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Signs of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 6.

General Articles
Earlier text: General Articles

An Appeal for the Study of the Hebrew Scriptures.

By Editor

[THE following tribute to the value of the Old Testament, we extract from an address by Prof. W. H. Woolery (Disciple), delivered before the Adelphian Society of Bethany College, West Virginia, Dec. 13, 1884, and printed in the Christian Standard (Disciple), January 10, 1885. We agree with the editor of the Standard that it "deserves attention, not merely as a plea for the study of Hebrew, but for its manly advocacy of the Old Testament Scriptures as essential to a proper understanding of the New." In view of the fact that in the last quarter of a century there has been no more bitter opponents of the Old Testament than the Disciple Church, it is a "manly advocacy of the Old Testament Scriptures." And because of this, and because of the endorsement of the leading paper of the denomination, we think it deserves particular attention, and we are glad to publish from this source such statements as, "The ten commandments are nuggets of gold," etc. We commend to all, and especially to the members of the Disciple Church, the careful perusal of the address. A. T. J.]
The careful, critical study of the Old Testament is fast becoming the most fascinating study in the theological seminaries of America. And now I raise the question, What are we doing to encourage the study of this noble language? Are we content to know God's word at second hand? If there is a preacher in the land not yet past the age for learning language, who cannot read the Bible in the language in which it was written, and is making no effort to learn it, ought he not to be ashamed of himself? Is not the woful ignorance of the Old Testament largely due to the extreme ground as to the nature and obligation of that part of the Bible, taken by our people in the beginning of our movement? Does not this whole subject of the relation of the two Testaments need a new treatment for our own people? Believing that the neglect of the Old Testament is fraught with mischievous consequences, I make this appeal to you to study the Hebrew Scriptures.
1. Because it brings the student to consider a race whose traits of character are more fixed and permanent and staid than those of any other enlightened people. The Hebrew is the best stock in the world. No other race of people would or could have preserved its identity under such tremendous calamities. Bishop McIlvaine said that if a gallon of fresh water be sprinkled in mid-ocean, and the several drops should retain their freshness for a thousand years, it would be no more wonderful than what we see in the history of the Jews. These people are not seen in our police courts, not among our beggars, not in our asylums supported at the public expense, not usually our saloon-keepers, not ring-leaders of our mobs; always peaceable, intensely religious, independent, and learned, they were chosen by the Lord to reveal his religion. And with their persistency of character they unite sufficient progress to keep them abreast of the times. It matters not whether one look at Moses, the world's great lawgiver; at Paul, Christ's greatest apostle; Maimonides, the greatest light of the middle ages; Lord Beaconsfield, one of England's greatest of recent statesmen; Montefiore, the great philanthropist; Neander, the greatest church historian, or Delitzsch, one of Germany's greatest educators—they are all of such learning and character as entitle them to be leaders of the thought of their respective ages.
2. Study the Hebrew Scriptures because of the prominence therein given to the theory of the State. The Old Testament is full of political economy. Moses is the lawgiver for all time and for all countries. The ten commandments are nuggets of gold. Moral philosophy is the ground of prosperity. "Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord." There can be no higher generalization of wisdom set before a State of to-day than this: "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a curse to any people." Every relation is provided for, king and subject, husband and wife, parent and child, master and slave, priest and layman. In a broad and sweeping generalization Jesus declares that the essence of the law under which they were bound together in the State, was that "whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." On this hang the law and the prophets. This grand statement of Jesus stands squarely opposed to nearly all the current conceptions of the Old Testament.
It was a favorite saying of Wendell Phillips that a nation's rank in true civilization, and its sense of justice and fair dealing, could be more readily ascertained from the treatment of its women than from any other source. Tested by this standard, how do the Jews compare with the Persians, the Greeks, and the Latins? The briefest comparison cannot result otherwise than in favor of the Jews. When it is remembered that Grecian women were mere slaves, living in the rear of the house (in the gynæconitis), seeing no men face to face except their husbands and immediate friends, heavily veiled whenever they went out, not privileged to speak to men, with no education, only a house-keeping drudge, some idea may be had of their degradation, and of the one-sidedness of Greek civilization.
Aristotle says about woman, "If she has a will, it is a will without rights; and if she have virtues, they are kindred to those of slaves." Sophocles says, "Silence is an adornment to any woman." Euripides declares that "silence and discretion are most beautiful in woman, and remaining quiet in the house." At Rome, Cato expressed himself as follows: "All women are plaguy and proud, and were men free of women their lives would be less godless." Mommsen says marriage was long regarded as an oppressive public burden, while Gibbon declares that "the husband exercised the jurisdiction of life and death." In a word, neither Persians, Greeks, nor Romans knew anything of the relations of modern society in which the sexes mutually encourage each other. In refreshing contrast with all this, the Hebrew women enjoyed very much greater privileges. Our women of to-day owe it to the triumph of Hebrew principles of political economy that they are not slaves in harems like the women of Turkey. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
