An arraignment of the "Tendencies of the Times" was contained in the report of the committee on narrative presented before the Northern Presbyterian Assembly.
The report deplores the "distressing loss of membership in many synods of the church." Nearly 4,000 churches during the last ecclesiastical year failed to secure a new member through confession of faith, according to the report.
Other features brought out were that some of the churches' most intelligent and influential members spend the Sabbath on the golf links instead of attending Divine worship; that the extent and boldness of the white slave traffic has become appalling, even extending, the report declares, into Sabbath schools and Christian Endeavor societies.
W. H. Houston, of Columbus, O., secretary of the permanent committee on vacancy and supply, declared the problem of securing pastors was one of the most distressing of every non-Episcopal church. The Assembly voted to appropriate additional finances with which to assist the work of the vacancy and supply committee.- Kansas City Post.
Bottled light and heat for use anywhere, in any climate, at a minimum cost, is now possible through a discovery of a method of liquefying natural gas by Dr. Walker A. Snelling, a government chemist. The discovery paves the way for the commercial use of millions of cubic feet of natural gas which goes to waste in the petroleum fields of the country. Dr. Snelling liquefied several hundred feet of the gas, stored it in a thick glass bottle, and lighted his of rice in Pittsburgh with it for several months. The cost was less than that of ordinary illuminating gas.
The gas is forced into a long coil of steel piping and then to a compressor. In the compressor it is subjected to 700 or 800 pounds to the square inch. When the gas is completely liquefied, in the course of several hours, it is drawn off in metal or thick glass containers, capable of sustaining high internal pressure. In this condition it can be shipped to any climate. All that is necessary to obtain the gas is to tap the plug of the container. According to the government experts, the commercial possibilities of the discovery are almost unlimited.-Emerson (Neb.) Enterprise
Barley and oat growing experiments, by G. W. Overton, a rancher on Rock Creek, jut north of Chico, Cal., have developed grains that may be adopted throughout the United States.
The experiments are considered so remarkable that the Government has ordered an inspection of his process with a view of establishing his methods throughout the country.
The feature of the new barley is that from two to five heads grow on each stock, the principal head ripening first, and being easily twice as large as the others, which are of normal size. The combined heads are about nine inches long, while the stock is tough and about as large as an ordinary lead pencil, standing against a heavy wind.
Overton's tame oats have an average of three heads to the stock.-Indianapolis News
This article can be found an its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats."
Thou canst not perish, for thy Lord is nigh And His own care will all thy need supply.
"Apart from the ever-present duty of evangelizing the world, which presses insistently upon every denomination, the two great problems confronting the churches today are: First, correlation of effort and enterprise; and second, unity, long despaired of, has been brought within practical realization, not by creed-elimination, but by a federation of all the Protestant creeds.
"The Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America grew out of the inter-church conference in New York in November, 1905, whereat a definite plan was proposed looking to the organization of a federal council of the Churches of Christ in America. From 1906 to 1908 the plan was presented to and approved by the gathering bodies of no less than thirty-two great denominations, such as the Presbyterian general assembly, the Lutheran synods, the Disciples of Christ, the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church South.
"As a result of this, there was held in Philadelphia in December, 1908, the first meeting of the Federal Council. The organization was completed, national officers were elected, state and national headquarters appointed, and a working plan agreed upon. The personnel of the council is composed of four hundred officially appointed or elected delegates from the thirty-two evangelical denominations alluded to, representing over a hundred thousand ministers and eighteen million members. Like the Methodists, the Federal Council holds its general meeting quadrennially. During the interim the activities are controlled by an executive committee of sixty, whose meetings are held annually, and by special sessions whenever necessary. A business committee of nine is in perpetual session.
"While the foregoing brief outlines of united action indicate only a primitive form of federal union, nothing more could perhaps be expected in such a short duration of time. Yet the federation is real, and the federal council demonstrates the fan not only that the church union is feasible, but that it has been actually achieved.
MANY NATIONAL PROBLEMS"Further problems which naturally come under the purview of the federal council-most of them national in scope and bearing-are such questions as Sunday observance, prohibition and temperance, family life, literature and education, church extension, research statistics, social science, propaganda and social life in the churches. There are standing committees on all these subjects, and much advantageous work has already been accomplished both for the advantage of those churches already within the federal council and for the needs of the world at large.
ALL CREEDS WORK TOGETHER"All the great creeds being now constitutionally and practically federated, it for the first time becomes possible to meet and discuss common denominational or interdenominational questions on equal ground and for the best commonweal.
There is no relinquishment of creed necessary, and consequently no room for more or less acrimonious discussion along that line. The federal council renders possible a real Christian unity without destroying or tampering with any individual beliefs."
Knoxville [Tenn.] Sentinel
"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."-2 Cor. 9:15
Jesus, our Savior, is God's great Gift. To appreciate the teaching of the Bible on this and on every subject, we must handle the Word of God honestly, not deceitfully. We must recognize that our Lord Jesus is one person, and the Heavenly Father another person. Only thus can we appreciate how God could give His Son, and how Jesus could consent to be the Gift of God to man. As we have previously seen, the oneness between the Father and the Son is not that declared by the creeds, a oneness of person, but is that declared by our Master Himself, saying that He and the Father are one in the same sense that He desires all of His disciples, His followers, to be one-one in mind, in purpose, in will, in effort. "That they may be one, [HG593] even as we are one." John 17:21, 22 Jesus is God's unspeakable Gift in that it is impossible to tell the riches of God's grace in this connection-the numberless blessings and mercies which are ours through Jesus. He represents to us the very fullness of every Divine provision for our eternal welfare. "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Deity bodily." (Col 2:9) In a certain sense all of God's intelligent creatures are in His image and represent Him. Thus the angels and cherubim are Godlike; even Adam, made a little lower than the angels-of human nature-was an image of God in the flesh-fully in harmony in every line of his character and being with the Divine character. Adam, bodily, represented God in the world.
But all these things, true of angels and of men, are still more true of Jesus; and the Scriptures tell us that He was the "Logos," the Father's Word or Messenger-Jehovah's active Agent in all the work of creation. "By Him were all things made that were made, and without Him was not one thing made." The Logos, the highest, the first, the Alpha and the Omega of Jehovah's Creation, became the Gift of God to man.
Nor was this Gift compulsory; rather, the Logos entered fully into the transaction.
He had absolute faith in the Heavenly Father's Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power; hence, when the proposition opened that He might leave the heavenly condition for an earthly condition, in which He would perform a great service pleasing to the Father and beneficial to men, the Logos delighted to do the Father's will. He was made flesh. The disciples and others, beheld that He as a man was not as other men, but was "holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners."
The Redeemer's difference from the fallen race is again declared in the statement: "A body hast Thou prepared Me for the suffering of death." The Scriptures declare that He took the same nature as the one that had sinned, in order that He might redeem sinners. But in His flesh was no sin. Otherwise, He could not have been our Redeemer. Only a sinless one could fill the Divine requirements and give to God a Ransom for Father Adam, the perfect man, thus redeeming his life from destruction and, at the same time, redeeming all of his family involved in sin through him.
God's Gift was not completed in merely arranging that His Son should temporarily become a man, to be our Redeemer. Indeed, the transfer of nature from the heavenly to the earthly was merely an incidental, made necessary by the Divine Law: an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a man's life for a man's life.
And so we read that the Father set before the Son "the great joy," the influence of which was to lead the Son cheerfully to endure the bitter experiences of His earthly life, as we read: "Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame."
This joy is intimated to have been:
(1) the Savior's pleasure in doing the Father's will;
(2) The joy of bringing many sons to glory-the Church;
(3) The pleasure and joy of being the world's Restorer, delivering them from the power of Satan, sin and death. These joys, commingling, were quite sufficient. The Redeemer endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself as, eventually, brought Him to the cross, saying, "Not My will, but Thy will, O Lord, be done." He realized that under the contract into which He had entered, His loyalty to the Father would mean His faithfulness "unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, also, God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name above every name." (Philip. 2:8, 9)
Thus the Redeemer has attained this glorious exaltation to the Father's right hand-to the Divine nature, glory, honor and immortality-as the result of His faithfulness.
The Apostle, evidently, purposes to draw our attention to the difference between the course of Satan and that of the Logos in respect to loyalty and obedience to Jehovah. Satan proudly assumed that if he had a separate Empire he could manage it better than was the Divine arrangement. Lucifer, the morning star, said in his heart: "I will ascend above the stars [the other angels]; I will be as the Most High [a dictator, a ruler]." Pursuing this ambitious course, Satan beheld in our first parents a new order of beings, with procreative powers designed to bring into existence a race that would fill the earth. Lucifer assayed to be ruler over this human creation. He became a rebel against the Divine arrangement in so doing; he captured the first pair by his misrepresentations, and not only did he thus become the "prince of this world" (the present order of things), but additionally, as Jesus explained, he became the murderer of the race. John 8 :44) He has, indeed, had a reign of thousands of years, but with what horrible results! The whole creation is "groaning and travailing in pain," under the death sentence.
St. Paul intimates that although the Logos was still higher in glory and honor than Lucifer, in that He was [HG594] "the Only Begotten," the chief representative of Jehovah, nevertheless He was humble. The Logos "meditated not a usurpation to be like God." (Philip. 2:6-Emphatic Diaglott) On the contrary, He was very willing to accept the Divine proposal that He should take the lower nature, that of man for a time, in order to carry out the Father's Plan. How detestable the pride of Lucifer, afterwards called Satan! On the contrary, how beautiful is the humility exhibited by the Redeemer!
He was loyal to the core. He would be merely the Father's Word, Logos, mouthpiece. His joy should be, not in seeking self advancement, but in glorifying the Father; and the Apostle points out that He faithfully and loyally carried it out to the conclusion of His course-in all things desiring the will of the Father who sent Him.
What an exhibition this was to all the holy angels! And did the Father permit Him to really suffer loss because of His loyalty, His faithfulness? Assuredly not! He was not left in death. He was raised from death. Neither was He left by the Father on the lower plane, that of human nature, which He took merely for the purpose of suffering death on man's behalf. On the contrary, the Father highly exalted Him and he exhibited to angels and to men the character pleasing in Jehovah's sight.
Bringing the Only Begotten One forward, Jehovah prophetically declares: "Let all the messengers of God worship Him!" Heb. 1:6
This same privilege has come to the Church. In response, the invitation to become joint-sacrificers with Christ, to walk in His steps, and to enter into and share His glory, has been accepted by one after another of God's saintly people, from Pentecost until now. They have confidence that "He who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep," is both able and willing to bring them also, through Him, to eternal glory. As He walked the "narrow way," they have courage to walk in His steps. As he overcame, they have the encouragement of His Promise that "His grace will be sufficient" for them.
To this class Jesus is God's unspeakable Gift. To these favored ones, His footstep followers, the Savior is specially an unspeakable Gift of God. If as a Gift to the world His merit is beyond the power of tongue to tell, how much more so is He the unspeakable Gift to the Church-to the Elect! As the "Captain of their Salvation," He is leading forth these other sons of God, His younger brethren, to glory. Heb. 2:10 The Savior is an unspeakable Gift to the Church as the Bridegroom. The thought of becoming an associate and joint-heir in all the glorious work of God throughout the Millennium, is an inspiration which makes the trials and difficulties of the way seem as nothing. Besides, we have the assurance of the Lord that in subsequent Ages the Father will continue to show special riches of grace and loving-kindness toward us who are in Christ Jesus. As our "Elder Brother," the Savior is an unspeakable Gift. Our interests are His interests; our welfare, His welfare; all of the journey in His footsteps which He invites us to take, and which He arranges for us, He has passed over before. We merely walk in His steps.
