the bible standard october 1907

7/31/2019 The Bible Standard October 1907

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VOL. 28. No. IO. TWOPENCE.UCKLAND, N.Z., OCTOBER, 1907.

C b~ m o n t b .I~~~~- ~I BE events of the past month have not been

such as are likely to contribute very muchto buttress the hopes cherished concerninghuman betterment. In our own colonythe prevalence of the influenza epidemichas been enforcing the lesson of humanhelplessness in the presence of disease.

In the United States the question of the continued ad-mission of Asiatic races has reached an acute stage.Latest reports seem to show that war with Japan is in-evitable as a result of the action taken by the American

people against the Japanese. TheAmerican newspapers have raisedthe cry in favour of stationing thefleet in Pacific waters, and seri-

ously believe that Japan wants a war, because it hascome to be1ieve that war is profitable. We will pray thatit may be averted, and that some method will be devisedwhereby this grave question of racial differences may beamicably settled. No nation likes to contemplate it",deterioration, and the Americans believe that the admis-sion of Asiatics tends to that end. The same problem,but on a smaller scale, faces this colony, and it will re-quire no small amount of wisdom to deal with it. Thereport that Russia is about to fortify Vladivostock iswelcomed by those who believe that this will tend tokeep the ambitious Japanese from carrying out to thefull the aggressive policy which their recent victorieshad encouraged, thus lessening the prospect of immediatewar. The Hague Conference, from which so much wasexpected in the way of making for international peace,cloes not seem to have contributed much towards thatencl. There is no likelihood of a reduction of arma-ments, or the introduction of international arbitration.The business of the Conference seems to be mainly

:a fIDontb'BUestfmoll)2.

devoted to enabling settlements to be more quicklyeffected after war has taken place. So, instead oflabouring for the abolition of war, the members gravelyspend their time in discussing the establishment of anInternational Prize Court. Whether this is an ade-quate return to Mr. Carnegie for the huge sum of moneygiven for the erection of a building in which the Con-ference should be held, is a matter for him to determine;but no true lover of humanity can be satisfied with thefailure on the part of the national representatives to facethe question of the reduction of armaments and theestablishment of a Court of International Arbitration.These and other matters are before us for the month,and in no one of them do we find a ray of hope for thebetterment of the peoples. There is no hope in man.The sooner this is recognised, the better for all, for then,with whole-hearted, fervent desire, we should pray forthe coming of God's Kingdom, in which disease shallhave no place, and all international questions shall besettled by Him who shall speak peace to the nations,and who shall rule in righteousness. Come, Lord Jesus.

It has become one of the commonplace remarks re-garding the "New Theology" that it is not Theology, andit is not New. One calls it "The Old Blasphemy," andshows that it is but the revival of the serpent's lie which

seduced our first parents, and ledto the present distressful state ofmankind. But the blatant claimsmade by the upholders of this

modern craze have had the effect of bringing to light thehistorical attempts that have been made to set forthsimilar teaching. A writer in the 111thodist Recordercontributes a paper showing how the leading items of"New Theology" exposition were taughf eleven centuriessince by J ohannis Erigena, who in the year 843 was atthe head of the Court school of King Charles, of France.The philosopher wrote a book entitled "De DivisioneNaturae." Quotations from this "so closely resemblepassages from Mr. Campbell's volume, placed besidethem, as to justify any amount of doubt as to the new-ness and originality of the modern views and fancies.It is a noteworthy coincidence that Erigena should havedealt with the Mosaic narrative as an allegory, and withParaclise and the Fall as fables; also, that he regarded

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146 THE BIBLE STANDARD.the doctrine of the resurrection of the body as a fallacyto be explained away." But the philosopher "failed toinfl uence the thought of his contemporaries, and left noimpression of himself upon later times." vVe do notbelieve that his modern imitators will be more success-ful; something more than they have yet offered is neededby the sorrowing, sinful heart of humanity. Stone forbread is poor food for the hungry.

In several of our exchanges we notice a mention ofthe discovery of new "Sayings of Christ" from an oldCoptic monastery in Upper Egypt. But these, on exam-ination, are seen to be but mere variants of New Testa-

ment texts, adding nothing towhat is said within the compass ofthe Four Gospels. According toJ ohn, the Lord did "many other

signs," which are not recorded, and that He said muchmore than is put down by the four Evangelists is cer-tain; but of these many signs there is no record, and ofHis savings there is no trustworthy account. outside theGospels. Periodically there is this announcement ofdiscoveries, but the closest examination fails to add any-thing to what we already know of His teachings. Isnot the lesson clear, that the words and deeds recordedarc sufficient for the end in view? When John wrotehis Gospel he declared that the signs he recorded werepresented for the purpose of winning acceptance of thedoctrines that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, andthat life in His name might be secured by the exerciseof that faith. What more is needed? J ' othing; as saysThe Chrietiom: "We do not need a line by way of sup-plement to the Gospels in order to find 'the way, thetruth, and the life.' Everything needful for a full andblessed salvation has been revealed."

Sa}]il1gs of


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OCTOBER, 1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 147permanent satisfaction. Close by there were placed tinydolls' houses, intended to keep the soul satisfied, and toprevent it wandering back to the village. This was in-teresting, the Professor said, as showing the Egyptianconception that the soul came through the ground fromthe grave, and needed shelter, and that the soul even hada donkey, for which a manger was provided." This isa very material kind of soul, and is hardly in accordwith that which is the pet notion of most professingChristians of to-day; but there is as much, and as little,evidence for the one as for the other.

In the course of the meetings of the British Associa-tion occasion was taken to invite many of the membersto a breakfast given by the Science and Education Com-mittee of the National Temperance League. The Chair-

man, in his address, stated thatforty-four years ago the Associa-tion had appointed a Committee toinquire into the physiological

action of the crude form of alcohol. The report of thatCommittee was that alcohol affected principally themotor centres of the nervous system. I t was furtherstated that the Association was about to take furthersteps to investigate the action of alcohol on the capacityfor work of the human being. This would yield valu-able results for future work. It was held that thiswould provide a sound scientific basis for future legisla-tion. Every earnest well-wisher for the improvementof the conditions of life will desire that this Committeeof investigation may speedily get to work, and put forththe facts of its findings. We have no fear as to whatthese will be. Earnest, thoughtful men cannot fail tofind that the prevalence of the drink habit lessens thecapacity for work, for it weakens the power of the indi-vidual, and, by shortening his life, lessens the race capa-city for labour. It will find, too, that the alcohol habitof parents stunts the growth of children; yields a ter-rible proportion of dullards and dunces amongst chil-dren of drinking parents; and increases the mortality ofthe children of drunken parents by more than eightyper cent. over that amongst the children of teetotal par-ents. If this is not a lessening of the capacity for work,then we fail to see what can be. To note its effectsupon the individual will be important, but to get a sightof its full effects upon the productive capacity of thepeople a wide circle of facts must be studied.

a ScientificIProposal.

We have not heard much recently of the Zionist move-ment. The death of Dr. Herzl, and the split which tookplace amongst the Jews on the question whether or notthey should accept some land other than Palestine as a

temporary refuge from the stormof persecution, have acted againstthe progress of the movement.From the Jewish Wodd we learn

that an enthusiastic meeting was recently held at Man-chester, at which Dr. Gaster gave a report of a visit he

Zionism Stillauee.

had paid to Palestine, and outlined the impressionsgathered. He affirmed that "the only land in which hehad seen Jews entirely at home was Palestine. Thetrue spirit was growing up in the spirit of the youth ofPalestine, who realised that they were living in the landof their ancestors. The climate of the country re-sponded to that yearning, and the puny emigrants be-came strong and healthy; fruit and produce could begrown there, and sheep and cattle reared. The landwas there; only systematic and patient treatment wasrequired. No one was driven away from Pales-tine who tried to accommodate himself to the condi-tions." Hopes were expressed that the next Congresswould show the accomplishment of practical work.

In The Ohristian is a column devoted to questionsrelating to Bible study, spiritual life, and Christianwork. Occasionally in this column are curious ques-tions, and sometimes these receive curious answers. For

instance, onc inquirer asks: "Inteaching a Sunday class of villagechildren (ages 3 to 8) is it neces-

sary to include in one's teaching the doctrine of eternalpunishment other than that the greatest possible punish-ment is separation from God?" The questioner evi-dently holds to the common idea of "eternal punish-ment," and as he looks into the faces of the innocentchildren before him feels that somehow this doctrine isdifficult to teach if he would impress their young mindswith the thought of God's love, so he asks, "Can I leaveit out?" That is a blow directed against the currenttheory. 'Vhy should it be left out if it be God's truth?There ought to be some way of harmonising it with Hislove, so that it can be presented to the mind of the chil-dren, if it is true. This is how the question is answered:"N0; I do not think it is. For children of that ageyou had far better dwell upon the presence and love ofGod as a Person, fact, and reality, and make this thealmost entire basis of your teaching and appealing."That is, leave that question alone, cover it over. Butwhy? If the doctrine on future punishment is not inharmony with the love of God, then there is somethingvitally wrong somewhere. Can it be, nay, is it not, thatman has got the wrong conception of that doctrine, andso feels its unsuitability as a doctrine to be taught tochildren? Suppose we agreed to let the Bible give itsown doctrine, and let the children understand that itmeans what it says, allowing the historical and otherillustrations of Scripture to give the exact meaning ofwhat is intended? If this were done, the children wouldlose nothing of the true idea of God as Love, and wouldlearn to know Him as He reveals Himself in His Word,in a manner which certainly cannot be clone whilst animportant doctrine of the Word is excluded from theinstruction.