3. Study the Hebrew language for the intrinsic value of its literature. It may seem to some that we should always read the Bible with a religious purpose. I say nothing against the reading of that book for its religious ideas, yet I think one misses a great deal unless it also be read as literature. Our great scholars have been so much taken up with questions of authorship, date, place, various readings, and doctrinal exposition, that the literary side of the Bible has been ignored. The Old Testament is rich in nearly every variety and style of writing. If one wishes to study the oration it would be difficult to find better specimens of eloquence than are contained in the great speeches of Moses in Deuteronomy, Judah's plea for Benjamin, Joshua's dying charge, Jotham's satirical invective, Elijah's irony directed against the priests of Baal, and Samuel's denunciation of King Saul.
In poetry the Bible has nearly everything that can make glad the heart of man. Its very prose is full of passion, and has its rhythms and its tone-colors like verse. I think of all ancient poetry the Hebrew has the stateless grandeur, the greatest depth of feeling—"the thrill of joy, the glow of emotion." It has the majesty of divine power, the beauty of holiness. And if true eloquence be, as Cicero says, the continuous motion of the mind, then some of the lyrics of the Old Testament, as, for example, the forty-second psalm, are the most eloquent specimens of writing in the world.
4. Study the Hebrew Scriptures for their clear revelation of the being and character of God. During the present generation a new philosophy has come in with evolution, and seeks to explain the continuance and government of the world by the agency of natural forces. Conservation of energy, equilibrium of forces, and natural selection, are semi-deities, and, like the old Greek gods, divide the heavens and earth among themselves. The extreme scientists have ruled out a personal God, and have installed in his place impersonal force.
Science may talk in a learned way about the planets held in their orbits by the power of gravitation; but what is gravitation? The best philosophical explanation of the force, motion, and evolution in the world is to ascribe all the phenomena of nature to laws that originate in will-power. This carries the idea of causality outside of matter. And to unitize the phenomena of nature requires one will, one force. It remains to say that will is the highest endowment of an intelligent, conscious, rational person. The will of this person is the law of the universe, the ground of all certitude, the ultimate of all thought. This person is God. His will-power acts in the physical universe, not by impressing matter at its creation with certain powers, for matter could neither receive or retain them, but acts immediately and continuously.
This view makes the world the outward expression of God's thought, and science the discovery of the will of God, called laws of nature. Every devout scientist, then, as he discovers these laws, can exclaim with Kepler, "O God, I think thy thoughts after thee!" Now I have no hesitation in saying that this doctrine of the divine immanence in the world finds its best statement and illustration, and its greatest emphasis in the Old Testament. It even goes further, and adds the moral element for which science has no room.
5. Study the Hebrew language in order to understand the New Testament. The New Testament cannot be understood as it ought to be understood by a preacher without a study of Hebrew. This alone ought to determine a preacher to learn this language. The body of the New Testament is Greek, but the soul is Hebrew. Jesus was a Jew. His first disciples were Jews. And whether it be possible to tell what language they used—Latin or Greek brought in by the conquerors of Palestine, or Syriac, or late Hebrew—it is certain beyond controversy that the thought, the coloring, is derived from the Old Testament.
The New Testament is, beyond all other books, a related book, referring to the habits and customs of the people, the geography of the land, their political relations, their government, the fulfillment of prophecy, the philosophy, morals, and religion of the Old Testament, so that he who reads the New Testament alone will not understand even it. The New Testament is a historic outgrowth, and it would be just as sensible to explain the nature of a mirror without saying a word about the amalgam on its back as to expound the New Testament severed from the Old. All the leading doctrines, such as sin, repentance, regeneration, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, righteousness, a divine Redeemer, the divine being and character of God, are Old Testament ideas. Augustine expressed the whole truth long ago:— "In vetero Testamento Novum latet, In novo Testamento Vetus patet." In the Old Testament the New is concealed; In the New Testament the Old is revealed. If we want to understand the early history of the people which has given religion to more than half the globe; if we wish to understand God's dealings with the human race through three thousand years; if we want to keep our theology biblical; if we wish to train up our children in the way they should go; if we want to trace the development of doctrine; if we desire to drink from the pure crystal fountain of all literature; if we would understand the New Testament; if we would know the source from which all modern bards have drawn their poetic fire; if we would have our souls led out in good-will to our fellow-men, and upward in gratitude to God; if we would have the historian bear us back to ages so remote that gray tradition cannot recollect them, and the prophet draw aside the curtain of the future, while thunders shake the darkness, and streaks of glory issue through the fringe of fire, and we behold the dazzling grandeur of the throne of God,—read and study the Hebrew Bible.