As our great High Priest over the House of Sons, He is an unspeakable Gift.
Through Him we are privileged to be the Royal Priesthood. Our offerings to Jehovah, our little all, would be unacceptable, because we are all by nature sinners, children of wrath, blemished. But our great High Priest's merit imputed to our sacrifices makes them acceptable. As Christ's "members" we are privileged to "present our bodies living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God." (Rom. 12:1) From whatever viewpoint we look, the Savior is God's unspeakable Gift, especially to His Church.
Undoubtedly Justice must be recognized in respect to the Creator's dealings with His creatures. God, being the great Representative of the principle of Justice, continually holding it up before His creatures, and demanding their obedience to this Law, surely could not be exempted from its operation Himself. To this the Scriptures agree, assuring us that "Justice is the foundation of His Throne." Our endeavors in the past to harmonize Love and Justice with our great Creator's dealings with humanity have continually involved us in difficulty. We were assured by the prominent creeds of the world that the Creator had knowingly and willingly brought us into existence under such conditions that the great majority of mankind would spend an eternity in torture.
We were unable to see Justice in any such arrangement, yet feared to criticize our Creator, lest He should, if possible, do something still worse for us. But our reason balked at the proposition, while we desisted from criticizing the Creator.
We could not endorse such a program, nor could we see it to be in harmony with the Divine regulations governing ourselves. If we are to love our enemies and be compassionate toward them, should more be expected of fallen beings than of our perfect Creator?
From the Divine standpoint the human family are all convicts, under death sentence, dead in trespasses [HG595] and sins, wholly without rights or privileges. As the French Government, not unjustly, has allowed the medical profession to make experiments with convicts who are under death sentence, to try upon them the effects of fear, poison, etc., so God not unjustly has allowed mankind, all under death sentence, to practice all kinds of evil upon one another, and to learn from each other great lessons respecting the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the wages or penalty of sin-death.
Justice merely exacts its penalty; but that penalty paid by Adam and his family left them hopeless respecting any future life. Unworthy of everlasting life, they died; and surely they become no more worthy while dead. None has any claim upon Justice. Adam at the very moment of his fall might have been smitten with a thunderbolt, without having any claim upon Justice; for he was under a death penalty. The fact that Justice allowed him to live for many years with a forfeited life meant not a waiving of the death penalty, but Divine liberality in respect to the execution of the criminal.
When, therefore, in the Bible God presents a hope of a future life through the death of His Son, His unspeakable Gift, it must not be understood as signifying obligation on God's part toward the sinner. It means mercy, grace. Nor does God ignore His own sentence and the justice of the case in the exercise of His mercy.
His Law must stand. The death sentence must stand. Justice must be vindicated without a shadow of turning. Divine Mercy is made to intervene by providing the unspeakable Gift.
"Herein was manifested the love of God," in that "He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life."
As we have just seen, Adam and his race under the death sentence had perished, except as God from the beginning foreknew His intention to send His Son into the world for human Redemption-His unspeakable Gift. The Redemption, when finished, will fully have satisfied the claims of Divine Justice-not only as respects the little company now being selected-the Church, the Bride of Christ-but ultimately also as respects the "sins of the whole world." This is a Gift, then, not called for by Divine Justice, but merely prompted by Divine Love.
After the unspeakable Gift shall have been made applicable to the whole world of mankind at the beginning of Messiah's reign, Divine Wisdom will insist that, although the Redeemer may give to humanity every opportunity possible for recovery from sin and death, and every assistance possible for Restitution, nevertheless, none shall have eternal life except as perfect beings in heart harmony with the Creator. Therefore the work of Messiah's Kingdom will be to deliver humanity from sin and death, and to give opportunity for all to return to harmony with the Father; and any who will not so do, Justice will insist shall be destroyed in the "Second Death." Against such a decision, Divine Wisdom, Love and Power will offer no objection, nor will any redemption be effected for their willful sin.
The Scriptures declare that the world knows not God, and that only the eyes of the consecrated Church are open to behold the "Love of God, which passeth understanding." This class only, therefore, is in any sense prepared to give thanks to God now for the unspeakable Gift. Their thanks go up, not only in words, but also in actions, which "speak louder than words." These thanks ascend as sweet incense to God as His blessings, and mercies abound in all spiritual things toward those who are in Christ Jesus.
By and by, "All the blind eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears shall be unstopped." Then the whole world of mankind, including those awakened from the sleep of death during Messiah's reign, will be in a condition to recognize God's unspeakable Gift and to render thanks. Nh hen the wilful evil-doers shall have been destroyed, "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, to the glory of God." Then every creature in heaven and on earth and in the sea shall be heard saying, "Praise, glory, honor, dominion and might be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne, and unto the Lamb, forever," for the unspeakable Gift.
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "The World's Need of a Mediator."
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Only One True Gospel."
The question is often propounded, Did not the dying thief go with Jesus to Paradise the very day in which they both died? And if so, does not this prove that all in harmony with God go to Heaven when they die, whatever may be the condition of others in death?
No, we have made a stupid blunder and misinterpretation of our Redeemer's dying words to the thief. The wrong thought being in our minds we misinterpreted in harmony therewith. And our interpretation has done an immense amount of harm.
Thousands of people have been encouraged to continue a life of sin, trusting that with their dying breath they may have the opportunity of saying, "God be merciful to me," and then be immediately ushered into glory, honor and immortality, as joint-heirs with the Savior, and in as honorable a station as those who "have fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas" of trial, persecution and self-denial.
What a travesty of Justice to suppose such an application of this principle! For instance, two ungodly persons quarrel. Both draw revolvers and fire; one dies instantly; the other, the worse of the two, lives a moment, in which he says, "God be merciful to me." Then, theoretically, he passes into glory, while his victim, not having the opportunity for a cry for mercy, we are told, by the same theory, is doomed to endless torture.
Note the circumstance. Jesus hung between two thieves, one of whom joined with the multitude in railing at Him as an impostor, crying out, "Yes, if you be the Christ, save yourself and us from death." The other, of better heart, honestly admitted his own guilt and the guilt of his comrade, but defended Jesus, declaring that He was innocent. Following this, he addresses Jesus. We paraphrase his words: "Lord, I have defended you against an unjust attack; remember this poor thief if you ever have an opportunity to do a kindness to me in return. I heard you before Pilate say that you have a Kingdom, but not of this Age; some heavenly Kingdom, I therefore presume. I know little about such matters, but from what I have seen of you I can well surmise you King of such a Kingdom. My request is, "Remember me, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom." To this Jesus replied, "Verily, verily [so be it, so be it, as you have asked]-verily, I say unto thee this day [this dark day, in which it would appear that I have not a friend in Heaven or on earth-this dark day in which I am crucified as a malefactor, a falsifier and a blasphemer-I say unto thee this day], thou shalt be with Me in Paradise."
Paradise has not yet come. Messiah's Kingdom has not yet been established; and it must come first before Paradise Lost can be restored and the whole earth be made God's glorious footstool, as He has promised. But when the time shall come, when the Kingdom shall be established, when Paradise conditions shall be introduced, the resurrection of that thief will be in order; "for all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall come forth." The thief will then find himself in Paradise-not merely because of the kindness done to Jesus, but especially because his words indicated a sincerity and honesty of heart such as the Lord is always glad to bless and reward.
On the day of their dying all three went to hades, to sheol to the tomb, to the state of the dead. The two thieves still remain there, and are amongst those mentioned by the Prophet Daniel when he refers to those "who sleep in the dust of the earth," who will come forth in the resurrection morning. (Dan. 12:2) But Jesus arose from sheol, from hades, from the tomb, from the state of death, on the third day.
He had not been to Paradise, for Paradise is not even yet in existence. He had not been to Heaven, for He had been dead. Let us hear His own words to Mary on the morning of His resurrection: "I have not yet ascended to My Father, and your Father, to My God, and your God." (John 20:17) Could anything be plainer, simpler, more harmonious?
"The Provincial American" (Houghton Mifflin), by Meredith Nicholson, who has just declined to be Minister to Portugal, is a book that stirs up several live issues.
One of the questions is, "Should Smith Go to Church?" Mr. Nicholson states the case thus: "There is no sound reason why the church should not be required to give an account of its stewardship. If it no longer attracts men and women in our strenuous and impatient America, then it is manifestly unjust to deny to outsiders the right of criticism.
"Smith now spends his Sunday mornings golfing, or pattering about his garden, or in his club or office; and after the midday meal he takes a nap and loads his family into a motor for a flight countryward.
"Smith is the best of fellows-an average twentieth century American, diligent in business, a kind husband and father, and in politics anxious to vote for what he believes to be the best interests of the country. Smith is far from being a fool, and if by his test of 'What's in it for me? 'he finds the church wanting, it is, as he would say, 'up to the church' to expend some of its energy in proving that there is a good deal in it for him.
"Smith will not be won back to the church through appeals to theology, nor by stubborn reaffirmations of creeds and dogmas. I believe it may safely be said that the great body of ministers individually recognize this. Smith's trouble is, if I understand him, not with faith after all, but with works. The church does not impress him as being an efficient machine that yields adequate return upon the investment.
"The economic waste represented in church investment and administration does not impress Smith favorably, not does it awaken admiration in Jones or in me.
Smith knows that two groceries on opposite sides of the street are usually one too many. We used to be told that denominational rivalry aroused zeal, but this cannot longer be more than an absurd pretense. The idea that competition is essential to the successful extension of Christianity continues to bring into being many crippled and dying churches, as Smith well knows.
"And he has witnessed, too, a deterioration of the church's power through its abandonment of philanthropic work to secular agencies, while churches of the familiar type, locked up tight all the week save for a prayer meeting and choir practice, have nothing to do. What strikes Smith is their utter wastefulness and futility.
"To him the church is an economic parasite, doing business on one day of the week, immune from taxation, and the last of his neighbors to scrape the snow from her sidewalks!
"The fact that there are within fifteen minutes' walk of his house half a dozen churches, all struggling to maintain themselves and making no appreciable impression upon the community, is not lost upon Smith-the practical, unemotional, busy Smith.
"Smith shakes his head ruefully when you suggest it. It is to him a bad investment that ought to be turned over to a receiver for liquidation."
N. Y. American
At the meeting of the General Executive on the International Zionist organization, held last week in Berlin, it was decided that one of the principle questions to be discussed at the forthcoming Zionist Congress in Vienna should be the advisability of erecting a Jewish university in Jerusalem.
It was recognized that the realization of such a project, in view of present conditions in Palestine, is somewhat premature, but it was declared that the obstacles placed in the way of Russian Jewish students desirous of entering the universities of their native country, or of Germany, were likely to make the adoption of such a plan a necessity before very long.
In the course of the proceedings a telegram was received from New York, announcing that Nahum Sokolow, a member of the Central Executive, had been received in Washington by Secretary of State Bryan, who assured him of his cordial sympathy with the aspirations of the Zionist movement and promised his friendly offices with the American Government in endeavors for their fulfillment.- N. Y. Times
Details of how, following the experiments of Dr. Alexis Carrel, he was able recently to revive the normal action of the human heart ten minutes after death, will be divulged in a paper to be read at the next meeting of the Academy of Medicine by Dr.
[HG598] Bouchon. The paper says: "After a motor car accident I was called in, and immediately perceived that the victim had been killed instantaneously. Despite my assurance that there was no doubt as to his death, the friends of the victim insisted that a desperate attempt should be made at resuscitation, and about ten minutes after the last breath I decided upon a surgical operation, having diagnosed traumatic rupture of the heart."I opened the thorax, and in fifty seconds laid bare the heart. I immediately found about a pint of blood in the pericardium and a heart wound about two and one-half inches long on the inner surface of the left ventricle. After suture I proceeded to apply my method of reviving heart action.
