes 'l


16/16

1I2 THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1906.Ureasu re r'~ H cJm o wle t)omen t s .

To JUNE 25, 1906.

Standard Stlbs.-~Iessrs. S. G. Sheldon, W. Broadbent, D.A. Osborn, S. Snf'll, J-L l\'[cRae, A. L. Cole, \V. Hodge, J.Beadley, S. O. Sheldon, J. l\1cKenzie, T. Hellyer, Nesbitt(Avon dale) , Mesdames Forrest, \Yiddo\\,son, Lush.

A ssociat ion SlIbs.--l\1essrs. S. Shcldon, L. 1. Keat, C.Cates, P. Cormie, J. Pea rson, H. H. King, Mesdames Cates,Knott, Clarkson.

ALEX. PAGE, Treasurer.

1Resting In 1bope.Hest, weary feet, that, slow and halting, trodLife's short, rough path: rest till that wondrous day

When ye, upon the eternal hills of God,Shal l run, with strong, firm step, your joyful way.

Fold patient hands upon the quiet breast;Faithful ye toiled, an humble place to fill;

Hereafter called to do His high behest,Ye shall work out your Master's glorious will.

Close, d roa my eyes, ont from whose depths thoro shoneI,ongings in this poor life unsatisfied;'1'(' shall behold the King upon His throne,And life, and joy, and beauty, multipl icd.

Pence, th robbing heart; nor pain, nor care, nor grief,Hopeless desire, nor powerless zeal, shall more

Trouble thy pulses: pain shall find relief,.\n

the bible standard july 1906

Documents