God as a Helper.

By W. N. Glenn

A HELPER is one who aids, or assists; so says Webster. In no sense can a helper be deemed the principal actor in any labor or transaction. He may accomplish the greater part of the work, even devising the plan, and bearing the bulk of the burden, but he is not therefore the responsible party. An individual may fail in an undertaking through his own neglect or mistake, though his helpers be ever so faithful and efficient. The one who expects the reward due to success is the one who must suffer the consequence in case of failure. Suppose a contractor should say to a mechanic, I expect you to do all of the work on this contract, furnish all the means, and assume all the responsibility; but I will take the profits. The answer would most likely be, That's not business.
God is a helper. Notwithstanding the great fact that all things were created by him, and for his pleasure, he has condescended to be a helper of fallen man. "Behold, God is my helper." Ps. 54:4. "He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper." Ps. 72:12. "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Heb. 13:6. But in his capacity as helper of man's weakness, the Lord does not assume man's responsibility, nor does he essay to do all of man's work. Were he to do so, he would no longer be a helper; he would then become the principal party, and under obligation to complete the work of man's salvation, whether the latter did anything for himself or not.
We often find professed Christians disposed to throw all responsibility upon the Lord, claiming that they have nothing more to do after believing on Christ. Because he is so willing to help, they expect him to do it all. This disposition is especially manifested by a certain class who apply the principle to the observance of the moral law. They admit that the law is proper and binding, but claim that Christ "fulfilled" it for us, and that we should not trouble ourselves at all about it.
In the ordinary affairs of life, when one calls upon another for help, the supposition is that he expects to do something himself. And it is thus that the Lord helps the sinner to "work out" the salvation which has been in mercy provided for him. It would seem like folly for a parent to practice commanding his children, and immediately doing, himself, the things commanded; yet it would be an act of pity and encouragement, to lend a helping hand if he saw a child struggling against difficulty to obey a command. So our heavenly Father pities and helps them that call upon him. "As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust." Ps. 103:13, 14.
The penitent sinner implores and receives help to exercise faith in Christ, by which he gains "remission of sins that are past." Rom. 3:25. Then, as he goes forward in the endeavor to "sin no more," he finds his own strength inadequate to keep the law against the lusts of the flesh and the wiles of the adversary (see Rom. 7:23, 24); so he cries again and again to the Lord, and finds "a very present help in time of trouble." Ps. 46:1.
The Saviour has assured his disciples, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20); but he has nowhere said, I will do your duty for you. See Matt. 7:21. In his infinite pity, our heavenly Father will help us to believe in the Son (John 6:44, 63); will help us to obey, and help us in the exercise of every Christian grace; but he gives no assurance that he will wholly assume our part of the work if we voluntarily abandon it.
An earthly ruler would be deemed a fanatic or a lunatic, should he enact laws and expect only himself to obey them, without requiring obedience at the hands of his subjects. Nor does the Governor of the universe play at government in any such imbecile manner. His commands are imperative, but his assistance is ever ready and effective for such as strive for the mastery in a lawful manner, and "call upon him while he is near." He was our substitute once, when he suffered the penalty of our sins; but in fulfilling the law he was not a substitute, but an example.
It is sheer presumption to expect help from Heaven in advance of earnest personal effort, accompanied by humble, faithful petition. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:16.

What Shall the Harvest Be?

