No.?

VOL.

11.

AUCKLAND,

N.Z., ,JULY, 1891.

TWOPENCE.

lbol~ Spirit'; trmork in

~~~~~~~~
IM

1Aature.
i. 20

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the watcrs.i=Gcn.

sight of even by Cluistian philosophers to the serious damage of science itself, of art, and of the Christian enjoyment of the creation; a truth unhappily "holly forgotten or denied by a vast number of physical science men in Europe, who are thereby tossed about in 'sunless gulfs of doubt,' or tempted mires of atheism. to lose themselves of the Pentateuch in the quagset forth that the the

HE doctrine of the Power Nature, in

of the all-pervading

action

~~~~~~~

Spirit ~f God, and the living underlying all the energies of occupies a wider space in the than it holds
01'

The truth Spirit

yery which

ti, st verses
I desire

pages of Di vine revelation popular Christian

to bring

into prominence,

theology,

in

of God moved upon the face of the uiatere.'

and was

the hymns, the teaching, and the daily thoughts of modem Christendom. In these the doctrine of the Spirit of God is, if we judge by the Scripture, too much restricted to His work in redemption and salvation, to His wonder-workinc and inspiring energy in the early Church, and to His secret regenerating and sanctifying energy in the renewal of souls for life everlasting. And in this work of redemption He is spoken of by the special appellation of the Holy Ghost, even by 'the revisers of the early version; although there seems to bc not the slightest reason for the retention of that equivocal old English word, full of unfortunate associations than there would be ill so translating the same word as it occurs ill our Lord's discourse at the well of Jacob _' God is a Sjli1it, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth' -where the insertion of this ancient Sax on word for spirit would create a painful shock by its irreverence, All t.hese redeeming and sanctifying operations of the Spirit .of God in the soul of man have been treated with great fulness in our own lancuage, in scores of valuable writings, In few .of these works, however, appeatOs any representation of the Scripture doctrine of the Spirit of God, as working in nature, as the direct agent of the eternal will in the creation and everlasting government of the physical and intellectual universe. And it is this rather frequent omission to which, with unequal powers, I am venturing to draw nrgent attention. Our subject is the Biblical doctrine of the perpetual working inorganic of the Spirit of God in physical nature, in the and organic worlds around us, a truth much lost

the immediate agent when Omnipotence set its hand to the last of its many direct acts of specific creation on this ancient globeo The sacred writings from first to last pr(\ceed upon the theory th~t the material universe-so full of blind, contending forces, yet so full of the signs of an arithmetical and measuring intelligence ill every departtaent, -so full of order, of beauty, of utility-cannot be fully explained by self-originating Ot self-developing powers, 01' by any agency which is short of one which is spiritual, eternal and divine. The whole series of ~hese sacred records proceeds upon the supposition that nature is endowed undoubtedly with certain limited automatic energies-this is the very word used by. ~Jark (iv. 28) in reporting Cln-ist's parable of the Seed and .the Sickle'The earth bringeth forth fruit, automatee, of herself,' but the ultimate controlling power is, from one end to the other of the sacred Scriptures, asserted to be di vine, eternal, and omnipresent. 'Ry his Spirit he hatl: garnished the heavens; his hand hath. formed th~ crooked serpent 'probably the vast arch of the galaxy. It is God who is declared to govern the evolution of -all living things orr earth. Matter, in all its interwoven and ethereal forms, is treated of but as the vesture of an eternal will: 'Thou epverest Thyself with light as with a garment' in all its organic forms is regarded as but the veil of a mind unseen; and the loftiest created spirits are represented as crying 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full 'of
O

His glory.' And it is allr ged, Iur thcr , tl.at tJ.~

'(ll.in

ol, n

011, 11::[r(\ .

98

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

JULY,

1891.

hendeth not the things of the Spirit of God,' either in nature or in Providence, while' the spiritual man discerneth all things,' so that he alone rightly understands the visible who, through the quickening of his own spirit, traces its roots and springs to the all-pervading illtelligentagency of, IIim, who 'wol'keth all in all.' 'In Him.soe live, and mm:e, and exisl,' said Paul to the Athenians on Areopagus; just as eai-lier the Psalmist of tire Capti vityhad sung, '1f 1 ascend up_ into he(l,,"-c.n thou art thcre' III make ?IIy bed in slteol,. (in the deep dark underworld of shadows) behold thou art there t ' No man of mere physical science can understand the deepest realities of nature born from an

'{tbe Scbool of

cbnet.'

Our modern school system has no propCl' Scriptural representative, yet I think we may .. safely compare the church to a school, even more aptly than to the ancient school-i.e., , the _gymnasium. For a school has a headmaster, teachers ormonitors, rules, an object in view, and especially lessons. And all these exist in the church organization. Out' MASTER is Christ, who is our head 01' teacher as God's representative (Eph. iv, 20, 21; John x iv. 26; 1 Jolrn ii. 27). eternal cause. The Apostles were the ushers or under-teachers, and the Now, throughout the sacred Scriptures the renewal of bishops and deacons the ?JWr.1tOi'S,who, to this day, have life in its genemtiotls--is attributed to this Di vine energy continued, or should continue, the teaching of the absent infcH'lllin<Y the forces of nature. . ll'hou sencleth forth tll-I/ Principal. We know that the original organisation and '" J' Spirit, they are created, and thou reneuiest the face of the order ha~ become demoralised, but that has not vitiated earth.' So that all that the sweetest poetry or loftiest the thing itself,' nor altered the School Lawbook. Howscience has expressed of delight in the material systeui ever, it is not the actual, but the propel', condition I am ought to be translated into the language of adoration for now thinking upon. Hence we may confine our attention Him' in whom the creation lives and moves.' It is thus, the object of the school training, and the lessons taught. also, the Son of Cod Himself, who had a poet's eye, speaks Men go to co!leges to be fitted for the profession they of the world of flowers as 'clothed' with more than the shall follow, choosing the one' whose course of studies is glory of Soloman by the Dlxine A rtist, 'ne soft blue sky, more special to' their desired end. But the College of the infinite azure, is His; the golden sunrise and the daily Christ has both a wider and a narrow et' aim. The one miracle of beau ty in the sunset of the western sky, are the object of its training is to fit its scholars for the gOl'ernment works of the same Eternal Painter. The dear birds, whom of the nations. we love the more we know them, all belong to Him, and To effect this, the student must learn the great lesson of , not one of them is forgotten' before Him who frames their 1l0LINEss-1:.e., that thorough self-government implied in miraculous powers of ilight. ; provides their food, governs the putting away sin. He is unfit to govern others who their mysterious migrations, and inspires their song. cannot govern himself. ' Greater is he who ruleth his own

to

It is this Eternal

Spirit.who

is beneath

all that

world of

wonders wlJicl~ modern .astronomy, geology, physiology, botany, animal mechanics, chemistry and art unfold to us in. our own day, untilwe now at last stand almost breathless with admiration, thernore we know, 'in the mid-st of such a universe of fearful .wonders and of splendour and i~tcliectual delight. - One "Eternal Spirit pervades the whole crcation-c-the 'wheels are full of eyes;' the li ving creatures are full of eyes -also, a~ld.those eyes represent the eyes of the all-seeing, all-upholding, all-directing intellect and will of God. 'The whole earth is full of His glory.'--EmvARD \VrrITE, ll!e)'cltant's Lecture.

spirit than he who takcth a city.' In consequence of its difficulty this lesson ranks as Class No. 1 in the School of Christ. He who has learned to govern himself, to subdue every passion, to control e\'ery desire, to command e\'ery appetite, to flee from all evil, he, and he only, is in a position to become a model to some subject people, and to execute judgment upon their evil-doers. The science of holiness, like the science of mathematics, must be learned through several divisional classes, We may name some of these, as Holiness of body, Rom. x ii. 1, 2. ----}mind, El'h. iv, 17,22-24. ----thought, Psa. cxix, 113 . ---heart, 1 Ki. viii. 61 ; 1 Th. iii. 13. ----conversation, Eph. v. 1, 3-5, 19. ---deportment, 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. ----purpose, 2 Pet. iii. 14; Heb. x ii, 1. The lesson of bringing every thought into obedience to Christ is not learned in a day. Nay, most never do thoroughly learn it, even as few students master the science they study; yet, with diligence, they will attain to such a degree as to pass a creditable examination. According to their diligence and aptitude will happen whether they get 'a pass, a certificate, a prize, or a medal. To all, but especially to my young schoolfellows, I would say, 'try for honours, stri ve after a prize, don't be content with merely passing.' You may not get the gold medal,

THERE are persons who will work for the good of their follow-creatures, who will give money and time, labour and thought to reforms and .echomcs for general welfare, who will not hesitate to make sacrifices; perform benevolent and kindly actions, but who never give free and hearty utterance to the gladness that they feel or the pleasure they enjoy It is not that they intend to deprive anyone of happiness. But they do not realize how much they could thus bestow. While trying in many ways to give light and warmth to tileir fellow-creatures they bottle up their own sunshine, forgetting that its influence might extend far and wide.

Can pride and grace dwell in one place?

JULY, 1391.

