"It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
"And ye shall be witnesses unto Me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth."
To human instrumentalities is committed the grand work in which angels would joyfully engage. To men is entrusted the high calling of preaching that Gospel wherein is inherent power to save sinners "to the uttermost," for God "hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as the God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
Men who are truly called to the work of saving their fellow men, are cooperating with the other agencies of the plan of salvation, for it is written that "we are laborers together with God."
"The office of an ambassador is one of the highest that can be filled by a citizen. He bears a message from the government—a message to which he may not add, and from which he must not subtract. His person is secured by the power of the nation; his words are the words of the nation. He represents in person the honor and dignity of the nation. The grander and stronger the government, the greater is the ambassador. What, then, must be an ambassador of Christ?"
Such an one is
"A man of God,
The Lord commissioned to make known to men,
The eternal counsels in his Master's name,
To treat with them of everlasting things;
Of life, death, bliss, and wo; to offer terms
Of pardon, grace, and peace, to the rebelled;
To teach the ignorant soul; to cheer the sad;
To bind, to loose with all authority;
To give the feeble strength, the hopeless hope;
To help the halting, and to lead the blind.
"Thus by Jehovah chosen and ordained,
To take into his charge the souls of men;
And for his trust to answer at the day
Of judgment—great plenipotent of heaven,
And representative of God on earth—
Burning with love to souls unquenchable.
"Such is his calling, his commission such;
Yet he is humble, kind, forgiving, meek,
Easy to be entreated, gracious, mild.
Deep-learned in the philosophy of heaven,
He searches the causes out of good and ill,
Profoundly calculating their effects,
Far past the bounds of time; and balancing,
In the arithmetic of future things,
The loss and profit of the soul to all eternity."
The true minister will not preach himself, but instead, "Christ Jesus the Lord," and the cross of Calvary, for, in the person of Christ, is found
the Most Magnetic Character
in all the universe, and in the revelation of the cross of Christ, the greatest manifestation of love, and thereby the most potent drawing power known to humanity, and conceivable even to Deity.
The always opportune message of the faithful minister is, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Every opportunity of lifting up the Saviour of men, and pointing to the "Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world," may be the last for some judgment-bound soul to hear, and prepare to meet his God. How watchful and earnest should the representative of Christ be, lest, at last, there be found upon his hands the blood of souls that will not wipe away.
His Holy Character.
Perhaps no better description has been penned of the characteristics of the faithful minister than the following inspired words: "Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known, as dying; and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." "For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God; or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him that died for them, and rose again."
It is essential in a minister of the word that he believe that which he speaks, as it is written, "I believed, and therefore have I spoken." How weak and inefficient must be the ministry of the one who lacks faith in the message which he delivers. A God-given message, delivered in the full assurance of faith, can not fail to bear fruit, for the record is that "My word . . . shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Another essential to successful ministry is that the saving and keeping power of the truth presented shall first have been experienced by the messenger.
"The teaching of Christ was the expression of an inwrought conviction and experience, and those who learn of Him become teachers after the divine order. The word of God spoken by one who is himself sanctified thru it has
"a Life-giving Power
that makes it attractive to the hearers, and convicts them that it is a living reality. When one has received the truth in the love of it, he will make this manifest in the persuasion of his manner and the tones of his voice."
The Minister's Charge.
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: PREACH THE WORD." Nothing else will suffice in the salvation of men, for it is by the incorruptible "word which liveth and abideth forever," that men are transformed in heart and life, and "born again."
How sad that the word is so seldom preached in these days, when the "old-fashioned method" that brought Pentecostal power, is abandoned for the sensational style which is more pleasing to the carnal heart, the worldly-minded. Are not the times upon us when "men will not endure sound doctrine," and have we not herein discovered the secret of a less degree of power than that which attended the preaching of the Gospel in former times?
The Author of the word says of it: "He that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. Is not My word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" The word of God is power in action, and will accomplish its purpose upon responsive hearts. The living word, delivered in demonstration of the Spirit and power, will bear fruit unto eternal life. Even law-students are advised to become familiar with the Scriptures to the end that, in practise, they may employ sacred quotations to emphasize their strongest appeals to human hearts. How much more essential that the professed messenger of God shall speak God's words, and how infinitely higher the motive and grander the results in the latter instance than in the former. In the one, an earthly case may be won, but in the other, a heavenly and eternal7victory for souls will be gained. Every Gospel worker should heed the injunction, "PREACH THE WORD."