H cuneus(lllncstton.

The article by Professor Sayce in the current Hon vi -leiic Review on the Documentary theory of the Pent a-


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. OCTOBER, 1907.teuch ought to attract very wide attention. It is writtenfor ordinary men by one who is himself an expert. It

is impossible for us to summariseit in a few words, but we may indi-cate its trend. Those who havecome to accept the account of the

Pentateuch as given by the Higher Criticism will findin Dr. Sayce's article evidence which shakes the wholetheory to the ground. Evidence, we say, for that isexactly what Dr. Sayee adduces, and that is exactly whatthe Documentary theorists have never adduced. Speak-ing of the theory that the Books of Moses are skilful"editings" on the part of acute and not over-scrupulouspriests, centuries later than the events which are re-corded, Dr. Sayee says :-"Hebrew is a dead language,and when we ask the analyst to apply his method to ourown English or to modern French, and similarly divideand dissect the novels of Besant and Rice or Erckmannand Chatrian, which we know to be composite, he isobliged to confess that he cannot do so. It is only to adead language, imperfectly known, and of which but afragment of its literature has been preserved, that hismethods will apply. In the eycs of science, suchmethods must stand self-condemned." The contradic-tions of the critics themselves abundantly strengthenthe conclusion.

11 Uest


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OCTOBER, 1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 149ward. 'I'he King desired his servants to bring the mirrorof judgment, and he placed before it the master and theworkmen. Lo l the first workman saw, to his joy andwonderment, that he had grown to resemble not only thebeauty of the robe, but also the beauty of the masterhimself! The second workman looked-and gave oneagonised cry as the dimness fell from his eyes and hesaw clearly the sorrowful difference that his lack ofbelief and obedience had caused. The King desired the .master to place upon the first workman the beautifulrobe which had been made for the King's Beloved; thesecond workman was also desired to clothe himself inhis robe. He, however, seeing now for the first time it"ill-proportioned and unlustrous appearance, besought theKing for another chance and more materials, confessingwith shame his pride, folly, and self-will. But the Kingsaid, "Only once does the master lay his word upon youand give you his directions for }'our working. Only oncedoes your life-road lead you before me for judgment.Now-what can you do? "Vhere can you go? Yourjudgment is from within you! Your recompense is theoutcome of yourself, it is your covering round about you,and is upon your own head!"

And he covered himself with the robe which he hadmade and departed=-whither P F.L.

John iii. 1621. '{tbe

That this surrender to the immature and srroneousteachings put forth in the name of science should havehad the effect of destroying the faith of many in thewhole Scriptures, was inevitable. If men be taught thatthey cannot believe what the Bible says regardingearthly things, how can it be expected that they will.believe what it says about heavenly things?

Certainly a consideration of the collapse of Evolutionwill help us to understand why the inspired apostle soearnestly desired that the faith of his disciples "shouldnot stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power ofGod" (1 Cor. ii. 5).

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THE UNCHANGING VERITIES(Rom. i. 1-4).

1 '1 ' is a necessary thing, perhaps, that some attention.should be given to the criticism of the utterances ofmodern humanist preachers, whose doctrines are in-tended to weaken the declarations of the Word of God;but it is by no means requisite that all our efforts shouldbe given to such work. To pose as critics of other men'steachings is to occupy a most unsatisfactory position.The Gospel preacher should be intent upon presentingthe positive doctrines of the Word to his hearers, and, ifneed be, submit his own utterances to the fires of criti-cism. I am of opinion that the presentation of positivetruth is the best means of opposing error. The advo-eates of the modern "New Theology" speak of the"changing sanctions of modern theology," and, so doing,advertise the weakness of the position they hold. Thattheology changes is true enough. That which is thepopular presentation of to-day will probably be theheresy of to-morrow. Our duty should be, not to findout what may be the special views now accepted by menthat these may become our guide, for these views willgive place to others, having as much, or as little, author-ity as those they displace. Every reader of ecclesiasticalhistory knows that theology is a changing quantity. Itchanges because the Bible is not allowed to speak foritself on all the questions which it raises. It isap-preached with certain opinions held in mind as indis-putable veri ties, and it is not permitted to give itstestimony on these matters; then the endeavour is madeto make the teachings that are accepted from it, tosquare with those which are held without its authority.As a result, there is, and can only be, confusion, and astime passes the endeavour to secure harmony betweenthese dissonant elements produces what man proudlycalls "the changing sanctions of modern theology," for-getful of the fact that he is loudly proclaiming his ownignorance. The fact is, the boasted "new theology"presents us with a picture of men adrift without com-pass, chart, or anchor, and with the stars hid from sight.One writer says, "Within the last few weeks I havetaken pains to read all the published sermons I couldget hold of, and, with very few exceptions, beyondthe text, there was no reference to the Scriptures, not asi.ngle quotation. 'Evolution,' 'uplift,' 'science,' 'pro-gress,' 'the dignity of man,' 'politics,' 'Spencer,' 'Hux-ley,' 'Darwin,' 'institutional churches,' and quotationsfrom the po e ts, " in plenty. These, with general refer-ences to 'scholars who are agreed,' constitute a generalmake-up of modern sermons."


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'rHE BIBLE STANDARD. OCTOBER, 1907.I propose to proceed in the good old way, and to make

my appeal to the "unchanging veri ties of the Word,"and I do so with special reference to this change inmodern thought. I have no need to criticise it; it willsuffice if I present to you some of the matters from theWord which certainly have not, do not, and so long asGod's salvation is available, cannot change. 'I'here mustbe solid foothold somewhere, and I believe it is foundin the matters I now present to you.

Allow me to call your attention to the recognition ofthe place in the New Testament which is occupied bythe Epistle to the Romans. The four Gospels containthe history of the presentation of Ohrist to the Jews,as the Messiah and the fulfiller of the covenant pro-mises to that people. That history shows that theyrej ected Him, and caused Him to be crucified, Godraised Him from the dead. The Acts of the Apostlesshows that God was still merciful to the Jew, and thata second opportunity is afforded of aceepting the1Iessiah, additional proofs of His claim to the positionbeing afforded by His resurrection and the gift of theHoly Spirit. The messengers declare these things, butin Jerusalem and in the widely-scattered synagoguesthey again rejected Him. 'I'hereforc it is that God'smessage of merey leaves them as a nation, and becomesavailable for all, irrespective of nationality, colour, orclime. The record of the conditions, advantages, andoperations of the "salvation of God" which is sent tothe Gentiles is outlined in this Epistle to the Homans.As onc has said, "In this Epistle we have thc wholeGospel; the alphabet of judgment is followed by God'sprovision for justification. Here are sketched foul' greatthings-man's ruin, God's remedy, the J ew's history,and the Ohristian's path."

Our modern preachers select texts from the Gospels,and cry, "Back to Ohrist." But the Biblically-instructedpreacher will say, "Yes, by all means let us get backto Christ, but do not forget on your way backwards thatChrist's own message, when He was on the earth, waslimited to those who heard Him-His own people Israel-and that now, as the ascended Lord, He has giventhis message of wider salvation through His servantPaul." If any man would know what this salvation is,and how it operates, he will learn it from this epistle,written by the accredited messenger, who, in these open-ing verses, declares his credentials. This man ought tobe heard; let me tell you why.

This letter was written to a handful of men andwomen in the city of Rome, which, at that time, wasthe centre of the Roman Empire. From it went forththe edicts which many peoples obeyed, and to it in anunceasing stream went the wealth of the richest andfairest provinces of the cultivated earth. "From Angleseato the Euphrates, from the mouths of the Rhine to thecataracts of the Nile, the world knew but one word ofpower, and that word was Rome." At the head of thatgreat empire was the Emperor N ere, whose name standsas a synonym of evil. Now for a moment think. Paulgreatly desired to see Rome, not to gratify a pardonable

curiosity, but that he might take to it the Gospel mes-sage with which he was entrusted. Little did he foreseethat he would lie in a prison at Csesarea, and that threeyears must pass ere he could see Rome, and that whenhe did see it it would be as a footsore prisoner trampingalong the Appian way, and chained by the wrist to aRoman soldier. He hoped to spend a little time in fel-lowship with the Ohurch in Rome, but he remained inthat city detained by the strong hand of the law, andat the last was led out an agecl, helpless captive, and, asa tribute to his citizenship, was permitted to die by theswift and merciful stroke of the Roman headsman.But, observe, the Rome of Nero's day has to be dugfor beneath the mounds of the city dust and debris.N cro himself is little more than a name. Butthe name of Paul is to-clay a potent name, and hiswri tings endure and have won for themselves a mightierempire than ever was swayed by the laws of the Cmsars.These are facts to be put down on our memory tablets,and to be given their due weight lest they be too easilyset aside by the frothy words of men who exalt theiropinions above the teachings of the great apostle.

