preacher s Magazine - WHDL

C b e

preacher s MagazineM H IIH I I I I H I t l l l l l l l l l l l . . . . . .

V O L . II N O . 4 A P R I L , 1927■ IIIMIMIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIMIIIIIUMM)

W H O L E N O . 16im iM iiiiii i i i i iM im iiiiiiu u iiiiiiiM iiiiiit iiiiim iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiM M iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

BISHO P HOMER C. STUNTZ(See brief biographical sketch on inside front cover)

N A Z A R E N E PUBLISH ING H O USE, K A N SA S CITY, MO.

BISHOP HOM ER C. STU N TZ

BISHOP STUNTZ is one of the outstanding nr'ssionary men of Methodist Episcopal Church history. He combined intense missionary zeal with a faculty for presenting the facts and needs of the field in such a manner as to move

multitudes to action in giving and praying. Born January 29, 1858, he was ordained to the ministry of the M ethodist Episcopal Church in 1884. From 1886 to 1895 hs served as missionary to India and from 1901 to 1907 as Superintendent of Missions in the Philippine Islands. He was elected to the bishop’s office M ay 16. 1912. His books, “The Philippines and the Far E ast” and “ South American Neighbors,” reveal somewhat of his passion for the heathen and his ability to portray conditions in far-off lands. On June 3, 1924, he was called to his reward.

Church Offering EnvelopesDUPLEX OR SINGLE POCKET

A r ra n g e m e n ts h a v e b e e n m a d e w ith a r e l i a b le m a n u f a c tu r e r o f C h u rc h E n v e lo p e s w h e re b y w e ca n h a n d le o r d e r s fo r th e s e s u p p lie s . W e sh a ll b e g la d to s e rv e a n y c h u rc h n e e d in g o f fe r in g e n v e lo p e s , e i th e r th e D u p le x o r S in g le P o c k e t s ty le . B e su re to g iv e fu ll in f o rm a t io n a s to m a te r ia l y o u w ish p r in te d o n e n v e lo p e s .

N o tic e t h a t th e r e a r e tw o siz es in th e o n e - p o c k e t e n v e lo p e a n d o n e size o n ly o f th e j D u p le x .

Large Size 2% x4J4 >n. Small Size 2% x 3% in." Duplex or Single Single only

Price per set Price per setW hite Manila W hite Manila

25—49 sets ............................................................... $ .20 $ .19% $ .19 $ .18%50—109 sets ..................................................................... 17 .16% .16 .15%

110—209 sets .....................................................................16 .15% 15 .14%210—309 sets ..................................................................... 15% .15 .14% .14310—399 sets ....................................................................... 15 .14% .14 .13%400—750 sets ..................................................................... 14% .14 .13% .13

T h e d u p le x e n v e lo p e s a re p r in te d in tw o c o lo rs— re d o n th e r ig h t h a n d s id e a n d b la c k on th e le f t side . P r ic e p e r se t in c lu d e s h o ld e rs , a n d I n i t ia l O ffe r in g E n v e lo p e s .

T h e s in g le e n v e lo p e s a r e p r in te d in o n e c o lo r— b la c k .

CHURCH O F T H E NAZARENE

W EEKLY OFFERING

Name .............................................................

F o r ..................................................................

D ate............................................. Amount

Give and it sh a ll be g iven u n to you ; good m easu re , p ressed down, an d shaken to g e th e r, and ru n n in g over sh a ll m en give in to yo u r bosom .— L uke 6 :38 .

NAZARENE PUBLISHING HOUSE, KANSAS CITY, MO.

COLLECTIONENVELOPES

I l l u s t r a t i o n sh o w s e x a c t s iz e

P r in te d e n v e lo p e s fo r u s e in t a k in g th e w e ek ly o f fe r in g . S e n t, p o s t p a id :

One h u n d red fo r . $ .35 F ive h u n d red fo r . . 1.50 One th o u sa n d fo r 2.50

^ g O l ' y ^ D E C 26 1926 D E C 26 1926^ y ^ 3 Q l

( S r a r e f f i l j u r r l ;

W EEKLY OFFERINC-F O R —

C U R R E N T E X P E N S E S

IM IS SIDE FOR OURSLLVES

C & r a r e C C l j u r r l j

WEEKLY OFFERINC — FOR —

B E N E V O L E N T E X P E N S E S

THIS SlO t FOR OTHERS

T he P re a c h e r’s M agazineA m onthly journal devoted to the in terests of those -who preach the full gospel

J. B. Chapman, EditorPublished monthly by the Nazarene Publishing House. 292c Troosl Ave.. Kansas City, Mo., maintained by and in

the interest of the Church of the Nazarene. Subscription price $1 .00 per year. Entered as second class m atter a t the Postoffice at Kansas City, Mo. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized December 30, 1925.

V o l u m e 2 A p r i l , 1927 N u m b e r 4

C A PITA LIZIN G TH E INCIDENTALS

O N E w ay to ru n a church is ju s t to do w ha tev er m ust be don e ; preach to th e crow ds w hen th ey gather, perfo rm all the duties w hich the pas to ra l office can reasonably requ ire and— go hom e. A nother w ay is to be alw ays on th e look o u t fo r a tim e and place to do som e

th ing ; do every legitim ate th in g to get the people o u t to the house of God, an d m ake every pasto ra l requ irem en t cou n t fo r th e p ro m o tio n of the K ingdom of G od. T he f ir:t is the w ay to proceed if y o u are satisfied to sim ply exist. T he second is th e w ay if you really w an t to get ahead and build up the church.

T here are the an n u a l festivals an d holidays. N o m a tte r w hether C hrist w as b o rn on the tw en ty -fif th of D ecem ber or n o t, C hristm as is a good tim e to get the people together an d preach C hrist un to them . E aste r Sunday an d T hanksg iv ing D ay are special occasions to have “ som ething e x tra ” in y o u r church . I once go t six h undred people ou t on M onday m orning to a “ Special F o u rth of Ju ly service.”

Som e pasto rs “ tak e up th e ir cross” and read the S ta tem en t of D octrine an d G eneral R ules of the church in such a tone of voice and w ith such a m anner th a t th ey m ake the im pression th a t becom ing a m em ber of the church is like accepting m onastic vow s or a prison sentence. W ould it n o t be w iser an d m ore tru e to fac ts if he should ra th e r set fo rth the h ap p y exem ptions and glorious privileges of those w ho have “ learned th e b e tte r w ay ” ? I have seen a p as to r ge t up in feverish haste an d receive a fine class in to the church. H e read a little from the M an u al and very precisely received th e m em bers; an d “ on accoun t of lack of tim e ,” he d i:pensed w ith the “ usual custom of extending th e rig h t h an d of fellow ship .” I t seem ed to m e th a t he m issed a sp lendid o p p o rtu n ity to say some help fu l th ings, and to im press his old m em bers, as w ell as new ones, w ith th e blessedness an d closeness of our fellow ship as believers in C hrist. H o w m uch b e tte r th a t o ther service in w hich the p as to r read fro m the M a n u a l an d m ade some helpful, sp iritual rem arks concerning the church and its fe llo w sh ip ! H e received each m em ber in a personal an d b ro th erly , instead of in a fo rm al w ay. H e stopped an d h ad a b rief testim ony from each of th e cand idates an d the w hole service w as blessed w ith sp iritua l unction . T he people cam e up and gave the h an d of fellow ship an d the ties betw een th em and the new m em bers w ere w onderfu lly streng thened . W e are all a g reat deal like th e old colored m an w ho said, “ T he m eetings are b e tte r w hen I tak e p a r t in th em .” Receiving m em bers in to th e church o ugh t to be any th in g o ther th an a d ry fo rm al se rv ice ; really it ought to be a season of blessings like th a t w hich m ark s th e welcom ing of a new convert in to th e K ingdom . I f th e serm on m ust be shortened or even entirely om itted to m ake it possible to give p ro p er a tte n tion to th is blessed p a r t of th e service— well, w e have lo ts of preaching any w ay.

A bap tism al service, even in a holiness church, ought to be a tim e of blessing a n d v icto ry . W hy n o t the p reacher p repare him self to m ake a sho rt, unctuous, instructive ta lk on th e m eaning of C hristian bap tism and m ake the occasion one fo r the enforcing of the special experiences and tru th s w h!ch are im plied in th is b 'essed o rd inance? T here i; one very p rac tica l a rgum ent in fav o r of im m ersion , an d th a t is th a t no one, especially th e p reacher an d the candidates, can m ake it a seco n d ary an d u n im p o rta n t affair. T h e re is a dep th of m eaning in bap tism th a t ought to be im pressed, a n d the bap tism al service is a good tim e to do it.

I believe it is a m istake to allow th e w orld to carry aw ay all the sanctity an d sp iritua lity from th e w edding cerem ony am ong C hristians. N o m a tte r abo u t theories, no m a tte r ab o u t the splendor of th e occasion, th e success of m atrim o n ia l life depends upon C hrist. T he courts are full of divorce

3 T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A G A Z IN E

proceedings because so m an y of th e p arties to m arriage have left G od o u t of th e ir lives. W hen C hristian people get m arried , w hether the cerem ony takes place in th e church or in the hom e, w hy n o t m ake the occasion rem arkab le , like the one in C ana so long ago, p rinc ipally because C hrist is th e re? W hy n o t arrange the cerem ony so th a t th e beginning of th e m arriage will really be “ C h rist ia n ” ? I have a tten d ed weddings am ong C hristians w hich w ere such a conglom eration of w o rld liness an d religion th a t I fe lt alm ost like I h ad co m m itted sacrilege by tak ing p a r t in them . B u t persons con tracting m arriage need G od w orse th a n th ey need a lo t of th e toggery of the w orld , an d I have seen som e w eddings w hich w ere th o ro u g h ly C hristian and th ey d id n o t lose any of th e ir b eau ty o r so lem nity on th a t account.

M a n y m anufactu ring concerns boast of th e ir cleverness in caring fo r all th e ir b y -p ro d u c ts ; w hy should n o t a C hristian m inister tak e care to utilize all th e inciden tals of his w o rk a n d m ake th em help h im on w ith his m ain purpose?

H E R E w as once a tim e w hen there w as a background of fa ith in th e m inds of m en generally ,so th a t the p reacher’s task w as largely th a t of dispelling e rro r . B u t w e have fallen upo n anage of doub t, an d the p reacher’s task is to lay the fo u n d a tio n as well as to bu ild th e supe r

s tru c tu re of tru th . T he presen t d ay preacher can tak e n o th ing fo r g ran ted . H e m u st establish the fac t th a t the B ible is the inspired W o rd of G od, he m ust set up the tru th s of the V irgin B irth , sp o tless life, efficacious dea th an d tr iu m p h an t resurrection of Jesus. H e m ust p ro v e th a t m an is sinful, the H o ly S p irit is operative upon the h earts o f m en an d every o th e r th in g th a t has to do w ith the sa lvation and eternal happiness of m en.

The im m ediate p a s t m ay be likened to N ew Y o rk C ity w hich is underla id w ith solid rock, and w here it is necessary only to rem ove the rubb ish and the soft e a rth an d erec t a skyscraper of any height desired. B u t our ow n age m ust be likened to N ew O rleans w hich is b u ilt upon “ a fill” from th e M ississippi R iver, an d w here it is necessary to drive piles an d construct concrete in o rder to have som ething dependable to bu ild upon.

T he preacher w ho goes ou t today to pursue a destructive m in istry is likely to find th a t he is n o t only destroying erro r, b u t th a t he is also leaving th e people vo id of tru th . T he tim es call fo r a positive an d constructive m in istry . H eresy m ust be d riven aw ay , to be s u r e ; b u t darkness can scarccly be sca ttered except b y th e in tro d u c tio n of ligh t. T he healing fads of the tim es m u st be m et b y th e positive preaching of th e Bible doctrine upon th e sub ject. F ak e A dventism of the various shades m ust be re fu ted b y an in telligent and balanced p roclam ation of p ro p h e tic tru th . False holiness m u st be d riven aw ay by the testim ony to P en tecosta l sanctification . T h e tim es call fo r the best ty p e of gospel p reaching th a t the w orld has ever h eard . W e do n o t say th a t the s itu a tio n is easy. R a th e r w e affirm th a t it is exceedingly difficult. D estruction has alw ays been-easier th an construction and defensive w arfa re has alw ays invo lved less peril th a n offensive. T he iconoclast has h ad his day , b u t his d ay has passed. T here is n o t even enough opposition now to p rop u p the “figh ter.” E very m an m u st fu rn ish his ow n supports. T he very libera lity an d “ b re a d th ” of our day are snares an d p itfalls . W e m ust preach fa ith , ra th e r th a n to d ispu te d o u b t; w e m ust preach love, ra th e r th a n to a tta c k h a te ; w e m ust preach holiness, ra th e r th a n to dism iss “ a half sa lv a tio n ;” we m u st m ake our ow n fo u n d a tio n a n d upon i t erect a su perstructu re .

W atch the d ispu ter, th e fighter, the opposer, the ico n o c las t; you will soon see th a t even though he is still close to the to p , he is on h is w ay dow n. H is life an d usefulness are destined to be sh o r t; fo r his day has passed, he m ust give w ay. In fac t he has a lready given w ay to the bu ilder, to the m an w ith a positive message.

W h a t is m inisterial success? C row ded churches, full aisles, a tte n tiv e congregations, th e a p proval of the religious w orld , m uch im pression p roduced? E lijah th o u g h t so ; and w hen he discovered his m istake, and found o u t th a t the Carm el applause subsided in to hideous stillness, his h e a rt w ell-nigh b roke w ith d isappo in tm ent. M in isteria l success lies in a ltered lives, an d obedient, hum ble hearts, unseen w o rth recognized in the jud g m en t day .— F . W . R o b e r t s o n .

T H E PA SSIN G OF T H E ICO NO CLAST

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A G A Z IN E 3

DEVOTIONALLETTERS ON PREACHING

X VI. The Divisions of the SermonB y A. M . H i l l s

T he in tro d u c tio n of a serm on is supposed to in troduce an address on a religious them e, w o rth y of th e nam e. I t is no th ing less th an a message from G od to m en. T he tex t is an insp ired s ta te m en t of d ivine tru th . T h e serm on is an u n fo ld ing of th a t t ru th in all the fullness an d richness of its m eaning. I t is an im pressive an d system atic a rrangem en t of th e tho u g h ts the inspired penm an h ad in m ind o r o f th e tru th s w hich G od w ished to convey. I t m ay be asked:

I. W hy shou ld there be an y d istinc t divisions? I am qu ite w ell aw are th a t it has been a fash ionable fad w ith shallow pulp iteers of th e last ha lf cen tu ry to h av e no divisions. P erh ap s it w as ju s t as w ell in th e ir case. T hey began anyw here an d ended now here fo r the perfec tly m anifest reason th a t th ey h ad abso lu te ly no th ing to divide. B u t real m en, m anly preachers, reveren t studen ts of th e div ine W ord , w ho have a ho ly message from G od on the ir h earts to deliver, an d an all- consecrating purpose in the ir m in istry , indulge in no w eak trifling . T hey see the different phases of m any-sided t ru th in all its bearings on h ea rt an d life. T hey do n o t indulge in w andering v a garies an d w ild ram blings of d isconnected th o u g h t, sk ipping ab o u t aim lessly, like a ra b b it in the w oods. T hey have m ethod an d logical sequence in th e ir th ink ing , an d hence have d istinc t divisions to th e ir discourse. S tu d y th e m aste rfu l a rgum ents an d addresses o f o th er days th a t have shaped even ts an d changed h isto ry , a n d th e g rea t se rm ons th a t have b ro u g h t th ings to pass an d largely affected h u m an destiny , an d i t will be found th a t th ey w ere logical th ro u g h o u t, an d m oved steadily fo rw ard fro m a wise beginning, step b y step , to a foreseen an d expected end.

1. T here is in these d istinc t div isions a real ad v an tag e to th e p reacher him self. I t restrains h im from m ental ram bling an d holds h im to a definite line o f th o u g h t. I t saves h im from the b lu n d er of supposing th a t th ir ty m inu tes of a im less, disconnected rem arks constitu te a se rm o n ! T he fam ous English scholar an d au th o r, Paley , w ro te : “A discourse w hich re jec ts these aids to

perspicuity will tu rn o u t a bew ildered rhapsody , w ith o u t aim or effect, o rder o r conclusion !”

T oo m any of th is class of preachers m ade the last ha lf cen tu ry to be considered b y some a u tho rities to be as a w hole, an age of “a decadent an d incom peten t m in istry .” T h a n k G od, there w ere enough noble exceptions am ong the clergy to save the profession fro m u tte r d isrepute. B u t w hen there w ere th ree thou san d churches in tw o denom inations alone in the U nited S tates th a t d id n o t rep o rt a single add ition b y profession of faith , fo r a w hole year, the case w as serious enough to b ring the w hole land to its knees in hum iliation before G o d ! I once h eard M oody say , “ If I was a m inister an d h ad a church an d a S abbath school to help m e, I w ould try to get a t least dne little girl converted in a w hole year, to save m y m inistr y from the sham e and reproach of u tte r b a rre n ness.” T here is certa in ly som ething w rong even in the m ethod of p reaching th a t brings no th ing to pass, an d gathers no fru it fo r God. “H erein ,” said Jesus, “ is m y F a th e r glorified, th a t ye bear m uch f ru it: so shall ye be m y disciples.”

2. T hese divisions in th e discourse help the m in ister in his construction of his serm on. H e tra in s him self to th in k consecutively, b y developing one po in t, or t ru th o r proposition of a tex t a t a tim e. H e form s the h ab it of logical th inking an d w riting . I t w ill save h im from or cure him of an y tendency to desultoriness. As in th e dem onstra tions of geom etry , the preacher discusses one t ru th o r p roposition a t a tim e, in logical o rder, the tru th of each being fo rtified and stren g th ened b y w h a t preceded it, an d all together fo rm ing one conclusive d em onstra tion of the suprem e im portance of a message w hich G od has laid upon the h e a rt of th e hearer. So tru e is all th is, th a t a fau lty and illogical outline will insure a fau lty an d ineffective serm on. Be sure there w ill be logical an d tra in ed m inds in th e preacher’s au dience w ho w ill be offended b y an d resen t any e rro r in his reasoning or conclusions. T he devil w ill dexterously fasten th a t m istake upon th e a t ten tio n of the hearer, and perhaps lead h im to d iscount o r fo rget all the m any good things th a t m ay have been said.

F o u r hu n d red years ago, th e m aste r pa in ters


stud ied ana to m y , an d drew th e ir p o r tra its first nude, an d th en d raped them a fte rw ard . So the preacher m ust first form his outline w ith g reat care, and th en clothe it w ith the flesh and b lood of the fini hed and living discourse, w ith the b e a ting h e a rt of his ow n love, and th e w arm th and passion of his ow n em otion.

3. T h e logical outline w ill help the p reacher in his delivery. T here w ill be such an in tim ate an d n a tu ra l relation betw een an y p a r t of the skeleton an d the next p a r t th a t is jo ined to it, th a t, as in th e skeleton of the h u m an body , each suggests an d leads to the next follow ing. T hu s a m astered p lan leads the reason an d the m em ory and the im agination to w ork together and rep ro duce th e serm on th a t w as once th o u g h t th rough , in im pressive and orderly arrangem ent.

4. E ach division of a serm on, like the separa te sta irs of a sta irw ay helps the tran sitio n from one level of th o u g h t to the next higher. I t also m arks clearly the progress of the discussion, an d m akes easily m anifest the ascent of tru th th a t has been gained.

S till fu rth e r , an o ra to r ’s voice n a tu ra lly rises h igher an d h igher in pitch , as he pushes on th rough a leng thy period of im passioned o ra to ry . A t the end of such a passage, as he nam es the next division of his address, he has an o p p o rtu n ity to pause, and d ro p his voicc again to th e norm al level. I t will afford a m ost sa lu ta ry relief to his vocal organs. A nd n o t less pleasing and restful will it be to the audience. N oth ing is m ore w earisom e an d painfu l to them th a n fo r a public speaker to be alw ays em phatic, and lift his voice to a scream , and “ tea r passion to ta tte rs ,” by his excited and ceaseless in tensity of speech. A ju dicious announcem ent of the separa te div isions of his address w ill save h im from th is high tension, and keep him on a m ore norm al tone an d pleasing quality of voice.I I . T h e d iv is io n s o f a s e r m o n a r e a v e r y m a n

i f e s t ADVANTAGE TO THE HEARER.

1. T hey arre st his a tten tio n a t the very opening of the discourse. T hey m ake h im feel th a t he has a preacher before him w ho has a tra in ed in tellect an d will give him , ou t of his treasures new an d old, som ething to th in k abou t. S teady church-goers, as a rule are, or soon becom e, thoug h tfu l and intelligent people. I t does no t tak e them long to detect the difference betw een a conglom erated and jum bled m ass of disconnected ideas, gathered b y chance, here and there, b y an u n tra in ed m ind, an d a w ell-th o u g h t-o u t address on one of G od’s g rea t eternal tru th s , presented in a clear, concise and orderly w ay by a tra ined o r

a to r w ho know s how to deliver h is message. H e sits up a t once an d tak es notice. H e expects a deliverance from th e cou rt of heaven, a n d is n o t d isappoin ted .

