the bible standard july 1907

7/31/2019 The Bible Standard July 1907

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VOL. 28. No. 7. AUCKLAND, N.Z., JULY, I907. TWOPENCE.

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i NOE more the old question is raised,. "Why do not men attend chnrch ?" anda few wiseacres are supplying answers,which indicate clearly that the reasonis found in the fact that the churchesare not setting forth the peculiar viewsheld by the writers ! Let a man once

ha ve areason which he thinks is good cnoughf:or himto sever himself from church organisations, and at oncehe seems to imagine that other men stay away eitherbecause they think as he does on matters of doctrine, or

at least it is because the thingswhich displease him are thosewhich revolt them. No doubt thisis eminently satisfactory to the per-

sons in question; as to whether or not it is the true posi-tion is quite another matter. That some are dissatisfiedwith the churches is very possible, but this will notsupply an adequate reason for the majority of men,who, within the sound of church bells, care not to attendthe churches. 'I'he true answer goes far deeper than anydiscussion as to sound doctrine; it belongs to the basicfact that the heart of man is alienated from God. NoScripture that we are aware o:f:warrants the suppositionthat if true doctrine were preached, and all Christianswere perfectly consistent in their lives, the majority ofmen 'would attend church. From first to last this dis-pensation contemplates a world opposed to God and toHis Son, with only a called-out few accepting His termsof salvation. The only answer to the question-an an-swer which fully meets the case-is that men do notattend church because they don't want to.

lR en ew in g a n\l)ll' \topic.

Quite rccentlv a Conference was held at Burntisland(we take the account from the Scotsman), at which this

question was discussed by ministers and working men.'I'he matter was not exhausted at one sitting, and so

there was a second 'gathering tocontinue the subject. 'I'he reportdoes not show that anything wasarrived at that actually would Im-prove things. There was plenty of criticism of the

church-goer, and not a little condemnation of thepreacher, chiefly because the worker thought that theparson ought to preach on social questions. But theimpression left after reading the report confirms thestatement made above, namely-that wen do not go tochurch because they do not want to go. H there is arecognition of man's litter helplessness, and a necessityfor a full dependence on the work of Je8U8 Christ r m 'salvation, there will be found a eh urch-goer; but if itman does not realise this, and is depending upon him-self, or upon society, for an amelioration which willsatisfy his present needs, careless of what the future maybring, then such a man will notAncl any interest inchurch, and will not be found there. That is all thereis to it; and the sooner this is recognised the sooner willthe truth on the matter close 11p the mouths of the oh-jectors who make, an excuse for staying away by throw-ing the blame on the churches. Churches and church-members are not by any means perfect; hut that is not,and never was, any reason of value why men do not goto church.

\l)nl}? ~neSolution.

'I'he New 'I'heology denies that there ever occurred theevent in human history hitherto known as the Fall. Itis true that Genesis records it; but Genesis is accountedas allegorv rnerelv, and is not to be accepted as sober

historv. His true, too, that theApostle Pan 1 declares it in unmis-takable terms; but one man saysthe passage in Rom. v, 12 is aninterpolation, and another says that Paul undoubtedlv

believed it, but his authority is not sufficient to estab-lish it. He was influenced by the teaching of the rabbis!Another says triumphantlv : "The Fall certainly neverhappened, because no writer in the Old Testament afterthe story in Genesis ever refers to it. If it ever hap-pened, then they must have mentioned it." To whichour answer would be that the whole of human history

lm owtng \ tOOfIDucb.


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98 THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1907.is inexplicable without it, and the special history of theBible has no place whatever apart from it. The Leviti-cal system has a basis in the Fall, but there is no foun-dation for it, and it has no reference, if that never occur-red. It is not Genesis alone that must go, but the wholeof the Old Testament, and the redemptive plan especi-ally, which is wrought out in its pages, and carried overto culminate on the Cross,But this supposed omission to mention the Fall in the

Old Testament is dealt with by a Hebrew Ohristianthus: "The majority of ministers have only a limitedacquaintance with Hebrew, owing to the brief time that

is allotted to it in the theologicalcurriculum. A lifelong acquaint-ance with that ancient tongue isnecessary for a thorough knowledge

of its shades of meaning and nice distinctions .The positive assertion that 'no prophet, no psalmist, nohistorian refers to the Fall in the Old Testament' caneasily be refuted when one goes to the original Hebrewfor the facts. The prophet Hosea said: 'They, likeAdam, have transgressed the covenant' (Hos. vi. 7).'Oovenant' in this connection meant a law, a command.Adam was forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree oflmowledge. The Psalmist said: 'But, like Adam, yeshall die' (Psa. lxxxii. 7). 'But' here refers to a formerwell-known fact. The Psalmist had in mind God'sjudgment of death for sin pronounced on Adam. Theprophet Ezekiel declared: 'They are an delivered untodeath, to the nether parts of the earth in the midst ofthe children of Adam' (Ezek. xxxi. 14). Job, althoughas righteous as the modern critic, believed in the realityof the Fall, for he exclaimed: 'If I covered my trans-gressions as Adam by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom'(Job xxxi. 33). It is worthy of notice that these fourmen -two prophets, one psalmist, and a philosopher-living in different localities, writing at different periods,thus preventing any suspicion of collusion betweenthem, each and all used the word 'Adam,' instead ofEnos. Had the Doctor consulted the Hebrew Bible, hewould have found that the ancient Hebrews emphasisedthe Fall of man."

Bn~ " t R o t16nougb.

The denial by Mr. Oampbell, and others, of the Virginbirth of our Lord brings to the fore a question whichotherwise would not press so heavily. If we must per-force believe that Christ was actually of no higher par-

entage than the Adamic, the ques-tion must follow, Was He sinless?The belief that He was born of theVirgin Mary gives the ground that

He was not necessarily under the Adamic taint, and,therefore, if from this standpoint the question is asked,Was He sinless? it is put with the endeavour to findwhether or not He became liable to death because ofpersonal transgression. If He sinned, and became thusliable, He could not be a Saviour. But this new view

Bnotber(j lluestfon.

starts with the belief that the Virgin birth is legendaryonly, and that Jesus was altogether of Adam's race, andinherited the Adamic taint; he must therefore die. Theeager question now put is of little value; it begins toofar along, whatever the answer may be. The answerto the question as put from those who believe in theVirgin birth is of immense importance to the sons ofmen; but the answer from the standpoint of the denialof that birth is of little practical importance. 'I'rue, itmay affect our view of Him as a teacher, but whetherHe sinned or not He is no use as a Saviour, for, if ofAdam's race, He must die, and requires a Saviour towork for Him, else He could never come from the grave.But it is a curious answer which is givcn to this ques-

tion by Mr. Rhondda Williams, who raises it in a recentwork. He says that the New Theology men are largelysilent about this matter, because they love Jesus so

much! But Mr. Williams does notbelieve in the sinlessness of Jesus,though he loves Him so greatly!Why does he not believe? Do therecords say that Jesus sinned? o. Il.lell, how is the

answer reached? The first reply is that we know no-thing of the thirty years of life before He entered uponHis ministry. IN ell, as the Expository Times asks,"Does Mr. Williams helieve that He sinned during thatperiod ?" No, he does not say that; but there is con-veyed the suggestion that He might have done so. Isthere any hint in the Gospels that would serve this gen-tleman's purpose? He dismisses the Gospel of John,and so gets rid of the question which the Lord puts,"Which of you convicteth Me of sin?" and confines him-self to the three synoptics, and from them he comes withthe statement, "I lmow of no sin that He ever commit-ted." That is surely satisfactory. But no; to believethat would be to accept a miracle,' and, of course, beliefin the miraculous is one of the items which the NewTheology casts overboard. Which simply means that Mr.Williams closely examines the testimony, and can findnothing in it but what testifies to the Lord's sinlessncss;but still he is determined to believe that He was notsinless. All of which goes to show the length to whichthese modern advocates of "the old blasphemy," or, as itis called, "the new humanism," are prepared to go intheir endeavour to do away with man's only hope of sal-vation.

