~'

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TB.

Bible Standard.
L
VOL. 26. .. Cbe11ft of 6" It Etcnal Ofe."

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"1 Win

..,...

No. 11.

:\UCKLAND,

N.Z., NOVEMBER,

1906.

TWOPENCE.

.1. ~!~FFW_"-~~:;l~~~~_

11 Cb~ mootb.
V E'J'KRAN politician and journalist, Sir John Leng, for fifty-five years a newspape, editor and proprietor, has recently ~ I addressed an open letter to the Press of '--+: the United Kingdom. The occasion of C-'(t)O this . ha~ been .that. the .Gove~n~ent is , movmg III the direction of prohibiting the publication of news regarding naval and military matters, or the movements of ships and troops, whenever such prohibition lllay appear to be expedient in the national interests. To this suggestion the Newspaper Society has Ube jLtberttes of tbe ~ress. given a tentative approbation, ami this it is which has grieved Sir John, who seet; in it an interference with the liberties of the Press, for which he in early days had to do battle, and which were won at great cost and effort. When he advances to argument against the proposal, he seems to us to put forward a very weak position. Briefly put, it is that there is no necessity for such curtailment of the Press, because war is becoming more unlikely. He asks, "Which and where is the first-class Power with whom there "is the likelihood of our fighting? .Has the benign work of our sagacious Sovereign on the Continent of Europe led to nothing? Has the powerful influence of the President of the United States, in mediating between Russia and Japan, proved of no avail?" etc., etc. There may be good arguments to advance against the suggested limitation of war news, but certainly not from this side. History is too full of the record of broken treaties, and of sudden changes from international friendships to bitter enmity, for us to build much upon present relations. Were these things accompanied by reduction of armaments, there might be some hopes of their permanency, but so long as the struggle is continued for

Irl~ 11
M

Mill . "'_.

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a rn
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supremacy in numbers of men and ships and weight of armament, there is little hope for peace. 'I'his suggestion of the Government is aimed at depriving a possible foe of any advantage to be gained by freely-reported movements, and thus is to be an assistance to itself in time of war. The real question is as to the possibility of its enforcement. In the days of Sir John's early experience it was possible, but with telegraph codes and wires, and wireless systems of telegraphy, it is hardly likely that the information could be kept secret, and w~r made in the dark. The statement of our convictions may be but a monotonous repetition of former sayinz s, but we again assert that this hope of modern peace w. ihout the advent of the Prince of Peace is a fallacy which it; doing us untold harm, for it is a manifest token of that human egotism which imagines it can improve itself without God. Formerly, it was supposed to be the almost exclusive privilege and duty of the pulpit to give needed moral instruction; later, the newspaper claims to have an important part of this duty. Indeed, some of the writers seem to imagine that the day of the 1Ro\?elistsas pulpit is past, and for allnecessary tmoral Ueacbers guidance men should look to the daily press. Nowadays, the matter has drifted further, and the novelist has taken to himself the role of moral teacher, and, with no show of pretence to modesty, poses as the needed instructor of his fellows. The foremost apostles. of this new phase are Marie Corelli and Hall Caine. In her latest book, "The Treasure of Heaven," the former has not a few sweeping condemnations of many things which exiss in the world, but which her diatribes will not remove, for there is no real remedy pointed out as sufficient for the abolition of these features of our civilisation, which are regretted by thousands who find in Christianity and its provisions the true cure for the ills that are. 'I'emperance reformers will welcome the fact that Hall Caine not only sees the evils of "Drink," but writes powerfully upon them. His cure for the drink problem-by hypnotic suggestion-is not likely to meet with much support by the true Temperance reformer, who looks beyond the personal- weaknesses of the individual to the great monopolies which fatten upon the craving, and exist only by its creation

THE

BIBLE

STANDARD.

TOVEMBER,

1906.

and n~:~l~liI~~Jn~':' ~here is one thing in his brochure which I~will serve to show the impotency of the things that seem to satisfy these would-be preachers to Christians .. :He asks, "Wl?-at shall we do on Sunday night in the citi,lls?" - His answer is: "I should rej:oice to hear that any fearless clergyman had decided to 'abandon his evening serv~c.e.in favour of any wholesome entertain, ment whatsoever which could compete with the allurements o~ the-evil places that are open round about him."

~ ow, we submit that any minister of religion, in fulfilment of th~ duties of his high office, is bound first of all to direct his attention to the radical work of putting before man his state by nature and by sin, that he may aid the penitent towards the attainment -of the plane of safety in Bl)"tsttlg tbe mttltstrl]. Christ. The idea that he should act as the manager of an entertainment, instead of as a herald of the gospel of salvation, reveals an understanding of his office which, to say the least, is not at all creditable to one who would pose as a social reformer. Mr. Cainc seems not to be able to) gci away from this thought, but reverts to it as if it afforded the necessary solu lion of the problem which he sees, for he goes on to say: "In any case, I respectfully submit to the consideration of ministers of all denominations the grave .problem of social life to which Parliament has addressed itself in the Act that is now in operation. They can do more than legislators to wipe out the evils of the infamous organisations which live on drink and gaming and immorality; and, in my view, they will do their work to most purpose by establishing social clubs for both sexes on liberal, modern, and enlightened principles wherever clubs of doubtful origin alreadv exist or are likely to take root." Some ministers there are who seem to b~ quite of his opinion, and who are giving themselves to this kind of effort. Frankly let us say, that however commendable they may be from the worldly point of view, they certainly fall short of the Bible ideal, and tend to minister to the' making of a "fair show in the flesh," so much deprecated by the apostle, who sought first to showthat man's only remedy lay in the removal of the burden and the consequences of sin, The novelist may think- himself qualified to act as critic of the preachers" but the true pre3;cher will remember that his work is cut out.for him by One who is and will be his Judge-one who is a higher critic than the greatest of earthly teachers. "Christianity and the Working Classes" is the title of a new book which iscausing some interest in reading circles just now. It bears upon the ever-perennial question, "Why do not the working classes attend church?" Church papers reviewing the book suppose that there is exaggeration 1abour anb in the reports as to the paucity of tbe <!burcb. working people who attend ~hurch, and rationalist papers declare that Demos views the

Church, not merely as a useless institution, but as a factor on the side of the capitalistic endeavour to exploit labour for its own ends. It is declared to be a thing that must be destroyed along with other institutions too long used as a means of oppressing the poor. In all this is the fact made patent that Christianity i practically ail unknown quantity. Neither by the advocates in its favour, nor by the opponents, is there any evidence shown that the real purpose of Christianity is understood, and therefore it is that the real nature and functions of the true Church of God are mistaken. So it comes to pass that because the great mass of the people are not seen in the membership of the Church, the opponent rejoices, imagining that here is clear proof of the Church's failure, and the Christian advocate sets himself to prove that things arc not so bad as painted, and that bv more wholesonled devotion on the part of believers, and by special endeavours to conciliate and help the working men, social reform may be secured, and the people will be attracted to the bosom of the Church. ] f anvwhcre in the pages of the New Testament it were declared that the Gospel would win the world, and that the Church would gradually absorb all to its fold, or that even the great majority would be converted, then we might understand this modem agitation. But the non-success in worldconversion is no sign of failure, for this is no part of its work. The present purpose is to "call out a people," and this is being done. If it accomplishes what it was inaugurated to do, then there is no failure. It may not do other things which men consider it should attempt, but it is an organisation to do the Lord's work, and not to undertake the accomplishment of those things which are in the hands of men, and are equally incumbent upon all, irrespective of Christianity. That the present aspect of the Church ShOWfS organisations either directly influencing political and social matters, or seeking for such power, is true enough, and that these influences are on the side of wealth and monopoly is often true; but we protest that such action is not to Ube Urlltb on tbe matter. be charged IIIJon the Christianity of the New Testament. It is really the action of the spirit of the world in the Church which does these things. A State Church is not a New Testament ideal. Nor can any of the powerful Free Churches be fairly said to represent the company of those who believe in Christianity and are trying to set it forth in practice. 'I'he church organisations of the present day act as they do largely from the belief that they are the kingdom of God, or that it is their work to extend it. If neither of these positions is true, then the Church must come before us in a very different fashion. If rightly presented as composed of those who accept the Lordship of Christ, and are awaiting His return, passing through the present time as through a period of training for future service in an age in which the kingdom shall be here, the so-called problem presented in this volume would be no problem at all. One

NOVEMBER, )906.

THE

BIBLE

STANDA'RD.
because reason should oust blind credulity. .But the, zeal was short-lived, and the societies, one by one, languished... and the members showed a sad want of staying power. In time the societies became dead as the proverbial doornail. Nothing could more clearly show this than the. peculiar item which reaches us from South Australia. There recently died in the city of Adelaide an old .man possessing an estate valued at 12,000. This estate he has left to "The Incorporated Body of Freethinkers of South Australia." The Public Trustee has been ap-, pointed sole executor and trustee. The Trustee hunted up the registry, and the only society of incorporated bodies at all approaching the one named was the South Australian Freethought Society, Incorporated. But this society is no longer in existence. So the matter' was referred to the Supreme Court for decision. The Judge ordered that an advertisement should be inserted asking for the whereabouts of persons claiming to be life members or honorary members of this society. The rules of the society originally provided that five members, including the President, should form a quorum, but up to the present the efforts to find five have been unsuccessful. We by no means intend to say that there is no scepticism existent now. We know perfectly well that it is as strong now as then, but the evidence shows that it lacks cohesiveness. There is nothing in it which can hold the people together in common union. The churches aflord plenty of opportunity for those who desire it to point at them the finger of scorn, but it can be said that theyhold on with a commendable pertinacity to their work of seeking to edify themselves, and to turn men to the acceptance of that which is the bond of unity amongst themselves. .The old name of Freethinker has given place to the . newer one of Rationalist, and this modern name is worn with some show of pride, as indicating a state and habit of mind far in advance of that possessed by those who' believe in the Bible~ It is used to cover so many forms of belief that 'U'(!lbat is one is somewhat doubtful as to its '!Rattonalism ? exact meaning. Recently,' the meaning assigned to the word 'by one of those who bear it is given in a work entitled "English Rationalism ill > the Nineteenth Century." "Rationalism is the mental' habit of using reason for the destruction of religious belief." There we have it in its naked truth. We think that it just expresses the actual fact, and we form .our . opinion from the reading of .certain works which are issued to forward the interests of Rationalism. It will be seen that it supposes the mind to be made up as to the question of the truth or otherwise of any religion It is decided at the outset, without any .needed inveshi-' ~ gation, that religious belief is necessarily false, and ''the' only thing on which reason ought to employ itself is to destroy it as a harmful thing. Rationalism is a weapon of warfare, and therefore destructive. Now, if there is one thing clear from this it is, that no one need expect fairness from such an, advocate. He can never be just