"After filling all the cardiac cavities with a special organic liquid I made a rapid tracheotomy and introduced oxygen by the tracheal tube, while my assistant performed artificial respiration tractions. I then began alternate rhythmic auricular massage of the heart, and at the end of about a minute I clearly perceived that the heart had resumed its physiological tonicity, and, to my great surprise, it continued to contract by its own action. Radical pulsation then became perceptible, and after I had closed the thoracic fl ap the heart continued to contract for thirty-five minutes. At the end of this time the contractions suddenly ceased and all subsequent efforts to reestablish them were in vain.
"Had there been merely cardiac traumatism by a dagger thrust, followed by instantaneous death, I think my method of revival, applied under favorable conditions, might possibly have given an appreciable prolongation of life; but this is merely hypothesis.
"I consider that this case has given valuable information from a scientific standpoint, as it is not merely a desperate one, but a confirmed case of Death."
NY Journal
Would $81,449 salary for nine months' work interest you? President Wilson gets $75,000 straight salary and $25,000 for traveling expenses for a full year's work.
When Billy Sunday closed his year's work at South Bend, Ind., he had received a total of $81,449 for 57,893 converts in his five campaigns, commencing last September at East Liverpool, O., and including revivals at McKeesport, Pa., Columbus, O., WilkesBarre, Pa., and South Bend. Columbus contributed $21,100, more than one-fourth of the amount. WilkesBarre, Pa., topped Columbus by giving the evangelist $23,527-the highest amount he ever received for a single campaign. The year is by far the greatest in both money and converts in Sunday's career. Columbus O. Citizen
"Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" Matt. 20:22
Christian people in general believe in baptism, recognize it as Scripturally enjoined, and hence as being important. With many the doctrine has such force that they fear the eternal torment of those not baptized; hence in the case of the death of an infant one of the first questions is, "Was it baptized?" While this is true of all denominations, it is especially so with Lutherans and Roman Catholics, the latter going so far as to insist that if it be necessary that the child's life shall be sacrificed at the moment of birth, a baptism must be administered in utero.
Looking back we find that in the third century immersion was universally practiced, first of adults and later on of infants. In harmony with this nearly all the ancient church ruins show remains of large baptistries. The word baptism itself implies a complete covering with water, and it was not for some centuries that sprinkling was introduced and determined by the Roman Catholic authorities to be a proper and satisfactory form of baptism. Today, the majority of Christian people follow this custom of sprinkling, designating it baptism.
With others, we object to this usage, because the Greek word baptize never signifies sprinkling, and secondly, we object that nothing in the Scriptures ever authorized the baptism of children anyway. In the Scriptures the ordinance of baptism is provided only for "believers"- "Believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized." Realizing that children are not believers, Lutherans, Roman Catholics and Episcopalians follow the custom of having "believers" represent the children-do the believing for them. These are designated godfathers and godmothers who solemnly obligate themselves, before God and man, that the [HG599] child shall be a believer, that they will see to it that the necessary instructions are given so that it can, will, must believe. Some others, who follow the custom of sprinkling infants, take the matter more lightly and call it a christening, although there is a general sense of trepidation if an unchristened child die.
Without questioning the candor of St. Augustine, we feel free to question many of his teachings, amongst others the one which led up to this matter of baptizing infants. Under the claim that everybody not a member of the Church of Christ would surely go to eternal torment, St. Augustine made proper the baptism of infants, holding that thus they were received into the church, became subjects of Divine grace, and might be esteemed as rescued from eternal torture, the fate of all unbaptized infants according to his theology.
We pass by these changes of the Divine program during the "dark ages," with the suggestion that the few drops of water accompanying the words neither harm nor benefit the infant, and are in no sense of the word the baptism which the Scriptures enjoin. Hence from our standpoint such infants were never baptized at all. We proceed in our review of the subject to the consideration of the three different views entertained by those who practice immersion-all three of which we hold to be erroneous.
Some well-intentioned people, finding that in the past, about the third century, Triune Immersion was practiced, and that it is still practiced by some, conclude that this must be the original baptism. This thought seems to them to be corroborated by our Lord's statement, "Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We hold that these Christian friends are in error in that they have not gone back far enough in their search for the original mode of baptism. The Scriptures and not the theology of the third century should be our guide. Not a word in the New Testament writings suggests Triune immersion-three immersions in one-nor does our Lord's command imply three immersions, but rather that the one immersion is done in the name of and by the authority of the Father as well as of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The inconsistency of the general mode of procedure may readily be noted, when it is recalled that everywhere in the Scriptures, baptism is a likeness or picture of burial. Indeed Triune immersionists especially emphasize this by baptizing face downward three times. When we ask, "Why face forward?" they answer that it is written in the Scriptures that Jesus "bowed his head" in death-that it is in imitation therefore of Jesus' death that the immersion is performed face downward. We remind them, however, that the Apostle says we are buried in baptism, and that burials are not customary face downward, either in our time or ever; but especially we call their attention to the fact that when they baptize face forward three times it must signify not only that our Lord Jesus died but that the Father died and that the Holy Spirit died. Such a view of the matter is quite sufficient to show its unreasonableness, inconsistency, inappropriateness. Surely our Lord and the Apostles never established Triune immersion; it is, therefore, one of the errors that have come down to us from the "dark ages," and should be abandoned.
We are not seeking to find fault with fellow Christians, nor to embarrass them in their errors, but on the contrary are seeking enlightenment for our own minds and theirs, for our own profit and theirs-seeking to know the truth on the subject of baptism, believing that the truth makes free and brings a blessing which error cannot bring to us, the pure in heart.
"Disciples" claim that they have no written creed. Nevertheless their religious papers and theological works serve them as a creed, and on the subject of baptism tell us that immersion in water is the Divine formula necessary for the forgiveness of sins after faith in Christ has been exercised. We dispute this, and claim that God has attached no such important place to water baptism. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of our "Disciple" friends, this matter is a very important one and deserves a great deal of consideration. For if their theory be true, it follows that Lutherans, Romanists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, etc., etc., as well as all the heathen, are yet in their sins-hence not in fellowship nor relationship with God, but on the contrary liable for the penalty of sin upon themselves.
If, as nearly all of them believe, the penalty for sin is eternal torment, nearly all mankind-all except those who have been immersed-are en route to eternal torment. What an awful thought! One would think that a thorough conviction along this line would arouse our "Disciple" friends to an earnestness which would outdo the Salvation Army in an endeavor to have believers immersed for the remission of their sins, [HG600] that thus they might be saved.
It is but fair to our "Disciple" friends that we admit that they quote certain passages of Scripture which seem to give strength and color to their views until they are rightly interpreted. For instance, they quote us the words of the Apostle, "Repent, and be baptized (baptize-immersed) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38) and again, "Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16) There are four texts of this general style upon which the "Disciple" friends rely as proofs, supports to their faith and practice on this subject. We acknowledge the texts and give them full weight, but call attention to the fact that they were addressed to Jews and not to Gentiles.
The Jews were already baptized as a nation into Moses in the sea and in the cloud. (1 Cor. 10:1,2)
They already had a standing with God under the Law Covenant, but many of them had transgressed that Covenant-indeed the entire nation came under a special curse on account of the death of Jesus, "His blood be upon us and upon our children." To these, water baptism was held out as a symbol of their cleansing or putting away of these sins or transgressions of the Law, as indicating their return into fellowship with Moses and his Law that thus they might be transferred, with all the faithful of that nation from Moses, the typical head, to Christ, the real Head of the Lord's faithful.
That baptism for the remission of sins was commenced by John the Baptist and his disciples, was continued by Jesus and His disciples, and was applicable to the whole Jewish nation and to no one else. As an illustration, notice that when St.
Paul visited Ephesus he found some believers who seemed to be lacking certain gifts of the Spirit at that time amongst believers. Inquiry developed the fact that they had been baptized with "John's baptism"-the baptism of repentance and washing away of sins in water. Then the Apostle instructed them more fully, assuring them that John's baptism was all right in its time and place, but that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus-baptized into Christ. They were baptized properly and received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 19:1-7)
Thus we see that baptism is more than a form; that its real meaning must be discerned; that a misconception of its meaning would be a hindrance to Christian development, and that John's baptism of repentance and washing away of sins is the same that is now practiced by our "Disciple" friends under the teachings of Alexander Campbell.
Of all Christian denominations we believe that the Baptists most closely approximate the truth on this subject, and this is not to be wondered at, seeing that they have made a specialty of this doctrine. Nevertheless we regret to say that our Baptist friends are considerably in error also on the very doctrine they make so prominent. Without prejudice toward any Baptist brother or sister we wish to examine their views reasonably and logically and Scripturally and to trace out their difficulties, to the intent that all who love righteousness, all who love the Truth, will have the benefit thereof, and may be the better enabled to profit thereby. According to Baptist doctrine, baptism is an immersion in water, and of it they make the door into the Church-not merely into the Baptist church, but they are particular to tell us that water immersion is the door into the Church of Christ.
A Baptist minister after having read the first volume of SCRIPTURE STUDIES called at our office and in the course of some remarks, said, "Well, I am glad that you agree with us Baptists on the subject of immersion anyway." We replied, "Partly, brother," which was the best answer we could make him. "Well," he said, "give me your view. Wherein can we be wrong on this subject?" "Let us see first, brother, whether or not we understand Baptist doctrine as you do. Then we will point out what we think are some of its difficulties, and subsequently we will indicate what we think the Scriptures do teach. To our understanding the Baptists hold that an immersion in water is the door into the Church of Christ. Do you agree to that?" He answers, "Yes." "If we understand Baptists, that is the reason why they exclude Christians of other denominations from the Communion table.
They claim that the Lord's Supper is intended only for those who belong to the Church, and that none belong to the Church except the immersed, and hence, that they are not at liberty to consider others as true Christians, members of the Church of Christ, nor to invite them to fellowship at the holy board. Are we right?" "Yes," he replied, "Well, then," we said "according to Baptist doctrine, Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics and Congregationalists are not in the Church of Christ." He reluctantly said, "No."
"Well, then, we continued, "is it not the teaching of Baptists that the Church alone is to be saved, and that all who are not in the Church are lost-and by the word 'lost' do they not generally mean consigned to eternal torment? If this be so, the Baptist teaching that only the immersed are in the Church, that all others are outside and that all outside are under condemnation of eternal torment-that seems to us be very unreasonable. We cannot believe it! [HG601] We know you do not so state it, but is not that the logical conclusion and inference of your teachings?" "Well," he replied, "what will you do with it? Our Lord says, 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.' We replied that his quotation was not a part of the original Scriptures that all of the 16th chapter of Mark, from the 9th verse to the end, is spurious, as indicated by the fact that it is not contained in the oldest Greek MSS.
We then asked, "Do you think, brother, that all the true 'wheat' are in the Baptist church? Have you never found people outside its communion who give evidence of having the Lord's Spirit, the mind of Christ?" "Yes," he thought he had seen some, who were very good Christians indeed, who had never been immersed.
"Now, on the other hand, brother, have you not found in the Baptist church communion some who seem to be devoid of the Lord's Spirit, respecting whom it is written, 'If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his'? Have you never seen any 'tares' in the Baptist church?" "Yes," he answered, "I think 1 have found tares in the Baptist church as well as wheat outside the Baptist church."
"Then, do you not perceive that the 'door' to your church is somehow or other defective when it lets in some who are not truly the Lord's members and when it excludes some who are truly His? Surely the door of water baptism, as you have recognized it, has not been in proper working order, else there would not be such results." He was perplexed, and urged that we explain our views of baptism.