THE BIBLE STANDAHlJ,

only one has attained the required standard for this, even the principalities and powers in heavenly places lllight bo Christ, ' who did no sin;' but then you may win some of .known by the Chu1'ch, the manifold wisdom of God,' as well the other valuable prizes, the number of which is unlimited, as' to show in the ages to come his exceeding richness of But for this we shall not have to dawdle, High aims mercy.' claim earneet efforts. Let us then' press toward the mark The Church, then, should be an embodiment of It system for the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus.' of training for the kingship. Its organisation an cl its 'The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.' discipline, when true and pure, JJOi1;t out the things (1 the Such was the Apostle's declaration concerning Israel. l~infJd01n' more than anything else (Rom. x iv, 16-19). So Yet, though we are no lon.!:)er in the primary school of that, if we learn our several parts therein, we become fitted Moses, Christ's system of training is but a continuance for the offices and work of the future, even as recruits by of that under the law. A college does not reverse, but drill learn those duties which get the victory on the battleadvance, the mental discipline of the board school. Now, field. Thus the mOI~itorial institution of the elderhood we all know that Israel's schooling was not merely the secures us a knowledge of obedience (Heb. xiii. 7, 17), supply of mental food, but a physical and moral training. because rendered to personal qualities which shadow the And we, like to them, arc not so much taught abstract kingship (1 'I'im. iii. 1-11). Again, the church relation truths, as we are practical lessons, obedience, and brings into trainilHj' other relationships. righteousness. 'Pure the Father, is to visit t.heir affliction, and to religion and undefiled before God the widows and the fatherless in 1.Pf'}I unspottcd from the tcorld,' True

1. CITIZENSHIP (1 Tim. ii. 1, 2).-The stand-aloof practices of some, who consider the faith requires them to discountcnance every social and political movement as worldly,
hardly accord with the schooling in Christ's college. 'Being taught to Jl7'ay for our fellow-men and our rulers, implies wo1'l.:ing for OL' with them in any good work. Such I esteem as true Chl'i,tian conformit f, There goes poor drunken Tom! My teacher says I am to pray for him. Well, I will, l ut bow does that benefit him 1 I can linrd ly

schooling is not the stuffing of the mind with a bundle of tasks, but a tmilling or education of the nerves and muscles of body anclmind. An hour at cricket is as truly schooling as an hour at mensuration, if indeed it does not fit the youth better for the work of life than the mental labour.

I apprehend that our present schoolcraft is part and expect God to send down an angel to hinder him from parcel of a false system with our priest, law, and medical going' into that tavern when my hand is beside his shoulder. crafts. True education consists in gi ving the }Jou;el' to see, Or, should my arm and voice not be strong enough to turn concurrently with the Jlou:er to make, or apply. Thus, him, I summon Willium to add his to mine; and what is reading and understanding, drawing and sketching, ari th- this but a Temperance Society 7 And, if Tom's burning metic and practical book-keeping, mechanics and the appetite be stronger than us, then we will l)1'ay that the work-bench, should be kept n.lways twinned. But now we vile traffic which excites it Illay he stopped, and we will have children crammed with parrot-recitations without try to get our rulers who made it to repair their crime. being taught to think, 01' filled with head knowledge, of And what is this but n political movement, for to do so which nine-tenths is never used by the bands. On the we must make our alliances, gil'e votes, and so forth, other side, we have our apprentices, whose hands alone do Evidently our fraternal association for mutual instruction the work, their heads being either void 01' stuffed with and encouragemcnt as a clmrch, shows the propriety and knowledge extraneous to their employment. advantage of organised effort fOI' the social and political Our religious systems arc in much the same discordance. "Ve have some preaching' faith only,' by which they mean a head knowledge of suudry doctrines as the essentials for salvation, their hearts and tongues all the while being filled with 'envy, m.ilice, and all uncharitableness.' On the other hand, we have good mcn and true practising of the' the one precepts of Christ's truth, in utter faith, one hope, and one baptism.' But even as that ignorance well-being of our neighbours; and an active scholar will, per force, carry out church principles into society, and thus obey the behest of the Muster=-> Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;' and will delight in the teaching of the Aposble, 'be ready to every good U:01d
and u.ork:'

:? The church, as a school, develops the truest MANLINESS and WOMANLINESS. A thorough member of the Christian

man makes the best foreman

or master

who has combined theoretical and practical knowledge, even so must that man be best fitted for the kingdom who combines the faith with good works. And this is the training he receives in Christ's school. Every theoretical rule is set to be worked out practically, and according to how the student does this will be his reward at the great Examination Day.

I would

community,

after

Paul's

pattern,

in

1 Tim. ii. 8, D, 10,

s.urpass :he most beautiful ideals of manhood and womanhood which ever poet created. 3. The School of Christ teaches the right use and duties of the IIOUSEIlOLD HELATlONSJIIPS (Eph. v. 25 to vi. 9). Husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, are there disciplined, for the spirit of Christ developed through the communion quickens and sanctifies

The scholastic pUI'poe of the, Church is, I think, plainly every right passion of our natures. J['l.t,ban(Z .and u;i/e in ,to be seen. ' \Ve are his workmanship, created in Christ' Christ seem tenfold more one than by the natural relution . Jesus to good works,' , to the intent that now to , So brother's and sister's love is 1110re than doubled, for tho

100

TIlE BIBLE STANDARD.

JULY,

1891.

tie of nature is belted round with the love of Christ. The fratcmal relationship of the church is a rivet to the bond of friendship, throws a golden chain over compa,nionship, and magnetises acquaintance.
4. There is another t. aining which the church organisatiou, and more especi:tlly the assembly for breaking of bread, gives. I mean the pructice of DUTY. To do a thing because we like it is no honour; to do a thing because we o1tyht, and so to make our pleasure grow out of duty's soil, is both honour and advantage. However, we seldom find children louiru] school. I have only seen onc or two such.

11lntoll not 1llnifol'11lit\?

(Summary of an address by Rev, H. J. Lewis on the occasion of the Eleventh Anniversary of the Church Meeting in the Foresters' Hall, June 24).

I AM very glad to be here to-night, to show by my presence that I believe in the old apostolic benediction, 'Grace be with all that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity;' not with all them that come to our Bethel, or that subscribe to our Shibboleth. It seems to me that the only question which any Christian man should ask another, before he Playing truant is an instinct, and is as freely exhibited in extends his sympathy and goodwill, is: 'Do you love the absenting from the Lord's table as from the infant school. Lord Jesus Christ l' If the answer be 'Yes,' then he I take it that the rcgularity of our attendance at the Lord's ought to say, 'Here is a brother's hand with all the love taLle is a safe test of the fervency of our desire for the I that a brother's heart can give with it.' To demand kingdom, for I sec no truer or better representation ~f the uniformity of theological belief before union, is a conkingdom society titan our gathering (Luke xx ii. 29, 30, 16; tradiction and a subversion of the whole spirit of -xiii. 28, 29). It prefigures the family table of the kings Christianity so strange that I cannot understand how any who shall reign with Christ, and so cannot be safely Christian man can commit himself to it. It seems to me neglected (lieu. x. 23--2;)). that to make the condition of Christian sympathy There are a hundred other things, as yet untouched, uniformity of theological opinion, is to attempt to poise the perta.ining to the School of Christ, such as the mode of its pyramid upon its apex. The attempt to do this in the teaching by trial and persecution, its laws and examples, past h~s had two results, one of which was to create its spirit energisation, its accessories, and so forth; but hypOCrISY,and the other to cause schism. To tell all men time forbids. that they must believe exactly alike, is to -risk, either We have seen how our scholarship is preparing us for making them pretend to believe what they do not believe, our future position as God's princes in the earth. LAt or to separate them from their fellow-creatures. But us then try to take high rank in its classes, so that recently, in the Christian World, I read that at the close all abundant entrance may be administered us into the of a Christian service a hearer asked the clergyman, 'Did kingdom of God's beloved Son. that sermon express his real opinion or his officialopinion r Official opinion ! We ought to have no official opinions, and we never should have, but for this attempt to enforce absolute uniformity. The apostles had once an opportunity of enforcing uniformity of opinion; it is recorded in the CLEAn thinkers are clear talkers, for clear ideas express fifteenth chapter of the Acts, 'at a council presided over question themselves in cloar words. Error is confused and' illogical, by an apostle, to consider a burning controversy-a of circumcision, a question of opiuion, about 'a rite which and is either craftily deceptive, or is jumbled and muddled by the stupidity of its adherents. How many persons there was to some of them sacred. After a long conference they are who w ill talk, talk, talk, without a clear idea or a clean- deliberately and unanimously resolved to lay upon the cut sentence, simply pouring out a ghastly mass of words Gentiles !l0 other yoke than this, 'to abstain from imWe which they have learned and jumbled together, and which morality, and to refrain from eating things strangled.' express nothing that should be expressed. Truth, clearly will lay no law upon you. That idea the Christian Church stated, is to a great extent axiomatic. It bears its own has been very slow to absorb. It has taken it centuries to find out that the policy of enforcing uniformity is alien to witness. To state it is to prove it. its true character and position. And much of the error of the day needs only to be clearly It is said of one of those narrow Christians that he stated and exhibited for its crookedness to be scouted and prayed: cast out by the average mind. But so long as error can Lord bless me and my wife, creep and crawl through long sentences and many syllabled My brother John and his wife, Us four and no more. Amen. words, misapplying and perverting all language and all fact, so long good people will be dccei ved, misguided, misled, and I am not quite sure whether the creed embodied in that COliused. f prayer is any narrower than the creed embodied in the Learn to t.hink clearlq] and to speak what you think. If your thinking is wrong, a clear statement of it will aff~rd a means of correcting it, but nothing is more difficult to correct th~n the jum bled-up nonsense of a man who does , not know what hc thinks himself, and cannot make anybody else understand what he i, talking about. lives, and in the practices of our so-called Christian brethrenat the present day. I am utterly unable to understand why Mr. Aldridge is not a member of the Ministers' Association. I am utterly .unable to enter into the spirit of those who take into consideration a man's divergence from them on a point not clearly revealed.

JULY,

1891.

THE BIBLE STA~:DARD.