other. thing lllay be noted, which has the merit of truth, although it may not be palatable. It is an easy thing to suggest that working men do not attend church because of thc inconsistencies of Christians, and the attitude of the Church, but the truth is, that men in every grade of society do not attend church because they do not want to. They have no desire to submit themselves to the teaching which demands a yvhole-hearted submission to the will of the Lord. The real problem is, "0 Lord, how long" ere, by the interposition of Divine power, this state of things shall give place to the Kingdom of God? The editor of the volume under consideration makes a possible suggestion for the cure of the evil which he ,;ees. 'I'hat suggestion is thus worded :-''It may be that there will rise up again a great Christian teacher whose message the working people will again hear gladly; maybe he will 'trolbat is tbe Solution? gather them about him in a new Christian fellowship. Such a man would seem to need more of the, spirit of Francis of Assisi than of V\T esley, since his first essential would have to be the 'inestimable treasure of most holy poverty.' Wesley's was the voice of the middle classes. This one's will bc the voice of thc working classes. The voice lllay come from the churches and schools, as WesIcy's came, or it may come from out the, people themselves, as came the working man's Son of Nazareth. I believe the voice will come from the people. God saves the people by the people." But this is no cure. Even should such a teacher arise, the influence of his work would endure but for a time, and presently the inevitable drift would ensue. There would be a necessity for a further revival. The provision assumes that the middle classesand the upper classes are sufficiently evangelised. But this is a fallacy. The work to be done must be thorough, and not based upon distinctions of this kind. Scripture recognises no such divisions of men. It boldly, clearly puts all under the name of "sinners," and for its purposes knows no other name. A working man, as such, is not the special object of salvation. He, in common with the member of the aristocracy, is, in God's sight, a sinner. There is something better than this solution, and that better thing is the advent of the Son of Man, through whom "all peoples of the earth shall be blessed." By His presence, and by divine power' only, can the desirable things be attained. We have no hope that by other means, or another person, can any permanent good be secured, or the problem be solved. But a few short years ago nearly every town in the colonies had its Freethought Association, the members of which believed that a new era had set in, in which what they called Free thought would certainly overthrow what they called superstition. The churches would wane, and the new Seehi1t(l for societies would take their place, jfreetbtnhcra. and succeed where they had failed,

THE

lHBLE

STANDARD.

NOYE!3E!f, ,1906.

to one who holds a religious belief. If one wanted any support of this view, it could be found in the statement fro1\1~ the: author, that religion "is the desire for reward if!; .the world to come, and neglect of duty in this world." Thi$nia~ bea smart saying, but it lacks the element of txuth, and it: is not founded upon any reasonable grounds with which we are acquainted. There is no religion of which we have read or heard but demands some duty in the present, and the Christian religion certainly pub; very prominently a conception of present duty, which, iJgenerally followed, would tend speedily to an alteration: of. things for the better in every department of life. .,It may well be that the writer's idea of "duty" may differ: from .ours, but even here reason must play some part.jmd we cannot allow that this man should have the rig.\1t to set forth his idea of duty and palm it upon h'tis fellqwsas the only one. Christianity is the highest reason, and calls for closest investigation, and shuns no fair examination.

A Bo~k has been issued entitled "The Nature of Truth.'!' According to the review in the liJxpos'itory Times, its aim is "to prove that everyone of the topical notions and accredited theories of truth fails sooner or later to maintain itself against critical investigation." The author Ube 'Rature of Urutb. discusses truth as "correspondence," "quality," and "coherence." We believe there is a shorter and more satisfactory method of arriving at the nature of truth than by its examination in the abstract. Truth that does not centre in a person is of very little use to the world. Viewed abstractedly, separated from a person who is truth, it can only be dealt with in partial and divisive fashion. ' As a whole, a perfect thing, it is presented to- us in the Word, and there it can be studied. Long ago- Pilate asked, ''What is Truth?" No reply was vouchsafed, -for it already lay in the assertions made by. .the Lord when the query was put. 'I'he great purposeof God, as outlined in His Word, is opposed to all evil, falsity, wrong, and error. There is no error or falsehood anywhere but finds its opposite in .that plan of'God. "But that plan is headed up in a Person, who is therefore,and of necessity, The Truth. "I am the Truth." Put in this way, the nature of truth can be understood,and we need not to spend time in following the. curious guesses of men who have missed this grand concrete. presentation of the subject. And we, who believe; are in Him who is Truth.
It has become one of the eommonplaces of religious thought that no one now takes seriously that old view concerning the. destiny of sinners which heartlessly consignedthem to an sver-during conscious hell of suffering. . .... . Still, there are found occasionally' !\ 1Prta~ber's some evidences of the continued exjf.ore\1lCW. . istence of this inhuman and cruel beiiet . In' da:y8p~st,it was no un-

common thing for the preacher to speak with assurance concerning those who would have a place in .the pit of never-ending woe. But latterly, even those. who still hold to the old tradition concerning the place and duration of future punishment are more polific, arid speak of it, and those who shall pass into it, with a. vagueness that -leaves much to be desired. There is, howevery.an instance, recently to hand, which shows that there is one man who possesses some decided views on the matter; and is not afraid to give them utterance. The fol lowing newspaper cutting gives the story:-"A remarkable sermon is said to have been preached by the Rev . John Davies, of Cadle, near Swansea, at N oddfa Chapel, Aberdare, recently. The report, as given in an Aberdare paper, states that the Rev. Mr. Davies gave a very powerful sermon dealing with the Day of Judgment. He drew a very graphic description of that great day, and in lui:id colours pictured a large procession of the doers of iniquity marching to their doom. lie could perceive Chamberlain in hell suffering for his connection with the South African war. He could Ilee Balfour in hell reaping his reward for his promotion of an iniquitous Education Act against the wishes of the majority of the people. Then, in another department of the prison of perdition, he could see the Sultan of Turkey, who. had perpetrated such cruel atrocities on the Armenians. Still gazing, he could see in Gehenna even ministers of religion and prominent laymen who had lived the double life."

'Wlbat tbe Scripturea Sal! of IDeal".

As the Holy Scriptures constitute our only authority and last appeal concerning the state and condition of the dead, we will listen to them, remembering if wc speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in (See Isa. viii. 20). We remember no literalism in the Bible that represents humanity as being alive and dead at the same time; nor a little alive while dead. The Bible speaks in no uncertain tones of the death state, and no believer of the Bible needs an hour and a-half and a laboured argument to answer the question: "Ill a righteous man in death, dead?" While the Bible in terminology uses the words death and sleep interchangeably, to denote the condition, it nowhere intimates that the one class is dead, and the other only asleep; but always represents them as in the same condi tion-dead. The word sleep is applied to the wicked; the word death or dead is applied to the righteous. Why, then, is not the one in the literal death state as much asleep as the other, and the other as dead as the one,. and both in the same. condition, until the resurrection of the two classes, when Divine sonship will be manifested as that of Jesus was, by or at the resurrection? (Rom. i. 4) ; for the sainted dead shall be raised incorruptible ( 1 Cor: xv. 52). In every expression of Holy Writ upon this subject, the dead, regardless of character, are' repre-

us.

THE.' -BIBLE 'STANDARD.

sented as absolutely dead-so dead that unless God raises them from the death state, even the sainted dead will hare perished. We cannot, from any Bible viewpoint, sympathise with the statement that the unrewarded Christian dead "have beautiful dreams." That theory is a little too dreamy for our use. God's Word nowhere represents such a condition of nightmare in the grave, limbo, or elsewhere, during the period of death. SVe find the good old Book containing such statements as, "Moses, My servant, is dead" (Josh. i. 2). Pretty high authority for this statement. Wonder if some theologians would feel like correcting the sta ternent of the speaker: "Lazarus is dead:' Did.T esus know? What is it to be dead? The dead cannot reply. Theology says the outer man and the inner man have separated-c-parted company. This constitutes death. Where does the Bible say this, please? It will be time enough for me to say it when I find it in the Book. But some one cries out: "Oh, the life-principle I"~ Very well, we will look at that point in our next article.-G. H. VV ALLACE in 1'1'01'7 d's Crisis. can suspend the operation of a law-"the -Son 'of- 'Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matt. xii. 8). When inspiration w~s lacking, the inspired A:postle could say i "I give my judgment." But not so our Divine Lord. For He "emptied" (or "stripped") Himself, not merely of His Divine glory, but of HislibeTty as a man. Being originally in the form' of -God; "He was made in the likeness of men;" but, more than this'; He took "the form of a bondservant" (PhiL ii. 6,7).'This can have no human parallel; but the ministry of Ezekiel illustrates it in a striking way. The circumstances of the time were such that God-eequired rHis prophet should speak no word save what was Divinely given him; and so He struck Ezekiel dumb, uutilithe judgment which was the burden of his prophecy had fallen on the guilty city (Ezek.iii. 26; xxxiii. 22).iBut no such discipline was needed here. The Lord Jesus was the perfect Servant, and uttered none blitGou~ given words. "The words which Thou gavest Me I have given them" (Jo. xvii. 8) was the record of His ministry; and as was said of the words of Sinai, "He -added no more" (Deut. v. 22). Therefore it was-that He knew neither the day nor the hour of His coming in glory. For "times and seasons" "the Fatherhath set within His own authority" iexousic], The Lord's knowledge was thus limited-by-His ~'authori tv" (His exousia). But it h tui no other limit." For all His teaching was within that "authority;" all B is words were expressly given Him of God. Hencq ithe transcendent value and importance of His teaching; Hence the unspeakable solemnity of His words. 'Hence, too, the awful guilt of disparaging His teaching or rejecting His words. And this is the guilt of-the distinctive apostasy of the present age. The intelligent Christian cannot fail to notice that. in Mark xiii. 32, as in Acts i. 7, it is not of God that the Lord Jesus is speaking, but of the FATHER. 'I'he, contrast is not at all between the Divine and the human, but between the Father and the Son. And the same remark applies to John v, 19-30, a passage which claims. very special notice here. ' ... , And no 'part of our Lord's teaching was more definite and emphatic than that in which He. accredited the, Scriptures as Divine-"the Scriptures being the identical books which we now call the Old Testament." 'But, with mingled levity and profanity, His teaching is' C0117 temptuously dismissed as worthless. For, we are told, "both Christ and the apostles, or writers of .the New. 'I'estament, held the current Jewish notions respecting the Divine authority and revelation of the Old Testament."-Si1 Robed Anderson, K.C.B.