We explained to him that the baptism which the Bible sets forth, emphasizes, makes all important, is not the water baptism which our Baptist friends suggest. It is the baptism with which all the holy ones of every denomination or outside of every denomination have been baptized. It is a baptism which knows no denominational boundaries, or limits. True it is that the Lord and the Apostles enjoined a water baptism and practiced the same, and that all believers today ought to similarly enjoin and practice a water baptism. But we hold that it must not be allowed to have the place of the real baptism, else all would be confusion on this subject, as it is today amongst Christians of all denominations. Water baptism is merely the symbol or picture-the outward evidence to others that the real baptism has already taken place in our hearts. The question then arises, What is the real baptism of which the water baptism is merely the symbol or picture?
Turning to Rom. 6:3-6 we find that the Apostle is here enjoining baptism and laying great stress upon it, and yet never refers to water baptism. So great is the stress laid upon baptism that the Apostle declares, "If we have been planted together in the likeness of His death we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." In other words, the Apostle's intimation is that if we share with Christ in His true baptism we shall also share with Him in His resurrection.
Here the entire stress is laid upon baptism-everything else is ignored; baptism is made the sole condition of our attaining to the great prize of glory, honor and immortality as members of the Body of Christ. Surely the Apostle did not mean that a water baptism would accomplish so much as this! Surely we will all agree that if we were dragged through oceans of water, or buried fathoms deep, it could by no means guarantee us a place in the First Resurrection. But the Apostle here shows a baptism which, if we participate in it, will absolutely guarantee us a share in the First Resurrection-a baptism which is, therefore, as different from water baptism as day is different from night.
The Apostle here specifically tells us that "So many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death." Here baptism is twice mentioned, but no intimation of water baptism. Baptism into Christ is not baptism into water, baptism into Christ's death is not baptism into water. We need to be more critical in our study of the Divine Word. What is it to be baptized into Christ? We answer that it signifies, to be baptized into the Church of Christ, because the Church of Christ is figuratively spoken of as "members in particular of the Body of Christ," of which Jesus is the Head.
All called during this Gospel Age are to seek to attain membership in the Elect Church, the Elect Body of Christ, and the Apostle here tells us that they are immersed into the Body, are baptized into that Body. This agrees well with the Baptist view, only that they would say baptism by water into this Body, whereas the Apostle proceeds to say that we are baptized into this Body of Christ by being baptized into His death. For the time being the Apostle ignores water baptism altogether-he is explaining the true baptism and not the symbol. Let us follow his course.
What, then, is signified by this statement, "baptized into His death"? How was His death different from the death of others? The Scriptures set forth that we originally were dead in Adam, dead in trespasses and sins, and under Divine condemnation, but that we are [HG602] justified, set free from that condemnation and death condition through faith in the Redeemer. It is these, justified by faith, reckoned free from the Adamic death sentence, who are invited to be immersed into the death of Christ. The difference between being dead with Adam and being dead with Christ is all the difference in the world; Adam died as a sinner became he was unworthy of life; Christ died as our Redeemer, sacrificing Himself, His life-rights, on behalf of mankind-He laid down His life, He poured out His soul unto death, a sacrifice for sins. The invitation to believers is to join with Christ in this work of self sacrifice in the service of righteousness and truth, in the service of God and in opposition to evil.
Our Lord accomplished His death during the three and a half years from the time He was baptized by John at Jordan until He breathed His last upon the cross.
During all that time he was dying-fulfilling His sacrifice. His sacrificing began at Jordan. In the sense that He there presented Himself to the Father, saying in the language of the Prophet, "Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God, Thy law is written in My heart." (Psalm 40:7, 8; Heb. 10:7) Our Lord made a covenant of death at that moment, which it required the succeeding three and a half years to accomplish.
Similarly we, lifted out of Adamic condemnation, were invited to present our bodies living sacrifices to God, to sacrifice with our Lord Jesus, to be baptized into His death-His sacrificial death. Our consecration is like His-unto death-and that consecration is our real baptism. Hence we see that whether they are Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, etc. all who are trusting in the precious blood of Christ and have made a full consecration unto death with Christ-all of these have been baptized into Christ, all such are members of His body, His church.
On the other hand, those who have not taken these steps of faith and consecration are not baptized, are not in the Church whose names are written in Heaven, are not counted by the Lord as members in particular of the Body of Christ. Here we see the clear line of distinction which the Lord draws between the true Church and the nominal church, and between the true Church and the world -it is based upon real character development. As the Lord continued to be baptized into death, so far as His will was concerned, until the end of His journey, so it is for us not merely to will to be conformed to the death of Christ but also to perform-to 'day down our lives for the brethren."
Thus during the three and a half years of our Lord's ministry He was dying daily, or being baptized into death all of that period. And so with us who are following in His footsteps, we are dying daily, being gradually more and more buried by baptism into His death. As His baptism was accomplished, finished at Calvary when he breathed His last, so our baptism will be accomplished, completed, finished in death when we shall breathe our last.
That we are not making a new doctrine nor wresting the Scriptures from their plain statement on this subject, note our Lord's words just before He suffered-"I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened (in difficulty) until it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:50) What did the Lord mean? Did He wish to be immersed again in water? O, no! He had no such thought-water was only the symbol, and that He had performed three and a half years before. What He meant and what He said was that, as He neared the completion of His baptism unto death, He experienced the greater difficulty and was longing for its completion, which came the very next day when on the cross He cried, "It is finished." What was finished? His baptism was finished-His baptism into death.
Another testimony along this line, corroborative of all the Apostolic teachings on this subject, is found in our Lord's words to the two disciples, James and John, who said to Him, "Lord, grant that we may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the other on Thy left hand in the Kingdom." He answered them in the words of our text, "Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" No one will claim that Jesus meant, "Are you able to be immersed in water?" All Bible students know that James and John had baptized scores of Jews; not only as John's disciples, but subsequently as the disciples of Jesus, they had done much immersing. Unquestionably our Lord referred not to His water baptism, but to His baptism into death. We are to understand from the query, then, that whoever would sit with the Lord in the Throne, whoever would be of the Elect Church, must be baptized with the baptism wherewith He was baptized-a baptism into death-a full submission and consecration of every talent and power to the doing of the Divine will, even unto death. The Lord said, "Are ye able?" but unquestionably he meant, "Are you willing?" For how could the Apostles state their ability? They were willing, and that was quite sufficient-He would do the rest. And this is the picture of the symbolical immersion; the consecrated follower of the Lord having already surrendered himself to the Lord, being already reckoned dead, confesses this only by placing himself in the hands of [HG603] the administrator, who, in the picture, represents the Lord, and who buries him in the water in symbol of our burial by the Lord into His death, and he raises him from the water in symbol of our resurrection by the power of the Lord from death.
How beautiful the picture! How full of meaning! He that has experienced the real baptism-he that has made a full consecration of his all to the Lord and is seeking to perform his sacrifice would not hesitate for a moment to symbolize this in the manner which the Lord and the Apostles have prescribed and exemplified.
With this Scriptural view of baptism, we indeed see that only the baptized have access to the true communion table of the Lord-to the spiritual feast which the Lord spreads for those who are His and respecting whom he says He will gird Himself and come forth and serve them. (Luke 12:37) From this standpoint we see that none of the Lord's true members are or could be excluded from a share in His baptism into death. We see also that others cannot be baptized with this baptism though they may have outward forms and ceremonies without number.
I lift my pen, not in defense of any doctrine, creed or dogma, but in defense of a man, in defense of fairness, justice and righteousness. Pastor C. T. Russell, of Brooklyn, N. Y., stands out prominently as a target for the pulpits and religious press of the country today. I believe there is no one more bitterly persecuted, harshly condemned, woefully misrepresented and misunderstood than this fearless, conscientious man of God.
No infidel writer, such as Hume, Voltaire or Ingersoll, ever suffered such ruthless attacks as have been made upon Mr. Russell.
Whether this persecution and misrepresentation is due to prejudice or ignorance of this man's real character and writing, is not for me to say, but I believe both are elements that play a part in the widespread criticism uttered both from the pulpit and the press.
Naturally, men will resent any attack made upon the creed of their persuasion, for they hold to their religious creed and affiliations with more tenacity than they realize, until some strong mind, backed by Scripture proof, begins to uproot their doctrine by showing their inconsistencies and errors.
This is what Mr. Russell proceeds to do. The fact is, very few of us have taken the pains to examine, critically, by the light of the Divine Word, the doctrine handed down to us by our fathers. This accounts for the fact that Methodist parents raised Methodist children and Baptists raised Baptist children, etc.
I am amazed beyond measure to read so many fallacious statements published regarding the character and writings of this man. He has been called a "gray bearded egotist," a "bigot," a "haberdasher," and many other uncomplimentary terms have been applied to him, and statements made which I know to be without foundation, and which strike me as being not only very unkind, but very un-Christian. On the contrary, he manifests a very meek and humble spirit, and urges his readers not to be content with his argument, but to go to the Scriptures which he points out, and read for themselves.
He is charged with teaching heresy. An article by a minister was recently published in a religious paper, in which he gave a lengthy criticism of Mr. Russell's writings, referring to them as heresy (apparently forgetting that there was a time when his own denominational views were considered heretical). This article not only misrepresented Mr. Russell, but showed a lack of critical comparison of his writings with the Scriptures.
For instance, the statement was made in that article that Mr. Russell denies the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The truth is, I doubt whether one of his critics can preach a stronger sermon on the resurrection than one by him which was recently published in about 1,500 newspapers in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and elsewhere, and was read doubtless by 12,000,000 people. It showed most conclusively that the world's hope of everlasting life rests entirely upon the resurrection of the dead. Jesus Christ being the First-Fruit of them that slept. God thus gives assurance unto all men-a hope of a resurrection, as He raised Christ from the dead.
The resurrection is the thread of his discussion from the beginning of the first volume to the end of the sixth volume of his well-known works, STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES.
Mr. Russell was further charged in the same article with denying the Atonement made by Christ between God and man. Nothing could be further from the truth. [HG604] Mr. Russell's first sentence in the fifth volume, entitled "The Atonement Between God and Man," is as follows: "The Atonement lies at the very foundation of the Christian religion." He sets forth the philosophy of the Ransom in such a clear, logical way as has never been done before by any other theologian, presenting such an array of Scriptures as would satisfy any fairminded, thinking man.
No one need be in doubt about his views on these vital subjects.
Besides misstating his views on the Bible, his very motives have been questioned, as it has repeatedly been charged that he is actuated by financial motives. The fact is, he was a man of wealth 40 years ago. When he began to spread his views on the Bible, he spent at the outset $42,000 in the publication of a pamphlet entitled "Food for Thinking Christians," which was distributed free to every English speaking congregation in the United States, Great Britain and Canada, following it up with repeated large donations. His books, which are published in many languages, by the millions, are sold practically at cost, nor does he receive a penny of royalty from the sale of them. He never takes a collection. He has belted the world with his writings, and has himself compassed the earth and preached the Gospel to every nation of importance in the world.
His private life also has been assailed by the same class of critics. These charges also are seen to be without foundation, when we seek the origin of such reports.
No one who knows anything of his labors in theological research will ever sneer at Mr. Russell. He is not to be measured by common standards. When you look at his matchless labors, his scholarly attainments, his donations to the world, in his writings, his time, his labor and money spent for the enlightenment of others, all flippant criticism becomes contemptible and mean.
As a logician and theologian he is doubtless without a peer today. In his research for Biblical Truth and harmony he is without a parallel in this Age.