There is possibility, however, of
# Handling "the Word Deceitfully,"
corrupting the same, and in wrestling the Scriptures to the destruction of the dishonest minister. It is always a matter of deep regret to the writer to hear certain scriptures employed to prove a position taken by the speaker, and to know that the quotations so used have no reference whatever to the question under consideration. Such pseudo argument, instead of fortifying the position of the speaker, only weakens his whole discourse. There are ample plain proof-texts to sustain every essential point of Christian doctrine. There is, therefore, no need of straining the Scriptures to bolster up even the truth, and the truth itself may appear weak and faulty if irrelevant scriptures are used in an abortive effort to sustain it.
The whole purpose of the ministry is well expressed by the inspired writer when he says, "I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."
The preaching of the word places in the hands of the heaven-sent minister
"the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,"
but does not give him dominion over the faith of others nor make him a lord over God's heritage. It gives no authority for popery. He should not usurp the place of God, nor seek to exercise authority in the realm of conscience, where God Himself will not intrude authoritatively, but only by the sweet and gentle voice of love and intercession of the Spirit.
"So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase," but "let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God."
While it is true that the minister of the Lord of hosts is the servant of the people, even as Christ "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister," yet it is a lamentable fact that in these days of sacrilegious sentiment, and loose convictions, the Lord's messengers are too lightly esteemed even by their flocks, for such should be held "in reputation," and they "who labor in word and doctrine" should be "counted worthy of double honor" (not worship), and should be esteemed "very highly in love for their work's sake," "for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief."
Who that scans these lines has not listened to the sound of the Gospel as proclaimed by the living messenger? Mayhap some have neglected heaven-sent opportunities of grace in sitting under the sound of the Gospel; but be assured that God has done His part in sending this agency of the plan of salvation, to succor you from a doom of eternal death. The Lord has called you. Have you refused the gracious call? He has stretched out His hands pleadingly, to help you; have you disregarded the proffered help, set at naught His counsel, and despised all His reproof, in infinite mercy sent? If so, can you blame Heaven when final calamity overtakes you and seals your eternal doom?
Now the Gospel messenger, inspired by the Spirit, wanders to earth's remotest bounds to carry the Gospel, but, by and by, men will wander from sea to sea to hear the gladsome voice of the messengers of peace, but their voices, once spurned, as they lifted up a sin-pardoning Saviour, will offer terms of peace no more; their lips are silent forever in pleading with men, for stern justice, fully merited, will have taken the throne of sweet mercy.
The Faithful Minister's Reward.
It is written of Jesus that "for the joy that was set before Him," He "endured the cross, despising the shame." That joy was the assured prospect of seeing the blood-bought throng before the throne, saved eternally, and surcharged "with joy unspeakable, and full of glory," and knowing that all this bliss could not have been secured to them, and experienced by them, had it not been for His sacrifice,—the price He paid for their redemption. It is written, "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied." Also in the joy of Christ will be the joy of every true minister.
As a fitting conclusion for this article, I quote the words of the poet, descriptive of the faithful messenger of heaven, as he stands before the throne to hear the welcome applaudit of his Lord.
"O, who can speak his praise! great humble man!
He in the current of destruction stood,
And warned the sinner of his woes; led on
Immanuel's army in the evil day;
And, with the everlasting arms embraced
Himself around, stood in the dreadful front
Of battle high, and warred victoriously
With death and hell. And now was come his rest,
His triumph day. Illustrious like a sun
In that assembly, he, shining from far,
Most excellent in glory, stood assured,
Waiting the promised crown, the promised throne,
The welcome and approval of his Lord.
Nor one alone, but many—prophets, priests,
Apostles, great reformers, all that served
Messiah faithfully, like stars appeared,
Of fairest beam; and round them gathered, clad
In white, the vouchers of their ministry—
The flocks their care had nourished, fed, and saved."
RESURRECTION.
By Helen M. M. Phelps
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me."