H)1

When I was in college, a good many years ago, we sent a challenge to the students of the Wesleyan College at Didsbury, to play a cricket match, and the answer we received was that 'the students regretted that by the rules of their college they were forbidden to play at cricket with the members of another denomination.' I may say that we had a very fast and furious bowler, 'and perhaps that fact had something to do with the tone of that letter. I think we are got beyond that position now-a-days. It must not be understood for one moment that we are indifferent to the convictions which we hold. The more sacred a man considers his o\vn cori~!btion, the more sacredly will he consider those O,L others., If a man uses his brains, as well as says his prayers, and it is very little use saying prayers without using brains, he will be sure that where there is divergence of opinion between men who are earnestly sincere there is room for difference. Two men could not think differently about the same subject unless there were grounds for the divergency in a revelation which has" its fringes of shade. One of these subjects is the destiny of those who die unsaved, Our difference on this arises from the obscurity of the revelation, but our divergencies do not touch our common faith. The heart of our common faith is belief in God, and in His Son Jesus Christ. Our differences do not touch the reverence with which we bow to our common Lord, or the rapture with which we bow before the cross on which He died for us. The time may be far distant, but it is coming, when the Christian Church will see that she can no longer play into the hands of the infidel and the' atheist, by frowning upon all who do not agree with her. The ranks of infidelity and of atheism are closing up, and the ranks of Christianity must close up tOG. We ought to keep before us the idealthe one church and the one kingdom of the living God-to keep it before us by working and by praying. We ought to continue to cultivate that brotherly love, that sympathy with each other's difficulties, that joy with each other's joy, that sorrow wlth each other's sorrow, that we' may come nearer and nearer to the realisation of the last prayer of our Saviour, " That they all may be ONE." ,
.,. .. ' """" Of"~

a man digs out his wealth by hard knocks and bruises in the battle of life, he gets the wisdom and experience along with it which is required to take care of it; he knowsthe value of a dollar, and comports himself with dignity as a man of wealth. Il~ like manner there are those nowadays who become suddenly wealthy in piety. They were going along about the same as some other Chrisbians-c-with about as much of the blessing of God as they knew how to use to ad vantage; but nevertheless they have 'struck oil' and. they are so rich. Oh, deal', dear! If their stOI'Y is to be believed, there is enough of the blessing of the Lord inside .0 one of them to run :1 tract society, or support a missionary in China. They live too extravagantly in words. 'Ve do not believe in the concentration of so much spiritual wealth just to show off with. It would tend to make the gospel sled-load run better if some of these drifts could be spread over some of the bare spots in the world, of which there are a plenty. But we would not deprive a man in the least degree of his usefulness. J he has grown in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sav)our Jesus Christ, and is possessed of such wealth of spiritual blessing, he probably blOWS enough to use it to good advantage. But a sudden avalanche of the 'second Llessing' upon a Iot of religious babies, tends to overwhelm them and make them so happy among themselves as to make a mutual admiration society of them, who are not concerned as they should be in the work of saving miserable sinners. "But don't you believe in "the gift of the Spirit 1'" Of cou~se we do. And, as God gives thc genuine article, He pl'oh~blyknows who to give it to, aud how much they. can utilise. It is not a plaything; it is given for work-and that, not to club somesaints with who have a quiet way of serving God, but to direct It man's abteubion toward sinners who are going to perdition at railroad speed. Some saints have ,been polished so much now with a kind of so-called 'higher life' effort that, 1ike N or ton's ox-bows, they are' too weak for work; 01' are unconcerned for sinners. But we believe in the gifts, if they are real and from God, and for sOU1~d ork, and the rational comfort to the saints. w I might give my boy a Christmas present of a locomotive all fired up; and 1dare say the little fellow would be royally happy in blowing the whistle and ringing the bell, perhaps $llb~en Wlealtb. more so than they who heard it; but he would not make good use of it, so he needs a gift suited to his age and capacity. THERE are persons occasionally who are suddenly made Tt will be s-fer 01' us to 'work out our salvation with wealthy. Perhaps an oil well has been 'struck' on the fear and trembling-' working out as God works in-as we farm, which is now spouting up thousands; or, some other tarry here and wait for His Son from heaven, than to have , bonanza' has been struck whicli yields immensely. But it 'bubble up' so free as some claim to find it. there has been no corresponding increase of brains on the 'But unto everyone of us is gi ven grace according to part of the recipients of such wealth, as comes pouring in the measure of the gift of Christ' (Eph. iv. 7). like IJ flood; and, as might naturally be expected, they act Whatever Christ gives us He will gi ve us grace to handle like fools with it. However, they lllay have been sent to nobly and wisely in His word and work. But I am perCongress; but that does not alter the case; money goes suaded that some are gifted from other sources ; and such farther than brains toward getting a seat there; 01' in are in great danger of being tempted to think they are running it after they get there. ' Nowitlie safest way to become rich is by the slower something when they are nothing. Laiorence, Maes, Q. E. CoPP .. process of working it out with the mind and hands. 'When

r
t ,

10~

THE BIBLE STANDAHD. 'iRnani no in IDai11.

JULY,

1891.

'." [''tIE'

i ;

l'

.'

aposblcs earnestly desired that they might not run in ,,,ain, neither labour in vain j and the Apostle Paul ellcou raged his brethren to toil on, because their labour was , not in vain in the Lord,' But if we are not to run in vain, we must start right. ,Tltel'8 are mes'engers who have no message, There are preachers who have nothing to preach. There are teachers who have never been taught themselves the truth as it is in Christ. But we can never teach until we have first learned, and if we are to teach the doctrine or Christ we must learn in the school of Christ, and become acquainted with His Word and w itli His will. No human teacher can take the place of the Great Teacher. No human instruction can t-ike the place of that instruction which the Holy Spirit gives. There is many It mall wasting his time and strength in the pulpit to-day, who might be an able minister of the New Testament if he were first soundly' concerted to God. But he has never known himself a lost sinner. He has' never .known the saving power of Jesus Christ. He teaches what he has been taught in the schools. He s.eals his sermons from the current literature of the day. He explores commentaries, clips scraps here and there, and out of them hashes up something which seems to occupy the mind and satisfy the wishes of the people. But oh, what heaps of such chaIf and wood and hay and stubble, will in the last day be blown to the winds, or burned in nature's final fires. Let men whom G'od has called hold fast the faithful ,,'ore!. Let men who have been called of men, taught of men, and appointed of rr en. and who feel in their souls un' satisfied, discontented, restless and unsaved, go to God for , .,' pardon and peace, for help and blessing, for deliverance and sal vat ion " and then as they enter upon the work of the , Lord they will not labour in vain, nor spend their strength for naught, but will be 'steadfast, unmovable, always . . abounding 111 the work of the Lord,' forasmuch as they . . .. ., know that their labour IS 'not m yam 1Il the Lord. Common People,
-.... 1---

Charles W-opened one, and he had to emigrate to Canada. Then Mr. B-- and Mrs. B-started, but after nine years it has been given up, and the shop is ' to let' once more, How many' halls' ha vo secularists worthy of the name 1 Do they not still meet in public houses and coffee taverns 1 It is 110 use saying that theyeannot get better, because they haoe had them, but had [0 give them up, They did not pay. There were thirteen. shut up, and thirteen branches became defunct last yem', besides a grE'at falling off of mem bel's. A few figures will SIIO';v what 'rapid strides the National Secular Society is mak ing,' I take them all from the J' ational Reformer.
rCC"".

1883 1284 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889

Ne," Members. 1,883 1,747 Loss 141 1,367" 478 988" 379 505" 483 593 Gain 38 492 Loss 101

Sec National IICj01}}W1'. June 8, 1883, p. 388 June 8, 1884, 1'. 388 1\1ay 31, 1885, 1'. 403 June 20, 1886, p. 386 June 5, 1887, p. 355 1\I"y 27, 1888, p. 338 J une 16, 1889, p. 369

The great leader of the English Sceptical hosts is represented as saying of their movement, 'I am dissatisfied with YOU1' sluggishness. Thirty years ago when we were yery unpopular there was an 'activity in the party which made one proud to belong to it. With the lessening of the unpopularity bas come a slackening of activity,'-Sajf![juard, U.S.A.

$ometbtno
AN English

:fJ3etter'U'ijlanteb.

nobleman sojourning ill Brussels a century ago , was questioned by a lady, a disciple of Voltaire, who said: 'I thi nu my 1 d tl l:l t tl le P ar li 1t 0 f Ell anc con. u or, rumen < ng . t f fi . h 1 1 f tilt SIS s 0, ve or SIX une rec 0 le .ies informed ;111(1 most ibl . tl ki 1 ' sensi e men In le -lllge om. , 'I' d" I tl 1.1 rue, ma am, sair le non eman. ' They are supposed tb' e so. 0 t tIll ien, my ore, b di so grea an a sur ity us , Id' suppose, ma am, tl I t 1 bl ley rave no oecn a e
,UT]
YV l;L

3nfit>eltt\? lDecIining
A

in JEnolant>.

IVlUTER in the London Echo for January 15,1891, commenting on the boastful statements of a certain sceptical writer concerning the progress of Infidelity or ' Secularism,' gi\'es certain facts which we condense from the Echo to show , the decay of secularism.' 1. The closing of every shop that has been opened for the sale of Frcethought literature in London. 2. The steady decline of the members of the National Secular Society, and the closing of many branches ill London

and provinces. 3. Their publications do not pay. First, Richard C-opened a shop in Fleet-street, t.hut had to be given up. U. J. H-opened one, that had to be given up.

ien t ley can, I do not doubt but III their Wisdom I they will readily accept it' This is what the world is hungry for. Men want the best. 'I'hey are waiting for improvements, and ready to take advantage of anything that is offered, But infidelity has never given man a decent substitute even for a false religion, to say nothing of something which can displace that which is true. The people of France gained nothing by forsaking God and worshiping half-naked prostitutes. And the sceptic of to-day who has denied a di vine creation, and tried to prove that he is descended from a monkey, is no better off than he was before. i\l an's heart hungers for religion, for truth, for Gocl, and will nut be satisfied until this in ward need is met, Find all the fault you will with Christians, and churohcs.r and hypocrites, and preachers, but before you ask us to throw away our faith and hope, for heaven's sake give us something beucr !
1"

I pace. 1

"u71

b tl I] 1 can e le reason t ia t t ley to erate tl Cl .. li n, le rristrau re IglOn f I' 1 hi I d I . .. b rep iec lIS or 5 lip, 'It IS iecause t b tit I. b .. 0 sn s lute anyt ung etter III ItS , . . .

JULY,

1891.

THE BIBLE STANDAHD.

103

'Ulncle '!Daniel'B j13ible <tlaBB.

Prom 'lV01'ds

RI

1'1uth.'