B cunousBnswer .

Already the disastrous effects of the New Theologycraze are being experienced, and their nature may bejudged from a significant utterance of Rev. F: B. Meyer,who, in a recent sermon, said: "I come across a consid-

, erable number of local preachers


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JULY, 1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 99they would sooner forego the honour and privilege ofaddressing men than talk without knowing exactly theway to direct them. Then I have come across a largenumber of young men who used to attend my Bible Classyears ago at Aldersgate Street, and were then the mostdevoted of the disciples of Christ-so much so that inthe dinner-hour they would take up their New Testa-ments and spend the time in earnestly studying them.But they have come under the influence of the New The-ology; they have put the Bible upon the top shelf as nolonger of any service, and now loaf about the streetswith cigars in their mouths on Sunday afternoons,whereas they used to try to serve Christ by SundaySchool and other Christian work." If it is sound tojudge a tree by its fruits, what shall we say concerninga teaching which has the effects cited by Mr. Meyer?The professed appeal to the intellect which this newteaching makes is one which is only profession. It israther an appeal to the old nature, and its fruits arenatural.

An American preacher has met with an unexpectedapplication of his theology, causing him much disap-pointment. It appears that this gentleman and hi"father have been preachers of a very strict form of pre-

destination. Not long since the:iather was killed in a railway acci-dent, and the son sued the BigFour Company for killing his

father. In due time the case came before the Court,and the counsel for the Company argued that the deathof the father on the railroad track under a train hadbeen fore-ordained, and that the railroad company wasnot in any way liable. The jury took the same view ofthe matter, and instead of the .$10,000 for which thepreacher-son sued, they awarded him one dollar, on theground that it was inconsistent for preachers of predes-tination to ask for damages in a' death case.

'ttbeoloO }1Bpvltetl.

The cablegrams appearing in the daily Press informus that the Pope has authorised the revision of theVulgate, and has entrusted the work to the monks of theBenedictine Order. This Vulgate, i.e., Common Ver-

sion, is the first in the line ofRevised Bibles. In the fourthcentury of our era so many errorshad crept into the old Latin ver-sions that great need of a revision was felt. Damasus,

then Pope of Rome, applied 'to J erome, known to be agreat scholar, to undertake the necessary work. ThisJerome agreed to do, although he knew that, there wouldbe opposition to it from those who thought that "ignor-ance was holiness." He completed the revision of theNew Testament, and then translated the Old Testamentdirect from the original Hebrew. This was a most im-portant labour. Probably no other work has had suchan inti.uence on the history of the Bible. "For more

1ke" fstn o tbeUhlloate.

than a thousand years it was the parent of every versionof Scripture in Western Europe." How was it received?"It was called revolutionary and heretical, subversive ofall faith in the Holy Scriptures, an impious altering ofthe Word of God. In fact, for centuries after, every-thing was said against it that ignorant bigotry couldsuggest." J erome, however, could give as good as sent,and retorted upon his opponents with the statement thatthey were "two-legged donkeys." "I could afford todespise them," he says, "if I stood upon my rights; fora lyre is played in vain to an ass." "If they do not likethe water from a pure fountain-head, let them drink ofthe muddy streams."But this opposition gradually died down, and in its

place there grew up a feeling of veneration for thisversion, so strong that men seemed to forget that it wasonly a translation. It was the version of their church,

they said, and in her own language."Why should it yield to Greek orHebrew manuscripts, which havebeen for all these hundreds of years

in the hands of Jewish unbelievers and Greek schis-matics ?" The time came that in Council it was deter-mined that the Vulgate should be considered correct.But it was recognised that it was spoiled by intermixturewith other Latin versions, so attempts were made to putit right. Sixtus V. gave to the worlcl a revised text in1590, but this was so faulty that two years later hissuccessor issued an improved edition, which from thentill now has been received as the standard edition. Onthese two revisions, Scrivener remarks: "One thing iscertain-that neither the Sixtine nor the Clementineedition was prepared on any intelligent principles ofcriticism, or furnishes us with the best text as the bestmanuscripts of Jerome's Vulgate supply to our hand."That the work of revision is urgently needed is certain,but when it. is accomplished it is not likely that theresults arrived at by scholars from their examination ofGreek manuscripts and ancient versions will be at alldisturbed.

't tbe ' fRee ll for1Re"tston.

In an able article in the Daily Chronicle a few daysago, Professor J ames Long dealt very frankly with aquestion which is rapidly becoming the question of thetime-the forming of the coming race by the training of

mothers. Great point is given tohis appeal by the presentation ofstatistics relating to two Americanfamilies - first, that of J onathan

Edwards, the theologian; and second, that of the ances-tor of a race of criminals: "Of a thousand descendantsin the first case, 464 were distinguished men-judges,professors, lawyers, college presidents, physicians, clergy-men, and authors; while of 1200 descendants of theother, 310 were professional paupers, 130 convictedcriminals, sixty habitual thieves, and seven murderers,while 400 were self-wrecked, showing a record of crime,

Ube < !ollttn olRace.


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100 THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1007.insanitv, and pauperism ahnostwithout precedent. Whatproportion of these two results is attributable towomen?" 'I'hesc startling :ngnrrs, which were usedwith great effect recently by Dr. Pierson, should givepause to all who value their country. Professor Longoutends that modern life tends to divide the interestsof fathers and mothers, the former being content wit] Icaming bread a11(1remaining master of the house, while'themother is left almost a.lone to train, f'or good or evil.thr children. 'The old adage, "The hand that rocks theorad le rules the world," is so worn as to be obsolete forman)'. His no exaggeration to say that "if all English-men were the sons of good mothers wr should hr a new.nation."-1'/11' (,h1'i.,f1'((n.

< . t r 0 5 5 " , , : f 1 3 e a r i n g .

'l'lTTS is all age much given to hearing the cross S11S-pondsd to neck and watch chains. and. fastened to thetops of churches, and in many other ways too numerousto mention-a manner or hearing it which may suit thePope and the Freemasons, hilt; which cannot meet witht he approval of Him who d icd npon it for their sins: butthere is verv little bearing it in a Gospel Rense-ill theway Jesus directed. '1 '1 1 ( '1 '( ' i~ no I aek of: ooiumierr tobear the cross when the mannor of hearing it is pleasingto the carnal nature-c-fosteri l1g pri de: hu r the crosswhich Simon bore he was ( 'O ln lJ I '77 f'd to carry. It was1I0t SH ell it pleasant operation : it was an imstrumeni o fdeath. and ever intended to bo throughon t the Gospelage. And it is a trick of the devil to get it manufac-tured into ornaments to ho exhibited externally, to divertthe mind from that jnterual, vital. spiritnnl bearing of:it which is contrary to the flesh.

"Must Simon bear the ('ro;::s alone.And all the worl C l go free?

Xo, there's a cross for every one,And there's a cross for me."