2. T he orderly arran g ed divisions of a d iscourse aid the m em ory of the hearer. T he hum an m ind w as created on a p lan . G od ev iden tly in tended th a t it should w o rk system atically and logically. M ost hearers will be quick to perceive an d eager to g ra -p and re ta in th e p o in ts of a se rm on th a t are so arran g ed as to grip th e intellect. I t is an intellectual delight to listen to such se rm ons. M oreover th ey linger in the m ind. T hey stick and stay . T h irty -fiv e years ago I h ad a college p as to ra te . A m em ber of the facu lty con fessed to an o th er, “ W hen others preach w e can sleep S unday a f te rn o o n s ; b u t w hen M r. H ills p reaches it grips o u r m inds so th a t we can ’t sleep.” Six years a f te r th a t p as to ra te closed, the young preachers tra in e d in the college w ere w r iting to us the ir th an k s , because th e serm onic m e th od th ey listened to in college h ad ta u g h t them to p reach. I t is no m ean com plim ent to a p reacher to tell h im th a t he preaches so hom iletically and effectively th a t he teaches o thers how to preach. I t m akes one feel th a t he has fallen upon the righ t m ethod , and has n o t labo red in vain .

A lady said of her favo rite p reacher, “ I like to hear M r. R. preach . H e m akes th in g s so p lain th a t I can alw ays rem em ber th e w hole serm on w hen I get hom e.” “ I t w as the p reach er’s rem arkab le skill in s ta tin g th e divisions of his d iscourses th a t m ade them so easy to be rem em bered .” (H o g g ’s H om ile tics). Jo h n B righ t said of his ow n o ra to ry , “ I hold m y course fro m head lan d to head land th ro u g h the g reat seas.” “ D ivisions are the head lands b y w hich th e p rac ticed and skilful speaker holds his course th ro u g h the g rea t seas of th o u g h t” (P a ttiso n ’s M aking of the S e rm o n ) . I know it is easy to p u t up cheap sneers a t “ the bones of skeletons,” b u t Phillips B rooks well said, “T he tru e w ay to get rid of the boniness of a serm on is n o t by leaving o u t the skeleton, b u t by clo th ing it w ith flesh.” H is ow n m asterfu l m in istry w as p roo f of his w isdom .I I I . I t i s p r o p e r t o a s k n o w d iv is io n s s h o u l d

BE USED.

1. Should th ey be m ade d istinc tly m anifest? W e answ er em phatically , c e r t a in l y t h e y s h o u l d . N o t to do so w ould largely destroy th e ir value, especially to the hearers. T hey should be kept clearly and p la in ly in fo rm ed as to w h at po in t the preacher is discussing, w h a t phase of tru th he is elaborating , w h a t prob lem he is solving, w h a t m otive he is urging, o r w h a t difficulty he is c lear

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A G A ZIN E 5

ing up . W h a t conceivable end can be subserved by keeping the audience in th e d a rk ab o u t the p reach er’s a im , o r w h a t ob jective he has in view, or w h a t he is ta lk ing a b o u t?

I t is w isdom in an o ra to r to tak e th e audience in to his confidence a t th e very ou tse t an d let them know the purpose of his address. I t stim ulates th e ir in terest to w atch his discussion, step by step, an d m easure his skill in reaching his end.

2. T he announcem ent of each separa te head sh o u ld ' be m ade in the m ost b rief an d lucid language possible, so as to be easily grasped and surely rem em bered. Of all p a rts of a public a d dress, these should be the m ost sim ple an d plain. In o u r boyhood , th e theorem s of geom etry were first s ta te d in terse an d exact language, an d then proved . W e have ever found a b e tte r w ay fo r

K E E P A -G O IN ’

I f you strike a th o rn o r rose,K eep a -g o in ’ !

I f it h a il; o r if it snows,K eep a-go in ’ !

’T a in ’t no use to sit a n ’ w hineW hen the fish a in ’t on y o u r l in e ;B ait y o u r ho o k a n ’ keep a - try in ’—

K eep a -g o in ’ !

W hen th e w eather kills y our crop.K eep a -g o in ’ !

Thousrh ’tis w o rk to reach the top ,K eep a -g o in ’ !

S ’pose y o u ’re o u t o ’ ev’ry d ’me,G ittin ’ b ro k e a in ’t an y crim e;Tell th e w orld y o u ’re feelin’ prim e—

Keep a -g o in ’ !

W hen it looks like all is up,K eep a -g o in ’ !

D rain the sw eetness from the cup.K eep a -g o in ’ !

See the w ild b irds on the wing,H ea r th e bells th a t sw eetly ring,W hen you feel like singin’, sing—

K eep a -g o in ’ !— F r a n k L. S t a n t o n .

L IT T L E FO X ES

W hen there are little con ten tions in a church— little cliques, little differences th a t ought to be p a tched up , o r g o tten o u t of th e w ay— they are generally r ig h t in th e w ay of the sp irit of revival. T he H o ly S p irit does no t seem to be pleased and H e w ill n o t m anifest H im self in any sw eeping

the preacher to hand le his serm ons. So, do no t stra in to inven t an y new fad o r fashion. Stat-; yo u r division an d th en discuss i t ; an d so on to the end.

3. D o n o t allow yourself to be cram ped by an y p revalen t fashion ab o u t th e num ber of d iv isions y o u r serm ons shall have. T w o m ain d iv isions, helped b y subdivisions, m ight be enough for som e texts. F . W . R obertson often found it so. O thers will dem and three or four. O ther texts still m ay require fo r am ple developm ent five or six. Be n o t tram m eled by any custom . Use sanctified com m on sense an d develop y o u r tex t w ith sufficient fullness so th a t it will cause m en to know th e m ind an d will of G od, and bring them to H is feet in reveren t subm ission and adoring w orship.

m anner. T he channel m ust be clear of all the rubb ish , before H e can w ork and pour out H is blessing upon the people.

So m any little h indrances get in th e w ay. D ifferences of opinion, w anting our ow n w ay , no t willing to com prom ise a little se lf-im portance, stu b b o rn , w ould ju s t as leave n o t speak to certa in ones, w rongs of th e past. B re th ren getting to gether, being big enough to overlook a seeming slight, never m ind how it hurts, help to get the channel clear. W hen all is ju s t righ t, the blessed H oly Spirit will com e, an d com e graciously. W ho is in the w ay ? M aybe th e p reacher, m aybe the people.

DR. MAYO ON SPIR ITU A LISM

A ccording to D r. W illiam J . M ayo , chief of the M ayo Clinic staff a t R ochester, M inn., m an gains OS per cent of his m ental pow ers th ro u g h sight. T h is is especially tru e in respect to obtain ing accu ra te know ledge. W hen a person a tten d s a sp iritua list seance in a darkened room , says the fa m ous physician, he surrenders a t least 95 per cent of his ab ility to see and apprecia te exactly w h a t happens.

“ T he investigating sp irit of m an leads h im in to d a rk places,” asserts D r. M ayo . “ W hen he goes in to dark places— such as a sp iritu a lis t’s seance— w ith o u t a light, and those seances are alw ays conducted in darkness, a m an goes deprived of his

chance of the m eans of obtain ing in fo rm ation , the

HINTS TO FISHERMENB y C . E. C o r n e l l


eye. U nder such situa tions in the d a rk th e scie n tis t is as likely to be led a s tra y as anyone else.

“M any m en of g rea t scientific a tta in m en ts , of w hom Sir A rth u r C onan D oyle is an exam ple, s ta r t to investigate spiritualism . T hey a tte n d a seance in a darkened room w herein th ey surrender 95 per cent of th e ir intelligence so fa r as o b ta in ing know ledge of the t ru th is concerned. T hey rem ain th ere in th e dark , expectant, un til th e ir nerves are jum py . A nd they im agine th ey have the sam e m eans o f investigation th a t th ey have in th e ir laboratories. T hey h av en ’t as m uch chance to detect frau d in th a t darkened room as a h o und dog w ould have. T he hound dog could detect som ething by his sense of smell. T h e fak er in those seances has less th an five p er cent of the intelligence to com bat there in the dark . A nd o u t of such seances come such m en as Sir A rth u r C onan D oyle, Sir W illiam Crookes and Sir Oliver Lodge to becom e p ropagandists fo r sp iritua lism .” — The P athfinder.

D R IV E Y O U R SE L F TO PRA Y ERT he present day dem ands on th e preacher are

trem endous. T hey very o ften cut sh o rt his study , m ed itation and p ray er. B u t a preacher cannot get th rough w ith o u t m uch p ray er. H e m ust plan to p ray , he m u s t p ray . O ften, one m u st drive him self to p rayer. T he preacher m u st m ake his circum stances an d con tro l them . H e m ust shape everth ing to w ard prayer. A pray ing preacher is bound to w in. P ray , m y preacher friend , p r a y .

BLOOD DESTROYING POISONST he m ost effective w ay of in troduc ing a poison

in to the b lood is by inhalation . F o r th is reason th is m ode of p roducing anaesthesia is em ployed in surgery. T he delicate m em brane, separa ting the b lood in the lungs from the a ir inhaled, readily adm its an in terchange of gases. I t perm its carbon dioxide and o ther gases h arm fu l to the body to pass off an d takes on life giving properties inhaled as readily . M o st of these poisons are again given off. T hey in ju re only w hile w ith in the body. An o p p o rtu n ity is afforded fo r n a tu re to recover from th e effects, a f te r it is elim inated. T h is is tru e of alcohol. I t is n o t so w ith tobacco smoke. N icotine is thf: m ore difficult fo r th e b lood to give off. I t has a tendency to accum ulate w ith in the body tissues. N icotine is a m ore subtle poison th a n alcohol. T he in ju ry resulting from it is greater. I t is m ore dead ly th a n strychn ine. I t requires a ha lf to tw o grains of strychn ine an d a trifle m ore th a n th is of m orphine to kill an adu lt. B u t one-fifteenth of a g rain of nicotine has been know n to kill an adu lt, an d one-seventh of a

grain is alw ays fa ta l. A no ther poison fo u n d in all tobacco sm oke due to incom plete com bustion , know n as carbon m onoxide, is m ore difficult stii! fo r th e b lood to give off— carbon m onoxide enters in to a chem ical o r fixed com position w ith the haem oglobin of the b lood, th u s destroy ing the function of the red b lood cells an d lessening oxygenation . T he resu lt is degeneracy of th e tissues. — T he Shield.

GOING A FT E R SO U LS

H . G. T rum b u ll, the fo rm er e d ito r of the S u n day School T im es fo r fo rty years, m ade it a po in t th ro u g h o u t his ev en tfu l an d useful life to ta lk to ind iv iduals ab o u t the ir souls. H e w as successful in w inning m any , w ho, a fte rw ard becam e very efficient C hristians. H e persis ten tly fo llow ed th is course, and G od signally blessed h im . A preacher has a rare o p p o rtu n ty to do th is k ind of w ork , especially am ong business m en an d o thers. W e do n o t seem to be getting very m an y new people in to the churches, w hy n o t go o u t an d get th em ? Personal w o rk p ay s large dividends. “ H e th a t w inneth souls is wise.”

A PR A Y ER IN V ER SE

M ake m e too b rav e to lie o r be unk ind ,M ake m e too u nderstand ing to o to m ind T he little h u rts com panions give an d friends,T he careless h u rts th a t no one qu ite in tends.M ake me too th o u g h tfu l to h u r t o thers so.H elp me to knowT he inm ost hearts of those fo r w hom I care,T h e ir secret wishes, all th e loads th ey bear,T h a t I m ay add m y courage to the ir ow n.M ay I m ake lonely folks feel less alone A nd happ ier ones a little happ ier, ye t M ay I fo rgetW h at ought to be fo rg o tten an d recall U nfailing allT h a t ought to be recalled, each k indly th ing , F o rg e ttin g w h a t m ight sting.T o all upon m y w ay D ay a fte r dayL et m e be joy , be hope. L et m y life sing.

— M a r y C a r o l y n D a v ie s , in T he Postal.

M ETH O D ISM 'S S P IR IT U A L R EB IR TH

A special E vangelistic C om m ittee com posed of seven b ishops of the B oa rd of B ishops of the M eth o d is t E p ix o p a l C hurch , have recen tly issued a heart-ren d in g appeal to the people called M e th odists. H ere are a few ex trac ts from th is very im p o rtan t address.

“T he sp iritu a l m iracle of the new b ir th occurs fa r too seldom w ith in o u r bo rders .”

“ C hrist is v irtu a lly ignored as a d ivine R e deem er from every sin .”

“Sin has been largely banished from our vocab


ulary , because it has been exiled from our experience.”

“M u ltitu d es of M ethod ists hav e ceased to believe in the efficacy of intercessory p ra y e r.”

“W e are endeavoring to usher in the reign of G od in a prayerless church .”

“ A ltars of p ray e r have d isappeared in the overw helm ing m a jo rity of our M eth o d is t hom es.”

“T h e resto ra tion of th e fam ily a lta r in every M eth o d is t hom e should be sought as a necessary p a r t o f a sp iritua l reb irth in our churches.”

“W e fe rven tly p lead w ith th e pasto rs ox M e th odism to place the m ajo r em phasis of the ir p reaching on th e necessity o f the new b ir th .”

EA R LY CH AR A CTERISTICS O F GERM AN M E T H ODISTS

Bishop R udo lph D ubs of th e Evangelical Association , in a very in teresting address before the N ew Y o rk p reach er’s m eeting— tw en ty -five or th ir ty years ago— said th a t the re w ere b u t tw o copies ex tan t, so fa r as he knew of the G erm an tran sla tio n of th e M e th o d is t Discipline published in L ancaster, P a., in 1808. Since B ishop D ubs m ade the above sta tem en t, tw o o th er copies have been found.

T he book con tains an original preface in w hich it refers to the fac t th a t the M e thod ists are a sect everyw here spoken against, an d th a t m any well- m eaning people are caught b y these snares of S atan and k ep t fro m the tru th . T o co un terac t these m isrepresen ta tions th is bo o k is set fo rth . T he p reface contains these rem arkab le s ta tem en ts: “T h e m in istry of th is church consists n o t of learned , b u t of converted preachers. W orld ly learning, even u nder th e nam e of G o d ’s learning, does n o t here com e in to consideration . F isherm en an d publicans, if the L o rd calls them , an d if endow ed w ith div ine w isdom only, w hich is H is g ift, are the apostles of th is chu rch .” T he preface also says th a t th e regu lar preachers are like the apostles constan tly traveling , th a t th e g rea t blessing of the L o rd has been upo n th is peculiar featu re . “ One of the distinctive tra its of th is church as com pared w ith o thers is the g rea ter liveliness in its exercises of w orsh ip .” Som e ob jec t to this, b u t w e canno t see how w e can suppress the glad expression of o u r joy , w hen G od pours H is love in to o u r hearts. T he loudest shou ting an d rejo icing are all too quiet to w o rth ily praise the g reat Blesser of souls. T he preface refers likewise to class m eetings, an d closes w ith the ap p ro p ria te in v ita tio n : “ Com e, then , an d see! T h e L ord open th in e eyes, th a t th o u m ayst see !” I t is in teresting to kn o w th a t A sbury circu lated th is G erm an ed ition of the Discipline fa r and wide, an d it

h ad m uch to do in predisposing the G erm ans to receive the gospel a t the han d s of th e b rave itin eran ts, an d th u s building up one of th e finest types of C hristian ity— th a t of G erm an M ethodism in its various branches-—ever know n since th e apostles’ tim e.

MY M O T H ER ’S F A IT H

T he fire upon the h earth is low ,A nd there is stillness everyw here,A nd like w inged sp irits here and there T he firelight shadow s flu ttering go.A nd as th e shadow s round me creep,A childish treble breaks th e gloom,A nd softly from a fa rth e r room Com es: “N ow I lay me dow n to sleep.”A nd som ehow , w ith th a t little p ra y ’r A nd th a t sw eet treble in m y ears,M y th o u g h t goes back to d istan t years A nd lingers w ith a dear one th e re ;A nd as I hear m y child’s am en,M y m o th e r’s fa ith comes back to m e— C rouched a t her side I seem to be,A nd m other holds m y hands again.Oh, fo r an h o u r in th a t dear place—Oh, fo r the peace of th a t dear tim e—Oh, for th a t childish tru s t sublim e—Oh, fo r the glimpse of m o th e r’s f a c e !Y et as th e shadow s round me c reep ;1 do n o t seem to be alone—Sw eet m agic of th a t treble tone A nd “N ow I lay m e dow n to sleep 1”

— E u g e n e F i e l d .

T H E TE ST OF RELIGION

A secular ed ito r of a great daily has th is to say: “ T he suprem e test of religion in one’s life is— living it. T he one w'ho co nstan tly lives his or her religion, needs to m ake no loud professions. A religion lived, is a religion know n of an d re spected by m en. B u t the one w ho professes to be religious and y e t does n o t back up th e profession, does n o t convince his o r her fellow m en of sincerity . Religion, a f te r all is m ore a m a tte r of believing and of doing ra th e r th an b la ta n t professing an d loud p ro testa tions of piety . T he P h a r isees, of C h ris t’s day , w ere pas t m asters in th is h igh-no te professing. T hey w ere as “ sounding b rass an d tink ling cym bals.” A nd C hrist denounced them as hypocrites.”

L iv in g religion is alw ays expected. B u t there is a place fo r hum ble profession. T he P salm ist sa id : “ I will m ake m y boast in the L ord , the hum ble shall hear thereof and be g lad .” A re lig ious testim ony is alw ays convincing and u p lifting. Profession w ith o u t life has no w eight. Life m ust be consistent w ith profession an d profession w ith life. T here is a place fo r bo th . One does n o t m erit being term ed “ b la ta n t” because he m akes his boast in the L ord .

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A G A ZIN E

IS P R O H IB IT IO N A SU C C ESS?

H ere are some facts an d figures given side b y

any candid m an to answ er the question.

B e f o r e P r o h ib it io n

T here were 177,790 licensed liquor saloons, m any of them selling illegally a f te r hours, an d to m inors and d runken persons.

E v e ry year 1,247 brew eries m ade 2,000,000 gal Ions of beer.

In 1917, fo r exam ple, 507 distilleries w ere p ro ducing 286,085,463 tax gallons of distilled spirits.

D rink ing w as m ade easy, cheap, an d inviting.

T he alcoholic death ra te yearly w as 5.8 in 100,000.

The average annual dea th ra te w as 13.92 per1,000.

E ach y ear 1,250,000 d ru n k ard s were arre sted ; b u t only 20 per cent of public d ru n k ard s were p laced under arrest.

C oun ty jails were crow ded.

T here was a co nstan tly rising penal ratio .

A lcoholic insan ity w ards were full.

D elirium trem ens-w ards w ere full.

Saloons on valuable p ro p erty decreased the value of neighborhood p ro p erty .

T he poorly p a id w orkers lived in slum dw ellings.

B rew ery and distillery co rrup tion perv erted p o litics, boyco tted business, an d th rea ten ed courts.

M any tim es the am oun t received from liquor licenses w as spen t to care fo r d rink-caused crime, pauperism , and insanity .

Saloons d iverted m ore th a n $2,000,000,000 a n nually from legitim ate trade.

In d u stria l p roduction was checked by ‘'blue M ondays,” d rink-caused accidents, and inefficient d rinking w orkers.

H om e building was checked; hom es and hearts w ere w recked w hen the saloon took its royal p e rcentage of earnings,— the m argin betw een actual existent needs an d to ta l wages.

P ro tec tio n of law w as given to the debasing, w recking, ru in ing traffic.

Salvation A rm y records show th a t 50 per cent of those w ho cam e to them fo r relief were d rink addicts.

H elp w as frequen tly asked fo r children w ho had fallen from fire escapes, o r fo r in fan ts w ho were sm othered on account of d runken parents.

side in the “dead ly para lle l” w hich will assist

A f t e r P r o h ib it i o n

T here are no licensed saloons today . “S peakeasies” exist, as crim inal arid indecent as they were in license days.

N o brew eries are law fu lly ru n n in g ; 438 cereal p lan ts produce 151,606,909 gallons of n o n -in to x icating drinks.

N o distilleries are legally operating . Sm uggling from G reat B rita in an d C anada is g rea tly reduced of late.

D rink ing to d ay is costly, difficult, dangerous.

T he alcoholic yearly death ra te is from 1.1 to 3.2 in 100,000.

T he average an n u a l dea th ra te is 12.37 per1,000 .

T here are m ore th an 350,000 few er a rre sts for drunkenness annually .

T here are 200,000 few er county jail com m it; m ents. M any jails are now em pty .

T here is a decrease of 5.8 p er 100,000 in penal ratio in the last Federal crim inal census in 1922.

Alcoholic in san ity is decreased tw o -th ird s .

V ery few now exist.R ealty value of fo rm er saloon cities is treb led ,

an d neighborhood values are doubled.

T here is an increase of 51 per cent of hom e building fo r w orkers in 1924.

T here is less co rru p tio n in politics an d business, b u t still reaching officials though in 'a less degree.

L iquor crim inals, th ro u g h fines, p ay th e cost of the ir ow n detection , p rosecu tion , an d im prison m ent .

R e ta il trad e , savings banks, an d insurance com panies p rofit fro m saloon closing.

In d u str ia l p roduction is speeded, accidents are lessened, efficiency is increased, an d strikes are fewer.

H om e build ing has increased 152 per cent, while purchases of sm all hom es have treb led . Building and loan assets have doubled in five d ry years.

T he d rink traffic of d istillery , b rew ery , an d sa loon is ou tlaw ed.

O nly one p er cent of th e cases th a t com e to them are traceab le to drink.

A pplications for relief are reduced 50 par c e n t ; an d children w ho come to the d ay nurseries and k indergartens are b e tte r fed, b e tte r c lo thed, h e a lth ier, happ ier, m ore teachable.

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A G A Z IN E

HOMILETICALCHRISTIAN PERFECTION

B y C . E. C o r n e l l

N o. 1.T e x t : H eb. 6 :1 .

I . I n t r o d u c t io n .T here are jo u r im p o rta n t po in ts to be considered.1. C hrist com m ands to be perfect. M a tt.

5:48.2. All Scrip tu re po in ts to perfection . 2 T im .