7.-THE SOUL AND SPIRIT OF MAx. silenced in the discussion with Uncle Daniel at the last Bible Class, Deacon Ambrose was- not willing to give up without struggle doctrines that he had held undisputed all his life. He accordingly reported to the Rev, Mr. Ecclesiasticus the result of his Sunday afternoon visit, and it was decided that, in his Friday evening's lecture, the minister would make an effort to counteract the influence of these heretical teachings. Accordingly the con gregation was treated to a learned dissertation on the 'Immortality of the Soul,' embellished with copious quotations from Greek philosphers and writings of eminent theologians, as well as much metaphysical reasoning as to the superiority of mind over matter, and the human in, tellect over that of the brutes. The deacon was in high spirits after this lecture, and meeting ,David Gordon remarked,' Well, yo-ung man,' I hope after this you will be content to accept as truth what was good enough for your father, and not be running after strange doctrines.'
ALTHOUGH

To this David made reply, 'The Doctor has certainly spoken eloquently, and displayed his scholarship; and if we are to look to metaphysics, or Greek philosophy for our knowledge of a future life he has certainly proven his posi, tion. I am old-fashioned enough, however, Deacon, to think that we ought as Christians to "search the Scriptures" for teaching on the question of eternal life ; and really I cannot remember that the Doctor made a single quotation from the Bible to sustain his position, As he was re:1son_ ing that all men have endless life independent of any COIL nection with Christ, my mind reverted to those very positive words in 1 John v. 10 :, "He that believeth not God luuh. made him et liar, because hp. believeth not the record that God gave of His Son; and this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, ancl this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son lcatl: not life." I am simple-minded enough to take these words as they read; and it seemed to me that the Doctor was labouring to prove that J ohn was wrong in stating that he that hath not the Son of God hath not eternal life, and in so doing he denied the record concerning the Son, with the logical result of standing in the unenviable position of making God a liar. If I am wrong, Deacon, I would thank you to set me right.' The Deacon turned abruptly away, with the parting remark, 'You are incorrigible.' By request, at, the next Bible Class it was decided to make a careful study of the Scriptural teaching regarding the soul and spirit of man. 'Before developing the lesson,' said Uncle Daniel, 'I think it would be well to know the popular understanding , of these terms, and' we can then ascertain if the Scriptures Ilpholdsu6hdefinition, and I will request Arthur to read

their definitions from 'Veostel;/"vhic!i was done as follows :'Soul, the spiritual, rational, and, immortal part of man; life; vital principle. _' 'Spirit. .Breath; immaterial substance or being.' " 'I notice,' remarked Uncle Daniel, ' that the first definition gi "en by Webster is in harmony with what is commonly taught in theology, and I also .notice that he speaks of the Soul as being part of man, but not the man himself. Of course, we' all' understand lexicographers simply place on record the popular 01' general usage of words, often giving meauings YCI')' different from those originally convoyed by the terms. \ Ve m ust not, therefore, go' to the dictionary or the commentary as final arbiter rcgaI'Cling:the false and the true. They merely reflect the author's mind. Our ol~ect at this meeting, however, is to study thc Bible teaching on the subject, Will somebody refer us to the first instance in the Scriptures where the word Soul is used T 'In Gen. ii, 7,"an's\vcredAliceli&ii"g'iri, 'where we rend, " And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and iuan became a living sou1.'" 'Very good,' remarked Uncle Daniel, 'and it would be well for us to study this text for a 1110mpnt-First of all we learn the material of which man was formed, then we read of something (the breath of life) which was added, and this compound of matter, or dust, animated by the breath of life, is declared to be a living soul. The thought occurs to me that eitheir Moses, or Webster and our modern theologians must be 'wrong, for while the latter declare the soul, to be 'the spiritual and immortal part of man,' the former teaches that it is the man himself, compounded of dust and breath, or spirit of life. To properly understand these terms we will have to refer to the original Hebrew and Greek, which very fortunately it is easy to do; and I will ask' Mr. ' Pass more to open Young's Concordance at the word Soul, and let us know from what words derived.' , I find,' answered Robert, 'the word once tr.inslated from the Hebrew, medibah, meaning willing, liberal or noble one; a great mnny times from the Hebrew nepliesh, and Greek psuche, meaning auirnul soul,' or breathing creature, and once from the Hebrew nesliamali, meaning breath.' , And now will somebody inform us the first instance in the Bible where the word Spirit is used in conncction with man?' said the teacher. 'In Gen. xli. 8,' answered David Gordon, 'where we read, speaking of Pharoah, "And it came to pass in: the morning that his spirit was troubled," etc.' '\ve will ask Hobert to give us like information from Young regarding this word Spirit.' , 'I tind,' answered Robert, 'the word translated twice from the Hebrew neslcamali (breath); nHLny time's from Hebrew ruacli, and Greek pneuma (spirit, wind), and "twice from Greek plcantasma, (phantom, apparition).' 'I think it sufficiently important,' said Uncle. Daniel, 'to adjourn the class now that we may study !JP ca.11~(unj these words, and their uses ill the Old and New 'I'estaments, and before so doing I will divide the work among yoii. 'Robert will inform us how many times ,the' words uepliesh. and, psuclte are translaed Soul, and 1'lIOch!,-nd 7mewna are translated Spirit-Al'thul' will inform us, wlFlt other English words are derived from these same termsDavid will examine all Old Testament, '~lld "rary all .New Testament texts containing the wordSou 1, and inform us if in any instance they find the words immortal, deathless, incorruptible, or any term suggestive of eternal ql' separate, rational existence applied to it-Mark and Mrs.. Percy will do the same with the word Spirit.' '
(1'0 be coniinucd.}

104
~

tHE BIBLE StANDARD.

~E3":,.~
e:

JULY, 1891,

..l-:" .?:=-'----~--?/C)

~1~~

(C1I ~\)
~l
~ ~~~

~~
EDITED

'~)3tpl~$tanb~w
L'l~.
ORGAN~~'
OF TilE

~MONTHLY
1:;;\\1

~)~'.9

J.

Zealand Evang~listic and Publication Association

BY GEO, ALDRIDGE.

AS.-:-ISnm

BY

SPECIAL

CONTIUBUTORS.

It!ir The Editor wishes it to be understood that. while he exercises a general suporvtsion oyer the articles and correspondence appearing in the Standard, responsibility for sentiments expressed rests upon the indivi-

dual writer.

I;

.. -~--.--.-.-.---~ ..---~-- =====~~::::=:.: =

aeeocranon l1~otea.

Bible (as a whole) a revelation from God, or is the sacred volume no better than a lottery bag, from which blanks and prizes are to be drawn at random? Is the Bible inspired and worth fighting for? We answer emphatically, 'Yes 1'" On June 22nd Mr. Brown delivered a lecture in the Baptist Church, Timaru, on 'Hell--what it is j what it is not j whim, and where it will be j how long it will last.' These items are encouraging, as showing that there is no tendency on our part to join in any compromise, which would mea,p the lowering of our flag. . 'Y c mus~bigain remind our subscribers who have not yet remitted for this year's issue of 'the STANDARDthat we should be pleased to receive subscriptions at once. We wish to meet our current expenses with prompt cash payment. --,-~--

ImMs under the heading 'The Month' are unavoidably omitted from this issue. Our paper this month is practically a symposium on the much agitated question of Church Union. The speeches at the anniversary tea all dealt with' this topic of the hour, and the paper by G.A.G. is a dispassionate contribution to the theme. We do not necessarily commit ourselves to the views enunciated in the addresses, or the paper, but we bespeak a candid consideration of all the opinions given. The May number of the Faith contains some letters approving of the suggestions of the editor concerning the formation of an international alliance of life believers, churches, and associations; to he called the 'Faith Union.' Miles Grant, the eminent Second Advent evangelist, writes: , The time ha.s come for zealous action. I would like to be a member of such an association, or alliance, and do all I can to make it effective.' We understand that the June issue contains a full sketch of the scheme, and we hope to he able to refer to it more fully in our next number. The English Conditional Immortality Mission is to hold its annual conference in Brighton, in September next. The doctrines of Life in Christ, and the Coming Kingdom, are being kept well to the fore in the South Ishind. This month we have to report that our Brother Rev. E. C: Brown, of Timaru, is doing good work in his district. At Ashburton, recently, he delivered two lectures in the Orange Hall. The hall was crowded on both occasions. Our brother believes in letting the people know beforehand what he intends to put before them. We append the synopsis of the two lectures, as printed on the handbills announcing the meetings:- W'ednesday->-' What am' I 1 Where am I 1 Why am I here 1 Whither am I presently going 1 Shall I live a second life 1 'What will become of me after resurrection r If I do not accept the explanations offered me by' the Scriptures as to the problcm iof my existence, where shall I find another exposition l' Thursday -' The reign of creeds is PAst. Orthodoxy (in the old sense) is dead. Men will not believe what their fathers believed without question. Scepticism is fast leavening society, and a momentous conflict approaching-not con, ccrning interpretation, bnt as to inspiration itself. Is the