By William Covert

If mankind are to reap that which they sow, and all seed sown produces its kind, we may certainly expect a bountiful crop of tares in the near future. This conclusion is reached by the aid of knowledge obtained relative to what the people read. It is truthfully said that persons are known by the company that they keep, and it is also true that they may be known by the books that they read, and the papers that they take.
A short time ago I adopted measures for finding out the kind of literature that is in demand in a city of about three thousand inhabitants, in which there are seven churches; and also learned that what is true of this city may be said of nearly every city, large or small, in the State. I inquired at the book stores, and to my astonishment could not find any religious books on their shelves. The proprietor of the oldest establishment of the kind in the place, said that he had once purchased a stock of that kind of literature and had to sell it out at half price, to make room for that grade of reading which the people would buy.
The testimony of an individual who had kept a circulating library of seven hundred volumes, was also taken, as such a medium would give a sure index to the minds and tastes of the reading public. The keeper of this library is an earnest professor of the Christian religion, and did what he could to circulate religious books, and kept in stock a good assortment of what he considered good and entertaining works. Yet with all his endeavors to circulate those volumes they would lie unread. Nearly every one was in appearance new and unsoiled, with no signs of wear or use to indicate that they had ever been read, at the time he disposed of the whole stock and gave up the enterprise to follow more congenial business. While this class of books lay on his shelves unread, from two to four sets of novels had been literally worn out, so great had been the demand for such literature. His customers were those who are regarded as of the best people, in one of the leading cities in the country.
The proprietor of a book store who was asked if he would not purchase a few copies of a standard religious work, if he could get them very cheap, replied that cheapness would be no inducement, for he could not sell them at any price. These are grave facts that Christian workers and colporters have to meet everywhere.
Solomon, in speaking of the hypocrite, says, "As he thinketh in his heart so is he;" and our Saviour says that "an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil." So I suppose that when such a man goes to the store or library for a book, he calls with his mouth for that which his heart desires. In this way we have an unerring measure of the moral current that bears up the bark in which society is floating.
With such evident tokens by which to judge of the harvest, we feel that that which has made promise of wheat, will bring but little wheat into the garner, while the main crop will be bound in bundles only to be burned in a furnace of fire. WM. COVERT.

Enduring Reproof.

By Sunday School Times

THERE is perhaps no better test of a man's character than the way in which he bears himself under just reproof. Every man makes mistakes; every man commits faults; but not every man has the honesty and meekness to acknowledge his errors, and to welcome the criticisms which point them out to him. It is rarely difficult for us to find an excuse for our course, if it is an excuse we are looking for. It is, in fact, always easier to spring to an angry defense of ourselves, than to calmly acknowledge the justice of another's righteous condemnation of some wrong action of ours; but to refuse to adopt this latter course, when we know we are in the wrong, is to reveal to our better consciousness and often to the consciousness of others, an essential defect in our character.
That man is strong who dares to confess that he is weak; he is always tottering to a fall who needs to bolster up the weakness of his personality by all sorts of transparent shams. It is not in vain that Scripture says: "Reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge;" for one of the best evidences of the possession of that discreet self-government which stands at the basis of moral strength, and one of the best means of gaining it when it is lacking, is just this willingness to accept merited reproof, and to profit by it when accepted.—Sunday School Times.

The Old Gospel.

Everything which is best in the world is old. Sunshine is as old as the earth itself. The air is old, pouring its refreshing currents into our lungs and renewing our lives to-day as in all time past. The great arch of the heavens is old; it has not been taken down and built up again on modern brickwork since the creation. The doctrines of the gospel are old but full of motion—full of energy, as the river is full of movements—full of life-giving power, as the sunlight or the vital air. They are the doctrines out of which the missionary work sprang. They are the doctrines of Paul, that first great missionary. He had strong convictions. He did not doubt. He knew in whom he believed, and was persuaded that He was able to keep him and to save the world. And who is the successor of Paul? He who holds the same faith with him, and teaches it with the same earnest fidelity.—Sel.

Critics Who Do No Church Work

THERE are some professors who are always criticizing the members of the church who are working for Christ. They see the mistakes of others, and love to talk about them; but they make no mistakes themselves, because they do no church work, do not attend prayer-meeting, nor pray for the pastor, nor in any way encourage the active workers in the church.—Sel.

The Sabbath-School.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—MARCH 7.

Review.