3:16.3. T he tru e com m ission of every preacher.

E ph . 4 :11-13.4. A provision of the a tonem ent. H eb. 7:19,

25.I I . S c r ip t u r a l t e r m s .

1. P erfec t Love.2. Perfec tion .3. Sanctification .4. Holiness.These term s are p red ica ted of C hristian ch arac te r u nder the o pera tion of grace— or to be free fro m all sin. T hey occur in th e Bible over 320 tim es.

I I I . T w o CLASSES NAMED IN THE CONTEXT.1. C hild ren— baby h o o d — m ilk.2. A du lth o o d — m eat— teachers.

I V . “ G o o n ‘u n t o ’ p e r f e c t io n .”1. T o m a in ta in an y degree of grace, a d

vancem en t m u 't be m ade.2. W e m ust reach th e goal.

V . W h a t i s e x c l u d e d .1. C hristian P erfec tion does n o t exclude er

ro r, ignorance and infirm ities. W esley says: “T he highest perfection w hich m an can a tta in , while th e soul dw ells in the body , docs n o t exclude ignorance, and e rro r, and a th o u san d o th er infirm ities.” (See q u o ta tio n on “ Infirm ities,” W esley’s Serm ons, Vol. 1, page 357).

V I. T h e c r a v e p e r i l o f n o t g o in g o n .See W ood’s “P erfec t L ove,” page 217.

CHRISTIAN PERFECTIONB y C . E. C o r n e l l

N o. 2.T e x t : Psalm 37:37.

I . R e v ie w t h e f o r m e r s e r m o n .I I . M r . W e s l e y ’s p h r a s e .

“ B o th g radual an d in stan tan eo u s.”E luc ida te th is phrase.

I II . C h r is t ia n p e r f e c t io n a n d “ g r o w t h .”1. Those enjoying perfect love grow fai

sw ifter th a n th ey did before. R ap id developm ent.

2. T he h ea rt soil— love.3. N o h indrances to fa ith , jo y and peace.

IV . “ M a r k t h e ‘p e r f e c t ’ m a n .”1. C om pare h im w ith th e “ u p rig h t.”2. H is end— “ peace.”

I llu s tra tio n s:“I could never have believed,” said a d y ing saint, “ th a t it was so delightfu l a th ing to die, or th a t it w as possible to have su«h views of the heavenly w orld as I now en joy .”T he m em orable M elanch thon ju s t before he died chan ted in his sleep the w ords, “ I will n o t any m ore ea t thereo f un til it be fulfilled in the k ingdom of G od.” H e seem ed restless, and on being asked by one near him , w hether there w as an y th ing m ore to be desired, replied, “N o th ing m ore, unless it be heaven.”W esley said: “O ur people die w ell.”

CHRISTIAN PERFECTIONB y C . E. C o r n e l l

N o . 3.T e x t : Ezek. 36:24-29.

I. A BRIEF REVIEW OF TH E TWO FORMER SERMONS.

I I . T h e t e x t — p r o p h e c y — m e a n i n g .

I I I . I m p o r t a n t q u e s t io n s a n d t h e i r a n s w e r s .1. T he stan d ard is too high.2. T here are none perfec t; show us a p er

fect m an. G et the blessing an d then look in the looking-glass.

3. I f one is perfected in love— all sin e rad icated—such an one does n o t need the a ton ing b lood an y longer?

Those w ho are cleansed feel the need of C hrist the m ost. C hrist does n o t give life to the soul separa te from , b u t in an d w ith , H im self. “As the b tanch canno t bear fru it of itself, except i t abide in the, v ine: no m ore can ye except ye abide in m e: w ith o u t [o r separa te from ] me ye can do no th in g .”

IV . I n v o l u n t a r y t r a n s g r e s s io n s a n d s in l e s s p e r f e c t i o n .See W esley, “P lain A ccount,” page 43.If tw o perfec t C hristians have children, how


could th ey be bo rn in sin, since there was none in the paren ts?Sin is entailed upon the race by our first p aren ts. “ In A dam all d ied .” B y th e d isobedience of one, all m en w ere m ade sinners.”An illu stra tion from n a tu re : G rafts on a crab stock w ill bear excellent f ru it, b u t p lan t th e seed of th is fru it an d th ey will p roduce th e poorest kirjd of crabs.

EASTER SERMONB y C . E. C o r n e l l

T e x t : “T h a t I m ay know him , an d the pow er of h is resurrec tion” (Phil. 3 :1 0 ).

I . T h e h i s t o r ic f a c t s o f t h e R e s u r r e c t io n .1. Seen of the apostles during 40 days.2. T he 3,000 converts under P e te r’s p reach

ing.3. A bout 500 b re th ren , a greater p a r t of

w hom rem ained, w hen P au l w ro te his first le tte r to the C ori* th ians. T he book of C orin th ians is genuine an d au then tic . Scholars agree.

4. T he four evangelists.T hey substan tia lly agree

I I . S o m e o b j e c t io n s t o t h e R e s u r r e c t io n .1. T he resurrection w as no t sufficiently

public. H e ought to have left his grave in th e sight of a specially appo in ted com m ission. U nbelievers w ould not have know n H im .

2. H e d id n o t die on the cross. H e just sw ooned aw ay . Of course there w as no resurrection . H e ju st recovered consciousness. The evangelists say H e died. Illu s tra tion : Suppose he w as living w hen tak en from the cross. H e m ust have been suffocated b y Joseph of A r- im athea and N icodem us w hen th ey em balm ed H im . T hey rubbed 100 pounds w eigh t of m y rrh and aloes on th e su rface of H is body, an d they b o und b a n dages tig h t a ro u n d each of H is lim bs, and H is head, and H is body, before they laid H im in th e grave.T he Jew s sealed an d guarded th e tom b. T he R om an guard as*a w itness. A n y th ing to get rid o f the supernatural.

I I I . T h e R e s u r r e c t io n t h e g r e a t f u n d a m e n t a l : DOCTRINE OF THE BlBLE.

1. Jesus him self staked H is w hole claim on H is resurrection;

2. P a u l’s w hole gospel a gospel of a risen Savior.

I V . B u t HOW CAN IT BE?1. M ysteries a ro u n d the resurrection th a t

cannot be explained. W ho can unravel the m ysteries of n a tu re ? T he v as t v a rie ty of flowers. N o tw o leaves alike.

N o tw o indiv iduals ju s t alike. W ho p u ts the perfum e in a rose leaf? T he b lack b erry ? T he w aterm elon?A nother objection . T he bo d y m ay be scattered .

2. T he bod y changes every seven years.3. A m an dies: p lan ts tak e up p a r ts of his

b o d y ; anim als ea t the p lan ts, an d o ther m en ea t th e anim als. N ow , to w hich bod y will belong these partic les of m a tte r?I answ er: “All th a t a re in th e ir graves shall come fo rth .”I llu s tra tio n : “ One of F a r ra d a y ’s w o rk m en by accident d ropped a valuab le silver cup in to a s trong acid b a th , in w hich it w as p resen tly dissolved. F a rra d a y cast in an o th er acid w hich p rec ip ita ted th e silver, though in a shapeless mass. B u t in a few days a silversm ith h ad refashioned it, an d m ade it m ore beau tifu l th an before. G od’s chem istry is as perfect as F arraday’s.”

V. “ K n o w h i m .”1. P ardoned .2. Sanctified w holly.

V I. T h e r e s u r r e c t e d b o d y .1. A glorious body.2. A n im m orta l body.3. A pow erfu l bod y — unconquerab le fo r ev

erm ore— never tired .V II. T h e f i n a l t r i u m p h .

Illu s tra tio n : A cen tu ry ago an infidel G erm an princess on her d ea th -b ed , o rdered h er grave to be covered w ith a g rea t g ran ite slab, and a ro u n d th e grave blocks of solid stone , an d th e w hole be fastened to g e th er w ith clam ps of i r o n , an d on th a t stone these w o rd s should be chiseled: “T his bu ria l place purchased to all e te rn ity , m ust never be opened.” A little seed— an acorn w as b u ried w ith th e princess. I t grew , etc.In every grave on e a r th ’s green sw ard is a tin y seed o f the resurrection life of Jesus C hrist, an d th a t seed canno t p e rish. I t w ill germ inate w hen the w arm sou th w ind of C h ris t’s re tu rn b rings back th e spring tim e to th is cold, sin-cursed w orid of ours.

THE U N H ID D E N CHRISTB y A r t h u r F . I n g l e r

T e x t : M a rk 7 :24.I . W h o c o u l d n o t b e h i d !

1. T here are some persons in th e w orld w ho canno t be h id : by b ir th , b y inheritance, o r by th e ir ta len ts they com e to the fro n t.

2. C hrist was th e son of a village ca rpen ter,


a poor an d despised N azarene; y e t H e could n o t be hid.

3. C hrist as G od so m ysteriously incarn a ted could n o t be h id .

4. T he D ivine L oaf, th e b read of life, could no t rem ain h idden.

5. As th e G ift o f G od to a sta rv in g w orld H e could n o t be hid.

6. As th e L igh t of M en, H e could n o t be h id , else th e w orld m ust rem ain in d a rk ness.

7. T he b o tan ist will proclaim H im th e Rose of S haron an d the L ily of th e V alley.,

8. T he geologist w ill declare H im to be the R ock of Ages.

9. T h e builder will choose H im as the Chief C ornerstone.

10. T h e as tronom er w ill discover H im to be th e B righ t an d M o rn in g S tar.

11. T h e b ride will d o te on h im as th e chief am ong ten thousand an d the One a lto g e th er lovely.

I I . W h y H e c o u l d n o t b e h i d .

1. Because of Old T estam en t p rophecy. (L u k e 24 :25-27).

2. Because of H is in n a te g lo ry (W itness H is tra n sf ig u ra tio n ) .

3. Because m an ’s g rea t need will seek H im out.

4. Because earnest fa ith w ill alw ays lead to H im .

5. Because tru e love w ill alw ays find H im .6. Because H is ow n goodness w ill expose

H im .7. Because H is tru e disciples w ill m ake H im

know n.8. Because H e h ad gifts fo r m en (1 C or.

1 :30 ; see also 1 C or. 12:4-11).I I I . W h e n H e c o u l d n o t b e h i d .

1. W hen in th e bosom of the F a th e r . (Jo h n 3 :1 6 )— L ove gave a n d revealed th e only bego tten Son.

2. W hen a t the age of th ir ty years,— th e age w hen the p riest w as an o in ted fo r service. W hen a t th e Jo rd a n Jesus presented H im self to Jo h n fo r bap tism .

3. W hen in the house m entioned in o u r lesson. N o house b ig enough in w hich to keep H im hid. N o w orld large enough to conceal H im .

4. W hen in th e tom b, b e a th and the grave could n o t keep H im from H is disciples, n o r fro m H is heaven ly F a th e r, n o r from th e angelic hosts a ro u n d the throne.

IV . T o W HOM COULD H e NOT BE H ID ?1. T o all tho se w ho sought H im (Je r .

2 9 :13 ).2. H e canno t be h id in those w ho find H im .

E xam ples: B unyan , W esleys, C a r e y , M oody , Bresee, e t al. E m inen t goodness

w ill ou t— neither m en n o r devils can keep i t u nder a bushel. I f you are a C hristian , y o u r friends an d neighbors will see C hrist in y o u r conversa tion an d conduct. H e will be discovered in yo u r choice of books and papers, and in the com pany you keep.

3. H e could n o t be h id from th e heathen. T he Scrip tu re lesson before us reveals the only tim e in C hrist’s m in istry w hen H e w ent outside of Palestine in H is jo u r neys in to the borders of T y re an d Sidon, and, w hen th a t people found H im there, a poor w om an p led w ith H im to heal her d augh ter. H e could n o t be h id and soon liberated th e dem onized girl.

4. H e will n o t be h id in the judgm en t from th e unbelieving w orld (R ev . 1 :7 ) .

5. T o the saints, H e w ill n o t be h id w hen H e comes in H is glory (A cts 1:11. Rev. 22 :4).

6. C hrist will n o t be h id to th e dead, small an d great. — Jo h n 5:28, 29, and Rev. 2 0 :12.

A p p e a l : M y friend, is C hrist h id from you to d ay ? I f so, you a re now a lost soul. Y o u r sins have h id H is face from you . I beg y o u to repent an d tru s t H is m ercy.

C hristian friend, w as th ere ever a tim e w hen C hrist w as m ore clear to y o u r soul th a n now ? H as th e darkness of the w orld h id H im from y o u ? H as yo u r disobedience clouded yo u r vision? H av e foes o r friends come betw een you and C hrist an d eclipsed H im ? Seek H im a t once while H e m ay be fo u n d ; call upon H im while H e is near.

LIFE AND GODLINESSB y A. M . H il l s

T e x t : 2 P et. 1 :3, “ H is divine pow er h a th given un to us all things th a t p e rta in un to life and godliness.”

Some people are cursed by th e gifts given them . T heir benefactors leave th em w ealth an d estates a n d sta tion , an d it ends in ru in . B u t G od’s gifts “ m ake rich an d ad d no so rrow .”

I . W h o a r e t h e “ U s ” ?T he apostles and “all th a t have ob ta ined like

precious faith w ith u s” (v. 1 ). So th is is a message to all believers.

I I . T h e A p o s t l e is w riting about tw o kinds o j C hristian experience: viz. “L ife ” and “ G odliness.”

1. “L ife .” T he sinner has no spiritual life. In th e sight of G od he is “ dead in trespasses an d sins.” B y regeneration (n o t bap tism ) he is born in to a new life in Christ. T h is is a necessity. “ Ye m ust be bo rn again” (Jo h n 3 :3 -7 ) . H o w ? (Jo h n 3 :16. A cts 16:31. Gal. 2 :20 R . V .).

2. “ G odliness,” i. e., G od-likeness, sanctifica


tion . T his m eans to be free from d ep rav ity — the inclination to and relish fo r sin. T he negative sin o f th is experience is cleansing, purging, th e rem o va l o f the inborn corruption of o u r na tu re.

T he positive side, w hich follow s the cleansing, is—

(a) B eing filled w ith the S p irit. E ph . 5:18.(b ) Being em pow ered fo r service. A cts 1:8

and A cts 2:37-41.(c) Being like God. 1 P e t. 1:15-16. P a r ta k

ers of the divine natu re , hav ing escaped the co rru p tio n th a t is in the w orld th ro u g h lust. 2 P et. 1:4.I I I . T h e p o s s ib il it y o f t h i s c a n n o t b e q u e s

t io n e d .A t th e first th o u g h t, it all seems incredible, and

only a m ockery of our m isery and longings, too good to be true.

B u t no. T he tex t tells us th a t “his divine p o w er h a th given to us” all th ings th a t perta in to a life of holiness and pow er— G odlikeness.

I f these encouragem ents were based upon our hum an littleness an d m oral f ra ilty it w ould be impossible. B u t they are all based on G od’s o m n ipo ten t pow er. H e gives every th ing necessa ry !

1. C hrist died th a t w e m igh t be sanctified (H eb . 13:12; E ph . 5 :25-26).

2. H e calls us to th e blessing (1 Thess. 4 :7 ;2 Thess. 2 :13-14).

3. H e baptizes w ith the H o ly Sp irit (M a tt. 3 :1 1 ; Acts 15:8-9).

4. I t is G od’s w ill (1 Thess. 4 :3 ) .5. C hrist p ray ed for it (Jo h n 17:17).6. H e is fa ith fu l to do it (1 Thess. 5 :2 4 ).7. H e is able to do it (H eb. 7:25 and E ph.

3 :2 0 ).I t is all of G od, and perfectly possible, an d too

good n o t to be tru e .I f i t is our w ill as w ell as G od’s will.W e can have it.W ho w ill have as a g ift “all th ings th a t perta in

to life an d godliness” ?

SANCTIFICATfON AND FRU ITFULNESSB y A. M . H il l s

T e x t : Jo h n 15:1-15; “I am th e tru e vine . . . ye are th e branches. E very b ranch in me . . . th a t beare th n o t f ru it he tak e th aw ay : E very b ranch th a t b eare th f ru it, he p u rgeth it th a t it m ay bring fo rth m ore f ru it .”

T his is one of m any beau tifu l figures th a t rep resent the in tim acy an d im portance of o u r re la tionship to C hrist, and th e condition of f ru itfu lness.

I . N o t ic e , t h a t a p a r t f r o m C h r i s t w e h a v e n o . s p ir it u a l l i f e a t a l l .

Give up C hrist’s su pe rnatu ra l b ir th , deity , a to n e m ent, resurrection an d ascension, as M odernists are doing, an d we are p ractically separa ted from H im — like a dead and cast-off b ranch , fit only for

e ternal burnings. “A bide in m e” o r perish ! C hrist is every th ing o r no th ing to a gu ilty soul.

I I . “ In C h r i s t ” b y a v it a l r e l a t io n a n d u n i o n , w e c a n b e a r e r u i t .

W ith o u t th is blessed abid ing in H im sp iritual fru itfu lness, as G od sees it, is im possible. M u ltitudes of professors of religion are endangering th e ir e ternal fu tu re b y th e ir lack of f ru it bearing. B u t if the divine life of C hrist is pouring th rough them , as the sap of th e v ine is pouring in to th e b ranches, th ey can bear fru it if th ey will. N o t to do so is w ilful sinning, and exceedingly perilous !I I I . O u r f r u i t f u l n e s s l a r g e l y d e p e n d s o n o u r

s e l v e s .I t depends on w hether w e d raw largely from

C hrist, o r no t,— our cond ition of h ea rt, our being linked up w ith G od, and o u r passion fo r souls. T he con tex t m entions fo u r relationsh ips to Christ th e Vine:

(1) A lack of re lation w hich results in “ no fru it."

(2) A com m onplace relation w hich gives “ som e fru it .”

(3) A m ore in tim ate relation w hich produces “ m ore f ru it .”

(4) A m ore perfec t re lation still w hich brings “ m uch f ru it .”

T his la tte r class specially “glorifies G od .” v. 8. H e has therefore set H is h e a rt on hav ing all bear “m uch f ru it .” W h a t a spu r to ho ly e n te rp ris e !IV . “ E v e r y b r a n c h t h a t b e a r e t h f r u i t . H e

c l e a n s e t h i t .” R . V.W hom ? T h e disciples w ho are a lready

branches, w ho have union w ith “T he T ru e V ine,” w ho a lready have life an d are bearing f ru it. B u t to such useful C hristians G od gives an o th er “ cleansing blessing,” viz., sanctification, th a t they m ay bear “ m ore” an d “ m uch f ru it .” D r. Pearson to ld a convention of m inisters th a t since he had received the “Second Blessing”— th e B apti'-m of the H oly S p irit, he h ad w on m ore souls in eighteen m on ths th an in th e p rev ious eighteen years. T w elve tim es as useful as b e fo re ! P ro b a b ly W esley’s influence w as increased a h u n d red fo ld ; an d possibly a thousand fold.

R esult:(1) M u ltitu d es saved and th e k i n g d o m

spread.(2) G od m ore glorified.(2) P ow er in p ray e r and g rea t usefulness, v

16.(4) Fulness of e ternal joy . v. 11.

SALVATION FROM START TO FINISHB y W i l l i a m H e s l o p

T e x t : “Be fru itfu l a n d m u ltip ly and replenish th e ea rth and subdue i t” (G en. 1 :28 ).

1. Holiness.— “In the beginning G od” (Verse 1).2. Sin.— “an d darkness” (V erse 2 ) .


3. T he H o ly S p irit— “ A nd the S p irit of G od m oved ,” (Verse 2 ). T he w o rd “ m oved” in th is tex t suggests the a tti tu d e of a dove brooding over o r on its eggs or th a t of a hen sitting on an d covering th e eggs w aiting for life. T he H o ly S p irit m oves on the darkness an d sin of m an ’s h ea rt seeking to b rin g life an d light.

4. T he W ord of G od— “ A nd G od sa id” (Verse 3 ).G od began every th ing o u t in holiness.M an sinned an d fell.T he H oly S p irit im m ediately begins to m ove an d b rood over m an 's heart.G od speaks an d th ro u g h these tw o ch an n e ls:(a ) T he W ord of God.(b ) T he S p irit of God.M a n m ay be b ro u g h t back again to holiness.

5. L igh t— “L e t there be lig h t” (Verses 3 -5 ). W hen the H o ly Sp irit begins to m ove an d th e W ord of G od is m ade k now n there is a lw ays light. C onviction seizes th e heart.

6. D ivision or S epara tion — “ G od d iv ided” (Verses 6 -8 ). A fte r conviction there comes separa tion . If ligh t is follow ed there w ill be division an d separa tion .

7. R esurrec tion— “ L et the d ry land ap p ea r” (Verses 9 -10 ). T he earth shoots up o u t of the w aters of darkness th a t h ad engulfed it so long an d w hen G od speaks an d the H oly S p irit w o rk s an d ligh t is follow ed th ere is a sp iritua l resurrection in to new ness of life. “ Ye m u st be bo rn aga in .”

8. F ru itfu lness— “L et the earth b ring fo rth grass . . . seed . . . f ru it” (Verses 11-13). “T he fru it of th e S p irit is love, joy , peace,” etc. “ E v ery tree th a t b ringeth n o t fo rth good f ru it is hew n d o w n .” “ H erein is m y F a th e r glorified th a t ye b ring fo rth m uch f ru it .” F ru it. M ore f ru it. M uch fru it. J o h n 15.

9. Shining— “ L et there be lights . . . to "ive light upon the e a r th ” (Verses 14:19). “L et y o u r light so shine.” “Jo h n w as a bu rn ing and a shining lig h t.” W e o u g h t to be l i ",h t b e a r e r s . “ I am the light of th e w orld ,” i. e., Sun. “Ye are the light of the w o rld ,” i. e., m oon.T he M oon—

T he m oon gets its light from the sun, re ceives to give.Gives its light a t n ig h t (d ark n ess).I ts place is in the heavens.I t canno t a lw ays be seen there , how ever, the ea rth gets in th e w ay.