Ube 'lLimits of ~ur 'lLorb's 1know(ebge.

'VHE speaking of His coming again in glory, the Lord Jesus declared that "of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not even the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark xiii. 32). To some minds these words seem to suggest a grave difficulty. But, in fact, they illustrate the principle which underlies the proverbial saying, that the exception proves the rule. They emphasise, indeed, the meaning of the statement which immediately precedes them: I'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." , Au"d this, again, is explained by other utterances of our Divine Lord. As, for example, when He said: "The word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me" (J o. xiv. 24). Or, still more fully, when He declared that to reject His words must bring judgment in 'the day of judgment, because, He added: "I speak not from Myself, but the Father which sent Me; He hath giv~n Me commandment what I should say, and what I should speak . . . the things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto Me, so I speak" (J o. xii. 48-50). . And yet, again, this explains the statement that "I-le taught with. authority" (exousia). , It was not that He taught with dogmatic definiteness, for this the Scribes could do; but that while they could only appeal "the law and the testimony," He spoke from God. He spoke and acted with His ear, as it were, to a telephone from the Father's throne. Therefore it was that, when accused of breaking the Sabbath, He rep~li~d the, charge not only as being untrue, but as being a denial of this very "authority." For the law-giver

to

"A grave and serious mistake is often made by scolding children for some slight fault or a bit of' a mischievous prank. Dear parents, don't for ever keep ..on nagging that black-eyed boy of yours or that, blu~;'I;;y'e.~ little girl. The Heavenly Father did not give themto you for such a purpose."

.166"

THE BIBLE

STANDARD .

,NOVEMBER,

1906.

'--0----0--..-0- .. -0--"~' .. -

lEe bees
DO WE

from

mrlest Street.
.~ .. 0--..-%- ..-0--..-%-. BELIEVE? I REFERRED recently to the voluminous correspondence appearing in a London newspaper, and since issued in book form, under the heading, "Do We Believe?" In .that correspondence dignitaries of the Anglican Church, ministers of the ,Free Churches, members of the legal , and medical professions, business men and working men, took .part, In the letter which gave rise to this avalanche of communications the writer characterised his question as "the problem of problems." He had looked out upon .the modern world, and discovered that some of the ideas, ideals, and standards of practice generally accepted were in strong contrast to those of the religion taught. by Jesus Christ, and the discovery sent through his mind quite a shock of surprise, occasioning heavy sorrow and regret. He referred at some length to the Sermon on the Mount, and, contrasting it with the . current practices of the world, asked, in view of these 'p~ll:ctices so far away from the Lord's teaching, "Do we believe?" Christ set up the ideals of poverty, but the axioms of the world are wealth, smartness, and no toriety. 'The writer assumed that the same people followed the. Christian ideal who, in practice, were followers of the world. The correspondence that followed this letter reve~led a strange medley of notions. As put by the ..first writer, the question really meant not "Is Christi anity a Fraud P" but "Are Christians Frauds?" Do they live up to the ideal they profess? But the correspondence departed largely from this, and the question as to the truth of Christianity became prominent. That latter question need not here engage our attention. We wiil confine ourselves to the one originally raised, "Are Christians living according to their profession P" It is open for .me to remark that in that controversy there has been failure to carefully mark the topic of dis~ussion. 'The original writer asks, "Do we believe?" but he does not define the "we," nor does he give indication as to the thing to be believed .. I mean, that with .the New Testament as our guide, there should be intellizible discrimination as to what.is to be believed before o ~hequestion is put, "Do we believe?" . Who are the believers? On this matter the Bible IS clear.. In our Saviour's day the nation of Israel was supposed to be the nation of faith, yet the Lord Himself divides that people into those who believed, and those who did not believe. (See Jo. v. 44-47.) In its later portions, the New Testament makes a sharp distinction between the Church and the world. So if the question is rightly put as belonging to the Church of God, then must this querist eliminate the great world of men who
I,

make no profession of Christianity, and whose actions are not professedly guided by its teachings. If this distinction be not made, it is hopeless to think that a true answer can be found to the question. Theworld, as such, does not believe the Christian religion, and on its part the answer must be a negative. But there is a second matter to be pressed. Do we believe-what? There ought to be some clearly-defined object before the writer's mind as to what ought to be believed. Some standard should be set lip. Herein lies the error of the questioner, an error. which is followed by many who came after him. He sets up .the Sermon on the Mount, and, calling attention to some. of. its striking precepts, he asks his question. For. in that sermon is commendation of poverty, etc.", but in. the world is self and self-seeking. There is misunderstanding in this position, a misunderstanding existent, ,in the Church and out of it. Let us clearly say, as at once indicating our view of this attitude of - mind .and thought, that the Sermon on the Mount is not the. !est for Christian faith. Even were all its' prineip les kept, yet it would be true that as it stands as a complete summary or code, it is not, and was not intended to be, jhe guide for the Christian, Nor, on the other hand.yis it the test of disbelief. . Why will men so persistently ignore the plain facts of the record? . This Sermon is spoken of with an assurance that on the face of it seems to betoken a certainty of knowledge, but the. utterances show a lamentable ignorance of its place and importance in the Bible. 'I'he apostle Paul, who taught so fully on the position, privileges, and-responsibility of the. Christian Church, did not put the Sermon on the Mount before his readers as a standard of practice. Why not? Well, because he understood dispensational teaching, and knew better than to commit so great an error. Here in this wonderful address of the Lord arc no rules for the guidance of the believer in this current dispensation. When this was delivered in the ears of the listening disciples and the multitude, it was not as part of the instructions for a Church as we know it to-day. He spake to His brethren according to the flesh, who were looking for a kingdom. These hearers were under the national laws embodied in the books of Moses, laws relating to the kingdom established by God, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. It is to this body of laws that the Lord refers in the course of this Sermon on the Mount. Re does not set these laws aside, but carries them further in their operation without taking them out of their national relationship. But when the Christian Church comes before us there is quite another kind of teaching. Even if the same principles are enforced, they are put in another form, and have quite a different bearing. When these things are understood, then we may hope that Christianity will be better understood, and there will be fewer exhibitions of the kind of which this correspondence is a 'sample. '1'0 ask if the Christian Church is living up to the standard of the Church epistles is legitimate and fait, and there is ample scope to discant upon the sins and

NOVEMBER,

1906.

THE

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Ask this Bible revelation for its message to men, and with teachable, child-like mind listen to what it has to say. It has something to say about man that is' worth lisirning to, for it declares him-to bea mortal.jperishing being, by nature tending to the grave, and by personal transgression liable to the second death. I find that it presents to him the certainty of. a future resurrection from the dead, and a judgment to come, but proffers that, on acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, sin shall be forgiven, that so the believer may escape condemnation, and may, by the gift of God, share in eternal life. Let me ask, "Who believes this?" If it is truth, and is not set forth as the standard of test; then of what value is the correspondence which has raised the question, "Do we believe?" ..,. . I find, too, that Christianity presents itself as part of a great and gracious plan, which encompasses the earth in its circle of blessing. I learn that it is the Divine intent to establish a kingdom upon the earth, in which God's will shall be done as it is in heaven. .Lleam that it is the present design of Christianity to call out a people who shall be joint heirs with God's dear Son when He returns to inherit this kingdom, which it! His by right and by purchase. Every incentive to holy living, to a daily practice of the Christian virtues, is given in connection with this doctrine. But who believes it? The matters of Bible revelation have no connection with the salvation of an immortal soul, or to an entrance into heaven at death. The true dominating incentive is, that Christ is to return, and every principle which must govern present-day Christian character is linked to that return as its episodal point. So at least we may apply the words of our Lord, who, speaking of His destined manifestation as Israel's monarch, and as the Head of humanity, asked, "When the Son of Man cometh shall He find the faith on the earth?" Shall He? That is a much more pertinent question than the one raised and continued in this voluminous correspondence. It is a question with point in it, and with pressure behind it. It is one that comes to lis all. It is one we can take home with us, and carry as our companion to our bedside, and there put it to ourselves in the solemn surroundings of a quiet time with God. Shall He find it in me? In you? Put it to yourselves now. Come right away from the strife of words, and the clash of opinions, and answer the question to God, "Do I believe?" The question as to the belief of the many need not influence you. Yours is an individual lot, an individual experience, and it is of infinitely more importance to you that you should be able to say,' "I believe," than it is for you to answer in a general way as to the faith of the multitude. [Notes of a Sunday evening address given in West Street by the Editor.] .

follies which mark her course; but it is neither fair to the Church nor to the Scriptures to ask if she keeping to the standard of the Sermon on the Mount. Whether that standard is higher or lower -than that of the epistles is not the question, but rather we should ask, "Is it the standard for the Church?" There is one phase of this question which can be legitimately pressed upon the people at large, irrespective of the Christian faith. In the course of the correspondence we have not crossed this proper phase. That question is, "Do we believe in a Creator? Do we believe that we are creatures responsible to Him?" These are the primal matters to be put before the world at large. It is usually imagined that the Bible story of creation is given simply to supply the human race with information regarding the origin of man and of his surroundings. God does not so minister to man's curiosity. That wonderful account is given to show the basis for human responsibility. God is Creator, man is creature, and is therefore responsible to his Maker for the use of the faculties and powers with which he has been endowed. On that clearly-defined basis Paul mak;es his appeals to the Gentiles, and it is from that basis that he commences his epistle to the Romans, and whence he builds up the glorious plan of salvation which is there outlined. In the light of the clear affirmations contained in the opening verses of that epistle, and the confirmations found in everyday experience, it can safely be said, men do not believe. Again, there should be some discrimination even if the inquiry is confined to the Church. For the usual thing is to say that professing Christians do not believe in the Christian religion. But, what is meant by the Christian religion? When Archbishop Laud visited Scotland he lamented that there was no religion that he could me, which grieved him much. What did he mean? Why, that he found no altars, no incense, no liturgies, no priests, and therefore no religion! In the early days of Christianity the Roman rulers, like 'I'rajan and Aurelius, persecuted the Christians on the grounds of public policy, which required that everyone should have a proper religion. Christianity had not degenerated into a "religion," and so the Christians were cast to the lions as atheists. When Polycarp was called upon by the Roman Pro-consul to renounce his fellow Christians, he was to do so in the words, "Away with the atheists!" It is that which has gone by the name of the Christian religion which has inspired the Inquisition, and which lit the fires of Smithfield, and which laboured to stamp out Christianity. "N 0 means came amiss to it, sword or stake, torture chamber or assassin's dagger." Let us learn to distinguish :-Christianity is a divine revelation, and on its human side it is a pure and holy faith, which shows itself in lives of piety and philanthropy. Once this distinction is seen, then it becomes evident that we are working within a very narrow circle indeed, for when we turn to inquire for the believers in this divine revelation we are astonished to find how few they really are.

