3

LIVING CHRISTIANITY;

OR ,

T RUT HS

O LD

R E S TA T E D

BY TH E

J HA L SE Y D D LL D
S E M I AR
F TH E N O R TH W E S T ;
EM ER I T S PR O E SS O R m T H E O O I A
L I T ERAR A TT RA T I O N S
TH E B I E
H
A
B EA T
I M M AN E
L I E PI T RE S
M TH E B I
E
R EV

UT

LE R O Y

OR OF

L,

G C

OF

BL

F RO

BL

Y OF

ET C .

PH I LAD ELPH IA 2
PR E SBY T ERI A N B O A R D O F PU BLI C ATI O N
3 3 4 C H ES T N U T S T R E E T
1

C O P Y R G H T , 18 8 1,
THE

PR E S B Y T E R A N

T R U S T EE S

B O A RD

BY

O F TH E

O F

PU B L I C A T O N

A LL R I GH TS R E S E R VE D

W ES T C O I T
'

T H O M S ON

S tereo tyfers a n d E Zect ro type r s , Piz zla da

'

PR E F A C E

r eligio u s tr u th i s u nto godliness and the best

test o f r eligi ous t r uth i s its tendency to produ c e a life
S ome t r uths h owever are more prom
o f godliness
in e n t i n the S criptu res than others and they are
deem ed essential as b ei ng at the fou ndati on o f th e
Christian system and o f all reli gi ous expe r ience Th e
truths set fo rth i n these chapters are o f th is class
They are all taken from th e c le ar teachi ng o f the word
The ai m o f th e writer has been to disc u ss
o f God
them from th e standpoin t o f r eligiou s expe r ience ;
not as S pec u lative th eologi cal dogmas b ut as th e great
r ealities o f practical duty The chi ef pu rpose of th e
vol ume i s to give a s c rip t u ral and practi cal answe r to
two li nes o f i nquiryth e rst What m u st I believe
and do in order to be saved ? the sec ond What m ust I
do and what m u st I become i n orde r to fulll the law
o f Chri st ?
Another i mpo rt ant obj ect has been kept constantly
i n Vi ew th rough these pages It has been to state the
cardinal truth s o f the Bibl e i n the light o f ou r c ommon
salvation T he poi nts o n wh ich all evangelical Chris
tians agree are fa r greater than those o n wh ich they
diffe r Ch ristianity i s strongest when it plants itself o n
the common s alvati on o n its cardinal facts and do c
A LL

PR EFA CE

tri nes E v en i n th e eyes o f the u nbelieving wo r ld th e

Chu r ch o f God is to day mo r e glori o u s i n its ha r monies
than in its differences
It has l ong been a cherished h ope o f the a u th o r that
he might be able to state th e great essential doctrines
o f the common salvation that is th e sa v ing truths of
th e gospel in s u ch fo r m as woul d commend th em to

the j u dgment and the c ordial acceptation o f God s chi l

dren i n all evangeli cal denomi nations Thi s vol u me is th e
contributi on o f a Presbyte r ian to that wi der Ch r istian
ity o f the ancient past and also of the futu r e i n wh ich
it is hoped all evangelical Christians will ere long stand
nea r e r together than they now stand because they wil l
lea r n to l ook less at thei r poi nts of differenc e and m o r e
at the great principles o f their c ommon salvation
What th e worl d needs is a living Chri stianity and
th e Ch u rch can render it no bette r servi ce than by
proclaiming anew those o ld t r uths whi ch a r e v ita l
and sav ing
.

C O NT E NTS

C H A PT ER 1

A E

P G

T H E EXI STE N CE

AN D

C HA R ACTE R

OF

GO D

C H APTER I I
T H E FATHE R HOOD

OF

16

GO D

C H APT ER I I I

N ATU R E

AND

R ES P O N S

I B I L I TY OF

I T I O N OF OU R

I V E R SA L I TY OF

SI N

42

CHR

I ST

53

C HAPTER V I I I
D

I V I N I TY AN D
1a

OF

I ATO R S H I P OF

36

C H APT ER V I I
TH E M ED

C HAPT E R V I
T H E B R OTHE R HOOD

N ATU R E

C H APTER V
T H E UN

MAN

C H APT E R I V
T H E FA LL E N C O N D

I N CA RN AT

I O N OF

CHR

IST

6o

ONTENTS

C H APTER I X

AE

P G

CH R

I ST THE

I GHT OF THE WO RL D

70

C H A PTER
T H E S U PR E M E M

ING

D EATH

OF

CHR

ION

OF

CHR

XI

77

I ST

C H APTER
T H E R ES U RR ECT

I R AC L E O F C H R I ST I A N I TY
C H APT ER

T H E A TO N

84

XI I

I ST

93

XI I I
D I V I N E PE R S O N A L I TY OF THE H O LY S P I R I T
C H APT ER

C H APTER

XI V

10 1

TH E LAW O F GOD

109

C H A PTE R
T H E FO R G

I V EN E SS OF

THAT

S iNs

C HA PT ER
T H E G RACE

XV

SA V E S

12 1

XV I

C H APT ER

X VI I

TH E

I3

C HAPTE R
R E P EN TA N CE

U NT o

I R TH

X VI I I

I FE

14 6

C HAPTE R
T H E NEW B

30

XI X

15 1

ONTE NTS

C H A PT ER

XX

A E

P G

TH E CO N D

I T I O NS OF SA LVAT I O N

C HAPTER
TH E C H R

C O N S EC RAT I O N

165

I R I TUA L

As A

XX I I I

I ST I A N

I FE

17 8

XX I V

I V I N G POW E R

1 83

C H APTE R
C HR

17 1

C H APTER

I GI O N

XX I I

C HR I S T

TO

C HAPT ER

REL

I ST I A N PR OFE SS I O N
C H APT ER

TH E S P

XXI

I FE A

M I N I ST R Y

XXV

OF

1 90

XX VI

C HAPTER

T H E G O L DE N R U L E

1 95

XX VI I

C H APT ER

TH E

2 00

C HAPTER
T HE M O R A L

I TY

OF

THE

XX VI I I

GO S P E L

C H APTER

PR AYE R

56

D UTY

T HE I N S P

2 05

XX I X

A N D A PR I V I L EGE
C HAPT ER

I R ED WO R D OF

GOD

2 15

XXX

2 2

ONTENTS

C H APTER

XXX I

A E

P G

T H E D AY

OF

R E ST

AN D

OF

WO R S H I P

C H APTER

XXX I I

T H E C HU R CH

OF

CHR

I ST

O SP E L

THE G

T H E C O NV E R S

I N G OF THE

TH E R E SU RR ECT

I O N OF THE

I FE

EV E RL AS T

XXXVI I

XXX I X

C HA PT ER
T H R EE EXP ER

I E N CE S

57

64

73

79

86

91

99

SI N, GR ACE , G L O RY

C H APTER
T H E SU PR EM E GOOD

XL

XXX VI I I

ING

48

B ODY

C H APT E R
T HE L

XXXVI

I NA L
C HA PTER

LO R D

C H A PTE R

40

I O N OF THE WO RL D
C HAPT E R

TH E F

XXX I V

XXXV

M I N I ST RY
C HAPTER

T HE C O M

XXX I I I

C H A PTER

34

T H E Tw o S AC R A M E N T S

C H APT ER

XL I

3 05

L I V I N G C H R I ST I A N ITY
C H APTER I
THE E XI

S TE NCE

AND

ER

CHA R A C T

OF

G OD

H E B ibl e does not disc uss the questi on o f th e

existence o f God To th e sac r ed write r s that i s
ne v e r an open qu estion They point it i s t r ue to hi s
W itnesses to the manifestati ons o f h i s power and Go d

h ead i n the works o f creati on and providence

Th e

h eav ens declare the glo ry of God says D avi d and

th e rm am e n t S h o w e th his handiwork
The inv is

ible th i ngs o f hi m from the c reati on o f th e world

says Paul
a r e c learly seen being u nderstood by
the things that a r e made e v en h is eternal power and

Godhead s o that they are with o u t excus e

B ut th e
sac r ed writers attempt no formal argu ment fo r the b e
i ng o f Go d They t e ll us i ndeed that th e fool hath

said i n h is h ea rt There i s no God but they do not

think it wo rth whi le to answer the fool A S fo r them
selves they either quietly assum e o r else they si mpl y
declare both the existence and th e pe r s onality o f th e
D i v ine Being Go d is the ever present b u rden o f their
thou ghts and the o n e perpetual th eme o f thei r in
o ns
b ut they no m ore thi nk o f stopping to
st ru c t i
.

L I VI NG

IO

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

p r o v e the r e is a God than we wo uld to p r o v e the r e

is a sun
It is i nte r esting to noti ce with what b r evity o f ex
pression and at the same time with what unquestioning
c ertainty th e g r eat idea o f God is i ntrod u ced by the
sac red writers i n th e ope ning chapters o f th ei r sev e ral
books It is as if the thought o f God we r e no new
thing b ut one that had always been familiarly and
ful ly known b oth to the m an d to thei r reade r s Th ey
are not sta rtled by it themsel v es no r do they expect
to sta rtle any one else by its disti nct reiterated and
m ost emphatic announcement When they decla r e a

message from h eaven with the u sual prelu de of Thu s

saith the Lord there i s neve r the semblance o f a

doubt whether mortal man might not call i n qu estion

Jehovah s own existence as well as hi s r ight to speak

S uch doubts and s u ch di sc ussi ons hav e been rese rved
fo r later and more skepti cal ages Th ey we r e u nknown
to th e writers of th e Bible
H ow i mpressive in its u nquestioning belief i n God
as well as i n its subli me S i mpli city is th e style i n
whi ch M oses opens th e Pentateu ch and begins with
God in th e rst v erse o f Genesis
I n the beginning

God c reated the heav en and the earth

I n this brief

narra t i on o f th e s ix days c reation he r epeats th e te r m

Go d without denition o r c omment no less than thi rty
ve times i n the rst thir ty fou r verses
I n the book
o f Exodus when the Lo r d appears to M oses i n th e
b u rning b ush at M ount H oreb and sends h i m i nto
Egypt with autho r ity to deliver Israel he gives no
h igher cre dentials than th is brief yet s ublime an

n o u nc e m e nt
of the D ivi ne self e x istence :
And
.

E XI

S TENCE

A ND

OF G O D

CHA RA C TE R

I I

M oses sai d u nto God Beh old when I am c ome unto

the child r en o f Israel and shall say u nto them Th e
Go d of yo u r fathers hath sent me u nto yo u and they
shall say to me What is his name ? W hat shall I say
u nto th em
And God sai d u nto M oses I A M T HAT I
A M ; and h e sai d Th u s shalt th ou say u nto the children
The Lo r d Go d
o f Is r ael I A M hath sent me u nto you
o f you r fathers the Go d of Ab r aham th e Go d o f Isaac
and the God o f Jacob hath sent me u nto you : this i s
my name fo r e v e r and this is my memo r ial u nto al l

generations
I n S i mila r te r ms o f b r evity and o f u nchallengeable
auth o r ity I saiah opens h is book o f i nspi red prophecies
H ear O heav ens : and give ear O earth : for the Lo rd

hath spoken and closes it saying

Th u s saith th e
Lord The heaven i s my th rone and the earth is my
footstool Where i s th e h ouse that ye b ui ld u nto m e
and where i s the place o f my rest ? For all those
thi ngs hath mi ne hand made and all th ose things have
been saith the Lord but to this man will I l ook even
to hi m that is poo r and o f a cont r ite spirit and trem

b le t h at my wo rd
Th e patriarch Job is th ought by
many to be the earliest of all the sacred writers B ut
i n al l his deep afi cti on and th rou gh out that elevated
dial ogu e whi ch h e ca rr ies o n rst with his th r ee an
c ient fri ends and then with th e yo u nger Elih u while
grea t ly troubled with c onicting doubts and fears o n
other points he raises n o qu esti on no r does Satan hi m
self s uggest one to any of the spea k e r s as t o th e D ivine
existence They are all du mb with S i lence and awed
i nto reverenc e before th e overpoweri ng maj es ty of th e
Almighty and can only say Canst t h ou by searchin g
,

L I VI NG

12

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

nd o u t Go d P canst th ou nd o u t the Al mighty u nto

perfection
It is high as heaven what canst th ou do
deepe r than hell wh at canst thou know ? Lo ! thes e
are parts o f his ways b ut h ow l ittle a portion i s heard
o f h i m ! and the th under o f h is power wh o can u nder
stand
I f we turn to the New Testament books this tone o f
auth ori ty and brevity o f exp r essi on thi s reti cence o f
disc ussion and certai n ty o f c onvi ction are only inc r eased
No one of the writers seems eve r to have ente rtained a
doubt o n th e being o f God God is a present r eality
to eve ry mind Th u s th e apostle J ohn l ike M oses
O pens th e Fou rth Gospel with God in th e foregrou nd :

I n the begi nni ng was th e Wo r d and th e Word was

with God and the Word was God The same was i n
the begi nni ng with Go d All things were made by hi m
and without hi m was n o t anything made that was

made
S o i n li ke manner begins St Pau l s Epi stle to

th e H ebrews : Go d wh o at s u ndry times and i n di

v e r s manners spake in ti me past u nto the fathe r s by
the p r ophets hath i n these last days spoken u nto u s
by his S on whom he hath appoi nted hei r o f all things

by whom also h e made the worlds

Assu ming therefore and declaring the great p r i mal
fact of a personal and self existent D eity as a truth
s uf ciently attested by th e whol e Visible u nivers e

around u s as well as by man s o w n i nne r consc iou s

ness the sacred writers content themsel v es with si mply
c om mu n i cating to u s th ose re v elati ons whi ch th ey had
i n vari ou s ways received from God respecting h is own
pe r son and character o n the o n e hand and his great
works o f c reation p r ovi dence and redemption o n th e
,

EXI S TENCE

AND

ER OF G OD

CHA R A C T

13

other They tel l u s of his gl o ry h i s domini on h i s

everlasti ng kingdom They tell u s of all h is natu r al
and moral attrib utes h is almighty powe r h is in c o m
prehensible knowledge his i nnite wisdom his o mni
present and resistless r ule over al l worlds and all
i ntelligences They tell u s of his c r eative skill his
p r ovidential care o v er all creatu res h is m oral govern
ment o f angels and men They tell us of his goodness
his j ustice h is truth his h oli ness h is spi rituality his
l ove his acts o f c ondesc ension me r cy and grace to th e
r ace o f man They tell u s o f hi s h oly law h i s c on
The y
de m nat io n of si n h is w r ath against the wi cked
tell u s o f the tri personality o f h is Godhead and of
the great m y ste ry o f godliness as r evealed i n th e in
carnati on and r edemptive work of Christ And they
tell u s o f that c oming kingdom o f glory and im m o r
tality which through the work of Christ and the powe r
o f the H oly Gh ost h e will establish o n ea r th and i n
h eaven to endure fo r eve r
Th e Sc r iptu res abound i n descriptions o f s u rpassing
s ubli mity setting forth the incommu ni cabl e attrib u tes
o fthe D ivi ne nature especially i n the Psalms o f D avid
the b ook o f J ob Isaiah and all the prophets Take
for i ll ustration th e omnipresenc e and omniscience o f
J eh ovah i n the one h u ndred and thirty
ninth Psalm :
O Lord th ou hast searched me and known me ; thou
kno west my downsitting and mine up r ising ; th ou u nder
standest my thought afar o ff Th ou c ompassest my path
and my lying down and art acquainted with all my
ways There i s not a word i n my tongue b ut 10
O Lord thou knowest it altogether Thou hast beset
m e beh ind and befo r e and lai d thine hand upon me
,

L I VI NG

I4

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

S u ch knowledge is too wonderfu l fo r me ; it i s high

I cannot attai n unto it Whither shall I go from thy
Spirit ? or whither shall I ee from thy presence ? I f
I ascend up i nto heaven th ou a rt there : if I make my
bed i n hell behold thou art there I f I take the wi ngs
of the m orning and dwell i n the u ttermost pa rts o f th e
sea even there shall thy hand lead me and thy r ight
hand S hall h old m e If I say S u rely the darkness
co v er me e v en th e night S hall be light about
S hall
m e Yea the darkness h ideth not fr om thee but th e
night shineth as th e day ; the da r kness and the light

are both alike to thee

It is h oweve r on the moral attributes of th e D i v i ne
cha r acter that the revelati ons of S criptu re S hi ne forth
i n full orbed beau ty and p erfection This i s the glory
that excel leth all othe r glo ry i n the commu nications
fro m God and raises th e Bible i mmeas u rably ab o v e
every other book in the world Isaiah had a v ision
o f this innite maj esty of God when his train lled the
temple and the winged serap h ini cri ed o ne to anothe r

H oly h oly h ol y i s th e Lord o f hosts the whol e

earth i s full o f his glory

It was this m oral ex
c e lle n ce o f th e D i v i ne characte r which was r evealed

to M oses when i n answer to his prayer Sh ow me

thy glo ry the Lo r d p r oclaimed h imself me r ciful and

graci ous long s uffe r i ng and ab u ndant i n goodness and
truth showing me r cy to thousands fo r gi v i ng tran sg re s

s ion while yet pu nishing th e gui lty a God of in ex o r

able j ustice to the wicked but of me r cy to th e peniten t
B ut it is when we t u rn to the u tte r ances of C h rist
h i mself that we nd the fullest r e v elation o f what God
i s o f what he has done fo r man and o f what he woul d
,

E XI

S TENCE

CHA

A ND

RA C TER OF G OD

15

h ave man to be All Bibl e i n stru cti on on the cha r

acter and attrib utes o f God may be sai d to r each
their c ulmination i n the teaching o f Jesus Christ I n a
single bri ef declarati on h e has s u mmed up all i n o n e
and told u s what Go d is and how h e i s to be wo r

The h ou r cometh and now i s when the

sh i
ped :
tru e worshi pers S hall worship th e Father i n spirit
and in truth ; fo r the Father seeketh su ch to worshi p

h im
God i s a Spirit and they that worsh ip h im

m ust worsh ip h i m i n S pi r it and in truth

This grand conception o f the spirituali ty o f God so
fully stated by o u r Saviou r here and so c onstantly im
plied in all his instru ctions runs throu gh all the Epis
tles of the New Testament and it gave character from
the beginning to all tru e Christian worship
Th e
of God and of h is worsh ip had i
ndeed
S pi rituali ty
been abu ndantly taught in the Old Testament espe
ally i n the Psal ms and the prophets
B ut th e do c
ci
trine rose to a higher measu re and a noble r expressi on
under th e teach ing o f Chri s t and h is apos t les Th u s

we nd it i n th e doxol ogies o f St Pau l s Epistles

Now u nto th e King eternal i mm ortal i nvisible the

only wise God ou r Savi ou r to hi m be glory fo r eve r

and ever
Amen
Th e pri mal truth o f al l th e
Sc riptu res is th e o n e s upreme s pi ri t ual i ntelligent
and e t ernal God o f natu re as proclai med by Pau l to

th e men o f Athens :
God that made th e worl d
and all thing s therein seeing that h e i s Lord o f
heaven and earth dwelleth not i n temples made

wi t h hands nei t her i s worsh iped with men s hands

as though he needed any th ing seeing h e giveth to

all life and brea t h and all things

.

C H A P TE R I I
TH E

FA TH ERH O OD OF G OD

O conception o f the D i v i ne cha racte r i n th e

S criptures i s more ass uri ng to ou r doubting
h earts than that i n wh ich God reveals hi mself as a
Father This conception i s all the more enc ouraging
to o u r h esitati ng faith when i t comes to u s as it s o
frequ ently does i n th e N e w Testament throu gh the
revelati ons of Jesu s Christ as the S o n of God As h e
stands i n th e r elation of S on to the D ivine Fathe r and
at th e same ti me o f brother to o u r h umanity we are
enabled to dra w nea r to God with a c ondenc e and a
l ove whi ch woul d be i mpossible without s u ch a M e
N o doubt o n e great purpose o f the in c ar
diat o r
nation o f Christ i n h u man fo r m was that as the Son
of God he might r eveal to u s most effec t ually th e
fatherh ood o f God T h e e v angelist J oh n says as if
with thi s ve ry th ought i n View
N o man hath seen
God at any ti me ; th e only begotten Son wh o is i n th e

b oso m o f the Fath er he hath decla r ed him

An d
we S hall nd through all his te a ch ings that this o n e
emphati c declaration o f fatherhood predominates
It i s far from being th e only manifestati on o r c o n
re
The
Scriptures
o n o f th e D ivi ne characte r
c e ti
p
veal God as the Self existent Jehovah as the Creator
.

16

L I VI NG

18

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

i n heav en i s perfect
Lo v e you r enemies and do
good to them that hate you that ye may be the

children o f you r Father whi ch i s in h eaven

He
spoke the beautifu l parable of th e Prodigal S o n u sing
the endearing relati onship o f the pa r ent and th e chi l d
to set forth th e ca r e and tende r ness of o u r heavenly
Fathe r towa r d h is e r ri ng chi ldren Nor i s there i n
h uman literatu re a S i ngle passage where th e g r eat doc
t r ine o f th e fatherhood of God is more clea r ly taught
as an i ll u st r ati on o f th e D i v i ne cha r acte r and as an in
c e nt i
v e to h uman repentance
It wou ld be di fc u lt to
see h ow the characte r o f God c ould have been painted
i n m ore attractive col ors an d how the sinfu l h eart o f
m an c oul d have been more deeply tou ched o r more
s u rely won than by this matchless pa rable Yet ou r
r econciled and fo r gi v ing h eav enly Fathe r as h e appears
i n this parable gi v es u s that i d eal of the D ivi ne char
acte r whi ch was constantly i n the m in d of Christ an d
o f hi s apostles
It is i n th e cha r acte r o f Fath e r more than by any
other title o r r elati on that Go d re v eals h imself to u s
i n his attrib ute o f mercy Th is revelation of grace
and lo v e to th e g u ilty and th e pe r ishing reach es its

cl imax when his well belo v ed Son Jes u s Ch r ist th e

brightness o f the Fathe r s glo ry and the express i mage

c omes i nto the worl d to s uffe r and die

o f his person
upon th e cross and th us to reconci le us to God by
thi s u niqu e and extraordina ry display of th e D ivine
clemenc y
Th us th e fatherh ood o f God as made
known and exemplied i n J es u s Christ comes to u s
as th e v e ry seal o f o u r r edempti on and th e type o f
o u r adoption i nto the family o f Go d
.