While we do not have the literal, wooden instrumentof death to carry which Si1110n of Cyrene bore after.Iesus to the place of crucifixion, we still have a cross tohear with which w.e arc crucified with Christ, and aredead to the world. 'I'hey who hare never been throughth is experience should not have been buried aliv e in bap-tism, and they never began the new life. 'I'hemcident()f Si man being pressed in to service to bear .Tesus' crosswas not accidental. There wore no accidents in the life.dea th, burial and resurrect ion of .1 osus : no incident C011-nccted with Rim wh ich i~ on record is pointless. Jesuscould have been strengthened sufficiently by the Fatherto bear His own cross throughout all the way to Gol-gotha; but the Divine purpose in teaching after lessonsby objective illustration would he better served by com-pelling Simon to bear the cross after Jesus. And thewords of the Lord to us seem to come directly from thatscene in view: "Whosoever will come after Me, let himdeny himself, and takeup his cross, and follow Me."

It was contrary to Simon's previous plans to "aboutface," wheel into line in that procession of death, andbear that cross; but they cO Tnpell ed him to because theywou1cl uot bear it themselves, and so, in a sense, ouropposers compel us to heari t, I f L h ey would heal' it, itwould save us the trouble; if an should hear it, therewould not be


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JULY, 19 01. THE BIBLE STANOARD. 101fore (~od-we shall cucounter sneers, scoffs, oppositiou,and hatred, and be cast out as a "crank" or lunatic Iikelvenough. "

~;, The cross 11lUSt be borne by the co m pany w e lc eep,"And they went to their own company:" "Partlv whilstye were made a. gazing-stock, both by reproaches andafflictions ; and partly, whilst ye became companions ofthem that were so used" (Heb. x. 33), "Thou alsowast with Jesus of Galilee." "This fellow was also with,}C'SllSof Nazareth," "Surely thou also art one of them;1'01' tlly speech betrayeth thee" (J\J att, xxvi, 69-73), Jti,.; just as natural for real Christians to separate fromworldliness, whether in church or out, and congregatetogether, as it is for sheep to flee from wolves and flockjogetlier, A sheep 'will love a sheep ill, preference to awolf, if she isn't of quite so high-toned a breed as someothers, or is even of plainer appearance than the wolf,'I 'ho main thing with a sheep i~ to live; and she knows,.;lie cannot do it only with her own tribe, There are";OI11e0 r the Lord's lambs tha t I know of that, if theyIivc the life they ]1011"Ii vo bv the faith of the Son of(iod, they better got out of the wolf's den they are in.uul come iu among the Lord's plain-looking sheep, Theyshall have as good as there i:4 in the crib and live, anliwith godly contentment, which is great gain, and befor ever happy, A wolf's love for a lamb is obvious ,;}I}(l ullgodl~' churches and ministers will 101'c God'slambs as loug as tlte,)" call live on them, But it ; - 3 astretch of faith how the Hock of God can make overtures(0 lwr devourer-s-worldliness. "Wherefore come outlrom among them, uu d he ye separate, saith the Lord,nurl touch Hot theunclean thing; and I will receive you,uud will be a Father unto you, and ve shall be my sonsund daughters, saith the Lord Almightv" (2 Cor, vi.I';, 1R),"I will HoL leave vou o rphans" (.Jolnl xiv. 18),

( , 1 1 ( ( I 'f /i",) ).; 0, no, OUl' sonshi p and daughtership withUod arc sure in separation from worldliness and un-godl iness. It is better to be a son or daughter of God,i I' we stand alone, than to be the flattered and pamperedul' societv. and be orphan cd of heaven, It is better to"he a doorkeeper j 11 thehouse of the Lord than to dwell ,ill ihe tents o lwickedncss." "The life is more thanmeat, and the both" than raiment." Hwe cannot livewith the dead members of. the body, mortification havingset in, then let the knife cut, and lot that which was onceloved by association depart, Cast out here are ournames, but "received up to glorv." "I wi ll tOnl'l'~'; Hill!before mv Father and the holy angels." Presented atl hc throne.c-=C. E. COl']> in W01' lrl 's O risis,

So persons can bp 100 utter 1." isolated 01' shut in that

lhev annot hold communion with the Father 0 I' spirits,and no help is more effective in the various departmentsof. the work of: Go(l than the help of pl'HI'CI', POllTC'([Iorthfrom men who lift u v holy hands wi thout w ratli ordoubling,

'l'H]!} \'.I~lOS ()Ii' TUB DUo.GK

'I'HI';ln: .ue IIl


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~--------------------------------------102 THE' BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1901.

book rest. Grasp the significance of this, and we enterupon the high road to the understanding of those whichfollow, because they supply items and details which fillout this general and comprehensive outline.'I'he king dreams, and the visions which come to him

so trouble him that he cannot sleep. By his commandthe wise men of his realm are called in early to interprethis dream. Willingly enough they come, quite prepareddoubtless to supply him with an interpretation of anydream, however fantastic, that may have troubled theirroyal master. But he asks an unheard-of thing. Heunreasonably insists upon the dream also being given."The dream had impressed itself as something porten-tous, but the impression was vague and shadowy, iteluded him like a phantom when he sought to grasp it.All had been clearly imaged on his sleeping brain; nowin the daylight it had become blurred and dim. The'airy fabric' had melted away; only the outlines of thepicture, hazy and uncertain, and for that reason all themore alarming, remained. Until some hand had piecedthe threads of the fabric together, and filled in the out-lines of the picture, the great King of Babylon- couldhave no peace." "Call in the wise men to tell theking his dreams!" They may have been summoned'many times for the purposes of interpretation, and theirpast experience may have supplied a jaunty self-confi-dence which is here put to a sudden test, under which itcompletely breaks down. Surely, the night's rest hadgiven the king great exuberance of spirits, and he jokedwith them! But, no, he is in downright earnest, asthey soon perceive, for he insistently declares that theymust supply the dream, and then give him the interpre-tation. The chapter depicts a stormy interview. "Tellme the dream," says the king, and the Chaldeans an-swer, "0 king, live for ever; tell thy servants the dream,and we will show the interpretation." Their learning,their ability to read the signs of the times, their saga-city, and their craft are alike powerless here. Theking naturally supposes that if by the help of the godsthey can render interpretations, it should be as easyby the same assistance to tell the dream. Their failureconvinces him of their imposture, and in anger he says:"Ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speakbefore me, till the time be changed." Threats, bribes,and accusations are all impotent, and, driven to theextremity, these men make a remarkable admission,which is surely a preparation for the interpretationwhen it comes. "It is a rare thing that the king re-quireth, and there is none other that can show it beforethe king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not withflesh." The immediate consequence of this admissionwas that the king. decides that such impostors areno longer fit to live, and the command goes forththat all the wise men should be slain. Daniel is one ofthese, and, with his companions,' must share the doomthat is to fall upon the Chaldeans. Naturally, hewishes to know the cause, and on learning what has hap-pened he begs for a little time, and promises to supply