LIFT Him up, the King of Glory,
O'er sin's clouds so dark and grim;
See! the light from yonder heaven
Floods with gold the cross and Him.
Slowly, gently, bear the Burden
To the tomb, and seal the stone;
Earth and heaven quake with sorrow
As the Son lies there alone!
Lo, the angel, mighty angel,
From the Father draweth nigh.
Deep in sleep so still and death-like,
See, the Roman soldiers lie.
Silvery notes of heavenly music
Palpitating thru the air!
Rarest perfume of sweet blossoms
Steals like incense everywhere.
Hush! The miracle is finished
'Twixt the Father and the Son.
In life's marvel—resurrection—
Victory over death is won.
By the grave, unsealed, the women
Kneel before the shroud and board.
Where, O where, the martyred Saviour,
Where, O where, their absent Lord?
Lo, the angel, mighty angel,
From the throne is whom they see:
"He's not here, for He is risen,—
Gone before to Galilee."
Lift Him up, the Man of Sorrows,
Let the vilest sinner see;
Let him feel that Love and Mercy
Crucified on Calvary!
HELEN M. M. PHELPS.
THE THREE SHOUTS.
By Max Hill
IN the great day of the coming of the King in the clouds of heaven, three great shouts will be commingled. The first to be sounded will be the triumphant shout of the Saviour Himself, which like a mighty trumpet-blast will be heard in every part of the earth, by every soul. So great will be this shout that it will call from their graves the sleeping saints.
These join with the living saints, and together they shout their welcome to their Redeemer. Their shout will be, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
At the same time another shout will be raised, a shout of awful and utter wo and agony. From the throats of the wicked of earth, who can not bear the consuming glory of the coming Judge of all, will rise the wail of the lost, to the rocks and the mountains: "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
All men will hear the first great shout, but O how different will be the effect. One will hear it with joy, the other with sorrow untold. One will meet it with an answering shout of assurance and faith, the other with an agonized wail of wo. All may know with which company they will stand in that day, but only those who know the Saviour now will meet Him then in peace.
Max Hill.
MONOTHEISM INDIGENOUS.
By Albert H. Darrow
SKEPTICAL philosophers, the world over, have diligently taught that the human race, in its progress upward from savagery to civilization, has passed thru successive stages of fetishism, idolatry, and polytheism, to belief in one God, supreme and almighty.
When it is shown that the very earliest traces of religious faith abound in evidences of monotheistic ideas, these claims are seen to be baseless.
Professor Draper quotes the following statements from the Rig Veda:
"There is in truth but one Deity, the Supreme Spirit, the Lord of the universe, whose work is the universe," "the God above all gods, who created the earth, the heavens, the waters."—"History of the Intellectual Development of Europe," p. 43.
"The religion of the Vedas knows no idols," says Prof. Max Müller. "The worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship."
Says the Duke of Argyll:
"We have found in the most ancient records of the Aryan language proof that the indications of religious thought are higher, simpler, and purer as we go back in time, until at last, in the very oldest compositions of human speech which have come down to us, we find the Divine Being spoken of in the sublime language which forms the opening of the Lord's Prayer."
The American Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, p. 463, says:
"In the early days, the Egyptians worshiped one only God, the Maker of all things, without beginning and without end. To the last the priests preserved this doctrine and taught it privately to a select few."
Of "the religion of the barbarian Europeans," Professor Draper says that it "was in many respects like that of the American Indians. They recognized a Great Spirit—omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent."
Mr. Ridpath does not believe in this original monotheism. To him the evidence is not conclusive. He says: "Undoubtedly, there are traces of a monotheistic faith in the ritual and other religious books of the Egyptian priesthood; but such traces are dim, not definite. Without doubt the Egyptian recognized a Creator, and was wont to worship Him as the highest God. A Memphian obelisk now in the British Museum declares: Ptah to have been 'the only unbegotten begetter in the heavens and on the earth.' Here there seems to be a close approximation8
to monotheistic description."—"History of the World," Vol. 6, pp. 530, 531.