TH E

FA TH ERH O O D OF G O D

19

T he doctrine o f th e fathe rh ood of God i s presented

to us in the Scriptures under two diffe r ent aspects
There is a wider and there i s also a nar r owe r View
The r e i s a sense i n whi ch God is the Father of all
i nclu ding all races and nations of men and there is a
pecu liar sense i n whic h h e i s th e Fathe r o f his re
deemed and rec onciled children

In the rst o f these senses the psalmist says God

i s good to all and his tender mercies are over all h is

wo r ks
Th e eyes of all wait upon thee ; and tho u
givest th em their meat i n du e season Th ou openest
thi ne hand and s at ise st the desire o f every living

thing
I n th is sense ou r Savi ou r said H e maketh
h is su n to S h i ne o n the evil and the good and sendeth
rai n o n th e j u st and on the u nj ust
I n this sense God
so loved the worl d that h e gave his only begotten Son
that whosoever believeth i n hi m shoul d not perish b ut

have everlasting li fe
I n th is sense the apostle Pete r

preached to Corneli us that God i s no respecter of

persons ; b ut i n every nati on he that fea r eth hi m and

worketh righteousness i s accepted with h i m

So also

th e apostle Pau l preaching to the Athenians o n Mars

H ill c oncerning the eternal providenc e o f God ove r
and races of men decla r es this wide
all nations

doctri ne of God s u niversal fatherhood and tel ls the

Athenians that i n hi m we live and m ove and have

o u r being
even as s ome o f thei r o w n poets had

sai d We a r e the offspring o f God

B ut it i s i n th e narrower sense that the doctrine i s
m ore frequ en t ly presen t ed i n the Scriptures U nder
the c oven a nt o f grace Go d i s i n a pec uliar and en
deari ng sense the Father o f all th ose wh o ac k n o wl
.

L I VI NG

2 0

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y

edge the r e l ationship ; that is o f th ose wh o obey the

gospel r ec ognize hi m as thei r Fathe r and are rec on
c i led to h i m by the death o f hi s Son It is their h igh
privilege that the y are adopted i nto th e D ivi ne family
and receive that spi rit of sonship by whi ch they c ry

Abba Fathe r
To all these the apostle Paul says

Be ye follo wers of God as dear children

It is o f
th is new and endea r ing r elati onship to God as re
deemed by h is Son that Paul says to the Galatians

Ye a r e all the chi ldren o f God by faith i n Christ

Jesu s
Of this Joh n says with exul t ation Beh old
wh at manne r of l ove the Fath e r hath bestowed upon

u s that we sh ou ld be called the sons o f Go d

As u ni v ersal Father God exercises toward all h is
c r eatu res good wi ll and b e n e c e n c e b u t toward his
o w n believing child r en h e feels not only benevolence
b ut c omplacency and appro v al
The r e was probably no method by whi ch this great
c onception o f th e D i v i ne fatherhood c ou l d be s o im
p re s s ive ly re v ealed to u s as throu gh th e i ncarnati on
When God comes to us i n th e c har
o f Jes us Christ
acter of a s u ffering fellow man and a brothe r he
c omes very near to o u r souls It can be only as a
Friend and a H elpe r that h e th u s appears Th is h e
does when h is o w n ete r nal S o n the brightness o f h is
gl ory and th e express i mage of h is person veil s h i s
Godhead fo r a seas on i n the drape ry of h u mani ty and
app r oach es u s i n esh and fo r m with al l the attrib utes
man It would have been di fferent had
o f a brother
h e c ome as a wi nged seraph from the bu rning throne
o r with the overpowering maj esty o f a God c onfessed
B u t coming as he di d i n the lowliest gui s e o f o u r n a
,

FA TH ER H O O D OF G O D

TH E

2 1

ture bo r n o f a h u man mother edu cated as a ch ild and

compassed about by eve ry circu mstance and c ondition
o f manhood h e speaks to ou r hearts as no other mes
senger from the skies ever di d o r c oul d do H e comes
from h is Father and ass u res u s that his Fathe r i s o u r
Father
H o w c oul d Go d c om e nearer to u s than this ?
H ow coul d Go d do anythi ng greater fo r u S than this
gift and missi on of his Son ? It i s when we see h i m

as a b r othe r that we see God as a Fathe r

No man
said he t o the disc iples cometh u nto th e Father b ut
by me If ye had known me ye S h ould have known
my Father also ; and from h enceforth ye know h i m
and have seen hi m H ave I been s o long time with
He
yo u and yet hast th ou not known me Philip ?
that hath seen me h ath s een the Fath er and h o w
sayest thou then Show u s the Father ? B elievest
thou not that I am i n the Fath er and the F a ther i n
me ? The words that I speak u nto yo u I speak not
o f myself ;
b ut th e Fath er that dwelleth i n me h e
doeth the works B elieve me that I am i n th e Fathe r
and the Father i n me o r else believe m e fo r the ve ry

works sake
Th is u ni on o f the Fath er with th e S on th is in c ar
nati on o f Go d i n man is a deep an u nfathom abl e
mys t e ry
B ut it i s o n e o f th e subli me doctrine s
o f Chri s tianity
shini ng o u t on all th e p a ges o f th e
New Testament If we acc ept the doctri ne as tru e
wh at a o o d o f light it pou rs over o u r fa llen h um a n
i t y a nd what h ope it i nspires for i mmortality ! Wh o
can fa il to see how it brings hi m wh o oth erwi s e had
been the U nknown Go d near to us and reveal s h i m
,

L I VI NG

2 2

C HR I

S TI A NI T Y
.

to o u r hearts i n all th e tende r ness of a wi se loving

and almigh ty Fathe r ?
It i s th e pre eminent disti ncti on of Ch ristianity
that it proclai ms God as the universal Fathe r ca r
i ng fo r his whole rational creation and yet taki ng
special deli ght i n those wh o r evere h is name an d
keep h is c om mandments Th e great rec ord o f Ch ri s
t ianity its fact of facts i s that God has c ome i nto th e
sphere of ou r h u manity and that he has c ome for o u r
h elp and deliveranc e Other r eligi ons it i s tru e have
lai d clai m to s u ch distincti on b ut it has been an emp t y
boast There i s n o histori cal basis fo r the clai m I n
Christ Jes u s only has it been realized and demo n
s t rate d as a fact
The great announcement o f the
gospel was at th e beginning and still is that God
has appeared i n a h uman form that Go d as Fath e r
has declared his love to men i n the pers on o f his

only begotten S on and that God was i n Ch rist

r econciling the world u nto hi m s elf by th e death of

h is S on not i mputi ng their trespasses u nto th em

Th e gospel as a schem e o f D ivine benevolence and
mercy fo r man stands or falls on thi s annou ncement ;
and its v e r ity is s o anchored as a fact o n the ro c k o f

the world s history that it is i mpossible to den y it with

o ut unsettling all h u man h i sto ry
,

C H A PTE R II I
NA T URE

THE

RESP ON SI B I L I T Y OF

A ND

MAN

H E S criptu res do not m ore distinctly set before

us th e existence and cha r acte r o f God as a
Spi rit innite eternal and u nchangeable i n h is
being wisdom power h oliness j usti ce goodness
and truth than they set befo r e u s a distinct an d
i neffaceable deli neati on o f th e nature and characte r
in all ages
o f man as h e has existed i n al l nati ons
and in all c onditions
This is the second great theme of r evelation and th e
i nformation o f th e Bible o n this poi nt is as clear and
full as it i s on the r st B ut o n thi s second s ubj ect
we hav e an advantage wh ich we did not possess on th e
other We have some i ndependent knowledge to b e
gi n with
We have all the light derived from ou r
o w n experience and observati on and all the antecedent
knowledge whi ch has c ome down t o u s fr om past hi s
tory to teach u s what man i s what i s his characte r
and what h is capaci ty Th u s by what we know o f
h im already fro m o utside sou rces we are all the bette r
able to test and to appreciate that pi ctu re o f h is na
tu r e origin and destiny whi ch the B ible gives
It S houl d be b orne i n mind that the B ible rep
re s e ntat i
o n of h u man natu re i s no u ncertain o n e
No
pictu re was ever more disti nctly drawn It i s con
,

2 3

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

si stent th ro ughout fro m Genesis to Revelation There

are no false tou ches no unmeaning strokes and it is
i mpossible to l ook upon it without feeling that it has
come from the hand o f a master O n thi s s ubj ect the
B ible has c ome s o c o mpletely withi n the range of ou r
o w n knowledge deri v ed from experi ence and h istory
,
that it places u s i n a v ery favorable positi on to j u dge of
the c redibi lity o f that i nformation whi ch it brings to u s
when it speaks o n s ubj ects beyond o u r r ange Fo r
h e r e we can compare its pictu re and its information
with what we know already And if in a th ousand in
stances we know what it tells u s to be tru e to life and
natu re it wou l d b e hard to resist th e concl usi on that
th e book whic h ne v e r fails of tru t h here i s worthy o f
c redit when it speaks o f th e thi ng s whi ch are u nseen
and eternal
At the meeti ng o f the General P r esbyterian Alliance
o f 1 880 in Philadelphi a one o f its members the Rev
D r E P H u mphrey i n an able disc u ssion o f I n sp i

ration made th e de ep ly sig n i c ant statement th at th e

B ible c ontained th e prope r names o f not less than fou r
thousand persons and places b r ought to view i n its hi s
to r y ; and that i n no instance had recent i n v estigati ons
proved o n e of those names to be a myth or one o f
the localities to be misplaced Th e argument is o b
The book wh ich has made no mistake i n
v io u s
geography and h isto ry during a period of fou r th ou
sand years and i n fou r thousand e x amples can be
safely trusted o n other points
I n like manne r a
book whi ch has drawn a t r u e pi ct u re of h u manity
fo r all times and places i s to be t r usted not only for
time b u t fo r ete r nitynot only when it speaks of
.

L I VI NG

S TI A NI T Y

CHR I

ated h e them
And the Lord God formed man
o f the dust o f the gro und and breathed i n t o his nos

t rils the breath o f life and man became a living so ul

And Go d saw e ve ryth ing that he had made and b e

hold it was very good

It is evident that o u r h u manity came forth from th e
c reative hand o f Go d in a state o f high perfection
It certainly lost its origi nal righteousness and tr u e h o
lin e ss by the rst transgressi on
B ut it di d not lose its
intellectual and moral fac ulties any more than it l ost
its bodily organs When it came for t h i n perfecti on
from the hand o f Go d it possessed as it c onti nu ed to
possess aft er the fall a dual natu re o f b ody and soul
It had a material natu r e like that of the lower creatu res
kindred with the dust from which it was fashioned and
it had a spiritual natu r e a living s oul the breath o f
It was endowed
G o d claiming kindred with th e skies
wi t h high and nobl e fac ulties capable of knowing God
and allying it with spi ritual i ntelligences I n each o f
its parts it was originally destined fo r i mmortality and
Althou gh this
fo r i ndenite growth i n knowledge
b oon o f life was forfeited and l os t at th e fall a way
was provi ded by whi ch it cou l d be r egai ned i n Christ
th e sec o nd Adam
Th is earliest pi cture o f h u man natu re as composed
o f two disti nct pa rts a material b ody and a thinking
s ou l i s presented th roughout the B ible Says S ol

om on Then shall the dust return to th e earth as it

was ; and th e spi rit S hall retu rn u nto God who gave

it
And th us says Christ
Fear not th em whic h
kill the body but are not able to kill th e soul ; bu t
r athe r fea r H i m wh o i s able to destroy b oth sou l and
.

NA T URE

A ND

R E SP ONS I B I L I T Y OF

M A IV
.

No w it i s becau se o f
b ody i n hel l ( Matt x
thi s twofol d disti nction in ou r natu re and i n vi rtu e o f
thi s high er spi ritu a l part cal led the soul endowed wi t h
reason and consc ience and capable of knowing and w o r
shiping Go d t hat we nd t h e Bible everywh ere ad
dressing men as rati onal responsibl e beings I n the
great m a tters o f salvation Go d h i m s elf cons t antly
appeals to men as free rational agents calling u pon
them by all th e h ighe s t m o t ives o f action to c hoose
the good and tu rn from th e evil There i s nothing i n
t h e B ible more s triking than thi s perpetu a l appeal o f
the Almighty and his i nspi red prophets and apo s tles t o
men as free i ntelligent responsible beings wh o have
power to choose life o r death H i s language i s Come
now and let u s reason toge t her sai t h the L ord ; th ou gh
yo u r sins be as s c a rle t they shall be whi t e as snow ;
thou gh they be red like cri mson th ey sh all be as wool
Ch oose ye this day wh om ye wi ll serve If the Lord
be G o d foll ow h im b ut i f Baal th en follow h im

Tu rn ye turn ye fo r why wi ll ye die O house o f

I srael ?
From th is invariable tone o f expos t u lati on an d warn
i ng runni ng th rou gh al l th e S criptu res it i s easy t o

see what i s God s estimate o f m an Assu redly that

es t imate is n o t a l ow o n e whe t her we j u dge from God s

appeals to ou r intelligence o r from what he h as done
to save u s I f we are to m e a su re m a n by what i s c on
fe s s e dly his trues t measu re hi s i mm o r ta l n at ure that
i s by the w o rth and digni t y o f hi s s ou l and if we are
to take t h e dimensi ons o f th e s ou l fr o m what Jes u s
Christ has done a nd suffered to redeem i t it i s obvi ou s
that we canno t r a i s e to o high ou r estima t e o f t he val ue
.

L I VI N G CHR I

S TI A NI T Y
.

th is fa ll en h umanity C r eated at the rst i n a state

o f S inless perfection and now sadly fallen from its pris
tine gl ory by th e apostasy it still h olds a positi on o f
s uperiority and responsibili t y i mmeas u rably ab o v e th e
b r ute creati on The m e n of all races and cli mes h o w
ever s unk i n sin are still endowed with reason con
scienc e affection an d freewill As s u ch th ey are com
petent to receive or rej ect th e knowledge o f Go d to
accept o r refuse th e offers o f h is grace in the gospel
S uch i s the picture presented u s i n th e Scriptu res : a
comple x being o f b ody and s oul matter and S pirit ;
c r eated o r i ginally i n th e intel lectual and moral image
o f God b ut fallen from t hat high estate ; still fearfully
and wonderfully c onstituted even i n hi s rui n ; made at
rst fo r i mmortality and happiness and still capable
throu gh Chri st o f being raised t o that glory ; greatly
marred and weakened i n all h i s i ntellectual physi cal and
m oral powers yet still capable throu gh grace o f ri sing
again from hi s degradati on o f being refashi oned i nto
the lost li keness of God o f h olding c om m uni on with
God i n wors h ip he r e and of being tted at last for th e
c ompanionship o f God and angels i n the life to c ome
of

'

CHAPTER IV
TI I

E FA LLEN

OND I TI ON OF

O UR

NA T UR E

H O U G H th e rst h u man pai r came fo rth from th e

c reative hand o f Go d i n perfection fashi oned after
his own i mage i n knowledge ri ghteousness and h oli
ness an d blest with com m u nion with God we do not
have to read fa r i n th e sac red rec ord to nd them
sadly fallen fro m that pri meval c onditi on I n fanc ied

sec u ri ty and i n forgetfulness o f Go d s c om mand they

yi elded to th e sedu ctive voi c e o f temptation p ut forth
thei r hands i n an evi l h ou r to th e forbidden fruit and
by S infu l disobedience fel l i nto an estate o f apostasy

and ru in
They lost God s approval i nc u rred the
j ust penal ty o f h i s vi olated law and so b rou ght
c ondem nati on and death upon th emsel v es and their
posterity Th e forfeited bliss o f Eden was l ost its
gates were c losed against them and th ey were left
to that fearful h eritage o f S in and mi se ry whi ch
has been the doom of all the rac e descending from
them
S imply and briey i s thi s m omentous sto ry of
transgression told i n th e opening chapters o f th e
b ook o f Genesis It is th e one sh ort tale o f death
and w o e o n which the s ubli me geni us of M ilton
essayed its utmost strength when it w r ought o u t for
u s th e great epic drama o f Pa radise L05 1 It was the
,

29

L I VI NG

30

CH

RI STI A NI T Y
.

rst h uman mi s deed th e begi nni ng of all man s trans

and
i
t
has
sent
i
t
s
di
s
astrou
s
i
nu
ence
down
i
n
s
ss
o
r
e
g
t o the l atest h ou r Its fearful resu lts were soon devel
oped in many diverging li nes o f vi olence and H eaven
defying wickedness from the m u r der of Abel by a

brother s hand to that almost u niversal cri minality

which soon oversp r ead the earth lled it with Vi o
lence and b r ought down th e wrath of Go d i n th e
destru ction of the delu ge Si n had entered the world
and death by S in
No man can read th e Scriptures i n any pa rt o f them
without being st r u ck with th e promi nence gi v en to
the topi c o f sin and with th e frequent denu nciat i on

While the i nspi ring

o f God s displeas ure against it
keynote o f the Bible fro m beginni ng to end is sal
v ation th ere is a deep and solem n u nderto ne o f s in
and gu ilt wh ich swells up u nceasingly and g ive s c h ar
acter t o al l its m u si c I n truth th e o n e i s b ut the
cou nterpart to th e other ; the o n e necessitates the
other
It i s becau se we are sinners that we need
salvation I t i s because we a r e al l sinners and b e
cause si n i s s o fearful a malady that God has given u s
a book revealing a r emedy fo r si n i n th e salvation o f
the cross Had there been no sin there had been no
B ible and there had been no cross
Probably o n n o o n e point i s th e dem onst rati on of
th e truth o f the B ible more complete than on th e s ub
of
h
uman
si
nfulness
U
nde
r
th
e
v
a
ry
ing
terms
e
c
t
of
j
sin guilt iniqu ity transgression apostasy depravity
wic k edness ungodliness th e i dea i s reiterated ove r
and ove r i n the B ible more than a th ousand ti mes
Th r o u gh a histo ry o f fo rty cent ur ies and th r ou gh an
,

FA LLEN

ONDI TI ON OF

NA T UR E

O UR

auth orship of fteen it is the o n e charge agai nst o u r

fallen nature wh ich is neve r withdrawn and neve r c on
c e ale d and it i s everywhere presented as th e i ndi ct
ment and the testim ony o f God hi msel f S om e o f
the deep thinkers of o u r day have been striving hard
to bring the B ibl e i nto c oni ct with t h e alleged facts
o f scienc e and with some of th e asce rtained facts o f
h istory We venture to say that there is no conict
between the Bible and facts o n th e subj ect of si n no
coni ct eith e r i n the h isto ry of th e past or i n th e
r eal m o f present experienc e
What is the written histo ry of th e past b ut a rec ord

of man s i nh umanit y to man

o f h u man sinfulness
of ty ranny and O ppression and deceit and all manne r
o f wrong doi ng ?
A thousand wasting wars and th e
i nnu merabl e bloody battles that have dotted over th e

earth s su rfac e all proclai m with tr u mpet tongu e that

th e book of Go d is right and i n no conict with th e
facts of histo ry and experience i n arraigning man as
a sinner Th e i nward c onsci ousness of every candi d
man bears witness that the charge i s tru e There are
h istorians wh ose facile pens have narrated al l thes e

th ings without any m ention o f th e word

sin
There are g r eat h istorians li ke Gibbon wh o have
eloquently r elated deeds of darkness w ith no men
tion o f si n except fo r de r isi on o r for contempt Still
the fact itself of sin remains a d r ead reali ty o n every
page despite omission or derision and c ontempt N o
gilded eloquence o f n arrati on no c oncealment o f th e
truth u nder the colors o f s ophistical philosophy can
set aside what is the most patent fact o f all history
and experience that man is i n a state o f apostasy a
,

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

sinne r agai nst his God and a wrong doer to his fellow
man
T his i s th e B ible testimony everywhere and we
know that the witness i s tru e
I n this the B ible
carries along wi t h it its o wn complete Vi ndication
for it utters a language o n th is p oi nt which is only
that o f u niversal histo ry and experienc e N o other
book claiming to b e a r evelation from God has e v e r
uttered a voi ce s o di stinct and b orne a testi mony s o
consistent wi t h all the facts o f h u man natu re If we
had no othe r evidence th is woul d go far to c onvi nc e
u s that the B ible i s from God fo r no o n e fact i s more
m omentou s i n itself or better established by experi ence
than th e fact of sin We see it everywhere i n the world
and we feel its bitter presence i n o u r o w n hearts
U pon this stern and awful r eality the fact of si n
which we can n o more di spute than we can o u r o w n
existenc e th e Bible t hrows a light of i nformat i on that
can be de rived from no other quarter It tells u s o f
its or i g i n its primal au t hor its extent its enormity its
sad consequences It tells u s h ow it came into the
world and h ow it has prevailed among men It tells u s
o f the ruin it has wrought how it has du g the graves of
the race o f men and h ow it has dish onored God It
tells us o f its wages death and hell and also o f the rem
edy wh ich God has provi ded for the rem oval o f its
c u rse
I n brief S in i s the deep and deadly malady
which has fallen upon h u man nature and fo r whic h
there is b ut one c u r e the salvation of Jes us Christ
The book whi ch s o frequently warns u s o f the disease
tells i n the same breath o f the anti dote and poi nts to
the Great Physician
-

L I VI NG

34

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

these we can come to no other concl usi on than that of

the u niversal si n fulness and c orrupti on of man in h is
natur a l state O ur hu man natu re as it cam e from the
hand o f Go d was good being created after the image
B ut
o f God in knowledge righteousness and h oliness
by the apos t asy i n Eden it was brought i nto an es t a t e
n and mise ry losing its original righteousness and
o f Si
the divine favor bei ng thenceforth inclined to that which
is evi l and exposed to the wrath and c urse o f God or

as Pau l expresses it dead i n trespasses and S ins

I t may well be called a sad heritage The tr u e
children o f God i n every generation have found it

so
Fools says Solomon make a m ock of sin
N o man in hi s senses wh o has ever been l ed to see
the reality and enormity of sin can make a m oc k o f it
No sane man can treat with levity that whi ch has lled
the world with woe and all h uman h earts with sorrow
and wi t h fear It was only aft er Pau l had come to u nder
s tand the subj ect fully havi ng felt what S in was in his

o w n heart and seen what it was i n the light o f God s

law t h at he c ried in deep bitterness of S pirit

Oh
wretched man that I am ! wh o shall deliver m e from

th e body of th is death ?
Th e man wh o has no sense
o f sin no c onviction of guilt is th e man wh o has n o
thorough knowledge o f his own heart and no app re
ci
at i
o n o f the character of God o r o f his holy law
Kn o w t hyself w as a wi se maxim even i n a pagan
h
i
I
O S O p h e r : how mu ch more e s s c n t i
al is s uch knowl
p
edge i n a man o f Go d ! The holi est men o f old were
th o se wh o h a d made t he deepest di s coveries of thei r

o w n s infulne s s thr o ugh t he illu minating po w er o f God s

l aw and the H oly Gho s t
,

FA L L E N

OND I TI ON OF O UR NA T URE

35

It was th rough these deep hea r t searchings and

many painfu l coni cts i n the days of trial and adv e r
I
si
ty that the patri arch J ob was led at last to say
h ave heard of thee by the h earing of th e ear b ut now
mi ne eye seeth thee ; wherefore I abhor myself and

repent i n d us t and ashes

It was when the i nspi red
I saiah h a d seen a Vi si on of the divi ne glo ry i n the

temple that h e c ried Woe i s me for I am undone

because I am a man o f u nclean lips and I dwell i n
th e midst o f a people o f u nclean lips ; for mine eyes

have seen the Ki ng th e Lord o f h osts

It was th is

discove ry o f God s characte r and of the deep sea t ed

depravi t y o f his o wn heart i n the light o f God s law

that led D avi d to indite that penitential psal m wh ose
every utter a nce is a c onfessi on o f gui lt o r a praye r fo r

forgiveness : H ave mercy upon me O Go d acc ord

i ng to thy lovingki ndness ; acc ording u nto th e m u l
t it u de o f thy tender mercies blot o u t my t ran s g res
si ons Wa s h me th roughly from m ine i niqu ity and
c leanse me from my sin
F o r I acknowledge m y

transgressi ons an d my si n i s e v e r before m e

The way of transgressors is hard It i s an evil and a
bitter thing to commit sin It biteth li ke a serpent and
stingeth like an adder I t pierceth the sou l throu gh
with many sorrows U nl ess it is repented o f and for

given it will be the sou l s eternal u ndoing T o live i n

n and to die a rebel and wrong doe r i n the S ight o f
Si
G o d is a fearful doom
The world i s full o f the evils
and hell i s mad e up o f its victi ms Yet by
o f sin
natu re it i s within u s all H ow S hall we escape it ?
There i s but o n e way
-

CHAPTER V
THE

UNI VERSA L I T Y OF SI ZY
.