In these opening words we find that this man claimsto be an accredited messenger, and speaks with anauthority which belongs to the Person who commis-sioned him. If he was an apostle "separated unto theGospel of God," then he occupied a position which noone in these days can claim. However strong the feel-ing which impels a man to be a preacher, it can neverbe so strong that it makes a man an "apostle." EitherPaul was that, or he was not. If not, then his wordshave no claim upon us, and we need not spend time overthem. As opinions even they are worthless, for at theoutset he is imposing them upon us by a claim that isfalse. On the other hand, if his claim is true, then wehave no right even to listen to any who seek to minimisehis position or his teachings. All the eviclence goes toshow that he was what he claimed to be, a Divinely-accredited messenger, who speaks that which has been"entrusted" to him.

He does not claim to originate his message. His in-tellectual powers are never put forward as being thesource of his teachings, or as giving them shape. Hisoffice as an apostle is to carry forward something thatis rooted in the past. It is "the Gospel of God, whichHe promised afore by His prophets in the holy Scrip-tures." That is a significant statement. It makes hismessage to be a part and parcel of a provision whichruns through the whole of God's dealings with men.Each Bible student can test this claim.

But the terms of tbis Gospel are worthy of note.What is the message about? It concerns a Person, andthe first thing here said about Him is that He is God'sSon. Here we touch one of the questions vital to thepresent controversy. 'I'hc denial of the Virgin Birth of01l1" Lord is made without hesitation. This is a seriousmatter. It is impossible for any Bible reader to confinehis attention to the one phase and say, "Such a birthmust be miraculous, and therefore cannot be easily ue-


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OCTOBER, 1907. .THE BIBLE STANDARD.lioved." It must be considered in relation to the designwhich lay in the Gospel "promised afore." In view ofthat historical preparation it can be said, "If our Lordwas born in the ordinary way, then man has no Saviour.~ 0 son of Adam can redeem himself, let alone redeemhis brother. But if he were indeed God's Son, then theGospel provision has been made which makes salvationpossible." The Virgin Birth of our Lord is ono of theunchanging verifies of the Word.

But there is C l further item, quite overlooked in thepresent controversy, or it is accounted of no importance.He "was born of the seed of David." What has Hisrelationship to the Son of David ts do with the Gospelof human salvation? Just everything. The Biblestudent will note that a part of the Gospel "promisedafore" is contained in the covenant made with David(2 Sa111.vii.). Here there is provided a reach of salva-tion that goes beyond the idea of individual salvation(the usual conception 01 to-day), and it takes in thesalvation of man socially and politically, by guarantee-ing that this Son of David shall be the Ruler over theKingdom of God, "under the whole heaven," and thatbeneath His sway "all peoples shall be blessed." Paul'sGospel message cannot be cramped into the narrowlimits of modern ideas of his teaching.

But note the next thing on which the great apostleinsists, and which we must repeat if wc would be faith-ful to our trust, "declared to be the Son of Goel withpower by the resurrection of the dead." Itis the ground of the judgment of which he writes inchapters i.-ii., and it is the one great historical factwhich must Le believed by all who would share the salva-tion which is proclaimed. Note some of his sentences:"It was reckoned for righteousness . . . for our sakealtio. . who believe on Him that raised Jesus ourLord from the dead" (iv. 24) ; "H, while we were ene-mies, we were reconciled to God through the death ofHis Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be savedby His life" (v. 10) ; "Like as Christ was raised fromthe dead through the glory of the Father;" "Knowingthat Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more"(vi. 4, 9); "If the spirit of Him that raised up Jesusfrom the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised up ChristJesus from the dead shall quicken also your mortalbodies" (viii. 11); "It is Christ that died, yea rather,that was raised from the dead, who is at the right handof God" (viii. 34); "For to this end Christ died, andlived again, that He might be Lord of both dead andliving" (xiv. 9). In these passages the fact is assertedin closest connection with the doctrines the great apostledesires to enforce. Now, note in the following text theposition he assigns to this in the conditions by whichsalvation is secured to the individual: "If thou shal tconfess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believein thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead,thou shalt be saved" (x. 9). 'I'his makes a belief in theresurrection of Christ an absolute essential for salvationin the present dispensation.

I need not refer to Pauline passages elsewhere. 1confine my attention to the statements of this epistle,and affirm that here within the compass of these openingverses lie the assertion of the Virgin Birth, the Messi-anic dignity of Jesus, and His resurrection from thedead. '1'hese arc Gospel facts; these the unchangingveri ties upon which the Gospel plan of salvation restsWhatever may change, these do not, and cannot, forshould one of them be accounted valueless, that momentthe whole provision for present salvation is destroyed.Each is a necessity, and all provide the solid foundationupon which we may stand with perfect safety.

These things may be sneered at as "Rabbinicalthought-forms." It is as well, perhaps, to remind our-solves that these matters are not to be settled by sneersor even by loud assertions, by whomsoever made.

What a brief introduction, and yet how full. Herearc presented a complete set of ideas as to the commis-sion and authority of the apostle; a complete set of ideasas to the status of a Christian community; a clearcomprehension of the relation of the new order of thingsto the old; and a clear assertion of the Divinity ofChrist, of His Davidic relationship, and of His resur-rection horn the dead. 'l'hese things have become thefoundation of all true Christian faith and practice. Arewe now, at the bidding of irresponsibles, to put themaside as useless? I trow not.

Let us go a little further. What was Paul's object?'1'0 instal a philosophy? To bolster up humanity? No;here it is plainly stated that it was to secure "faith andobedience," two terms which, by their very nature, putaside "man's native worth" and personal efIorts, andplace him in the position of receiving the Divine provi-sion for salvation.

'I'he apostle by this message knocks at our door, callshimself the servant of the Lord, come upon his Master'sbusiness, and claims the attention measured, not by him-self, but by the Master he serves. He calls upon us tobelieve and to accept his message. Of course, it is openfor any man to say, "But I do not believe." "V crywell," we reply, "you must accept the consequences."Disbelief will not alter the facts. They will stand justthe same. As Uncle Remus says, "Truth ain't neverbeen hurt yit by folks not believing it." That is asimple fact, yet men seem to imagine that they can setaside truth by denial. Now, let me ask what is yourattitude towards these unchanging verities? This is amatter for personal decision. It does not call for thevote of the community on a matter to be settled by thewill of the majority, but it presents itself to each andeveryone as a personal matter, and it presses hard uponyou. Here is "grace" brought to you, in a messagewhich clearly indicates your need, shows you the wayof salvation, and opens before you the portal of eternalIire. What response do you make to the claims and theprovisions of the message?

[Add '/"es .s by th e sau . deL ive red ,in We,,/ ::Jl reGl.i


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OCTOBER, 1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 153\tbe mosaic Bccount of tbe creanon.

(Oontinued from page 138.)IT has been said that Moses "was instructed in all thewisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts vii. 22), and thereforehis account of the Oreation was learned from them.This cannot be so, because the Egyptians believed andtaught that matter was eternal, and that their godsoriginated from heaven and earth, whereas Moses speaksof God who was before both heaven and earth. Thephilosophers of Babylon, Greece, Rome, as well asEgypt, have put forth their theories concerning Orea-tion, but their cosmogonies are complicated, artificial,and speculative. The simple but sublime words of theHebrew Moses in the document which we call Genesis i.is a statement of facts that did not go beyond what menin olden times could understand, and yet not only has itsurvived all the changing thought of mankind, but hasgathered fresh illustration of its truth from the advanceof science in these latter days.Accurate acquaintance with, and profound subjectionto, the Word of God is the great requisite for the Ohris-tian man in this sceptical age. A man so grounded willnot be much disturbed by the "profane babblings andoppositions of the science which is falsely so called"(1 'I'im. vi. 20). Worldly-wise philosophers boldly scanthe heavens or dig deep into the recesses of the earth insearch of strata, formations and fossils, and then,smiling at our rude ignorance, loftily pronouncethe first chapter of Genesis to be superficial, barrenand generally unsatisfactory. But the object ofGod in the sacred Scriptures is not to make us astrono-mers and geologists and to occupy us with details whichthe microscope and telescope lays before every schoolboy.His object is to reveal Himself and His work to us. Andwe believe that all true discoveries, whether "in theheaven above, in the earth beneath, or in the watersunder the earth," will harmonise with what is written inthe Word of God, and if for the moment some new dis-covery apparently does not harmonise, further researchwill shed more light and speedily bring it into line andtouch with the Divine revelation.