10. H oliness— “ M a n in o u r im age an d o u r likeness” (Verses 26-27). T h e S p irit of G od and th e W o rd of G od have accom plished th e p u r pose of G od, i. e., holiness. “ Be ye ho ly fo rI am h o ly .” “ W ith o u t holiness no m an shall

see the L o rd .” T h is is alw ays and ever the p 'a n and purpose of G od. G od is holy. C h-ist is holy. T he S p irit is holy, th e W ord is h o 'y . H eaven is a holy place. H oly a n gels w ill sing holy songs in th a t ho ly heaven an d if we hope to enjoy such fellow ship in such a place we m ust be holy.B ack to the T ex t.1. Be fru itfu l. “ Perfec t love, perfect peace,

perfect jo y ,” etc.2. M u ltip ly , i. e., “M ake disciples of all n a

tions.” G od’s p lan is to fill th is globe w ith holy m en an d ho ly w om en. H is p 'an s are a t presen t h indered an d fo r a tim e th w arted , b u t the p lan an d purpose is ju st the same and G od will y e t have H is w ay. I t is our business now to seek to fill th e ea rth w ith holiness un to the L ord . “M u ltip ly .”

3. Subdue— In heaven gold will be under our feet. T h is is the p roper place fo r it now . U n fo rtu n a te ly m ost people have lands, houses, business, hom e, m oney on to p of them . T he W ord of G od says “subdue .” “All th ings in sub jec tion .”

“ A nd G od blessed them an d G od said un to them , be

(a) F R U IT F U L and(b ) M u ltip ’y and(c) Replenish the ea rth and(d ) Subdue it and have(e) D om inion over it. . . .

“T o him th a t overcom eth will I g ran t to sit w ith me on m y th ro n e .”

THE ROYALTY OF MOTHERB y L . T . C o r l e t t

T e x t : “ G o fo rth , O ye daughters of Z ion and beho ld K ing Solom on w ith the crow n w herew ith his m o ther crow ned h im ” (Songs of Solom on 3 :1 1 ).

I . I n t r o d u c t io n .(a) V arious ideals of success to d ay b u t m ost

of them leave m o th er out.(b ) T he tex t reveals m o ther in a position of

h onor— th a t of placing crowns.1. In d ica ting p rophetic an d regal s ta n d

ing.II. T h e c r o w n M o t h e r g iv e s .

A. T he crow n of character.1. C hildren are generally echoes of their

paren ts.(a) S ir W alter S co tt’s m o th er w as a

superior w om an and a great Jover of poetry and pain ting .

(b ) B y ro n ’s m o ther w as p roud , ill- tem pered and violent.

(c) L ord B acon’s m o ther w as a w om an of superio r m ind an d deep piety .


(d) T he m other of N ero w as a m u rderess.

(e) T he m other of W ash ing ton was pious, pu re and true.

(f) T he m o ther of M a tth ew H enry w as m arked b y her superio r conversa tional pow ers.

(g ) T h e m other of th e W esleys w as rem arkab le fo r h er intelligence, p ie ty and executive ability .

(h ) I t w ill be observed th a t in each of these exam ples th e child in herited th e p rom inen t tra its of the m other.

2. M o th e r’s sym pathy , ideals, love, ten derness, m odesty and religion w ill be unfo lded in the character of her child ren.(a ) G od’s g ifts are n o t h e red ita ry

b u t exam ple goes a long w ay.1. If th e fa th er o r m o ther or

b o th be real C hristians, gentle, k ind , reveren t, and pure, th e children grow accustom ed to these graces an d w ill desire th em in th e ir lives.

B. A crow n of industry .1. One has said th a t m others have w on

m ore b a ttles w ith th e needle th a n m en have w ith sw ords.

2. M o th e r’s patience in to il, cheerfulness in h a r d ’hips, tenderness in sickness an d honesty in every th ing w ill be reflected in the lives of th e children.

3. M o th e r’s resourcefulness has inspired m any a person to success.

C. W e call h im g rea t w ho builds a g rea t ca thedra l— M o th e r builds character an d grea t lives.1. W ith her godly life she pain ts on th e

soul canvas th e b eau ty an d streng th of C hrist.

P r e s e n t c o n d it io n s d e m a n d g r e a t m o t h e r s .A. P resen t degeneration of ideals and sta n d

ard s is a challenge to m others to stem th is condition.L ord S haftesbu ry said, “ Give m e a genera tion of C hristian m o thers and I will u n d ertak e to change the w hole face of society in tw elve m o n th s.”“ R igh tly to tra in a single y o u th is a grea ter exploit th an th e tak ing of T ro y .”

B . T h e coun try is going to be conquered by a g reat a rm y of children an d th ey are going to get the ir tra in ing in the hom e.

C. P aren ts w ho live so as to com m and and dem and the respect an d h onor of th e ir children leave a “ goodly heritage” to th e ir offspring.1. T he com m and to “h onor th y fa th er

an d m o th e r” carries w ith i t a p ro m ise of long life.

2. D ishonor to p aren ts is accom panied w ith a curse (P ro v . 30 :17 ).

D . L ord , give us m ore godly consistent holy hom es.

FIVE NIGHTS FROM THE BIBLEB y R . W . H e r t e n s t e in

I . O u t o f t h e N i g h t C a m e D e a t h t o B e l s h a z z a r .

I I . O u t o f t h e N i g h t C a m e E t e r n a l N i g h t f o r J u d a s .

I I I . O u t o f t h e N i g h t C a m e D e l iv e r a n c e a n d R e d e m p t io n a t B e t h l e h e m .

IV . O u t o f t h e N i : h t C a m e N i c o d e m u s , a S e e k e r f o r T r u t h .

V. O u t o f t h e N i g h t C a m e S a l v a t io n f o r t h e J a il e r .

A D ETERM INED SOULB y R . W . H e r t e n s t e in

T e x t : M a rk 10:47.I. C o n d i t io n o f t h e M a n .

1. Blind.2. B a n k ru p t.

I I . P o s it io n o f t h e M a n .1. S at.2. O ut of th e “w ay ” of Jesus.

I I I . H in d r a n c e s o f t h e M a n .1. People— Those w ho ought to help.2. M any .

IV . M a n n e r o f S e e k i n g .1. A ddresses Jesus d irectly .2. A ddresses Jesus earnestly .

V. M a n n e r o f A p p r o a c h .1. Rising.2. Casting aw ay his garm ents.

R e s u l t s

1. W h a t— Sight given.2. W hen— Im m edia te ly .3. H ow — B y faith .4. W here— In th e w ay.

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISIONB y A. M . H il l s

T e x t : M ultitudes , m u ltitu d es in th e valley of decision; fo r th e d ay of th e L o rd is near in th e valley of decision (Jo e l 3 :1 4 ) 1

The W ill is th e “ego”— th e real self. T he k in g ly facu lty th a t b rings th ings to pass. T he m ost like G od. M a n is n o t th e helpless victim of m o tiv es; as a m istaken theology teaches. T here is no “ m oral inab ility .” H e is n o t th e helpless slave of inclinations, desires, appetites, im pulses, en v ironm ents. H e is endow ed w ith reason, conscience an d will, like G od him self.

B inney’s an d Steele’s T heo logy : “T hough m an is fallen an d sadly d ep raved so th a t th e re is in his n a tu re a s trong tendency to sin, y e t does he re


ta in the G od like a ttr ib u te of freedom . In every vo lition of a m oral n a tu re he is free to w ill the opposite .”

N o decree of G od, no chain of causation beh ind his w ill, no com bination of elem ents in h is constitu tio n , com pels his m oral acts.

T h e gracious a id of th e H o ly S p irit is only suasive, no t necessitating (A cts 7 :5 1 ; E p h . 4 :3 0 ;1 Thess. 5 :1 9 ). T h e m oral n a tu re of m an is a self-determ in ing original cause, him self uncaused in his volitions. H e is a new an d responsible fo u n ta in of causation in th e universe. T h e will, th en , o r m an by th e use of his will, decides his ch a rac te r, an d shapes h is e ternal destiny .

I . C o n s id e r t h e P r o n e n e s s t o M o r a l I n d e c i s i o n .

M en decide ab o u t every th ing else, b u t in sp iritu a l m a tte rs th ey d rift.

T h ey pu rposely rem ain undecided betw een: R ighteousness an d sinfulness,G odliness an d w orldliness,C hrist an d Satan ,H eaven an d hell.

I I . C o n s id e r t h e F o l l y a n d P e r il o r S u c h I n d e c i s i o n .

E x am p le s :A ship d rifting— no m an a t the w heel, no p o r t

in view.A sick m an m aking no choice of doctors.A m an in a bu rn in g house, undecided ab o u t the

w ay of escape— sta irw ay o r w indow .T he m ongrel S am aritan s “ feared G od an d served

ido ls.”R ufus, a Saxon ru ler, p a in ted Jesus on one side

o f his shield, an d th e devil on th e o th er w ith the in sc rip tion , “ I am p rep ared fo r e ith e r !”

I I I . I n d e c is io n i s F a t a l D e c i s i o n .

E xam ple: A m an on a sinking ship, undecided w h eth er to tak e the life b o a t o r no t.

So souls s ta n d sta rv ing an d th irs tin g in presence of th e B read of L ife, an d th e W ater of L ife, an d th e b lood th a t cleanses. U ndecided.

D ecision ennobles an d saves.E x am p le s :T h e th ree H ebrew child ren : “ O ur G od w hom

w e serve is able to deliver u s : b u t if no t, O K ing, be i t know n u n to thee, we w ill n o t serve th y gods, n o r w orsh ip th e golden m iage w hich thou h as t set u p .”

Jo h n H uss, offered a p a rd o n if he w ould speak one L a tin w ord , “ R evoco ,” “I recan t,” cried ou t, “ I am read y fo r th e flam es.”

The sublim est m om en t in M a rtin L u th e r’s life w as w hen he w as m ade the sam e offer, an d he m ade th e h isto ric answ er: “Y ou m ust p rove to m e b y th e W o rd of G od th a t I am w rong, o r here I stand . I can do no o th er: G od help m e. A m en !”

I V . G od S o m e t i m e s B r in g s M u l t it u d e s t o t h e V a l l e y o f D e c i s i o n .

E x am p le s :M oses an d th e Israelites on th e bo rders o f C a

naan , an d the n a tio n decided w rong an d d id n o t en ter in.

E ’ijah a t C arm el.M a rtin L u th e r called the people to justification

by faith .W esley called believers to sanctification by

faith .

V . S o m e D a y s M a y b e P r o p e r l y C a l l e d “ T h e D a y o f t h e L ord i n t h e V a l l e y o f D e c i s i o n .”

1. W hen th e convicting pow er of th e H oly S p irit is on the people.

2. W hen u nder the pow er of the H o ly Spirit m any are getting saved an d sanctified. Such scenes p u t a w hole com m unity in the valley of Pen tecostal decision.

T he scene will change: A nother valley of decision ! A th ro n e w ill be set. T he dead and the living w ill be m arshalled , sa in ts an d sinners, a n gels an d dem ons. Jesus w ill tak e the th rone . A t sight of H is ineffable love and holiness the good will be d raw n b y irresistible a ttrac tio n . T he w icked will flee w ith irresistible repulsion .. I t w ill be an in s tan t of irrevocable decision to eternal destiny. 0 decide n o w fo r C hrist an d holiness! D ecide N o w : an d be ready th en fo r th e decision of th a t G reat D ay.

GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLEB y B a s il W . M il l e r

“ In the beginning G od . . . ” (G en. 1 :1 ) . Them e: G od F irs t in E very th ing .

“F o r as m an y as are led by the S p irit of God, th ey are the sons of G od” (R om . 8 :1 4 ) . T hem e: M a rk s of the Sons of God.

“Follow peace w ith all m en, an d holiness w ith o u t w hich no m an shall see th e L o rd ” (H eb. 12:14). T hem e: T he One C ondition of Seeing God.

“I f the foundations be destroyed, w h a t can the righteous d o ? ” (Psa. 11 :3 ). T hem e: O ur G reat F oundations.

“A nd Ja co b w aked o u t of his sleep an d he said, Surely th e L ord is in th is place . . . T h is is none o th er b u t the house of G od, an d th is is the gate of heav en ” (G en. 28:16, 17). T h em e: T he Inescapable G lory of God.

“ K now ye n o t th a t y o u r bod y is th e tem ple of the H o ly G h o s t? ” (1 C or. 6 :1 9 ). T hem e: T he T em ple of the H o ly Spirit.

“ If w e confess our sins, he is fa ith fu l and ju st to forgive us o u r sins, and to cleanse u s from all unrigh teousness” (1 Jo h n 1 :9 ) . T hem e: T he C ondition of Forgiveness.

“ B u t ye shall receive pow er, a f te r th a t the H oly


G host is come upon y o u ” (A cts 1 :8 ) . T hem e: T he D ynam ite of th e Sp irit.

“N ow un to h im th a t is able to do exceeding ab u n d an tly above all th a t w e ask o r th ink , according to the pow er th a t w orketh in u s” (E ph . 3 :2 0 ). T hem e: O ur G od is Able.

“ L et the sa in ts exult in glory: le t th em sing fo r joy upon th e ir beds” (Psa. 149 :5). T hem e: A Song in the Soul.

“ I know n o t . . . G od know eth . . . ” (2 Cor. 12 :2 ). T hem e: M a n ’s Ignorance— G od’s K now ledge.

“I sought fo r a m an am ong them , th a t should build up the w all, and stand in th e gap before m e fo r the land , th a t I shou ld n o t destroy i t ; b u t I found none” (Ezek. 22 :30). T hem e: G od's U n answ ered C all fo r M en.

“ D aniel purposed in his h e a r t” (D an . 1 :8 ) . T hem e: T h e Secret of Success an d Pow er.

“N ow his w indow s w ere open in h is cham ber to w ard Je ru sa lem ” (D an . 6 :1 0 ). T hem e: W in dows Open T o w ard H eaven.

“N o t by m ight, nor b y pow er, b u t b y m y S p irit, sa ith th e L o rd of hosts” (Zech. 4 :6 ) . T hem e: T ru e Dependence upon the Spirit.

“ T here is a p a th . . . w hich the v u ltu re ’s eye h a th n o t seen” ( Jo b 2 8 :7 ). T hem e: T he P a th Unseen b y V u ltu re ’s Eye.

SERMON SEEDB y T . M . A n d e r s o n

The W itness WithinT e x t : “H e th a t believeth on the S o n o f G od

hath the w itness in h im self” (1 Jo h n 5 :1 0 ).L et us stu d y three facts concerning th e t ru th oi

th is text.I . T h e p u r p o s e o r J o h n i n g iv in g t h i s t r u t h .

T h a t ye m ay know th a t ye have e te rn a l life,an d th a t ye m ay believe on the nam e of the Son of G od” (Verse 13).

Surely if J o h n found it necessary to give a message to th e church to confirm them in their faith , and p ro tec t th em against the false teachers of th e ir day , w e should also m in ister to the sain ts to th e sam e end.

F o r one to know beyond d o u b t th a t he has eternal life is to possess a m ost desirable know ledge. T here is a w itness w hich one m ay have in him self th a t confirm s th is fact.I I . W h a t ‘w e a r e to ' b e l ie v e , o r g r o u n d s f o r

OUR FAITH.W e m ust believe the “ record G od h a th given of

his Son” (Verses 10, 11). I t m atte rs m uch w h at we believe ab o u t Jesus. T here is a G od-given record o r w itness of Jesus w hich one m u st accept in fa ith in o rder to know th a t he has e ternal life.

T his includes the w hole record of the Son. N o t ju s t such p a r t as m ay please th e hum an fancy, an d reject such as does n o t please. T h is record is d e a r ly given in the epistle.

1. “ H e w as m anifested to tak e aw ay o u r sins (3 :5 ; 4 :9 ) . T hu s we believe in H im as a S in- offering. H is pow er to tak e aw ay sin.

2. H e w as m anifested to d estroy th e w orks of th e dev il” (3 :8 ) . T he w orks of th e devil in h u m an hearts is the carnal n a tu re . H e can destroy th is. F a ith in H im includes th is. H e w ill destroy th e w orks of the devil in th e ea rth a t H is re tu rn to th e w orld . F a ith includes th is (See 2 :2 8 ).

3. H e is come an d h a th given us an u n d erstand ing th a t w e m ay know H im th a t is true. T h a t is Jesus has revealed G od to us (5 :2 0 ). To know G od is e ternal life.

I I I . T h e w i t n e s s w h i c h w e h a v e i n o u r s f x .v e s .

1. I t is th e w itness of the inbeing of th e Son in the h ea rt. T h is is th e record , th a t G od h a th given us e ternal life, an d th is life is in H is Son. H e th a t h a th th e Son h a th life (5 :1 1 -1 2 ). One w ho does no t so have the Son, h a th no t life. J e sus becom es a fact of experience w hen we believe on H im . H e reveals H im self to the soul as tru ly as H e d id to H is disciples on ea rth . Insist on having th is w itness in yourself.

2. W hosoever believeth th a t Jesus is the C hrist is bo rn o f G od (5 :1 ) . T hus sp iritu a l life is the result of fa ith . One know s he is bo rn of G od because he has a life th a t is fro m G od. T h is sense of life anew is th e strongest w itness one can possess.

3. W e have the w itness of love fo r G od and fo r H is children (5 :2 ) . Such love is n o t n a tu ra l to m an in a s ta te of unregenera tion . I t comes only as an evidence of the new b irth .

4. W e hav e th a t w hich enables us to keep H is com m andm ents (5 :3 ) . O bedience to these is 'n a t- u ral now . W hen th ey are n o t a b u rd en to keep, then th a t is a w itness th a t w e h av e believed to the sav ing of the soul.

5. H e th a t believeth overcom es th e w orld (5 :4 ) . F a ith is the only v ic to ry over th is enem y of m an and G od. H e w ho believes C h ris t. is an overcom er. H is overcom ing, is evidence t h a t . he has believed. T he fa ith has resu lted in pow er.

6. H e w ho believes on th e Son has' confidence a t th e m ercy sea t (5:14, 15). A nsw ered p ra y e r is an evidence of the fav o r o f G od. I t is an ev idence of a good consicence an d an assured h e a rt (3 :1 9 -2 2 ).


Despising HolinessT e x t : “F or G od ha th n o t called us u n to u n

cleanness, bu t un to holiness. H e therefore tha t despiseth, despiseth no t m an, b u t G od, w ho hath also g iven un to us his holy Sp irit (1 Thess. 4 :7 -8 ).

I . T h e r e i s a r e a s o n e o r d e s p i s in g h o l i n e s s .

1. T here is in m an k in d th a t w hich has a n a t u ra l h a te fo r holiness. I t w as th is th a t caused C ain to k ill Abel (1 Jo h n 3 :1 2 ) . I t w as th is in m an th a t led to th e rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. S tephen fe lt th is m alice while he p reached to the Jew s w ho stoned h im . T h a t th e carnal m ind is a t en m ity w ith G od is w itnessed to every tim e holiness is preached. P au l w arned this church lest th ey give over to th is carnal enm ity an d fail to get sanctified. So m u st everyone, especially believers, be adm onished.

2. T h e w o rd “despise” m eans to undervalue as well as to h a te . In fac t it h ides h a te beh ind u n dervalu ing . “ I see no need of i t ,” say m any. “N o one can live i t ,” is an o th e r plea. S elf-satisfaction is an o th e r m ark of despising holiness. T he cost in sacrifice an d suffering is too g reat fo r some to get it. I t is n o t w o rth the price to them .I I . T h e v a l u e o f h o l i n e s s .

1. T o o b ta in holiness is to receive th a t to w hich G od h as called us. C all is n o t only to be inv ited , b u t to be acknow ledged an d privileged to receive som ething. G od h a th called sinners to re pentance. H e h a th bestow ed upo n H is children th e calling of sons. H e also h a th called us u n to holiness. T o be ho ly is the grea test privilege of m an. To be ho ly insures th e g rea test possible hapniness. T o seek holiness is to answ er th e call of God.

2. H oliness is w ha tev er th e w ill of G od is fo r m an . “ T his is th e w ill of G od, y o u r sanctificatio n ” (Verse 3)'. One w ho is ho ly conform s to the Sovereign W ill of G od. T hey are in full accord w ith H is W ill w hich governs all personalities, w hether ho ly angels o r m en. A ho ly person has received w h a t is in the provisional w ill of God in C hrist. Jesus suffered an d died according to the w ill of G od to m ake m en holy . T o be holy is to benefit b y th is sacrifice. T o be ho ly m eans to fulfill in h e a rt and life an d prac tice all th a t G od wills fo r H is people in th is life. N o m an can do th e w ill of G od un til he is holy . I t requires a ho ly h e a rt to do th is w ill. T o despise holiness is to despise a ll th is m eans. -

3. H oliness m eans to be clean. “ G od h a th n o t called us u n to uncleariness, b u t u n to holiness.” H ere holiness is set in co n tra s t w ith uncleanness. I t m eans th e opposite of w h a t uncleanness means. H o ly people are a clean people. T hey are clean

w ith in an d w ith o u t. Clean in h eart, an d life. Clean in purpose, in m otive, in th o u g h t, in desire. Surely everyone should desire to be clean. T h is is th e m eaning of holiness.

4. H oliness is w hatever G od is. “ H e th a t despiseth, despiseth n o t m an, b u t G od.” G od is w h a t H e is in justice, m ercy, goodness, long-suffering, kindness, love, because H e is holy . These sam e v irtues can be in every m an m ade holy. M a n can in th is respect be like God. Surely all believers w an t to be like G od. T hen be holy.