H E sinfulness o f h u man natu r e manifests itse l f i n

many different forms and i n va rying degrees of
i ntensity as men a r e exposed to temptati on It wou ld
be a great mistake to suppose that no sin exists in those
amiable characters wh o have neve r encou ntered temp
tat io n and exhibited any o utward acts o f depravity
The heart i s a deep fou ntain whos e bitter waters may
not always overow si mpl y becaus e they have been

walled around by God s pro v i denc e o r r estrained by

his grace S ome s u percial theo r ists hav e maintai ne d
that there i s no S in except i n th e ove r t act of willful
transgressi on B ut this opini on is contradi cted both
by Scripture and by expe r ience It falls utterly sh ort
o f that deep malady that fou l lep r osy o f a sinful na
ture which the Bible depicts i n su ch fearfu l terms and
which the best men i n the world have m o u rned over
all their lives I n all ages the chi l dren o f God th o ugh
partially sanctied by grac e have sti ll been sadly c o n
sci ous o f an abi ding depravity agai nst wh ich they h ave
struggled th ough it fou nd n o exp r essi on o n the lips o r
i n overt acts o f t r ansgressi on
I n fact there are three disti nct forms o r stages o f
this natu r al depravity ; and no man can be said to hav e
.

36

TH E

UNI VERSA L I T Y OF

SIN

37

'
.

fully kno wn hi s own heart until i n the light o f God s

law he has fou nd them o u t It i s the t r ue function of
the D ivi ne law to reveal this self k nowledge to us

By the law says Paul

i s th e knowledge o f sin
I was al ive with out the law onc e (that is had a good
opinion of myself ) b ut when the commandment came

si n revived and I died

There is rst the class of o utward and agrant acts
of transgression as expressed i n wicked words an d
deeds N o one can den y that these are si nful Vio
lat io n s o f the law of God making the offender amen
And h ow large
ab le even at th e bar o f h u man j ustice

a porti on o f men s l i ves and of the world s histo ry i s

b ut the dark rec ord o f s u ch outward acts of Vi olence
and wrong doing !
There i s sec ondly that phase o f depravity whic h
lies bac k o f all overt acts of S in whi ch oft en leads to
s uch overt acts b ut which may exist wh ere n o outw a rd
action gives expressi on to the si n and where n o eye but
that o f God can discern it It is the secret si n o f bad
i nten t ion o f a deliberate pu rpose to do wrong ; and it
i s the antecedent stage o f m ost of th e actual wrong
doi ng in the world Thi s secret pu rpose i n th e h eart
th is deliberate choi ce of the will to do wrong is th e
v ery essence o f transgression e v en when no outward
act gives expression to it The thwarted o r u nexecuted
i nten t ion o f cri me is as certai nly sinful i n th e S i ght of
a h oly Go d as is the cri minal act When Go d say s

Thou S hall not c ovet i t is as real a prohibition o f

si n i n t he he a rt as when h e says Th ou shal t n o t kill

o r s t eal or c ommit adu l t ery

H owever it may be wi t h
h u man laws th e D ivine law is as tru ly vi ol at ed by t h e
,

38

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

si nful pu rpose of th e heart as by th e S infu l word o r the

si nful deed The word of the Lord we are told is

qu ic k and powerful and it is a discerner o f the

thoughts and i ntents of the heart

H is command
ments are exceeding broad When Ananias and Sap
phi ra fell dead at th e feet o f th e apostles u nder th e
j ust j udgment of God for having l ied unto the H oly
Ghost the very essence o f thei r guilt as charged by

Peter was that they had conceived this thing i n thei r

hearts
When Si mon Magu s proposed to purchase
the gift of th e H oly Ghost with m oney it was this evi l
intention that bro ught fo r th the stern reb u ke o f the
apostle wh o exh orted hi m to repent if perchance the

thought of thine heart may b e forgiven thee

B ut this does not meas u r e the whole extent o f man s

sinfulness Back of h is acti ons and back o f h is v ol
u n tary purposes o f action there i s a still deeper mal
ady i n his fallen nature There is a fou ntain o f evi l
wi t hin h im from which the stream o f his evi l acts and
his evil intentions is constantly owing The saddest
part o f this he r itage o f si n i s that i nnate evil heart
that bias of his moral nature wh ich makes hi m averse
to good and incl ined to evi l from the earli est dawn o f
h is free agency and r esponsibility All h istory and all
experience prove what the S c r iptures s o abu ndantly
teach us that when the child o f Adam comes into the

world it is not a S inl ess angel that the m other s arms

enfold b ut a creatu re W h ose opening m oral agency will

sh ow it to be a transgresso r o f God s lawa c reatu re

whi ch if not cor r ected and restrai ned by grac e may so o n
grow i nto an enemy o f man and a rebel agai nst God
This is the doctrine of Scriptu re and this is the fact
,

UNI VE R SA L I T Y O F

THE

S I IV

39

all expe r ience and h isto ry Th e penitential c on

Beh old
vi
cti
o n of D avid recognized this when he cried
I was shapen i n i n iquity and i n S in did my mother c on
Create i n me a clean heart O Go d and re
cei
v e me

new a righ t S pi rit wi t h i n m e

The wic ked are e s

sai d he
they go astray as
t ran g e d from t he womb

soon as they be born speaking li es

The perfect man
the upright Job c onfessed th is when h e cried
o f U2
Beh old I am V i le : what shall I answer
I wi ll lay
mine hand upon my m outh I h ave heard of thee b y
the hearing of the ear b ut n o w mi ne eye seeth thee
Wherefore I abhor myself and repent i n dust and

ashes
Th e beloved and venerabl e apostle J ohn with

all his sain t li ness confessed this w hen h e wrote

If
we say th a t we have no si n we de ceive ou rselves

and the truth i s not i n u s

The great apostle o f th e
Genti les from the i nm ost experience o f h is s ou l saw
and confessed this deep and dreadfu l malady of a cor
rupt nature when h e described th e stru ggle between
th e natu ral and the spiritual i n th e seventh chapter o f

the Epistle to the Romans : F o r I know that i n m e

(that i s i n my esh ) dwelleth no good th ing : fo r to
will is present with me but h ow to perform that wh ich

i s good I nd not
I nd then a law that when
I w o u ld do good evil is present wi t h m e
F o r I de
light i n the law o f God aft er the inward m an : b u t I
see another law i n my members warring against t h e
law o f my mind and bri nging me into captivity t o t he
law o f si n wh ich i s i n my members
Oh wretch ed
man that I am ! wh o shal l deliver me from the body
o f this dea t h ?
I n no p a rt of the Bible is thi s doctrine o f the i nborn
of

L I VI NG

4O

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

sinfulness o f h u man natu r e more vividly set forth than

i n the words o f o u r ble s sed Lord I n repeated pas
sages he traces all outw a rd forms o f depravity to that
unbending will whi ch will not c ome to God o r to th a t
evi l heart whi ch l o ves darkness rather than light b e

c a use its deeds are evil

This i s th e c ondemnation

sai d h e that light is come i nto th e world and men

love darkness rathe r t han li ght because thei r deeds

are e v il
And ye wi ll not come u nto me because

your deeds are evil

What great e t hical ph ilosophe r
ever stru ck the key of h u man natu re s o tru ly as when

h e said A good man o u t o f the good treasu re o f

his heart bringe t h forth good things ; and an evil man
o u t o f th e evi l treasu re
bringeth forth evi l t hings

Ei t her make the tree good and h is fruit good ; o r

else make the tree c o r rupt and hi s fru it corrupt ;
for the tree i s known by hi s fru it
D o men gathe r
grapes o f th orns or gs o f thistles ? Even s o every
good tree bri nge t h forth good fru it ; b ut a c orrupt
tree bringeth forth evi l fru it A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit neith er can a c orrup t tree bring
go o d frui t Eve ry tree that bri ngeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down and cast i nto the re Wherefore

by their fruits ye shall kno w them

Can any teaching

be more explic it than th is that man s natu re is as are

his acts ; and i nasmu ch as all h istory proves h is ac
t ions t o be sinful i t m ust be a sinful nature at th e root
whi ch bears s uch fru i t s ?
We are not however left merely to the anal ogy and
t he logic o f the case Christ has laid down the doc
trine i n the most explicit and didacti c statements else
where H e says Those thing s which proceed o u t o f
.

CHAPTER
TH E

BR

VI

O TH ERH O O D OF

M A IV
.

RO M th e establish ed t r uth o f th e fath erhood of

God follows by l ogi cal sequence the r elated
doctri ne o f the brotherhood o f man If by c r eation
and providence we are all children o f o n e Fath e r
then we are all brothers o f the same fami ly and
b ound to recognize the kinship of a c ommon h u
manity And what i s th us tru e i n the r ealm o f na
tu re is equally tru e i n the kingdom o f grace so fa r
as gr ace has extended I f i n Ch ri st Jesu s we hav e
o n e reconciled Go d and Father and have been m ade
partakers o f his redemptive work by grace then are
we all to whom thi s new ti e is given b reth ren o f one
family and e q u ally b o u n d to recognize th e nearer
relationshi p I n this redeemed family of Ch rist wh o
h ave al l put o n the new man and been r enewed i n
k nowledge after the i mage of H i m wh o c r eated them
we a r e told There i s neither Greek nor Jew circ u m
si
ci
o n n o r u nci rc u mcision
barba r ian S cyth ian bond

n o r free ; b ut Christ is all and i n all

Th is i s th e broad
bro t herhood o f the sai nts as exemplied i n the o n e
u niversal o r c a tholi c Chu rch of all ages and c om
l
e t e d when all that C h u rch shall b e
ga
t
hered
to
p
gether i n Ch r ist its Head at the end o f the world
,

42

TH E

BR

O TH ERH O OD OF

M AN

43

B ut besides thi s com mon broth erhood o f the saints

s o clearly tau ght i n th e S criptu r es the r e i s a still
broade r brotherh ood o f th e h u man r ac e taught with
equal clearness b oth by S criptu re and by the light of

reason
God declares th e i nspi red apostle to th e

Athenian sages o n M ars H i ll

hath made o f o n e
blood al l nations of m en to dwell o n all th e fac e of
the ea rth ; and hath determined the ti mes before ap

pointed and th e bou nds o f thei r habitati on

The

gospel wh ic h th us proclai ms all men the o ffspring

and the men o f al l nations as ori ginally

o f Go d

made o f one bl ood and c r eated i n the i mage o f

God is equ ally expli cit i n telli ng u s that all wh o

are r edeemed i n Christ are redeemed o u t of eve ry

nation and k indred and tongu e and people b y th e

Th e o n e bl ood of
o n e bl o od of the S on o f God
redemption shed upon th e c ross by whic h all wh o
are i n Chri st are u nited as brothers for e v ermore i s
but the cou nterpart o f that o n e bl ood o f a divi ne cre
ation by whic h the men o f all r aces and nati ons to th e
end of the worl d belong to one great family and c on
s ti
t u te th e c om mon brotherh ood o f h u manity
The s ubj ect i s a fruitful one b ut three poi nts s u g
gested by it clai m special c onsi deration
Th e rst i s that the doctri ne o f a u niversal h u man
k inship i s th e clea r and u nmistakable teachi ng o f
S cripture
Th e last proclamation of th e great
Fou nder o f Ch ristianity delivered with solem n em
phasis when he ascended to heaven i nvolves it i n

every utteranc e H e said Go ye i nto all the world

and preach the gospel to every c reatu re Go ye and
teach all nations H e that believeth and i s baptized
,

L [ VI N O

44

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

shal l be saved
H e that believeth not shal l be

damned
The mighty ange l o f the Apocalypse als o
v irtually proclai ms it when h e is seen ying th r ough
the mi dst of heaven having the eve r lasting gospel to
preach u nto them that dwell on th e earth to eve ry
nati on and ki nd r ed and tongu e and people A S i n
the Ne w Testament the r e i s b ut one gospel one re

demption o n e c ommon sal v ation fo r men s o there

is b ut o ne h u manity one organi c rac e o f men as dis
t in g u ish e d fr om all othe r beings and one c om mon
natu r e fashioned originall y i n the likeness o f God
To ou r own c onception it i s as clea r that th e Sc r ipt
ur es e v e ry whe r e teach o r i mpl y thi s doctri ne as it
i s that they teach anything
When th e Scriptures
annou nce th ose g r eat fu ndamental truths there i s
one God and o n e M ediato r between God and men
th e man Christ Jesu s wh o gave hi mself a r ansom for
all to be tes t ied i n due ti me h ow more i mpress
iv e ly could they have tau ght the onene s s o f th e
h u man r ace and th e c ommon b r otherh ood o f all
th e nations ?
The second thought worthy of spec ia l notic e i s th e
slowness o f mankin d i n ac cepting th e doctrine of a
common origin and a c ommon brotherhood and th e
relu ctance of h u man ph il osophy and statesma nship to
learn the great practical lessons wh i ch result from it
H ad the doctrine been accepted and its lessons prae
ticed h ow woul d wars have ceased to the end of th e
earth ! What u ntold h orrors and desolati ons have
been entailed upon manki nd from age to age by th e
o ld idea sti ll prevalent among nations that each great
powe r may lawfull y stand i n an attitude o f a r med re
.

TH E

BR

O TH ER H O O D OF

M A IV

45

against all th e r est and that th e weaker na

tions and th e u ncivilized races have no ties of bro t h er
h o od whi ch the stronger are bou nd to respect
H ow
would t he wh ole bloody h istory o f the world from th e
begi nning till now have been reversed if t h e plai n New
Tes t ament doctrine o f peace o n earth and good will to
men on th e basi s o f a c omm on brotherh ood had been
accep t ed and obeyed ! Alas fo r the civilized states
manship o f the nineteenth cen t u ry and fo r the Ch ris
t ian ity whi ch it represents
Alas t o o for th e boasted
science and phi los ophy o n whi ch ou r civi lizati on and
o u r Christi a n statesmanship rest wh en o u r great states
and nati ons now h oldi ng th e domini on o f th e gl obe
have yet to learn the rst pri nciple o f a true Christian
eth ics namely that before Go d all m en wheth er civi l
iz e d o r savage are brothers and S h ould be treated as
b roth ers !
A third point su ggested by th e subj ect is th e gran d
argu ment it furnishes i n V indi cati on of Ch ris t ianity as
the tru e religion of heaven and the o n e divi ne religion
for man As thi ngs are we do not k now any be t ter
proof that the go s pel o f Christ is from God and not

o f man s devising than that it c omes to u s with this

great doctrine o f the c ommon brotherhood o f man
We S hou ld be wi lling to take o u r stand i n defence o f
it before all reasonable men o n that grou n d alone even
if there were n o oth er F o r we feel i n o u r i nm ost s ou l
tha t the doctrine i s true and th e doctri ne i s ri ght what
ever h u man science and ph il osophy may choose to de
ci de about it We rej oic e that Ch ris t ianity from t h e
rst has so boldly committed itself to th e doctri ne
We rej oice that o n this o ne great truth o f h uman
s tan ce
si

46

L I VI NG

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

brotherh ood Christianity has always been i n advance not

only of all other religi ons b ut o f all h u man ci v ilizati on
It stands I n that advanced po s iti on to day In that p o
t io n it is now as it always has been i n the lead of th e
si

world s advancing civil izati on Fo r a hu ndred years i n

all p a rts o f the glob e th e progress o f m odern missi o ns
t o the h ea t hen has vindicated the tru t h of that position
Every new tri u mph wh ich th e gospel wi ns amongst
barbarou s o r semi civilized tribes o r nations is b ut an
added demonstration o f the great doctri ne proclai med
by Christianity from the beginni ng that all men are
brothers by natu re and i n Jes us Chri st m a y be made
both brothers and equals This is o n e of the instances
i n whi ch we do n o t reason that a doctri ne i s tru e b e
c ause it is taught by Chri stiani ty as for example th e
res urrecti on of th e de a db ut i n wh ich we rathe r re
verse th e reasoni ng and feel that Christianity is true
and mu st be divi ne becau s e it has tau ght the doctrine
and is to day illu strating it arou nd t he globe by preach
i ng a go s pel alike adapted to all men
It i s the fashi on i n o u r t i mes to hold th e Ch u rch up
to disparagement and r idic u le because it h as not lived
up to the ideal o f its great Founder and has never
fullled his last commissi on to give th e gospel t o all
manki nd It is alleged that the Ch u rc h is me r cenary
selsh ambitiou s seeking only th e welfa re o f its o wn
members and cari ng naught for the poo r and the per
is h in g of a world lying i n wi ckedness
No w we have
onl y to point to th e h isto r y o f Christian missions all
arou nd the globe during th e last h u ndred years to
prove th e charge an u nwarranted slander We have
only to point to h u ndreds o f mi s sionary stati ons and
,

TH E

R O TH E R H O O D OF

MAN

47

to thou sands o f missi onaries and teachers male and

femal e and to h u ndreds of thousands o f conve rts won
from paganism by their labors to demonstrate that th e
d octri ne o f t h e b ro t herhood o f man and of care for th e
poor is held by th e ch urches of evangeli cal Christendom
not as a dead lette r o f the creeds b ut as a grand p rac
tical reality i n which h undreds of the noblest men and
women o fthe Ch urch the Livingstones D u ffs Wi lsons
H ebers M orris ons J udsons Newells Martyn s Wi l
liam s e s V an de rk e m p s Moffats have been willi ng to
spend o r sacric e thei r lives We a r e j ustied i n th e
l ight o f s u ch labors and afte r the testimony o f s u ch
l ives , to h url back the slande r i n th e te eth o f those
wh o make it
Wh o raised up and educated and sent o u t th ose mis
es and wh o s ustained the c ost o f thei r going to
si
o n ari
the extent o f mi lli ons of dollars and at th e risk o f th e
l ives o f their o w n l oved sons and daughters ? It i s th e
evangeli cal Chri stian Ch u rch o f all denominations and
i n all lands that has done it and done it with n o earthly

selsh m oti v e b ut o u t o f si mple obedience to Christ s

c ommand and a yearning sympathy fo r the sou ls o f
the peri shing Th e Ch u rch has done it because the
Chu rch belie v es that o n e gospel was inte n ded for all
mankind and that all men of all races and nati ons are
brothers and equals alike preciou s i n h i s sight
While skeptical u nbelie v ers at home are nding fault
with the Ch urch as being out o f sympathy with h u
manity and as being o u t o f sympathy with the p ro
re s s i
e S pirit o f th e age the Chu rch by her mission
v
g
aries ab r oad i s daily refuting the i mputation and prov
i ng beyond questi on that her sons and daughte r s are
,

48

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

doing m ore to help th e perishi ng and to S p r ead true

c ivilization a r ound t h e globe than all other agencies
put together
This demonstra t ion o f a divine o ri
gin and O f a practi cal philan t h ropy i n the face o f toi l
and danger and death Ch ristiani ty i s n o w giving i n
eve ry heathen land to wh ich the Ch ristian missi ona ry
and t he Christian teacher have gone Nor do we see
that the demonstration i s any less remarkable and c on
c lu s i
ve i n the eyes o f the men of this generati on t h an
was that earlier demonstration whi ch God gave to th e
men of the rst century when h is i nspired apostles rst
carried th e glad ti dings o f salvation to the Gentiles
Christianity has al ways been bette r than the g o v
e rn m e n t s
o r even
th e ch u rches professing to b e
gui ded by its precepts
I t i s not responsible fo r

man s i nh u manity to man nor for the crimes c o m

m it te d i n its name by great c ivi lized nations calling
themselves th e exponents p ar exc ellenc e o f Christian
civilization N o government i n the world h as ever
yet practi cally lived up to th e pri nc iples of peac e an d
philanthropy i nc u lcated by Christ I nstead o f treat
i ng t h e inferior races as thei r fellow men all children
o f the same Father the great nati ons of Ch ristendom
have t o o often pu rs u ed them u nto death as enemies
I t has been reserved for th e evangel ical ch u rches to
dem o nstrate on a h u ndred mission
e lds the tru e doc
tri ne o f th e u niversal brotherhood of man and to pro
cl a i m among t he nati ons that divi ne law o f peace and
good wi ll t o all men wh i ch was rst proclaimed from
heaven at t h e bi rth of Chri st I f ever the golden age

when th e nati ons shall beat

o f bards and prophe t s
thei r swords into pl oughshares and their spears into
.