the interpretation. Was not this a venturesome thingto do? 'I'he first chapter shows that Daniel had "under-standing in all visions and dreams," and this was God-given. But the greater thing is that he has confidencein God. Note what follows: Daniel returns to hishouse, and invites his companions to join him in aprayer-meeting. How important the place that prayeroccupies in the Scriptures! Of course, our modernteachers smile at the idea of prayer, but somehow it isstill the comfort and solace of the child of God. Thebelieving parents will pray on still in behalf of theirerring children, and they believe that the God of Danielhears them. And sometimes, let me whisper it, the lan-guage of prayer finds its way to the lips of the scofferwhen the hour of danger is upon him. Daniel and hiscompanions are in danger, and they make use of theprotective "all-prayer." 1 cannot pass by without notethe catholicity of the prayer. They thought of them-selves, but their sense of danger was not so overwhelmingthat they forgot that others were in the like danger.Praise follows hard upon prayer, for the dream isrevealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and he ren-ders thanksgivings unto God for the gracious boon be-stowed. Read that description of God's might, wisdom,and ways, and then, if you are a believer, rejoice thatDaniel's God is yours also. No time is lost by Daniel,who first visits Arioeh, to bid him spare the wise men,for the dream and interpretation are known. Arioch,like a true courtier, would claim a little credit to him-self, and so says, "1 have found a man." It was ratherthe other way about, as the story goes. He is introducedas of the children of the captivity of Judah. "Art thouable?" says the king. "No," says Daniel modestly, "butGod is able." "Thou a foreign captive?" "There is aGod in heaven that revealeth secrets, and He hath madeknown to the king what shall be in the latter days."There is no desire for self-seeking on the part of thisJ udean captive; he puts God first, and this, 1 think,must have caught the immediate attention of the king.We may picture to ourselves the attitude of the king

as Daniel begins to recite the dream, and the quick start. of close attention as the first sentences recall the outlineof the image he had seen. The king was sole ruler of amighty empire, none could say him nay. "Young as hewas, standing only on the threshold of his reign, he hadalready won famous victories abroad, and inauguratedgreat works of industry at home. His past had beenfull of glorious achievement, but that would be as no-thing in comparison with his future he saw hissplendid city the metropolis of a vast empire, ever grow-ing and expanding, till the whole world was ruled fromBabylon. And then to the wakeful king came thethought unbidden: What would be the end of theseglories? Of his own power he was conscious; give himlength of days, he would build up an empire and founda dynasty-but would it endure after he was gone?Human life was brief at its longest; who would reignin his stead? What would be the future of his king-


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JULY, 1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD.clom? The destiny of that mighty city, which was evennow rising around him, called into being by his fiat?Would it fall, as Nineveh had fallen; or be as he hadmeant it to be, immortal?" How he listens, as Danielgoes on to describe item by item the singular dream thatanswers his questionings, and goes beyond the immediatefuture, until it takes in "what shall be in the latter(lays."A bright and terrible image stood before the king,with the outlines of a man. He saw that this giantimage was composed of different metals-head of gold,breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legsof iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay.'I'hen his attention is drawn to a mountain close at hand,whence a stone is cut out without hands, and, gatheringswiftness in its descent, it suddenly smites the imageupon its fect, and the image totters and falls in ruinon the plain. Gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay arebroken, and become as Just, arid the rushing windgathers them up, and all that is left of so much strengthand majesty is blown about, and swept away as chafffrom the threshing floor. The great image is as thoughit had not been, but now the further wonder is that thestone, the means of this destruction, grows before hissight, till it becomes a great mountain, and fills thewhole earth, and then the king awakes. The vision hadpresented itself to him as an answer to his thoughts,and then had vanished so completely that, try as hewould, he could not recall it. With what eagerness hemust have listened as the servant of God brought itback from the oblivion into which it had gone, and howanxious he must have been to know what it could mean.He has not long to wait, for Daniel proceeds withouthalt to interpret it.Daniel had rejoiced when he understood the vision,

not alone because he was chosen to tell the dream to theking, but because of the insight which was afforded tohim of the course of the world-supremacy. The imagerepresents successive kingdoms, and Daniel had said ofGod; "He changeth the times .md seasons; he removethkings, and setteth up kings." The future stretches outbefore us as a blank curtain, and, however anxiously wemay wish to know what it contains, we must be contentto wait until time as it passes brings its events upon us.But here Daniel rejoices, for the darkness is made light.God knoweth what is in the darkness, and He makes theknowledge available to His servants. Let us see whatis in this vision, that we, with Daniel, may rejoice.To understand Scripture, we have no need to go be-

yond Scripture. The Word of God, compared withitself, the Word honestly taken, the Word made its owninterpreter, is sufficient. One great cause of the pre-vailing ignorance of the Bible prophecies arises fromthe teaching which has insisted that none can graspthe meaning of prophecy except he is a student of pro-fane history. A statement which, in its bald form, Ideny. The passage of Scripture which affirms its au-thority gives also its sufficiency. Nothing can be needed

by allY in order to be "throughly furnished" beyond therecord itself. I do not decry secular, and so-called pro-fane, knowledge. It is extremely useful and illustra-tive, but as a means of explaining the Divine workingsit is not needed.1 am quite aware that 1 shall say much that is out of

harmony with the popular notions of this Book ofDaniel, and that 1 shall disagree with the teachings ofmany estimable students of prophecy, but 1 shall endea-vour to make good my teachings by appeal to the onlysource of information on these great themes. If anysystem of prophecy is familiar to you with which anyof my remarks may conflict, 1 will ask you to listento the reasons advanced, and then to weigh them care-fully. It is necessary, too, that you should ask your-selves whether or not you have formed yonr views fromthe Word alone, or have accepted them from the teach-ings of some favourite expositor or commentator.You will observe that Daniel forewarns the king that

the vision stretches to the latter days, and as it beginswith the king himself, it must in some way relate totheintervening history. We will take Daniel's explanationas our guide;-

(a) "Thou art the head of gold." 'I'hat is, that KingN ebuchadnezzar personally was represented by that por-tion of the image. Mark the extent of his rule andkingdom. As far as the gift was concerned which washanded to him by God, the only earthly bound to hispower and his dominion was his own ambition. Thisgreat "supremacy" is indicated by the position-thehead-and by the metal of which it is composed. Thegold may also refer to the original source of that power,and may indicate that in the form of government exer-cised it is god-like, it being a pure autocracy. NoHouse of Legislature intervened between the will of theking and its exercise, "whom he would he slew, andwhom he would he kept alive."

(To be continued.)

'U:belResunectton ano tb e 1ife ,AN English officer, who served in the Crimean war, saysthat after the battle of Inkermann, when they were bury-ing the dead, they found the body of a soldier who hadbeen fatally wounded, but had sufficient strength tocrawl to a place of shelter to die. When his corpse waslifted reverently by his comrades, his hand was restingon an open Bible. The officer looked at the page, andfound it was the eleventh chapter of John, in which arethe words; "1 am the resurrection and the life; he thatbelieveth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."'I'he soldier's blood had flowed and congealed in thefrosty air, so that as his body was raised, the leaf adheredto his hand and was torn out of the book. He wasburied with the leaf still there, a mute pledge of theresurrection.-S elected.