Again he says:
"The study of the mythology of the Aryan nations has led investigators not a few to the belief that the first concepts of the peoples of these races were also monotheistic. Max Müller, perhaps more than any other, has urged this view upon the attention of English-speaking people. His study of the Vedas and general investigation of the laws and phenomena of linguistic change has led him to conclude that the primitive inhabitants of India, as well as those of Persia and Greece and Rome, believed originally in a single Father of heaven, beneath whom all the other powers of nature were set in subordination."—Id., Vol. 5, pp. 307, 308.
Altho this writer, as usual, has recourse to evolution to explain the original monotheism of Peru, he nevertheless admits that in the Peruvian system—which he declares to have been the least decadent aboriginal religious system in America—
"There was one Supreme Spirit, called Pachacamac. He was the Creator and Governor, not only of the whole world, but of the heavens. He was invisible, spiritual, supreme. Of Him there might be no image, and to Him—of old time—no temple might be properly erected. Only the sun on high was a fit representative of the great God of the race. The religion of the Incas, thus sublime in its primary concepts, became at length sun-worship."—Vol. 8, p. 564.
All of the writers whom we have quoted seem to agree on these two points: That all nations and tribes of antiquity which have preserved any records — written, monumental, or traditional — of their early history, were believers in one Supreme God; and that later they still preserved traces of their original monotheistic conceptions, altho adding to their pantheon lesser deities until they eventually became polytheists.
Many other writers of eminence, whom we can not here quote for want of space, confirm these opinions. They all testify to the decadence of religious faith and degradation of original purity, in the mental concepts as well as the moral practice of religionists in ancient and modern times; and we have but to open our eyes to observe this decadence and degradation going on around us.
Since the North American Indians, the Peruvians, the Aztecs, the ancient peoples of northern Europe, Greece, Rome, Persia, India, and Egypt were believers in one God, we have but to accept the evidence of our senses and the testimony of the most competent writers as to the facts of religious decadence, and then prolong the vision backward, and we shall thus see the gradual substitution of polytheism, idolatry, and fetishism, for that original monotheism which Jehovah, in the beginning, established and made indigenous to the soil of this whole earth. And in so doing, we shall effectually banish from our minds the evolutionary hypothesis, with all of its baneful shadows.
ALBERT H. DARROW.
THE RESURRECTION.
By Bishop Warren
WHAT shall the prepared body be? We only know that it will be like His glorious body, that could be gravitated and levitated for walking the water, or rising in air at will, and go thru material doors that were shut.
The learned Chinaman who aided Dr. Morrison in translating the Scriptures into Chinese attained to a sublime oriental adoration of the perfect Man. When he came to the passage, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is," he said: "I can not write that; it is too high to be true; my countrymen never will believe it. Let me tone it down to, 'When He shall appear I may humbly hope to kiss His feet.'"
But no man can be allowed to tone down the great word of God. We shall be like His glorious body.—Bishop Warren.
ETERNAL LIFE AND IMMORTALITY.
By J. Herschel Parsons
IN the word of God we read that the “King of Kings . . . only hath immortality.” 1 Tim. 6:16. Yet the great majority of Christians believe every human being has an immortal soul.
Immortality is the power of self-existence; that which can not be destroyed.
There is a difference between immortality and eternal life, the latter is subject to conditions.
Our first parents had, or experienced, eternal life, on conditions; namely, strict obedience to the word of God. Failure incurred death, not the death of the body only, but the death of the soul, “dying thou shalt die.” “Thou,” the whole personality of man. Gen. 2:18, margin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Eze. 18:4.
There is nothing in the Bible to show that the words “soul” and “spirit,” which are used interchangeably, mean anything but life, and mortal life at that, for no man can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:3, 5.
The man who has not been washed by the water of the word of God (Eph. 5:26) and born of the Spirit (John 1:12, 13) will finally be as tho he never had been (Obadiah 16); “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Gen. 3:19).”
The Agency of the Word.
The word of God has a creative power when taken into the human heart, and it is “engrafted” into the human heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.
A man may hear the word of God read and preached all the days of his life, and yet not allow it to take hold of him. Jesus said: “Why do ye not understand My speech?—even because ye can not hear My word.” John 8:43.
It is only thru faith in the Son of God that we can obtain eternal life, and “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17.