L I VI NG

50

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

it may be fou nd that it will have to go i nto the Chu r c h

t o see the examples and learn t h e less on
Poets can
sing o f i t ve ry sweetly and philosophers extol b ut
only Ch ris t ian heroe s do the work From the days
h istory does not c ontai n th e
o f Terence u nti l n o w
r ecord o f many splendi d poets o r great philosophers
o r even fou nders of reli gions wh o have actually gone

into the world s great eld of acti on to teach men by

living example h ow to practi c e this blessed evangel o f
c ommon h umanity th is u niversal b r otherhood o f man
to man and nati on to nati on
On the c ontrary notwith standing al l th e light and all
the high sancti ons o f divi ne example by whi c h Chris
t ian ity has i llu strated and enforced th e sentiment o f
h u man brothe r h ood cases a r e c onstantly occu rri ng i n
whi ch great Christian nati ons practically set it aside
and act o n the opposite pri nciple o f a narrow selsh
exclu sivism
The leaders o f p ubli c opi nion i n th e
teeth of all thei r professi ons o f liberality and broad

philanthropy n ot only give up to party what was

meant fo r manki nd b ut sacrice e v ery principle o f

r ight and j usti ce o n the alta r o f a mere temporal ag
g ran diz e m e nt o r as it i s cal l ed i n the c onveni ent

phraseology o f mode r n diplo m

acy in protecti on of
th e national i nterests a pri nciple o n which every
war of c onquest or o f ambition u nder heaven has been
waged and vindicated Whe r e i s the beautifu l senti

ment o fh u manity and b r otherhood the worl d s blessed

religion when weighed i n th e balances against self in
t e re st i ndivi dual local or national ?
Wha t does all the
ne poetry o r the philosophy o r the reli gion avail i n
worldly minds when it c omes to a struggle against
.

TH E B R

O THE R H O O D OF

MAN

51

the lust o f power th e greed o f gain the demon of

ambiti on ?
M en wh o discard Chri s tianity di scou rse eloquently
t o th e Ch u rch abo u t a br o ad an d liberal reli gi on large
enou gh to c la s p i n i t s loving bosom all men as broth
ers They denou nc e al l narro w sectarian sh ibboleths
o f th e c reed as a breach o f the great law o f h umanit y
I n the mean ti me what are t h ey doing and what have
they ever done to i ll ustra t e t he c ommon brotherh ood
What h O S p itals of m ercy at h ome have th ey
o f man ?
founded what orphan asyl u ms have t hey erected what
missions of c ivilizati on establi s hed among the heath en ?
We m uch fear tha t a gospel left t o su ch defenders
woul d soon peri sh i n the hands of its o w n apostles
B ut n o t so : th e tru e g o spel o f h u manity i s safe ;
it is i n other and better h ands It is where it was
placed eighteen centu ri es ago i n th e keeping o f th e
Ch u rch o f G o d That world
wide g o spel of love and
brotherh ood peac e o n ear t h and good will to men rst
proclai med by its divine Fou nder and ill ustrated in
th e career o f its ch osen apo st le t o t h e Gentiles has
won its way hitherto over a ll obst a cles o f race and
prej udi ce and to day i s winning its s u re and p re de s
ti ned way t o a u niversal domini on T h is i s the grand
est fact i n all m odern h istory Th o u s a nd s of e ducated
m e n and women i n every nati on arou nd th e gl o be
C ivilized o r p a gan are to
day exemplifying the tru e
religi on o f h umani t y preci sely as it w a s tau ght by
J esus Christ and i ll us t r at ed i n th e l ife o f Paul With
them the religi o n o f h u m a ni ty i s n o mere dream o f a

p oet s fa ncy no phi lo s o ph ic t h eorem o f the C loister :

it is a l ivi n g re a l i t y With them h u man brotherh ood
,

L I VI NG

52

CH R I S TI A NI T Y

i s both a theo ry and a senti ment both a doctrine and

a fact They are th e l ivi ng epistles o f its truth known
and read o f all men amongst whom they have gone
preach ing this gospel o f th e ki ngdom
The poo r
he a then blind as they are see it and admit it
T h ou s ands of them have already th rown aw a y thei r
i d o ls i n at t estati on o f its s uperi or power O ur great
m en and philos ophe r s at h o me m u st be fools indeed if
they cannot see it D oes th e s cientic c ultu red worl d
o f o u r day demand a S i gn from heaven a tru e m i racle
o f u nselsh h u manity laboring for the good o f others ?
H ere it i s i n the advanced guard o f Christianity o n
every h eathen shore preachi ng and practic ing th e
doctri ne o f h u man broth erhood The great poet o f
senti ment Robert B u rns was not tru er to h u man
nature than he was to Christianity when he wrote
the line s
,

p r ay th at c o me it m ay

A s c o me it w ill fo a th at
Th at m a t m an th e w i de w rl d

S h all b ro the rs b fo a t h at

he n

let

us

o e r,

C H A PTE R VI I
III E D I A TO R S HI P

TH E

OF

CH R I

ST

H E wh ol e contents o f the Bible may be expressed

i n three words Go d th e M ediator and man
The extreme terms God and man give u s a vast chasm
whi ch can be bri dged over only by th e thi rd th e Medi
ator Be t ween t h e extremes l i es all religi on and i n t his
middle t erm a lone the i dea o f salvati on bec omes p o s
sible I n h is retu rn to God man needs a v oi ce o f
truth and a gu ide o f c onduct Nothing i n this world
can ever supply that want b ut a M ediator wh o has
come from God and gone back to God H e alone has
authority to say I am th e way and the t r uth and the
l ife No man cometh u nto the Father b ut by me
Clearly there can be no salvation for any h u man so u l
wi t hout mediati on and no mediati on i s available b e
tween God and man except by o n e wh o is auth orized
and competent to ll th e great O f ce
Acc ordingly we nd the apostle Pau l i n the Fi rst
Epis t le to Ti mothy ri s ing to o n e o f h is grandest gen
z at i
e rali
o n s o f essential d o ctri ne when st a ting th is cen
tral tru t h o f th e Christian sy s tem i n terms whi ch a dmit

For t here i s one

o f no u ncertain t y and no mi s take :
God and one M ediator between Go d and men the man
Ch rist Jesu s wh o gave hi mself a ransom fo r all to be
.

53

L I VI NG

54

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

testied i n du e ti m e
H ere we have th e fundamenta l
fa cts o f t he scheme o f salva t i o n : th e one Go d an d
F at h er o f a ll the o n e si nful ru i ned race o f man to b e
redeemed and rest o red to God the o n e M ediat o r c o m
pe t en t and authorized t o i ntercede and save t he D ivine
m a n Jes us Christ and the o n e ransom of his sacric ial
Vi c a ri ou s death adequate fo r all and offered to al l Thi s
I s wi t hout c ontroversy th e su m and s ubstanc e of th e
gospel This plan o f salvation through a Medi ator
I m manu el wh o i s h i mself God manifest i n the esh
and th erefore mighty to save even to th e utte r m ost i s
th e great mystery o f godliness wh i ch gives the gospel
its v a s t S ignicance and its innite valu e
I nasmuch as the Mediator is o n e wh o comes between
offended and al ienated parties i n order to reconcile them
it w a s needfu l that Christ Jesu s i n order to be an ad
equ ate Medi ato r between God and man S hou l d rep
resent bot h and possess th e natu re o f both A m edi
ator says Paul i s not o f o n e party b ut o fboth So ou r
great Mediator being the eternal S o n o f God and b e

c oming by hi s i ncarnati on the S o n o f man born of

a woman and made u nder th e law with a tr u e body

and a rational s ou l had i n hi mself this essential c o n

diti on of tru e m ediati on

H e took n o t o n h i m th e
nature o f angels ; b ut h e took o n hi m th e seed of
Abraham that is o u r h u man n atu re
B oth he
that s an c t i e th and they wh o are sanctied are all

of o n e
Wherefore says th e apostle it behooved
hi m to be m a de li ke u nto h is b reth ren that he mi ght b e
a merciful and faithfu l h igh pri est i n thi ngs pertaining to

God t o mak e reconciliation for the si ns of th e people

The mediato r ial work o f Chri st i ncl u des all that h e
.

TH E

OF

M E D I A T O RS H I P

CH R I

ST

acc o mplish ed for ou r redempti on i n his two estates of

h umi liati on and exalta t i on and i n his th ree ofc es of
Prophe t Priest and King M u ch o f the New Tes
tament indeed we may s ay all o ft h e New Testament
with a large porti on of th e Old ga t hers arou nd th i s
mediatorial work o f the i ncarnate Redeemer V ol
u mes have been written i n el u ci dati on o f it Only a
few o f its essential features can be n oticed here B ut
even these will be s u f cient to i ndi cate h ow fundamental
to o u r salvation was that work and how p r e emi nent
we r e th e quali cations o f ou r ado r able Lord to as
s u me it
Fi r st it was i n virtu e o f hi s medi atorship that Christ
came to reveal th e true knowledge o f Go d I n thi s re
spect h e was as h e often declared th e Li ght o f th e

world
H e was the tru e light says John
that
lighteth every man that c ometh into the world
No
man hath seen God at any ti me ; the only
begotten S on
wh o i s i n the bosom of the Father he ha t h declared

him
U ntil Ch rist came the world by wi sdom knew
not God I n fact the world at its h igh est e s tate in
cl u ding a large porti on of the Jewish r ac e had lost
all tru e saving knowledge o f God
I n this ch aracter o f Revealer and Teache r Jes u s
Christ came i n t o o u r si n
darkened w o rl d to bear wit
ness u nto th e truth I n this character he fullls th e
rst great media t orial of c e of Proph et from God the
o n e Prophet o f wh om all other inspi red prophets h ad
spoken t o wh om all th e apos t les bore witness Thu s
the apo s tle Paul i n opening hi s s ubli me di s c ussion i n
th e Epi s tle to t he Hebre ws o n the person c haracter

and work of Christ says : Go d w h o at s undry t i mes

,

56

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

and i n divers manners spake i n ti me past u nto the fa

t h e rs by the prophets hath i n these last days spoken

u nto us by hi s Son
It i s i n t h IS v oi c e o f the Son o f
God that we have an i nfallibl e gu ide to heaven the way
mmo r
o f life revealed and th e knowledge of Go d and i
tality brought to light by the gospel
I n the next place Christ as M ediator cam e to asser t
the law o f God and t o exemplify it i n his o wn pe r fect
life M en had den ied its clai ms perverted its meaning
trampled its auth ority i n th e dust It needed a D ivi ne
V indicator a perfect h u man example that S h ou ld fulll
all r ighteousness and teach men h ow to live an d how

to die Ch rist s i mmacu late life a man approved o f

Go d and al l the people h oly harmless and separa t e
from si nners was th e lesson for all ti me The lan

guage o f his life was

I deli ght to do thy will O
my God and of h i s death Not my will b ut th ine be

done
Th us h e magnied the law and made it hon
o rab le
Th u s h e glori ed God on th e earth by an
absol utely S i nless obedience and nished the w o rk
God had given hi m to do

Another essential part o f o u r great M ediator s work

c onsisted in h is satisfyi ng divine j usti ce and payi ng th e

penalty of transgression due to man s S ins This Christ

di d once for all by h is s ac ricial death upon th e c ross
By that o n e great i mm olation he hath reconciled u s to
God and God t o us s o that God can b e j u st and yet
j ustify the u ng o dly By that great atonement throu gh
h is blood which n o other bei ng i n the universe w a s

c ompetent to make he tasted death for every m a n

and perfected for ever them that are sanctied
T h us

said th e proph et Isaiah :

H e was wo u nded for o u r
,

58

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

before God and to make contin ual intercessi on for h is

people In his life o f h u miliati on here and his death
o f sacrice he had revealed Go d and wrou ght out re
dempti on for man I n h is i ntercessory glory ab ove at

God s righ t hand it i s his o f ce t o introduce redeemed

and sanc t ied man t o his God The theme is a fru it
ful one but we c a nnot dwell upon it now
Yet o n e more poi n t m ust b e mentioned It is that

essential part o f th e M ediator s w o rk which belongs to

his kingly O f ce Th e Sc riptures which declare hi m
to be a priest for ever aft er th e order o f Mel chisedec

als o proclai m hi m King of kings and L o rd of lords ;

Thy t hrone O God i s for ever an d ever

Christ
s a y s the Westminster C a techi s m exec uteth th e ofc e
o f a King i n s ubd u ing u s t o himself i n ruling and de
fending u s and in restraining and c onquering all his

and o u r enemies
T hi s ki ngly of ce began i n hi s
es t at e o f exaltation when h e rose from the dead and
ascended in t o h eaven and it will be carried for ward to
the end o f t he world when all hi s enemies shall be
put under h is feet
I n this exal t ed state ou r divi ne Redeemer is now
sea t ed on his mediatorial th rone crowned with glory
rei gning and ru li ng over all nati ons and administering
a l l things fo r the welfa re of h is redeemed Ch urch This
gre at work still goes o n as fo r m ore than eighteen cen
t u rie s it has g o ne o n with irresistible power
And it
wi ll go o n with increas ing glory to the end ; fo r every
knee must b o w t o hi m and every tongu e c onfess that
Je s us Chris t is L ord t o t he gl ory o f God the Father
When the works o f t he devil are destroyed all thi ngs
s ubd ued by the power of Christ and even death the
.

TH E

M ED I A TO R S H I P

OF

CI I R I S T

59

last enemy destroyed then only S hal l c ome to pass

that subli me c o ns u mma t i on mentioned by Pau l in t he
Fi rst Epistle to the Corinth ians when he shall deliver
u p the mediatorial kingdom t o God
,

C H A PTE R V I I I

DI VI NI T Y A N D I NCA R N A TI ON OF

THE

CH

RI S T

T i s worthy of noti ce that three o f the New Tes

tament write r s Mark Joh n and Paul i ntro duce
three of the most important treatises i n th e vol u me
with a distinct an d formal recogniti on o f the s upreme
divinity o f Jesu s Christ The other writers refer to it
also and recognize it i n many passages with more o r
less fullness b ut it is not with out signicance that these
three have set it forth boldly in the foreground as form
ing the very text a nd subj ect of what th ey had to write

Mark gives it to u s i n the very title o f his book : Th e

beginning of th e go s pel o f J es us Christ the S o n of

God
Joh n does the same i n the opening ve r ses of

hi s Gospel :
I n the beginning was th e Word [th e
Logos ! and th e Word was with God and th e Word
was God The same was i n th e beginning with God
All things were made by h im and without hi m was
not anything made that was made I n hi m was life

and the life was th e light o f men

H e does th e same

again in the rst o f his Epistles

That which was from
th e beginning wh ich we hav e heard whi ch we have
seen with o u r eyes whi ch o u r hands have handled o f
the Word o f life t hat declare we u nto you that ye
may have fellowship with u s and truly ou r fellowship

is with the Father and with his S on Jesu s Ch r ist

-

60

D I VI NI T Y

A ND

NCA R NA TI ON

OF

CH

61

RI S T

I n like manner the apostl e Paul devotes the rst

C hapter o f his Epistle to th e H ebrews to a formal
presentation o f the proof that Jes us is the S o n o f
God and opens the disc ussi on i n these weigh ty

words : God who at s u ndry times and i n divers

manners spake in ti m e past u nto the fathe r s by th e
prophets hath i n these last days spoken u nto us by
h is Son whom he hath appo i nted hei r of all things
by who m also he made the worlds ; wh o being th e
brightness o f his glory and the express image o f
h is person and uph olding all things by th e word o f
h is power wh en h e had by h i mself purged ou r S ins
sat down o n the ri ght hand o f the Maj esty o n high ;
bei ng made s o m u ch bette r than the angels as h e
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent nam e

than they
It is i mpossible that any fa ir and candi d
c riti cism can eve r explain away o r break th e forc e
o f the arg ument for th e s upreme divinity of Chri st
which th e apostle sets befo r e u s i n this chapter It
i s only o n e o f many si mi lar passages i n the Bible
b ut e v en if it stood alone it wo uld establish the do c
tri ne For the inspi red write r here with out limitation
has ascribed to Jesu s Christ the very names titles at
trib utes works and worship o f suprem e Godhead H e

i s the Son o f God

the brightness o f th e Father s

glory and the express i mage o f h is person

He

is the almighty Creator by wh om th e worlds were

made the Go d of providence uph olding all things

by the word o f his power

H e i s th e Redeemer o f

the soul having expiated o u r sins by hi s death

and then sat down o n the right hand o f the Maj

esty o n high
Of him the Father says what was
,

L I VI NG

62

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

neve r said to any o n e of th e angels Th ou art my

And to th e
S o n ; this day have I begotten th ee ;
S o n he saith Thy throne O God is for eve r and

ever
Tho u hast laid th e fou ndati ons o f the earth

and the heavens a r e th e work o f thy hands

M en
are neve r r equi red to wo r ship men no r angels to
wo r ship angels B ut th e command of the Father is
Let all the angels of God worship h i m
and h e

himself tau ght that

all men should h ono r hi m

e v en as th ey h ono r the Father

The s upreme divi nity o f Jes u s Ch r ist as being th e
only begotten and eternal Son o f God i s as clearl y
taught throu gh out thi s passage as any truth can b e
taught
The demonst r ation i s satisfacto ry and c om
l
p e te when the highest wo r ship of earth and heaven
i s ascribed to hi m as his right and wh en h e i s ex
pressly declared to have created al l worlds by his
power and wisdom to have upheld al l creatures by
h is provi dential sway and to have redeemed all s o u ls
by his blood
I f Jesu s Ch rist did these things it is i mpossibl e to
belie v e that he c ould be less than God for none b ut
God cou ld do th em
B ut Paul both he r e and else
whe r e asse rts without qu alication o r ambigu i ty that
h e di d them And with hi m all other N ew Testament
write r s as well as M oses and the prophets ag r ee The
O ld Testament prophets annou nced the g r eat doctrine
o f his Godhead and th e fact o f h is i ncarnati on wh en
they said B ehold a Vi r gi n shall c onceive and bear a
son and shal l call h i s name I mmanuel Go d with u s
The government shal l be u pon his shoulde r Of th e in
c r ease o fhis gove r nment and peace there S hall be no end
,

D I VI NI T Y

AND

NCA R NA TI O N

CH

OF

63

RI S T

And his nam e shall be called Wonderful C ounselor Th e

mighty God Th e everlasting Father The Princ e o f

peac e
The angels heralded that advent at Be t h
lehem and the in s pired evangelists conrmed the sam e
wondrous tidings t o all nations when they gave thei r
u nited testi mony an d sealed i t with t heir blood saying
The Word was made esh and dwelt among u s and
we beheld his glory th e glo ry as o f the on ly begotten

o f the Fath er full o f grace and truth

I n the rst chapter o f the Epistle to the Col ossians
th e pre existence and the supreme divinity o f Christ are

set fo rth with u nmistakable distinctness

H e says

Pau l is the i mage o f the i nvisible God th e rs t born

or as it woul d be better rendered
o f every cre a ture
the rs t bego tt en before al l creatures
F o r by hi m
were all thi ngs created that are i n heaven and that are
i n earth V i s ible and i nvi sible whe t her th ey be th rones
o r principalities
o r powers :
al l things
o r domini ons
were c reat ed by h im and for hi m and he is before al l
th ings and by hi m all things consist And he is h ead
o f the b ody
the Ch u rch ; who i s the beginni ng th e
rst b orn from th e dead : that i n al l thi ngs h e m ight
have th e pre eminence For it pleased the Father that
i n h i m sh ould all fullness dwell ; and having made pe a c e
th rough the blood of h is cross by h i m to rec onci le all
thi ngs u nto hi mself b y h im I say whether they be

things i n earth o r th ings i n h eaven

Farth er o n th e
same a po s tle says : I n hi m dwelleth all the fullne s s o f

the Godhead bodi ly

N o doctri ne o f Chris t ianity is establish ed o n more
ab undant evi dence than the divi nity of Chris t and no
doctrine is more essential to the gospel plan o f s al
,

64

L I VI NG

CH RI

S TI A NI T Y

v ation fo r it is i mpossible to see h ow he could forgive

Si
n as he cla i med to do and h ow h e cou ld take away
the sins of the world unless he was divine A merely
h u man Savi our would b e no Savi ou r It i s on th e
divi ne abili ty of Christ to save and to sav e to the utter
m ost all that come to God th ro ugh h i m that ou r hopes
The incarnate divine Savi ou r I m
o f heaven depend
man u el God with u s and God for u s is the ve ry key
stone in the arch o f o u r sal vati on as he is the c orner
stone i n its fo u ndati on B ut if Christ i s God and the
H oly Ghost is also God as the Scriptures af rm then
we have the great doctrine o f the H oly Trinity as held
by the fathers and by all the great chu r ches of Chris
ten do m Greek Roman and Protestant

The Scriptu res teach th e u ni ty of Go d : H ear O

Israel th e Lord o u r God is one Lord

There i s one
God and one M ediato r between God and men the man

Christ Jesus
B ut they teach also the tri personality
There are th ree Persons in the God
o f th e Godhead
head T he doctri ne O f the Trinity is revealed to u s
chiey in the history of redemption O ur salvati on i s
the j oint work o f God the Father and th e Son and th e
H oly Ghost These th ree perform an essential part i n
it from beginning to end Th us the three divi ne Per
sons are associated i n th e formu l a of Christian baptism
It is administered i n the name o f th e Father and th e S on
and the Holy Ghost To each of these divi ne Persons
the Scriptu res ascribe the attributes works and wor
ship o f the o n e essential Godhead
We do not attempt to explain thi s great mystery of
the Trinity o f the Godhead any more than we do that
of the divine nature or bei ng B ut when we pro v e
,

'

66

LI

VI NG

CHR I

S TI A NI T Y

The nativ i ty and the ascension are two g reat facts

that stand out prominently on th e pages o f th e life o f
Jes u s Chri st Two others o f equal S ignicanc e th e
c r u cixion and the res u rr ection i nter v ene to ll up

the mystery and complete the grand work O f man s

redempti on
I ncarnati on c ru cixi on resu r r ection
ascension are fou r events i n the m ost wonde r ful life
fou r stages i n the most eventful histo ry fou r acts
i n the most stupendou s drama the worl d has eve r
seen It i s an ol d s t ory b ut it l oses nothi ng o f its death
less interest The centuries and the generati ons as they
pass only c oncentrate the th ou ghts o f men upon it and
develop more and more its far reach ing res u lts
His
name sai d the ancient prophet shall be called Wo n

N othing could be m ore wonderful than that th e

de rfu l
ca r eer of Chri st on ea r th sh ou ld open and c l ose as it
did Th e s ublime ascension was b ut th e tting nale
and c ounterpa rt to th e uniqu e and marvelo us advent
In th e o ne we have th e advent o f a new era i n th e

worl d s history th e fulll ment and realization o f al l

th e ancient oracles that pointed to I mmanu el Go d
manifest in th e esh ; i n the other th e s ubli me attes
t at io n that his mission o n earth was c ompleted and
app r oved i n heaven At th e nativity we h ave the st u
e n do u s fact that th e S o n of God had taken a h uman
p
form and become the Son of man ; at the ascension we
beh ol d the c o rrelated fact of equal signicance and
wonder that the S on o f man had gone up with ou r
r edeemed and gloried h u manity to take his medi

I n the one God

al throne at God s right hand
at o ri
c omes down to dwell with men ; i n the other ascends
to r eign with God
.