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hv which they may be known. The.y are not formedinto a nation nor collected into a visible Church. Ex-cept as "in the bonds 01 ' the Hpirit;' secret and invisibleto us, they arc not now united in one body, nor can thcyhe infallibly discorned 01' recognised hv IIICn. 'l'he Lord,ana the Lord onlv, "knoweth them that art- His."'1'11eChristian Church consisted ill the fi rst instance(Rom. i. 16; xi. 1-tl) or believing .Iews taken out

"ae:'cording to the election o l grace' Iroiu 1I1110ngstheirunbelieving brethren, and a/so (Acts xi. 18) of believingUentiJe,; grafted in alllong the believing Jews, and thusmad e s , fe llow heirs and partakers of the prom isc inC ln-ist hy the gospel' (I"ijplt. iii. 16). 'I'his incorpora-tion of Gentiles witl: -lcws was, in Old 'I'estaruent times.nil unrevealed mvsterv "hidden in God" (Eph. iii, ;)-10). 'I 'hua jt indisputablv follows that the Church orthe present dispensation cannot possibly 1)(' (as somewould suv) the great ~IIhjl'd or Old 'I'estarnentprophecv, the 11.1' the preaching of His.vpostles, had thev ncknowlcdgod Jesus as the trueX lessiah. there would have hce n J10 change or dispense-tion such as that which nduuHy took place. 'I'Iie "out-casts 01: Israel" would hill'l' hccn brought hack :1'1'0111exile and re-united to tlte "di:"pel'''ed of .Iudah,' andtogether formed "ono nation UPOII tit('IIlolmtains of] sracl" (l~z. xxxvi i. 'U), ;\";11'(' know hereafter the.y shallbe. The Lord .Tl'~\I;'


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1 '0 6 THE B IB LE STANDARD. JULY, 1907.Have the Old Testament saints any relationship to

or connection with this (now) Gentile Church? Weanswer "No," for (1) the foundation stone-which isChrist-was not laid in their time; (2) the Holy Spirit-as now known-was not given (Jolm vii, 37-39);and (3) Christ referred to the Church as a futurething, which was non-existent at the time when Hespake. Moreover (4) , Paul declares that themembers of the Church are hereafter to formone body, of which Christ is the Head. But Christ-the Head-is seated in heaven, having passed throughdeath and resurrection. How comes it, then, thatisolated individuals spread over 20 centuries become at-taehed to that Head? It is by the baptism of the HolySpirit, for "by one Spirit are we all baptized into onebody, whether Jew or Gentile" (1 Cor. xii. 13). TheOld Testament saints do not belong to this body, becauseprevious to the ascension of our Lord there was no risenHead (Eph. i. 20-23) to which the members could beadded, and so they could not be baptized into Hisbody. Now, the head of this body must exist beforethe members, for we are added to the Head, and not theHead to us. The Old Testament reveals nothing abouta body for Christ. Israel was a nation under God, nota body connected with Jesus Christ. (5) There wasno life in and with a risen Christ in the previousdispensation, for Christ had not died. The grain ofwheat had not died, and so there could be no fruit(Jolm xii. 24). That the ancient saints in resurrectionwill have eternal life there can be no doubt, but theirposition in the eternal ages will not be that of thosewho belong to the organisation which is called "thebody" of our Lord. The formation of that body beganaftcr Pentecost and ends at the Second Advent. Andas there are in a human body a certain number ofmembers and no more, so with the body of Christ,and when the required number of believers is obtained,the Lord will return, waken the dead and change theliving. None can then be added to the number-thebody is complete. Millennial saints will not belong tothe Church, which is Christ's body.What, then, is the position of the saints of olden

days? We know that the antediluvian saints, such asAbel, Enoch, and Noah, had faith in God, and theeleventh chapter of Hebrews assures us as to theireternal welfare. But we are referring especially tothose of whom Abraham is the head, even as Christ isthe Church's head. What were the promises made toAbraham, and renewed to Isaac and Jacob? Threepromises were made to him, and seven times were thepromises given ; (1) a promise of the land of Canaan;(2) that his seed should become a great nation; (3)a promise of great blessing (Gen. xxii. 17-18). Thesepromises are confined to this earth. The promises ofGod cannot be of none effect, and seeing that Abrahamhas not inherited the land, he must at resurrectionpossess the land, and those of his descendants whopossessed his faith shall rise again and share in the

inheritance. Supposing Abraham and his godly seedof the past dispensation bclong to the Christian Church?Then their blessing will be in "the heavenly places."But God did not promise them anything in heaven, buton earth. Therefore to reign in heaven would not bea fulfilment of the promise. The promise cannot be ful-filled except in the land of Canaan. The time of thefulfilment is called "the Kingdom of heaven," or "theKingdom of God." And its boundaries shall be ex-tended, for Abraham is "heir of the world" (Rom. iv,13) as well as inheritor of Canaan. And our Lord de-clared to the Jews that Abraham and Isaac and J acoband all the prophets, as well as many from the eastand west and north and south, shall sit down in theKingdom of heaven (Matt. viii, 11, Luke xiii. 28)This was the hope of Israel. They died in faith, be-lieving they should rise again and each one "standin his lot at the end of the days" (Dan xii. 7, Acts xiv.6-8), the risen David bcing "their prince for ever"(Ez. xxxvii, 23-25 ; Jeremiah xxx. 9).How different the promise to the Church? "In My

Father's house are many mansions; I go to prepare 'aplace for you" (John xiv. 2). The dwelling place ofthe Church, therefore, cannot be on earth, for thesimple reason that Christ went away from earth inorder to prepare it for us. Whatever and wheresoevermay be the home which the Lorcl Jesus is now preparingfor the Church, He has gone away [rom. the ea rth . forthat purpose, and therefore it cannot be in any placeupon or in connection with the present earth. We areto be "raised up with Him, anclmade to sit with Him inthe heavenly places" (Eph. ii. 6)Thus, then, it has been shown that the saints of this

dispensation who constitute what is called "the body ofChrist," are a distinct, peculiar, unique company, andthat the saints in days before the establishment of theChristian Church, or in ages yet to come, do not belongto, or share in their special blessings and privileges.IN e admit the essential truth that saints of every ageare "saved" only through the atoning work of Christ,but it does not therefore follow that they all belongto the body of Christ any more than that all are Apostlesand Prophets. The saints of all ages will indeed beeternally blessed, but that their relationship to Christwill be the same as that of the Church "which is Hisbody," is, we are persuaded, a doctrine not sanctionedby the Scriptures.Let us, in closing, protest against the idea that TewTestament saints are in themselves any better than OldTestament saints. This is no question of worth ormerit, but of God's calling and gifts. There are Arch-angels as well as Angels. Israel-a company of slaves-was chosen to be God's "peculiar people" rather thanEgypt with its culture and learning. And if God seesfit that a certain number of selected ones, gatheredwithin a limited time-i.e., between the first and secondAdvents of our Lord-shall have heavenly blessings,whereas Abraham and his nation receive an earthly


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Jtrr.r, 1907. THE BIBLE STANbARD.blessing, there is no ground for boasting. We are all"sinners saved by grace." And our positions hereafterwill be all of sovereign grace. And He who raisedDavid above his brethren, even from the sheepfold tobe King over Israel, may, if so please Him, raise tothe highest dignity the saints who compose the bodyof Christ, without doing any injustice towards the-saints of ancient days. Who shall challenge God's rightto deal as He will in the apportioning of the futureposition and dignity of His chosen servants?Of the Old Testament saints we read, "These all

died in faith, not having received the promises" (Heb-xi. 13). This "not having received" implies that theymight have received before death if God had so willed.Does not this prove that the promises given them wereconnected with this earth, and that, therefore, they shallafter resurrection "inherit the earth" (Ps. xxxvii. 11;Matt. v. 5)? Of the New Testament saints we read,"God has provided some better thing concerning us"(Heb. xi. 40). Better? Yes; because ours is to be"an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadethnot away, reserved (not on earth, but) in heaven" (1Peter i. 4).