5. H oliness m eans to receive th e H o ly Spirit. “ W ho also h a th given us his ho ly S p irit.” T he S p irit is holy, so m ust be those to w hom H e is given as an abid ing C om forter. I f he is to dwell in the h ea rt an d m ake th e body H is tem ple, it m ust be first cleansed. L et no m an despise o r u ndervalue th is Person so necessary to th e eternal w ell being of the children of G od. B u t to despise holiness is to despise th e H o ly Spirit.

Perfecting the Faith of BelieversT e x t : “T h a t we m igh t see yo u r face, and

m ight perfect tha t w hich is lacking in yo u r fa ith ” (1 Thess. 3 :1 0 ).I . L e t u s s e e w h a t t h e y d id h a v e , t h a t w e

MAY BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY LACKED.1. T hey h ad a w ork of fa ith . C h ap te r 1:3.

T hey h a d becom e follow ers of th e L ord , having received the W ord in joy of th e H o ly G host, and in m uch assurance. T hey h ad tu rn ed from idols (See 1 :5 -8 ).

2. T hey h ad a lab o r of love (C h ap te r 1 :3 ) . T hey were exam ples to o th er believers. F ro m th em sounded o u t th e w o rd of the L ord . T hey w ere ta u g h t of G od to love one an o th er (4 :9 ) . T hey served the living G od (1 :9 ) .

3. T hey h ad a patience of hope (C h ap te r 1 :3 ). T his hope w as the hope of the sons of G od. In it th ey w aited for H is Son from heaven. Surely in these th ree facts is conclusive p roof of th e ir regeneration . S inners h ad no such fa ith , labors o r hope.I I . T h a t w h i c h t h e y l a c k e d t o p e r f e c t t h e i r

FAITH.

1. T o increase an d ab o u n d in love. T h is is perfected love fo r G od and m an. L ove th a t has reached its fullest m easure. I t abounds,- o r is a t flood-stage; All regenerated persons- hav e love, b u t perfected an d abounding love is som ething th a t comes as an act of G od a f te r one is regenera ted . “ T he L o rd m ake you to increase and ab o u n d in love.” G od does th is fo r H is sons. T here w ould be tria ls an d tes ts th rough w hich these w ere to pass th a t w ould ta x them sorely to


love a ll m en, even the ir enemies. T o th is end G od w an ted to m ake th e ir love full to so enable th em to m eet th is dem and.

2. T heir h e a rt w as to be m ade unb lam eable in holiness. In o th er w ords they w ere in need of a cleansed heart. T he rem ains of sin w ere to be rem oved. T hey w ere n o t under the dom inion ol sin. B u t they h ad th e carnal m ind. T h ey needed holiness as is evidenced in the follow ing chap ter. So does every believer need an unb lam eable h ea rt, a h ea rt from sin set free.

3. T hey w ere to be established in holiness. T h a t is, th ey w ere in need of a w o rk of grace w hich w ould se ttle th em in the ir experience so th a t they w ould n o t be m oved by the persecution an d tem p ta tio n s w hich w ould assail them (See verses 3 -5 ). Ju s t how necessary such an experience is everyone should know .

4. I t w as to be a w o rk of grace to fit them before G od a t the com ing of the L ord . W ith o u t holiness no m an shall see G od. In th is case th a t w hich m akes one fit to see an d en joy G od is d e sired fo r th is church. T he epistle is concluded w ith the p rom ise th a t G od w ill sanctify th em w holly, an d preserve th em spirit, soul an d body to H is coming.

ILLUSTRATIVE M ATERIALC om piled b y J . G l e n n G o u l d

There is a More Excellent W ay !Some tim e since I w as crossing th e river T a m a r

in a fe rry -b o a t. J u s t as we w ere going to push off from the pier a shou t to ld us th a t there w as y e t an o th er passenger. T here cam e a m an, ragged an d lam e, shuffling w ith bare feet on the slippery stones to th e boat. H e hobbled on b o ard , and th en w e w ere off.

I w as near enough to th e po o r fellow to have a w ord w ith him .• “H ow fa r are you go ing?” I asked.

“L ondon , sir, if I can only get th e re ,” he a n sw ered.

“A nd how are you g o ing?”“T ram p i t ,” said he gloom ily.“Ah, you w ou ldn ’t m ind going all th e w ay like

this, w ould y o u ? ” H e shook his head sadly, and tired to smile, b u t it w as a failure.

P resen tly the b o a t reached the o th e r side, and the passengers w ere dispersed— one in a carriage, a n d one in a ca rt, an d the rest to the tra in , th a t reached L ondon in ha lf a day . B u t I s tood and w atched m y po o r friend lim ping over th e stones as long as he w as in sight, an d then I tu rn ed and w ent on m y w ay, seeing in h im th e p ic tu re of very m any pilgrim s to the Celestial C ity . I t is

m iserab ly sad th a t an y should go th u s, lim ping a n d foo tsore. B u t h undreds, theusands, th in k th e re is no o th e r w ay. T hey tru s t the L o rd to ta k e them across the river of condem nation , an d th en they step ou t on th e o th e r side an d se t fo rth on a d reary tra m p in th e w in d an d rain , uphill, an d over sto n y roads.— M a r k G u y P e a r s e .

Spirit Anointings.In th e little to w n of B lue H ill on the coast of

M aine there is a rem arkab le reversing falls. As th e tide in th e g rea t ocean rises to the flood, the w a te r rushes back in to a rock basin five miles long an d ha lf a mile w ide. A t the very flood ot th e tide there is a brief period of rest on the su rface of the w ate r. B u t as th e ocean level begins to d ro p , th is sa lt w a te r lake em pties itself back in to th e g rea t deep. Increasing in force as th e tide recedes, i t is only by th e tu rn of th e tide th a t the to rre n t is stayed. T im e an d again I have sto o d by these rushing w aters an d th o u g h t how like it is to G od’s dealings w ith a sanctified soul. T he g reat flood tide of G od’s g lory fills th e soul to its very l im it ; and th en th a t soul, so full of G od, m ust em pty o u t on th e w orld a to r re n t of love, a passion fo r the souls of m en, a life of p ray e r an d fa ith . W hen th e level w ith in us th rea ten s to ru n low , here com es th e g rea t flood tide of G od’s grace rising to fill us once again to the very lim it of o u r sp iritua l capacity . A nd m ore sure an d certain th a n th e ocean’s ebb and flow is th e faith fu lness of G od.

God Has Blotted Them Out.W hen the English folk h u n ted aw ay o u r B ruce,

they w ere n o t con ten t w ith th e ir ow n great, g rand , g lorious p lains, th ey w ou ld have liked our m oun ta inous little cou n try , b u t th ey d id n o t get i t ! B ruce stood up an d th ey w en t a f te r h im , and th ey p u t his ow n b loodhounds on h is track , an d w ith th e ir nostrils b en t to th e g round the b ru tes follow ed th e ir royal m aste r, u naw are th ey w ere track ing h im to his d e a th ; an d the English cam e afte r, an d th ey u rged the hounds on. B ruce heard the d is tan t baying of his ow n beloved pack behind him , an d h is a tte n d a n t said, “ W e a re done fo r; th e English h av e unleashed th e hounds, an d they are on y o u r tra il an d th ey w ill b e tra y y o u r hiding place.” “ S top a b it ,” says B ruce, “ i t ’s all r ig h t.” T here is a stream flow ing th ro u g h th e fo rest, and he goes to it, and he plunges in to th e stream an d w ades th ree bow sho ts up , an d th en in to the dep ths o f the forest. T h e hounds com e up to the ban k , trac ing step by step th e ir beloved m aste r. B u t no fa rth e r . “ U rge them on an d see the hounds over th a t little b ro o k an d get u p th e

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A G A Z IN E to

tra il.” T hey cannot. T he pursuers m ay urge them , an d m ay w hip them , m ay lash them , m ay spear them , b u t th ey are done for. T he tra il is broken . T he stream has carried the scent of the king fa r dow nw ard . A nd B ruce, one d ay soon a fte r, p u ts the crow n of S co tland on h is ow n b row . So m y sins, u rged b y th e devil, cam e beh in d m e a yelling pack. I felt the ir h o t b rea th as

• I fled an d they vow ed to have me. B u t a stream , n o t glassy an d clear, b u t red w ith the b lood of th e Son of G od, cam e by m y feet. I p lunged in th ro u g h G o d ’s grace, an d I can s ta n d on th e o ther b an k an d defy every h e ll-hound of m y p ast to touch m e. T h a t is i t ! T h e scent is lost, blessed be G od. T he tra il of th e pas t— w here is i t? I t is b roken in th e b lood of C hrist.— J o h n R o b e r t

s o n .

The Holy Spirit and Jesus.T he H o ly S p irit does n o t speak of H im self. H e

holds H im self incognito , w hile H e show s the th in g ; of C hrist un to us. B ishop T h o b u rn ’s desc rip tion of an O rien ta l m arriage inciden t illustra te s th is beau tifu lly : A prince, w ho is the b ridegroom , seated under a canopy on a great, w hite e lephan t, is escorted a t m idn igh t to the house of th e b rid e ; to rch -bearers, w ith lights on the end o f long rods, w alk beside th e elephan t— o u t of sight— holding the ir lights so th a t th e blaze shines fu lly on th e prince, exhibiting h im in ail his gorgeous a tt ire an d ad o rnm en ts. T hey are unseen, b u t th e prince appears all g lorious in the ligh t w hich they th ro w upon h im . So, w hen the H o ly G host is received in the soul, H e tu rn s the full blaze of H is indw elling presence up o n the face of Jesus, an d H e becom es exalted an d tra n sfigured to th e soul.— D r . S. A. K e e n .

Defending the BibleSpurgeon w as once asked w hy he d id no t speak

o u t in defense of the assailed B ible. “ D efend the B ib le !” he exclaim ed. “I w ould as soon th in k of defending a l io n ! U nchain it, an d it w ill defend itself.”

Love Never FailethI h eard recen tly a s to ry ab o u t D r. Lew is E d

w ards, a g reat W elsh divine of his day . H e w as p reaching on one occasion in Festin iog ab o u t fo rgiveness, an d urging the necessity of forgiving o thers if people them selves w ished to be forgiven. A nd in his congregation there w as a fa th er and m o ther w ho h ad a w ild scapegrace of a son, a lad w ho h ad given them no end of tro u b le an d w ho even th en w as living a reckless so rt of life in L iverpool. D r. E d w ard s knew all ab o u t the troub le , an d speaking to th em a f te r th e service

an d m aking a personal app lication of his serm on, he said, “ Y ou m ust forgive Jo h n .” “ Forgive Jo h n ,” said the wife to the husband , as th ey tu rn e d aw ay , “he doesn’t know o u r love for Jo h n .” F org ive? W hy, th e ir hearts w ere w ith th a t absent lad , and th a t w as w h a t th ey p rayed fo r w ith incessant en trea ty , th a t he w ould come back. N o ! D r. E dw ards d id n o t p roperly estim ate a fa th e r’s and m o th er’s love. M a n y w aters cannot quench love, ne ither can the floods d row n it.— D r . J . D. J o n e s .

Ejaculatory PrayerH e is one of the m erchan t princes of G lasgow,

th is m an, and he has a considerable traffic too w ith th e N ew Jerusalem . H e ’s a tra d e r an d a C hristian . H is tram p is h eard on the S tock E xchange, and echoes too on the pavem en ts of grace. M en believe in him , so do th e angels. In the w orld , yet n o t of it, h e ; “ n o t slo th fu l in business, ferven t in spirit, serving th e L o rd .” H e w as w alking w ith a friend th ro u g h the crow ded streets of our city, w hen suddenly the com panion heard h im say, “ Oh, m an, gang on a b it. T he L ord Jesus is w a n tin ’ to ta lk w ith m e.” I t w as so. H e h ad heard th e w hisper of the H oly G h o s t; he had felt the try stin g tap of his Savior, an d he d ropped beh ind to let h is soul go o u t in holy converse w ith th e L ord . I t w as e jacu la to ry p rayer. N eed you w onder the friend w as aw ed as he beheld the very light of th a t ho ly in terv iew clinging to the countenance of the p ray ing one, like a su n w rap t m orning cloud on the m o u n ta in ’s b ro w ? D o you, soul, know all th is in y o u r ow n real experience? D r. A ndrew B onar tells of an o ld C hristian m an in his college days he noticed frequen tly lifting his h a t in the E d inburgh streets, and he asked h im w hy. “ Oh, as I ta lk to Jesus he comes so near me th a t I ’m forced to tak e off m y h a t in H is holy presence.” T h a t’s it, e jacu la to ry p rayer, the p ray ing w ith o u t ceasing.— J o h n R o b e r t s o n .

The Mercy of JudgmentT he ra ilroad from C ripple Creek to C olorado

Springs d rops m ore th a n 4000 feet in 40 miles. All along the line are signs m arked “D erailing Sw itch .” I asked the conductor the m eaning. “W h y ,” said he, “ if an engine should lo.=e control of itself an d com e plunging dow n th is fearfu l grade, it m igh t destroy a w hole tra in lo ad of people below ; so we are alw ays ready to w ire to the first derailing sw itch w here th e sw itchm an will th ro w the engine in to a d itch o r against th e rocks. I t is b e tte r to destroy one tra in th a n tw o .”

All a long the tra c k of h isto ry G od has h ad “ de


railing sw itches” in to w hich individuals, cities, and nations th a t have lost con tro l of them selves and becom e a m enace to the w orld, have h ad to be th row n .— E d m u n d G. R a w s o n .

Prayer as ExperienceH e w ho know s p rayer as an experience, from

w ith in th e circle of com m union w ith G od, w ho lingers in th a t heavenly atm osphere, seeing H im w ho is invisible, asking an d receiving, feeling his burdens d rop off and his s tren g th renew itself— can afford to smile a t th e bustling philosopher outside, kn ittin g his b row s over the question w hether m an can ask an d receive fro m God. If I w an t to satisfy m yself ab o u t p rayer, I shall n o t run to th e m an ufactu re rs of p ray er tests. R a th e r will I go an d stand by Isaiah a t the a lta r , while the posts of th e door m ove a t th e voice of him th a t cries, an d the live coal is laid b y angel hands on the supp lian t p ro p h e t’s lips. R a th e r w ill I bow beside E lijah on Carm el, w hile h is ow n life and th e h onor of Israe l hang on the issue of his p rayer. R a th e r w ill I seek th e cham ber w here L u th e r, p ro stra te before God, p leads fo r courage to stand fo r H is t ru th before kings an d p o ten tates . In such scenes w e learn how real th e u n seen w orld is to m en. W e see h o w they depend upon i t ; w h a t k in d of help th ey seek from it ; w h a t te rrib le issues th ey stak e on its responses; a n d how real an d how m ighty are the aids and com forts w hich come from it to them . T he d ifference betw een such m en’s view of p ray e r and his w ho m erely studies p ray er as a phenom enon, is the difference betw een h im w ho stands in the te legraph office, study ing th e m achinery , and asking ab o u t the connections of th e wires, an d him w hose w ife o r child is in deadly peril in a d istan t c ity , and w ho leans over the o p e ra to r’s shoulder w ith set lips and stra in ing eyes, as th e tick ing in s tru m en t resolves o r deepens his agony of suspense.— D r . M a r v in V i n c e n t .

The Baccalaureate SermonI once heard D r. George A. G ordon preach a

baccalaureate serm on on th e sub ject: “ T he C onquest of D ifficulty,” from th e tex t, “W ho m aketh grass to g ro w -u p o n the m o u n ta in s” (Ps. 147 :8). P ro f. G. H . P alm er preached once on “ T he G lory of the Im perfec t.” These them es are suggestive.

FOR THE M ISSIONARY SERMONB y R o y G. C o d d in g

T r e n d s i n t h e O r ie n t T o d ay

In the Ja n u a ry num ber of th e In terna tiona l R ev iew o f M issions Jo h n R . M o tt, L L . D ., w rites instructively on “ Som e P resen t-D ay T rends in

the L ife of the O rien t.” H e has h ad o pportun ities to see them , fo r he w rites: “ I t has been m y lo t to m ake seven extensive jou rneys to th e F a r E ast, including m y recen t v isit to countries su rround ing the Pacific Basin, also th ree jou rneys to sou thern Asia, an d likewise th ree to the lands of th e N ear E ast o r w estern A sia .”

H e speaks of th e sta rtlin g m an ifesta tion of d ivisive influences observable in th e re la tions b e tw een races and nations. “T he fric tion p o in ts betw een th e races are m ore num erous now th a n th ey w ere ten years ago, an d w h a t is m ore a la rm ing, these fric tion po in ts are m ore ag g rav a ted or inflam ed.”

T hen he w rites o f th e an ti-fo re ign m ovem ent in C hina an d of the socialism an d bolshevism , n o t lim ited to S iberia , b u t perm eating K orea, Ja p an an d China.

“A no ther tre n d to w hich a tte n tio n should be called is th a t of th e keen struggle now in progress in m an y p a rts of Asia betw een th e forces of m ilita rism an d those of an ti-m ilita rism . . . . T he w ars ac tually in progress in the F a r E ast an d re cen tly in th e N ear E ast w ou ld , before th e w orld w ar, have sta rtled m ankind . On the o th er han d , influences d irected to w a rd th e w eakening an d abo lition of m ilita rism are u n m istak ab ly grow ing.. . . T he n o n -co -ope ra tion p ro g ram in In d ia an d the econom ic b o y co tt in C hina have p ro foundly im pressed o th er p a rts of th e w orld as em ploying in th e righ ting of w rongs new er and m ore effective m ethods th a n m ilita ry an d naval force. T he orien ta l peoples m ay y e t becom e a trem endous m akew eight on the side of w orld peace.”

“ W ith regard to Asia as a w hole alm ost every th ing is still in flux. T h a t con tinen t, w hich only com parative ly recen tly the w orld th o u g h t of as so largely changeless, has becom e the m ost bew il- deringly changeable of all the continents. . . . T he changes w hich have tak en place in th e last five years in Palestine, Syria an d T u rk ey seem equally incredible b o th in th e ir presen t aspect and also in the ir significance fo r com ing days. A siatic as well as E uro p ean Russia p resents th e spectacle of the m ost p lastic n a tio n on th e m ap. T herein lies h er d a n g e r ; an d there in lies infin ite hope for the d ay w hen h er presen t b lind leaders of the b lind shall give w ay to those possessing th e larger w isdom , unselfishness a n d ab ility to co-operate .

“A tten tio n should be called to an a larm ing te n dency in Asia, as in so m an y o th er p a r ts of th e w orld , th a t of low ering or le ttin g do w n of m oral


or eth ical s tandards. . . . T he relaxing of the hold of th e C onfucian eth ics an d of th e teachings an d requ irem ents of B uddhism an d of o th e r non- C hristian fa ith s, w ith o u t a t th e sam e tim e a d o p ting som e su b stitu te fo r the shaping of character a n d the energizing of life, involves th e greatest peril fo r the new generation . . . .

“T h e In s titu te of Pacific R ela tions, dealing w ith race relationsh ips an d o th e r acu te p roblem s of the Pacific, w hich held its first session in H o n olulu over a year ago, an d w hich is to be continued as a p erm an en t in stitu tio n , is one of the m ost prom ising developm ents of m odern tim es. Special recognition should be given to the P an - Pacific U nion, also centering in H onolu lu , as a unify ing fac to r in th e Pacific.

“ T he w eaving to g e th er in unselfish effort of the C hristians in each of th e A siatic countries, an d in Asia as a w hole, is b eyond question the m ost po w erfu l o f all the m eans w hich are w ork ing to w ard bring ing ab o u t a righ t u n derstand ing an d the m ost he lp fu l co -opera tion am ong th e peoples of th is con tinen t w here th e C hristian religion h a d its rise. In n early every A siatic co u n try there has been developed w ith in recent years a N atio n a l C hristian C ouncil un iting all the m issions and churches in com m on fellow ship, p lann ing an d action . T he v arious indigenous churches in each country , are being d raw n to g e th er in a genuine sp iritua l u n ity an d in som e cases th e foundations o f n a tion -w ide C hristian churches have been laid .

“ W ith o u t d o u b t th e best days fo r A sia lie in the fu tu re— n o t the dim fu tu re , b u t the near fu tu re . E veryw here one travels in Asia to d a y one is m ade v iv id ly conscious of w ide expectancy. E v e ry tro u b le d people, every depressed race, every d iscouraged social g roup seems to be on tip to e of expecta tion of th e d raw ing near of a b e tte r o rd er an d a b e tte r day . ‘N ow is o u r sa lvation nearer th an w hen w e believed.’ T h e pow er of any nation , as o f an y ind iv idual life, lies in its expectancy.- . . .

“A t all costs th e y o u th of Asia, an d in fac t of th e w orld , m ust be cap tu red fo r th e highest ideals and th e m ost unselfish causes. T here are some th ings w hich can be deferred te n years, or, it m ay be, le ft to those w ho follow us, b u t n o t so the safeguard ing , enlisting an d supporting of th e genera tion w hich w ill live long enough to effect the m an y extensive an d p ro fo u n d changes involved in th e rem aking of Asia. T h is fac t lends suprem e im portance to th e v ario u s y o u th m ovem ents in A siatic an d o th er lands a n d n o tab ly those dealing

w ith m atte rs p erta in ing to m orals an d religion.

“Of suprem e im portance is it th a t the fu n d a m ental an d essential place of pure and undefiled religion as revealed in Jesus C hrist and H is teachings be recognized. In C hrist only can be realized the tr iu m p h a n t u n ity of nationalities, races and fa ith s of th e A siatic con tinen t, an d in H is p ro gram and th ro u g h H is pow er only can all the u n favo rab le tendencies an d m ovem ents be counteracted an d overcom e, and the favorab le , significant trends of Asia find adequate expression an d realiza tion .”