If you would find happiness, do not seek for it, but spend your endeavour in blessing others, and. happiness will find you.

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The Editor wtshea it to be underatood that. while he exercises a gtmeral snpel'4 rialon over the artfcles and Oorrespouueuce HtJPcltriuK in UleST ..xD ... n, respouelbility (or sent~e.nw t:.prco:JeJ. ru~1.::s upon the iudividual writer.

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The visit of the Editor to the Southern churches is a fact khat has 'Of course 'llufde [itself ;f~lt)n all departments of our work. Though absent from our midst, his pen has not been idle in the preparation of this month's ST,\NDAUD,and the forecast of his Dunedin mission, ns rep}n.ted in the Church News, means steady and constant ettort on behalf of our Southern brethren. As far as the Auckland Church is concerned, combined effort enables us to report progress, and the prayers of the Association are due for success in this work; and the strengthening of our absent brother's energies for the labour he has in hand. Our financial year ends with the close of this mouth and there are a considerable number of subscriptions for the current and previous years still unpaid. Wil] subscribers who are in arrears kindly take this gentle reminder, and remit to the Treasurer without delay so that he in turn may be able to clear off his indebted. ness to the printer.

I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, "Search the Scriptures!" The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through and then laid aside, but to read in small portions of one or 'two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted unless by some overruling necessity.-;-JohnQuincy A dams.

As God showed Moses the land of Canaan from the top of :'IIount Nebo (Deut, xxxii. -!9; xxxiv. 1--10), so from the summit of an unknown mountain the Devil "showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world" (Luke iv. 5). There are two opinions as to what these words mean. Some think that Satan showed Jesus the land of Palestine, which was then divided into three parts or kingdoms, over which the three ;';OI1S of Herod were reigninl; us k ings ; but the generallv-receivcd opinion is that by some po\\'ers of conjuring. by SOIIW superhuman art, ~atan was able to cause the eye of J eSLlSto see the great 1 oman Empire stretched 011 L like a vast panorama at His feeL. That it was a sight extraordinary and out of the common we gather from the words, "showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a momenl ot' time." L\. wonderful vision, a mirage of the desert, flashed before the eves or Jesus just for "a moment," und then it was gone. Satan was able to picture before Jesus the kingdoms of this world in all their glory, beauty, strength, majesty. Its work, its might, its greatness, were clearly scen-e-the splcndi d appearance of the Emperor, the gOl-geollsuess of the princes, their robes and crowns, their armies and navies, their servants and chariots and horses, thci I' thrones, courts and palaces, their villages, towns and cities, the gardens fields and parks. the wealth, pleasure, gaietv, el'en-thillg that could excite admiration and ;1111bition and desire. Such \1'<1,.; the great show Satan displayed in all its glory before Jesus, hoping His eye might be dazzled, His heart tempted, and His will overcome by so wondrous a sight of the pomp and wealth and hononr and glon- of the kingdoms of this world. In like manner we read that the apostle John, from "a mountain great and high," was by an angel shown (in vision) "the holy city Jerusalem" (Rev. xx, 10, 11). 'I'hat Jesus was actually thus tempted "in the wilderness" is beyond dispute, because we read that when Satan had left Him "Jesus returned into Galilee" (Luke iv. 14). But as no mountain on the whole earth' commands a survey of "all the kingdoms of the world," wo are compelled to the conclusion that it was by the use of magical arts and exercise of supernatural power on the part of Satan that so marvellous a sight was produced, ] t was all seen "in 1:1 moment of time." 'I'he concentration of what seems an almost endless succession of images into the consciousness of a moment is eminently characteristic of the activity of the human mind in a state of ecstasy or V1Slon . Having thus shown Jesus this great sight, Satan proceeded to tempt Him. Said he, "All these things will T give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me." It was a colossal bribe. N ever before had a mortal man such a chance, and on such terms. Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth, can at once become a King. And the terms? Simply to accept the rulership of the world from the hands of Satan, to acknowledge it was Satan's gift, and that He (Jesus) reigned by the grace and favour of Satan.

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beat and bruise Him. .Before all nations shall call Him blessed, the people must shout "Crucify Him, .crueify Him." Before the crown must be the croi,s.'Before the throne the grave. Before eternaJJife:!;oo~~,bh mortal death. Before glory cometh shame.' 'Hl:l'Tnrtst'tle "despised and rejected of men" before .Hecan b~ 'thlg of the Princes of the earth. Before that momentousday when the man Jesus stood side by side withSatan on~t1-l.e mountain top, and the grand day when He sh~ll sit"aR the throne of His father David, there is a greatspace to be filled in, a great gulf to be bridged over-s-scrrowand shame, conflict and agony, condemnation anddeathwere to be His portion, and even after His deliverance from death through resurrection a long course of years must He wait till the appointed day shall dawn.' Already 2,000 years have elapsed since He returned to the l~eayens, and not yet have the kingdoms .of this world become the possession of the Lord's Christ. Jesus was not an angel, a spiritual being thht cannot be tempted as we are, but a rnan like oursel ves,'aIi'd"could feel the full force of temptation, And it must have been a strong temptation to Him when the "kingdoms of this world" were placed within His immediate grasp-it was an offer hard for flesh and blood to resist. .,' .' ,:; One aim of Satan in this offer to Jesus was pt\iveh,t Him from dying on the cross. He knew that without shedding of blood is no remission of sin, and if the Lamb of Goel did not die as a sacrifice on behalf of the world the wrath of God must abide on that world. It would have been a small price to pay, i.e., the abdication of the seat of Chief Ruler of this world, inorderfhat Jesus might take His place, if by so doing there would be no atonement made because of no blood-sheddingon Calvary's Cross. Three years later the same temptation came to our Lord. On that occasion Satan tempted' Him through Peter, who "began to rebuke Him" when. He spake of His death, saying, "Be it far from Thee, Lord.; this shall never be unto Thee." Jesus immediately addressed Peter in the self-same words as used to the Tempter in the wilderness, "Get thee behind Me, Satan" (Matt. xvi. 23). And even once again, at the last hplir of His life, came to Him the temptation to escape deafii. and 'show Himself as Messiah without "laying dowrl I-lis life." The challenging 'drowd cried, "If Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross." They meant that if He would so do, they would receive Himasthe Christ, and help Him to His throne as Son of. David. And so escaping the cross He would secure a. throne. It is to be remembered that the man Jesus was qualified to be the world's King. He had powers and ability such as no man ever before possessed. He coul~work miracles. His command of natural forces was compl~te" the wind and waves obeyed Him. He coulddo anYthirig. He would have been the grandest, .the mostpowerur; the most just Ruler the world has ever seen. Hecollld' remove the ills of mankind, could put down all oppression, could cause war to cease, could bring in the golden age. He could do it, and nobody else could ... Many gre;:tt

But why did the Devil thus tempt the young man .l esus ? \\ ould nothing less do as a bribe? Why, men now sell themselves to the Devil through love of strong drink, for the pleasures of gambling, sensuality, and other forms of vice. It doesn't need a kingdom with which to bribe the mass of mankind. But in the case of Jesus of Nazareth Satan knew he must play with high stakes. You cannot catch an eagle with a fly, or a lion with a piece of string. '1'0 ensnare Jesus, the tempter offered the greatest thing in his pow'er, i.e., the Mastership of the world. The reason of this extraordinary offer vas that Satan l-neio who Jesus was (Mark iii, 11). Men might be blind, and fail to recognise the Messiah in the pooi Carpenter, but the Arch-enemy of mankind knew from the day of His birth the destiny of the babe J eSLlS,and knew Him to be the rich Son of God from heaven. 'I'his was He of whom it was prophesied that He Sh0111dbe a King, powerful as David, glorious as Solomon, Wli08C rule should be to the very ends of the earth. 8;,1::1] knew also that it was predicted that this World Conqueror, this Everlasting King, would ruin him and his kingdom, and so with great skill and artfulness, instead of denying the claims of Jesus, he at once virtually acknowledged them, but only asked that instead of the Messiah setting up His Kingdom by force of arms, by a bitter conflict, He should accept it as a free gift from Satan-the only condition being a bonded knee, one act of lowly homage, as from an inferior to a superior. "Pay me Divine honours, and it shall all be Thine. To The!' will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been del ivered unto me; and to whomsoever 1 will I give it." 'I'he "father of lies" stands revealed here. The world has never by God been "delivered" to Satan. He is a usurper who, through the folly of mankind, has possessed himself of the kingship. True, he is "the prince of this world" (.J ohn xiv, 30; xvi. 11), but only because a fallen race choose to serve him rather than the Only True and Living God. In this insolent offer we may also see a veiled threat. If Jesus agrees not to the terms, and so fails at once to .secure the powcr and authority, Satan will use to the utmost the kingdoms of the worlc1 for the foul purpose of defeating God's purposes and crushing the God-appointed ICing. Supposing that Satan hadtlnconditiona7ly offered thc crown to Jesus, and it had been accepted-supposing no act of worship (homage) had been required, might not Jesus have closed with the offer, and at once have been put into possession ? Would not these last two thousand years of unspeakable woes have been made impossible? How different might have been the modern history of this world! But a moment's thought shows that it was impossible that such an offer could be accepted. Before Jesus could enter upon His Kingdom He had first of all to go to the cross. Before He attains to the dignity of a King He must undergo the degradation of being as a slave sold for 30 pieces of silver. Before all kings shall bow before Him, Herod and Pilate must

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monarchs had tri~d and failed. He successfully could have accomplished the task. Oh, what a temptation- it must have been to this man of Nazareth, who, from His boyhood, must have looked forward to the time when, as Son of David, He should sit on His father's throne according as the angel had promised His mother Mary, There He stood in the presence of the Great Prince of the World. And that Prince was actually offering to make Him apresent of it all. One reason of His coming into the world was to fight that Prince and cast him out, and here is that Prince saying, "Don't let us be enemies and fight; shake hands and be friends. I don't want to quarrel, just be willing to accept all from me, and I will freely give you all. I only ask that in acknowledgment of my courtesy you bend your knee and pay me one act of- homage. To-day you are poor, unknown, friendless. To-morrow you shall be rich and famous, and kings and rulers shall from all parts of the earth acknowledge your sovereignty. Jerusalem, not Rome, shall be the metropolis of the world, and the ew shall be supreme."