DI VI NI T Y AN D

I NCA R

NA TI O N

CH R I

0F

67

ST

The r e i s a striking pa ral lel and ag r eement bet ween

th e occasi ons B oth alike a r e attended and announced
by angeli c messengers
At the nativity an angel o f
the Lord came down and proclaim ed to the shepherds
B ehold I bri ng you good ti dings of
o f Bethlehem
great j oy whi ch shall be t o all people Fo r u nto y o u
i s born thi s day i n th e city of D avi d a Saviou r wh o
i s Christ th e Lord And s u ddenl y there was with the
angel a m u ltitu de o f the h eav enly h ost praising Go d
and sayi ng Glory to God i n the highest and o n earth

peace good will toward men At th e ascensi on he le d

them out as far as to Bethany and whi le he blessed the m
h e was pa rted from th em
and a c loud received hi m
o u t of t hei r S ight
And whi le they l ooked steadfastly to
ward heaven as he went u p behold t w o men stood by
th em i n white apparel wh o also said Ye men of Gal
This same
ile e why stand ye gazing u p i nto hea v en
Jes us who is taken up from you into heaven shall s o
c ome i n li ke manner as ye have seen hi m go into b eav

en
And as at the nativity the m ultitu de of angels
praised and worshiped God with songs o f gladness
for a Saviou r descended s o at the ascensi on i t i s
r ecorded that the disciples wh o witnessed that tran
s c e n de n t s cene a Saviou r ascended to God
worshiped

h i m and ret u rned to Je r usalem with great j o y ( Luke

xxiv 5 2 ; Acts i 9
B oth e v ents ali ke are s upernat ur al and myste r i ou s
o r rath er the y are parts o f the o n e grand myste ry of
r edemption
It is worth y o f noti ce that the apostle
Paul i n epitomizing the prominent facts o f the gos
pel histo ry i n hi s First Epistle to Ti mothy singles
o u t thes e two as the r st and the l ast o f the r emark
.

68

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

able su mmary H e begins with th e inca r nation and

ends with th e ascension i n that s ubli me c onfessi on
o f faith which rises into a doxology o f wonder say

i ng
And with out c on t roversy great is th e mystery
j us
o f godliness ; God was manifested i n the esh
t i e d i n the Spirit seen of angels preached u nto the
Gentiles belie v ed o n i n the world received up into

glo ry ( I Ti m iii
It m ust not be forgotten
that wh en Ch r ist was b orn his nativity ushered i n
his estate o f h u miliati on and su ffe r ing O n the con
t rary wh en h e ascended it was i n his estate of ex
altat i
o n and glo ry whi ch began with h is resu rrection
and was cons u mmated when h e sat down o n his

k ingly th rone i n the h eavens exalted at God s

right hand to gi v e repentance and remi ssi on o f
si ns
It is in striki ng harmony with th e gl ory o f I m
manu el i n h is ascen ded state that o n the onl y two
occasions rec orded i n the New Testament o n whi ch
h e ever again appeared to men h e appears with su ch
overpowering maj e s ty of s upreme Godhead that th e
h u man senses cannot endu re th e visi on and th i s frai l
mortality dazzled with excessive light falls i n adoring
homage at h is feet The o n e appearanc e is to Pau l
at his c onversion o n the way to D amasc us when h e
fell to th e earth trembling and astonished at th e voi c e
o f h i m wh om h e was persec uti n g and was led bli nd
to D amasc us and remained three days with o ut sight
Th e other appearance is to Joh n in th e isle o f Patmos
i n the sublime epiphany of the opening chapter of th e
Apocalypse when he is seen i ndeed as One like unto

the S on o f man b u t in such t r anscendent and ineffable

.

D I VI NI T

I NCA R N A TI

A ND

ON

CH

OF

RI ST

69

glory o f Godh ead

H i s c o u ntenance was as th e s u n
sh ineth i n h is strength that th e ven erable apostle

tells us When I saw hi m I fell at hi s feet as dead

And he laid his ri ght hand upon m e saying u nto m e
Fear not I am th e rst and th e last ; I am he that
liveth and was dead ; and behold I am alive for ever
m ore Amen ; and hav e th e keys o f hell and o f death

Rev
i
1
Acts
ix
4
;
7
9
(
N ow it i s plai n that t hese two great afliated
doctrines o f th e incarnati on and the ascensi on o f
Christ are fu ndamental to Ch ristianity
That God
has com e i nto th e wo r ld i n th e form o f man and
that he has then taken that h uman form bac k to
heaven are stupendous and mysteri ou s facts which
in v olve all the rest and explai n all the rest I f a
man can accept and believe them there is n othing
m ore di f cu lt i n all the Bible at wh ich h e need stu m
ble If he cannot beli eve them he has no right to
say h e accepts Ch ri s tiani ty for h e clearly rej ects that
which i s fundamental to the system
B ut h ow o n th e other hand can any i ntelligent
man rej ect t hem ? They come to u s on well estab
lis h e d h u man and divine testimony inte r li nked with
all th e other facts i n the life o f Jes us and s o i nter

linked with a large part of the world s hi story that

to rej ect them wo ul d be to rej ect everything and
i n fact to shake o u r faith i n all h uman knowledge
We must believe th em ; we cannot h elp belie v i ng
them if we believe anything
.

CHAPTER IX
CH RI

ST

TH E

L I GH T OF

WO R L D

TH E

H E apostle J oh n delights i n a few brief exp r ess

i v e terms wh ich h e frequ ently u ses i n h is
Gospel history i n h is Epistl es and occasi onally i n
the Apocalypse
H e n o doubt heard them rst
from the lips o f h i s divine Master ; indeed h e
often recites them as being S poken by Christ Su ch
words m ust h ave made an i mpression on the minds
other disciples and they may be t raced i n
o f th e
al l the New Testament writers incl uding Pau l him
sel f B ut they seem to have m ade the deepest im
pressi on o n John and s o have bec ome the striking
characteristi c of hi s writings
The life the truth
the light the love of Go d the res urrection th e tru e
God the eternal life th e Wo r d o f God the way
the li ght of life the Lamb of God the bread o f
life the book of life the water o f life are some of
the favorite s imple o r c ombined terms with which
the bel oved disciple has so tenderly rec ounted the
wonderful and never wearying story o f the Cross
I f we cou ld s uppose a candi d and well i nformed
man to have read and studied the rst three Gospels
without knowi ng that there was a fo u rth we might
wel l imagi ne that i n reading fo r the rst ti me this
,

70

CH

RI S T

TH E

L I GH T OF

W ORL D

TH E

71

wonderful rec ord o f Joh n he woul d feel that he had

i ndeed the same old story b u t i n a form o f phrase
ology so new and pec u liar as to th row over it th e
charm o f a profou nd and s ubli me originality
He
woul d scarcely know whether to admire most the
deep i mport o f the th oughts c onveyed i n these brief
words and sentenc es o r the s urpassing simplicity o f
th e style i n whi ch th e th oughts are expressed
Where there i s s o l ittle to meet th e eye what
endless wonde r i s it that there shou ld be s o mu ch
to ll the mi nd ? No r will the wonde r di minish by
studied o ft repeated and protracted reading
The
v eteran mi nister o f God i n th e closing years o f life
ponders thos e b r ief words with far deeper medita
tion than when h e rst read th em as a boy Th e
men o f thi s ni neteenth centu ry with all thei r ad
v an c e d knowledge
of the universe read the same
words to day with as profou nd a reverence and
wonder as di d the Jews Greeks and Romans to
ward the close o f the rst centu ry wh en this last
r emainin g apostle gave them to th e world
H e who tells u s that God i s love declares also that
Go d i s ligh t and i n h im i s no darkness at all ( I J oh n i
B ut he wh o tells u s s o emphati cally that
5 and i v
God i s light claims fo r Christ all that i s i nvolved i n
this sublime and beautiful emblem o f essential Godhead
For he asserts it at the ve ry O pening of his Gospel
In
h im was life and th e life was the light o f men Th a t
was th e true Li ght which lighteth every man that c o m

e t h into the worl d ( Joh n i 4

H o w strikingly
t o o does the s ublime ascription of all tru e light to
Jes us Christ acco r d with what the other sacred writers
,

L I VI NG

72

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

declare of h i m as being th e brigh t ness o f the divine

glory and the express i mage o f his person the light
that S h ou l d enli gh t en the Gentiles and the glo ry o f
hi s people I s rael ( H eb i 3 and Lu ke i i
B ut
nothing can be m ore emphati c and decisive than th e
terms i n whi ch thi s ch osen emb lem o f s upreme di
vinity is assu med by Jes us Ch rist h imself as th e m ost
tting descripti on o f hi s o w n character and th e ve ry
designati on o f h is posi t i on i n the worl d I n two di s

tinct passages o f John s Gospel uttered on two differ

ent occasi ons , we hav e s ubstantially the same grand
outline o f the of ce and missi on o f Christ as the au
th or o f light th e revealer o f light and th e giver o f light
to this darkened world

I n chapter vi i i 1 2 h e says I am th e li ght o f th e

world ; h e that followeth m e shall n o t walk i n da r k

ne s s b u t shal l have the light o f life

I n chapte r xi i
I am come a li ght into the world that
4 6 h e says
w h osoever beli eveth o n me shou ld not abide i n dark
ness
The two tex t s together declare his relation to
the world th e fact o f h is c oming i nto the world
the effect and result o f that coming o n th e w o rld and
the o n e meth od by which b oth th e world and th e in
divid ual sou l may re c eive these benets T h e best
expositi on of the passages wou ld be j u st t o c ombine

th em into o ne double o r parallel statement th us : I

am come a light i nto the wo r ld and I am the light o f
the world that whosoever believeth o n me and followeth
me sh ould n o t walk i n darkness and sho u ld not abi de

i n darkness b ut S h ould have the light o f life

No w i n whate v er sense Ch ri st is the light o f th e
worl d h e is also the l ight o f the h u m an soul H e
,

L I VI NG

74

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

depth of meaning th en di d H e th e r e v ealer o f the u m

known Go d to th e worl d the g r eat teacher o f all spir
it u al light and truth to the s o u l s a y to his disc iples
when a b out to leave th e world Believe in Go d b e
lieve also i n me ; I am the way th e truth and the life ;
n o man c ometh u nto the Fathe r b ut b y m e I f ye
had known me ye shoul d have known my Father also
and from henceforth ye know h i m and have seen h i m
John
xiv
I 6
It
i
s
i
n
this
light
o f revealed truth
(
that the beloved discipl e declares with s u ch certain t y

We know that the S on o f God i s c ome and hath

given u s an u nderstandi ng that we may kn ow hi m that
i s tru e and we are i n him that is tru e even i n his S o n

Jesu s Ch r ist This i s the tru e God and eternal life

( I Joh n V
B ut as truth i s i n o r de r to go dl iness so Christ
brings to the world and to the sou l of man the li gh t
o r m oral purity Th e world is not only
o f h oli ness
i n th e deep da r kness o f e r ror, b ut i n th e deeper dark
ness o f s i n an d co rr upti on Christ is th e l ight o f the
s oul and o f th e worl d to enkindle again this pu re light
o f h oliness wh i ch had been extinguished by th e u ni
versal depravity H e c omes i nto o u r fallen h u manity
with a divine and absol utely perfect character H e
wears ou r h u man nature b u t h e i s S inless he is imm ac
u lat e
o n e of us but yet h oly harmless u n de le d and
separate from S i nne r s ; si nce the fall of Adam hi s is th e
only perfect manh ood eve r seen on earth The worl d
needed the great Example th e s oul s u nk in S in need
ed su ch a life to uph ol d and embody the perfect law O f
God
The Word was made esh c ri es John and
dwelt among us and we beheld h is glory th e glory as
,

'

CHR I

ST

L I GH T OF

TH E

TH E

W ORL D

o nly begotten o f the Fath er ful l o f grace and

truth (J ohn i
To all wh o foll o w his example
and by fai t h c ome into l ivi ng c ontact with h i m h e c o m
m u n ic at e s i n s ome good degree th is pu re light o f moral
pu ri t y and t hey i n turn exhibit i n thei r l ives and char
ac t e rs that heavenly li ght
H e nce they are appro

children o f the ligh t

S o Christ
p riat e ly called the

s a i d to h is di sciples Ye are the light o f th e world ye

are the salt of th e earth
T he beloved J oh n evi den t ly
has i n View this light o f m oral purity and h oly livi ng

when he writes
If we s a y that we have fell owship
with h im and walk i n darkness we lie and do n o t th e
tru t h but if we walk i n th e li ght as h e i s i n the li ght
we h ave fellow s hip o n e with another and t he blood of
Jes u s Chris t h is S o n cleanse t h us from all s in We
know th a t when h e shall appear we shall be li ke him ;
fo r we shal l see h i m as he i s
And every man t hat
hath thi s h ope i n h i m p u ri e th hi mself even as he i s
pu re ( 1 J oh n i 6 7 and i ii 2
Again as truth and godliness are both u nto salvati on
an d etern a l life s o Ch rist i s the tru e l ight o f im m o r
tali t y H e dec lares h imself the l ight o f life
I am
the re s u rrec t i on and t h e life H e th a t believeth i n me
though h e were dead yet s h a l l he l ive and wh os o ever
liveth and believe t h i n m e S h all never die ( J o h n xi 2 5
Th us he has brou ght life and i mm ortality to light
by th e gospel
Since t h e apostasy i n A dam a t h reefol d d a rkness has
fa llen o n every h u man s oul and envel o ped th e world
i n h opeless desp a i r t he darkne ss o f ignorance a nd
error the d a rknes s o f sin a nd the darkne ss o f death
Ch rist came a s t he gre at D eliverer o f ou r ruined h u
o

f the

76

LI

VI NG

CH R I

S TI A N I T Y

manity H e came as the tru e light of th e soul the

l ight o f truth to redeem from error th e light o f holi
ness to sav e from S in th e ligh t o f i mmo rtali ty i n
th e darkness o f th e grave
H u man speech neve r
annou nce d a g r ande r t r uth : the light o f the wo r ld
is Jes u s
.

'

C H A PT E R X
TH E

S UPRE M E

M I RA CLE

OF

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

ANY writers o f o u r ti me have been led to regard

the character of Jes us Chri st as the supreme
mi racle o f Christianity Able disc ussi ons calling at
tenti on to this poi nt hav e from ti me to ti me appeared
as those o f D r You ng i n the CHI 2 s ! of H istory D r
Char mi ng D r B ush nell D r Alexander and D r
Arth u r M itchell
There are many reasons for th is pre eminenc e Char
acter i s th a t i n whi ch religi on c ul minates that i ndeed
without whi ch all preten s i ons to reli gi on are vain
The h u man race has been experi menting on character
l ong enough to sh ow that a perfect model o f it does
not c o m e by chance and i s n o t likely to be a merely
h u man production Wh en therefore s u ch a character
as that o f Jes us stands o u t i n its bold originality on th e
dark background o f the most c orrupt era k nown to
h istory it cannot be otherwi se than that the hand of
G o d is i n it
There is n o ratic nal sol uti on o f the cha r
ac t er except o n th e grou nd o f supernatural power
I t mu st be a mi ra cle ; and i f a m iracle i t i s im p o s
sible to overestim a te its i mportanc e and its res ults
I f th e death o f Chri st be th e pre emi nent fact o f
Ch ri stianity regarded as a s cheme o f salvati on and h i s
.

'

9*

77

78

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

res u rr ection from the dead its pre eminent fact i n th e

chain o f ev i dence o n whi ch th e system res t s s t i ll we
m ust regard t he pers onal character of the great Fou nd
er as the s upreme attraction and the s upreme mi racle
givi n g reality an d power to all the rest H e certainly
i mplied s o m uch wh en h e said anticipati ng his death

o n the cross
And I if I be lift ed up from the earth
will draw all men u nto me
Th ere are many ways
and many c ords of inu ence by whi c h he draws hi s
p r ovi dence his Spi rit hi s word h is cross B ut wh o
can meas ure the attractive power o f h is i mmaculate cha
rac t e r ?
When we consider its origin its envi ronments
its devel opment i n a bri ef life of th irty th ree years and
its subsequ ent in uenc e o n mankind who can deny th at
this is th e s up r eme m i racle of all h istory ?
Am on g all the N ew Testament m iracles the char
acter o f Christ i s an e v er present and ever living real
ity to the hearts o f men
It stands o u t o n every page
o f th e gospel history with su ch disti nctness o f o utline
and su ch power o f reality that it is i mpos sible to read
the book witho ut b eholding th e man
And yet we cannot beh ol d th e man with out feeli ng
that God i s h ere N o man can utte r these words and
do th ese mighty wo rks u nless God be with h im It i s
a tru e man wh o lives and speaks and acts B ut if h e
i s t ru e he i s more than man for h e clai ms equ ality with
God I s it t o o m u ch to say that the u niqu e charac

ter of Jes us Ch rist i s God s perpetu al dem onstrati on

wrou ght o u t befo r e th e eyes o f all generations of th e
t r uth o f Ch ri stianity ? Yes h e r e i s o n e miracle whi ch
we can all examine at ou r leis u re wh i ch we can i n
a sense see and h ear and handle of th e Wo r d Of l ife
-

IE
S UPR E /V

M I RA CL E

OF

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

We have not seen hi m di e on th e c r oss ; we di d

not see hi m and convers e with hi m after h e rose
from the dead
These and other facts we receive
the testi mony o f eye witnesses wh o recorded
on
them B ut can we read th e New Testament with
o u t seei ng and feel ing th e living r eality o f th e char
acter o f Jes us i n its matchless perfecti on i n its h u
man tenderness i n its divi ne glory ?
Is not th e
character there before ou r ve ry eyes as truly and as
v ividly as i f its possessor still l ived and walked
amongst us ? Can we m istake it ? can we fail to
s ee what it is and what it m eans ?

Some o n e may say in reply We h ave th e char

acter after all only o n th e recorded testi mony o f

those wh o reported the fa cts

Tru e ; b ut h ow c oul d
they delineate s u ch a character if it had no existenc e
i n a living man ? I f they had no l iving example to
draw from i f the real Jesu s o f the Gospels was not

zarac z er
before thei r eyes then they createa Z/
Ie
c/
H o w c ould s u ch men i n s u ch an age c reate o u t
origi nality
o f noth ing s uch a character o f abs olute
and perfection ?
The greatest geni uses who have
appeared i n h isto ry u nder the m ost favorable in
S pirati on of cli me and co untry
have oft en essayed
thei r utmost endeav o r and accomplished no s u ch
result H ow co u l d t h e is olated and c omparatively
ru de shermen o f Galilee do it without a living
original ? To say they di d woul d b e to acc ount fo r
o ne
miracle for wh ic h th ere i s evidenc e by taking
refuge i n ano t her for wh ich there is none It i s far
more ra t i onal to believe th at Christ lived and acted
o u t before
the e yes of h is disciples the character
.

L I VI NG

80

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

wh ich th ey have r eported i n th e New Testament

than to believe that they cou l d draw s u ch a pi ct
u re o f godli ke excellence without the living Christ
before them
If therefore we have befo r e o u r eyes to day i n
th ese sacred pages th e v e ry characte r which the
apostles saw and admired and adored then has God
given to us even as he di d to them the most s ubli m e
o f all mirac les the m ost complete and sa t isfactory o f
al l demonstrati ons that Christianity i s true The mi r
acl e o f miracles the proof o f proofs is the life and
character o f h is Son It is th e o n e mi racle whi ch
b oth wi ns th e heart and satises th e intellect When
we see it as we do i n the New Testament we are

c ompelled to feel that

Go d has sp oken by h is

S on
If a man cannot o r wi ll not r ec eive this evi dence
o f c haracter
if h e has n o heart to appreciate and
admire it if there b e noth ing withi n hi m respondi ng
i n h omage to th e character o f this Chri s t o f the New
Testament and o f history then we fai l to see what
furth er God c ou ld do o r ought to do to c onvi nc e
and save su ch a man Not to appreciate the char
acter o f Ch rist i s to disown the highest exhibi t i on
What
o f m oral e xcellence th e world has ever seen
grander mi racle c ould God work before the eyes o f
men than to give th e world this perfect i mage o f
h is o w n m oral perfecti ons i n h u man form i n th e
l ife and character o f h is o w n Son ?
When a man tells us h e cannot see i n all this
any evi dence o f truth what is it b ut to admit that
the h ighest v i rtu e the s ublimest excellence th e
.

82

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

h i mself from God s presenc e and thereby seal hi s

o w n damnati on ?

I n a disco u r s e entitled The Portrait o f Chri s t

the Proof o f Christianity D r Arth u r M itchell s u ms

up his argu ment i n t he following weigh t y and s u g
The pi ctu re o f Jes u s Christ c oul d
g e st iv e s en t ences :
never have been drawn had t here not been a li v i ng
Ch rist from which to draw it The life the char
acter th e teachings o f Christ c oul d never have b een
written by mortal man if t hat life had n o t rst been
witnessed i f t hat character had not been seen if
th ose teachings had not been h eard
If this is
s o then the S i mple existence o f these books i s
s uf cient proof o f thei r historic truth for th e rea
is beyond h u man in
s o n that what they desc ribe
on
H ere is the marvelou s pic t ure H ere are
v e n ti
the books They m ust i n s ome way be accounted
for N O respectable sch olar denies that they have
been i n the world fro m the earliest Ch ristian age
Ei t her Jes us Christ lived an d this is a natural rec
life o r someb ody o f that age in
o rd o f a re a l
ven t ed it
F o r fou r u nknown and u nlettered men
to c onceive o f su ch a character as that act u ally to
set hi m i n motion with all th e graces and vi rtues o f
an i nimitable and noble manhood to s upply wisdo m
for h im to furnish hi m with th e strength and love
lin e s s of Jes us Ch ri st to carry th rough c onsi s tently
a bei ng making s u ch stupendous cl a ims to mak e
th a t a i ry ction t h e sou rce from wh ich stream all
at th e
o u r be s t thoughts o f G o d an d t o m a ke hi m
same ti me a re a l brother man s o real that we may
clasp hi m as o u r o w n esh and blood for fou r
,

S UPR EM E

M I RA CL E

OF

R I S TI A NI T Y

CH

83

u nknown men I say to have risen i n th e darkness

o f the old Roman world and t o h a ve do n e that is a
m i racle of d il l/2 07S /Zlf wh ic h surpasses any m iracle o f
th e New Testament The character o f Jesu s i s th e
s upreme mirac le I t i s far ea s ier fo r me t o beli eve
that Jesu s Christ came down from h eaven as th ese
m en say h e did than to belie v e that th ey man

ac t u re d h i m
uf
,

C H A PTE R XI
THE A T OI VI N G D E A TH
\

OF

CH RI

ST

H E three mediatorial of ces of C h r ist a r e so

related that his pri esthood lai d the fou ndation
I n h is priest ly of ce he interceded
o f hi s throne
with God paid the penalty o f th e vi olated law
satised divi ne j ustice removed the c u rse of si n
and brought out an everlasting righteou sness fo r
h is redeemed people
With out th i s there c oul d
be no ki ngdom to reign o v er Without this there
c oul d have been no glad ti dings o f salvati on to
annou nce i n virtu e o f hi s propheti cal of ce Th u s
i n h u miliation s uffering and death his priestly work
c onstituted th e basis of that m edia t orial kingdom
wh ich he proclai med as o u r Proph et and over
which he r eigns as o u r King
Th e S criptu res

which declare
Thy throne O God i s for ever

and e v e r had also declared

Tho u art a Priest

for eve r after the o r der of Melchisedec

Th e medi
at o ri
al crown was the outgrowth and reward of the
mediatorial c ross
It is not without reason that the Scriptu r es at
tach so m u ch importance to the death o f Christ
and that o n e epistle the Epistle to the H ebrews
is s o largely devoted to a disc u ssion o f his priest
.