T h e Q u i c k e n i n g i n N ia s

N ias is a sm all island of the E ast Indies lying close to the w est shore of S um atra . T o express its la titu d e and longitude in fam iliar term s, i t is ab o u t 425 miles due w est o f S ingapore a n d abo u t1,070 miles nearly s tra ig h t sou th of R angoon . I t approx im ates a rec tangular shape, an d is ab o u t 25 miles w ide an d 75 long.

M issionsdirecktor E d . K riele, of the Rhenish M issionary Society in B arm en, G erm any , w rites very in teresting ly of the m arvelous w o rk of the S p irit of G od in th a t sm all island in 1916 and since. T here is room here for only som e detached quo ta tio n s from his artic le in the In terna tiona l R e v iew o f M issions, Ja n u a ry . T he en tire article is very p rofitab le reading:

“ T he N ias mission is, in a sense, an offshoot of the w ell-know n R henish M ission to the B a taks in S um atra . D enninger, one of th e few Rhenish m issionaries w ho escaped from the B orneo m assacre in 1859, h ad taken u p w ork a t P adang (a seaport to w n of S u m atra ab o u t 250 miles sou th east of N ias), chiefly am ong the N ias m en settled there as dock laborers. T h is induced h im to re m ove, a t the end of Septem ber, 1865, to N ias, w here he se ttled a t G unung Sitoli, the only place w here any E uropeans w ere living a t th a t tim e. T h is w as th e beginning o f th e N ias m ission. T he soil w as a s tu b b o rn one. I t w as n o t till nine years a fte r, in 1874, th a t the first converts, tw en ty -five in num ber, w ere bap tized . F o r som e decades the mission consisted only of th ree sta tions on the east coast of the isalnd, w hich, m oreover, w ere so close to each o th er th a t th e m issionaries could easily v isit one an o th er in an afte rn o o n and re tu rn hom e in th e evening. T his, in fact, was the outside lim it of the D utch G overnm en t’s in fluence. T h e fa rth e r in te rio r w as practically closed to u s ; i t was inhab ited b y a savage people, w ho practiced h ead -hun ting as a regular occupation. . . .

“In 191 4 th e num ber of s ta tions w as th irteen ,


th a t of na tive C hristians ao u t 18,000. T hus, in 1915, w hen the storm s of w ar w ere sw eeping over the w hole w orld , i t w as possible to p rep are in N ias to celebrate the jubilee of the m ission. T he place of celebration w as G unung Sitoli, the ac tual day Septem ber 27th, the ann iversary o f th a t on w hich D enninger had , fifty years earlier, set foo t on th e island. . . . B efore nine m on ths h ad passed th e m issionaries found th a t th ey h ad en tered on th e ‘Y ear of th e G reat Experience,’ as th ey still call the y ea r 1916.

“ T he revival began a t th e s ta tio n of H um ene, on th e east coast, a t W hitsun tide in th a t year. W h at to o k place there m ay be regarded as the direct result of th e solem n an d touch ing jubilee celebration a t G unung Sitoli. In o rder to retain and deepen the im pression m ade b y th e jubilee, M r. R u de rsdo rf began to ho ld Bible classes an d prayerm eetings w ith som e of th e m ore advanced C hristians in his ow n house. . . . I t d id n o t stop a t H um ene, b u t w ent on from one s ta tio n to ano ther, an d from them to the ou tsta tio n s— even to the rem ote hill villages. I t happened th a t e lders cam e from o th er sta tions in o rd er to see w ith the ir ow n eyes w h a t w as really tak ing place a t H um ene, as there h ad been so m uch ta lk ab o u t it. T hey w ere so m uch im pressed by all th a t th ey h eard an d saw th a t , w hen th ey re tu rn ed hom e and related th e ir experiences, th e m ovem ent s ta rted in those villages also. I t w as n o t only the existing C hristian C hurch w hich w as touched by it, b u t the heathen and even the M oham m edans. In th is w ay the W ord of G od litera lly h ad free course th rough N ias, a n d soon p ervaded all the d istric ts of the island.

“T he course tak en b y th e revival w as m ore o r less th e sam e everyw here. People w ere seized by the te rro rs of conscience, suddenly feeling th em selves unescapably confron ted w ith th e d ivine h o liness. T he sense of sin an d guilt overw helm ed th em w ith elem ental force, and it seem ed as though a sense of ann ih ilation w ere being passed on th e ir w hole life. . . . T errib le revelations w ere m ade a t th a t tim e ; m atte rs of w hich neither th e m issionaries them selves n o r anyone else h ad the least suspicion, w hich h ad perhaps taken place tw en ty or th ir ty years before, w ere b ro u g h t to light. U nsparing ly th ey stripped the m asks from th e ir faces, caring fo r noth ing b u t to be free of the load w hich oppressed them . . . . T he m issionaries w ere n o t requ ired to rebuke o r judge. T h a t h ad been done by the people’s ow n consciences, by G od him self. M any w ere seen to be trem bling all over an d stood as if crushed before

th e m issionary , w ho only needed now to direct them to the consolation of th e gospel, to th e cross of C hrist. . . .

“ T he call fo r laborers a t the h a rv est becam e m ore an d m ore insisten t. . . . T h u s there arose — an o th e r resu lt of th e rev ival— a sim pler Bible school, o r tra in ing in stitu tio n fo r evangelists, side b y side w ith th e sem inary fo r teachers an d p reach ers. T he task in view w as to guide these en th u siastic young m en in to a deeper know ledge o f the S crip tures, leav ing aside o th e r subjects, in o rder b o th to fu rth e r th e ir personal religious life and to equip them fo r th e ir special w o rk as evangelists. A t the end of the ir tra in in g th e y re tu rn ed to th e ir n a tive villages an d w ere rem u n era ted by those w ho benefited b y th e ir services. I t is extrem ely characteristic of th e N ias rev ival th a t the people them selves supplied th e add itio n a l w orkers w ho h ad becom e necessary. T h e num ber of these evangelists rose fro m 6 in 1916 to 81 in 1922, 93 in 1924 a n d 100 in 1925. . . . T h e fire, though its first blaze m ay have died dow n, b u rn s on qu ie tly and , from tim e to tim e, in one village or a n o th er, m inor local revivals tak e place. . . .

“ J u s t a few figures in conclusion. T he num ber of C hristians rose from ab o u t 18,000 a t th e beg inning of the rev ival to 65,000 in 1925, a n d a t the end of th a t y ea r th ere w ere still over 23,000 u nder in struction , p rep arin g fo r bap tism . B u t fo r the rev ival, th is a lm ost unexam pled increase w ould have been u n th inkab le . T he to ta l popu la tio n of N ias m ay be ab o u t 180,000, so th a t th e v ic to ry of th e gospel is decisive.”

TH EM ES, TEX TS AND SUGGESTIONSB y D . S. C o r l e t t

Mother’s DayT he second S unday in M a y has long been re

m em bered as M o th e r’s D ay in m any churches an d furnishes an excellent o p p o rtu n ity to em phasize some sub jects and tru th s th a t o rd inarily a pasto r w ould n o t care to deal w ith . M a n y have o b served the d ay b y p resenting carnations to the m em bers o f the ir congregation as th ey g a th er for the service on th a t p a rticu la r ..m orning; a w hite carnation to those whose m others a re dead, and red to those whose m others are now living. T h e m usic fo r th e service m ay be ap p ro p ria te th u s m aking a very im pressive an d helpfu l service.

Suggested Texts and Themes for Mother’s Day

T h em e— T h e Blessing of a M o th e r’s Influence. T ex t— “ W hen I call to rem em brance the unfeigned fa ith th a t is in thee , w hich dw elt first in th y


gran d m o th er Lois, an d th y m o th er E u n ice ; a n d I am persuaded th a t in thee a lso” (2 T im o th y 1 :5 ) .

Them e— T he D u ty an d Blessing of P a ren ta l R espect. T ex t— “H o n o u r th y fa th e r an d m o th e r ; w hich is th e first com m andm en t w ith p rom ise; th a t it m ay be well w ith thee, an d th o u m ayest live long on th e e a r th ” (E p h . 6 :2 ) .

T hem e— O ur P a re n ta l R esponsib ility . T ex t— “W hen Jesus therefo re saw his m o ther, an d the disciple stand ing by , w hom he loved, he sa it’n u n to his m o th er, W om an, behold th y s o n ! T hen sa ith he to th e disciple, B ehold th y m o th e r ! A nd fro m th a t h o u r th a t disciple to o k her u n to h is ow n ho m e” (Jo h n 19:26-27).

T hem e— T h e D am aging Influence of W icked P aren ts . T ex t— “A nd he d id evil in th e sight of the L ord , an d w alked in th e w ay of his fa th er an d in th e w ay of h is m o ther, an d in th e w ay of Je ro b o am th e son of N eb a t, w ho m ade Israel to s in” (1 K ings 22 :52 ).

T hem e— T he Excellence of G od’s P ow er. T ext •—“ B u t w e have th is treasu re in earthen vessels, th a t the excellency of th e p ow er m ay be of God, an d n o t of u s” (2 C or. 4 :7 ) .

T hem e— T h e F o u n d a tio n of O ur R eligious E x perience. T ex t— “ A nd m y speech an d m y p reach ing w as n o t w ith enticing w ords of m an ’s w isdom , b u t in dem o n stra tio n of th e S p irit and of pow er: th a t y o u r fa ith shou ld n o t s ta n d in the w isdom of m en, b u t in th e pow er o f G od” (1 C or. 2 :4 -5 ).

Them e— T he C h ristian ’s Seal. T ext— “N ev ertheless the fo u n d a tio n o f G od stan d e th sure, h a v ing th is seal, T h e L o rd know eth th em th a t are his. A nd , le t every one th a t n am eth th e nam e of C hrist d e p a r t from in iq u ity ” (2 T im o th y 2 :1 9 ).

T hem e— T h e G lory of the C hristian M in is try . T ex t— Isa iah 61:1-3 .

W e m u st n ever lose th e clear ringing n o te of holiness in o u r m in istry . W e are d istinc tive ly a holiness church a n d m u st rem ain such. I t is im p o r ta n t the re fo re th a t w e do m ore th a n preach ab o u t holiness, w e m ust preach holiness, w h a t it is, w h a t it does, an d how i t m ay be ob tained . Several suggestions fo r a series of serm ons on H o liness.

Them e— Holiness, G od’s R equ irem en t fo r M an. T ex t— “ B u t as he w hich h a th called y o u is holy, so be ye ho ly in all m an n er of con v ersa tio n ; B ecause i t is w ritte n , Be ye h o ly ; fo r I am ho ly ” (1 P e te r 1 :15 -16).

T hem e— G od’s P rov ision fo r H oliness. T ex t—

“W herefore Jesus also, th a t he m ight sanctify the people w ith his ow n blood, suffered w ith o u t the gate” (H eb . 13 :12), also “ B u t of h im are ye in C hrist Jesus, w ho of G od is m ade u n to us w isdom , an d righteousness, an d sanctification , and redem ption” (1 Cor. 1 :30 ).

Them e— G od’s C all to Holiness. T ex t— “F o r G od h a th n o t called us un to uncleanness, b u t un to holiness. H e therefore th a t despiseth, despiseth n o t m an, b u t G od, w ho h a th given un to us his h o ly S p irit” (1 Thess. 4 :7 -8 ) .

Them e— T h e S eparation of Holiness. T exts— E xodus 3 :4 -6 and L eviticus 20:24-26.

Them e— T he F reedom of Holiness. T ex t—• R om ans 6:18, 19:22 an d Gal. 5:1.

Evangelistic ThemesT hem e— T he Crisis in H u m an H isto ry . T ex t—

“A nd I saw th e dead, sm all and g reat, stan d before G o d ; an d th e book w as opened, w hich is the book o f life: an d the dead w ere judged o u t of those th ings w hich w ere w ritte n in the books, according to th e ir w orks” (R ev . 20 :12).

Them e— Gem G atherers fo r O ur S av ior’s C row n. T ex t—'“ L et h im know , th a t he w hich converte th th e sinner from th e e rro r of his w ay shall save a soul from death , and shall hide a m u ltitu d e of sins” (Jam es 5 f2 0 ).

T hem e— W hy C hrist C am e in to the W orld. T ex t— “ T his is a fa ith fu l saying, an d w o rth y of a ll accep ta tion , th a t C hrist Jesus cam e in to th e w orld to save sinners; of w hom I am chief” (1 T im o th y 1 :15).

Them e— A R em arkab le C onversion. T ex t— “A nd th e pub lican , stand ing a fa r off, w ould no t lift up so m uch as h is eyes to heaven , b u t sm ote him self upon his b reast, saying, G od be m erciful to m e a sinner. I te ll you th is m an w ent dow n to his house ju stified” (L uke 18:13-14).

I . A P en iten t Seeker.I I . A M ercifu l G od.

I I I . A H ap p y F inder.

THE DEVILM ichael— the body of M oses. Ju d e 7, 8, 9.Jesus and “ T he P rince of th is w orld .” Jo h n 12:31. T he devil— the highest created intelligence an d a

being of m arvelous ab ility an d pow er.H is pow er— L uke, 4 th chap ter.T he devil’s crime— Pride .I f he canno t get us to do w rong, he will h inder us

from doing good.“ G ive no place to th e devil.”— C . E . C o r n e l l .


PRACTICALTHE GREEK TESTAM ENT IN THE

LIGHT OF RECENT RESEARCHB y B a s il W . M il l e r

Recent Translations of tlie New TestamentThe R evised Versions. F o r tw o hu n d red and

fifty years the K ing Ja m es V ersion of the B ible held und ispu ted sw ay, u n til m an y regarded the ta sk of a new tran sla tio n an im possible one. I t w as argued th a t th e m ass of C hristians— since the A nglo-Saxon civilizations of five con tinen ts w ere in terlaced w ith th is version— w ould be unw illing to give u p th is w onderfu l version w hich w as so precious in co ttage and palace. T ru e to a large ex ten t is th is p rophecy— th e m asses still read the A uthorized Version, while th e schools, a few m in isters and Sunday school teachers stu d y th e R evised Version.

A b u n d an t need of revision w hich occurred in 1881— th e A m erican Revised and th e C an te rb u ry Revised— w as strong ly felt. In spite of th e m arvelous English and its m oulding influence on the language and life of th e people, th e K ing Jam es Version h ad its m any defects. T im e has changed the m eaning of w ords. “ L e t” no longer m eans to “h inder.” “ P re v en t” does n o t m ean “precede.” “ B y an d b y ” no m ore carries th e co n no ta tion of “ im m ed ia te ly ." In th e A uthorized V ersion the G reek article, because of the influence of th e L a tin V ulgate w hich has no artic le , w as w oefully m istreated . N ew discoveries - of o ld G reek m an uscrip ts have th ro w n a flood of light on the tru e tex t of the N ew T estam ent. T he science of te x tual criticism has been developed since th a t age; and the tw o chief m en of th is science, W estco tt an d H o rt, w ere m em bers of the com m ittee w o rk ing in th e Je rusa lem C ham ber fro m 1870 to 1881. F our-fifth s of th e changes m ade b y th e revisers have already been po in ted o u t b y scholars in v a rious books.

In 187Q th e C hurch of E ng land in convocation a t C an te rb u ry ordered a committee-,- to w hich la te r an A m erican -com m ittee w as added; to'--revise th e Bible. B u t th is revision p roved t6 be a new transla tio n , instead o f a m ere revision of th e A utho rized V ersion. T h e grea test scholars of th e w orld w ere m em bers of th is com m ittee. T he A m erican C om m ittee m ade a num ber of changes

n o t acceptable to the B ritish . T hen in 1901 the A m erican C om m ittee p roduced th e A m erican S tan d a rd Revision. In E ng land th e C a n te rb u ry Revision is accepted as s ta n d ard . T hough m uch of the w onderfu l English is lost in th e R evised V ersion, still th is tran s la tio n is from a m uch b e tte r an d tru e r G reek tex t th a n th e au thorized . Should one w ish to com pare th e orig inal tex ts fo r these transla tio n s, th e T ex tu s R ecep tu s an d S ou t- e r’s N o v u m T esta m e n tu m will fu rn ish th e m a terial fo r th is com parison.

T he T w en tie th C en tu ry N e w T esta m en t (R evell Co.) first appeared from 1898-1901. T h is new tran sla tio n in to m odern speech w as m ade by a g roup of English scholars from th e G reek tex t of W estco tt and H o rt. C h ap te rs an d verses appear in th e m arg in . Q uo ta tion m arks are used and q uo ta tio n s from the Old T estam en t a re found in italics. A n ou tline of each boo k is in co rpora ted in to the tex t. T he o rd er o f th e books is changed, b u t n o t to a chronological a rrangem en t. M a rk ’s Gospel is p laced first. T he tran sla tio n is in to m odern vern acu la r E nglish , dignified, b u t fresh a n d o ften w ith m an y h ap p y tu rn s of expression, challenging a tten tio n . T h is w as a new tra n s la tion , n o t a revision, a free tran sla tio n an d n o t a p araph rase . - .

T h e N e w T estam en t in M o d ern Speech (T he P ilg rim Press) w as m ade in 1902 b y W eym outh , a Fellow of U n iversity College, L o n d o n .' F o llow ing the appearance of the R evised V ersion and the above m entioned tran sla tio n , a s trong desire w as felt to have th e B ible tran sla ted in to th e free, y e t p o p u la r an d dignified v ern acu la r o f presen t day . T he ideal w as to produce a tran s la tio n th a t w ill best reproduce the m ind o f th e original, an d th a t will a t th e sam e tim e convey th is m eaning to the reader. The N e w T estam en t in M o d ern Speech is an id iom atic tran s la tio n in to everyday ■English from :the tex t of . T h e .. R e s u l ta n t . Greek T estam en t ed ited by th e sam e scholar. T h is .w ork is' .helpful ,{r(nn ',.the ,faq t. th a t .the ,author.-.haB.'endeavored to g e t aw ay fro m T in d a le ’s im m o rta l transla tion , w hich has d om inated even the C an te rb u ry an d th e A m erican Revisions. T he a u th o r has sough t to avo id b o th slang an d lite ra ry elegance, while n o t re ta in ing old w ords if th e y are


obsolete. H e seeks no desire to supp lan t the fo rm er editions of the B ible, m erely to fo rm a ru n ning com m entary to go side b y side w ith them . W ith the G reek tenses a n d the original m eaning of th e w ords, he has used unusua l pains in doing th em justice. C hap te rs an d verses are p u t on the m arg in . H eadings to p arag rap h s ap p ear in b lack ty p e in insets. Q uo ta tio n m arks a re used for conversation . T h is is indeed a fine piece of w ork , w hich has p ro v ed its w o rth in study ing the Bible.

A N e w Transla tion , by D r. Jam es M o ffa tt (H o d d er and S tough ton , L o n d o n ; George H . D o ran Co., N ew Y o rk ) appeared in 1913 an d has h ad g rea t vogue on b o th sides-of th e A tlan tic . I t is tran s la ted fro m V on S oden’s G reek T estam en t, w hich w as pub lished ab o u t the sam e tim e, though d ev ia ting som ew hat from W estco tt an d H o r t’s, a n d S o u te r’s G reek T exts— w hich accounts for m an y of th e peculiarities of D r. M o ffa tt’s t ra n sla tion . V on Soden follow ed som e old m anuscrip ts w hich give th e tex t, “ Joseph begat Jesus,” w hich co n trad ic ts th e read ing of M a tt. 1:18-25 of the sam e g roup of m anuscrip ts. T h is an d o ther changes suggest som ew hat th e peculiarities of Von S oden’s tex t. W ith o u t d oub t th is is a b rillian t an d stim ula ting w o rk to an unusual degree. M o ff a t t is a G reek scholar in touch w ith m odern lin guistic research an d w ith a fresh an d virile style an d a lively im agination . H is chastened style does no t ru n rio t, though it is ex trem ely fertile in h ap p y expressions. T his constan tly sends the reader back to his G reek T estam en t in th e original, to see if th is fresh w ay of tran sla tio n is in accord w ith th e tex t. N o m in ister w ho is in terested in a lite ra ry stu d y of th e Bible can afford to be w ith o u t th is transla tio n .

In th e au tu m n of 1923 D r. G oodspeed (U n iv ersity of Chicago Press) p roduced a very readable A m erican Transla tion . H e is professor of G reek in te rp re ta tio n a t th e U n iversity of Chicago. H is po in t is th a t the T w e n tie th C entury N e w Tseta- m en t, W ey m o u th ’s an d M o ffa tt’s tran sla tio n s, are done by B ritish scholars, w ith th e resu lt th a t phrases w hich are fam iliar to th e B ritish ear, fail to carry th e ir m eaning to the average A m erican. H e th in k s it is tim e to have an A m erican tra n sla tion , b y an A m erican, fo r A m erican readers in th e ir v ernacu lar. H e does n o t aim to give A m erican slang a t all, b u t only th o ro u g h ly u n d e rs tan d able vern acu la r fo r th e business m an w ho reads p apers an d m agazines. H e desires to have the Bible read b y th e A m erican of average in telligence.

Besides being P rofessor of B iblical an d P atris tic

Greek, D r. Goodspeed is a specialist in the study of p ap y ri and in the tex tual criticism of th e N ew T estam en t, w hich renders h im especially equipped fo r th is delicate task . H e follow s th e G reek tex t of W estco tt and H o rt. H e is in tho rough sy m path y w ith all new light th a t is being th ro w n on the language of th e N ew T estam en t from the p ap y ri discoveries and from com parative philology an d has app lied all th is new know ledge in his tran sla tio n . T he q u o ta tio n m arks, p u n ctuation an d parag raph ing are ju s t like a m odern boo k of fiction. Of course th ere are flaws in th is as in all o th er transla tions. H e p rin ts “holy S p irit,” in stead of capitalizing H oly . In stead of “ju s tify ” in R om ans he uses “ m ake u p rig h t.”