<!bUl"cb 'Ulnion.

~~~~?lfl1T not unnatural is

or surprising in this age of unionism that Church Union should be the engrossing subject of thought and conversation at the present time, amongst almost . every class of

II~J~~~~~~~ professing Christians, especially with ~ those who reflect calmly and intelligently on our Saviour's prayer for the visible unity all His followers. It is the question of the hour. In face of the boldness with which scepticism, on the one hand, and Popery, 011 the other, point the fingers of scorn and ridicule at the disunion and disintegration that exist and arc increasing in the ranks of so-called Protestant Christians, is there any wonder that sincere, God-fearing people should he inquiring-Is there any remedy? Will Christians again unite 1 Shall the time ever come when we again can say, , We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism '1 Or will the chasm that exists between the various sects continue to widen?
On glancing through the columns of the daily papers, one is struck with the many and various suggestions put forth on the subject, but when carefully examined each is seen to differ as widely as the sects from which they emanated, and all equally unworkable, until we feel inclined to ask, 'Is council departed from the prudent, and wisdom from the wise, and what shall the cnd be of these things?' It appears to us very necessary to go hack and find out what we can of the early Church as constituted by Divine authority. What toere its powers, and how was it known? By reference to the New Testament" we find that the Church, as founded by Christ, was organised and officered by men having superhuman powers, and thus it carried within itself a witness of its claims, and undeniable evidence of the truths it proclaimed to the world. 'Ye find a veryconcise record of the various gifts, bestowed by the Holy Spirit to the Church, in Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. xii., where nine different and distinct gifts of the Spirit are mentioned, all having their necessary

JULY,

1891.

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

105
011

places and functions, and all being required until that time of perfection arrives when faith and hope will be lost in realization, and such powers are no longer needful. But love, 'the more excellent way,' which is above all the gifts, will for ever remain, and always will be, the great centre of attraction. III Ephesians the fourth chapter, we have almost exactly the same list of gifts spoken of as being bestowed upon the Church (which, be it remembered, is one, not many), that Church which is represented a, being one body, having one spirit, in onc hope of its calling, and having one Lord, one faith, onc baptism, one God and Father, but each member of the one body having the gift or gifts necessary to make of the whole a perfect man in Christ Jesus. In this chapter let us read what' Paul, the aged and prisoner of the Lord,' says. His words arc full of weight and meaning as regards the present lamentable state of affairs. 'Speaking the truth in love . . . put on the new man which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness ... and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, and malice be put away from you. Be ye kind onc to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, oven as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you ..' And Christ said: 'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another.' To-day we have bodies of people, professing. Christians, claiming apostolic succession, apostolic gifts, apostolic governments, and apostolic doctrines j some claiming all the gifts, others only a part. But let the candid and intelligent reader look around him, and see if he can find a Church that complies with all the requirements of an apostolic Church, Alas! it cannot be found. Man again has failed with his trust, has grieved the Holy Spirit, and 1I0W we see the Church (so-called), as a body, spiritless, divided and lifeless. Without love, zeal, and holy enthusiasm there can be no unity, and without a real, visible unity there can be no visible Church j and hence no superhuman power and gifts, without which unity could not be maintained, even if it could be once effected. God could not recognise and endow a disunited Church with superhuman gifts. The child of God will see at once how utterly futile arc, and ever must be, the efforts of man to bring about a union, on Scriptural lines, of all who claim the name of Christian; and much as he may desire it, personally, he will remember our Saviour's question, 'When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find the faith on the earth," and will take heed to 'hold fast that he hath, that no man take his crown,' lest haply while fondly dreaming of an unattainable union of professing Christians here, the Master may come and find him unprepared to join in the glorious union of the redeemed, who shall gather in that world which is to come. Let each one, by studying God's VlT 01'<1, endeavour to learn His mind and will, giving heed only to sound words and pure doctrine, and cultivating love to God and to all the brethren, out of a pure heart, being zealous in every good work, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. G.A.G.

}papers

tbe li{ingbol1l.

No. VII.
THE EAR N EST 0 F '1'H E KIN GD 0

jr.

UR studies of the Kingdom doctrine have brought us to the point where we have seen that the law, and the accompanying striking ceremonial, were designed for the especial purpose of training the people of Israel for their high destiny; that this traimng had in view the object of fitting them to be the means of 'blessing all the families of the earth.' 'When this is considered, wc get a view of the matchless wisdom of God, a view which will aid in the settlement of the question of the inspiration of the Scrip. tures-a matter which is doubtful to many. It must be borne in mind that the ritual and the laws relating to social life were of Divine appointment, and that the political governm,ent of Israel was under Divine guidance. When it is remembered that these were given at Sinai, and were designed to be operative when the people reached the land of Canaan, a land which was to be given to them by God, and that in that land they were to serve Him and recognise His rule, then we get the idea to which wc have been leading up-that this ordering was an earnest of the Kingdom of God. We arc bound to admit that the Mosaic economy was in some respects provisional, yet it possessed the essential elements of God's Kingdom, and gave an earnest of what the completed design would be. The government was under the sole headship of Gael, He manifesting His suprem~cy in all civil and religious affairs. 'What. thing socver I connnand you, that shall ye observe to do : thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it' (Dent. xii, 32). In brief, the legislative executive and judicial powers were vested in Him, and partially delegated by Him to others, to be exercised in a restricted form. 'J udgcs and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thec, according to thy tribes: they shall judge the people with righteous judgment' (Dent. xvi, 18). All the people in their civil, social, and family relations were to acknowledge and be obedient to His expressed will. This teaching was emphasised to them by the pillar of cloud and fire, and is shown in many facts which occur in their history, such as the punishment of the man who broke the Sabbath, the destruction of Korah and his company, and of Nadab and Abihu. As an indication and reminder of this supremacy, all the people were required at certain times in the year to visit the place of God's special manifestation, and there to renew their vows of allegiance. 'Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose' (Deut, xvi. 16). In the Israelitish economy, as here pointed out, we have a state under the immediate government of God; H~ reigning over His people in the same manner as an earthly king reigns over his people. In the strictest sense .\God was king over Israel, politics were identified with religion, the sacred and the civil codes were essentially one.

106

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

JULY,

1891.

But that Theocracy was only an earnest 01' initiatory The mournful rebukes of the prophets for the unfaithform. It contained the fundamental principles, but it lacked fulness of the nation, and its lack of appreciation of the some features to perfect it which were intended afterwards theocratic privileges, with the resultant withdrawal of the By these, to develop. Typical observances should gi ve place to the Rnler, are sorrowful evidences of our statement, anti type, religious ceremonials were to be superseded by two things are pointed out, first, that the return to God others. The king in this past arrangement was invisible, with full allegiance to Him in the theocratic order would but if we turn to the prophetic descriptions of this theo- secure a return of His blessings; and, second, that UpOll cracy as it shall be manifested, it will be seen that, whilst it such a return at some period in the future the theocratic declares the theocracy as the reign of the future, with its rule is invariably based. That rule will he manifested with monarch visible and -accessible always, there are glorious the nation in the land of Israel where God chooses to additions predicative of happiness and blessing past anything place it. as yet realised to be incorporated with its future establishBible readers will note that after the settlement 1I1 Canaan tile nation demanded a king, and this demand on ment. Many fall into error concerning this past government, their part is viewed as a virtu"al abandonment of the because they view the theocracy as a type, but it cannot he. theocratic rule. This is explicitly stated in i. Sam. viii. 4, To admit that would be to oppose covenant, prophecy, and fact. It did not foreshadow something else, but was itself the Kingdom of God in its initiatory form-the commencement of that rule of God as earthly king, which, if the obedience demanded had been rendered, would have extended and widened itself until all nations had been brought under its influence and in subjection to it. The blessings attached to this theocracy were numerous, and such as the-people on earth at the present time desire to obtain. (See Lev. xxvi. 1-12; Dent, xxviii.) One word of caution is necessary here, and that is, that whilst this kingdom was existent on the earth it would be scarcely right to call it an earthly kingdom. Many of the blessings connected with it were purely of an earthly nature, such as the promises of abundance, peace, and general prosperity; spiritual blessings, such as the forgiveness of sins, the assurance of faith, hope, love, adoption, were enjoyed by those Old Testamcnt worthies who were men of faith. But now may we not say that the theocracy thus inaugu, rated would have been permanently established if the people in their national capacity had been obedient and faithful. I do not here mean that the typical and provisionary adjuncts would have remained unchanged, but that the direct personal rulership of God would not have been set aside, and that the blessings promised to Abraham under the theocratic rule would have been amply realized. There can be no reasonable doubt of this if we read the covenant made at Horeb, and ponder the blessings and curses announced by Moses. It is true that God knew the nation's defection, but that does not alter His purpose, nor prevent Him from offering this kingdom for their acceptance and retention, in accordance with their moral freedom,
5,

7.

, Then all the elders of Israel gatherClI themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramab, and they said unto him, Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not "inthy ways: now make us a king to judge us like the nations . . . And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: fOI' they have uot rejected thee, but they hace rejected