Without blemish in his character, with the loftiest ideals of God, and the possibilities of man, he towers like a giant, unmatched. His defects fade into insignificance. He has been too busy spreading Divine Truth, as he honestly sees it, to waste time in frivolous speculation in matters not in some way connected with man's future state, as outlined in "The Plan of the Ages." Unselfish, liberal and courteous to Christians of all denominations, but fearlessly condemning, in unmeasured terms, the errors and inconsistencies in their creeds, as he sees them, he ranks with immortal benefactors, and is stamping his opinion on the world as no other man has done since the days of the Reformation.
Multitudes flock to hear him, Jews, Gentiles of all creeds, both Catholics and Protestants, and infidels, many of whom have become strong in faith, where they were before tottering on the verge of despair. Many read his sermons in private, but through fear of criticism and ostracism dare not mention the fact, for they have been warned against reading them. In some places his books have been burned, by the advice of shepherds of flocks, where his books have been discovered.
Efforts to throttle the press to prevent the publication of his sermons have repeatedly been made. Why this opposition?
Why would any one oppose investigation or revelation and searching the Scriptures? Why? What right has any one to prevent free thought, free speech, or the freedom of the press? What manner of men are we?
Let men, preachers or what not, beware of blocking the way of such a man. Jesus said, "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in Me, it is better that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Mark 9:42
Better be like Gamaliel in the days of the Apostles, when St. Peter and others were on trial, Gamaliel rose up and said, "Refrain from these men and let them alone, for if this work be of men it will come to naught; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it for you fight against God."
Recently we received a copy of a letter sent to Rev. Moorehead. We have not learned if it received a reply. The spirit of the letter is kind and moderate, hence we publish it. It is in marked contrast with the various slanderous attacks made upon the Editor of THE WATCH TOWER. A number of religious papers of various denominations attack Pastor Russell with slander and abuse, and such a manifestation of alarm and viciousness as to suggest that they are terrified and fearful that all their honor of men and titles and [HG605] scholarship and musty creeds will be scattered as the chaff of the summer's threshing floor.
We trust that Pastor Russell's friends as well as his enemies, recognize how different is his attitude. He does indeed attack false doctrines unsparingly, but he never, in his sermons or any of his writings, descends to personalities. It is because the clashing creeds cannot be sustained by their devotees that the latter manifest their displeasure by attacking Pastor Russell.
The letter follows: Rev. William G. Moorehead, D. D. Dear Dr. Moorehead: I read some time ago your article in the seventh volume of Fundamentals on the teachings of Mr. C. T. Russell. I felt like writing you at that time but did not.
Recently I read the summary of your article in one of my religious papers and have had an increasing impression to write you. I hesitate to do so because of the high regard I have always had for you as one of my teachers of twenty years ago, and also because of the high esteem in which you are held in the company of Biblical expositors and Christian workers in general. Yet I feel also that in the interest of truth and fairness your article should have some attention.
I feel that this article from your pen is unworthy of a man like you. I cannot understand why such a careful student as yourself should make statements such as you make in this article, when they are so manifestly and greatly in error.
In addition to reading five of the six volumes of his "Studies" carefully, and the sixth volume in part, I have also read many other pamphlets, magazine articles and sermons of Pastor Russell's, and also every criticism I have found or heard of in opposition to his teachings. I was one of his critics for about fifteen years, and I based my criticisms upon reading about half of one chapter of one of his books. A few years ago it occurred to me that I might not understand his full thought, so I took time to inform myself on the subject I had been criticising, and when I obtained more information I became an admirer of his work, though I do not agree with him in all his conclusions. I have reached the conclusion concerning the authors of the criticisms that I have read, that they do not know any more about Pastor Russell's teachings than I did in the days when I was so liberal with my condemnation. They all remind me of the testimony of the two witnesses who offered testimony before the Jewish council when Jesus was on trial. They said, "We heard him say: 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'" Now Jesus had said something like that-though essentially different. These critics seem to have read Pastor Russell's works with the same methods and motives that Thomas Paine, Robert Ingersoll and others of their class read the Scriptures and criticized them.
This seems very unfortunate since it has been done by men who have been eminent for Christian character and leaders of Christian thought.
Coming now to your article: I cannot take up all the mistakes you have made in this, but will confine myself to those lying on the surface. In the opening sentence you assure us that in the series there are "six rather bulky volumes, comprising in all some two thousand pages." On page 123, you speak of "a careful reading of these volumes," so we conclude that you have read them all carefully. (This is what you should have done before putting yourself on record in criticism of them.)
I note that in your references to and quotations from these books you confine yourself to the first three volumes, and chiefly to the first two. I note also that you quote a single sentence, or part of a paragraph, giving only a partial presentation of the author's thought, and then proceed to criticize it. This is a most unfair method. It reminds me of an article I read a few years ago in which the writer was opposing the doctrine of the total depravity of man, and as a proof text he quoted John 9:3, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents," and said that Jesus here taught that here were at least three persons who had never sinned. Your method with Pastor Russell is identical.
Under the heading, "Ninth Error," in your article, you say: "One of these, the ninth error, essential and fundamental in Christianity, is the person and work of the Holy Spirit. There is a strange and ominous silence regarding this most important subject very apparent in the writings of Pastor Russell. A careful reading of those volumes, comprising more than one thousand pages, has discovered but one solitary reference to the Spirit; it is a casual mention of the Spirit in connection with the Day of Pentecost. The statement is simply made as a historic fact, or rather as an event which marks a stage in the development of the Christian Church. Not one word of teaching has the writer found in Pastor Russell's works as to the distinct personality of the Spirit, or as to His supreme agency in the salvation of sinners."
Now I must say frankly, though courteously, that I cannot understand how, or why, a man with your record for accuracy could be so careless or dishonest as to make such a statement. In your opening statement you say, "There are six volumes of two thousand pages;" and here you say that you have given these volumes a careful reading, and count but ONE thousand pages, and then you make a bold and erroneous statement-that the author ignores the Holy Spiritl A judge would not think of rendering a verdict with only half the evidence in, but you speak boldly in [HG606] condemnation of Pastor Russell when you are only half way through his books.
Now, if you have given these volumes a "careful reading," I do not see how you missed in the fifth volume, pages 163 to 300, where the author gives ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SEVEN PAGES to a full presentation of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, in connection with the redemption of the race of man. How can you explain this?
It is true that Pastor Russell may teach some things concerning the Holy Spirit that you will not agree with, but he does not ignore the Spirit, as you say he does.
It is evident that in making this criticism you were very careless, to say the least, and this should make those who are seeking the Truth very cautious about accepting your statements without full verification.
Another mistake which lies on the surface in your article is found on page 125, where in reference to Pastor Russell's lecture on the subject of "To Hell and Back Again," you say: "Crowds have listened with no little satisfaction to his assertions that there is no hell, no eternal punishment, no hopelessness after death." Now I have not heard Pastor Russell speak at any time, nor have I read this particular lecture, but if he in this lecture teaches that there is no hell, and no punishment for the finally impenitent, then he in this lecture flatly contradicts what is very clear in all his writings. I have never read an expositor who speaks with more clearness and earnestness of the eternal punishment to be meted out to the finally impenitent. It is true that he does not believe in a literal lake of fire of burning brimstone, and that men are eternally tortured in this, but in this he is not out of harmony with thousands of other good, orthodox teachers.
I hope you will not think me impertinent if I, as one of your former students, ask you a question here, as we used to have the privilege of doing in the classroom. In this article of yours, in Fundamentals, on page 126, you say: "We read in Rev. 19:20; 20:10, that after a thousand years in the lake of fire the Beast and the False Prophet are still there undestroyed." Now, I have looked up the several translations that I have in my library and I do not find that word "undestroyed" in any of them. In what translation will I find it, and what is the authority for putting it into that passage? I am a seeker after the full Truth, and if that word has any authority for being in that passage I would like to know it, for it is important.
Now, in closing, I want to say that you need have no concern about one of your pupils following Pastor Russell. I have his books in my library and consult them freely, as I do every other good expositor I can find, and afford to buy. I have passed beyond the early stage of the disciples who wanted to forbid some to teach or cast out devils because they "follow not US." I have received unlimited aid from you, and also from Pastor Russell. I do not feel like saying with you that he is "being used of the evil one to subvert the truth of God." My church officials still regard me as sufficiently orthodox that they can go to sleep and allow me to continue preaching to the congregation.
With kindest regards for you and highest appreciation of the help I have received from you, I am, Yours in His service, (REV.) T. S. THOMPSON North Dakota
Thou shalt be called by a new name; . . . thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. "Isa. 62:2, 3
In one place the Prophet Jeremiah declares, 'This is the name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness." In another place he says, "He shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness (or, the Righteousness of Jehovah)." And so the Apostle declares, "That we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him." Jer. 23:6; 33:16; 2 Cor. 5:21 These statements refer to Zion. The typical Zion is the Jewish nation; and the antitypical Zion is the glorified Christ. Very properly, then, we may understand that the blessings which belong to the Church on the spirit plane will, on the earthly plane, belong to the Ancient Worthies, who will be in Divine favor forever.
The two expressions, "a crown of glory" and "a royal diadem," express practically the same thought, the repetition making the sentiment doubly impressive. A diadem is a crown. Crowns are generally used to add dignity and honor to the individuals wearing them; but the Scriptural expression, "A crown of glory, . . . a royal diadem in the hand of thy God," does not include the thought of a diadem that is to be worn, as giving glory to God; but rather as representing a beautiful ornament in the Divine hand, as you take something in your hand to look at [HG607] the beauty and workmanship.
The jewels that will make this diadem beautiful, when properly tested by the great Master-Workman, are the Church. The Lord will come to make up His jewels, to secure His jewels. "God hath set the members in the Body." The text refers to the final setting in the future, in the Kingdom condition. As star differeth from star in glory, so shall these jewels differ in setting position. This also applies to the present time. The present arrangement is subject to change in proportion as the individual will or will not be fully submissive to the Lord's will. There has been a selection of a jewel class; and the experiences of this class during the Gospel Age have been the polishing processes; and there will be a setting in the end of this Age, when the Church is completed. This began when the First Resurrection began.
The first setting in this royal diadem was, undoubtedly, our Lord Jesus Himself.
He is the first in this great diadem which Jehovah has in His hand. Next will come the members of the Body, as they shall be perfected in the First Resurrection-the Apostles and sleeping saints, each as he is granted his change, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." Each jewel will be placed in that particular setting for which Jehovah has seen that it is prepared.
When the mother of James end John went with them to Jesus and requested that her sons might sit, the one on His right hand and the other on His left hand, He said that these places would be given to those for whom they are intended by the Father. Those positions will not be given through favor, but through justice. Any place will be glorious in this company. Only the Lord is competent to say who shall sit on the right hand and on the left. We shall be pleased to have His will done; and beyond the veil we shall have such a sense of justice that we shall be glad to have the matter as the Father has arranged.
The Lord is first; we think probably St. Paul is next. And we think St. Peter and St. John have prominent places. We shall all be perfectly content and pleased with whatever the Father will decide. We shall be glad of any place. And any one who would not be of that spirit, of that disposition, will thereby indicate that he is not of that class which the Lord would have there. Any who will be of that class will be glad to accept God's decree and to prefer it to anything they could have devised.
So the Church in the hand of God is the Church in the hand of Divine power. That power will use the Church and she will be a crown of glory and a thing of beauty, gloriously reflecting to all eternity the workmanship of our God. How glorious it will bel How beautiful! The Lord Jehovah will have the setting of these precious jewels, one reflecting upon another in that crown of glory and diadem of beauty, with the Lord Jesus in the chief place, for the Father will not give to the Church any glory that He would not give to the Lord Himself. The Church is to be displayed before men as "a thing of beauty and a joy forever"-God's handiwork.