The Son of God and the word of God are one. He is the word personified. John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1-3; Rev. 19:13. Jesus Christ is the Word incarnate. “The Word was made flesh.” John 1:14.
Importance of the Word.
The word of God is one of the most sacred and most vital things in the universe; it is so held beyond our understanding by God Himself, because it is the very essence of His character; for “Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.” Ps. 138:2. He can not change it, because “He can not deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13), and because He is “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The only opportunity of eternal life any son of Adam has, is by the power of the word of God, transforming him into a new creature; “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17. When the word of God takes hold of a man’s heart, it will transform him, and it may be said he is in Christ, because Christ was and is the living Word of God (Rev. 19:13; John 1:14), and that word will transform any man into a Christ-child (or Christian) to the extent that man lays hold of the word of God and allows it to transform him.
Jesus prayed: “That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us.” John 17:21. “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” 1 John 4:2. Mark what it says: “Confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” When a man is born again, he will confess by a change of life, and by his words and actions that Jesus Christ is come in his (the man’s) flesh. That man will not doubt this, because “he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.” 1 John 5:10. The whole plan of salvation is subverted when we believe we have immortality inherent in ourselves. We even make God out to be a liar (for immortality presumes and demands eternal life), “because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” 1 John 5:10, 11.9
Not of Ourselves.
Please note this eternal life is not in us, but “this life is in His Son.” “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:12.
Reasons for Erroneous Belief.
Some have advanced the argument that as the belief in the inherent immortality of the soul is well-nigh universal, it therefore must be true; but there are no doubt many reasons for this belief; among which let us suggest: (1) that we are experiencing in a limited degree the life that God gave our first parents, the very life He intended to be eternal, and which would have been eternal, but for their disobedience which brought forth death.
2. Another probable reason for the universal belief in our immortality is that our first parents believed in it. Satan said: "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4), and they believed him, and multitudes of their descendants have believed him, and it may be said that a great majority of professed Christians to-day believe Him. That lie has been perpetuated thru all the ages, like a well-worn counterfeit bill
3. It is quite natural for every one who has tasted of life to believe that he will live forever; speaking of the wicked, the word says: "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling-places to all generations; . . . nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not; he is like the beasts that perish." Ps. 49:11, 12. "He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light." Verse 19.
The Belief Condemned of God.
The prophet Ezekiel was told to prophesy against those who fostered the idea of inherent immortality. Because with lies ye have "strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life." Eze. 13:22. In harmony with this, Jesus said: "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matt. 7:14.
The Scripture tells of some who have been translated, and many who have been raised from the dead, resurrected (Matt. 27:52), but the great multitude of the righteous are asleep in their graves. "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28.
Some have even suggested that the revelation of eternal punishment is Bible evidence that man has an immortal soul.
Eternal Punishment.
If the being punished is immortal, then his punishment will be felt forever and ever, but the word of God has made the matter quite plain by telling us over and over again that we are mortal and that the wicked are as stubble, "and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Mal. 4:1.
The punishment is eternal and final, and the fire is eternal, but the human beings are consumed and perish.
There is only one door to eternal life, and Jesus said: "I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. . . . I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:9, 10. J. HERSCHEL PARSONS.
Villa Grove, Colo.
WHAT things were once a gain to me
For Christ I count but loss,
From worldly praise I would be free
For this is only dross.
Not having my own righteousness
Which is but of the law,
But clothed in Christ's own holy dress
His love will ne'er withdraw.
That I may know Him, and may know
The resurrection's power,
May feel with Him the weight of wo
Of crucifixion's hour.
Forgetting all that is behind
Upon the way I trod,
I ever strive that I may find
The mark, the prize of God.
Max Hill.
WHAT IS TRUTH?
By C. L. Taylor
Is this a question which really admits of a positive answer?
Shorn of all superfluities, the actual cry of the great dying world is, "What is truth?" And in reply to the question, which has become almost one of despair, there come from all parts of Christendom a thousand conflicting answers.
The terrible result of this tangled and discordant condition is that mankind everywhere is fast coming to believe that, after all, there is no such thing as truth; that truth, so termed, is but a matter of opinion, at best only relative. It is common, indeed, to hear it said that no one can know this or that to be right; he can only think himself right; that error to-day will be truth to-morrow and vice versa.