.r

,Vas not this a weighty temptation to the young Carpenter from Nazareth? Was it not enough to turn the head of the man J esus ? But what answer did Satan receive? Suddenly, as the lightning flashes from behind a cloud, so there came the lightning-like flash of holy indignation from the lips of eTesus. Said He, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." 'I'he words must have hit Satan like a thunderbolt. Said J esus, "Pay yOIl homage, worship you, bend the knee to you, do you dare thus address Me, knowing whom I am, the Son of God from heaven? And do you ask for that homage which you know is clue to God alone? Go, leave My presence." And so, baffled, beaten, dumbfounded, without daring to open his mouth again (we read), "then the devil leaveth Him." 'I'he temptation was ended, the offer declined, Jesus had defeated His arch-enemy. "To Thee will I give," was the proud utterance Qf Satan. But years before David had in God's name written words intended for the eye of his great Son the Messiah : "Ask of Me, and I will give" (Ps. ii. 8). The man Jesus is to reign by the grace and favour and will of God, and not by the will, favour, and grace of Satan. What Satan sought was, "My kingdom come"-a Satanic Messianic time, a Satanic Messiah. What he failed to accomplish by means of Christ He will presently succeed in establishing-though but for a very short whilehy means of the Antichrist. Thus our Lord began His ministry as He closed it, in the spirit of the words, "Not My wi ll, buf 'I'hine be done." Christ vindicated the claim of God to be Supreme Ruler of the world. Satan might boast, "To whom I will I r,:ive the authority and the glory" (Luke iv. 6), but Christ has taught us to say to God, "For Thine is' the l:ingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever." And we know upon whom God will bestow this kingdom and make its Sovereign Lord. Says Peter, "Know assur-

edly, that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts ii. 36). In the cool and shade that followed this day of hot temptation, the angels came and ministered to the bodily and mental wants of the exhausted Jesus. But He had fought His fight and, won the victory. Having refused the friendship and favour of the Devil and his angels, the angels of God come to strengthen and comfort Him. 'I'hus was Christ victorious through that self-renunciation through which only can victory be won. Though faint from His forty days' fasting, His spiritual energy and mental determination were in full vigour. The seductive temptation to the immediate gratification of a personal ambition was resisted, and His love to God and zeal for His honour remained pure and unimpaired. And hereafter from the hand of God shall He receive what He refused from the hand of Satan, for is it not written, "Wherefol'e---because He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross-God also hath highly exalted Him and given unto Him ih.e name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Rotorua. C. CRISP BROWN.

\tbrl5t tbeconqueror
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building in which we are gathered to-night brings to me many memories of a mixed character. When j came to Glasgow as a boy it was occupied as one of the largest churches of the United Presbyterian body, and its pulpit was filled by a most lovable man, a good scholar and eloquent preacher, the late Dr. John Hobson. I spent many years of my religious life here, attending Sunday School and Bible Class, and learned many things which I have had to unlearn, but some which I trust I shall never forget. One day, I can well remember, the preacher just referred to let fall into my boyish mind a seed of truth which bore fruit which probably he did not intend. Expounding a passage in the prophets which spoke of the restoration of Israel to their own land, he said that he looked for this to happen in reality, because it was so plainly written. Such an avowal was more uncommon then than it is in our day, and my mind was arrested by the principle he laid down, viz., that God's Word should be taken as meaning what it says. Since then, I have applied it to many Scriptural subjects, and, among others, to this one of which I am now to speak, the question of human life and death. One of the most striking titles given in the N.T. to the Lord Jesus Christ is that of "T'he Prince (or Author) of Life" (Acts iii. 15). It is the worthy task laid upon this Mission to maintain, in face of an evasive
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They are a beautiful harmony, soothing the tired spirit, and bidding a sin-stricken world take heart again . Our blessed Redeemer went about, continually doing good, relieving every form of disease and sorrow that crowded round His steps. But chiefly are we struck with His attitude to-wards the last great calamity of all; the coming of that "Shadow, feared of man"* that "somewhere in the waste," "sits and waits" for each of us as his prey. How complete was His mastery over that last enemy! Death simply could not stand in His presence. No matter what stage of triumph it seemed to have achieved, it was ever turned into defeat when Our' Lord's own WORDSvery plainly claim for Him DEATH'S CONQUBROR appeared. His coming was always , this 'special authority and power. "As the Father hath as of sunlight into a darkened chamber, expelling at once , LIFE in Himself, even so hath He given to the Son to the shadows and the gloom. .: have LiFE in Himself." And this power, he declared, Look how thoroughly the field was won by the LIFEwould be proved by His reversal of death, both then in GlVEH, as in an ascending SCALEof TI-UU1VlPH. ']'he isolated cases, and at a coming time, by His calling nobleman's son, who lay at the point of death (John iv. forth "all that areinthe graves" (John v. 26-29). Yet, 46); the ruler's young daughter, who had j ust newly ,''(jilly to the one class of these, viz., "those that have done fallen asleep (Luke viii. 49-56) ; the widow's only son, "'-good," does He promise' "the Resurrection of LIFE," or carried forth on the way to his long home (Luke vii. Immortality. The fate of others, brought up by His 11-15); Lazarus, already four days dead, and in the power for judgment, is the second death, from which we tomb, and become, in the natural course of things, a prey -read of no resurrection. But this is a separate branch to corruption--all alike were snatched from the enemy's of ouritestitnony, on which this is not the time to engrasp and restored to life and joy. large'. And see, with what stately majesty, with what an "That our Lord was here discoursing of Z'ife and death appearance of SImple case, the wonderful victories were , 'in' their ordinary meanings, and referring to literal won. Not as with Elijah and Elisha of old, after long "1){orfaIity and irn;wrtal'ity. seems clear. "Your fathers," agonizing in prayer to God, and as with much effoTt~~ ',"8ilie[ Heto the Jews, "did eat manna" (a "bread from but with a word, or a touch of authority, in His own , heaven") "in the wil derness, and are dead. 'I'ms" (reName. To the nobleman, He said: "Go thy way; thy 'ferring to Himself) "is the bread which cometh down son liveth." 'I'o the hired mourners in ,Tairus' house, Hr 'froln heaven, that a man may eat thereof and NOT nIB. said: "Give place, the damsel sleepeth;" and, heeding -r'am the LIVING BUEA])which came down from heaven; not their jeers, He put them all forth; then, in presence if any man eat of this Bread, he SHAUJ MVE FOR EVEH." of father and mother, and three chosen disciples, "He .' '(John vi. 49-51). He surely was not "paltering with took her by the hand, and said: 'Maiden, arise,' and she the double sense" when He used these words, and pointed arose immediately." 'I'o the young man of Nain, He the "contrast between a bread from heaven which could simply said: "Young man, I say unto thee, 'Arise;' and 'ilc;t overcome "the MOR'l'AI.rrYthat flesh is heir to, and the dead t sat up, and 'began to speak." '['0 Lazarus, He "THE Bread from Heaven" which could. 'I'here is no cried with a loud voice: "Lazarus, come forth," and point left in the contrast which He drew, if we deny instantly a living man obeyed the summons, still bound that this is the force of His words. about with the now useless cerements. 'But not .Hi's Words only, but also those wonderful How wonderful it all is! And what profit is it, then, Wonxswhich He did, bear witness to this all-important to us, to read such tales, and believe them true? Has it truth. The New Testament calls these works by various all passed away as a dream, leaving us helpless as ever names-c-vwonders," "mighty deeds," "miracles," and with our sorrow? Were such deeds recorded but to mock "slims." They were signs to teach mankind many our grief as we go on burying out of sight one and things on which we may not at present dwell (however another of our hearts' treasures, and shedding those tempting the theme}, They tell us of the high dignity . scalding tears which avail not to "thaw the frost that of the worker, and show Him to be the Son of God, the binds so dear a head?" promised i~ointed One, the Lord of a new Creation. Nay, surely, but as foretastes of a better time to come, They bespeak for His message the utmost attention, but and as pledges of that Power which He wields for the they bear this specially on their forefront: that the Lord undoing of the havoc Death has wrought in all our hearts J esus, though high above all preceding messengers in and homes. We learn that Death cannot stand before His Divi~e Sonship, differed from them also in this: the Prince of Life; and so we rest in hope that, when that He "came not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be sayed." All His works * In Memoriam xxii. bespeak Him the Saviour, the Healer, the Restorer, the t So the Greek reads, with more startling brevity even than our "Friend of Sinners," and.i.above .all, the LIFE-GIVEH. English version.

tradition, which would rob His title of its proper-meaning, that this honour belongs in very deed to Him whom . we worship and serve. He is, in no figurative sense, the very fountain of LIFE ; and that in two aspects. '['0 the grace of God, purposed in Him from the foundation of the world, do we owe our present lives; the race would -have, otherwise, been suppressed in Adam. Arid the central and crowning purpose of His incarnation is that He might give another, a nobler, a more enduring, even an EVERLASTING, LIl"E, to all such as are united to Him by a vital bond of Faith and Love.