Let us now continue our study of the wondrous work-ing of God as in the solitariness of His acting He breaksin upon. the si.lence and darkness of a ruined earth forthe purpose of developing a sphere in which He maydisplay "His eternal power and divinity" (Rom. i. 20).Of the fourth day's work we read, "And God said,"Let there be lights (luminaries) in the firmament of theheaven to divide the day from the night." The Hebrewword translated "light" in verse 3 is not the word hereused. That signifies light itself, this the light-givers orplaces of light (as in Ex. xxv. 6, "oil for the lamps;"Numb. iv. 9, "the oil vessels.") It is not light, but thelight-bearers, or light-vessels-that from which the lightproceeds-which now demands our attention. "AndGod made two great lights, the greater light to rule theday, and the lesser light to rule the night." The utmost

possible care appears in this statement. These two light-bearers (lamps 01' holders of light) are not said to bethen created, but God made them to give light to theAdamic earth. The word "made" is frequently employedin Scripture to signify "constituted, appointed, set fora particular purpose or use." Thus it is said that Godmade the rainbow to be the sign of a covenant, He madeJ oseph lord of Egypt, He made the river J ordan aborder between the tribes of Israel, He made David thehead of the heathen. This does not mean that J osephand David, the Jordan and the Rainbow were then forthe first time brought into being, but that those alreadyand long-existing persons and things were appointed toa certain officeand to serve a certain purpose. 'I'here canbe no doubt but that the sun-which is the centre of thesolar system (of which this planet called "the earth" isa member)-was created more than 6,000 years ago. In-deed, it is absurd to suppose that the sun is only sixthousand years old. Who would risk the credibility ofthe Bible on such a notion as this? But to a spectatorstanding on the earth's surface on the fourth day ofGod's work, these heavenly luminaries would appear asif then first called into being-as if then first created.Indeed, they may very correctly be said to have then been"made," because they at that time first began to be visiblein the exercise of their natural office with respect to thenewly-constituted earth.

For long ages no light from sun, moon or stars hadpierced through the thick, impenetrable mass of vapourthat surrounded and darkened the earth. On the firstday God so far cleared away the mist, clouds and vapoursas to admit the entrance of light upon the watery waste,and now, on the fourth day-the work approaching com-pletion-He caused the light-bearers of heaven to appearfrom behind the vanishing veil of clouds and mistiness.Appearing for the first time in the new order of things,they may rightly be described as "made." The sourceof light to our earth has always been the sun, and itscreation took place long ages before the six days' workbegan. When God in the beginning created the heavens,did He make them empty? Did He not also make "thehost of heaven" (Is. xl. 26) ? We read that "by HisSpirit He garnished (adorned or beautified) the hea-yens" (Job xxvi. 13). Had Moses written that Godcreated these light-bearers on the fourth day, it wouldhave contradicted facts; but as it is expressed, not onlyis there no contradiction, but obviously the Bible is wiserthan many of its professed friends and all the foes ofrevelation. The narrative only tells us what sun, moonand stars are in relation to the earth at the time of itsresioraiion. When the clouds and mists were dispelledfrom the surface of the earth, and the seas confined with-in bounds, and the first vegetable life had sprung up,then the sky is finally cleared, and the sun, moon andstars resume their natural functions, making days andnights, seasons and years. God made, or appointed, them,the sun to rule the new-born day, and the moon to rulethe night. It is by no means necessary to understandthe sacred writer as asserting the creation of the heavenly


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154 THE BIBLE STANDARD. OCTOBER, 1907.bodies on the fourth day, but only their development onthat day as adapted to the purposes intended, their crea-tion having long previously taken place.

"He made the stars also." These words may be re-garded as a kind of parenthesis, and not as assigning thespecial time of the creation of the stars. Astronomerstoll us about the enormous length of time necessary forlight to reach us from some of the most distant stars,also how that some of these stars are suns infinitelylarger than our sun, with planets revolving around them.But of all this our text takes no notice, for the Scriptureswere written not to gratify our curiosity and make usastronomers, but to lead us to God and make us saints.From the Biblical point of view, it is enough to say thatGod appointed "the moon and stars to rule by night"(Ps. cxxxvi. 9; J'er. xxxi. 35). Scripture is in no wayin opposition to ascertained astronomical facts.

The heavenly bodies are appointed "for signs, and forseasons, and for days and years." 'I'hc various constella-tions of stars are signs according to their nightly positionin the heavens, telling us what period of the year it is.The moon, in its four-weekly revolution round the earth,marks the duration of the lunar month. The sun, as itapproaches our tropic, brings the heat of summer, andas it recedes leaves us to the cold of winter, and thus iscaused our seasons. The rising and setting of the sunconstitutes morning and evening of the working day,and the shining out of moon and stars is the signal thatnight has begun. 'I'he completion of the circuit of thesun through the twelve signs of the zodiac announces theclosing of the solar year.

What insensate folly was that ancient sin of worshipof sun, moon and stars, which so affronted .Jehovah thatHe put so awful a curse upon Israel because of it(2 Kings xvii. 16; Jer. xliv. 15, 23). The account heregiven of them plainly shows that they are but God'screatures ("He calleth them all by name"-Is. xl. 26),and man's servants; it is therefore a vile sin on the partof those who make deities of them and pay them Divinehonours (Deut. iv. 19).

Before passing on we would observe that it is a verystrong argument against the theory which assigns six"long ages" to the six "days" of Scripture that the raysof the sun did not shine upon the earth until the fourthday. For if a day means 1,000 or 6,000 years, as somesuppose, it is certain that the vegetable existence whichGod brought into life on the third day could not havecontinued to exist, much less brought forth fruit andseed, without solar light and heat. If the solar actionhad been withheld for some hundreds of years, every-thing would have died shortly after springing up. Dur-ing the "long age" of the third day every plant, herband tree would have been extinguished. Vegetable lifewould have been created in vain.

According to verse 5, day is the perpetual alternationof night; but both together making a period of twenty-four hours. But, further, verse 8 defines the length ofthe day to be the space between an evening and a morn-ing. Moses cannot mean the space between an evening

and the next morning, because that space he had justcalled night. He must therefore have meant an eveningand the pr eced 'ing morning; and six times does he usethis phraseology, and it must be with the same meaningeach time. "And the evening and the morning were thefirst day," and so on to the sixth. What, then, is theforce of the expression "evening and morning ?" It is asimple but telling way of implying that Uod's mode ofreckoning the work of the day was from the time whenthat work was finished; and the length of the day Hefixed from then till the morning when the work wasbegun, i. e ., as long as daylight lasted. We would hereask whether a day, expressly said to be included betweenan evening and a morning, can be interpreted to meanan age or indefinite period?

But this chapter supplies another mark whereby toascertain the length of the day. Verse 1() informs usthat "God made the greater light (the sun) to rule theday." Now, if we are to understand by the six days,six Long age s of time , in what way did the sun rule thoseages and make a distinction between its six periods rAn ordinary day includes half the time the earth takesto make a revolution on its own axis. It is the spaceincluded between evening and the preceding morning.This is the YO 'Jn , the day of Genesis i. Can any spaceof time be more precisely and definitely expressed thanby all these expressions employed by Moses"{ All thiscan apply, and does apply, to the space which has everbeen called a day; but it does not apply, and cannot ap-ply, to each of six indefinite periods called "ages oftime." (There is no difficulty as regards the durationof the first, second and third days-even befo re the sunwas again visible in the heavens after its total eclipseby reason of the thick clouds that surrounded the earthwhile in a state of darkness (vel'. 2). For the light ofthe first day came from the mist-shrouded sun, and eachrevolution of the earth-then, as now-constituted "anevening and a morning.")

One more proof may be adduced showing the correct-ness of our contention. It is the length of the seventhday, or Sabbath. We read (Exodus xx. 8-11), "Remem-ber the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thoulabour, but the seventh day is a Sabbath, for in six daysthe Lord made heaven and earth and rested the seventhday. 'I'he word "day" has one meaning throughout theseverses. If "day" means "age" in connection with thecreation, the same lengthened period is included in theterm "Sabbath." On the other hand, if it means a shortperiod of twelve hours in connection with the Sabbath,it means twelve hours as connected with the creation.(Some have said that God has been resting ever sinceHe ceased His creative labours, but Christ contradictsthis when He said, "My Father worketh even until now"(.John v. 17). The absence of evidence is no proof thatnot any fresh thing has been created or made since Godrested on the seventh day. God's great period of resthas not yet begun, nor can it be till all sin and sorroware banished from His universe.)

The six days of creation are not to be regarded as six


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OCTOBER, 1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 155geological indefinite periods. The literal text in itslexical, grammatical and obvious sense contradicts suchan idea, for manifestly it refers to that space of time-a certain number of hours; i.e., twelve-which has everbeen called "a day."