Q. Cmsp BROWN.Rotorua.

:JSeaut~ ot tbe 1fl esurrecti on .IF a man has a statue decayed by rust and age, andmutilated in many of its parts, he breaks it up and castsit into a furnace, and after the melting he receives itagain in more beautiful form. . As thus the dissolvingin the furnace was not a destruction, but a renewing ofthe statue, so the death of our bodies is not a destruc-tion, but a renovation. When, therefore, you see in afurnace our flesh flowing away to corruption, dwell noton that sight, but wait for the re-casting. And advancein your thoughts to a still higher point-for the statu-ary casting into the furnacc a brazen image but makesa brazen one again. God does not thus; but castingin a mortal body formed of clay, He returns you animmortal statue of golcl.-Chrysostom.

:JSeStrong .

Be strong.We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;We have hard work to do and loads to lift;Shun not the struggle; face it; 'tis God's girt.Be strong:Say not the days are evil-who's to blame?And fold the hands and acquiesce-Oh, shame!Stand up, speak out, and, bravely, in God's name:Be strong.It matters not how deep intrenehed the wrong;How hard the battle goes-the day how long-Faint not, fight on; to-morrow comes the song.Selected.

~ tme lRtgb ts [b tngs .:MANYills and wrongs of this world are cured by time.Wait. Have patience, and changes will come. Theman who to-day stands on high and works evil, to-mor-row is dead and gone and forgotten. The combinationswhich at the present time are the terror of good andhonest men, and tend to hinder the rule of truth andrighteousness and justice, will, in due ,time, be brokenup and scattered to the winds. Wrong in its nature isnot abiding; right lives, and the great day will showthat barriers which seemed to be insurmountable, soonmelt away, vanish, and are utterly forgotten.Be patient, hold fast the right, bear testimony, do

not be disheartened, nor faint in the day of adversity,maintain your integrity, and never be discouraged. Ifyour life is hid with Christ you need not fear them thatkill the body. If you serve God you will outlive athousand troubles; you will outlive lies and liars, andwhen your persecutors are dead and buried, and forgot-ten, you may yet fulfil your work and serve your gen-eration by the will of God, and hear at last the Master'swords, "Well done!" - H.L.H.

-.....(B ossip .

SAYSa writer: "Gossip has made a home a hell on earth.Gossip has parted husbands and wives. Gossip hasblackened and sullied the characters of many poor girls.Gossip has parted lovers who would have been veryhappy if it had not been for gossip. One little mis-step,or one little indiscretion, causes gossip to arise with newstrength and start on its mission. A gossip er is aboutthe lowest and meanest thing on earth." -S elected.

" lD erteet U brougb Suffering ."

LU'J'HER used to say there were many of the Psalms hecould never understand until he was afflicted. Rutherforddeclares he got a new Bible through the furnace. Eventhe heathen Bion said: "It's a great misfortune not toendure misfortunes;" and Anaxagoras, when his housewas in ruins and his estate wasted, afterward remarked:"If they had not perished, I should have perished." Sosaid one, brought to himself by blindness: "I could notsee till I was blind." Trials bring many to God. Joabwould not come to Absalom till Absalom set his cornfieldon fire.-SeleCted. Many a man prays for a baptism from above whowould run if he saw it coming; and not a few of thosewho plead so eloquently that their lips may be touchedwith a coal from off the altar, would faint dead awayif they saw an angel go for the tongs. Spiritual privi-leges and power come at much cost, and few of us arereally willing to pay the price.-Selected_


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108 THE BIBLE STANDARD.t 1

Cbt fiom t ird t.~

Talks on Eterna l Life.:- - i o . VI.-('oll/i/luerl.

That quest ion is mos t important, audnt it seems to be left almost entirelyout of considerut.ion. I. have alreadypointed to the fact that Bible history isselecti ve-c-i t follows the line of iudi-vidual a nd nn.t.ionul choice, a nd showshow the special tench ing:-; giYCII hearreference to the Iu tu re. But these.-pccia.l tcachi ngs hu.ve 110 iuuucd iutebearing upon the people eontemporane-I)IIS with those who received the special,"all. But it is a. helpful thought to:;j-art our invest.igu.tion that the grantof :;peci"l terms'to uv people for specialtraining does not .lIccessarily,;ignifytha t the way of sa I.\"atio~l is closed. to allothers, or thu t a sa lvu.t ion granteel to af('\I' means that sa.lva.tiou cun be ob-uuned in )10 other way. jn u word, it isunwise to ussu me u.t the outset that Uodlimits His means of redemption to theIect.ive und purely telllporar., p.uts of11is pla n. .There is sometb.ing ill that, cerbllnly.\\'e ought 1I0t to put a stumbling bloc.kill the way of our searcl!. J fancy Ithas been too readily assumed that nowa,y of sa lvat.iou is .opel~ to ,Uty exceptthe elective wuy, which IS confessedly n ,'\'


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,JlJLY, 1D 07 , THE BIBLE STANDARD.rccoguition of his own creu.turehoorl hasbeen the ground of his probation, Doyou thi nk that this would O'i,'e eternallife? ,..,'I'ha t is a nswerr-d hy thp opeuiug":r~pR o,! Romans, ospecia II~' tha t POI'-

t ion wh ich sets forth Illan's dpp,tI'tlll'Pfrorn tho recognition of (;od a~ Creator.i, 18-:2+: "Thc~- changpd the tru th of(;od 1'01' a lie, and \\'OI!SIIIPI'EIl .1:'(1lSF:I{I'EIl TIlE OREATURE 'IU,TIII':I: '1'11.1:'('ru r:('RI':,I'I'OR," XO\l' conned wi lh tlia t , fori t is n con tinun tion of tl1(' ~'lIlIP argll-IIIPni. thp fact thnt God "lI'ill rondr r Io""l'r~- man according to his works. To'1'11E)I Tll.IT BY PAl'lEX(,F: IX \\'I':l.I,-I)OI xSEEK Fall GT.OIlY AXI) 1I0XOl'I( _1:'(1) '1:'(-C'OI{IU-P1'IOX,ETERXAL T,I},I';." I~ n01 thisIhl' judgment referrorl to ill Rovola f ioux x. 12, at wh ich tho hooks shall hI'opened. nnd another hook, WHIml I;; Till':HOOK 01


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!IO THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1907.-Rev. xi. 911. VIII. Forty-two months=-Rev. xi. 2. IX. Twelve hundred andsixty days-Re\'. xi. 3, xii. 6. (We mayobserve of No. I. that "time" here standsfor one year, "t.imes" for two years,"half a time" for half a year-i.e., threeand a-half years. This agreeswith Nos.VIII. and IX., which also refer to aperiod of three and a-half years.) Ifwe take these periods of time to meanexactly what is stated, i.e., as so manyliteral days., weeks, and months, duringwhich, at some [uture date, certainnotable events will take place, no diffi-culty is experienced in the understand-ing of them. But we hold that to saythat a day stands as representative of ayear, and all other spaces of time in.~imilar proportion, is to introduce tothe Scriptures a canon of interpretationfor which there is not the sligh test war-rant to be found in the sacred page.There is ample and absolute evidence