Were this true, then every searcher after truth might as well cease further effort and say with those of old, "Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we shall die." But it is not true.
Truth is as absolute and positive as the personality of God Himself. "I am the truth," said Jesus. The I AM of God is the truth of God. "God is;" His truth is. If it is possible to know God, then it is possible to know truth.
Truth is a fact. Truth in the life is an accomplished fact in the life. The great truth-fact of the Gospel of Christ for the believer is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." And just so certainly as one can know his own life as a fact, just so certainly, yea, more certainly, can he know the life of God within him as a fact.
And right here let it be said, it is to be deplored that so many professed followers of God treat the Gospel of Christ as a mere abstraction, as an empty theory to be bandied about in idle discussion, critical argument, or empty declamation. As a rule, he who can glibly argue knows little or nothing of the great fact of truth.
Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth." That divine assurance still stands, and every hungry soul may trust it fully. And the only prerequisite to knowledge of truth is a burden to obey truth when it shall be made known. Here is the word: "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God." John 7:17. Or, as given in the Revised Version, "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know." To every one longing to do the will of God, the Saviour says, "Ye shall know the truth."
And mark the expression, "the truth." It is impossible that there should be many systems of truth. "There is one body, and one Spirit, . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." There is but one truth—"the truth . . . in Jesus." In Jesus Christ is summed up all truth, and He is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." Truth is unchangeable.
It is time that we treat the word of God with respect. It may not be regarded, as even some ministers have said, "as an old fiddle upon which one can play any tune he pleases." It is a simple, plain, straightforward presentation of God's thoughts toward men, and only those who would darken counsel "by words without knowledge" will speak thus contemptuously. As high as the heavens above the earth, so is God's expressed thought above ours; nevertheless He says: "All the words of My mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge."
God has promised, dear reader, to teach us. "They shall be all taught of God." "The Spirit of truth . . . will guide you into all truth." Our Father, by His Spirit, has many beautiful ways of helping us to know. If we, like the Ethiopian eunuch, are unable to grasp the meaning of some parts of the word, a good friend will be despatched to aid. If, like Daniel, we are distressed to know, and the case is urgent, angelic beings will be hastened, and will come quickly to enlighten. And day by day as we pray for light that we may walk in that light, "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" will rest upon us, and we shall see and know.
Like Pilate, we may well ask, "What is truth?" Unlike the Roman ruler, let us remain with Jesus until the question is fully answered. Let us sit at His feet and hear His word, and thus secure from Him that good part which can not be taken from us.
C. L. TAYLOR.
THE BREAD OF LIFE.
By Anon.
"And when one of them that sat at meat with Him heard these things, he said unto Him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
He sighed for something far away—the glow
Of heaven's high banquet-hall—the mingled voice
Of myriads upon myriads who rejoice
In pleasures that no mortal man can know.
He longed for blessedness to come; and lo,
Beside him, sitting at that earthly board,
Unguessed, the Living Bread, the Heavenly Lord,
Waited a present blessing to bestow.
Ah! when we gather round His table dear
And see the mystic Bread and taste the Wine,
May we discern Him (by faith's vision clear
That rends the veil of sense) waiting to cheer,
With His own presence, real and divine,
The souls that hunger for Him—now and here!
—Anon.
The Spirit of Prayer
By Herald of Light
It is not the form of prayer, but the spirit with which it is offered, that counts before God. It is dictated by a sense of need, and if presented with faith in the name of Christ and in harmony with God's will, it is sure to be heard. It may be crude in man's sight, but if sincere and earnest, it is neither rejected nor despised. All can come before God with their burdens and petitions, for He turns no honest supplicant away empty-handed.—Herald of Light.
Passing On Good Deeds
A MAN makes no noise over a good deed, but passes it on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.—Marcus Aurelius.
The Brawling Woman
"It is better to dwell in the corner of a housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house." Prov. 21:9.
Watering Our Sorrows
"MANY of our sorrows would die if we ceased watering them."
FRIENDS.
By S. E. Kiser
Not he that counts my errors;
Not he that holds me back
With doubting words to show me
Wherein and how I lack;
Not he that sees my failings,
And seeing them, is free
To take my measure by them—
He's not the friend for me.