He is selecting the jewels now, and is providentially dealing with them. When the process of polishing shall have been completed, He will use them in a very special sense for a thousand years. As a star blazes in glory, so the Lord will make use of each one of the Church. But the use of the Church which the Lord will make at that time will be only a part of the work which He intends to accomplish. The Apostle says, "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Eph. 2:7 All who are in Christ, all who are in the "elect" Body of Christ-to these God will show His exceeding grace. His grace and favor will be showered upon the Church. And the world will eventually see in the Church the culmination of all of God's creative work. The glory of the Church will be manifested in the sight of angels and of men. And so the Lord indicates the blessings that are to be ours if we are faithful in making our "calling and election sure."
Let us never forget that we are a "peculiar people," separate from the great body of nominal Christians, as well as from the world, having higher hopes, aims and ambitions and favored with a clearer insight into the deep things of God, having been called out of our former darkness into His marvelous light. And if thus separate from the world and from Christians who partake largely of the worldly spirit, what wonder if we find them all out of harmony with us, and either ignoring or opposing us in the performance of the Master's will.
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "World His Parish, Says Great Daily."
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Christian Versus Anti -Christian Socialism."
Let God's inspired writers be heard in opposition to heathenized church traditions, and let reason judge which is the right view, and which the error. First note the Old Testament-the Divine revelation covering 4,000 years. The Prophets of the Old Testament do not mention a word about eternal torment; but they do repeatedly mention destruction as the sinner's doom, and declare over and over again that the enemies of the Lord shall perish. The Law given to Israel through Moses never hinted at any other penalty than death, in case of its violation. The warning to Adam when placed on trial in Eden contained not the remotest suggestion of eternal torture in case of failure and disobedience; but, on the contrary, it clearly stated that the penalty would be death- "In the day that thou eatest thereof, dying, thou shalt die." Gen. 2:17, margin. Compare 2 Pet. 3:8; 2:12.
Surely, if the penalty of disobedience and failure is everlasting life in torment, an inexcusable wrong was done to Adam, and to the patriarchs and to the Jewish people, when they were misinformed on the subject and told that death was the penalty. Surely Adam, patriarchs or the Jews, were they ever to find themselves in eternal torment, where the various sectarian creeds of Christendom assert that the vast majority will find themselves, would have sufficient ground for an appeal for JUSTICE. Such, no less than the heathen millions who died without knowledge, and hence surely without faith, would have just ground for cursing the injustice of such a penalty, as a most atrocious misuse of power-first, in bringing them into a trial subject to such an awful and unreasonable penalty, without their consent; and secondly, for leaving the one class wholly ignorant of such a penalty, and for misleading the others by telling them that the penalty of sin would be death-to perish. It must be admitted that the presumption to declare that death, destruction, perish, and similar terms, mean life in torment, belongs to the word-twisting theologians since the days of the Apostles; for the Apostles taught nothing of the kind.
Look at the New Testament writings: St. Paul says he did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and yet he did not write a word about eternal torment. Neither did St. Peter nor St. James, nor St. Jude, nor St. John; though it is claimed that St. John did, in the symbolic figures of Revelation. But since those who make this claim consider the Book of Revelation a sealed book, which they do not and cannot understand, they have no right to interpret any portion of it literally, in violation of its stated symbolic character, and in direct opposition to the remainder of the Bible, including St. John's plain non-symbolic epistles.
Since the Apostles do not so much as mention eternal torment, all truth-seekers, especially Christians, should be interested to search what they do teach concerning the penalty of sin-remembering that they, and not the apostate church of the darker ages, taught "the whole counsel of God."
It will generally be admitted by Christians claiming to be orthodox that our Lord Jesus redeemed mankind by His death; that He endured willingly the penalty of man's sins, in order that man might be released from that penalty. "Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." "He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and by His stripes we are healed." Isa. 53:4,5
This being admitted, it becomes an easy matter to decide, to an absolute, unquestionable certainty, what the penalty of our sins was, if we know what our Lord Jesus did endure when "the chastisement for our peace" was inflicted upon His willing head. Is He suffering eternal torment for us? If so, that would thus be proven to be the penalty against our sins. But no one claims this, and the Scriptures teach to the contrary, that our Lord is now in glory, and not in torment which is incontrovertible proof that the wages of sin is not torment.
But what did our Lord do to secure the cancellation of our sins? What did He give when He paid our ransom price-the price or penalty against sinners? [HG609] Let the Scriptures answer. They repeatedly and explicitly declare that Christ died for our sins; that He gave His life a ransom to secure life for the condemned sinners; that He bought us with His own precious blood; that for this purpose the Son of God was manifested in flesh; that He might give His flesh for the life of the world; that as by man (Adam) came death, by man (" the man Christ Jesus") might come the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor. 15:3; Matt. 20:28; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6; Hos. 13:14; 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19; 1 John 3:8; John 6:51; 1 Corinthians 15:21 Is there room to question further the clear Bible doctrine that "the wages of sin is death?" Rom. 6:23
"Numerous are the trade secrets handed down generation by generation from father to son, and vast is the capital made out of some of them in the commercial world of today.
"But there is also, it must be remembered, another side to the case. Many, alas! are the priceless trade secrets buried far down below the mouldering dust of the misty past, and lost to the world, perchance never again to be recovered.
"To cite the first example that occurs to the mind of the writer, for instance, what would a Royal Academician of the present day give to be possessed of the secret held by the Old Masters Raphael, Rubens, Corregio, Van Dyck, and their compeers for mixing their color so as to render them imperishable and impervious to the ravages of time?
'Yet another perennial and evergreen conundrum. What were the Pyramids of Egypt intended for? And how were they erected? With all the scientific and practical knowledge at the command of the engineers of the present day, they are not capable of building the Pyramids; in the first place, because we have no machinery of sufficient power to raise enormous blocks of stone such as form them to a height of four hundred and odd feet; and, secondly, we should be at a loss where to obtain the said stone.
"Again, there is no granite within fifty miles of the Egyptian Pyramids of the same character as that of which they are constructed.
The man who could disinter the buried recipe for Roman mortar would be bowed down to and worshipped by the builders of today. How they made it is a profound secret, and bids fair to remain so.
"The mortar is as firm now as it was two thousand years ago; it has calmly scoffed at the ravages of time.
"The above are but a few-a very few-of the lost and buried secrets of antiquity which modern scientists and mechanicians would give much to learn."
-Ottawa (Can.) Citizen
"Right in between sentences of peace parleys, several nations went to war. Just so between sentences of Christian unity parleys three of the best known and largest religious bodies in America go to wrangling and to using the words 'fight' and 'split.' In the state, peace went to war. In the church unity seems far less likely than division.
"The three bodies at this moment racked and torn by discord are the Congregational, the Episcopal and the Presbyterian. They represent millions of actual members, while if adherents be included they are a third of all Protestants in America. Old-timers in habits of observing religious conditions agree that they have rarely known them to be more serious. In the case of one, at least, only the best brand of conciliation will avoid a serious ruction."
- New Orleans Times Democrat.
Under "Church Announcements" in the local newspapers there recently appeared an advertisement which stated that at a church in Brooklyn there would appear Sunday evening the following: "Miss Anna Case, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
"Mr. Paul Dufault, famous French tenor. (Last appearance before world tour with Mme. Nordica.) Mme. Van der Veer, contralto.
"Sixteen selected solo voices.
And, just as like as not, there may be some praying and preaching, too." Rev. 18:2-6
"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall at be also in the days of the Son of Man." Luke 17:26
Our richly endowed colleges are undermining faith in the Bible, which means faith in a personal God, and are substituting a scant recognition of the laws of nature, devoid of sympathy or mercy. Practically every minister graduated during the last twelve years has been an agnostic and a believer in human evolution.
Disbelief in the Bible account of man's creation in God's image, means disbelief also in a fall from that image, disbelief in the need of redemption and reconciliation, and disbelief in the necessity for the Restitution to be accomplished by Messiah's Kingdom. Acts 3:19-21
We do not question the sincerity of the Higher Critics. However, it is not honorable for those who have abandoned the creeds to pose before the public as supporters of the creeds, and to draw salaries and receive honorary titles for undermining the faith of the people, while posing as the representatives of Christ and the Bible. Such a course is dishonest and dishonorable.
We would that we might lure back to the Word of God some of the noble minds now arrayed against it! We know their difficulty. In their minds they associate the unreasonable theories of our creeds with the Bible, believing it to be the foundation for the gross darkness and superstition which once blinded us all.
Would that we could show them, as we now see it, the fallacy of this position-show them that the Bible is in most violent conflict with the errors of the past, and that it teaches from Genesis to Revelation a Divine Plan so wonderful that all may be sure that only a God of Wisdom and Love could have devised it, and only those moved by His Holy Spirit could have written it.
The Bible truly says that we may see the deep things of God only by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and that illumination is promised only to the sanctified. The fearful thought impresses us that by no means all of the professed ministers of Christ are sanctified and in a condition of heart to be guided into a knowledge of the Truth.
The Higher Critics approach every Bible topic from the standpoint of unbelief, and if they would reverse their position and seek for corroboration of the Bible story, their success would be better. These critics, exploring the ruins of Babylon, found baked clay tablets rudely picturing the Ark, and saying a few words about a general deluge. Instead of saying that this confirms the Bible thought, they reverse the proposition, and say that the Israelites, in captivity in Babylon, doubtless drew their story of the Deluge from the Babylonian legends.
How silly to suppose that the beautiful, interesting and connected narrative of Genesis could ever have been drawn from a few poor, miserable, fragmentary words which the Babylonians have recorded on the subject! The Genesis account gives the genealogy of Noah in a most remarkable manner-the exact day and year and month of his life in which the Deluge occurred, the number of days of rain, how long the flood prevailed, etc., etc. Before the finding of the Babylonian tablets, the Higher Critics held that the entire story of the Deluge was a myth, and that Jesus and the Apostles had been deceived when they quoted Moses in respect to it.
We wish to deal with the facts of nature and briefly to show that they fully confirm the words of Jesus, the Apostles and Moses respecting the Deluge.
The great stumbling-block heretofore has been the supposition that the story of the Deluge implies a flat earth, and that such a flood of waters rising higher than the mountains should be recognized as an impossibility, since we know that the earth is a sphere. Thus does shallow thinking, called "wisdom of this world," set in defiance the Wisdom of God and His Word-to its own confusion.
As the study of astronomy has progressed, the Valian theory respecting creation has come forward. It shows that the earth when in a molten condition must have thrown off various minerals in gaseous form. These, cooling, would become more or less separated from each other, according to density, and must have constituted great rings and bands about the earth, similar to those which we perceive encircling Saturn and Jupiter. As the earth cooled, these rings would obtain separate motions of their own, because of their distance; yet always they would tend to gravitate toward the earth. The circumambient air, or firmament, would keep these from immediate precipitation. Gradually they would spread out as a great canopy, gravitating more and more toward the poles, because of the greater centrifugal force at the equator. Finally, the accumulation at the poles would become so great as to overcome the resistance of the atmosphere, and cause precipitations, which would flow toward the equator.
The theory is that many such deluges had been [HG611] precipitated upon the earth before man was created, and that from these came many of the mineral deposits of earth. Only one such ring remained when man was created. Indeed, this was not a ring, but had come to the state in which it acted as a canopy. As the last of these rings, it consisted of pure water. As a canopy it refracted the sun's rays much as would the roof of a hot-house, so that the temperature of earth was uniform-the same at the poles as at the equator.