me, that I should not be l~ing over them.'

God. enters against their desire a solemn protest: 'Howbeit, thou shalt solemnly protest unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them'
(vcr.D).

On the clay of presentation that protest was miraculously evidenced in order to show the great wickedness of which they had been gnilty : 'Ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saveth you, out of al l your oalamities and your distresses: and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us' (i. Saui, x, 19). , Now, therefore, stand still and sec this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king'
(i. Sam. x ii, 16, 17).

, And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work therein; then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of .Iudah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain for ever' manifestation the rulership of God, by the man Jesus (Jer. xvii, 24, 25). Christ. The nation is pardoned on fhc conditions that it , Oh that my people would hearken unto me, that Israel would walk in my ways: I should soon subdue their enemies, and turn still, the king included, acknowledged God as the eontinuous my hand against their adversaries' (Ps. lxxxi. 13, 14). " monarch ; and the chosen king must enforce the laws given

There had been an attempt before this to secure an earthly monarch, but he to whom the position was offered had wisdom to refuse it, and to indicate to the people their true ruler: , Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also; for thou hast saved usout of the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over yon, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule occr you' (Judges viii, 22, 23). Provision had, however, been made for such a faili Ig on the part of Israel, so that when the failure should occur, the choosing of a king should be under the exclusive control of God, and the king when chosen must acknowledge His supremacy. The earthly king must make his rule subordinate in all respects to that of the Chief Ruler. (See I)eut. xvii. 1-!-20.)" This could with perfect consistency be done, because the theocracy contemplated ill its latest

JULV,

1891.

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

101

by his Superior in authority. In this entire transaction the theocratic rule is preserved intact. The earthly king was under certain restrictions and was threatened, in case of disobedience, with the displeasure of and punishment from the still recognised Head of the nation. This was felt and freely confessed by Saul, by David, and by Solomon. In this earnest of the kingdom, inaugurated in the wilderness and continued in the land of Canaan, wc see that in addition to the priesthood, the giving of the law, and the access to God on particular occasions, a safeguard was thrown around this subordinate kingship to prevent it, either in its hereditary character, or in its state and religious officials, from interfering with the rites, 1rws, etc. of the Supreme Ruler, and this was done by a prophetical dispensation which ran parallel with the monarchy from the first to the last king. King and priest were to yield to the authority of the prophet, simply because the latter directly revealed the will of the supreme King. The statement of this fact is sufficient to call to the reader's mind the many occasions on which the prophets of God gave their messages from the Divine Ruler to the earthly monarch., The continuance of that prophetic order, chosen and set. ap.u-t by Goel, ~vasa visible evidence thatthe theocracy continued, and that the great design was being wrought out which was enfolded in the grand and comprehensi ve promise to bless all families of the earth.
ALl'HA.

Titus are wanting, and the anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews breaks off at the bottom of the third column of page 1518, with the fourteenth verse of Chapter ix. The remainder of that Epistle and the Revelat ion are lost, but have been supplied by a later and inferior scribe:' The history of this manuscript is not known j but it was entered on the first catalogue of the Vatican library in IH5. It was carr-ied to Paris in the time of Napoleon, but was subsequently brought back to Rome, where it was withheld from critical inspection by outsiders for many years. Dr. Tregelles was not allowed the use of pen and ink when he was permitted to examine it. More recently this text has been edited and issued, but like all other biblical manuscripts it contains yery few variations, and these in no \my affecting the character or teaching of the Holy rook, but confirming the previous editions in all essential particulars. -~

tl 'Umonberful, :ll3ooh.
I'r is marvellous how wonderful the Bible is the first time you come to it. - I think I almost wish I had never read it ., that I might have the pleasure of reading it for the first time. - I frequently hen l' of that being the case with a convert, when one calls 011 me, Towards the end of last year a man came to join the church. He had never attended at a place of worship, but he had been induced to come on one occasion, and God met with him. While I was trying to find out whether he really knew the Lord, he said to me, "VItat a wonderful book, sir, the Bible is!' 'Yes,' I replied, 'it is wonderful. How have you found that out l' '"\Vell, sir,' he replied, 'I can't read except \-ery slowly. I liave to spell all the words, and one day I got to John, and came to this: "Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth j but I have called youfl'iends." Friends! That He should call me a friend. Why, that knocked me all t.o bits,' sir. So I took the book into the shop, and said to my wife, "Here, you can read. I am afraid I've made a mistake here. You read it to me." And she read out, "I've called you friends." Well, for Him to call me a friend! It melts me, for I have been His enemy all my life, and I never did Him a service. Even now I don't see what I can do to serve Him, and yet He calls me friend. Did you ever notice that, sir T he said to me. I mid, 'Yes, I have noticed it, but in the way you put it, it comes to me more fresh than ever.' 'A little further down,' said he, 'I was dead beat, for I came upon this: "These things have I said unto you, that ye should not be offended." Bless me,' said the man, 'I am always afraid of offending Him, but for Him to be afraid of o.flending me / Isn't it generous? Isn't it kind 1 So condescending like, that He should be afraid of offending me! He lllay do what He likes, sir,' he said, 'now that He has saved me, and I will never be offended. I cannot be offended with Him j bu tit is so beautiful.' And so it is -that He should be afraid lest we should be offended, and guard against it. That is a man who never 'read the Bible before. And it was all wonders to him.-C'. If. Spu1geon.

~be

IDatican f)DmmsCl'ipt.

0 .. of the oldest, if not the oldest of the manuscripts of " the N ewTestament, is the copy preserved in the library. of the Vatican at Rome, which for many years has not been easily accessible to students. When Dr. Philip Schaff was in Rome he examined this manuscript, and gives the following description of it : , It numbers 1,536 pages, 10 inches by lOt, including the supplement by another hand, or 1,518 pages without the supplement. It is written on .the finest vellum, in small uncial or capital letters, in three columns, by the hand of expert scribes, and exhibits great care. There are no divisions of chapters or verses, or any other breaks, which were introduced in later manuscripts. The several books read like one continuous word, It contains both the Old Testament in the Septuagint version, and the New in the original Greek. The titles of the books are very brief: "According to Matthew," "To the Romans," etc. The title" saint" is not found in the oldest manuscripts. The apostles are simply called by their names, as in the text of the New Testament. The order of the' books varies from that of our New Testament, and is as follows: Matthew, Mark, Luke, J 01111, Acts, J ames, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 J 01111, J ude, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Hebrews till ix. H. It will be seen that the Gospels and Acts arc given in the order of our Bibles, but that the Catholic Epistles, so-called, precede those of Paul. The Pastoral Epistles to Timothy and

108

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

Arise, I'm Christ, men's elder Brother, The Brother Man of all mankind, Old things are passed away, another And better world have I designed.' Then as He spake, arose the chorus, More sweet to hear than e'en before, , Love's everywhere, around and o'er ns, Our God is Love whom we adore.' And then the gentle One departed, The sounds of singing fainter seemed, I 'woke, and I W:t8 heavy-hoarted , To find that I had only dreamed. W. H.

JULY,

1891.

a vision of the glory Of that glad day by seers foretold, When earth's despair shall be a story Too full of sorrow to unfold; I roamed through flowery paths of pleasure And heard the voice of harmless mirth, For every being had the leisure To share the countless joys of earth.
HAD

tl Scr"icc of Song.
NL Y the other day I met a man
whose face and words sent my mind travelling back over the space of years to a little mountain hotel in Tennessee. There had been an accident to engine, and consequently my cousin were journeying across the State, were unfortunates, in a village uncompromisin the hotel of which I speak.

--------

DOWDING.

I saw no prison, dark and dreary, For no man played the part of knave, Nor union, where the workers weary Sighed for their slum bel' in the grave. I met no soldier arm'd for slaughter, Ambition had no heights to win; No poor man's frail and fallen daughter Stood in the ~larket-place of sin. I saw no lord in splendid raiment, No starving outcast asked my aid, No factory slave for scanty payment The wealth of merchant princes made; No little ones with starving faces And tiny shoeless feet were seen; Each woman seemed to wear the graces Of earth's most fair and queenly queen: Each man looked strong and selfrelianb, And boldly walked 'neath heaven's dome, Erect, proud labour's stalwart giant, The owner of a happy home; And each one toiled, no drone or laggard 'I'he fruits of labour sought to share; No face looked woe-begone or haggard, For there was plenty and to spare. But as I srazed their toil was ended, Their clleerful transient tasks were done, Sweet sounds of melody ascended And they went singing everyone; Then upwards rose this joyous chorus, Such singing ue'er I heard before, Love's everywhere, around and o'er us, Our God is love, whom we adore.' I rested in a flowery dingle, And still the soul-full chorus soared, Until I heard my own voice mingle To praise the God thcy all adored. At length a stately form drew near me, More fair by far than e'en the rest, He spake in gentle tones to cheer me, 'Poor stranger, say, what is thy quest ?' , Thou art not one of this dominion, 'I'hou'rt like some thrall who lived of old, When foes of mine forged bond and pinion For slaves, and grovellers worshipp'd gold.' Then spake I, 'I'ruly say'st thou, Master, I came from that cursed realm.erenow, From famine, slavery, and disaster, But, noble stranger, who art thou? And where am I? Oh! am I dreaming? In this fair laud I'm fain to stay; Oh ! is it real, or but seeming? Hath woe and sorrow flown away?' Then, pityingly he gazed, repeating, 'vVanderer, thou'rt welcome. to remain, We greet thee with a loving greeting, For Love is lord of this domain ?'

the Agnes and I, who delayed, with other ingly desolate, and