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destruction, and thought that whatever was ta~M: 'oui of" the world had perished." .. . - " . '. ~ ';,-''3 Conybeare and Howson also, in their stindard'tV~rk on Paul's Life and Epistles; have t.he_i.911ow..ipg~iew,a1:I on the same passage: "How new, how comfor9n~ HI them must have been the doctrine of 'the 'Resurrection from the dead. What a contrast must the revelation. of Dife and Immortality have been to the .hopeless lamentations of their own pagan funerals, and to the dismal teaching which we can still read in the sepulchral inscriptions of heathen Thessalonica- -such as told the bystander that after death there is no revival, after the grave no meeting of those who loved each other on earth. The general feeling of the Greek world concerning the dead is that of utter hopelessness," " .' ']'his condition of the heathen mind .might be established by further proof in abundance. ' But letone more familiar piece of evidence suffice for the present; both to establish this general lack of faith in a future life, andthat the belief in immortality was a peculiarly Christian' doctrine. We know how, in the early days ot; Christ[~;: anity, the followers of the new faith submitted to be made the sport of the cruel arena, giving their lim1)s.~(; be torn and mangled by wild beasts, and otherwise going' to the slaughter "to make a Roman holiday." Now, what gave them this fortitude-a fortitude which provoked' the wonder even of the hardened onlookers? Let one- of the famous Roman writers of that day tell us. Luciasi, the witty comedian of his day, who turned to ridicule everything deemed solemn and sacred, even made a jest of the idolatries of the time> and did not spare the new reliqion from his satire. In his story of the death of one Peregrinus, a Christian (whether a real historical' character or not does not matter for. the present), he says of the Christians generally: "These miserable men have no doubt they shall be immortal, and live for ever ; therefore they contemn death, and many surrender themselves to sufferings" (De Mode Pereqrini, 1. 565). Evidently the world for whom Lucian wrote looked on this belief in a future and certain immortality. not only as a delusion, but as a delusion peculiar to this small' and persecuted sect of N azarenes. We may accept h~~' testimony, therefore; but with this difference, that what. to him was a baseless dream, to us is a faith, founded on the sure promise of Him who cannot lie, andinade cer-: tain by the rising again from the dead of His own Sori. : So much for my first comparison with ancient unbe ... ' lief as found in the Greek and Roman world: It shows a dark, universal night of heathen-even duitur~d- a~d highly civilised heathen-hopelessness in face ofdeath: It shows the human speculations about the immortality of the soul without any hold on, the mass, of rnankind.. And, on the other hand, it shows us, shining brightly' against that gloomy background, the radiantlight :o'tp~Christian faith in resurrection. and the life to come-+a . new, strange hope which had arisen through the pre4ch'" ing about Jesus who, had died' and risen, again (I,\'1'~e'~~. iv. 13). (To be continued.)" '

He comes again, the ancient graves, as He has promised, shall open at His call, and they that are His -shall come forth, not for a brief resumption of a mortal life, but UlItO the resurrection of Life Eternal. Surely here the blessed Saviour touches the deepest need of humanity. And yet strange it is, and sad, that the fact is not usually recognised, that this conquest of death, and this introduction of a good hope of immortality through the resurrection from the dead, arc the peculiar glory of the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Men, with the Bible in their hands, have somehow failed to discern this as the crowning good brought within their reach by the Son of God, who was "delivered for our offences," and raised again, in perpetual triumph over death, for our justification. Their minds are so full of the notion that mankind, whatever else they may lack, do not need to get immo'l'ial,ty from the Redeemer, having it already apart from Him, that they (unconsciously, no doubt) denv Him this, one of the chief honours which are His. Let me, by two comparisons, try to :mpress it on our m inds, that this hope of a Life Eternal, to be attained by a resurrection from the dead, to die no more (John v i. ~0, 40, 54; Luke xx. 35, 36) is, in an especial sense, the distinguishing feature of the Gospel. First, let us not forget that, when our Lord appeared, proclaiming by word and deed that He was the true source of Life and Immortality, the world was sunk in the deepest darkness and despair as to the future. The ancient mythologies of Greece and Rome had lost their hold on the minds of their followers; and men had ceased to believe, in any true sense, even in the shadowy afterlife which these mythologies pourtraved. Of this there is abundant proof. PLATO should be a reliable authority on such a point, arguing, as he did so strenuously, in support of a philosophical theory of immortality inhering in the soul of man; a theory, let me remark, quite unknown to Scripture. Yet he confesses that the inass of mankind "would not readily assent to his doctrine," because they were accustomed to apprehend rather that "on the very day in which the man dies, the soul is destroyed and extinguished;* that it goes forth and is dissipated, like n breath or a smoke, and ceases to be" (Pluiedon 39, 40, 58, 68). PAUL, too, who knew Greek thought well, tells us that outside the Christian circle of belief "the rest" of mankind (not merely "others," but hoi loipoi, that is, "the rest") sorrowed at the death of their friends "as those who had no hope" (1 Thess. iv. 13). Christians were in. no such hopeless case. Why? Because they "believed that Jesus died and rose again," and so all that slept in B im would be brought again from the dead just as their Lord had been. Calvin's comment. on this passage is very instructive. He says :-"The heathen considered death to be final
"He uses the 'Verywords that are applied in the New 'I'estament to the fate of the wicked.

~?VE~~~R,

1906.
1

THE

,--- -------- ==== - =

BIBLE

STANDARD.

173 supposed definite and peculiar meanings attached to the word." "Still," said Mr. Baker, "even if that word can be said to refer to different stages of the advent, the pm'o'Us'i( must have a beginning, and that cannot be till Christ actually arrives, It seems clea rlv evident that that period has already begun, and it is this which makes the subject so significant to us." A youthful attendant was here impelled to ask through the chai rman "if :'111'. Baker really meant them to understand that the parousia of the Lord was actually begun? If so, how was it that there were no visible evidences of it?" "Certainly," said Mr. Baker, "it has begun. It commenced in the autumn of 18i4. Of course, we have seen nothing with our natural eyes; only with the eyes of the understanding, only in the light of the 'more sure word of prophecy' do we know this, which we sincerely hel ieve and affirm. Of course, many are ignorant of th is, but this is because they have been too indolent to use their privileges and opportunities." "But," persisted the inquirer, "why do you say that it began in 1874 if there are no visible signs of it?" "Wel l, there are several lines of prophecy which indicate that it then began, and which 'the wise' were to understand. These 'evidences are too long for me here to adduce, but they are 'clear and forcible, and, positive, nevertheless somewhat 'under cover.''' "Hut," said Philip, who here rose to take part in the discussion, "this somewhat boastful claim to 'wisdom' beyond their fellows, and of an abil ity to bring to light the things 'under cover,' comes with ill grace from those who as a first step have to assume the truth of the year-day theory. This has been already examined, and Mr. Baker knows the failure to adduce such evidence in its favour as would satisfy any ordinary mind. Till that is done all this talk about lines of prophecy is perfectly useless, and the whole matter is but the vapouring of a man's brain, and can be dismissed as not worthy of serious examination. But it may be that some have not yet seen this, and, with your permission, Mr. Chairman, I should like to point out one or two matters which are connected with this view of the paroueia. Since we came together in fellowship in this place some of our number have fallen on sleep; they rest yonder in our cemetery awaiting the return of the Lord. So we believe, because we have read from the Word. regarding man's state in death, and concerning the Lord's advent. "Ve further believe thut when He returns there will be a resurrection from the dead, and that then 'the dead in Christ shall rise first.' We further believe that 'we shall not all sleep,' but that at the moment of the advent 'we shall be changed,' and that together with our dear ones who are then raised from the dead we shall ascend to 'meet' the Lord. This we view as the grand home-going of the saints of God. One glad band, and all together; that there is no precedence in that event for either the living or those who have died. But these ideas so per-

t'

~J~~,~~~~~~~~~,~~~~*;f~~~~~~~

Cb~ ,ljomt irdt.

"':t::t:il::t::t:t;t:t:t:H;:H:t::t:~:t::t:H::t:H::t:
J l i" . ", ;; it
0

oi

"lit,

~uest
CHAPTER

of

Urutb.
was noted for in its teaching

VIII.

the 'church the';promin~ence

at Brenton assigned

to the ,Bible doctrine of the Second Advent. So wel l-known was this that it was Ili-'Commonthing for others, not of that fellowship, to ,say, "They can talk ofnothing but the Second Coming." This was scarcely true, for it was the earnest endeavour o{tbe' 'leaders i'n that little community to -eult.ivate for themselves, and to instil in others, a desire for a \~ide acquaill"tan~e with Biblical truth. It was because' of this desire that they made this matter of the Second Advent so prominent. To them it was the crown and completion of every Bible doctrine. To teach any part of the Word, in its bearmg upon men, without this as the necessary accompaniment, was, in their view," ti> leave the teaching incomplete. If,'any. of the speakers were urging upon uneonverted hearers the, necessity for repentance" and an acceptance of the offer of Divine grace; he would be certain to point to the nearing end of the age, and the, Advent of the Lord as closing the door of opportunity to "salvation with eternal glory." In the meetings more particularly, given to the mutual exhortatiohs of believers, it was the Advent of the ':Lord in its relation to present Ohriseian doctrine that was made very prominent.. How often did the elders show that, every apostolie . appeal for Chr istian practice was made potent by the fact that "the Lord is at hand." It .was, possibly, this strong ,belief in the Second, Advent which had so willingly disposed the members to listen to the Dawn theories, for ,these are professedly based upon the Bible teaching regarding the Second Advent. As before intimated, the Brenton believers were Bible lovers, and, jealously 'guarded the Word, from the intrusion of human speculat.ions and guesses. Many of the views'they felt compelled to oppose were such as; not content with the Word alone, sought support from some other sourcesome creed, or standard, or teaching of men. "I'hey urged that all should speak as, .the Bible' speaks on matters which pertain to man and his salvation, and that in those great matters of the future on 'which the Bible was silent it ill became any man to, intrude his specula-

tiOOL"

'

'One Wednesday evening, at the usual Bible meeting; the class 'leader 'had given an interest.ing presentation of some of toe, ,retails in connection with the return of'the Lord, and an animated discussion followed: 'In the course of it one of the members said that, it was unfortunate that we had the ,word "coming" given in oUt 'English 'version without really discrimiDiltjng between the djfferent Greek

words which lay behind it. "For instance," he said, "I find that the word parousia, translated in our Common Version 'coming,' does not mean what our English word signifies, namely, to be on the way, approaching; but that, on the contrary, it signifies lJ1'csence, as of one who is really arrived. That is an important thing to observe, but I note that the same writer from whom this is quoted says that parousio. is used in respect of the earliest stage of the second advent, while apolcalwpei relates to the same advent later. This," he said, "and similar statements, are being circulated in tracts amongst us, and I should like to know if this can be borne out, because certain ver.Y strange views are buttressed by the interpretation." The leader, in reply, said "that he was no Greek scholar, but from his own study of the Word, as noted in the margin of the R.V., he could not accept this sweeping statement. To him it seemed clear that the word simply meant 'presence,' and that it certainly was indicative of a state to follow the actual movement in coming, yet it could not be fixed to any particular portion of the Lord's presence in time, exclusive of a later period supposed to be marked by another word. He did not understand that the element of time entered into it." At this stage Mr. Keith remarked: "This is a matter which can be easily determined from the Word alone. I have here in hand the tract from which the quotation mentioned was made, and find that it is bold enough to say 'these matters God Himself has been bringing to the attention of His people through Millennial Dawn, Zion's Watch Tower, and the Old Theology tracts. The watchers all over the world are being, reached by these "Helping Hands for Bible Students," which the Lord Himself is extending to them.' This, if accepted, makes God responsible for this teaching, but I would have you observe that it is fallible man who assigns it to God. So it is but human opinion, and it is open to another man, finding the teaching to be erroneous, and widely departing from the simplicity of Bible speech, to believe that the plausible suggestions emanate from quite another source-the opposite to the Divine. The Iact-is, that the appeal to the passages where the word porousio. occurs distinctly shows, as intimated by the chairman, that 'the word is simplv a common noun meaning "presence," and that beyond the fact that it does relate to a personal bodily presence, it must not be pressed.' The context must determine to what it refers; as well remarked recently by a Bible scholar of repute: 'If we are not careful to distinguish the various usages of the word parousia, we shall only create confusion, and e-et ourselves into sore trouble. We shall find ourselves taking a passage which speaks of, the Lord's presence on the earth after the tribulation, and interpreting it of His presence in the air before the tr ibulut.ion' (Bullinger). A recognition of the fact that the context must determine its meaning for us will prevent us from arbitrarily assigning a meaning to the texts because of a