84

TH E

A T

ONI NG D EA TH OF

CH

85

RI S T

character
H e had hi msel f indi cated the pre
eminence o f th is work o n the c ross when he sai d

I if I b e lift ed up will draw al l men u nto me

and also when h e i nstituted that m emorial the new

testament i n his blood whi c h S h ou ld S h ow th e

Lord s death till he c ome

I t was i n i mmediate
anti cipation o f this gre a t sacricial i mmolation that

he sai d I have nished the work whi ch tho u gav

est me to do ; and it was wh ile o n th e cross i n the
very ac t o f performi ng that oblati on that he cri ed

with h is dying breath

It i s ni s hed

The w o ra at o nement is used but once in the Eng

lish version o f t he New T e s tament I n Rom v 10 1 1
Pau l says
If when we were enemies we were recon
ciled to God by th e death o f his S o n much more bei n g
rec onci led we sh a ll be saved by his life And n o t only
so b ut we also j oy i n God through ou r Lord Jes u s
Ch rist by wh om we have now received t he a ton eme n t
The doctri ne expressed by this word and by several
others o f the sam e import both i n the English and
the Greek o f the New Testament i s o n e o f the cardi
nal truths o f t he Bible No one t hing i s m ore fu n da
mental to the gospel th a n that sacricial work o f
Christ which i n virtu e o f his priesth ood he wrought
out for u s o n th e cross Th us P a ul sai d to th e

Cori nthians i n his Fi rst Epistle I del ivered u nto yo u

r s t o f a ll that wh ich a ls o I received h ow that Chri s t
died for o u r sins ac cording t o th e Scripture s
This
gre a t expi ation o r s a cric e o f hi m s elf on the cross
i s vari o u s ly se t fo r t h i n S crip t u re by t he terms atone

ment
rec onci liat ion
ransom
propi t i at i o n
re

dempti o n through his bl o od a nd the once o ffering of

ly

86

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

h i mself to God
These and othe r e x pressi ons some
o f them o f frequent occ urrence all refer s ubstanti ally to
the same thing namely deliverance from si n and c on
de m n at io n through the vi cari ous atoning death o f th e
incarnate Redeemer No o n e wo r d better describes
what was done by Christ i n his death than the term

atonement o r th e maki n g o f God and man at

on e
I n the O ld Testame n t the i dea of atonement i s a
familiar o n e The word itself occ u rs m ore than forty
times The whol e cerem onial law as revealed to M O
ses and set fo rth i n the book o f Levitic u s was pe rvaded
by the i dea of atonement
The nu merou s b u rnt
offeri ngs under that law were fo r the pu rpose as it is

v ari ously expressed o f maki ng an atonement fo r si n

an atonement fo r th e people
an atonement fo r th e

sou l
There was no one o r di nance among th e Jews
whi ch was more s o l emnly enforced and attended with
m o r e i mposi ng ceremonials than the great day o f atone
ment celebrated e v ery year as a holy sabbath On this
day the hi gh pri est went alone i nto th e inne r s an c t u
ary with the blood of sac ric e whi ch he there offered for

h imself and fo r the si ns o f the people

This sai d th e
Lord shall be an everlasting statute u nto you to make
an atonement fo r the child r en o f I srael for thei r si ns

once a year
No w this whole ceremonial law with its signicant
types and symb ols its b u rnt sacrices and its annu al
feast o f atonement was but a perpet u al prophecy o f
Ch r i st th e M ediator o f the New Testament H e th e
g r eat Hi gh Pri est fo r wh om al l other priests had pre
pared the way and to wh om th e shed blood of all th e

sac r ices had pointed as Pa u l tells u s

by his o w n
.

THE

AT

O NI NG

D E A TH

CH R I

OF

87

ST

blood has ente r ed i n once i nto th e h oly place having

obtai ned eternal redemption for u s

Fo r
argu es

h e if the blood o f b ulls and o f go a ts and th e ashes

spri nkling the unclean san c t ie th to t h e
o f an hei fer
pu rifying o f th e e s h ; h o w m u ch more shall t he bl ood
ered hi m
o f Christ w h o t h rough the eternal Spi rit off
self wi t hout spot t o Go d pu rge yo u r c onscience fro m

de a d works to serve th e living Go d ?

He also is t he tru e Passover p re g u re d i n that an
nu a l festival wh ich from the ti me of th e exodu s fo r

fteen centu ri es had c ommemorated Israel s re de m p

ti on from bondage and from si n And th us the fore
r u nner O f Ch rist on th e banks of the Jordan p ointed to
H i m i n wh om al l th ese things c ul mi nate the Lamb o f
Go d that taketh away the si n o f the world
The word a t onement i s used t o express two differ
en t but closely
related i deas It may express a resu lt
ac compli s hed that i s an actual agreement when two
alienated parties have been brou ght together and har
m o n iz e d
We speak o f this resu lt as a reconci liation
an atonement O r it may den ote th e antecedent cause
o r means by wh ich that end has been acc omplished
Looki ng at the ground o r means o f reconci liati on
whi ch some third party has provi ded we cal l t hat
i n t erventi on whatever it be an at o nement o r b as i s
o f agreement though no actual rec onci lia t i on between
th e parties has yet taken place o r may ever ta ke place
I n the rst u se o f the term the a t onement is a per
s o n a l experience someth ing produ ced wi t h i n t h e
bosoms o f t h e p a rties th emselve s I n th e second
i t is an act ex t ernal to the parties and den o t es
s omething done by another i n order to bri n g tog e ther
,

88

L I VI N G

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

those who had been alienated Now the atonement

wrought by Chris t i n h is redemptive work i s this act
o f mediati on between God and men
It is the ransom
which h e paid for u s t he propitiati on which h e O ffered
to Go d i n his blood t o satisfy divine law and j usti ce i n

the sinner s place s o tha t God might b e j ust and yet

j ustify the ungodly At the same t i me reconciliation
i n t h e rst sense that is a re s ult ac
o r atonement
c omplished i n t he h eart o f every o n e who believes i n
Jes us is effected and sec u red by th e O perati on of th e

H oly Ghost applyi ng Chri st s redempti on to th e sou l

o f th e beli ever and reconciling him to God th rough
Christ
Th is great salvati on o f the gospel is th erefore no
half work It belongs to b oth the second and th e
third Persons o f t he Godhead As an actual h istorical
fact it was once fo r all wrought o u t and c ompleted by
Christ ; and as s u ch it was ample a dequate and s u f
c ie n t for the whole rac e o f man whether saved o r
lost It was the greatest atonement possible ; all was
done that could be done to make it wi de enough to
save th e wh ole world If the wh ole world had i n fact
been reconciled to God by it and brought home to
glory nothing more c oul d have been added to i t s
val ue Its atoning merit was i nnite because of the
i nnite merit of H i m
t he eternal S on o f God wh o
made it
B ut as a livi ng experience i n th e hearts O f men it
i s not i n fact th us u niversal and u nli mited It is
s u f cient for all men and i s freely offered to all b ut
it does n o t secure the actual restorati on o f all men
to Go d at the cross inasm uch as it bec omes effect
.

L I VI NG

90

CH RI

S TI A NI T Y
.

th e atonement as a work o f u nli mited me r it and in

t rin s ic val u e adequate to save all men and th e actual
ef ciency o f the atonement as appl ied by the powe r
o f the H oly Ghost to th e he a rts o f men wi l l serve to
explain all th ose passages o f Scriptu re whi ch speak of

Christ s redemption as being made fo r all men whil e

we know from other passages as well as from o b s e r
vation that it does not i n fact avai l to sa v e all men
It is obvious that none can be saved by it however
wide its provisi ons or great its merit except those to
whom it is applied I n the economy o f grace there
i s b ut o n e power that can effectually apply it : that
powe r is the H oly Gh ost
And thi s renovati ng
p ower o f the Spirit i s as es sential to salvati on as i s
th e r edeeming work o f Christ We can ac cept th ere
fore i n their wi de extent as referring to the re de m p
ti on pu rchased by Christ o n th e c r oss s u ch passages

as th e followi ng : And h e says John

i s the pro
i
o r o urs only b ut also
i
t
i
a
t
on f
o r o u r sins and not f
p

Says th e Epistle
fo r the sins o f the whole world
to th e H ebrews We see Jesu s wh o wa s made a littl e
l ower than the angels for the su ffering of death c r owned
wi t h glo ry and honor : that h e by the grace o f Go d

sh oul d taste death for every man

To Ti mothy Pau l

writes : This i s good and ac ceptable i n the sight o f

G o d ou r Savi ou r ; wh o will have all men to be saved
and to c ome u nto th e knowledge of th e t ruth F o r
there i s one Go d and o n e M ediator between God
and men the man Chris t Jes u s ; w h o gave h imself

a ransom for all to be testied i n du e ti me

Th us
sai d the Savi ou r h i mself :
Go d s o loved the worl d
that he gave his only begotten Son th at w h osoever
,

TH E

AT

ONI NG D EA TH OF

CH R I

ST

91

belie v eth i n hi m S h ou ld not perish b ut have eve r

lasting life
And th us r uns hi s last great c ommission

Go ye i nto all the world and preach the go spel to

eve ry creatu re
This u ni v ersal offer o f the gospel to eve ry creatu r e
u nder h eaven i s enough to sh ow that the atonement
made by Christ was i n its nature and val u e s uf cient
fo r all mankind th ough it does n o t i n fact save all

H en ce Pau l could say to the Cori nthians Th e l ove

o f Christ c onstraineth u s ; becau se we th us j udge that
i f one died for all then were all dead : and that he died
for all that they whi ch live sh ould not h enceforth live
u nto themselves b ut u nto h i m wh o died fo r them and

rose agai n
We need not disc uss i n these pages that deeper
question o f the theol ogical sch ools an d systems

What was God s design o r pu rpose in making th e

atonement as it regards those wh o a r e not saved by
it ? It i s n o t fo r man to solve th e sec ret c ou nsels
We know that God has eternal dec r ees
o f Go d
and that he does n o t work without a pu rpose B ut
we sho ul d be slow to dogmatize or to formu late
doctrines as to what the divine intentions are

For wh o hath known th e mi nd o f th e Lo r d o r

w h o hath been his cou nselor to teach h i m wis
do m
Secret th ings bel ong to God and things
that are revealed belong to u s and to o u r ch ildren
The part o f wisdom i s to ac cept th e fa cts as God
has revealed them and leave the sol ution of them
to a more perfect state of knowledge
Many minds have been troubled with these deep
and unsolved problems B ut it sh o u ld be borne i n
,

L I VI N

2
9

CHR I

S TI A NI T Y

mind that on this pa rtic ula r poi nt o f the extent o f

th e atonement there is a pe r fect analogy between
it and othe r dealings o f God God makes the s u n
to sh ine o n t he evi l and th e good and s e n ds rain
ali ke on th e j ust and th e u nj ust H is providential
bounty i s far wi der than th e good of h is ch osen
people Nor i s his wi der care vain and u seless b e
cause men do not gratefully accept b ut perish while
receivi ng it S o also the ordina ry O perati ons o f th e
H oly Ghost extend far beyond those wh o a r e called
and sav ed by h is effectual agency M en st r ive agai nst
the H ol y Gh ost and r esist his i nuences and s o pe r ish
i n th eir S ins B u t we do not c oncl ude that all th os e
o r dina ry i nuences of the Spi ri t which we know to
be felt by th e u nsaved as well as by th e saved have
been a failu re becaus e th ey have n o t ended i n
b r i nging lost men to gl ory
The provi dential
work o f God exerted ove r al l the world and ove r
th e l ost not less than the saved is no fail u re Th e
spiritual work o f the H oly Gh ost exerted as wi de ly
as the gospel has been preached and the Bible has
b een read over th e i mpenitent and th e inc orrigible
has been no fail u re e v en when it di d not s ave

Why then S ho ul d any man thi nk that G od s pur

pose in th e atoni ng work of Christ is a fail u re
even i n th e case o f th ose to whom it has been
freely offered by God and b y th em freely re
.

'

j e cte d ?

C H A P T E R XII
TH E

R E S UR R E C TI O IV

E XT t o

OF

CH

RI S T

the death o f Christ and not less im

portant to the gospel plan o f salvati on is the
fa c t of his resu rrection from the de a d It has gen
regarded as th e keystone t o th e arch
e rally been
o r the c orner s t o ne t o
the templ e o f the Ch ristian
evidences
Christianity is not m ore a religi on of
doc t rines and precepts than it i s o f fac t s h is t ori cal
and wel l
a t tested facts Fou r o f th e facts stand o u t
with great promi nence t h e i ncarnation the death
the resu rrec t ion and the ascensi on o f Chri s t T hese
may be l ooked upon a s th e fou r cardi nal points i n
the wh ole c ompass o f Christi a n truth With these
Christianity as a sy s tem o f salvation stands o r falls
These c onsti t u t e the deep and soli d basis o f its

temp le fo r they all relate to H i m wh o i s the only

fo u nd a tion
the t ru e
Rock o f Ages
and wh o

decl a red U pon this rock I will b ui ld my ch urch

and the g ates of h ell shall n o t prevail against it

We have but to tu rn to th e p a ge s o f th e N e w Tes
tament to see what prominenc e the apos t les assigned
t o the resurrection of Christ
They declare them
selves to be the witnes s es o f the great fact and
they appeal to others st ill living when they wro t e
,

L I VI NG

94

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

to c onrm their testi mony

I n the fteenth chap
ter of his First Epistle to th e Co r i nthian c h urch
Paul associates the res urrection O f Christ with hi s
death as being the fundamental fact o f the gospel

which h e had preached :

I delivered u nto yo u
rst of all that wh ich also I received h ow that
Christ died for o u r S ins acc ordi ng to the Script
u res and that he was b u ried and that h e ros e
again th e third day acc ording to the S criptu res
After instancing the i nfallible proofs o f thi s res ur
r ecti on namely that after being dead and bu ried
he was seen at different ti mes alive by Pau l hi m
self by hi s fellow
apostles and by h is brethren to
th e n u mber of ve h u ndred at once h e says Now
i s Christ ri sen fro m th e dead and bec ome the rst

fruits o f them that slept

From this wh ole chapter it i s ev i dent that th e

apostle Pau l regarded the h istorical fact o f Christ s

resu rrecti on as established beyond all c ontroversy
i n precisely the same way as was th e fact o f h is
dea t h Well h e might ; for had h e not on the way
to D amasc us seen the risen Lord ? and had n o t
that appearance been th e very means of his con
versi on ?
H ow co uld h e ever doubt it again ?
an d h ow c o uld Thomas wh o had once doubted
b ut w a s c onvinced by the sight of th e pi erced S i de
and the nail
pri nts i n th e hands and feet o f the
Lord who stood before h i m i nviting h i m to ex
amine and believe ?
B ut Pau l here presents this
great fa ct n o t only as fully est a blished o n evidence
b ut as formi ng an essential part o f the gospel it
self ; for it i s th e proof and the guarantee of the
.

RES UR R E C TI O N OF

TH E

CH R I

ST

95

doctrine o f the general resu rrection : No w is C hris t

risen from the de a d and becom e the rst
fru its o f
them that slep t F o r since by man came de a th by
man came a lso the res u rrection o f the dead
For
as i n Adam al l die even so in Ch rist shall al l be
made alive B ut every man i n his own order Christ

the rst
fru its afterward th ey t h at are Christ s at hi s

c omi ng
In the opening chapter o f h is Epistle to th e Romans

Pau l tells u s that Jes u s Christ was declared to b e

the S o n of God with power ac c ording to th e Spirit
whi c h
o f h oliness by the resu rrection from t he dead
i s equiv alent to saying that th e resu rrecti on from
th e dead was the full c omplete and c onvi ncing dem
clai med to
o n s t rat i
o n t o men that he was what h e
be th e S o n o f God It was the perfect Vindi ca t i on
M essiani c clai ms It was t h e proof that
o f all his
what he had asserted s o often in l ife had r eiterated b e
fore the Sanhedri m at h is tri al and had died af rming
was tru e namely that h e was the S on o f God And
i t was the o n e complete demonstrati on to m en and
angels that th e great work o f m ediation s u ffering
and death for whi ch h e had c ome i nto the worl d had
been a ccepted approved and ratied i n heaven
All this and more di d the resu rrecti on from the de a d
signify and seal It placed for ever th e S i gnicant an d
au t h oritative seal of the divi ne approval upon all that
Christ had done o n ea rth upon al l that h e had prom
i sed t o do i n heaven N o greater event ever oc cu rred
i n th e annals of man The unbarri ng o f the rocky
sepu l chre and the release o f its prisoner u nder th e
dawning light o f that thi rd day fullled all th e grand

96

L I VI NG

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

proph eti c h opes o f th e past and opened a new worl d

o f power and beauty and tri umph for th e futu re
It
was th e nal and concl usive evidence that Ch ristiani t y
i s the o n e divine nal a nd u niversal r eligion for men
It was the proof t o the Ch u rch that its great Fou nder
was n o t a dead b ut a livi ng Savi our no longer u nder
h u miliation and S hame b ut exalted to universal and
eternal domini on i n earth and heaven I n that e xal
t at io n and gl ory o f th e th ird day hi s Ch u rch arose
with h i m to newness of life and the world itself awoke
from th e long S leep o f ages to new hopes and a noble r
destiny The res urrection o f Christ was th e rst tri
u mph o f th e Ch u rch and became the pledge o f th e
last
Th e resu rrecti on o f Christ was the spiritual
renovation o f the world
Ac cordi ngly in the preaching o f th e apostles an d
for many c entu ries i n the pulpit o f the early Ch u rch
no th eme was more prominent than the res urrec t ion
They tol d th e s t o ry o f th e cross b ut wi t h
o f Chri st
it th ey told with j oy u nspeakable and ful l of gl ory
the story o f th e opened sepu lch re and th e risen as
No story eve r gained a h earing from
c e n de d Lord
s u ch u ncou nted mu l t itu des or sent a th ri ll o f glad
ness and wonder so deep and abi ding i nto believing
h earts It was the very breath o f i nspirati on for hu n
dreds o f years to the apos t oli c and pr i mitive Ch u rch
I t was th e gl a d theme of Peter and hi s fellow apos t les
when reasoning out o f th e
o n the day o f Pentecost
O ld Testament Scriptu res they spoke o f D avi d as

foreseeing the resu rrec t i on o f Christ that hi s sou l

was n o t left i n th e grave nor di d his esh see c or

ruption and said

This Jes us whom ye slew wi t h
,

98

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

r i ng ci rc u mstances that we c oul d as easily ove r

throw all h u man h istory as i nvalid a te it
Tha t Go d shou ld raise the dead is a propositi on
no t
inc redible t o t h ose wh o like King Agrippa
believed that there is a Go d and that the Script
u res are a re v elati on from hi m ; because i n h is
i nnite power we have an adequate cau se and i n
the S c riptures a s uf cient reason why a phenom
enon s o extraordi nary sh ould occ u r
Th e resu rrecti on o f Christ is with out c on t roversy
a great mi racle and a great mystery ; b ut then it i s
a miracle ascribed to the power of G o d wh ich ex
plains everything else and j usties everythi ng else
i n the B ible It does n o t stand al one
It is n o
is olated act o f Go d it i s no ac cidental event o u t
o f harm ony
with the plans and purposes o f J e
h ovah
I t i s the great central fact of a wh ol e
s ubl i me system which m ust be j udged i n th e light
su rrou ndings i t s antec edents a nd its grand
o f its
resu lts I t is far m ore c redible that Christ S h ould
h ave risen fro m the dead by divine power than that
the antecedent life o f Christ sh ould be a fable and
the wh ole Bible a stupendou s impostu re
When th e angel at th e vacant sepu lchre on th e

m orni ng of the third day sai d to the disciples H e

i s n ot here he is r i sen from the dead ; c ome see

th e pl a ce wh ere th e Lord lay h e only annou nced

a fact whi ch Ch rist h i mself h ad oft en predicted
and wh ich placed the nal seal o f truth upon h i s
S ome twelve o r ft een times
o w n d i v i ne mi ssi on
as we nd i n th e gospel rec ords had he spoken
and tol d h is di sciples wi t h
o f his approach ing death
,

RES UR R E C TI ON OF

THE

CH

RI ST

99

m ore o r le ss di s tinctness tha t he m u st rise from th e

d ead : I if I be lift ed up will draw all men u nto

me
They di d n o t while he was wi t h them c o m
p rehend the full i mpor t o f h i s words and they were
sl ow to believe th e glad t idings even after h e had
r i sen B ut they were all at last c onvinced by pro ofs
wh ich were i rresis t ible : fo r al most as many times
as he had predicted his res urrection did he appea r
in person to some o n e or more o f t heir nu mbe r
d uri ng th e forty days be tween h i s rising from th e
dead and his a s cens i o n t o he a ven
H is resurrecti on i nvolved rst th e c omplete veri
c at io n o f all th e words h e had spoken as o u r
great Teacher To t he apostles and to all others
no
proof c oul d
w h o were wi t nesses o f the fa cts
have been m ore overwh elming th an thi s o f th e res
u rre c ti
on
that Chris t came from God and went to
God and was Go d
And there i s n o i ndi ca t i on
i n all the New Testament aft er t h e rst doubts o f
Th o mas were removed t hat a ny o n e o f t h em ever
doubted again
Th en further the res urrec t i o n fo llowed by th e
glori ous ascension to heaven was the perfect dem
o n s t rat i
on
that all po w er i n h eaven and earth as
h e s a id had been c om mi tt ed t o his h a nds T o hi m
h a d now been given the keys o f dea t h and hell fo r
n o w mo s t a ss u redly had
he c onquered both death
and hell By t he resu rrection it w a s pr o clai med to
all men :
I a m he t h a t live t h and was dead and
beh o ld I am a live fo r evermore A men ; and have
the keys o f de at h and hel l ( Rev i
I n h i s ri s i n g w a s a l s o i nv o lved t he nal and g lo
,

L I VI NG

I OO

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

ri
o us

res urrecti on of all his followers He had c o n

quered not fo r hi mself alone b ut for a ll his pe o ple

t o t h e end of t i me
Because I l ive s a i d h e
ye

shall live also

H e th a t liveth and believeth i n

me th ough h e were de a d yet S hall he live

He
t hat live t h and believeth i n me shall never die

Be o f good cheer I have overc ome t he worl d

I am the res u rrecti on and the life

S u ch were
h i s m omentous and i nspiring words the most won
de rfu l and the most comforting to dying men th at
were eve r uttered i n h uman speech
What peac e
have th ey n o t given to troubled hearts ! What light
i n adversi t y what j oy i n bereavement what streng t h
i n tim es o f trial what support and c on s ol a tion i n
th e dark valley of the shadow o f dea t h have they
not given to milli o ns o f o u r rac e ! The o ld the
you ng the poor the ri ch the unfortuna t e th e beau

tiful have all a like found a solac e h ere fo r life s woes

and an antidote in death wh ich noth ing else ha s eve r
given
.