I cannot undertake to describe the aspect of the little town, or the impression' it made on my impatient mind. I might say it seemed to be asleep, but that term would convey too much of an idea of re1-'ose and peace. Perhaps I may describe it as in a sort of drunken stupor, but with too little enterprise to be bad. The hotel partook of the character of the place. In the ill-smelling parlour,' to which my cousin and I betook ourselves, we found a sort of corpse of It carpet and some ancient furnitu re, among it a piano of an old style, sadly ou~ of tune. Where the other delayed passengers were I do not know. The only campanion we had in. that dismal place was an old lady, evidently a boarder there. Her dress was antiquated, but the wrinkled face which smiled from the depths of the large frilled cap was pleasant and refined, presenting, to my mind, the one relieving feature of the scene. Outside it rained. This did not appear to interfere in the least with the comfort of the loafers who smoked under the parlour' windows. AgnBs, for want of occupation, sat down to the piano, which was very hoarse and occasionally sneezed inwardly. I cannot say that 'Chopin's Waltzes' sounded very natural, but' Old Hundred,' which my cousin tried by way of contrast, appeared to give the old lady an idea. She, had been watching the player with admiring eyes, and now came oyer to the instrument and spoke:

'I was thinking, my dear,' she said, hesitatingly, 'that if you could sing a, little mite, just some old hymn or something, it would seem real good. Who knows but it might help them poor boys out there? They're most likely away from their homes and mothers, and it ain't probable they hear much good music-the Lord's music, you know.' Agnes looked at me inquiringly. I kissed His hands and feet, I loved Him, , It seems to me,' I replied in a low tone, 'rather an odd My tears bedewed the flower-strewn sod, My worship and my passion moved Him, idea. I can't say that I should like your singing in such a 'I'm Christ,' He said, 'The Son of God; place as this.' Doubtless my nose involuntarily showed my This appeared ill the Mt1ynumber for 1888, but is inserted again by disapproval of our surroundings, as noses will. req nest of Sydney friends.

JULY,

1891.

THE EIBLE STANDARD.

109

My cousin looked thoughtful. 'But, Ralph,' she said, , if this is one of those little opportunites for service, such as we were speaking of last night, would it not be the right thing to do.' 'My dear cousin,' I replied, '1 do not see any probability of our doing helpfu( work by singing in this place, but do as YOil think best. No doubt the old lady will enjoy it.' "Von't you sing with us T said Agnes, turning and speaking to her, with the deference she would have shown to a queen. 'My cousin and 1 will be glad to sing a little.' , Dear child!' said the old lady. ' 1 haven't no voice for music now. It was used up long ago. When 1 was young like you, they used to say 1sung in the choir like a bird. But my old voice is almost through its work here. I'd love to listen to you, though.' My cousin turned around, the tears in her bright eyes. Did she see tile vision which passed before me-a church of, the olden time, with lofty pulpit and high backed pews, a solemn minister, an attentive congregation, a choir of young singcrs in the simple garb of long ago, their sweet voices pealing forth the Psalms of David, their happy 'hearts in tune,' like his 'harp of solemn sound l' Did they consider the we'll'y years, the white hail', the dimness of sight awaiting them 7 1 think not, for they sang:
/

face and words sent my thoughts back to that time and place. He was an evangelist, and a remarkable singer, He had just been singing, with wonderful power, this very hymn. 'I well remember,' he said, turning to us, who were standing near him, 'the first time I heard that hymn. It was in a miserable little hotel in Tennessee, where I had been squandering my substance-a real prodigal son There came one afternoon into the building a little company of people, who had been delayed in that forlorn place by a railway accident, and one or two of them began singing around the piano. The lady's voice I shall never forget. She sang one of my mother's old hymns, and then this one, " Come Home." Wherever I went the next few days, I seemed to heal' that voice, saying, "Come home!" And the end of it was, I came.' , Not the end, sir,' 1 said, reaching out myhand. 'How often we drop our little pebbles of service into the stream, and know not where the widening circles reach !' Then I told him of the singers of that afternoon, and the only earthly one whom he had to thank--that dear .old lady with the crown of snowy hair ! I hardly think we often find two such links i!l the mixed chain of our experiences. God be thanked that sometimes we may see the 'working together for good' of the plans of the only wise One. - H. M. ALDEN, in Congregationalist.

Jerusalem, lily happy home, Name ever dear to me. And my vision vanished, fur Agnes was singing

it now,

and the wrinkled face was smiling at us, and the old lips were 11I0\'ing with the old words, for the home had only come nearer through the ad vancing years! I have never heard my cousin sing as she did that dismal afternoon. The crowd at the windows Inid aside their pipes and looked and listened. We sang together many familiar hymns of imitation and Christian thought, and Agnes sang alone the one beginuing :

'JUfe V. lDeatb, or llij'lOl'5e.

To THE EDlTOIt
OF THE BIBLl<1 STANDARD.

Sm,-Let there be light, thongh it casts me in the shade, is the language and centralthought of every lover of truth One of the most prolific sources of confusion, re Bible teaching is that not one in a thousand seem to discriminate between God's conditional and purely unconditional proSoftly and tenderly Jesus is calling, mises, applicable to the world at large. God's unconditional Calling for :you and tor me; promises, of a logical necessity, encircle all promises of a Sec, on the portals He's waiting and watching, merely conditional character, or the very idea of infinite Watching for you and for me ! wisdom must be at once set aside. The first unconditional Then came the refrain: promise was that' the seed of the woman should bruise the Come home! come home! Ye who 11.1'0 weary, come home ? serpent's head.' And on that was based another of the Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, 0 sinner, come home! same universal character, viz., 'In thee and in thy seed 1 confess 1 looked with surprise on the interest manifested shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' These glorious among the group at the window. As the last sweet strain , trig pegs' of trnth have determined the true measure and died away, I noticed one young man, with a face better value of the heart-cheering and God-inspired thought than most of those there; rub his rough hand quickly across evolved out of them, viz., that all the earth shall yet make his eyes. Almost immediately afterward the clerk of the a joyful noise of praise unto J ehovah. Yea, .all things hotel brought us the welcome news that the engine had created, in heaven and on earth, etc., shall yet join in that been repaired, and that our train would start at once. The song of universal praise to God and the Lamb, when he old lady followed us to the door with tears of pleasure in' shall have claimed the title deeds of humanity (Rev. v . 13), And though there is not a man created who can conceive her eyes. 'You have done me good!' she exclaimed. language more comprehensive, or that can describe a wider circle, yet the victims of hell and endless destruction are 'And you have done 'Us good!' Agnes replied quickly. Thank God, these victims are hut 'Good-bye, grandma,' 1 said, and bent willingly to kiss found outside of it, myths, such as have never been created, and the brow crowned with whitened hair. I never saw her heathenish conse.quently have lIO place in heaven, or on earth.-I am, again.

1said in the beginning

that

I recently

met a man, whose

etc.,

T, FOlWYCE, Parnell.

110

THE BIBLE STAND.-UtD.

JULY, 1891.

No. 2 (Second Series). ' SCRIPTURE ACROSTIC.

OlVIPETITORS must be under eighteen years of age. It will be understood. that the answers sent arc the entire roorl: of the children.
HINTS.

Begin with the present set. Do not write the questions, but send the ansu:e1'S numbered to correspond. with the questions, and state u.lccre you fourul them. 'Yl'ite in ink. See that yom note contains name and address, and reaches me not later than the 18th of the month. Competitors in the South must post by the 18th. Do not keep back, though you cannot
THE

solve every question.

OF THE
SKI'.

APOSTLE

GENTILE.

SEYENTH

Paul in Antioclc i,trisidia.-Actf<

1. Where does Peter use similar language

x iii.
to that used hy Paul

in verse 27? 2. \Vhere does Pilate sav that Jesus was innocent? 3. l\lention three ~assag~s in the New Testament is called the Only Begotten Son. 4. In the Epistle to the Romans Paul says that

1. THIS sacrifice was offered at His birth. Who lived despised ami POOl', upon the earth. 2. Calling the wise men (for he greatly feared), lIe asked of them what time the star appeared. 3. Warned by an angel, thither .Ioseph went, Ere the dark hours of night were fully spent, 4. He slept, and God, in pity and inlove, Gave hJIl1, in this, a glimpse of Heaven above, 5. The tribe of one who served God night and day, And in the temple lovedto wntch and pray. 6. Take it upon you in your Saviour's might; In youth 'tis easy, and 'tis rest at night. 7. Men saw its light at heaven's eastern gate; It passed before them, and their joy was great, 8. In hnste 'twas eaten, wir h the staff in hand, For Israel's children sought a better land. 9. Her little ones as Christian martyrs slept, She knew not, and refusing comfort" wept. 10. The prophecy, a virgin shall conceive, Will tell the name which she her sou should gi\'e. 11. "I'wa.s here in wisdom and in stature too, And grace with God and man, QUI' Saviour g:'ew. 12. The l,lacc where Christ bade His disciples stay, \Yhilst lIe should leave them for a, time to pray.

The initials
where Jesus

gi ve the answer ..

Jesus

will never

die again. Ftnd the passage. 5. In the Gospels where is Jesus called the Holy One? 6. Where does Peter gi\'e Him the same title? 7. Gi\'c an instance in the Gospels of Jesus forgiving sin. 8. In another town there is given the name of a woman who was converted by Paul's proachiug. 'Yhere is this found? 9. .What. is the meaning of coasts in verse 50 ? 10. What, command of Jesus did Paul and Barnabas obey when they shoo!" ofl the dust of their feet? (see verse 51.)

Through God's grent mercy, in sin 's bluckest night, It came from heaven, to give HiR people light; To bid our fears in death's dark shadows cease, Guiding our feet into the way of peace.

State chapters and verses for each, consecu ti vely, from 1 to I::!. Post your answers to 1\1[' Falkner, Karangahape Road, Auckland.

"

ANSWERS

TO THE

SIXTH

SET.

1. On the west coast of Cyprus

(see map).

2. Sorcerer (Acts xiii. 8). 3. Acts X\. 38. 4. Perqa was the chief city in Pamphylin, a district of Asia Minor, Antioch. in Pisidia was the chief city in Pisidia, a, district lying north of Pamphylia (see map). 5. Luke x x iv, 44. 6. The first five books of the Dictionary). 7. Iconium (Acts xiv. 1);

Old

Testament (xvii, 1);

(see Berea

Bible (xvii.

'I'hessalonica

10); Athens (x vii. 17). 8. Simeon, .Iudah, Benjamin, Isaachar, Zebulon, Asher, Naphthall 9. 2 Sam. vii, 8. 10. Matt, i. 1; ix. 27.

Dan, Ephraim, (see map).

Mannsseh,