But he that learns my virtues,
Who takes me at my best;
Who notes my greater failings
And overlooks the rest;
Who, after I have striven
And have not failed, is free
With words of commendation—
He is the friend for me.
He that forever warns me
Of dangers in my way,
Who doubts my strength to meet them
And ever bids me stay,
May truly seek to shield me,
May wish me well, but he
Whose faith is inspiration—
He is the friend for me.
—S. E. Kiser.
THE PILLARS OF HEALTH
By William S. Sadler, M.D.
By WILLIAM S. SADLER, M. D.
IV. HOW TO KEEP FROM OVEREATING.
ONE of the greatest and most practical of all problems connected with the diet question is how to keep from overeating. The great majority of people eat too much. Very few eat too little.
This point we have mentioned in the previous article, and have also before called attention to the amount of food needed for each day, and promised in this article to discuss nature's great regulator of metabolism,—the sense of taste.
How can we restore the sense of taste when it is partially lost? How can the taste be made more acute when it has been blunted by strong condiments, hot and cold foods, etc.?
The reader's attention is called to a few simple rules of diet which will assist in gradually restoring the sense of taste and making it a more reliable guide to the food needs of the body.
1. Eating Too Often.—For those who work regularly, it is best that they should eat regularly. Eating between meals has ruined the digestion of thousands of children, and to-day prevents the recovery of many suffering dyspeptics. Ordinary cases of stomach trouble are greatly aggravated by this incessant nibbling. And one is almost sure to eat too much when he eats irregularly or between meals. Whether you have two or three meals a day, you will fare best by eating at regular hours.
2. Eating Too Fast.—Hasty eating is the great mistake of the present generation. When the food is not thoroly masticated, only a portion of its flavor is extracted. And since the nervous system can only take cognizance of the food eaten by means of the flavor tasted, it is evident that it will be necessary to greatly overload the stomach in order to satisfy the appetite.
This tendency to overeat is all done away with when the food is properly masticated, or as we say in honor of the modern advocate of thoro chewing, Mr. Fletcher, thoroly "Fletcherized." We mention this matter here, promising to treat it more fully later.
3. Liquid Foods and Mushes.—These foods, because of their pasty and semi-liquid form, are easily swallowed, very little of their substance is tasted, and so the stomach finds itself full when the appetite is but half satisfied. If it had been thoroly masticated, or solid food had been eaten, when the stomach was full, the appetite would also have been "full"—satisfied.
Besides, mushes and pasty foods are not good for weak stomachs. If eaten, they should be baked in an oven first. Dried foods also produce a superior quality of digestive fluids.
4. Seasoned Foods.—Another great injury which is done the sense of taste is the use of highly spiced, irritating, as well as indigestible foods, such as old cheese, pickles, and fiery spices, but concerning these we will treat another time.
CARING FOR LACE CURTAINS.
By M. A. T.
SOILED lace curtains do not need to go into the washtub if the dirt on them is only the accumulation of every-day dust, and they can be cleaned and freshened by putting them thru a gasoline bath. When the curtains are removed from the poles, they should be taken out-of-doors and shaken until no more dust will shake off, then they are put in a bucket or small tub, and enough gasoline poured over them to saturate them thoroly, and the only safe place to use gasoline for cleaning is out-of-doors. Let the curtains remain in the gasoline for two hours, then squeeze and press the fluid out and hang them over the line, and they will need no ironing if they are stretched and pulled into perfect shape. Some lace and muslin curtains that are in constant use are kept fresh and dainty-looking without hard rubbing by putting them to soak over night in a light pearline suds to which a small cup of kerosene oil has been added, and then washing them thru a stronger suds. Then they are carefully rinsed, first in warm and then in cold water.
If the threads are broken in cleaning the curtains, the best way to mend the torn place is to dip a piece of lace net in thin starch, and press it with a warm iron over the broken spot which should be partly closed by being drawn together with very fine thread. Curtains should be taken down and laundered as soon as they show soil, for there is nothing that gives such an air of cleanliness to a room as clean, fresh curtains and shining windows. M. A. T.