Rotorua. U. CRISPBROWN.(1 .'0 be concluded.)

!D o lR ot jfear.W E need never fear to travel the road over which ourgreat General is leading us. If lions are in the way, weshall find them either chained or with closed mouths.All mountains can be climbed. Across all deserts willbe found oases. From all the valleys it will be possibleto ascend. If a "stumbling stone" should be in the wayit can be removed. Do not hesitate, or think of impos-sibilities=-therc are none. Victory is sure to him whocontinues the journey. The heaven to be reached willbe worth far more than the effort made to gain it.-H.A. Mitchell. :tl 1 f\o re an f1Dag is tr ate 's @pillion of tbe JSible .REV. HUGI-Il\IILLER, a missionary in Korea, writes of amagistrate who visited the missionaries: "He stoppedand addressed the crowd, and recommended them to 'dothis doctrine,' as he believed it to be a good one. Heowned a Bible, which he had read, so that the Gospelstory was familiar to him, though as yet he did not 'dothe doctrine' himself. 'I'he neighbouring prefect is anearnest Christian, and on a recent visit urged this gentle-man to become onc. He had been much impressed, also,by the fact that a man named Chang, who had seemedto be the ring-leader in every evil work in the county,and had given him no end of trouble, had been con-verted, and was now living a quiet life, trying toearn an honest living by cultivating a small farmhe had secured. 'Anything that could work such achange in such a man must be a good thing,' and so heexhorted his hearers to 'do the doctrine.' "

"Wc are responsible for what we are and also forwhat we might have been, or as another puts it, for ournature plus our nurture, for ourselves plus our possi-bilities. Since we are accountable for our sins of omis-sion, many of us will have a long account awaiting us atthe bar of God, unless these transgressions shall havebeen forgiven through the grace of our Lord JesusChrist."

"Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowestnot what a day may bring forth."

"X 0 man can make the sun rise, but every man canmake good use of the fact. No one can prevent theevening sunset, but there is all day to prepare for it."

~ueatiOtl


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. OOTOIlEH, 1907.of the law. But they formed no part of the Church ofJesus Christ in those days, as that is described in theEpi .tles, for, according to Paul's letter, the believer whobecame identified with the Lord was no longer under law.Whichever day these believers kept (if any), was notkept as an observance of the fourth commandment.

(-1) ,Ye read that on the first day, Day and Nightwere created. How do you reconcile this with the crea-tion of the greater light on the fourth day? This question arises out of the articles now appearingin the STANDARD,and is answered in the article appear-ing in this issue.

(5) Will all human beings who have died be raisedto life again? Are there not some who shall not rise?(See Isa. xxvi. 14.)

The Saviour said: "All that are in the tombs shallhear His voice and come forth" (J o. v. 28). Paul de-clares judgment on "every soul of man" (Horn. ii.). Thepassage cited from Isa. xxvi. 14 does not contradict this.Its opening verse declares that "In that day shall thissong be sung in the land of J udah." The language ofthe text is therefore a part of the future song, and refersto a time when judgment has already overtaken thosewho have wrought evilly against the Lord's ehosenpeople.

( 6) Does Ariel in Isa. xxix. refer to Jerusalem? 1so, when? Why the use of an apparently proper name?

'I'wice over in the chapter the name is used as an equi-valent for the city, and the whole context shows that theprediction refers to a future period. There is no doubtsome significance in the use of the name. Dr. A. Smithsays: "Ari-El may mean either the L ion of G od (2 Sam.xxiii. 20) or the Hearili of G od (Ezek. xliii. 15, 16).

It is possible that thi ambiguity was part ofthe prophet's design. In the end she shall bea true Ari-El; be it a true God's-Lion, victor and hero;or a true God' s-H earth, His own inviolate shrine andsanctuary."

(7) In Isa. xiv. the King of Babylon is spoken of asDay-star, Son of the Morning, and he is represented assaying, "I will be like the Most High." Is not the greatadversary alluded to here?

We believe this to refer to the Anti-Christ, who is tocome, and the expressions regarding him which are nowdifficult to understand will be fully understood at thetime of his actings and his overthrow.

(8) What explanation do you give of Ezek. xxviii.13-17, particularly the expression, "Thou wast in Eden;'and "Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth?"

'I'his is one of the passages of Scripture on which wewait more light. The difficulty is somewhat lessenedif it be observed that the ruler is presented as the em-bodimcnt of the community. "Their gIory is his glory,their pri de his pride." "The dirge of the Prince ofTyre answers to the dirge of the State." It is generallybelieved that here is a reference to the Prince of thisworld; but, if so, it is to be noticed that he is inseparablyconnected with the pride of the great commercial city

whose overthrow is the subject of the three chaptersXXVl.-XXIX.

(9) In the Scriptures is there any distinct word ap-plied to God, as the Eternal One?

The name JEHOYAH conveys the idea of the self-existing One: "He who was, and is, and ever will be; Hewho has continuous and absolute existence." In Deut.xxxiii. 2 ')' He is named the "Eternal God." The adjec-ti ve here is the word qedent, which signifies "what isbefore in time or place." El ewhere thc word ol am . isemployed to denote His past, and present, and futurecontinuance, as, "From everlasting to t; zcrjasting, Thouart God," where the thought of unbounded time is con-veyed. 'I'he word olani of itself does not signify eter-nity; it derives its strength from the object to which itis attached; applied to God, Who is JEHOVAH, theself-existing One, it must signify "everlasting." J.

(10) In the parable of the Wicked Husbamlman(Matt.xxi.), what were the fruits that were required fromIsrael; what particular commands were involved thatshould be kept? Is it possible for the Christian tobring forth the same fruits without keeping the samecommands? N.S.

'I'he "fruits" required from Israel were "the fruitsof righteousness," which involved faith in the covenantsand obedience to the law. 'I'ho father and mother ofJohn were "both righteous before God, walking in allthe commandments and ordinances of the Lord blame-less." The prediction in verse 43, "The Kingdom ofGoel shall be taken away from you, and shall be givento a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof," is to beunderstood by the "new covenant" promise, which guar-antees the future righteousness of Israel, because Godsays, "I will put my law in their inward parts, and intheir heart will I write it" (Ter. xxxi. 33). "Open yethe gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth truthmay enter in" (Isa. xxvi. 2).

The believer of this dispensation is not called to keepthese commandments. He is not under the law ofMoses. To him "Christ has become the end of the lawfor righteousness." Hc is now, -therefore, under thelordship of Christ, and ha' learned to say, "Shall we con-tinue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Wewho died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?"

"If the good old times were better than the 'e therewas something wrong with the planting and sowing ofthe fathers. But as the present time is, in most re-spects, the best the world has ever known, it follows thatthe fathers did their work well, and that the croakershave somehow missed both the combination and the keyto the situation."

"Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, thatthough He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,that ye through His poverty might be rich."


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OCTOBER,1907. I S 7b..* e '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C b~ f i o m ~ irdt.

, $ 4 -, 4 -.-.-- .

Talks on Ete rnal L ife.No. VII.-Continued.

(3) In agreement with that attitude,His commands have to do with the"nations." Here let me remark that ourEnglish reading of this verse affords alittle colour to tne usual. view that itsigmties to make disciples out of the na-tions, i.e., to call individuals out ofevery nation to become members of theChurch. But the true reading is, "Go,disciple the nations.'" That is, if lan-guage means anything, .the message wasdesigned to have a national reference.From the Person to whom "all author-ity" had been given, ambassadors aresent whose duty it will be to convey tothe "nations" the fact of His assump'tion of power, and the necessity thatthey submit themselves unto Him.

"Now therefore be wise, 0 ye kings;Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.Serve the Lord with fear,And rejoice with trembling.Kiss the Son lest He be angry, and ye

perish in the way,For His wrath will soon be kindled;Blessed are all they that put their

trust in Him" (Ps. ii. 10-12).This proclamation, if accepted. would

put the nations in the position of receiv-ing the Abrahamic blessing: "In theeand in thy seed shall all families of theearth be blessed." It was in the originaldesign that from a "great nation" blessedof God should the blessings flow to "allfamilies." Here we have the "Seed" asthe possessor of authority sending Hisservants first to Israel, and then theyare to go to "all the nations," that theAbrahamic blessing may be known andreceived. The "Heir of the world" speaksand His servants hear. The nationalphase had been prominent all throughthe Lord's earthly ministry, and nowthe servants of the Great King are to re-new the offer to Israel as a prelude to awider effort. Observe the order of theirgoing, as given in the Acts:

"Ye shall receive power when the HolySpirit is come upon you: and ye shall bemy witnesses both IN JERUSALEM ANDINALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA,ANDUNTOTHEUTTERMOSTPARTS OF THE EARTH" (Actsi. 8).

It has been well said that the apostler"would naturally interpret the commis-sion by their previous knowledge of itsterms, and execute its requirements in away agreeing with their well-understoodpractice." That practice was to pro-claim the message of the kingdom, anr'then to administer the rite of immersionto the disciple. This practice was to goforward according to this commission,but with a well-defined authority andreason behind it, and with a widenedscope of reference before it.