SCHOLAHS' AND TEACHEHS' INDUSTRIAL EXmBITION. THE Auckland Sunday School-as by this time, no doubt.many of our readers arc aware=-intcnds, in conjunction with the Dunedin and Thames schools, and, it is hoped, other schools, holding an Industrial and Art Exhibition in September. As the time flies so quickly, this is inserted for the benefit (If those parents who have children competing, 01' may compete, to remind them to use their best indcavours to stimulate the children, especially the younger ones, to whom the date fixed seems, perhaps, such a long "'ay off.JOHN HENDELL, Secretary. AUCKLAND.-The great event of the month has been the celebmtion of our eleventh anniversary. This took place on Wednesday evening, June 24. A goodly number sat down to a bountiful tea, provided by the sisters. At the after meeting, presided over by Bro. Aldridge, there was [t good attcndance. The addresses delivered by the brctln en were able, and much appreciated. In his opening remarks the Chairman referred briefly to the history of the Church. during its existence as a separate assembly, and noted that we were nearer to union with others than ever, and that this had come about, not by a lessening of our advocacy of Life in Christ doctrine, or because we hat! changed in our opinion concerning other believers, but it had been accomplished by the dying down of the rancour with which the doctrines had been opposed. He noted that he had almost completed a seven years' apprenticeship with the Church, and

RESULTS. - Nine C01'l'CCt.' Louis Falkner, Ernest AId ridge. Ei,qht and part of 4 and 7: 'V. E. .Iud k ins, Eight ud part of7: .J. Helen, J. Brewstcr, Sydney H. Smith. Eigld.' E\'a Le Roy. SCIJen and part of 8: Wifliaru Norries. Sccen. and P((1't of 7 : B~tha Aldridge, .Iamos J. French. Secen : Florence Steadman. Wc note a, slight falling off' in the number of answers sent in. We beg our young friends not to be discouraged. The effort to supply answers to the quextions put will result in great good. Try and solve all you can.

-1

JULY,

1891.

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

111

spoke in high tenus of the prayeiful help and sympathy that had always been accorded to him. Bro. J. M. French next addressed the meeting, carrying the sympathies of his hearers with him as he spoke upon Ctuirch. Li:fe-He said that a Church without life is a dead Church. May it never be said of us that we are a dead Church, or that anyone of us is a dead member of a living Church. As, a Church we shall continue to main bin the truth of Life iu Christ Jesus. \Vherever there is a Christian Church there is the visible syml.ol of the manifcstntion of God's wondrous love, for therein are thosc who have responded to the call, and are believers iu the Lord Jesns, and are thereby children of God, called to witness for Him anrl His love. Can we spend our lives to grander purposc than this? Church life is a love lifc, or a life of love, -Some are fond of reading 10\'c stories; the best book to read, containing the most \\'(~ndcrfullol-e ~to'ies, .the book wl~ich gives th~ highest and noblest Idea of.lo,:e, IS tl~e Bible. LO"e IS known hy ~ts mal1lfe~ta~Ion; so. also IS hIe. LIfe means progress; deat}, IS stagnation. _1I1 the Bible ,\e have not only the truest ?OnceptlOn .of love, hut also of life, The grm.ld scheme of r~delllptLO.n puts. this before us. As looking for ~he I~fe, Illay \I"~ give l1lalllfe:~tatlOn. o~, the love ~h.at B 111 us. If J o I?'.e me, do not tn I k of IOV111",but act, ke,ep ~I.IY cOll:llIarl(~'~lent".. ... ., _ ,'. _ Cl1II1(,/i UIlW~I-:-~.O._ .\V:I1cox said t1H~t ?h,I~Jch Um?n scorned t~ be the pl el atlll1e;. t~,PlC J.u,t .now,. and It ~eel'Jed to h.III~_that ~t ',a: .act.ually tl:,~",!n" nearer '. _~m at a lec?nt .nlCetll1~ of I, y llc .che.ls IJeloll::;III" .. to th~, d~nelellt dcnolllll::,tlOns t\\O_ of ou~ 1H)1Il1 bad been i-lIltll,Y I c;ce" cil, a~d hail SInc: occupied, ~el by appoint ment, two ,Pulpits 111 Wesleyan clnuclrcs. He would welcome qhurch '~l.ll?n, but \Ie_wa~ no~ sanguine cnougl.l to CXl?Cct :' 1lI.llforI1l1~Yof reugrous bch?t ,tl~IS side t.be, resu:rectlOn. N.ay~ l~ "olllt~ plO~_mbl.y Le a calall~lt) ~ If there were onl~ .one denon~II~:"-) tion, for, as lt was, mel~ of th.IlClc.nt tel1l1?e,al1le~lt~ could" orshij wh~rc the modo of serv~cc be~t SUIted their \"arymg ~elllpera'IlCnts. A Sal\'atLOII Army soltllP\ might fe~l, <.lIlt of .place 1lI the stately ~en:lCc .of}hc Cb~l,rdl of I~ngl~nd. ,I his he nc\Yed. as one. of the ledeeml~'o f aLUlc~ of wk~.t:: as ~nGou.bt~dly a~ e'.ll. It,~ ould be a plOul.~';l to soh e, to In lll" to::eth~1 the vnrious denom~nahons th::t tuink themselves the .ollly t:ue.Clnnch: As an approach to 111110n,there should be a kind Iy feeling cultivated one towards the other. There might be enmlation, but only that which sought to do thc most good. For the first years of its existence this Church was watched most critically. Somc said, 'It will seed of!" ; others said, , Wait and see what fruit it hears.' Hc believed that the results had been at least equal to those flowing from the labours of others, and this is being recognised. True union might be secured by the recognition of great principles, held in common by all, as in the sentence from .l ames as.to the nature of 'pure and undefiled religion,' and in the great annunciation of Paul, 'If thou shalt confess wit h thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hnth raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' Union on t hesc ant! similar gmnd principles, held, as they arc, in common by all, would enable the Church to present ono unbroken front to the world. Hey. H. J. Lewis, Congrcnutionalist, was the next speaker, and was received with a hearty ovation. We print a summary of his address elsewhere. _ A Iietrospect-s-B:o. E. H. Tay lor gave cc retrospect covering the past nine. and a half years of his residence in the colony. When he first met the Church in Auckland, lie had expressed the hope that thc time would never come when he would regret the step taken in coming to the colony, ant! it has not yet come. Nay, he could rejoice that, he came. Now we are looking forward to sec our work carried through the length and breadth of these colonies, with an intensity and a zeal that will show that we believe in what we are preaching. It is becoming 1II0re and more important that we look at Christ. He must be placed before all doctrines and tenets, We mnst look across everything that we may see Him. If perfect love only ruled in the hearts of His people, however different their exteriors or their the'ological views, being permeated by the one di vine love, they would be drawn nearer to eachother, Ilro, Taylor enforced his ideas by several apt illnstrations, which clearly conveyed the ideas he desired to enforce. Interspersed with the addresses were some beautiful anthems, sung by thc choir. \Ve itaI'll neyer been favoured with more appropriate music, and it was rendercd in a creditablc manncr. Thc mecting ,,-as brought- to a elose hy thc singing of the :loxology. \Ve separatcd feelin& that this annivcrsary had hrought us closer together, and had helped to draw closcr t,he bonds which kniv liS to all who lovc the Mastcr. TUAMEs.--\Ve have much to he gmtcflll for during the past, two months. Our morning mcotings have becn seasons of great blessing. B1'O. Taylor has been giving IlS a series of morning addresses on the first chapter of GeneBis. These ha"e proved profitable for our growth in knowledge. Our Sunday School is in a very good condition. \Ve intend sending a yery respectable

parcel of goods to the Industrial Exhibition, made byour scholars. The average attendance is something over the hundred, and we are hoping for greater things still. Our Sunday -evening services have been exceedingly well attended of late, and we are all in a very hopeful state of mind as to the results. We have every faith that God will be manifested through His preached word. Bro, Taylor has been givin~ us a series of lectures recently, which has refreshed our mind, and brought many new -friends to hear our foundation truths. The ninth anniversary of Oil!' Church will be held on July 8. \\~e shall be exceedingly pleased for any of the Auckland friends to. visit us on Lids occasion, and if they will drop a postcard saying they are coming, we will endenvour to find accommodntion for the four days, from Saturday to Tuesday. Address=,E. H. Taylor, Parawai 1'.0., Thames,' HIKUTAI.\.-This settlement has been visited ill the usual course, and addresses delivei cd by Bro. E. H. Taylor. w have had frnit here; we hope for more. May the LO!-d of the Hnrvest send His blessing upon thc people, and lead them to obey the Gospel commands in the waters of baptism. DUNEDIN--The interest manifested in Church work here is very gratifying, and will assuredly result in good, alike to the worker and the ohjeot sought to be benefited. In this Bro. Carr is wisely encouraging the brethren, following lip the apostles' teaching, to 'work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.' Our Bro. Rowlandson has been taking advantage of the opportunities afforded him (being at work in t ho country districts) of preaching the message of Lifc only in Christ both in cottage and hall; and in view of the Sund.ay School allni"er~~ry next month, Bro. Laurence has the children busy prepanng recitation, song, and dialogue for that event. ln addition, it ~s suggested to have an exhibition of ,,"ork?f various kinds, which the young people arc taking up "ery he art ily. The preachinn' services have obtained a hold on many attendinz them and indced, thc lucid manner in which subjects of discour;e are t,~cateti are calculated to inform the mind as well as convert thc heart, and, aboveall, to give glory to God. 'Vc sincerely pray the Lord will encourage 0111' efforts by many additions to the saved, and that those already His may be led to abandon the thought of eternal misery and uphold the teuchinu of the \Yord that God is L' 0 ove.. . II'IELIlOURNE.-From a pri vate letter wc learn that the B::ptlst cause, commenced at Can.'be]'\vcll by ~he brcthn;n who resigned f~-om the Ha~vthorn Baptist Church! I~ I'ro}l:essl~g fayoUl:ably. SO~1C correspondence has appeared III the T u;t01'!(W Baptist, III wInch the pastor a~l(l de?-con~ of the Ha" thorn m~ke the attempt to .show ~hat the~r. act.ion III try~ng to force SIlence upon t!le believers HI Condit ioual ~lllm02:tahty was but right. The replies to this arc "ery moderate III .tone,. and cloai ly ~h.ow t hat there ,,"::s n~ other course ol,en but rC,?lgnatlOn, for a ?Ontlllllccl membership ~\'lth the ban of .silenec rcstl,ng. upon them HI regard to the most important teaclnu~~ of the .Scl'lP.tnre, would have been to purcha~e rcs~ too _.dearly. \\ c hearbily W1sl\ our brethren eve~-y. snccess. III ~hell' effort to wo,l'k for the ~alvatlOn of men and their instruction 111the' ways of God to men. ---

current mew; ano mote;.

THE Russian Government is strongly opposed to the Salvation Army. One excuse given for the persecution of the Jews in Russia is to the effect that, at the rate of increase of the Jewish families, compared with the increase of Russians proper, the Empire, in the course of a few generations, would be mainly -Iewish, and the orthodox subjects of the Czar would be in a hopeless minority. This is wonderfully like the plea which was put forth for persecution by the Pharoah of Exodus i. Henry M. Stanley is reported as saying that there is no need- of further exploration of Africa. 'Progress will do all of that. In 1894 a railroad will be completed, running from the ocean to the lowest cataract, a distance of 240 miles. That will open up 8,000 miles of navigable waters, which means 16,000 miles of river banks, on which will be locatcd towns and villages and llIany industries, and the natmal grm\"th of the country under these conditions will do away with any need for further explorations.' The many friends of the Re". G. C. Grubb, M.A., and all interested in foreign missions, will be glad to hear that a book entitled' What God hath 'Vrought' is now in the press, giving a detniled account of llis late mission tom through Ceylon, South India, Australia, New Zealand, and Cape Colony. Messrs. E. Marlborough and Co., London, are the publishers, and the volume is expected in May. About fifty pages are devotcd to New Zealand, including Nelson, Auckland, Walmpuaka, \Vestport, Blenheirn, Ngatimoti, Pieton, -Wellington, Napier, etc.

112
BOOKS!
KARA:NGii-iA'PE

THE BIBLE STANDAH,D.

BOOKS!
ROA

JULY,

1891.,

BOOKS!I
FALKNER, A UCKLAN

'[be :f13ibleStanbarb.
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