L I VI NG

10 2

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

teachings of Chri s t h imsel f H ere if anywhere we

sh ou ld be w illi ng to sit a t his feet an d learn o f hi m
fo r i t i s u nquesti onably a s ubj ect o n whi ch h e o u ght
t o kn ow more than a ll the sons o f men
On su ch
a subj ect whether regardi ng hi m as a reve a ler o f
new truths i n the New T es t ament o r as an ex
pou nder o f o ld ones in t he Old T e s tament we a r e
safe i n followi ng the lead o f so i nfallible a gu ide
I n the parting disc ou rses o f o u r L ord to his di s
ci
p le s th e night before h e su ffered as recorded by
Joh n we nd him speaki ng o f three di s tinct yet
inti mately associated personages i n langu a ge which
cannot be a t tributed to any oth ers and which as
c ri
b e s th e highest divi ne intelligence power and
prerogat ive t o each o f th e three alike These are
h imself th e Fath er and th e Comfo rt er o r H oly
Gh ost
Taking h is words i n thei r plai n and o b
i mport we are compelled to feel as we read
o us
vi
them that h e does n o t more emphati cally a frm h is
dis t inct personality and his o w n s upreme di
o wn
vi nity t h a n h e afrms the per s onality and the di
vi nity o f the F at her and of th e H oly Gh o st ; for
he s pe a ks of all t h e th ree i n prec isely the sam e
way and h e attributes to each a power an intel
lig e n c e and the functi on which can be ascribed to
none b ut God
T h e best way to see th e force o f th is statement
is to refer to th e passages I n the fou rteenth chap
ter o f the G o spel by J oh n he S peaks of the Fath er
and o f th e Comforter as ab s e n t an d u nseen b u t h e
requires the disciples to believe i n thei r per s on
ali t y and l ove even as they do i n his own H e i s
.

PE R SONA L I T Y OF

TH E

H OL

Y SPI R I T

10 3

about to ascend to th e absent unseen Fath er and

h e will i n a little whi le send the absent u nseen
Comforter
H e had S poken o f h im s elf as the
M ediator b etween them and t he Fa t her sayi ng

I am the way and the tru t h and the life ; no

man come t h u nto th e Father b ut by me

Then
referring to the loss t hey were about to s us

t ain i n h is own near departu re h e s a ys

I will
pr a y t he Father
d h e sh a ll give you ano t her
a
n
Comforter that h e may abide wi t h yo u for ever ;
even th e Spirit o f tru t h ; wh om th e world c a nnot
receive because it see t h hi m n o t neither knowe t h
hi m ; b ut ye know hi m ; for h e dwelleth wi t h you
and shall be i n you I will n o t leave you c omfort

less ; I will c ome to yo u

Fu rth er o n h e is still m ore specic as to the
charac t er relati ons and of ce of this coming O ne
whom he is soon to send and wh om the Father

will send i n his name H e says

B ut t he Com
forte r whi ch i s the H oly Gho s t wh om the Father
will sen d i n my name he shall teach you all thing s
and bring al l things to you r remembranc e wh a t s o

ever I have said unto yo u

Still farther o n h e

reiterates the great pr o mise :

B ut when t he C o m
forte r is come wh om I wi ll send u n t o yo u from
the Fat her even th e Spirit o f tru t h whi ch proceed
eth from the Fath er he sh all testify of me
It i s
expedien t for you that I go away ; fo r if I go not
aw a y t h e Comforter will not come u nto yo u
And
when he is c o me he wi ll reprove the w o rld of S in
o f righ t e o usnes s
and o f j udgment ; o f sin becau s e
they believe n o t o n me ; o f righteousne s s bec a use
,

L I VI NG

104

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

I go to my Father and ye see me no more ; of

j udgment because t he prince o f th is world is
j u dged
Then again as if u nwi lling to leav e
this important revelati on he adds with i ncreasing

emphasis
I have yet many things to say u n t o
yo u b ut ye cannot bear them now
Howbeit
when h e th e Spirit of truth is c ome h e wi ll
gu i de you i nto al l truth : for he shall not speak
b ut what s oever h e shall hear th at shal l
o f himself ;
h e speak ; and he will S how you things to c ome
H e shall glorify me : for he shall receive o f mine
and shall S how it u nto you
Now if these more than thric e repeated words
uttered under the mo s t impressive o f
o f ou r Lord
al l c irc umstances as a perpetual legacy o f in sp i
r ation and hope for h is Ch u rch do n o t distinctly
teac h th e existence and the personality and the
divi ne agency and work o f the H o ly Gh ost as
distinctly indeed as they teach the existence and
attributes of the Father and of Christ himself it
would be difc ult to say what they teach o r to say
h o w s u ch things can be taught
These revelations if they stood alone wou ld be
su f cient t o establish t h e ancient c reed o f the

Ch u rch
I believe i n God the F a ther almighty
M aker of heaven and e a rth
I believe i n Jesu s
Christ h is only Son o u r Lord I believe i n the

H oly Ghost
B ut they are fa r fr o m st andi ng a lone
They are i n full acc ordanc e wi t h his antecedent
teach ing as when h e warned his hearers o f th at
blasph emy against th e H o ly Gh o s t whi ch i s a si n
that hath no forgiveness in t his life o r that which
,

106

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A N I T Y
.

The man wh o can read th e N e w Testament with

o ut
seeing these things o r read the sto ry of th e
tri u mphs o f t he gospel du ring the r st th ree cen
t u rie s and i n fac t all s ubsequ ent cen t u ries and not
see t hem i s as bli nd to all the great t ruths o f t h e
h istory a s were the Jews when they c rucied the
Lord o f glory There i s i n truth no c l ue to thi s
marvelous history and no key to the problem o f
Chri s tianity S h ort of the recogni t ion o f thi s funda
mental and di st ingui shing doctri ne o f th e Ch urch
namely that the H oly Ghost is God ; that he is the
Thi rd Person o f t h e adorable Trinity ; that he e x e r
c ises a perpetual agency i n th e Ch urch ; that h e al
w a ys and everywhere acc ompanies the proclamati on
gospel ; a nd t hat his great b e n e c e nt func
o f the
ti o n is to apply the truth o f God to th e s ons of men
i n their c onversi on regenera t ion and s an c t i c at io n
It is o f deep signicance that Ch rist appointed
and only two s acramen t s to be O bserved by
tw o
h i s Ch u rch t o the end o f th e world the one set
ting forth his o w n great work o f redemption fro m

si n ; the other t he Spirit s equ ally es sen t ial work o f

s an c t i
c at io n from s in
I n the s a crament o f th e

Lord s S upper whi ch is the Lord s passover we

celebrate th e Lord s death ti ll h e c ome t h u s sym

b o liz in g his sacric i a l de at h u pon the c ro s s fo r o u r
redemp t i on and j u st ica t i on before Go d
I n the
o t her
h oly s a c ramen t t he wa t er o f bap t ism we
c elebr at e and s ymb o lize th at o t her great work e s
se n ti
al
t o o u r s a l vat i on t he work o f t h e divi ne
Spi ri t up o n o u r hear t and ch a rac t er by whi ch we
are engraft ed int o Chri s t enlightened i n th e knowl
,

PERSONA L I T Y OF

TH E H

OL Y SPI R I T

107

edge o f God made willi ng and enabled to embrace

Ch rist a s a Savi o ur regenerated i n t he spirit and
temper o f the m ind and gradually pu ried from
s in S u ch i s the ofce and s uch th e work o f th e
H oly Ghost
We can never appreci a te too highly the presenc e
inuence and agency o f this divi ne Comforter H e
i s the direct Author o f all ef cient saving in uences
i n th e pr each ing o f t he gospel and th e r eading o f
the word o f Go d H e wh o i mparted grace to h oly

men o f o ld when th ey spake as they were moved

by th e H oly Ghost
i mparts grace n o w and c o n
solati on t o th e s oul o f every tru e bel iever fro m
the date o f hi s effectual calling to the h o u r at
wh ich h is work h ere is done and h e enters into r est
All ri ght thoughts all h oly resol utions all good
works i n the Ch u rch and i n the life o f th e Chris
tian proceed from hi m
We can have no saving
conversions from th e w o rl d no spiritual growth i n
th e Ch u rch n o divine power i n the
ulpit n o
p
blessed revivals i n the work o f th e minis t ry ex
c ept as they come i n answer to prayer from th e
presence o f th e H oly Gh o s t
It is o n e o f th e greatest doctri nes o f Ch ristianity
and certainly o n e of its s upreme ble s si ngs that it
has reve a led to us t h is divine Agent o f good as

Ch rist s own V i car i n the Ch u rch

It i s not an
absent but a n ever present and worki ng D eity th a t
i s th us made known to u s at all ti mes ready to
h ear u s and to help us
By noth ing prob a bly i s Christianity more c o m
erentiated from all other re li gi ons t han
p le te ly diff
,

10 8

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

by th e existenc e and presence o f th e H oly Spirit

It is a s ourc e o f power to the Ch u rch and to th e
i ndividual bel iever whi ch th e worl d does not rec og
nize and which h u man philosophy does n o t attempt
t o explai n
Neverth eless th e doctri ne stands as o n e o f the
clearest revelations o f the Bible
It i s o n e too
whi ch is attested by the experi ence o f th e child r en
i n all ages o f the Chu rch It is a most
o f God
blessed ass urance for which e v e ry h u man heart
sh oul d be profoundly thankful that when o u r great
Redeemer nished his work o f sacrice o n earth
and ascended to his h eavenly throne he di d not
l eave his Chu rch here to work o u t her desti ny
alone o r th e i ndivi dual beli eve r to work out h is

sal v ation alone H e said to each

Lo I am with
you alway even u nto the end o f the world
and
he sent th e Comforter t o fulll th e promise I n all
th e blessed i nu ences of that divi ne Spirit always
and eve rywhe r e present i n the bosom of the Chu r ch
and i n the h ea r t of th e Chri stian we have the pe r
demonst
r
ation
that
th
e
g
r
eat
promise
o f thi s
l
e
t
u
a
p
new dis pensation is u nceasi ngly ve r ied
.

L I VI NG

1 10

CH RI

S TI A NI T Y

i ndefeasible of all rights to govern the c reatu res o f

his power
No w it is a pri mal revelati on of the Bible from
beginning to end t hat Go d is i n all and throu gh al l
and over all blessed fo r ever ; that the wh ole u ni
v ers e is u nder law to h i m that ki nd o f law which
we call physi cal o r natural as s u ited to its nat u re ;
and that m an h i mself as an intellectu al and moral
being l ike all o t h er intelligent beings is u nder th e
bi nding forc e of that kind of law wh ich we call
intellectual and m oral \Vh ile God h i mself as Law
giver is th e seat and s ou rce of all law physi cal and
natu ral r ational and m oral as H ooker says no
creatu res whether great o r small ani mate or in
animate are exempted from its bin ding auth ority
F o r i n obedience to its hi gh mandate i s th e peac e
th e harmony th e well being ali ke o f the indivi dual
c reature and o f th e u niverse
Certainly there can be n o m ore august c onc epti on
o f law and orde r fo r the u niverse than th is u niversal
and omnipotent reign o f law and o f an i nnite
i mposing and executing it
Go d above th e law
Thi s i s th e B ible doctrine of law It is th e force
an intelli gent om nipotent will directing and
of
c ont r olling all things fo r h is own glo ry and the
good o f his creatu res

I n the S c r iptu res the word law i s used to express

the divine will i n vari ou s applicati ons Fi r st it i s ap
pli ed to the wh ole revealed law of God c ontai ned i n
S c riptu re as when the psal mist says Thy law is the

truth
Oh how I l ove thy law !
Open th ou m ine
eyes th at I may beh ol d wondrou s t hings o u t of thy
.

TH E

LA

W OF G O D

law
soul

I I I

The l aw of th e Lord is perfect converting the

; the commandment o f th e Lo r d is pu re enl ight

eyes
H i s delight i s i n the law o f th e
n g the
e ni
Lord and i n his law doth he m editate day and
ni gh t
I n a narr o wer sense it i s applied to a part o f th e
word o f G o d as to th e O ld Tes t ament when dis
as
t in g u is h e d from the New
o r to the Pentateu ch

distingui s hed from th e Proph e t s

Th e law was
given by M oses b ut grac e and truth came by Jesu s

Christ (Joh n i
In th e Sermon o n t h e M ou nt

Christ said
Th ink n o t that I am c ome to destroy
th e law o r the prophets : I am not c ome to destroy
b ut t o fulll For verily I s a y u nto you Till heaven
and earth p a ss o n e j ot o r o n e ti t tle shal l i n no wise

p a ss from the law till all be fullled

B ut the m ore frequ ent use o f the te r m i n S cript
u re especially i n th e New Testament Epistles is
that i n which it refers t o the D ecal o gu e o r law o f
Ten Commandments revealed from h eaven o n M ou nt
Si nai accompani ed at the same tim e wi t h many other
laws ceremoni a l and c ivi l fo r the worsh ip o f God
and the government o f t he Jewi sh nati on These
all togeth er formed th e M osaic o r Levi t ic a l code
i ntended S O fa r a s they were c eremo n ial and
n at i o n a l
fo r th e Isr a eli t ish people al one and s o
far as they were moral for the Ch urch o f Go d
and for a ll mankind T h e grand e s sential principle s
o f thi s
wider m o r a l law i ntended fo r a ll manki n d
a nd fo r all age s are c on ta ined i n the Ten C o m
m an dm e n t s
T hey a re of u niversal oblig a ti on and
they c on s ti t ute t he b a si s of t he c ivi l j u ri s pru denc e
,

L I VI NG

1 12

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

of

all c ivilized Christian nations as they do also of

all ecclesiast i cal law
N oth ing c ould exceed th e s olemnity and th e aw
fu l grandeu r i n which th is moral law was pro
clai med by the voi ce o f the Al mighty to th e as
sembled h osts o f Israel at Sinai
The occasion
was worthy of the great moral code o f right and
j ustice which w a s thenceforward to bi nd al l civ
iliz e d men together as brothers and all c ivilized
states to t he throne of God
It was i n fact
b ut the republi cati on and the re enforcem ent of that
origi nal m oral law whi ch from the rst had been

written by God s o w n nger o n t he m oral c onsti

t u tio n o f man
b ut whi ch till then had been neg
le c t e d and i n part obliterated from th e heart by
r eason o f th e u niversal ap ostasy
S uch a law
n eeded t o
be revived and e nforced by more sol
emn
sancti ons t h a n it h a d ever been before Thi s
was done once fo r al l at M ount Si n ai
This i s
th e law of which the apostle Pau l referring to the

s olemnity o f its proclamation says

It was o r

dained by angels i n the hand o f a mediato r ( Gal

iii
It woul d be a grievous m ist a ke to s uppose that
the moral law o f God all of whose requ irements
are h oly j ust and good has been abrogated or its
clai ms lowered by th e gospel
Everythi ng in th e
B ibl e i s agains t s uc h a positi on Th e personal ex
ample o f Christ is against it H is expositi ons o f
the law i n hi s Sermon on th e M o unt and all hi s
i nstructi ons elsewhere are agai nst it All the teach
ings of h i s inspi red apo s tles i n t he New Testament
,

L I VI NG

1 14

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

h i s name and h is Sabbath ; th e othe r c onsisting o f

six all relating to ou r fellow men begi nning with
o u r parents
The S ix commandments of this sec
law al l pertai n to th e three m ost
o n d table
o f th e
i mportant i nterests o f h u man s ociety t hat is o f
man as c onnected with h i s fellow man life and
property
All these lyi ng at the fou ndation o f
s oc ial wel l
being an d i ndivi dual happi ness are most
sac r edly guarded by the D ecal ogu e
All its re
o f each
table ali ke whether relating
q u ire m e n t s
t o God o r to man are enj oined as duties owed
di rectly to G o d Any b reach o f them i n any par
t ic u lar i s prohibited as a s i n against God
It i s easy to see at a glance that this all compre
I t was i ntended
h e n s iv e law is no ephemeral thing
It i s th e
fo r all manki nd to th e end o f the world
most ancient and th e m ost wonderfu l o f all written
h u man c odes
Wel l might an inspi red apostle say

that it was or dained un t o l ife

It has stood th e
test o f time ; it has b orne th e closest scrutiny o f
all Ch ristian ages There is n o t o n e provision i n
it whic h does not m eet s ome o n e o r other o f the
deepest nec essiti es o f o u r m oral and social nature
Th ere is not one requ i rement o f it whi ch h u man

experi ence has not demonstrated to b e fo r man s

h ighest i ntellectual moral and nati onal good
It

c ont a i ns alike th e elements of a nati on s greatness

and o f th e h appiness o f every h u man being
Thi s divine law is o n e o f the great thi ngs o f th e
Bible
The devo ut psalmist felt its prec iousness
when h e sang its praises i n every o n e o f the h u n
dred and seventy S ix verses o f the beautiful o n e
,

THE

LA

OF

G OD

1 15

h und r ed and nineteenth Psal m and when in an

other he c elebrated it saying

H e established a
testi mony i n Jacob and appointed a law i n Is rael
wh ich h e com manded ou r fathe r s that they sh ou ld
make th em known to th ei r ch ildren ; that th e
generati on to come might know them even th e
c hi ldren wh i ch sh ou l d b e b orn wh o sh ould aris e
and declare them to t hei r chi ldren ; that th ey might
set t hei r h ope i n Go d and not forget the works

God b ut keep hi s c om mandments

of
( Psal m
lxxv i ii 5
I nstead o f r epealing o r i n any way dispa raging
th is glo r i o u s and blessed law it is the high dis
tinction of Christiani ty that thro ugh its great
Fou nder and h is i nspired apostles Ch ristianity has
b ut i ncorporated and reaf rmed the divine law i n
all its requ irements and prohibiti ons giving a
broader sweep to its precepts an added sancti on
to its auth ori ty and a deeper tone to its heart
sea r ching spi rituality
Th e New Testament has
given u s the key to its i nterpretati on when it tel ls

u s that love i s th e fullling o f the law

There
i s no tru e obedienc e to this law without lo v e to th e
Lawgiver
The extent and the spirituali t y of the D ecal ogu e were
seen from the begi nning i n its nal c ommand agai nst

covetousness When th e law sai d

Th ou shal t not
c ovet i t reach ed th e heart th e wh ole he a rt M o s es
h im s elf had set this spiritu a lity o f th e law i n a clear

light when h e said Hear O I srael : Th e Lord o u r

God is one Lord : and th ou shalt l ove the L o rd
thy God with all thi ne h eart and with al l thy soul
,

1 16

L I VI NG

CH R I S TI A NI T Y
.

and with al l thy might And these wo r ds wh ic h

I command th ee thi s day S hall be i n thine heart :
and thou shalt teach them diligently u nto thy
children and shalt tal k o f them when th ou sittest
i n thine h ouse and when th ou walkest by th e way
and when tho u li est down and when thou risest
up And th ou shalt b ind them for a S i gn upon
thine hand and they shall b e as frontlets between
thi ne eyes And th ou shalt write them upon th e

p osts o f th i ne h ou se and upon thy gates ( D eut

.

vi
.

I n li ke manne r the g r eat Teacher set the seal of

h i s own di v ine a u th ority to th is law and r e v ealed
th e deep spiritual i mport o f all its requirements

wh en h e said Th ou shalt love th e Lord thy Go d

with all thy heart and with all thy soul and
with al l thy mind Th is is th e rst and great c om
mandm ent And th e s ec ond i s li ke u nto it Th o u
shalt l ove thy neighbor as thysel f O n these two

c ommandments hang all the law and the prophets

M
att
xxi
i
37
(
I n th e Epistle to the Galatians th e apostle Pau l
afte r disc ussi ng the gospel meth od of salvati on
throu gh Christ and showing that n o so ul can be
saved by the ri ghteousness of the law r aises th e
qu esti on as to the prope r u se o r ends o f th e law

Wherefore th en serveth the law ?