THE BIBLE STANDARD.I feel that I must hesitate to give m~

adhesion to this view of yours unless youcan support it by better evidence thanthe mere interpretation of the passage.

I do not say that you are wrong in sedoing, but Ido urge that it is not a fairthing in any progressive examination toput into a passage what is not definitelystated, or to exclude that which is de-clared; but I think we may profitablyproceed to look at the historic carryingout of trns commission.

There is one question which I thinkought to be put at this stage-Do youconsider that the Commission recordedin Mark xvi. 15-18 is identical with thisin Matthew 1

I see no reason why we should sup-pose a difference. The Lord does notgive two Commissions, but one whichcovers all the ground. The form inMark was given on another occasion,and contains details which are usuallyviewed as great difficulties - so great,indeed, as to cause some to set aside thelast verses of Mark's Gospel as tradi-tional only. But if we allow the claimof "all power" in the Commission inMatthew, there ought to be no difficultyin accepting Mark's account. Whyshould the addition of details which de-clare some forms of working of the "allpower" be a reason for discrediting thelanguage 1

I suppose it is because these "signs"are not now present in the Church thatthis passage is viewed as a difficulty.

Certainly, but we need not follow thesheep-hack. The Church has a wrongidea of the interpretation of the text inthe first instance, and this blinds herto its true application. We have foundas yet no need to suppose that theChurch is here contemplated, and there-fore need not now burden ourselves, andhinder our investigation, by trying tofit the Commission and its accompanying"~igns" to the circumstances which be-long to its present experience.

I notice that Mark adds: "And theywent forth, and preached everywhere,THE LORD WORKING WITH THEM,AND CONFIRMING THE WORD BYTHE SIGNS THAT FOLLOWED"(Mark xvi. 20).

Yes, he thus declares that the workwas carried out, and the "SIGNS" werethe accompaniment. Let me put in an-other word which needs to be said inorder that attention may be called tofacts. The work of "witnessing" wasnot expected to commence until the"powers" were conferred which accomparried and sealed the message. Thesepowers were the credentials of the am-bassadors, and the first fruits of divinegift to the recipients of the message.Preaching and baptism under the newcommission did not begin until the"powers" were given. Notice the fol-lowing statements:-

"And being assembled together withthem, He charged them not to departfrom Jerusalem, BUT. TO WAIT FO.:o:THE PROMISE OF THE FATHERWHICH, said He, YE HEARD FROM:ME; for John indeed baptised with

water; BUT YE SHALL BE BAPTISEDWITH THE HOLY SJ:'IRIT NOT MANYDAYS HENCE" (Acts i. 4, 5).

"But ye SHALL RECEIVE POWERWHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS COMEUPON YOU: and ye shall be My wit-nesses" (verse 8).

From these passages it will be seenthat a supernatural endowment was tobe given before the Commission beganto run, and till 'it was given the am-bassadors were not expected to announcetheir message.

Well, I feel compelled to say that thisis taking the subject out of its ordinaryapplication, and at present I hardly seewhere we are going.

Do not fear; we will proceed cau-tiously, and take but one step at a time.I next ask you to observe that after ashort period the "promise" waited forwas realised. The first effect of it wasthat "they were all filled with the HolySpirit, and began to speak with othertongues" the "mighty works of God."It is further worthy of note that theevent which furnishes the ambassadorswi th their credentials to commence theirwork, also furnishes them with the op-portunity and the audience. It broughtthe multitude together in curiosity tolearn-"What meaneth this 1" Peter'sspeech needs careful study. In the lightof modern preaching its omissions areperplexing, but determinedly shuttingout these modern ideas, and allowingOld Testament covenant and promise toguide us, it is wonderfully luminous. Itis truly the speech of an ambassadorwho speaks on behalf of his King, andproves His royal claims.' The Davidicclaims of Jesus are set forth, and it isshown that they have been fully vindi-cated by the resurrection from the dead.Further, He has now been received inheaven, and the bestowment of the Spiritaccording to promise is the visible tes-timony to the fact. The logical conclu-sion is drawn-"Therefore, let all thehouse of Israel know assuredly that Godhath made Him both Lord and Christ."The Messianic dignity and Lordship ofJesus are thus clearly set forth, and theeffect of the pronouncement upon thepeople is then declared in the history."Now, when they heard this, they werepricked in their heart, and saidBrethren, what shall we do 1" Quicklycame the answer: "Repent ye, and bebaptised everyone of you in the name ofJesus Christ unto the remission of yoursins; and ye shall receive the gift of theHoly Spirit. For to you is the promise,and to your children, and to all that areafar off, even as many as the Lord ourGod shall call."

This baptism is important. Remember,it is the first under the terms of thenew Commission. It is well, too, to bearin mind that all who took part in itwere Jews, and that submission to it didnot take them away from their Jewishritual, and the temple service. Theybecame a people "zealous of the law."rvo word had been said to them of theefficacy of the Cross of Christ as a meansof personal salvation. They had heardthe proclamation of the royal rights of


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THE BIBLE STANDARD. OCTOBER,1907.JeSlIS, and had been assured that uponthe a.cceptance of Him as God's appointedMessiah, and submission to baptism, theyshould have pardon of sins.

Let me add that it agrees in the twoessential features which marked John'sbaptism. It is preceded by "repent-ance," and it affords the guarantee of"remission of sins." That order is clearin ?ot.h baptisms-repentance, baptism,remission. No man has a right to trans-pose these, or to take away any of thethree. But its striking differences aret~a~ it is a baptism commanded byChrist, on the ground that He possesses"all power;" it is heralded by specially-endowed ambassadors of the ascendedKing , those who submit to this baptismreceive as earnest of the blessinzs Hisreign shall introduce the "gift ~f theHoly Spirit." This "gift" is the neces-sary and constant accompaniment of thisbaptism, and no hint is given that eithershould be separated. The continuanceof the ordinance without the "gift" isnot suggested; still less is there any ideathat the "gift" would continue in a formother than as a miraculous endowment.

You would say, then, that throughoutthe ministry of the Apostles that is theruling significance of the baptism theypractised? .

Certain Iy. I have not the time to ex-amine every instance; but I would sug-gest that when we meet again we shoulddevote a little time to the examinationof this question as it appears in theministry of Peter and .Iohn. This shouldbe followed by the relation it sustainsto the work of Paul. There are severalmatters of special intercst which arebrought before us in his own submissionto the rite, and in thc position it occupiesin his mission work, that ought to hehelpful.

r do not see that we have yet come tosee its bearing upon our theme of Eter-nal Life.

Probably not; that will appear in duetime. This preliminary examination isnecessary that we may be prepared toappreciate the evidence when it is beforeus. (To be continued.) R. J. CAMPBELL'S (IS IT?)

THEOLOGY.NEW

If you are a Bible student,Let me appeal to you.

The crude belief which it propoundsIs neither new nor true.

It helps to foster pride in man,Makes void God's holy Word;

To teach that man can save himselfIs perfectly absurd.

The Word of God must be our guide.Man by transgression fell;

By faith in Christ he is restoredFrom second death in hel!.

We will reject his false belief,And I will tell you why-

J, is not based upon God's Word,But on th e serpen t's lie.-0Gamble.A reformation of manners is not a

regeneration of man.

Lette rs to a Young Friendt~e Study o f Prop~ec}'.

LETTER VIII.RIGHTLY LAYING 0 T THE WORDOF TRUTH.1 1 1 Y DEAR FRIEND-

Before entering upon the detailso~ p.rophecy, ?oncerning which many con-fhctmg theones and opinions have beenheld and expounded, it is well first of all~o be grounded in certain leading truthslJl . connection wi.th the future uponwhich most ExpOSitors are asreed whichwe may call "landmarks of truth'" andafte:wards we may proceed step b~ step.~t. IS of the utmost importance tonghtly layout the word of truth"(2 Tim. ii. 15), so that of the Ieadinsrpurposes of God as declared in the Hol~Scriptures ea?h takes its right and pro-~er position III the scheme of prophecy.l:or. instance, it is imperative as a pre-IlJllll1.ary that we have clear ideas' re-spectmg the ~uture of the Church, Israel,and tbe GentJle nations.1. THE CHURCIJ.-The Church is atllllque c?mpany, possessed even now ofresurreetion (spiritual) life (Rom. vi.4-6 and 13), waiting for the resurrectionbody, having in her union to Christ theassm:ancp of being with Him whereverHe IS, ,,:hether in the Kingdom, onearth, or IJ1 the evednsting glory in theheavenly places, having, however herown place in. the T\:ingdom-a he~venlyplace, accordmg. to her heavenly calling-that place being tIle one of rule andanthority. The Head, which is Christand the boe~y, which is the Church, ar~one (Col. 1. 18). Thus it follows asm?,tter of course that the Church reiznsWIth her Lord. '"