  1. How many classes of people does the Bible recognize?
  2. When will the final separation between them take place?
  3. With what will the righteous be rewarded?
  4. What will be done with the wicked?
  5. What can you say of the comparative duration of the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked?
  6. What is to be the punishment of the wicked?
  7. What is the agent in the destruction of the wicked?
  8. How complete will be this destruction?
  9. To what perishable material are the wicked likened? Quote texts.
  10. What will be the effect of the wrath of God abiding on the wicked?
  11. How can you harmonize the theory that you have advanced with Mark 9:43?
  12. What is always accomplished by an unquenchable fire? Matt. 3:12.
  13. Prove that Rev. 20:10 does not contradict the doctrine that the wicked are to become utterly extinct.
  14. Of how many deaths does the Bible speak?
  15. Explain the distinction between the first and the second death.
  16. State the origin and effect of the doctrine that the wicked are not to die for their iniquity.
  17. What do you learn from Rev. 5:13?
ALTHOUGH the lesson this week is a review, we give a few notes for the aid of those who have not had the previous lessons. However, much people may imagine that there is provision made in the gospel for people who are "as good as the average," the fact remains that the Bible recognizes only two classes,—the good and the bad. "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil." Deut. 30:15. To be counted good, a person must keep all of God's commandments; to be among the bad requires the breaking of no more than one. "He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not together with me scattereth abroad." Matt. 12:30. In the battle of life there is no intermediate or neutral ground.
THIS is also evident from the account of the final separation. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Matt. 25:31-33. The succeeding verses plainly tell the character of these two classes. The first class are they who have served the Lord; love for him has sanctified every effort of their lives, and they have obeyed this exhortation of the apostle: "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Col. 3:17. The other class are they who have lived for self; even their deeds of kindness have been prompted by selfishness and love of applause, and so have been nothing but manifestations of the evil in their hearts. To the first class it is said: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matt. 25:34. To the other class it is said: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt. 25:41.
THE comparative duration of the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked is stated in Matt. 25:46. The Saviour closes his discourse with these words: "And these [the wicked] shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." If there were no other text relating to this question, we should know that death is to be the final portion of the wicked. If it were not so, then the promise of eternal life to the righteous would not indicate any difference in the fate of the two classes. But there is a contrast. The wicked shall go into punishment, but the righteous into life. No one who regards the Bible will say that both classes receive the same award; but it is certain that the righteous are to have life. Now anything that is different from life must be death, therefore the wicked receive the sentence of death, which is executed. To show that this conclusion is sound, we have only to quote Paul's words: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:23. The Saviour said that the punishment of the wicked and the life of the righteous are both to be eternal; therefore we know that eternal death,—death from which there is no resurrection,—is the wages of sin. Paul says (2 Thess. 1:7-9) that the wicked shall be punished with "everlasting destruction," when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire; and both John (Rev. 20:9) and Malachi (Mal. 4:1-3), and many others state this destruction is to be by fire.
FOR the completeness of the destruction of the wicked, we can only refer the reader to a few texts, which require no interpretation. See Ps. 1:1-4; 2:8, 9; 37:9, 10, 20, 38; Isa. 5:24; Obadiah 16; Mal. 4:1-3; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:9, etc. David says that if the wrath of God be kindled but a little, its effect will be to cause the wicked to "perish from the way" (Ps. 2:12); when therefore it abides on the wicked (John 3:36), they will be, as Obadiah has said, "as though they had not been." See Webster's definition of "perish."
IN Mark 9:43 the Saviour says that the wicked shall be cast into a fire that "never shall be quenched." This, instead of contradicting the above statements, is the strongest confirmation of them. The effect of an "unquenchable fire" is to "burn up" that which is cast into it (Matt. 3:12); if the wicked were cast into any other kind of fire, their destruction could not be complete. "Everlasting fire" is fire whose effects are everlasting; it is like that which destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude 7. This was unquenchable fire, and resulted in the overthrow of those cities; it turned them to ashes.
WE can only refer to the texts that answer question 13. See Ex. 21:1-6, where it is stated that under certain circumstances the Hebrew servant should serve his master "forever." Of course this meant during his natural life. So, likewise, "forever," in Rev. 20:10 and similar passages, covers only the space of time that it is possible for persons to exist in "unquenchable fire." See also Isaiah 34 and 35, where, after the land is described as burning and lying waste, so that none can pass through it "forever and ever," it is described as blossoming as the rose, and being inhabited by "the ransomed of the Lord."
THIS death of which we have been speaking is "the second death." Rev. 21:8. "In Adam all die," both righteous and wicked, old men and little children; and "so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. 15:22. Christ does this for all, because no one is to blame for being the descendant of Adam, and thus mortal. When all have been made alive, it will be seen who are worthy to have life continued to them, and those who have died in their iniquity shall die the second time. Eze. 18:26. This is the death to which God had reference when he said to Adam, "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." That penalty has never been executed; through the kindness of God in Christ, the execution of the penalty was stayed, in order to give fallen man another chance for his life. Christ tasted death for every man, and those who accept his sacrifice will escape the penalty for sin, but upon those who do not, it will fall grievously.
THE originator of the doctrine of life for the wicked, as we learn from Gen. 3:1-4, was the serpent, "which is the devil and Satan." Rev. 20:2. His object in teaching it to Eve was to lead her to sin. He made her believe that if she disobeyed God she would not suffer for it, but would be the gainer by it. It was a direct lie, and it had its designed effect. Ever since that time it has been repeated, and with the same result. Thus the Lord through his prophet rebukes those who "with lies" have made the heart of his people sad, and have "strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life." Eze. 13:22. Reader, do you wish to be found on the devil's side, perpetuating his falsehood? E. J. W.
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