Divine Wisdom foreknew the condition of things which would prevail at the time of the Deluge, and hence delayed the breaking of this great envelope of waters until that time.
Not long ago, in Siberia, a mammoth was found with grass between its teeth, frozen solid in a great basin of ice, which was so clear that the animal could be seen long before the ice melted enough for it to be conveniently exhumed.
Similarly, a deer was found in the polar regions, with undigested grass in its stomach, proving clearly that the catastrophe which overtook it and froze it solidly in the ice was a sudden one-just such as did occur, according to the Valian theory.
The breaking of the watery envelope made the change at the poles sudden, and sent a great flood of waters over the earth toward the equator. Thus came the great Glacial Period, and some of the great glaciers, or icebergs, carried over North America, cut great gullies, valleys, crevices, canyons. Geologists have traced the course of some of these and charted them.
As the cold at the poles was extreme-to form the great ice-caps covering the earth and only gradually melting away-so the heat at the equator must have been proportionately extreme. The intense heat at the equator, warming the ocean, set up ocean currents. These for the past four thousand years have been gradually modifying the arctic regions-advancing the temperate zone further and further toward the poles, and more and more reducing the ice-caps, bringing them toward the equator as great icebergs to be melted and sent back warm.
We naturally inquire, Where was the Ark while such a torrent of water poured over the earth from the poles? How was it that the Ark was kept safe and comparatively quiet in such a time of stress? The answer of faith would be that God, who directed Noah and his family to build the Ark, exercising His Power would undoubtedly protect it.
And now comes forward Prof. George Frederick Wright, the geologist, who tells the world that the region around about Mt. Ararat, where the Ark rested, was apparently at one time the scene of a great eddy. While the waters raged elsewhere, God specially held that part quiet, just as we have often seen a quiet eddy or bay alongside of a swiftly rushing stream. Prof. Wright's deductions respecting the quietness of this little corner of the earth are drawn largely from the fact that he finds there a wonderfully deep soil, which seems to indicate that it was a settling basin for intensely muddy waters in the long ago.
We can draw a lesson from the Deluge in the line of our text. We deduce that the Savior's words do not refer to the wickedness of the antediluvians, and that He did not compare it to the wickedness at the time of His Second Advent, though doubtless a correspondency might have been deducible. The Master's words would imply rather that as the people of Noah's day were quite unconscious of the coming Deluge, so will all mankind be totally unconscious of the great catastrophe which will come upon the world in the end of this Age, preparing the way of Messiah's Kingdom.
The clear teaching of our text is that the Day of the Son of Man, the time of His parousia , or presence, will precede the time of trouble coming upon the world. St. Matthew's account of this same discourse is slightly different and emphasizes the point we are making. It declares, "Thus shall it be in the presence [parousia] of the Son of Man." In other words, the Scriptures clearly teach that the Second Coming of Jesus will be invisible to the world, and visible, even to His people, only by the eye of faith.
During His parousia a sifting, or testing, of His consecrated Church will proceed, and will result in the gathering of all the Elect into the Heavenly Kingdom by the change of the First Resurrection. This will be the full end of the Gospel Age, and the full beginning of the New Age. It is to this time Jesus referred saying, "Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
As soon as the Church shall all have passed beyond the veil into the condition of Heavenly glory-the Kingdom condition-the great time of trouble will fully envelop the earth- "a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation." Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:2 1
It will be that time of trouble which will be Messiah's revelation of Himself to the world. In it, they will seek the covering, or protection, of the great rocks [HG612] of society (secret orders) and of the great mountains of earth (the earthly governments) (Rev. 6:14-16.) But none of these will be able to deliver them from the fiery trouble (distress) of that Day, which will consume every institution out of accord with righteousness, truth, justice. "He shall be revealed . . . in flaming fire, taking vengeance." 2 Thess. 1:7, 8 The vengeance will not be so much against deluded and ensnared humanity, as against evil principles and the unjust arrangements of the present time. When we say unjust arrangements, we do not wish to be understood that the world is necessarily more unjust than in the past; but rather that, with our increased light and knowledge, more is expected of the present generation than of their forefathers.
From all accounts, we infer that the time of trouble will be sharp and short, "else would no flesh be saved." (Matt. 24:22) Messiah's spiritual Kingdom, invisible to men, will come to the rescue. It will have its earthly representatives, and order will soon come out of chaos. Humanity, humbled by the fall of present institutions, will be ready to accept Messiah's Kingdom. We read, therefore, that it will be "the desire of all nations." Hag 2:7 It is for us who are the called of God (Rom. 8:28), to continue to abide in Christ, to seek His will in every matter, to wait patiently for His appointed time for our deliverance, and according to our covenant, lay down our lives in the service of the brethren. We remind you of St. Paul's words, "The Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. When they [the worldly] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that Day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the Day." 1 Thess. 5:1-5 The light now shining is and should be very helpful to us. If we realize that we are living in the "days of the Son of Man"-that the inspection of the Church is now in progress, and that soon the Elect will be complete-this faith will make us the more zealous to make our calling and election sure. Therefore, "Let us watch and pray, And labor till the work is done."
Gradually mankind will come to understand. Gradually their eyes of understanding will open, and they will see that it is the "wrath of the Lamb" that causes the "time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation." They will learn the intended lesson.
Some, in reading Jesus' words, "As it was in the days of Noah," have inferred a time of dreadful wickedness in the end of this Age, corresponding to the wickedness of Noah's day. There may or there may not be a parallel in this respect. We merely call attention to the fact that the Master did not so say. He said that as in Noah's day humanity were eating, drinking, marrying and building, without realizing that a great change in dispensation was impending, so it will be with mankind in the days of the Son of Man.
In the time of Christ's Second Presence, men will know it not, but will proceed about the ordinary affairs of life-eating, drinking, planting, building-and know not, until the great and sudden catastrophe of anarchy is upon them. As literal water swept away literal things existing before the Flood, so symbolic fire-trouble, destruction-will sweep away the institutions of today, and prepare the way for the new institutions, which the Scriptures describe as the new heavens and the new earth. (Isa. 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13) The new heavens will be the new ecclesiastical powers-the Church, the Elect in glory with Christ. The new earth will be the reorganized social arrangement, wholly different from the present.
Whoever expects that the Kingdom will bring an instantaneous Paradise is mistaken. Whoever expects that God's will shall be done on earth as completely as in Heaven the moment Messiah's Kingdom is set up, is mistaken. By Divine appointment, that Kingdom is to last for a thousand years. During that time it will be burning out-consuming-ignorance, superstition, selfishness, sin-root and branch.
All who respond to its blessed influences will thereby be uplifted out of sin and death conditions to human perfection. On the contrary, all who with fullest opportunity shall be resisters of righteousness and lovers of iniquity will be destroyed with Satan in the Second Death- "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." 2 Thess. 1:9
According to the "New York World," Jack Rose, the star witness in the Rosenthal murder case, is to lecture on the "Underworld" for the benefit of Christ Episcopal Church at East Norwalk, Conn. Mr. Rose has purchased a farm in Connecticut, and has lately [HG613] been turning his attention to tilling the soil and to lecturing.
"What seems one of the most wonderful and fruitful discoveries of the world," says the 'Tablet,' "was announced and described in a lecture at the Royal Colonial Institute recently. A few years ago it was universally believed that in the dry belt in South Africa agriculture was tied to the water furrow. This meant a few cultivated patches inland in a desert. But tens of thousands of acres are today carrying crops in the dry district, with no help from irrigation. We quote the lecturer's words: 'America has grown wheat on a five inch rainfall, but we in South Africa have grown a rainless wheat. That is to say, during the past season at Lichtenburg, which is in the dry zone of the Transvaal, we have grown a wheat without a single drop of rain falling upon it from seed-time until harvest. This is the durum wheat, Apulia, which we originally introduced from the dry belt of Italy. Our success has been due to the use of what we term moisture-saving fallows. The great problem of South African agriculture is not the problem of fertility. It is the problem of the conservation of moisture. We have now solved that problem and made possible the immediate settlement of our dry or arid lands.'" Boston Transcript
Writing from Berlin a correspondent of an American newspaper says: "Berlin is becoming a 'Godless' capita!. It costs money here to be religious or even to admit that you have any 'faith.' The government adds 20 per cent to your income tax for chances in the hereafter if you call yourself a Protestant. The number of 'irreligious' in Berlin has doubled in the last twelve months, according to the tax figures published today. There are now about 120,000 against 60,000 a year ago.
Thousands apparently would rather take their own chances of getting to heaven than to pay for the help of the state church."
"A study of twelve large American cities," reported at a convention of Northern Michigan Baptists, "shows that in but one of them do communicants of Christian bodies-Protestant and Catholic combined-equal the non-Christian population."
The Carthage (Mo.) Democrat is authority for the statement that there are more preachers than bartenders serving as convicts in Georgia penal camps. It adds that there are no newspaper men.
Fish preserved for weeks in hot weather without ice is a recent Russian discovery.
"In the time of the end... knowledge shall be increased." Dan. 12:4
[HG614]"The Sahara, according to common opinion, is a land entirely without water. This is far from the truth; in all the parts of the region that are inhabited there is plenty of water. The only trouble is to find it, as it lies at an unknown depth below the surface.
"To discover and make available this hidden water supply is the mission of a corps of artesian well diggers which is operating in the south of Algeria.
"In February one of these engineers opened a well for which is claimed the world's record, having a flow of 8,000 gallons a minute. This is in the oasis of Tolga, about twenty-two miles west of Brika.
"The water of the well rises into a fountain nearly six feet high and forms a small river, which will make it possible to cultivate nearly 8,000 acres. The former record for Algeria was 3,400 gallons a minute from a well bored in 1907 in the oasis of Touggourt.
"In the last ten years this artesian corps has bored wells producing 46,000 gallons a minute, making 116,000 since the French occupation began. This permits the irrigation of 1,800,000 date palms, in which lies the wealth of southern Algeria."
Boston Globe
Some people are wasteful without intending to be so. They do not know how to economize. Economy is less important to the rich than to the poor, yet the poor usually know nothing about true economy. Economy does not signify always the purchase of that which is cheapest, nor does it mean to purchase in various small quantities sparingly. In view of the possibilities of the near future we believe that "a word in season" will be helpful. Our advice would be to keep a good supply of fuel ahead, as storms and accidents might interrupt the supply-not to speak of strikes.
But our particular message now is in respect to food. We advise a fair supply of staple goods which do not run into money-rice, beans, peas, oatmeal, potatoes, salt, sugar. What we have enumerated are staples. Bought in reasonable quantities, that are the cheapest, as well as the most wholesome food. The rice and the potatoes are rich in starch, while the beans and peas are richly nitrogenous and largely take the place of meats in support of the human system.
Meat in moderate quantities is wholesome and desirable, but not indispensable where beans and peas are used freely. However, certain portions of beef are sold cheap everywhere, the objection usually being that the cheap portions are tough.
We want to give our readers a recipe, by the use of which they can always have tender meat, even though they buy the cheapest and toughest.
The recipe is the use of a small quantity of the best vinegar in the preparation of the meat. Press the tough pieces of meat tightly into a jar, and put just enough water on it to cover it. Note the quantity of water used, and allow two teaspoonfuls of vinegar to a pint of water-a tablespoonful to a quart, and in the same proportion for larger quantities. Let this vinegar and water remain upon the meat over night. In the morning cook your meat in whatever way you may please, and it will be tender. The same treatment will make the toughest fowls tender. If the vinegar is not quite good and strong, a larger quantity will be needed. In frying steak, a teaspoonful of vinegar put into a large frying pan will give the steak a spicy flavor and make it tender. Bible Students Monthly readers need never have tough meat hereafter.