In 1923 H ough ton , M ifflin C om pany b rough t ou t T he R iverside N e w T e sta m e n t: A Translation fro m the Original G reek in to the English o f T o day, by D r. W illiam B allantine. T his au th o r does n o t aim to p u t his version in to d istinctively A m erican vernacu lar, as D r. Goodspeed does— though he is an A m erican— b u t in to th e living English of today . O riginality has neither been sought nor shunned. H e owes m uch to all fo rm er versions an d to m odern translations. H e has follow ed several different G reek tex ts b y recen t scholars; and the type and p rin tin g of the book ap pear as th a t of any m odern book. H e sta tes th a t th e K ing Jam es Version is “ th ree hu n d red years beh ind the tim es” and like G oodspeed, he is n o t afra id of the “ghost of K ing Jam es.”

In 1924 the A m erican B aptis t P ub lica tion Society celebrated its first hu n d red years of w ork p a r tly by publishing T he C entenary Transla tion o f the N e w T estam en t, b y H elen B a rre tt M o n tgom ery, A .M ., D . H . L., L L . D . T his w rite r will be rem em bered b y her m any mission stu d y books. She is an A m erican scholar of extensive tra in ing an d w ide experience. She has endeavored to p ro duce a tran sla tio n in to “th e language of everyday life, th a t does not d ep art too m uch from the transla tions a lready fam iliar an d beloved”— a very laudab le aim indeed. Some of her renderings are strik ing an d the tran sla tio n runs along w ith sm oothness and grace.

If one desires to stu d y the Bible as m arvelous English, polished rheto ric an d choice d iction and sty le above reproach, he m ust use th e A uthorized Version. I f one seeks m odern A m erican vernacu la r in his Bible s tudy , use G oodspeed’s tra n s la tion . If it be lite ra ry d iction clo th ing itself w ith a m odern garb , still carry th e finish of the K ing Jam es V ersion, th en read M iss M on tgom ery ’s v e rsion. I f one seeks as nearly as possible the treas

26 T H E P R E A C H E R 'S M A G A Z IN E

ures o f th e orig inal G reek in th e E nglish, first of all comes th e Revised V ersion, th en M o ffa tt’s and G oodspeed’s tran sla tio n along w ith th e o th e r by B allantine are sufficient.

T here is no excuse to d ay fo r a m inister to be unfam iliar w ith th e Bible, even fo r h im to n o t be acquain ted w ith som ething of th e richness of the original G reek language, so th a t he w ill n o t be able to speak w ith au th o rity . T he science of philology, as the decades fly by , th ro w s new light upon th e “ old, old sto ry of the Cross.” G od ii m aking the spade of the archaeologist, the w isdom of the scientist, th e stylistic grace and b eau ty of th e m odern lite ra ry a rtis t to praise H im , in thus th row ing light upon th e original m eaning of th e W ord of inspiration .

A M INISTERIAL TRAGEDYB y A. E . S a n n e r

W hy m ention i t? W hy discuss i t? W hy th ink over such a d a rk sub jec t? H ave n o t m any lived good lives, an d ru n well, an d com e to th e ending v icto riously? Yes, th a n k God. B u t on th e o th e r hand , have n o t m a n y lived good lives fo r a while, ru n well fo r a tim e, and a f te r all, have gone dow n in inglorious defeat an d trag ed y ? Yes, m any! W hy?

Is it n o t well to look th e fac ts over? T o receive n o t only in sp iration an d in struction from th e lives of those w ho have w on, b u t also w a rn ing an d in struction from th e lives of those w ho have lo st? W hy did th ey fa il? “L est th a t by any m eans, w hen I have preached to o thers, I m y self should be a castaw ay” (1 C or. 9 :2 7 ).

T h is s to ry begins happ ily in the s ta te of X in 1916 and ends trag ically in th e s ta te of Y in 1925. N ine years! N ine years cover th is m in ister’s hap py conversion an d beginning, his successful pasto ra te s and evangelism , sacrifice an d h a rd toil, and concludes w ith a m o n th ’s blackness and d a rk ness and tragedy . H e is now a w retched back slider while scores of souls w hom he led to C hrist are y e t rejoicing on th e ir w ay to heaven. B ut sad to say, m any o th er lives w hom he blessed are blighted.

The details of th e s to ry are here deleted.N o te . M a n y com m endable th ings en tered in to

th is life: zeal, h a rd w ork , sacrifice, enthusiasm , devotion , earnestness, etc. B u t certain elem ents of destruction began to gnaw aw ay a t th e v ita ls of th is m an ’s sp iritua l life, an d because these w ere no t corrected in due tim e, w hile in an unguarded a ttitu d e , th e ad versa ry cap tu red his prey . I t is th is w rite r’s firm conviction th a t if the devil can

n o t get a preacher b y a sudden a tta c k , he will p lan to ensare h im across years an d ru in him .

A n an alysis: As th e w rite r sees th is life, fo llow ing are th e elem ents o f d es truction w hich ru ined it:

(a ) A sub tle sp iritu a l p ride in la te r years crept in to his h e a rt because of his very success an d ab ility to w in a w ide circle of friends everyw here he w ent. V ery soon a fte r his rem arkab le conversion, he w as called to p reach . A t once he w as given a chance in a h a rd field, b u t nevertheless in a sh o rt tim e he doubled , th en treb led th e church , an d soon h ad nearly everybody in th a t com m unity in his church . T h e nex t charge w as a b ab y church , b u t in a little over a y e a r ’s tim e he m oved them in to a nice new building, also b u ilt a parsonage, an d h ad m ore th a n 200 conversions th a t year, ju st in his ow n p as to ra l w ork . G od w as w ith him , while he w orked h a rd an d w en t a fte r souls. H e w orked an d p ray ed alm ost day an d n igh t, and w on friends righ t an d left. B u t a f te r a few years he fe lt th is success in th e w rong w ay , an d such rem arks as these w ere h eard : “ P shaw , if I w as over there w here th a t preacher is, I ’d h av e a re v ival an d double th a t church in one y ea r .” “M a n ! I believe I carf have a revival anyw here .” “ Ju s t give m e a little m ore chance an d tim e, and I ’ll lead th e h o u n d s !”

(b ) A dangerous carelessness m ore an d m ore m anifested i ts e lf ; especially in the m a tte r of keeping prom ises, regard fo r h is w o rd an d m oney m a tters. A prom ise to do th is o r th a t w as easily d isregarded, an d if la te r b ro u g h t to h is a tten tio n , w as laughed off as a tr iv ia l m a tte r . A nd the b roken prom ise to repay the bo rro w ed m oney becam e so frequen t, th a t .w hisperers began to w h isper and som e friends to w onder an d fall aw ay.

(c) A ligh t regard fo r th e adv ice a n d counsel of b re th ren . F a ith fu l b re th ren a n d friends zealous fo r his w elfare and the k ingdom adm onished him from tim e to tim e, b u t he felt him self sure, and considered these w arn ings an d counsels as of little or no m om en t. T hey w ere alw ays received in a jocu lar vein, and passed on w ith a jo lly laugh. “ Oh, th a t ’s all rig h t, he know s m e, th a t ’s ju s t m y w ay .”

(d) A b reak in g -u p o f the congeniality and sp iritu a lity of the hom e-life. N earing th e close of the nine years, he is evangelizing, an d w hen he comes hom e it isn’t as in fo rm er years. T o his w ife, “ G o on an d have p rayers if you w ish, b u t 1 am so tire d p ray in g an d w ork ing in th e m eetings, I w a n t a re s t!”

(e) T h en ! T he tem p ta tio n an d th e fall!


N o one can tell all th a t fall m eans, b u t i t d id m ean : a p reacher ru ined an d I fea r dam n ed ; a w ife backslidden ; children d isappo in ted a n d deg rad ed ; tw o y o ung w om en ru ined a n d th e ir fa th e r ’s fam ily “ tu rn e d a w a y ;” one church killed ; an o th e r’s g ro w th re ta rd e d fo r several y e a r s ; m any lives b ligh ted .

B ro th e r— th in k it over!

AN IN TER VIEW W ITH REV. H. B. W ALLIN

H . B. W allin finished school a t Peniel College, Peniel, T exas, ab o u t fifteen years ago an d has held p as to ra tes in th e C hurch of th e N azarene ever since; serv ing in T exark an a , D allas, an d San A nton io , Texas, an d in C hicago, 111. T hen he w as called to the p as to ra te o f th e F irs t C hurch of the N azarene, Spokane, W ash ing ton , fo u r years ago. B ro th e r W allin has h ad good success in all his p as to ra tes an d is now one of th e m ost sought a f te r p as to rs in his denom ination . I t has been necessary to enlarge the church build ing tw ice since he w ent to Spokane, in o rder to tak e care of th e crow ds w ho w a n t to a tte n d h is services and to house his ever grow ing S unday school. A nd now he has one of th e m ost b eau tifu l an d efficient church edifices in th e N azarene m ovem ent an d one of the livest an d m o st aggressive churches to be found anyw here . I recen tly v isited in W allin ’s hom e and preached tw ice in his p u lp it on the S ab b a th . A nd know ing th a t w e are all anxious to get useful suggestions fro m successful m en, I sough t an in terv iew w ith B ro th e r W allin , p resen ting to h im th e questions w hich it seem ed to me he should be able to answ er fo r th e p ro fit o f us all. T h e resu lts a re recorded here fo r readers of T h e P r e a c h e r ’s M a g a z in e . W allin ’s w ife is a tru e help-m eet an d h is tw o sm all girls a re exam ples of w h a t th e ir fa th e r preaches.— E d ito r.

Q. H o w m an y m em bers do you have in yo u r church ?

A. T hree h u n d red fu ll m em bers an d tw en ty - five p robationers .

Q. H o w m an y of y o u r m em bers a tte n d the regu la r services an d w h a t m eans do you use to secure a tten d an ce ?

A. On th e average, ab o u t tw o h u n d red of o u r regu lar m em bers are p resen t fo r p reaching services an d ab o u t one h u n d red an d tw en ty -five a t th e m id -w eek p rayerm eeting . As m eans to secure a tten d an ce , w e advertise , offer special vocal n u m bers an d announce serm on series an d special sub jects.

Q. W h a t is th e average a tten d an ce a t y ou r

m orn ing an d evening preaching services, and w h at m eans of advertising do y o u find m ost p roductive of resu lts?

A. W e hav e an average a tten d an ce of ab o u t tw o h u n d red an d tw enty-five , an d th e local new spap er is, in m y judgm ent, the best m edium for advertising th e church . W e b u y space b y the y ea r an d thus save tw en ty -fiv e p er cent on the con trac ts, an d besides th is we secure m uch free space fo r news abo u t o u r activ ities. W e pub lish a fo u r page bulletin fo r special occasions, advertise in the church d irectories o f all the leading hotels in th e city , and occasionally w e b roadcast over the radio.

Q. W h at m ethods do you use fo r th e securing m oney fo r the financing of y o u r w ork?

A. W e use th e duplex envelope w ith th e u n ified b u dget on one side and the build ing fund on the o ther. T h is is augm ented b y serm on series on S tew ardsh ip an d by the d istrib u tio n of lite ra tu re on T ith ing . A nd w e get along w ith o u t “ drives.”

Q. H ow m any do you have enrolled in yo u r S unday school? H ow m an y classroom s do you h av e? H o w do you take care of th e necessary secre tarial w o rk ? H ow do you secure efficient teachers? W h a t m eans do y o u use fo r increasing th e a tten d an ce? In fac t, tell us all y o u can ab o u t y o u r Sunday school.

A. O ur enro llm ent, including the C radle Roll an d H om e D ep artm en t, is 523. W e have tw en ty - five classroom s. W e have one general secretary , an enrollm ent secre tary , a secre tary fo r each dep a rtm e n t an d a secre tary fo r each class. T he securing of efficient teachers is th e g r e a t problem of th e S unday school. W e th in k th e best w ay to secure th em is to m ake them . H ence we have tw o teacher tra in in g classes going, an d we have a live lib ra rian w ho keeps our leaders supplied w ith the best books on m ethods. O ur superin ten d en t has one of the finest o rganizations we have ever seen. E ach u n it of th e school is a com plete organ ization , caring fo r its ow n absentees an d going a f te r new m ateria l. Som etim es d ep a rtm ents o r classes are d iv ided in to groups an d each side goes in to secure the larger nu m b er fo r the S unday school. T h en again w e have contests w ith o th er N azarene S unday schools, each re p o rting to th e o th er the results of each S abbath . T h is stirs up enthusiasm an d helps us get results. E ach d ep artm en t has its ow n opening an d closing exercises, an d th u s w orsh ip ap p ro p ria te to all the ages is held. T he Sunday school offers unlim ited opportun ities . I t is th e church a t s tudy , b u t it is m ore, fo r it includes m any outside the church


w hom we m ay w in fo r C hrist. In fact from eighty to eighty-five p er cent of church m em bers come in th rough the Sunday school. H ence every pasto r should be enthusiastic in his p rom otion of the S unday school.

Q. W h a t is y o u r estim ate of the various o r ganizations, such as th e Sunday school, th e Y oung People’s Society an d the W om an’s M issionary Society?

A. These are all of g rea t value as tra in ing cam ps fo r the church of to m o rro w . H ere our m em bers learn b y expression how to conduct m eetings, how to preside over m eetings and how to ta lk in m eetings. W e m ust look well to our auxiliaries if w e w ould have a church to m orrow . O ur m issionary society also does a large am oun t of useful w o rk in the m a tte r of s tirring up m iss ionary in terest an d in p reparing and sending boxes to th e m issionaries, etc.

Q. W h a t p a r t do y o u tak e in the m inisterial association of yo u r city an d w h a t is y o u r a ttitu d e to w ard associated C hristian activ ities?

A. I have alw ays been an active m em ber of the m inisteria l association in the city w here I am pasto r. I t gives m y church a stand ing in the com m unity th a t it w ould n o t otherw ise have and it gives me an o p p o rtu n ity as a citizen an d m in ister th a t I w ould n o t o therw ise have. I find m an y g ifted an d sp iritual m en in these groups from w hom I receive a g rea t am o u n t of help. W hile chairm an of the p rogram com m ittee, I have in troduced som e of o u r leaders as speakers and singers and th ey have been m ost cordially received. Since we are citizens as well as pastors, I feel th a t we should lend our assistance in w holesom e civic m atte rs an d also th a t we should give som e assistance in those union m eetings in w hich C hrist is fa ith fu lly p reached, a lthough I do no t alw ays dism iss m y ow n services.

Q. W h at rules w ould you suggest fo r the gu idance of those w ho are ab o u t to undertak e bu ild ing p rog ram s?

A. I t is fundam en ta lly im p o rtan t to first “sell” the build ing p rog ram to y o u r ow n congregation. T hen the p lans should be w orked ou t and su b m itted to the church board . A fter th is secure a good arch itec t and have h im subm it th e blue p rin t. I t is a good th in g to presen t a m in ia tu re church build ing like the one you propose to cons tru c t to th e congregation a t a m eeting called fo r th is purpose. T his will create enthusiasm and will help you in th e gathering of funds w ith w hich to safeguard y our building enterprise . If possible a t all, secure a con trac to r an d builder

w ho will hav e apprecia tion fo r the build ing of a house fo r a church w hich in tends to conduct an aggressive p rog ram of C hristian education and evangelism . I t is a good th ing to have a p ic tu re of y o u r proposed build ing on y o u r subscrip tion cards. O rganize yo u r financial cam paign well, have th e biggest givers solicited first an d see th a t th is is done by persons w ho know how to land “ big gam e.” A fter th is, g a th er the sm aller su b scrip tions, a n d if necessary, let th e subscrip tions run from one to five years. If it is necessary fo r you to negotiate a loan a t som e b an k or loan association, it w ill help w onderfu lly fo r you to have a fine list o f subscrip tions on han d . H av e y o u r D istric t S uperin ten d en t m eet y o u r b o ard and boost fo r you. H is influence will help y o u w o n derfully .

Q. H ow do you go ab o u t it to keep the peo ple u n ited an d w ork ing to g e th er h arm on iously?

A. T h is is a g reat task , an d I do n o t presum e to know how to do it. W ell fed an d h ea lth y sheep are less likely to b ite a n d d evour one an o ther. O ptim ism is a g rea t fac to r. T hen I w ould n o t be in too g rea t haste to se ttle a m inor m atte r, tim e m ay iron it ou t. If we can be p a tie n t and tender a n d d ip lom atic an d sp iritu a l we are likely to have a m ilita n t and v ic to rious church.

Q. F ro m y o u r p as t experience, w h a t w ould you say ab o u t th e num ber, leng th and ty p e of revival m ost su ited to y o u r w o rk ?

A. I th in k th e th ree S unday m eeting the best by far. W hile of course a siege m eeting is best upon the first en trance of our w o rk in to a city. W e usually have tw o well p lanned rev ivals d u r ing th e year an d we em ploy constructive evangelists w ho h av e a passion fo r souls an d w ho w ill sanely lab o r w ith us fo r th e church of tom orrow . I believe th a t w hen revivals are arran g ed an d a n nounced to ru n fo r a m o n th th e people will rest fo r the first ha lf of th e period . B u t if the p as to r has laid his p lans carefully an d has p rep ared the w ay w ith prayerm eetings, etc., so th a t the ev an gelist is backed up b y a fresh and expectant church, he m ay go in fo r results righ t from the first service.

Q. T ell us som ething ab o u t y o u r ow n m ethods of p a s to ra l w ork.

A. I t is m y purpose to spend each w eek-day m orning, except M o n d a y , in th e church office, w hich is in the church , in p riv a te devo tion and p rep ara tio n fo r serm ons an d addresses. T h e a f t ernoons are spen t in p as to ra l visiting. I have g roup organizations w ith cap tains over each group, whose d u ty it is to rep o rt on absentees, cases of


sickness and those w ho are really in need of help.

Q. J u s t how do y o u go ab o u t it to g a ther m ate ria l an d p repare y o u r serm ons fro m week to w eek? W h a t p a r t of the p rep a ra tio n do you find m ost difficult an d exacting?

A. I get m an y help fu l suggestions from C larke’s, H e n ry ’s a n d T h e P u lp it com m entaries. I find serm on series an d Bible characters a help as guides to a well rounded m in istry . T h e first gives you a goal, an d th e second presen ts subjects w hich th ro b w ith h u m an in terest. T he conclusion an d th e appeal are th e m ost difficult fo r me, fo r th e sim ple reason th a t if you fail here you fail u tte r ly . I get m uch help from T h e P r e a c h e r ’s

M a g a z in e and from T he E xpo sito r.”

Q. Give us y ou r idea of a p reach er’s “W o rk ing L ib ra ry .”

A. T h is should con ta in one o r m ore sets of commentaries,, a good concordance, a good encyclopaedia, an encyclopaedia of religious know ledge an d a com plete set o f histories.

Q. W h a t reference books do you use m ost o ften ?

A. C larke’s, H e n ry ’s an d T he P u lp it com m entaries an d th e Schaff-H erzogg Encyclopaedia of Religious K now ledge.

Q. C ould you nam e six o r m ore books w hich have been a help to you in y o u r w o rk ?

A. T he G lory of Going O n, Push ing to the F ro n t, H ow to be a P as to r , T he P reacher and P ra y e r, Q uest fo r Souls, T he C hrist W e F orge t, L iv ing M essages of th e B ooks of th e B ible and T h e E te rn a l M asculine.

Q. W h a t is y o u r estim ate as to th e best length of th e p a s to ra te ?

A. T his depends upon th e p asto r. I f he is succeeding an d his fam ily is well and con ten ted , w hy shou ld he leave? W e canno t hope to bu ild strong churches w ith sh o rt pasto ra tes . One m u st have tim e to get acqua in ted an d to carry o u t a definite p rog ram .

Q. D o you th in k a church com m itted to the o ld -fash ioned doctrine of W esleyan sanctification can get a con tinuous hearing an d find sufficient acceptance to becom e p erm an en t in th e average c ity of th is co u n try ?

A. I ce rta in ly th in k there are thousan d s of h u n g ry hearts w ho w ill respond to “ th e old- fashioned gospel,” an d a p roperly m anned w ork can be established in an y city an d in m any sm aller com m unities.

Q. W ould you advise a young p reacher to en te r upon the w ork of the p as to ra te early in his career ?

A. T h e p as to ra te offers th e greatest o p p o rtu n ity fo r C hristian service, an d if the young m an w ill be stud ious and hum ble and stay “p u t” he will find it th e m ost effective place in th e church.

Q. F ro m y o u r observation , w h a t do you th ink are the m ost usual causes fo r failure in the p asto ra te ?

A. 1. U nw illingness to rem ain on th e field w hen difficult p roblem s arise. 2. F ailu re to stu d y books, lives, problem s an d conditions. 3. T he evangelist’s “bee.” 4. L ack of vision fo r th e “fu tu re ” church . 5. W an t of ta c t in hand ling the business m eetings of the church board . 6. N egative instead of positive preaching. 7. Censoriousness. 8. W an t of co-opera tion in the p as to r’s fam ily.

THE PREACHER AND HIS HEALTHB y C. E . H a r d y , M . D.