174
sistent.ly put before us have a new doctrine of the resurrection, new in its interpretation of the Word, and new in that it sets aside Paul's clear statement as to the union of the Church with her Lord. This new resurrection of Mr. Russell's differs but little, if any, in its present effects on the person. from the conunon orthodox idea of the change supposed to take place at death. He teaches that the ready saints who died prior to 1878 'were awakened-raised-in spiritual bodies, invisible to mankind.' and that since that time 'the dead who die in the Lord will, in the moment of dying, experience their "change," or share in the first resurrection.' So this resurrection leaves to us the matter and form of our loved ones in the death chamber or in tIre tomb, but the 'spirit-being' is elsewhere. Is not this a teaching of the resu rrect.ion' 'past a.lready,' perilously like unto the error condemned by the i\ post le ? It is the issues of this doctrine wh ich make it so dangerous. "Wi th that goes another furm of teachill/.( which should give us pause. We, as a people. are looking for the establishment of a 'kingdom' according to the covenants and the sure word of prophecy. a kingdom which shall be upon tlns earth, and which shall hold all be ncath its sway. To satisfy this new view of the parousia, and of a future probationary period, this must be changcd, for it is obvious that a wide-wcrld, ma tcria l government, overthrowing opposition by power, established at Ch rist'a presence, is no place for the proposed ::\Ullelllliul change. So we are told 'the k ingdolll which we are expecting, and which we believe is now in process of establishment is a spiritual one, not it kingdom which will be visible to the natural eye, but an invisible yet powerful kingdom.' There is no need to enlarge upon this, nor to quote further statements of the same kind. Suffice it to say, that these things are necessary to the theory, and seeing they set aside so much of positive testimony concerning the Kingdom of God, as described hy the prophets, and teach a view of resur~'ection which emphatically is wholly of 'Dawn' origin, and has no place in Scripture, we may safely put this teaching aside as unworthy a place in our faith, and as inimical to Bible truth." As Philip sat down one of the elder breth ren arose and said: "Dear brethren, as a people we believe in allowing the fullest liberty to any who desire to aid us in our investigation into truth. To that end we framed the clause in our Confession which, while this building stands, gives the privilege to such. Upon that principle we have acted for many years. and I bhink that during the past few weeks we have given fullest liberty to Millennial Dawnists to put forward their views. Our church building has been open to their lecturer, and our Bible class open to them to set forth their teachings. Even at our own discussions the views have had large place. But I subm it, brethren, that there necessarily comes a place where some decision on the subject should be reached, and vou will pardon me if I say that I think' we

THE

BIBLE

STANDARD.
~".""

have now gelt to that point. We have read the literature, we have heard the best advocate available, we have listened with patience to the local friends, and have had abundance of quotations from the authoritative works. Some of our brethren, anxious for knowledge, have given time and atteution to the study of these writings. and have diligently compared them with the Bible. They have laid before us their findings. 1 am sure our minds are made up on this subject. and you will therefore permit me to suggest that, as a class, we have heard enough of Millennial Dawn. No good purpose caa be served by continuing the discussions. I think we have more serious business in hand. Our work is, by study of the Word, to train ourse~ves to w:t1k worthy' of"the jll~l, vooa tion to wh ich we are called. Witl. so many themes within the covers of the Word calling for attention, I think ,"<' have given as IIHwh time as can be spared from our ~hort lives to the study of a theory wh ich the marc it is exa nuned the more hopelessly erroneous it is seen to be." There was silence for a moment and then another of the brethren rose to endorse the opinions thus expressed. The Chairman then remarked: "This is a matter entirely in the hands of the class and if it is thought that we have heard enough on this subject, it will be sufficient if you indicate it by holding up the right hand." A for~st of hands went up, and when the Cha.irman called for ,t show for the contra ry view on 1)' Mr. Baker and another voted. "Carr!ed with two dissentients," said tlte Chairman, and then the meeting was brought to a close. As the brethren separated Mr. Baker was beard to remark. "This is applying the g-ag. As for myself, I want ail the truth, and don't intend to be satisfied with a part of it." "Be sure." said Philip. who overheard him, "that you don't mistake husks for grain." ('1'0 be uonuluded.)

... ~

Church.IDd Mission. News.

I'"
AUCKLANO.-The attendances are keepillg up verywell, especially the morning meetings. The Bible Class .also is holding well together, the interest throughout being heartily sustained. This, ..we are sure. will be encouraging to our absent brother who usually presides. Sunday, September ,30: Bro. Dixon's discourse this morning was bused on the sixth chapter of John's Gospel. Iu rthe oven irur Bra. L. Wilcock's subject was entitled "A Nation's Choice" (I Kings xvi ii.}, El ijah the 'I'ishbite and the Prophets of Baal. . ' Sunday, October 7: Bro. C. B. ](illg :.:,tye an address and exhortation f rum Rom. vi. We had the' joy this morning of witnessing three young sisters put on Christ in the water of bapt.ism-e-Ruby Camp" Elsie Wiloook, and Minnic Penman. In the evening Bro, L. Fa lkncr chose his subject from the character in BUllY" n's "Pilgrim's Progress." known as "The 1\1".n with t.ho Muck Rake." Sunday. October 14: Bro. White's discourse this morning was taken from the 28th chapter of Acts. In the evening Bra. Dixon delivered an address entitled, "Ne Plus Ultra," and in his remarks dis-. played some of the characteristics of the . early days, when Life in Christ only was proclaimed in this city. Sunday, October 21: We had an earnest exhortation this morning from 131'0. Lauric Wilcock, taken from Paul's first. epistle to Tilnothy," 2nd chapter, and we I had with us in fellowship Bro. Sid. Smith, who has just returned frorn South Africa, as well as Sister Gubb, of the Thames. In the evening an excellent address was delivered by Bro. :E. Aldridge entitled, "Master Over One's .Self." The subjects spoken to at the Wednesday evening Bible Class have been. as follows :-September 26, Bra. Wh ite, "Israel's Position in the Kingdom;" Oc tober 3, Bro. G. A. Green, "Practical Points;" Octobel: 10, Bro. G. A. Green, "More Practical Points;" October '17, Bra. C. B. King, "Prayer's Limitation:" All these' were well received, and the questions which followed brought forth an interesting interchange of thought.
, W.\.}:

How to Study the Bible.

An English clergyman has written on the flyleaf of his Bible the following outline:1. "Stud~ it through." (That is, master the subject you are studving.) 2. "Pray it in." (That is' pray over !t unti! it becomes a. part ~f you, and IS appl ied to your own life.) 3.. "Put it down." (That is, use your pencil and paper. It will be easier remembered that way.) 4. "Work it out." (That is, apply it to your everyday life.) 5. "Pass it on." (Tell it to others.) We. moral isa, we philosophise. about the discontent of man. W'e zive little reason for it; but the' real 're~son of it all .is this, that which everything lying behind It really signifies, that God is ~lways calling to man to come up to the fulness of His life.-Bl'ooks.

DUNEDlN.-Truth's victories are' not easil:" ,,:on. 'J~he history of the advocacy of 1.1 fe m Chnst in th.is colony .is ~ testimony to the accuracy of this statement: From first to last the story is' one "of continual conflict, and conflict. too. with those who are professedly on the' side of Tr.uth. That is the significant phase of th is struggle. It has to be waged aza.inst those who claim to bevon its sid~"and ~vho are opposing the great Life teachmgs because they are persuaded the:y :tre e.rrors! At the first proclamation III ~h~s colony our message met with op- . posltlO.n, and that has been its experience ever smce. The open attack of'earry


N(WEMBER,

1906.

THE

BIBLE

STANDARD.

75

=======================
days has given place to a modern "conspiracyof silence," harder to meet than :he open opposition of former days. The .iscovery . that the onslaughts made only served to show the Impregnable character of our uosit.ion, has led to this latter phase of avoidance. But the demand is not less upon us that we press the battle. The Gospel with which we have been entrusted must be delivcred. Nearly twenty years ago the writer was privileged to preach this message in Duncd in, and it was received and espoused by many. Circumstances prevented us from keeping a preacher in the city, with the result that the church then established has had to struggle against opposition without and disasters within. Of these latter thc worst have arisen from the failure to stand for the truth espoused, There are some in the city who claim ]JOW to hold finnly for the truths they accented, hut they are found support.ing by their presence and their means th~ opposite doctrine-c-an anomaly which awaits explanation. This is not peculiar to Duned in, for there is sca reel v a town in the colony where a similar state of things does not exist. It is obvious that were all to do this there would be no public advocacy of the Life truth, and the old doctrine could resume its swu v unh indered. Others have been led aWH~ by fascinating errors. so that the chureil has become weak, when it should be strong. A few have remained faithful all the time, and these, anxious that the glad message should have a further hearing, invited the Editor for a three months' mission, The hall occupied by the brethren has been secured for a zood many evenings for public addresses. The opening meetings have been held, and these, although not largely attended, have hopefully indicated better times to follow. The local paper contained the following report of the welcome tca:"A very successful tea meeting was held on Tuesday evening in the Oddfellows' Hall, Stuart Street, as a welcome to M1'. George Aldridge, of Auckland, who has come to Dunedin to conduct a three months' mission. After the tea the Mayor presided over a very interesting meeting. In his introductory re. mar~s be referred to his long personal acquaintance with their guest. and his high appreciation of his work. He stated that Mr. Aid ridge was well known in Dunedin, as largely through his efforts 'years ago the church meeting in that hall had been established, and his frequent visits had aided it greatly. He hoped that many would attend the meetings advertised and profit by the instruction Mr. Aldridge was undoubtedly able to impart. Mr. Aldridge, in a brief address, thanked the Mayor for his kind remarks. and asked that attention should be paid to the important themes he hoped to lay before his hearers in the course of the next few weeks. Many vocal and instrumental items were rendered by willing friends. and recitations and readings helped to fill out a full and attractive programme." We hope to be able to report an increasing interest in the message delivered j) our next month's report.