"It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 1 Cor. 1:21
There is a wide difference between foolish preaching and "the foolishness of preaching" that our text declares is of Divine arrangement. The many topics of interest and profit to humanity all have their time and place. But the preaching of the Gospel has an exclusive right of way in the Church of Christ. If some claim that the people will no longer attend Divine service to hear Gospel preaching, we reply that there are three reasons for this.
(1) The Church lost the real Gospel during the Dark Ages, and few Christian people have yet recovered it. The word Gospel, as all agree, signifies good tidings, a message of joy; but the message handed down to humanity from the Dark Ages has been the reverse of this-bad tidings of great misery for nearly all of our race. Is it any wonder that the great majority are disgusted with the horrible misrepresentations of the creeds? Mankind have trials and difficulties enough in the present life, and need encouragement to hope for better things in the life to come.
(2) Responding to the growing sentiment of intelligence, the ministers of the various denominations of Christendom have ceased to preach bad tidings of great misery for all but the very elect. Nearly all ministers, graduated within the last twenty years, have lost all their faith in the Bible as the inspired Word of God, in the theological seminaries, where they were taught unbelief, under the name of Higher Criticism; where they also were taught to consider it honorable to stultify their manhood by accepting ordination and salary for serving a denomination whose published creed they disown and despise. In the same seminaries they acquired the thought that it is right and honorable to receive title, honor and salary from a church, ostensibly as a Christian minister and Bible exponent, and then to use the opportunity to undermine the faith of the church and to destroy confidence in the Bible as the inspired Word of God.
Under these conditions, what shall these ministers preach instead of the Gospel of Christ, which they no longer believe? Is it any wonder that they preach those things that they ought not to preach, and leave unpreached those things that they ought to preach? Not [HG615] many of their hearers care for scientific disquisitions; not many of them care to hear commonplace essays on good morals. So how can such ministers avoid foolish preaching?
(3) Not content with undermining the faith of the people who trust and honor and obey them, these ministers mix their higher critical views and evolutionary views with diluted morality, and serve this as instead of the Gospel of Christ. He who thinks that such a message will convert a mind from sin to righteousness, from unbelief to faith in God, deceives himself. He who thinks that such messages will have a sanctifying power in the hearts of God's people, equally deludes himself.
The essence of the Gospel of Christ is that He died for sinners, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring mankind back to God. But the false gospels deny that man ever fell from the likeness of God, and equally deny therefore that he needed a Redeemer and that he has a Redeemer. Such spurious gospels, which leave out the very core and essence of the Divine Message, are false, by whatever honorable channel they may have come. We may be sure that they are of the Adversary himself; for they make void the Word of God, the death of Jesus and His resurrection, and His coming again to give to mankind the glorious blessings and privileges bought with His precious blood.
The True Gospel, the "good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people," contains not a single word respecting an eternity of torture at the hands of fireproof demons. It contains not a single word which would discredit the Wisdom, Justice and Love of the Father above, whose tender mercies are over all His works, and whose salvation is yet to be extended to the ends of the earth.
The True Gospel, acknowledging that humanity has come justly under a penalty or curse of death, sets before the groaning creation a glorious hope. It proclaims, as Jesus did, that the time is coming when the curse shall be removed, and when God through the Messianic Kingdom "will wipe away all tears from off all faces." (Isa. 25:8)
It proclaims, as Jesus did, a glorious prospect for all who desire to come into harmony with God; and a just penalty, or stripes, upon all those who sin willfully against light and knowledge and opportunity. It proclaims that a New Day is dawning, in which the Lord will give "beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for the spirit of heaviness." Isa. 61:3 The True Gospel includes the "Gospel of the Kingdom"-that the Divine arrangement now is for the selection of the Kingdom class from amongst men, to be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ in His Messianic Kingdom. It proclaims the honorable work of the Church as the Kingdom of God by and by, to judge, rule and bless all the families of the earth. It proclaims also that the number who will attain to this Kingdom glory is limited-a Little Flock, to whom it will be the Father's good pleasure to give the Kingdom. (Luke 12:32) It exhorts the making of "our calling and election sure" to a share in that Kingdom.
Let us notice the world's viewpoint, which causes the Gospel Message to appear foolish to them. To the worldly-wise it looked very foolish, indeed, for Jesus to go about Palestine with twelve disciples, performing some miracles and inviting chiefly the poor to become His followers, leaving business and other pursuits.
"Ah," says the world, "how impractical was Jesus, and how foolish was His message! A business man would have laid a good foundation for his work by making friends with the Scribes, the Pharisees and the Doctors of the Law, and utilizing their influence with their hold upon the people."
But, we ask, how then would the Scriptures have been fulfilled Who would have crucified Christ, or have caused His death? There would have been no reconciliation possible for mankind. It is well for us that Jesus did not follow the suggestions of worldly wisdom. Truly "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," even as the Wisdom of God is foolishness with the children of this world.
It is because worldly wisdom got its hold in the Dark Ages that the Gospel has been perverted so greatly. Great human institutions have arisen, mighty and powerful, through man's cunning. Priestcraft and statecraft have made the professed Church of Christ one of the greatest business institutions on earth. Not more, but less, of human wisdom is what we need; and not less, but more, of Divine Wisdom and instruction from the Bible.
From the world's standpoint it seems foolish that God should invite any to do right and to be His servants. It seems weak for a God of all power to entrust, where He could command and enforce obedience. Earth's kings, having the power, would enforce their commands; in fact, everybody, as a rule, executes his own will. How strange, therefore, it appears to the world, that it should be otherwise with the Almighty! [HG616] The Bible, however, gives the information. God wishes to select a special class of special servants. To test their loyalty, there must be opportunity for them to resist Him and to refuse obedience. God causes His Message or invitation to pass on to others also, that thus He may find the peculiar people who prefer to do good rather than evil to such an extent that they are willing to suffer for righteousness' sake. The special work which He designs the Church to accomplish requires such loyal, faithful souls as these-men and women glad to sacrifice their lives in the service of the Lord, His cause and His brethren. The class He seeks "count not their lives dear unto themselves."
God carries the proposition still further, however, and puts this special class to peculiar and severe tests, that the trial of their faith and obedience, being more precious than that of gold, may be found acceptable unto His pleasement-eventually.
Persecutions, tribulations, attacks from the world, the flesh and the Adversary, are permitted to come against these to test their loyalty. None of these things are what the world would expect; and to tell the world of these is to relate what seems to them foolishness. They cannot see why consecrated people of God should suffer reproofs for righteousness' sake, for the Truth's sake.
But all these matters are clear and plain to those who are taught of God-to those who have learned that the Church is being selected from amongst mankind for a very special work of God. This makes it appropriate that their loyalty be tested to the limit, in order that they may be counted worthy of the "glory, honor and immortality" which God has for those who love Him.
The Divine Plan outlined in the Bible is different. The procedure under Messiah's Kingdom and dealing with the world will be exactly what the world will concede to be a wise program. In that time all darkness, ignorance and superstition will speedily pass away under the advancing light of the Sun of Righteousness. The way of righteousness will no longer be narrow, secluded and rugged, as at present.
God describes it through the Prophet, saying, "A highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the redeemed of the Lord shall walk there; no ravenous beast shall go up thereon." Isa. 35:8, 9
Faithfulness will bring the Divine reward of freedom from weakness, and of increase of strength-mental, moral and physical. Day by day the well-doer, walking on the Highway of Holiness, will be coming nearer to human perfection.
Thus will be fulfilled, through Christ, the gracious promise that "God shall wipe away all tears from all faces," and "there shall be no more curse, neither sorrow, nor sighing, nor crying; for the former things shall have passed away."
The Bible clearly indicates that the Adamic condemnation against our race will be fully offset by the merit of Christ's sacrifice. But on the other hand, it tells us that every transgression which is not purely of inherited weakness is charged to the account of the transgressor and must be met by him. Jesus emphasizes this lesson, saying, "He that knew his Master's will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew it not and yet did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." Some of these stripes, or punishments, may indeed come to the transgressor in the present life; and if so, he does well to profit by them.
But whether in the present life or in the future life, every wilful transgression will receive "a just recompense of reward." The difficulty with our theories of the Dark Ages on this subject has not been that they taught a punishment for sin but that they taught an unjust penalty, dishonoring to the Creator and stultifying to the believer.
It is a mistake to say that increasing sins would increase the pangs of conscience and that thus each would be punished. We know to the contrary that many, as they become steeped in sin, lose all sensibility. St. Paul corroborates this thought, saying of some that their consciences become "seared"-callused.
God provided that each individual shall keep a record in himself of his own moral obliquities. Each violation of conscience weakens the character. Character weakened, degraded, can be reconstructed only with proportionately great difficulty. Thus some, during the period of Messiah's Kingdom, will be struggling against weaknesses which they brought upon themselves, aside from those of Adamic heredity. The assistance from the Royal Priesthood will be proportionate to the Adamic weakness contrary to the human will. Outside temptations will be gone. Full knowledge will be there; but character will be the thing of paramount importance in determining who will attain everlasting life.
Our Redeemer gave a suggestion along this line [HG617] when He said to the Pharisees, "How can ye escape the condemnation of Gehenna?" (Matt. 23:33) The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) outside Jerusalem, where the offal was finally destroyed, symbolically represented the Second Death, as mentioned in Rev. 20:14. Jesus did not condemn the Pharisees to the Second Death. His mission to the world was not to condemn men; for they were condemned already-under the Adamic condemnation. The Son of Man came "not to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17) At the time He spoke these words respecting the Pharisees, He was laying down His life on behalf of all the children of Adam. They could not forfeit their share in His resurrection work until that work had been completed and they had enjoyed their share of the Redeemer's favor.
The import of the Redeemer's words, therefore, was that He perceived in them so much of dishonesty and hardness of heart that He prophesied that they would have a hard time to reform character, even under the favorable conditions of the Millennium. They had seen the Master, heard His teachings, witnessed His miracles, and must have been reasonably convinced that it was a holy power which operated in Him. When, therefore, in bitterness of spirit they declared that His miracles and teachings were inspirations of Satan, they were well nigh without excuse.
It could hardly be supposed that such perversity of spirit was the result either of ignorance or of Adamic weakness. Evidently there was great willfulness associated with it. Hence the Master declared that persons who could thus attribute to Satan things which they recognized as good, pure and holy, must have greatly perverted their consciences. They will be obliged to suffer stripes accordingly, and will have proportionately great difficulty in bringing themselves into harmony with the requirements of the Messianic Kingdom.
All of God's people are preachers. The begetting influence of the Holy Spirit is the only ordination necessary, and without it no one has Divine authority to preach. Preaching, in its broad sense, means to declare, to make known. God's Book makes no division of His people into clergy and laity. "He that hath My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully," saith the Lord. Let us declare God's Message in its purity and simplicity, whoever hears and whoever refuses to hear.
Let us not be disappointed that the worldly-wise will think it foolish, as in St. Paul's day; and let us not be surprised if the preaching of this Message shall bring odium, as it did upon the Master and the Apostles. "The world knoweth us not, even as it knew him not."
God's Message, for all that, will accomplish its purpose. He will find the "peculiar people" whom He seeks; not one of the foreordained number will be lacking.
They will all be blessed and holy. As Messiah's associates in the Kingdom, they will then "declare the decree." (Psalm 2:7) The Law will go forth, and chastisements will follow to enforce the Law, until all shall be brought to a knowledge of the Truth, the incorrigible destroyed, and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, to the glory of God.
This article was republished in Reprints 2612-14, April 1, 1900, entitled, "Forgivable and Unpardonable Sins."
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Preaching To The Dead."