II. ISRAEL.-Thc descendants of thetwelve sons of Jacob will hereafter begathered to Palestine, and their nationalsta~ldmg restored; the land also shall bethmrs,. and all the unfulfilled promisesto ~hel\ fathers be exactly ful fiIlee!. Thenat.ion also is to have supremacy overth~ whole earth, and the capital city of.Ier usalem become the Metropolis of theworld. Moreover, in this wonderfulfuture the ancient patriarchs, Abraham,Is~ac, and Jacob, and their godly seed,raised [roni the dead, as also the Gentileproselytes who in olden days had faithand trust in Israel's God, shall share(Acts ii. 10; Is. lvi. 3-8). As promisedto Daniel, they "shall stand in their lotat the end. of t~e days" (Dan. xii. 3),they shall inhabit the land accorrlinr- toGod's oft-repeated promise. This is'" be-y:ond doubt, for (et) The land of Pales-tme was promised to Abraham. (b) He~,as never. enjoyed that promise. (c)Iherefo:~, It has yet to be accomplished.(Act.s vu. 2-5.) Some have said that thePatriarchs possessed the land in the per-son of their posteritu when Israel pos-sessed Canaan. But the objection is,,:orthless, for God did not say, "I willgive the land to thee in thy seed" but"All the land which thou seest to the~will I give it AND to thy seed for eveT."

on And these olden saints "fell asleep"\Deut. xxxi. 16) perfectly assured thatthey should awake on the resurrection1110rn lPs. xvii. 15) and enter upon thepromised inheritance, which is in accord-ance with the inspired words of the sweetSinger of Israel, "Blessed are the meek,for they shall inherit the earthand their inheritance shall bc for ever"(Ps. xxxvii. 11 and IS).

Ill. TIlE GENTILE KATlONS.-On earthto the end of time there will always bethe distinction between Israel and theGentiles. The Gentile is uppermost to-day, and Israel downtrodden; but in themillennial to-morrow Israel shall bedominant and the Gentiles take secondplace. But the lordship of Israel willbe a blessing to the Gentile. Many na-tions and much people will be the reci-pients of God's favour with and by meansof Israel, and a thousand years of peaceand plenty come to the earth. "Thenwill I turn to the peoples (Gentiles) apure (choice) language that they mayall call upon the name of the Lord, toserve Him with one consent" (Zeph. iii.9) . This may refer to a new form ofspeech which will characterise the mil-lennial age, which will facilitate nationalinter-communication, and hasten theperiod when "the earth shall be filledwith the knowledge of the glory of theLord" (Hab. ii. 14). Anyhow, here is avery clear testimony as to when it is thatthe Divine mercy will bless the nationsfar and wide. It will be when their lan-guage-mode of speech, either as to mat-ter or manner - has been changed, asuperior form taking the place of the in-ferior, which shall be done away with.

May I pause here for a moment to givean illustration of the difference betweenthe Church and Israel? T the less hesi-tate to do so, because, unless you keepthis distinction clca.rly before your mind,prophecy will be a sealed book to you.This distinction is set forth in a verystriking manner in the case of Caleb,who inherited Hebron. because he whollyfollowcd Jehovah his God (Josh. xiv. 9;read 6 to 14); and the Apostle Paul,who suffered the loss of all things forChrist's sake (Phil. iii. S), and lookedfor his portion of good things at Christ'scoming (H. Tim. iv. S). The faithfulCaleb might look upon his vigorousframe as strong for war at fourscore andfive as it had been at forty, and, survey-ing the goodly portion of the land ac-quired by his own valiant hand, couldsay, "This I have, because I kept Thyprecepts." But what a contrast is thisto the appearance and portion of theApostle Paul, the hard-working, itineranttent-maker, in his weakness, poverty, andshame. Yet these were both faith fulmen of God; but the former had beencalled to exercise faith in Jehovah inconnection with an ea1"thly inheritance;the latter as "a partaker of the heavenlycalling," willingly embraced "the suffer-ings of Christ," and pressed forward to-ward the goal for "the priee of the hea-venly calling of God in Christ Jesus"(Phi!. iii. 14).

But the difference between these twomen, let LIS remember, consisted, not in


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OCTOBEB,1907. THE BIBLE STANDARD. 159=.cir original characters, nor even in thcrcngth of their faith, but in thei

calliru). Let us suppose Jor a momentthat they could have changed places-that Paul had been born a chief in Israel,and Caleb a chosen vcssel to bear Christ'sname to the Gentiles. We might thenhave found Paul, as a man of faith, fore-most in hewing down the tall sons ofAnak, and as a prince giving to hisdaughter a portion in the south land(Josh. xv. 19). Whilst Caleb wouldhave been "gentle among" his Thessalo-nian converts "as a nurse cherisheth her.children," or among the Corinthians ap-proving himself as "the minister of God,in much patience, in afflictions, in neces-sities, in distresses as poor, yetmaking many rich; as having nothing,and yet possessing all things." But whythis distinction? Why not one form ofreward for all God's saints? The ques-tion savours of presumption. "God isgreater than man, He giveth not accountof any of His matters" (Job xxxiii. 12,13); who shall say unto Him, "What'uoest Thou" (Job ix. 12)? God hasdecreed that there shall be a heavenlyside and an earthly side to thc comingKillgdom, and if we would understandHis Word we must not confound thingsthat differ.There is one other matter upon whichthere must be clearness of thought. TheWord of God refers to two coming judg-ments, i.e., a heavenly judgment and anearth ly judgment.

J. A HEAVENLYJUOGMENT.-Paul, ad-dressing believers. says: "We must allappear before the judgment seat ofChrist" (2 Cor. v. 10). This judgmenthas no reference to the question of lifcor death. It is the trial of those aboutto enter the Kingdom of God to decidetheir respective places therein. It isChrist examining the works of His ser-vants in order to apportion theirrewards, and faithfully to fulfil His pro-mise of recognition of and remunerationfor faithful work done on earth duringHis absence. And rewards will be given,some higher, some lower, according toeach man's work (1 Cor. iii. 10-15).These are they who shall reign withChrist over the earth.n. AN EARTHLY .JUDGMENT.-This isa judgment upon the living nations atthe coming of the Lord-excluding thenation of Israel. The fullest descrip-tion of this judgment is given in the well-known passage of Matt. X)"'V. 31-46. TheGreek word ethnos, here translatcd"nations," is in nearly a hundred otherpassages rendered "Gentiles" (see Rom.ii. 14, etc.). It is to the same judgmentthat Paul referred in his address to theAthenians, "God hath appointed a dayin which He will judge the world"-oih;oumenen, or habitable earth-theword used in I .uke ii. 1, when CresarAugustus taxed the whole RomanEmpire. Joel speaks of this judgment,"I will gather all nations into the valleyof JellOshaphat, and will plead with themthere" (iii. 2). In like manner Zepha-niah, "My determination is to gatherthe nations" (iii. 8). And Zechariahspeaks of all that are spared in thatjuilgment, how year by year they shall

at Jerusalcm worship the King (xiv.iu). No resurrected persons appeal'here. They stand their trial at anotherjudgment, i.e., the judgment of the greatwhite throne. It is entirely with livingpersons who are on earth when our Lorddescends that this judgment deals.

Thus the Scripture makes it very plainthat there is the heavenly side and theearthly side in connection with the ap-pearing and Kingdom of our Lord JesusChrist. And the distinction hetween thetwo must ever be borne in mind in orderthat we "rightly handle the word" andintelligently grasp its sacred truths.-Your friend, CARPUS.

***~*******~~~~~~-- ~C h u r c h a n d M i s s i o n N e w s .;;..t'~f;~.:ADELAJllI, AND S.~N.-Grceting from

the Christian Ohu rch, Beulah Road, Nor-wood. '" e regret to state tha t, afterlong and faithful service, our Bro. F. RHughes has resigned his position asSecretary, and as member of this church.We found him to be always a willinghelper in the proclamation of the glori-ous Gospel, and specially active in thedisseminn.tion of the truths of Life onlvin Cbrist and the Coming Kingdom. \y~feel our loss keenly. The meetings a rowell sustained, and we testify thankfullyto the peace and blessing we receive fromthe Father. We feel also the loss of ourBro. Blaekoby, who has recently fallenon sleep. Two have recently joined thechurch-Sister Dorcas Blackeby, daugh-ter of our late Brother, and the presentSecretary. Thus our numbers remainthe same as before. We desire thatGod's rich blessing may rest upon theAuckland Church, and upon its work ofproclaiming the Truth.

GEO. G. GAMBLE.

A HANDSOME A'OJ~OGY.NED and his grandmother are the bestof friends, but sometimes the little boy'stongue is too quick to please the oldlady. Then Ned apologises after flfashion of his own, which his grand-mother approves."I got tired lugging that wheelbarrowfor grandmother while she was changingher plants," Ned said to his mother, re-counting the day's events at bedtime,"and I said. 'I wish there was not an-other speck of this hateful dirt in all theworlc1!' But, then, afterward, I 'polo-srised."b "I' am glad of that," said his mother."Did you tell her you were sorry?"