AUCKLAND.-On October Ist the subject of "Christian Reward" was dealt with by Bro. Cates, who held up to view the glorious things that are in store for those who are "true-ho.u-tcd, wholehearted, faithful and loval." l"irst of all, he showed the bestO\~mel1t of eternal life, the "free gift of God;" then we caught a glimpse of the "eternal glory," and then we turned to consider the Christian's present reward, viz., that sweet peace which dwells with those who "walk with the Lord in the light of His Word." Owing to another meeting taking place in the church the same evening, the attendance. on October 8 was somewhat scanty, but ,;hose who did attend, after listening to Sister Wood's paper, "The Story of Mark," went away having obtained a closer acquaintance with the writer of the second Gospel than they had had before. The following Monday we had another nature study, when the meeting was conducted by Bro. L. Falkner, who read a paper entitled. "Sermons in Stones," by Pro. W. G. Aldridge. It was of a very interesting and instructive nature. the subject matter being Illustrated by specimens and drawings. Sister Maberley, in a paper upon which much time and thought had evidently been spent, showed the prophet Jeremiah in the times in which he lived, and other members read passages which had part.icula rlv struck t.hem in their own private readings of his two books. We sepurated that night with the bright, hopef'ul note struck by this much-afflicted man in Lam. iii. 33-37 sounding in our ears and making melody in our hearts. Mara.na.tha. M.N_G.

DOlNG

GOOD DEIWS

PLJ;;ASANl'LY.

How

often

a good deed

is marred

by

the ungracious manner in which it i~ performed. Many persons who are really kind-heartcd ing the bright others, and, seem to bc afraid side of their when asked a of showto refavour, character

spend in unwilling and complaining fashion, so that all pleasure in the gift is marred for the reci pien t. The addition of a cheerful word or a p leaauut. smile doubles the vul ue of a good cl",",}, and yet costs the giver nothing extra.

A Mucu-r.ovun :MAN.
\Ve are all acquainted with that individual who has a cheery word and smile for everybody he meets, and know also how his visits are appreciated. The sick on~s look forward to his coming a" a I.ll'Igh~ ray of sunshine in the dreary days of paIn and weariness. Thc tired motlu-r pours her troubles into his syrnpathecie ear, and, receiving <L cheerful word of encouragement in return, gocs to her never-ending task with renewed vizour. The children, too, know that he will ~ntei' into their enjoyments, and consider him to be their special friend. Wherever he goes he carries sunsh ine with him, and leaves a pleasant impression upon all WIth whom he comes in contact. Can we not try to emulate such an one? Cult.ivats cheerf'ulness ; let the corners of your mouth have a tendency to turn up ra ther than down; rub out that frown and get the spirit of cheerfulness Into .your heart and into your face, ami you will become one of those individuals who ealTy, sunsh ine everywhere, who seem to love everybody, and Wh0111 everybody loves.
Do You RESlDE A.'l' GRUMBLE CORNER?

Church Pew Mirrors.

Small mirrors on the backs of church pews, to enable the worshippers, while bending to pray, to see if their hats are on straight, are the latest up-to-date church imp rovernerrt, A New York firm puts in the soul-satisfying equipment for three hundred dolJars.-'l'hc lVcstminster, Philadel ph ia. A painter, of world-wide fame, had wrought long on a magnificent picture. At last the finishing touches had been given, and he was gazing upon it with admiration. Observing that distance brought out its beauties more and more. he was stepping backward, with eyes fixed still on the canvas, forgetful that he was on a high platform. A friend coming in just then, saw his peril, and, without a word, seized a paint-brush and hurled it against the painting. The art.ist rushed to rescue his work from ruin. His work was gone, but his life was saved. The method was severe, but it was love that threw that brush.

1 you are living in the undesirable neighbourhood of Grumble Corner, call in the carrier right away and remove to . that pleasant locality of Thanksgiving Street, where the sun is ever sh ining, and the flowers are so beautiful and the neighbours are such plea.sant people. One wonders sometimes why men and women make their own lives, and those of thei r friends, so miserable by needless grumbling and complainings, when cheerfulness is so cheap and its results so satisfactory. There is enough sorrow and grief in the world without our adding to it needlessly. Let us rather strive to brighten it all we can, and by so doing we will make our own lives happy as well as the lives of those about us.

The people who walk with their heads in heaven, always have their heels on somebody's corns down here,

THE

BIBLE

STANDARD.

NOVEMBER,

1906.

--------~========

<Bl"C or Stop IPra\2tng

The coloured woman who with eyes closed was singlDg,"F!v abroad, thou mighty Gospel," was nudged by the collector with his contribution box while he said, "No use in singing, 'Fly abroad, 'dou mighty Gospel,' widout you give something to make um iiy." The little son of the man who had prayed one morning 'at the family altar that the Lord would supply the want" of the destitute and needy, said, when prayer was finished, "Father, if I had your grain-bin I would answer that prayer myself." _It is worse than useless, it is impudent, to ask God to do what He has been asking and commanding us to do ourselves. Suppose your child should undertake to work on that plan, and when you give him his tools, his work and his orders, should then kneel down and beg you to do what he was able to do, and what you had just told him that he must do for you. Such a request to a father would be an insult; what, then, must it be when made in the presence of the great God? There has been too much of this, and it is time it ended. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, nor negligent about His work; but He asks us to perform our promises, and to fulfil the duties which He lays upon us. And if we refuse to do what He commands us, it is vain to pray to God for money or for help. Let us do our part, and His aid will not be withheld.-H.L.H.

U:bc :n3ible Stanbar~.

The Bible Stamdard. can be ordered direct from WILLIAM A. SMITH, Selwyn Road, Mount Albert, obtained from any of tbe Agents. the Publisher Auckland;

R. d. Price per an I1UI11, post free 2 6 Single copies .. 0 2 BOOK STEW ARD-K H. }<'ALKNEI<. Queen Street. AGJNTS F'OR TH~; BIBLE STANDARD:

NEW ZJALAND. Auckland-Mr. Hancock, Bookseller, Queen Street, vVellinl';tun-H. J. Barraclough. Myrtle Crescent. Chr-istchu rch=-T. P. .Iud k ins, 80, Brougharn Street, Sydenham. Dunedin-Mr. Lawrence. Great King Street. Kaiapoi-Mr. Jamcs Holland. Rang iora=-Mr. Wm. Smith. South Brook. New Plymouth-Mr. F'red Goodacre, Oou rt.ney Road. Ea,;t I)xford-Mr. A. England. 'I'hamcs=-Mr. C. Sander's. Macky "treet. 't'Imaru.cMr. H_ H. King, Stafford Street. 'I'Inw.ild, Ashburton-Mr. ::;he~rcr. Waihi-_l1r. J'oseph Foster. SOUTH AUSTHALIA. C. Gamble. Magill Itoad, Stepney. NlW SOUTH WALES. Syd ney-c-Mr. H. Cropp, Mitchell Street, Kogarah. Adelaide-Mr. Oommunications to the lditor tu be Brent.wood Avenue, Mount Eden. Nook." A 11 ournm unicat.ions to the Association to be addressed to the Secret,,,y and Murdoch Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland. addressed: Telegraphic G~:O. A LIJRIDGE Adores,", .. Rocky

and orders for Bible Stomdard 'l'reasurer MH. ALEX. PAG~~,

CHURGH
Hnld A

OF CHRIST

Services

as

under:

Murmuring and complaining has seldom a real grievance, but is commonly a sign of idleness. The busy man is not a growler.

UCKLAND-Wcst Street. Sunday, at 11 o'clock a.m., Fellowship Meetln~ 0.45 p.m., Preaching Service. Sunday School at 2.45. Wednesday evening, Bible Class at 7.45. J<;vangelist's address-Geo. Aldridge, Brentwood Avenue Mount Eden. Secretary=W. Gibson, Ponsonby Road. iIALLSunday at 11 a.m., Fellowship Meeting.

ROSKILL

'{treasurer's HcJmo"'le~oments.
To OCTOBER 25TH, 1906.

DUNEDIN-Oddfellows' Hall, Stuart Street. Sunday at 11 a.m .. Fellowship and Meeting. '::venlng Preaching Service, 6.30. Secretary's Address-S. A. Lawrence, Great King Street. CHHISTCHUHCH-30, Elgin Street, Sydenham. Sundav at 11 a.m., Fellowship Meeting. .. 6.30 p.rn .. Gospel Address. l<~vangeli8t--Ernest Tuck, 30, Elgin Street, Sydenham. Secretary-To PO' Juilkins, 80, Brougharn Street, Sydenham. HELENSVILLE-Foresters' Hall. Sunday Morning, Fellowship Sunday Afternoon, Sunday Sunday Evening, Preaching. Church Secretary, R. M. Cameron. THAMES-Pollen Meet.ing. School.

Stamd.u-d. Sltbs.-Messrs. James Day (Virginia), James Osborne (Willowby), Church of Christ (New Plymouth), Mrs. Moody, Mrs. Kern. Associaium Subs.-Messrs. W. E. Mason, G. A. Green.

\l)reacbers' 1J)lan.
MONTH.

Street Lecture Hall. Sunday at 11 a.m., ~ellowshlll Meettng, Evening Service at 6.30. Sunday Scbool at 2_30. Bible Class every Wednesflay evening at EvaMgelist-E. H. Taylor. Bowen Street, Para wa.i. Secretary-C. Sanders, Macky Street. Miners' Union Hall. Sunday 11 a.m. Fellowsbip Meet.ing ; " 2.30 p.m. Sunday School. Sunday Evening. at 7, A Public Bible Address. Church Secretary-D. Donaldson. Evangelist--Joseph Foster, Waihi. Street Hall. Sunday, at 11 a.m .. Fellowship Meeting. Adflress-H. H. KIng. Statrord Street,

1.110

BIRJ{DALE. IS
25

HELENSVILLE.

W AT HI-The

Nov.

C. J. (~ARRATT

"

A. PAGE

TIMARU-Soohla

J.

DIXON

-----Dec.

-------------------16

!Secretary's ADELAIDE,

'I'Imar-n

S.A.-Druids' Hall. Beulah Road. Norwood. Secrctarys Address-F. B. Hughes. Woodvllle.

C. J.

GARRATT

Printed by TRE BRE'f'l' PRD1TlNG AND PUBLISHING COMPANY. Shortland Street, for the New Zealand Evangeliatie and Publir-atton Association. and nubl ished by W. A. SMI'l'H. Selwyn Ro sd , Mt. Albert, NOVEMBER, 1906.