Fc.od

IN order to preserve health an d m ain ta in v igor all an im als m u st have a t in tervals, a sufficient q u a n tity of substance called food. T he p u r

pose of th is substance is to , w here tak en in to the body an d assim ilated, sustain life, p ro m o te g row th , o r p rev en t th e destruction o f th e organized constituen ts of the body . A tw ate r gives the definitio n of food as “m aterial w hich w hen tak en in to th e bo d y serves e ither to fo rm tissue, o r yield energy, o r b o th .” T his defin ition therefore w ould exclude certain m eat ex tractives, as creatin , creatin ine, an d likewise theine, o r caffeine of tea and coffee. These neither build tissue n o r yield energy.

T he stu d y of foods has been no little job . T he process of stu d y has been from the s tan d p o in t of th e com position of the different tissues of the body, the elem ents of w hich th ey are com posed, how th ey are m ain ta ined an d w h a t o r how these elem ents are destroyed . Also w h a t m ust be necessary to m ain ta in th e norm al degree of health and vigor. T h is stu d y has been b y experim enting w ith b o th m an and anim als and com paring the results. T h is led to th e sam e conclusions. This then enabled the physiologist to fix certain p ro p o rtions w ith m ore o r less exactness.

Considering m an as an om nivorous an im al, there are certain divisions in w hich his foods n a tu ra lly fall fo r the purpose of necessary existence. T here are four classes of these foods. N either one of these can be dispensed w ith any length of tim e w ith o u t illness o r dea th resulting.

Follow ing are divisions of food:W ater— A sufficient am o u n t to perm it the in

terchange of tissue to be carried on in th e body.Salts— T hese inorganic com pounds of various


kinds are necessary to preserve the p ro p er con stru c tio n of tissues. T hey are found in sufficient quan tities in th e v arious food consum ed b y m an. A deficiency of th e inorganic constituen ts of food is follow ed by disease.

Proteids— w hich are the organic n itrogenous m ateria l found in e ither an im al o r vegetable, are necessary co nstituen ts o f the food of m an. I t is im possible for hum an life to exist w ith o u t a sufficient am o u n t of n itrogenous substance.

F at or C arbohydrates— These are th e non-n i- trogenous organic principles of food. T hese o rganic com pounds instead of hav ing th e n itro genous principles have the carbonaceous. These are also necessary fo r the health of m an. These com pounds are supplied by fa ts o r carbohydrates (sugar, sta rch , etc.'1. W ith certain lim its m ay be substitu ted fo r each o ther.

A fter m uch study and experim ent certain A m erican physiologists have found th a t certain s ta n d ards are necessary to m ain ta in equality betw een bodily incom e an d expenditure. These standards w hich have been found fo r ad u lt m ale of average w eight are as follow s:

P ro te ids— A t R est: 110 gram s o r 3 2-3 ounces.M o d era te L ab o r: 118 gram s or n ea rly 4 ounces.Severe L ab o r: 145 gram s o r 4% ounces.

F a ts— A t R est: SO gram s or 1 2-3 ounces.M o d era te L ab o r: 50 gram s or 1 2-3 ounces.Severe L a b o r: 100 gram s or 3 1-3 ounces.

C arbohydrates— A t R est: 450 gram s or 15 ounces.M o d era te L ab o r: 500 g ram s or

16 2-3 ounces.Severe L ab o r: Sam e.

As the average w eight of w om an is less th an th a t of m an a reduction of 15 o r 20 per cent in the various food principles m ay be m ade fo r the fem ale ration .

N ow to b ring th is to us in com m on expressions w e find the average ad u lt w ho is n o t a t lab o r needs in balanced food ab o u t 20 1-3 ounces of food a day . I em phasize th is because I am dealing w ith the preacher w ho is supposed or is classified as a m an a t rest.

T o get th is before us in a m ore p racticab le w ay we w ill give i t in a sim ple fo rm . F o r a m an w ho does m odera te labor, w e will tak e th e am o u n t of com m on foods fo r a day to be necessary to give the am ounts o f pro teids, fa ts an d carbohydrates to m ain tain life an d supply the necessary energy.

Beef, round steak , 13 ounces.B u tte r , 3 ounces.P o ta toes, 6 ounces.B read , 22 ounces.

T h is gives 3455 calories. A calorie is said to be th e am o u n t of h ea t requ ired to raise one gram (ab o u t fifteen d rops) of w a te r to one degree centig rade . In o th e r w ords, one calorie, w hen tra n sfo rm ed in to m echanical pow er, w ould lift one ton1.50 feet. T h e n u m b er of calories w hich w e consider necessary in a day fo r th e m an doing m o d era te m uscu la r w o rk varies fro m 3455 to 3585 calories. I t is n o t m y purpose to be too scientific in expressing these figures, b u t th e reader shou ld b ea r in m ind th a t food is tak en in to th e b o d y m form of po ten tia l energy an d is genera ted in to k inetic energy in th e fo rm of h ea t an d m otion . T his is figured n o t only scientifically b u t has been dem o n stra ted b y experim ent on a num ber of v o lun teers from th e H osp ita l C orps, U n ited S tates A rm y. I canno t refra in ju s t here fro m m en tion ing th e cost of a da ily ra tio n fo r a m odera te la bo rer. Consisting of b read , cod-fish, la rd , p o ta toes, bacon , beans, m ilk, sugar w ould cost in m oney value th irtee n cents. B u t a t th e price we are paying am oun ts to ab o u t 56 cents. T h u s we can see th e g rea t p ro fit from th e fa rm to th e t a ble, o r ra th e r consum er.

W ith these condensed fac ts before u s w e readily see th a t th e average in d iv idual eats fa r too m uch. W hen th is over am o u n t o f food is tak en in to the a lim en ta ry canal, if th e digestive organs canno t hand le them , w e m ay sooner o r la te r expect d igestive d istu rbance . I f digested th en th ey are tak en to th e different p a r ts of th e bod y to be used, an d too m uch m eans th a t certa in organs m u st hand le th is over plus, w hich soon causes th a t o rgan to give dow n, th en certain disease. I f th ey canno t hand le th is over am o u n t together w ith w aste , w hich is no rm al, an d th e food needed, th is th en causes au to -in to x ica tio n o r self-poisoning. T h is causing such low ered v ita lity m akes the ind iv idual to be sub jec ted to so m an y diseases. T he old p roverb is tru e , in m ost cases a t least, “W e dig o u r graves w ith o u r te e th .”

I h av e given as briefly as possible th e am o u n t o f foods fo r the average no rm al labo rer. W e can only u n d erstan d th e abn o rm al b y th e norm al. W h a t the preacher needs to know is th e norm al am o u n t of fo o d necessary ko susta in his bo d y an d avo id the over am o u n t as he w ould a poison, as it soon becom es a poison.

T he food needed depends on the age an d occup a tio n of th e ind iv idual as well as size. F o r in


stance, a young person needs m ore ca rbohydrates an d fa ts th a n one w ho is living a seden tary life. I t is also n a tu ra l to suppose th a t a la rger person needs m ore food th a n a sm aller one. A person w ho does m en ta l w o rk needs less carb o h y d ra te m ate ria l th a n one w ho labors, o r w ho is sub jected to a g rea t deal of physical exertion. P hysical exercise increases th e consum ption of f a t ty p rinciples. T his is th e reason a young person rare ly ever gets fa t. H e is m ore active, therefo re the process of com bustion goes on w ith m ore rap id ity th a n a f te r ad u lt life is reached.

A p reacher shou ld ea t a g rea t deal of fru its, green vegetables, avo id ing those w hich grow u n der th e g round , ve ry little m ea t an d th a t should be lean, very little sw eets a n d sta rch y foods and p as try . V ery little fa ts. I feel sure it w ill n o t h u r t m ore o f us preachers to jo in th e P ra y e r and F astin g League.

(As th e E d ito r has given us th e privilege of asking questions and answ ering them th rough the colum ns of th is m agazine, I w ill give a question given to me b y one of th e C alifo rn ia preachers.I will be g lad to answ er questions fro m preachers if sen t to m e.)

Q u e s t io n — C a l if o r n ia

(a ) H o w m an y hou rs is it p ro p er fo r a m iniste r to s tu d y p er d a y ?

(b ) W h a t is the p roper food to nourish b rain cells ?

(c) H o w m an y calories?

(d ) A m oun t of carbohydrates, sta rch , fa t, and m ineral m a tte r?

(e) H o w m uch energy does a person use in an ho u r of s tu d y ?

A n s w e r

(a ) D epends on the physical stren g th of the ind iv idual. A n o rm al ind iv idual shou ld be able to s tu d y fro m eight to tw elve hours.

(b ) P ro te id s— W hite of an egg, m ilk, lean m eat, g lu ten of w heat, etc.

(c) H a rd to te ll how m any calories requ ired by th e b ra in cells b u t a preacher shou ld use abo u t 3000 calories a day . Som e have gone on 2000.

(d ) Som e au th o ritie s recom m end ab o u t fo u r ounces o f p ro te ids, 1J4 ounces o f fa ts, 12 o r 13 ounces of carbohydrates.

(e) W e w ou ld es tim ate ab o u t ISO or m ore calories. (W e have explained in above artic le w h at is m ean t by a calorie.)

HERE AND THERE AMONG BOOKSB y P . H . L u n n

A rth u r B risbane, th e fam ous ed ito ria l w riter, is said to be th e highest salaried new spaper m an in th e w orld . N atu ra lly he is a m an of w ide read ing an d one w hose opinions on various subjects are eagerly read. W e th o u g h t you m ight be in terested in w h a t he th in k s ab o u t books an d are quo ting his favo rite ed ito ria l— n o t alone fo r the in sp iration of the preachers w ho read it b u t w ith the th o u g h t th a t th is m aterial m ight be passed on in serm on or ta lk to o thers, especially the young people. O ur folks do n o t read enough; they should be u rged to read good books, solid books, books th a t w ill lead them ou t in to new lines of th o u g h t an d quicken th e ir intellectual pulse. T he ransom ed pow ers of every one of o u r people should be developed to the highest possible degree th a t th e ir service m ay be efficient an d effective. B u t, the article—

“ In books w o rth reading, w hich no m an can exhaust in one lifetim e, you w ill find happiness, suggestions fo r the use of pow er an d w ealth , if you possess them , consolation in poverty , and stren g th under all conditions.

“T o be ignoran t is n o t to be alive, except as the anim als live. A nd for ignorance th e re is no necessity , and no excuse except u tte r m en ta l dullness.

“A college education is n o t necessary, noth ing is necessary except ab ility to read intelligently an d desire to know .

“A nd age m akes no difference, except th a t the u n tra in ed m ind pas t fo rty re ta in s facts w ith d ifficulty . B u t love of know ledge m akes up fo r th a t.

“A m ong th e really learned m en of th e w orld the greatest have learned m ore a fte r th ir ty th a n before th irty . F o r the t h i n k i n g th a t you do is th e really im p o rta n t p a r t of education , an d sound th ink ing comes a f te r th irty .

“I f you have n o t a good education , you can get it a t no cost. I t is all in th e books, an d in sp iratio n an d happiness as w ell.”

“ R e a d go od b o o k s .”

T h e P a s t o r ’s C o r n e r b y W illiam M . C urry ,D. D. (R evell $1.50). T h a t’s ra th e r an enigm atic title . A t first th o u g h t I w ondered if i t w as a d iscussion of som e place in a p as to r’s life— his schedule, h is p rogram , his h ea rt, h is hom e, w here th e cares of his m in istry and the dem ands of his people could n o t in trude . B u t m y in stan t reply was, “T here is no such place.”

T h is interesting volum e contains n inety-seven sh o rt articles th a t appeared in D o cto r C u rry ’s church bulletins from S unday to Sunday . T hey


cover a w ide scope of subjects an d are very read able as well as helpful to the average church goer. T his is such an unusual collection of a p a s to r’s sentim ents th a t I w an t to quote a few lines from his p reface: “T he P a s to r ’s C orner is a g reat deai m ore to m e th a n space in th e w eekly B ulletin of the church, m ore th an essays o r messages. I t is a place to w hich I have gone w ith th e m oral and sp iritua l problem s of m y pasto ra te . I t is a quiet place w here I could th in k th ings th ro u g h in an in tim ate w ay w ith those fo r w hom I am responsible. H ere we could speak ab o u t th ings th a t had no righ tfu l place in th e w orship of the sanctuary . Q uestions th a t ag ita te the public m ind, problem s th a t beset th e C hurch, dangers th a t lu rk u nder cover, are app ra ised an d set dow n in th e light of th e lam p in the P a s to r’s C orner.”

E ach artic le covers ab o u t tw o pages leaving b u t little o p p o rtu n ity fo r ram bling . B ut th ey are terse an d as D r. E rd m an says in th e in troduc tion “are characterized by qu ie t hum or, p rac tica l w isdom and sp iritua l insight.” As an appetizer in yo u r d iet of reading th is book is well w o rth its price.

T he C okesbury Press has sub m itted one of the tex ts in its T rain ing-C ourses-fo r-L eadersh ip series — T e a c h in g i n t h e S u n d a y S c h o o l b y G oodrichC. W hite ($1.00). Ju s t a h as ty sketch th ro u g h th is book is convincive o f the a u th o r’s com plete grasp of the principles involved in the teaching process. So m any tex t books on teaching m e th ods have been issued in late years th a t an au th o r m u st have considerable courage in a ttem p tin g a n o th er volum e. T he sam e g round m u st be covered in every s ta n d a rd tex t on th is sub jec t b u t in spite of th e num erous T eacher T ra in ing tex ts w hich y our review er has exam ined, th is one is so concise an d yet so tho ro u g h an d w ith a l so in te resting in its p resen ta tion th a t we found no difficu lty in m ain tain ing our in terest. One o u ts ta n d ing characteristic of th e book w hich im presses us fav o rab ly w as the fac t th a t the w riter does no t unduly stress the value an d im portance of h a n d w ork an d d ram atiza tio n . These are valuab le in their place b u t th a t place is decidedly one of seco ndary im portance. A u th o r and publishers are to be com m ended fo r con ten ts, appearance an d price.

A book dealing w ith an y phase of B ible s tu d y w ritte n b y E . G riffith -T hom as is sure o f having m ore th a n a passing appeal especially to p reach ers. D r. T hom as is b e tte r know n in E ng land th an here b u t those w ho have follow ed his B ible o u tlines in the S u n d a y School T im es w ill n o t regard h im as a stranger. T he a u th o r ’s facu lty fo r a n aly tical tre a tm e n t is rem arkab le . H e dissects, com pares, scrutinizes an d delves w ith an alm ost uncanny keenness. T h is p a rticu la r volum e, T h e

M a s t e r a n d H i s M e t h o d ($1 .25), m ay be briefly characterized as a concise s tu d y of th e m in istry of Jesus fo r ind iv idual o r class use. E ach p a r ag raph is num bered fac ilita ting reference an d review. F o r teachers, Bible s tuden ts , a n d preachers i t is an invaluab le book.

R ig h t a t th is E aste r season a boo k on th e e a r th ly m in istry of our L o rd should be especially in teresting . D o r a n ’s have b ro u g h t o u t M y L o rd

C h r i s t b y Joseph J . T ay lo r ($1 .75). T he a u th o r in b eau tifu l, graph ic sty le p o r tra y s the Savior first in the visions of th e p ro p h e ts of Is ra e l; then as a bab e in th e B ethlehem m an ag e r; as a lay m an in th e synagogue; as th e g rea t teach e r; as the dying S av io r; an d as the e ternal p riest. In all these revelations C hrist is show n as th e Son of G od. I t is a fine an d glow ing tr ib u te th a t will cause y o u r h e a rt to b u rn w ith in you as y o u read.

D r. F ra n k M . G oodchild gives us a w o n d erfu lly com prehensive discussion of fu ndam en ta l C hristian tru th s in his new book, C a n W e B e

l i e v e ? (R evell $1 .50). I t is indeed a boo k fo r the tim es, one th a t w ill foster fa ith , s treng then th e hope w ith in an d if d o u b ts hav e assailed they will be dispelled. D r. G oodchild is a city p as to r of w ide experience o u t of w hich he w rites g low ingly of an om nipresen t an d o m nipo ten t G od read y to m eet the needs of h u m an ity . T h is is n o t especially a con troversial discussion b u t n ev erth eless it is ou tspoken an d firm in its defense of essentials of the C hristian fa ith . T h e them es discussed include the existence of G od, th e d iv in ity of Jesus, the v a lid ity o f m iracles, th e efficacy of the A tonem ent, th e rea lity of th e R esurrec tion , the sureness of e te rn a l life, th e ce rta in ty of the L o rd ’s re tu rn . T h ere’s an abundance of serm on m aterial as well as real in sp ira tion in every one of its one hu n d red an d eighty-seven pages.

Miscellaneous Supplies for the Church and Pastor!

Com m unity Census or Survey Cards. H as space for name, ad d ress a n d full in fo rm ation needed in m aking survey of c o m m unity or town.

Prices, 100 for 4 5 c; 1 ,0 0 0 for $ 3 .2 5 , prepaidFollow -U p Card. T o be used in connection with C om m unity

Survey.Prices same as for Survey Cards

Budget P ledge Cards. H as b lank for weekly or m onth ly c o n tribution to Unified Budget. Size 3x5 in.

Prices: 25 for 10c; 100 for 25c, prepaidStatem ent Slips. F o r use of church treasurer in reporting to

con tr ibu to rs am o u n t pa id on B udget for one quarter.Prices: 5 0 for 15c; 100 for 20c, postpaid

M embership Transfer Blanks. Prices: 3 for 5c; 12 for 15c, p repaid .

Certificates of CommentLaticn. Prices: 3 for 5c; 12 for 15c, p repaid .

Local Preacher’s License Blank a nd Local D eaconess’ License Blank.

Prices: one for 5c; 6 for 25c; 12 for 40c, prepaid Storehouse Tithing P ledge Cards, Missionary C ollection En

velopes, Missionary Mite Boxes. These are furnished free of charge by the G enera l Board.

Church Treasurer’s A ccount Book No. 1. F or single-pocket enve lope system. Space for record ing contributions of 320 ind ividuals.

Price $ 1 .8 0Church Treasurer’s Record No. 1. F or dup lex-enve lope sys

tem. Space for 208 contributors.Price $ 2 .0 0

No. 2 has space for 304 contributors.Price $ 2 .5 0

Church M embership Record. Size, 9 ! /2 x l2 inches. Especially designed for use in the Church of the Nazarene, with space for p a s toral record with th u m b index, baptism al, and m arriage record. B ound in half leather.

Price $ 3 .0 0Pastor’s Pocket Record. U sed by the pastors of all d en o m in a

tions an d acknow ledged as the best and m ost thorough record p u b lished.

Price 75c

NAZARENE PUBLISH ING HOUSE, KANSAS CITY, MO.

Marriage and Baptismal CertificatesMARRIAGE CERTIFICATES

No. 88. Folder style, size 6% x 10 inches. Orange blossoms and gold border. With envelope............................................ Each 25c

No. 89. Folder style, size 6% x 10 inches. Rose design in full colors, gold border. With envelope..................... . -..E a c h 25c

No. 81. Size 12 x 15 inches. Roses and orange blossoms. An exact reproduction of the original in rich coloring. . Each 25c

Nu. 82 . Size 1 4 x 1 7 inches. Upright design of roses and violets with ribbon border and b e l l s . . . ........... . . 5̂ . ..E a c h 35c

No. 84. Size 15 x 20 inches. Gothic design with Church spire. Orchids and lilies in full colors................ . . . . Each 40c

No. 86. Size 1 1 x 1 4 inches. Panel design with pink roses and orange blossoms................................................................. Each 20c

No. 87. Size 11 x 14 inches. Oblong in style. Orchids, lilies and ferns attractively arranged. Printed in colors. Each 20c

No. 187. Size 12 x 16 inches. On gray back ground, delicately worked into five colors with garlands of roses, lilies and orange Llossoms. Church scene......................... .................... Each 15c

A Token of our Wedding. Size 5 x 7 inches. A dainty and attractive booklet of twelve pages with appropriate quotations from the Bible. All designs are in soft gray and black with delicate yellow shading. Each in an envelope.............................. 25c

Our Wedding Book, No. 2. Size 8*4 x 10% inches. A book of rare designs in rich water color effect. Covers of fine vellum stock with title in colors. A very distinctive wedding book of 21 pages..................................................................................... Each, $2.50

Our Wedding Day. Size 5% x 7% inches. A beautiful 12 page booklet printed in harmonious colors. Each in strong envelope ................................................................................................. 40c

Bridal Bells. Size 5% x 7% inches. This dainty book is choice in design, style of printing and quality of paper. 16 pages......................................................................... Each in a box, 75c

BAPTISM ALBOOKLET

No. 5B. One of and perhaps the prettiest of all moderately priced Baptismal Boeklets. A harmony of design and coloring with most appropriate reading matter. Eight pages and cover, the title embossed in gold with floral settings. Bach enclosed in envelope and twelve in a white box.

Each 25c, per doz. $2.75

BAPTISM AL CERTIFICATESNc. 1A. For Adults. Design of church win

dows and beautiful sprays of Easter lilies. Size1 3 x 1 5 % inches..........................................Each 25c

No. 1C. For Children. Design similar to No.1 A ........................................................................Each 25c

Each, 25cNo. 177. Size 12 x 16 inches. The picture

of the Good Shepherd caring for the sheep, at top, while on the lower part is the picture of Christ blessing Little Children.

Each, 15cNo. 171. Size 12 x 16 inches. The Good

Shepherd at the top and Christ blessing little children at the bottom. Very attractive.

Each, 25c— No. 179. Size 9% x 12% inches. Plock- horst’s famous picture of “ Christ Blessing the Ch.ldren.”

Each 7c; A dozen 75c

NAZARENE PUBLISHING HOUSE, KANSAS CITY, MO.

preacher s Magazine - WHDL

Documents

Transcript of preacher s Magazine - WHDL