"No, that is not the kind grandmotherlikes best," said Ned. "I got anotherwheelbarrowful, and just said, 'Don'tyou want some more of this nice dirt,grandmother?' And then we were allright again."-Youth's Oompanion.

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

Our Reporter is in the clutch of theprevai ling sickness, and is unable tosupply his usual report for the month.\Ye have not his notes, and so cannotdetail the meetings after his method.The subjects have been presented ac-cording to the programme, and satis-faction has been expressed at the lucidand helpful manner in which the writershave dealt with their respective themes.Alas! either because of the bad weather,the dominant influenza, or waning in-terest, the attendances have been smallerthan usual. We were gratified to no-tice at the Roll Call Meeting that therewas a readier response from the mem-bel'S of the Band when the names werecalle~. This gives more vitality to themeeting, quickens interest, and stirnu-lates thought. The Bible School LessonEvening was appreciated. The conduc-tor called attention to the remarkablemanner in which the historicity of theBook had been vindicated by modernoiscoveries, which recorded the names ofthe men who were spoken of in Genesisxiv. As a sidelight upon that Bibleperiod, the evidence from these discov-eries tended to show a remarkable lit-erary activity existent in the days ofAbraham. The Abrahamic covenant wasoutlined, and the chapter names weregiven that covered the history of Isaac,and the wanderings of Jacob. TheseBible studies should quicken our perception, and giye a readier acquaintancewith the \VQ)'d of God. .

I-m GOT THE JOB."I. WAS much amused the other day,"sa.id a hardware dealer, "at a smal I boywho came around for a job. One ofthe clerks had dropped a lot of sharp-pointed tacks into a drawer of brassscrews, and had given up the idea oftaking them out. When the youngsterturned up, we thought we would tryhim by letting him sort the two articles.He went at it the same way the clerkhad begun, picking out the tacks withhis fingers, and getting the point ofabout every third tack in the ball of histhumb. He had enough in about a min-ute, and straightened up.

"We all began to smile, expecting himto give up the job. Instead of th~t, 1 1 < 'went over to the show-case, and pickedout a horseshoe magnet. Then he cameback to the box. In thirty seconds hehad the tacks out, and the screws werestill in the compartment. He knew thatthe magnet would attract iron and notthe brass, and in a jiffy he had accom-plished what we had been trying to doall the morning. We didn't need a boy,but this little fellow's smartness ap-pealed to us, and we engaged him atonce."-Seleoted.


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160 THE BIBLE STANDARD. OCTOBER, 1907.Steam ano San~. \. tbe 1J3ible Stanbarb.

THERE is a sand-box 011 top of the boiler of every well-appointed locomotive. Perhaps you have never noticedit. Well, it is one of those domes you see there, and isusually located between the steam-dome and the bell.Connected to it is a pipe leading down to the rails infront of the drivers, and at the top of this pipe there isa valve which the engineer opens or closes at will, by aconnection leading from it to his seat in his cab. Whenthere is a slippery rail, or such a load behind as requiresmoro traction to the driving wheels to start it withouttheir slipping, he opens that valve and lets down a littlesand on to the rails, and then they take hold muchbetter and do the work expected.

My boy, you may have all the grace in the world, allthe necessary zeal in a good cause, but there will be timeswhen you will need grit, too; "sand," as railroad mencall it, in order to meet life's struggles and go ahead upgrade, undaunted, undiscouraged, undismayed. Keepyour hand on the throttle, but also know that there'ssand in the box, and that the valve will let it out whenyou give it a jerk.

There is many a man, well adapted by nature, andfitted, with some training, to fill a certain place; butwhy has he never got there? Circumstances perhapsnever have opened a door for him, and perhaps politicshas shoved in another man when it was open; but inmany, if not most, instances it was the lack of "sand"that kept him from going ahead and taking the chancewhen there was one to take.

Confidence in one's self and ability-knowing one'sself-is essential to success. This is not egotism. Egot-ism is self-lmowledge on fire; and it will take a townbucket-brigade to put it out, and more, too. Do not bea case of "exaggerated ego," but do know what you cando; be ready when opportunity opens the door, and thenjump in and do it. If you do not know what you cando, and be trained to do, who does? This is not pridein one's self, but a knowledge of one's ability; and thisdistinguishes man from the animal creation, for if thatspirited horse that, harnessed to his carriage, draws him,half knew his strength and powers, his driver could notmanage him, unless willing to be managed. "Know-ledge is power." Everything else being equal, the manwho makes up his mind he can do a thing, whether tolift a burden or jump a ditch, will do it; while the hesi-tating fellow, if he makes a move, will fail or land inthe ditch. It takes brains to go with muscle to do greatphysical feats. No idiot was ever an athlete.

Now do not from this go off with a ''big head" to dosomething you cannot, you ought not, you are not ex-pected to do; and, on the other hand, by all means donot get that false modesty, that self-distrust that wouldlead you to go into a hole and to pull the hole in afteryou. Above all, "be not unwise, but understanding wha'tthe will of the Lord is" concerning you.-BY C. E. Con.

Lawrence, Mass.

The Bible Standard. can be ordered direct from thc TreasurerMR. ALEX. PAG~;, Murdoch Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland.

ri. d.Price per annum, post tree .. 2 6Single copies . . .. .. 0 2BOOK STEWARD-E. H. FALKNER, Queen Street.

AGENTS FOR THR BIBLE STANDARD:NEW ZJJ:;ALAND.

Auckland-Mr. Hancock, Bookseller, Queen Street.Wellington-H. J. Barraclough, Myrtle Crescent.Dunedin-Mr. Lawrence, Hope Street.Kaiapoi-Mr. James Holland.Rangiora-Mr. Wm. Smith, South BrOOk.New Plymouth-Mr. Fred Goodacre, Courtncy Road.East Oxford-Mr. A. England.'I'hames-Mr. C. Sanders, Macky Street.Timaru-Mr. H. H. King, Stafford St reet.Tinwald, Ashburton-Mr. Shearer.Waihi-Mr. Joseph Foster.

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NEW SOUTH WALIDS.Sydney-Mr. H. Cropp, Mitchell Street, Kogarah.

Oommunications to the Editor to be addressed: Gro. ALDRIDGEBrentwood Avenue, Mount Eden. Telegraphic Address, .RockyNook."All communications to the Association and orders for Bible Siamdard:to be addressed to the Secretary and 'I'reasurer MR. ALEX. PAGE,Murdoch Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland.

CHURCH OF CHRISTBuld ServIces as under:

AUCKLAND-West Street.Sunday, at 11 o'clock ".m., FellowshIp Meet!u~6.45 p.m., Preaching Service.Snnday School at 2.45.Wednesday evening, BIble Class at 7.45.Evangelist's address-Geo. Aldridge, Brentwood AvenueMount Eden.Secretary-Wo Gibson, Ponsonby Road.ROSKILL HALL-

Sunday at 11 a.m., Fellowship Meeting.DUNEDIN-Oddfellows' Hall, Stuar t Street.Sunday at 11 a.m .. Fellowship and Meeting.Evening PreachIng Servtce, 6.30.Secretary's Address- S. Laurence, Hope Street, Dunedin.BID LENSVILLE-Foresters' HIlII.Sunday MornIng, FellowshIp Meeting.Sunday Afternoon, Snnday School.Sunday Evening, Preachlug.Church Secretary, R. M. Cameron.

TB AM mS-Pollen Street Lecture Hall.Sunday at 11 a.m., Fellowship Meeting.mvenlng Service at 6.30.Sunday School at 2.30.Blhle Class every Wednesoay eventnz at 7.~'Evangelist-m. H. Taylor. Bowen Street. Para wai.Secretary-Ch as. Sanders, Mackav Street, 'I'harnes.WAIHI-The Miners' Union Hall.

Sunday 11 a.m. Fe llowsh in Meeting;,. 2.30 p.m, Sunday School.Sunday Evening. at 7. A Public Hible Addr-ess.Church Secref.arv=-D. Donaldaon.F.vangeJist-Joseph Foster, Waihi.TIMARU-Sopbla Street Hall.

Snndav, at 11 a.m .. Fellowship Meetf ng ,Secr!'tary's Address-H. H. King. Stafford street, TlmaruADF.LAIDE. S.A.-Druids' Hall. Benlah Roan. Norwooil.Secretary's Addl'ess-Georl!c G.Gamble. Magil\ Road, Stepney.Adelaide. S.A.

Printed by 'fHE BRE'r~' PRINI'IN"GAND PUBLISHING COMPANY. Short-land i?tr~et, for the ~ew Zealand Evangelistic and PublicationASSOCIatIOn. and pubhshed hv W. A. SMITH. Selwyn Road MtAtbert, OCTOBF.R. 1907. ' .

the bible standard october 1907

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