against this theory. I. In Dan. iv. 16,23 and 32, King Nebuehadnezza.r wastold that he should be driven from men"till seven times should pass over him."On tne year-day theory, this would be aperiod of 2,520 years. But verse 28says, "All this came upon the king."The prophecy spake of literal years, andso of course, in chapter vii., verse 25,the prophecy speaks of half that num-ber of literal years. n. The sojourningof the Israelites in the land of Egypt,as prophesied in Gen. xv_ 13, would havebeen for 144,000 years instead of 400years (360 days X 400). Ill. Theyears of' plenty Joseph foretold (Gen.xli.) would have been 2,520 years in-stead of seven. IV. The wandering inthe wilderness predicted as for 40 yearswould have continued for upwards of14,400 years. V. Elijah declared thereshould be no rain for three and a-halfyears, i.e., 1,260 years. VI. The Baby-lonish captivity, as threatened by Jere-miah, which he described as "seventyyears," would have lasted 2,500 years.VII. Our Lord's statement as to Hisresurrection on the third day shouldhave been understood to His disciples asthree yea1"S after His death and burial.Instances might be multiplied, but pas-sages such as these expose the fallacy ofsuch mode of interpretation, and decidethe fate of the year-day theory.We are well acquainted with histori-

cal expositions of the Book of Revelationcharacterised by great research andmuch abili ty. But if we can disprovethe right of the learned authors to calla day a year, and prove that this modeof computation is a great delusion, thenthe great labour of such writers is lost,and goes for nothing but waste paper.The historical principle is nothing

better than shifting sand; we desirerock to rest upon, if it be possible. Theyear-day theory is not only a delusionin itself, but also a very fertile sourceof error with regard to prophecy gener-ally. The absurdities into which thistheory would lead us are so many andso flagrant as to put its truth com-pletely out of the question. The so-called "Protestant" system of propheticinterpretation is from first to last de-void of all foundation, and nothing more

than "the baseless fabric of a dream."In mv next communication we will

discuss ~t question which lies at the vervroot of prophetic inquiry, i.e., "Is th~Papacy the Antichrist?"

Your friend,CAHPUS.

~ ~C h n r ~ h a D d M is s io n N e w s .

...olih..illIlL.~.....m.....m.. , JOUR COLPORTEUR.-Bro. T. O. Jenkins

commenced his work on the l st of Juneat Drury, and found a lodging with Bro,Brooks, of like faith. On the followingday he called on Bro. Ba.llard, and wenton as far as Rama Rama to visit Bro.and Sister Kearn, and other brethrenand sisters. He was pleased to see full-ripe fruit as a result of faithful sowinzof this Association nearly a quarter ofa century ago. Our brother was wellreceived by all of like faith, and he ex-presses thanks for the great stimulushe received on seeing and hearing thebrethren endeavouring, each in theirquiet way, to tell others of the greattruths they themselves have learned todearly love.Since the departure from Drury of

Bro. Ba.llard, senr., the weekly fellowshipmeeting has been allowed to lapse, ow-ing to none of the other brethren feelingcapable of conducting the meetings. Bro.Jenkins urged these to resume the weeklyremembrance, he himself giving them animpetus by conducting the first meetingheld on the following Sunday, and triedto impress upon them by so doing thatthus they would feed on spiritual things,and would also maintain a testimony toall around them, as the great Apostlesaid, "As often as ye eat of this Breadand drink of this Cup, ye publish theLortr's death until He come." We trustthat our brother's words will stimulatethe little band in Drury to continue toremember their absent Lord and to waitfor His coming again.A Public Meeting was held in Drury

Hall on Sunday evening, and was fairlywell attended. vVhen calling upon sym-pathisers, our brother was minded tovisit others who might be influenced bythe truth, and thus all were sharers inthis work for the Master. In Drury andPapakura districts many copies of theBIBLE STANDARDhave been distributed,and a goodly number of new subscribersenrolled, and we are hoping that stillmore will come in as a result of the workdone.From there Bro, Jenkins moved on to

Bombay, where he was warmly welcomedand hospitably entertained by Bro. Jes-sop and his daughter. Notwithstandingthe inclement weather during his stay,he made a good number of house-to-housevisits, distributing the STANDAHDandother literature, and manv earnest andprofitable conversations j;ave resulted.Several new subscribers to the ]3IBLE

STANDAHDhave been received in this dis-trict, and a number of other publicationsdisposed of, showing that some, at least,are interested in the truths set forth.May thc bright sunshine of God's loveeausc the seed sown to burst forth intorrpe fruit to His glory.c-Ar.ex. PAGE,Secretary.By latest reports from our brother, we

learn that he is about to commencelabours at Pukekohe, Buckla.nd, andPokeno. These districts were all visitedin days gone by, and the missioner oughtto meet with some who were then mea-surably impressed with the truth.TUAMEs.-ViTe have had fairly good

congregations during the month, andhave had the pleasure of assisting one toput on Cnrist by baptism. We regret,however, to report another removal fromour midst, Mr. J. Da.vis and wife beingnow in Auckland. We miss Mr. Davismuch from our choir. For some yearspast he has assisted us in a very efficientmanner in this branch of our work. Wecan most heartily commend him to thosewho may be privileged to associate withhim. Our Anniversary is approaching,and, being our 25th, we are hopeful that.Iuly 14th will be a very special Sunday,and that Tuesday, 16th, will see a velYgood gathering to our Tea; we shall alsobe glad to see any Auckland brethrenthat can attend.WAIlII.-Since I last wrote you we

have been favoured with visits from Sis.Gubb, of the Thames, who joined us infellowship during her stay here, alsofrom Bro. Archie Green, who is at pre-sent in our town. Bro. Green has takenthe morning meeting twice, and last Sun-day he visited Waikino, where he tookBro. Foster's place at the evening ser-vice. He has also conducted the week-night Bible Class on two occasions. Bro,Green's efforts have been very much ap-preciated by the Church, his zealous la-bours having aroused much interest. Bro.Foster is still holding forth the Lampof Life through Christ our Saviour atour evening services, and of late we havehad the encouragement of witnessing afew more interested listeners at theseservices. The friends have recentlymade Mrs. Donaldson a present of a veryhandsome Bible, to indicate their appre-ciation of her valued services as organ-ist. The valued gift is much appreci-ated by her. D.D.:MA.'l'ATOI{E.-The monthly Sunday ser-

vice has been well attended, and theweekly Bible Class continues to interesta good number. Bro. Taylor has for twomonths past been taking these readingsfrom the early chapters of Genesis.TAPu.-The usual visit was paid to

this place on June 2, and a good assem-bly was present. E.C.lVI.GEOllGETOWN(B.G.).-Easter week I

spent up the Demerara River. I tookwith me the chart of Daniel's Image,and gave some addresses on the comingKingdom of God. These were well ap-preciated. Tile major part of my audi-ence came by water to the meeting-


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JULY, ID07. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 11Iplace. Many questions were asked byseekers after Truth. No opposition atall was experienced for the first threenights, but on the fourth night somewere present who saiu Iwas having itall my own way, but they would showthat Iwas Anti-Christ, and an opposerof the Truth. They brought a greatmany persons with them to see howeasily they would demolish the man whotaught doctrines contrary to their man-made theology. I pointed out that itwas an easy thing to dub me an Anti-Christ, but that my greatest troublewith them was to keep them to theexact statements of the Word of God.Anti-Christ works against the Comingof Christ, but we affirm that the onlyhopc for men lies in the advent of ourLord. The opposition did us much good.This being the season of Crosses andImages, I took the opportunity of call-ing the attention of the people to theSouthern Cross in the heavens; the ma-jority had never heard or seen yourSouthern Cross, but at this season ofthe year it is about five degrees aboveour horizon, at eigbt o'clock in the even-ing. I always get a good hearing when-ever I speak upon it, for it is alwaysappreciated. I am able to enforce thelesson concerning the efficacy of theCross of Christ, and to point to the sadtruth that His Cross is a stumbling-block still to God's chosen people, andit is folly to Gentile wisdom. Brethren,may God in His mercy bless you with allspiritual blessings in Christ. We needto put on the armour of God in these sadand trying days. Christ is coming.Four months gone out of 1907. Mustwe not ask, What have we done? Thereis much work before us, and the time isshortening. Remember, Christ is almostupon us. Let us come very close to-gether. Put the weak inside the campand the strong on the outer guard, thatthe enemy may have no weak point toattack. Remember me at the mercy seat.-Yours in love, W. S. EDGEHILL.

~ C H R IS T IA N B A N D . ~~~~~

The Band opened its Winter Sessionon May 27, when our President (C. B.l~ing) spoke a few words of ~xhorta-t.ion to encourage the Band III goodworks and faithfulness in the cause ofthe Master. Bro. G. Aldridge then gavea short talk on "What Vlfe Believe;" thistopic, if taken to heart, will be veryhelpful to the young people. He showedthat all Christian union must rest onthe one basis, "Christ." We, as believers,should cling to His Lordship, openlyacknowledging Jesus raised from thedead, and waiting for His return. June;3 Bro. Garratt's topic was, "Christ asTeacher." Never man spake like thisman. Men marvelled at His wisdom;He was Divinely taught, He spokeopenly and with courage the message. ofHis Heavenly Father, always denouncingS!1 1 to the uttermost? whilst offering

blessing to the penitent. Christ's powerof illustration by parable and His practical demonstration in healing the blindand lame, and raising the dead, wereemphasiscd. Bro. Garratt also showedthe example of humility which Christmanifested in His life. May we allstr-ive to do likewise. June 10 (Sun-shine Evening) Bro. J. Green presided.Bra. Wilcock being sick, the Sunshineta lk was given by the younger membersof the Band. Bro. H. Aldridge told usof the good work the Band was doing,enumerating how the money is sent, andhow it is spent, exhorting us to imitateChrist and do good to all, especially tothose who are of the household of faith.Bro. Garratt encouraged us to hold fastthe good work begun, and be faithful inlittle things. Bro. G. Aldridge said:Though we mourn and deplore the exist-ing evils in the world, yet through thesewe are moulded into the likeness ofChrist. Other brethren added their sun-shiny and encouraging words to theBand. "He that giveth to the poor lend-eth to the Lord." June 17 (BibleSchool) the Book of Genesis was chosenby our Bro. G. Aldridge as the maintheme of the lessons. He showed bymany Scriptures from Old and New Tes-tament that the Bible is always up-to-.date, and is the Word' of God, containingthe history of God's plan of redemption.He first showed us the importance ofcreation and man's relation to it, man'sresponsibility, God's deliverance, obedi-ence to God and its consequent blessings,disobedience and its doom, and, thegreatest of all-the glory of God. Maywe all strive to learn from the Wordwhile we have these great privileges.

C.C.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ' V * ~ * * ~: : . 1 : S u n s h i n e c o r n e r . : I : :~T~ i f 1 jt J j, 1 j t 1 j t 1 f 1 j t ~One of the most pleasing features of

our "Sunshine" work is the ready re-sponse that is made to our appeals forassistance. Again and again the callhas gone forth, and each time our friendshave responded right loyally; insomuchthat we do not fear to undertake furtherresponsibilities, knowing that we havebut to make known the need, and helpis immediately forthcoming.

"THANK YOU."It is again our pleasant duty to say

"Thank you" for the kind way in whichyou responded to our last appeal. Theenvelopes so carefully packed by you withblankets coal food and clothing, camesafely U ; hand', and were as car~ful.ly un-packed, and the contents distributedamong those who were in need of .thesegood things. If yo~ could but wItne~sthe joy of the recipients, and hear theirwords of gratitude, you would f l ;) e . \ wel lrepaid for your generosity.

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE.How many people there are who are

content to live in an atmosphere of dis-content and dissatisfaction, when, withbut Ittle effort, they could make theirsurroundings bright and cheerful."Thanksgiving street" is such a pleasantlocality in which to reside that one won-ders why so many continue to dwell at"Grumble Corner." It is certainly easyto find, or imagine, some fault in every-thinz and everybody with whom youcome. in contact; but the individual whodoes so makes life miserable for himself,and, to some extent, for those about himalso. It is almost as easy to look uponthe bright side of life, to overlook thefaults and failings, and to find the goodpoints in our friends and our surround-ings, and the result~ are fa r ~nore satis-factory. By so doing we WIll fill ourown hearts with joy, and will be able togive a word of cheer to those about us."If the sky is overcast to-day , the sunmay shine to-morrow."

THE THREE LITTLE DOGS.- illl]Three little dogs were talkingAs they trotted along the road;And the subject of speech,With all and with each,

Was what bad folks were abroad.Said the first: "You will hardly believe

it,But I can assure you it's true,A man with a pailThrew suds on my tail!

Now, I think that's cruel, don't you?"Said the second: "That's very atrocious;But a worse thing happened to me;A boy with a stoneAlmost broke my backbone!

Now, what think you of that?" said he.Said the thi rd: "My fate "as the hardest,And I can prove it just now:A man knocked me flatWhen I looked at a cat!

Wasn't that too bad? Bow-wow."But the three little dogs did not mention,The first that he'd stolen some sprats;The next, that he ranAt a poor blind man:

And the third, that he'd hunted thecat.

Thus, these three little dogs were talking,And many small folk do the same;They tell of a storyThat redounds to their glory,But forget where they well deserveblame. -Union Signal.

"Just a little every day,That's the waySeeds in darkness sprout and grow,Tiny blades push through the snow;Never any flower of springLeaps to blossom 'with a burst:Slowly, slowly, at the first,That's the way,Just a little ()very day."


16/16

II2 THE BIBLE STANDARD. JULY, 1907.tt $anctifieb \Mill. \tbe 16tble $tan~ar~.

MANY Christians would like to be sandifledif theycould reserve the privilege of willing to do as theyplease, in some things at least. 'rhey can easily consentto spend all of their time in serving the Lord, but theywant the right to say how, or in what way, they shallserve Him. They will present themselves before Him,and say, "Here am I; send me.": But just as soon asGod takes them at their WOI'd, and tells them where Hewants to send them, they arc very much like Peter, andsay, "Not so, Lord." 'I'hev don't want to be sent:in thatparticular direction. It does not suit their ideas of pro-priety. There are fancied difficulties in the way, whichthey don't wish to face and overcome, Their real troubleis, their wills are not saucti fled. 'I'hey would muchsooner give up all of their nionev and pay someone elsefa]' going tharf to give Hp their wills anti go in thedirection of God's will. ~lanv a professed Christian isyery liberal with his money. but verv stingy of his will.It is his good pleasure to let (Jail have the free use of somuch of his will as does not lose him the entire control."But Goclis never satisfied \\.ith the use of half of ourwills, and to let 11S keep the he,;r.ha I f. He asks and de-mands the whole. And we never give Him otu' wholeheart until we yield to Him 0111' whole will. ATe 0111'wills fullv sanctified ?-8cl.

Safe in 3esus.T('rpt" rvs Adrlrpss-F, B. Hughes. Woodvllle,

Printed by 'l'B~;BRE'PT PRDf'rlNG AND PUBLISHING COlllPANY, Sh

the bible standard july 1907

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