H e answers

by sayi ng that th e
law was added becau se o f
transgres s i on
u nti l Christ sh ou l d c ome and that

th e law i s o u r sch ool maste r to bring us to Christ

that we might b e j ustied by faith

I n the light
passage and others it i s eas y to point o ut
o f this
,

1I

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

to One wh o has fullled all its clai ms and made

salvati on possible to them that believe

By t he

law says Paul

is the kn o wledge o f sin I was
alive with o ut the law o nc e b ut when the c o m

mandment came sin revived and I died

It is
only when a man is convi nced of si n and guilt
by a clear apprehensi on of the law of God and
i mperfection and i mpotence u nder that
o f his o w n
c onvi cti on that he i s led at last to l ook away from
hi mself and y t o Chri s t as a Savi ou r Th is p u r
pose o f the law i s j ust as important to
day u nder
the gospel dispens a ti o n as it ever was u nder th e
It is as m u ch needed n o w i n preaching th e
o ld
gospel as it was i n the ti me of Paul o r of M oses
T here is no effectual preachi ng o f the gospel
which i s not grounded o n the law o f God and
which d oes not perpetually reiterate its clai ms
A gospel without law is really no gospel It is
a mist a ke and a delu sion T he law o f God i s a
perpetual i nstructor ever pointi ng to the cross and
prepari ng the soul to belie v e i n Ch rist
The law
condemns and by condemning sh uts u s up to faith
i n Christ who is the end of th e law for right
e o u s n e ss
to every o n e that believeth
T h us as
the apos t le Pau l writes i n th e thi rd chap t er o f
his Epistle to t h e G a latians
Christ hath redeemed
u s from the c urse o f the law being made a c u rse

for u s
S t Paul also sets th is matter i n a clear
l ight i n the ei gh t h chapter o f the Epis t le to the

Romans : Fo r wh a t the law c ould n o t do i n that it

wa s weak throu gh the esh God sending hi s own
S on in th e li keness of sinfu l e s h and for sin
,

TH E

LA

OF G O D

1 19

c o ndemned sin i n the esh that the righteou sness

law might be fullled i n u s wh o walk n o t
o f the

after the esh b ut after the Spirit

The third i mpo rtant of ce o f th e law is that it
might serve as a perpetual rule o f prac t ical d uty
It n o t only bears its testi
t o th e people of Go d
mony against all unrighteousness from generati on
to generati on and so mai ntai ns the truth o f Go d
before a world lyi ng i n wi c kedness b ut it is and
will be to th e end of ti me a divi ne instru ctor to
th e Ch u rch i n all the duties o f practical godli ness
The Chu rch of Christ can n o more dispense with
the law than it can with the gospel B oth are of
God and b oth necessary to produ ce th e grand
r esu lt o f h oly livi ng
I f th ere is n o salvati on
with out the gospel there i s no m orality wi t h o ut
th e law Th e tru e gospel salvati on is a n e w life

i n Chri s t p ervaded and c ontrolled by law

Do

we then make voi d the law throu gh faith ? asks

the ap o stle
God forbi d ; yea we establi sh th e

law
There i s n o point wh ich h e more carefully
guards against th an that o f abrogating the law
o f God
When he shows that it i s no method
of j usticati on it i s only to S h ow that it i s for
ever binding on the conscience of th e saved S in
ner as h is infallible ru le o f life
Eve ry prec ept
o f the
gospel is but a r eiterati on and devel opment
o f the
precepts o f th e D ecal ogue and every p ro
h ib it io n b ut a new and m ore detaile d statement o f
the thi ngs condemned by it Christianity is a re
lig io n o f peace on earth and
good wil l am ong
men becau se it i s pre emi nently a reli gi on of
,

L I VI NG

12 0

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

law ; and its fundamental law i s the D ecal ogue

th e same through all ti me th e same for the i ndi
vidual man fo r the s oci al c ommu nity fo r the
nati on and for the world
,

L I VI NG

12 2

CH

R I STI ANI T Y
.

dyi ng keynote o f th e b ook from Genesis to Rev

elat ion
What else did Christ say and what less c oul d
h e mean when aft er having died and risen again
and when ab o ut to as cend to heaven h e in au g u
rated h is kingdom for th e spiritual c onquest of the

worl d saying to h is followers

Th u s it i s written
and thu s it behoved Christ to s uffer and to rise
from the dead the third day ; and that repentance
and rem issi on of sins sh ould be preached i n his
name among al l nati ons beginning at Jerusalem ?
Lu
ke
xxiv
6
Th
e
gospel
bri
ng
no
w
o uld
4
(
salva t ion to man if it di d not c ome preaching the
forgiveness o f sins reveali ng God i n Chri st as a
si n pardoning God wh o has fou nd an adequate
ransom an d opened a way of deliveranc e by which
h e can c onsistently remit t he si n and save the si n
ner
Th i s i s the one th ing whi ch every sou l o f

Adam s fallen race most needs and this th e great

redempti on wh ic h is offered t o every s oul through
Jes us Christ Th u s to th e weary h eavy laden si n
ner deeply consci ou s o f gu ilt t h e g o spel preach es
peac e th ro ugh Jesu s Christ because it comes as

God s o w n remedy for S in procl a i m i ng forgiveness

by the blood o f the c ross We need not wonder
th erefore that in the earliest o f all ou r Christian

symb ols the Apostles Cree d amongst its twelve

essential articles o f faith sh oul d be fou nd thi s
great a nd c omprehensive doctrine of the system

I believe i n th e forgivenes s o f si ns
O u r divi ne
M aster had already tau ght it and formulated i t t o
stand for ever when he put it i nto his fo r m of
.

TH E

FO R GI VENESS OF SI NS

12

h
in
t
e
Sermon on t h e M ou nt
Forgive u s
p
o u r debts as we forgive o u r debtors
a nd wh en h e

ut t ered i n it hi s dying cry upon the cros s Fa t her

forgive them for they kn o w not what t hey do

The forgivenes s o f S ins as stated i n th is clau se
o f the
Creed m ust be taken i n th e widest sense
I t i ncludes all that is done for u s i n the pardon
t he removal and the c onqu es t o f si n by the three
Persons o f the adorable Tri nity
God th e Fathe r
i n his soverei gnty o r God i n Christ d oing what
ever the Father does forgives sin for none b ut
God can forgive si n B ut Christ as M ediator by
h is sacricial death on the c ross satisfyi ng th e de

mand s o f G o d s vi olated law has rendered it

possible for God to forgive S in th u s removing the
rst great barrier i n th e way of ou r salvati on by
taking a way th e guilt and penalty of S in
Still the plan o f salvation wo u l d not be c o m
l
e
t
e
with
out
another
essential
work
I
n
order
to
p
pardon ou r sins and to j u sti f
y us before Go d th e
obj ective work the w o rk with out u s th e work of
sacrice and death had to be wrou ght by Christ
B ut i n order to rem ove the poll uti o n an d powe r o f
sin with i n u s th e subj ective work th e work in u s
o f rege n erati on and s an c t i
c at io n w a s equ ally n e c e s
sary for ou r salvation And this is ac compli sh ed fo r
u s by t he indwelling agency o f t he H oly Gh o st
who s e divine of ce it i s to reveal Christ to o u r

sou ls t o apply t o u s the bene t s of Ch ri st s re

demption t o qu icken ou r si nful n a tu re by hi s re
genera t ing power t o s ubdu e the l ove o f si n and
enable u s to l ive a new s piritu a l and h oly l ife
rav e r

12

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

Th u s a r e th e ch i l dre n o f God delivered from

the curse the bondage and th e poll uti on o f sin
rs t from its penalty an d condemn at ion t hrou gh
the redemptive work of Ch rist so as to be par

do u ed and restored to God s fa vor i n the ac t o f

and sec ondly from its i ndwelling
j us t icati on ;
an d ruling powe r th rou gh th e i n uence o f th e
H oly Spi rit i n th e work o f regenerati on and
s an c t i
c atio n preparing t hem for a life of holiness
h ere and o f glory hereafter Th is i n brief i s the
fu ll c ompleted salva t ion o f th e gospel whi ch Ch rist
rst wrought o u t o n th e c ross then sec u red for
all h is pe o ple by the c oming o f the promised
Comforte r and then as h e left the world c o m
m an de d
his apostles to preach i n his name
a mong all nations to the end of ti me
All thi s is c omprehended i n th e remedy fo r S in

the propitiati on i n h is bl ood

the remissi on

th e rec onci liati o n

the atoneme n t
th e re de mp

ti on as it is variously set forth i n th e S crip t ures an d

s u mmed up i n the one expressive word

gospel
A l l this i s inc lu ded i n th e one great doc t rine o f the
forgiveness of si ns as formu lated i n what is called

the Apo s tles Creed

There are i ndeed many passages o f Scriptu r e i n
wh ich th e doctrine i s p r esented i n the same broad
and c omprehensive te r ms ; as fo r example i n th e
Ol d Testament wh en D avi d says
Th ere i s fo rgive

ness with thee that tho u m a yest be feared ( Psal m

A s far as the east i s fro m the west so fa r

h at h he removed o u r transgress ions from u s ( Psal m
a nd a lso i n the New Testament when P a ul
,

12

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

wh o

pretends t o m iniste r at God s alta r and to pro

clai m Christ s message to dying m en and does not

preac h it ! O f what avail i s h is learni ng h is el o
q u e n c e or that beautiful empty nothing wh i ch h e

calls a gospel
if it c ontai n n o rem edy fo r sin
no ass urance o f forgiveness from God throu gh H i m
wh o al one has powe r to take away the sin o f th e
world ?
Th e forgi v eness o f S ins th rough the Vicari ou s and
at oni ng death of Christ is th e great theme wh i ch is

disc ussed i n al most e v ery o n e of Pau l s Epistles

It i s certainly th e prominent theme i n his Epistles
to th e Hebrews and th e Romans and scarcely less
s o i n th e Epistles to the Galatians t he Ephesians
and t he Colossians
H e sh ows i n all these and
with great fu llness i n th e two larger treatises that
all men by natu re are i n a state of gu ilt and c on
de m n at io n before Go d i n c onsequenc e o f si n that
all men are in fact dead i n trespasses and S ins
alienated from God by wi cked works impotent to
save themselves fro m the dread c onsequences o f
transgression and as s u ch with out God an d with
I n th i s sad c onditi on God
o u t h o pe fo r th e futu r e
h i mself pro v i des a plan o f salvati on a ransom a de
liverance a c omplete rede mpti on th rou gh th e death
i nc arnate Son who takes the place of th e
o f h is
si nner u nder th e v i olated law bears th e c u rse for

h im o n th e c r oss pays all sin s penalties and satises

every clai m o f divi ne j u stice This i s the gospel as
proclai med by Pau l th rou gh all his Epistles the gos

pel of God s free and abou nding grace pro vided and
offered to all men without m oney and with out p r ice
,

TH E

FOR G I VENESS OF SI NS

12

th rou gh th e atonement of Ch rist

By h i s i nca r na
tion standing as ou r substitute u nder the law by
h is life of S inless obedience fullling all the pre
o f hi s
and
by
th
e
innite
m
erits
c e t s o f that law
p
atoning death payi ng its penalti es h e takes away
o u r S i ns ;
for h e is th e Lamb o f Go d that was re
vealed from h eaven to bear and to take away th e
sins o f the world H e wh o k new n o si n was made
a si n offeri n g for us ; he wh o was originally ab ove
law cam e u nder it for ou r sake that h e might
redeem u s from its c urse by bei ng made a c u rse

for u s Th u s Ch ri st became the end of th e law

for r ighteousness to eve ry one that believeth

Pau l bri ngs out i n strong li ght t h is fundamental
doctrine o f atonement i n the th i rd ch apter o f th e

Epi s tle to the Romans wh en he says

We a re
j ustied freely by his grace th rough the re de m p
ti on that is i n Chri st Jes u s : wh om God hath set
forth to be a propitiati on th ro ugh faith in h is
blood to declare hi s righteou s ness fo r the remi s
si on o f sins that are past throu gh the forbearance
o f God ; to
declare I say at th is time his right
that he might be j u st and the j u stie r
e o u s n e ss :
O f h im wh ich believeth i n Jesu s
It i s sai d t hat the poet Cowper i n o n e of his
seasons o f deep melanch oly despai ring o f h is sal
vation and driven al most to madness chanced to
r ead th is passage when th e wh ole scheme o f

God s gra t u itous salvation throu gh Ch rist ashed

upon h i s mind wi t h s u ch c onvi ncing power and
beau ty that he was satised and made to rej oic e
i n h ope With similar effect the sam e great truth
.

12

L I VI NG

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

was revealed to anothe r gifted mind by th e readin g

of a
passage of like i mport i n th e rst chapter o f
the Fi rst Epi s tle o f J ohn I n th e memoi r o f the
you ng and once wayward Captai n H edley V ic k ars
it i s stated that while waiting for a you ng c o m p an
io n i n worldly pleasu re h e O pened a B ible whi ch
was lying i n the room an d h i s eye fell upon th e

words The blood o f Jes us Christ h is S on cleanseth

u s from all si n
D eeply consci ou s o f his o w n sins
and exceedi ngly unhappy i n them h e read and re

r ead the word s asking h i mself

I s thi s tru e ? I s
it tru e for me ? Can I believe it ? Yes I believe
i t and by the help o f God I will from t h is day

give my l ife to h i s servi ce

H e di d s o It was
the turning point of h is destiny From that h ou r
h e was a new man and u ntil his heroi c death i n
the trenches at Sebastopol h e was as remarkable
for his c onsi stent Christian character as befo re h e
h ad been for h is youth fu l fol ly
The deepest want of the h u man soul when c o n
n c e d o f its s infulness and
impotenc e is that o f a
vi
divi ne Helpe r able and wi lling to save It is pre
c isely thi s want whi ch i s met and satised i n th e
gospel o f Jesu s Ch r ist I n hi m th e weary h eavy
laden s inner tossed about with many a doubt and
many a fear at last nds a Friend and a B rother
an almighty arm o n which he can lean and a rest
wh i ch th e world can neither give n o r take away
A divi ne Saviou r i n h u ma n form o n e having p o wer
to forgive sin i s what we all need and what the
believing s ou l nds i n Christ Th is is the great
central truth of ou r c ommon salvati on It is aft er
.

C H A P T E R XV I
GR A CE

TH E

THA T

SA VES

H ERE is no doctrine more prominent o n al l

the sacred pages espec i a lly t hose of th e New
T estament t han that of s a lv at i on by grace It i s
o f grace because it is o f Go d o f grace because not
o f ourselves
not accompl i shed by ou r own streng t h
no t dependent o n o u r o w n meri t s The ch ief ex

pounder of th e doctri ne is th e apostle Pau l

By
gr a ce are ye saved throu gh fai t h writes h e to the

Ephesians
and that n o t o f yourselves it i s th e
gift of God ; not o f works lest any man sh ou ld

b o ast
That is to s ay ou r salvation I S of grac e
and th e faith which p uts u s i n possession o f it i s
al s o of grac e being the gift o f God wrought withi n
u s by th e O perati on o f the H oly Gh ost Speaki ng o f
th e gospel method of salvati on i n c ontrast with

that o f legal works h e says to the Romans

Ye

are no t u nder th e law b ut u nder gr a ce

M ore
o ver the
law entered th a t the offence might abou nd
B u t where si n ab ou nded grac e did m u ch m ore
ab ound that as si n hath reigned u nto death even
s o m ight grace rei gn t hr o ugh righ t e o u s ness u nto
e t ern a l life by Jes u s Ch ri st o u r L ord
And h e
tells t hem fu r t her th a t this salvation through Christ
'

GR A CE

TH E

THA T

SA VES

13 1

wh ich is not of works o r h uman merits at all

is
t h a t it mi gh t be o f grace
o f fa i t h
Speaking of t he gospel he s ays i n the Epis t le to
Titus
The grace o f God that bringe t h s alvation

hat h appeared u n t o all men

I n the Epis t le to t h e
Ephe s ians he traces that gospel t o i t s pri mal s ource
when he writes I n whom [Christ Je s us ! we have re
demp t i on through his blood t he forgiveness o f sins

according t o the riches o f h is grace

With the
same thought i n view salvati on by grac e c on

wi
t
h
works
o
f
h
uman
merit
th e apostle Joh n
s
e
d
t ra t

says
T he law was given by M oses but grace and
tru t h came by Jesus Ch ri st
I n like manner th e
apostle Pe t er su ms up the whole gospel i n th e
closi ng verses o f h is First Epistle when he writes

Testifying t hat this i s the tru e grace of Go d where

N o o n e can read the New Testament
i n ye stand
without seeing t hat the gospel o f Jes u s Chri st is pre
emi nently a gospel o f g race and that it requi res fai t h
as the essential c ondi t i o n o f salvati on becau se it i s
a gospel o f grace It i s faith i n Christ that saves
u s ; it is faith i n Christ that j u sties u s before God ;
and fai t h itself i s a grace o f Go d
What; precisely are we to u nderstand by t he term
r
a
ce
which oc c u rs so frequently i n the New Tes
g
tament ?
It is used i n several c losely related senses
It
denotes rst t hat everlasti ng love or favor o f God
whi ch prompted hi m to pr o vide salva t i o n for u s i n
t he go s pel and which is the sou rce o f all t he spi r
it u al blessing we get from h i m
I n t hi s sen s e it
i s applied t o e a ch Person o f t he Godhead F at her
,

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

S on and H oly Ghost alike Thu s Peter speaks of

the Father as th e God o f all grace wh o hath call

ed u s u nto hi s eternal glo ry by Ch rist Jes us

(1
Pet V
O f Christ Paul says to the Corinthians
Ye know the grac e o f o u r Lord Jesu s Christ that
thou gh he was rich yet for your sakes h e became

poor that ye th rough his po v erty m ight be ri c h ( 2

C o r vii i
I n like manne r the H oly Ghost wh o
i s called by ou r Savi o u r the Spirit o f truth is called

by Pau l i n th e Epistle t o the H ebrews

the Spirit

o f grac e
and i t is his of ce t o produ c e all graci ous
affections in the hearts o f men ( Heb x

I n a second sense the word grace i s c ons t antly

u sed as we have seen i n some o f t h e p as s ag e s al
ready c ited
for the gospel itself wh ich i s the resu lt
and the manifestation to men o f that divi ne good wil l
and favor from whi ch it sprung Then again th e

term grace is frequ ently used to denote that b e ne f

ic e n t and effectual i nuenc e whi ch c omes from Go d
o r Ch rist or th e H oly Spi rit i n the work of o u r per
s onal salvati on
This is its i mport whereve r th e
saving operations of the H oly Ghost i n c onverting
th e s o ul are referred to I n this sense of a divine
inuenc e o r agency i n ou r h earts working fo r o u r
spiritual good the word i s u sed by Paul when h e
says By grac e are ye saved th rough faith and that
not of you r s elves it is the gi ft of God which is equ iv
ect
ale n t to sayi ng we are saved by the graci ou s and eff

ual operation o f God s Spirit i n o u r h earts produ cing

saving faith This is its most frequ ent signication
b o th i n biblical and i n theological language
So
i n acc ordance with thi s u se of th e word all th os e
.

'

13

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

i s o f Go d who worke t h i n us both to wil l

and to do of his good plea s u re
In the li ght o f t he s e p as s a ges and o f many others
like them we can clearly u nderstand h o w a sinner
beli eving i n Jesus is j ustied before God and als o
why fai t h holds s u ch promi nence i n the gospel as
th e j us t ifying and saving act
Faith i n Chri st i s
th e bond o f connection whi ch u nites the s oul with
th e righteousness o f Ch rist ; and as this righteous
ness meets and satises the demands of the law o f
God in o u r behalf the fai t h whi c h puts us i n pos
session o f i t at once j usties and saves and i s

properly called
saving faith
Faith i n Jes us

Christ
says the Westminster Shorter Catech ism

i s a saving grac e whereby we rec eive and rest

upon h i m alone fo r salvati o n as h e is offered to

u s i n the gospel
And this of ce of faith as th e
bond o f connecti on between the sou l and Christ i s
i n exact acc ordance with the deniti on o f j u st i

cation given i n the sam e Catechism : J ustication

is an act o f God s free grace wherei n h e pardone t h

all o u r s ins and ac cepteth us as righteou s i n hi s
sight only for the righteous ness o f Chri st imputed
to u s and received by faith alone
Now when we look i nto the Scrip t u res it i s easy
to see the relation i n which both grace and fai t h
st and to o u r j usticati on and c onsequently t o o u r
salvati on I n o rder to be saved we m ust be j u sti
B ut
e d ; there is no salvation with out j ustication
it is God wh o j u sties or pronounces th e sou l th a t
was u nder c ondem nation j ust in th e sight o f t h e
law It is his free and sovereign a ct
B ut it i s a n
ci
e n cy

TH E

act

G RA C E

SA VES

THA T

3S

grace and an act performed on th e grou nd

Christ has done for hi m w h o believes i n
o f wha t
Jesus H ence the same Scriptu res that tell us we
are j ustied by grace declare also that we are j usti
Pau l says to the Romans (vi ii I
e d by fa i t h

Being j ustied by fa i t h we have peace with Go d

th rough o u r L ord Jes us Christ ; by whom als o we
have access by fa ith i nto thi s grace wherei n we
s t and and rej oi ce i n hope o f th e gl ory o f God

B ut h e says i n the same Epistle ( iii 2 4

Be
i ng j ustied freely by his grace th rough th e re
demption th a t i s i n Christ Jes u s wh om God ha t h
set forth to be a propi t iation through fai t h i n his
bl ood to declare his righteou sness t hat God might
be j ust and the j u s t i e r o f hi m which believeth i n

Jesus
And in the Epis t le to Titus he says Th a t
being j us t ied by h is grac e we shoul d be made

heirs according to the h o pe o f eternal li fe

It
i s plain then that j ustica t i on by faith is the same
as j ustication by grac e and it is 6y fa ith as Pau l
says that it might be of g race O t herwise if s a l

vati on were o f works

gr a ce would be no more

Th u s we h a ve the great doctri ne o f the

grace
L u t heran
Reformati on and o f all
evangelic a l
ch u rches j u s ti c at io n by fai t h which is clearly
the doc t rine o f Pau l in al l his Epistles and as
Pau l shows in h i s letter to the Romans th e do c
tri ne o f t he Old
Testament Sc riptures as it i s writ

ten
T he j ust s h a ll live by faith
I t i s n o t wi t hou t reason t hat faith i n Christ hold s
th is pre eminence a s the j u st ifying and s aving grace
While it i s the free rational act of man it i s at the
of

13

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

same ti me th e gift o f God

It i s always wrought
i n the sou l o f the believer by the enlighteni ng and
qu ickening power o f the Spi ri t of Go d Faith j us
b ecau se u nde r th e gospel schem e
t i e s and saves
of salvati o n it has b een appointed of God to fulll
t his essential function No other grace c ou ld take
its plac e with ou t th rowi ng t he gospel scheme o f sal
vati on o u t o f harmony as a gospel of divi ne merc y
for the gu ilty and o f life for the perishing Faith j us
t i es and saves
becau se it i s the one act whi ch
r ecei v es Christ rests upon Ch rist brings the s o u l
i nto c ontact with Christ sec u res the righteousness
and nally assi milates t he c haracter of
o f Christ
the believe r to th e divine character o f Chri s t N o
othe r grac e d oes or c oul d do this Faith i n Jesu s
does all this M ost assu r edly the grace wh ich does
this i s entitled to th e distincti on of being called the
j ustifying savi ng grace of the gospel
Faith i s n o t only th u s essential as the bond of
u nion with Christ and the medi u m of o u r j usti
c at io n with God b ut it h as an essential beari ng
upon the exercise o f al l the other Ch ristian graces
Without faith we are told it i s i mpossibl e to please
God B ut it is equally i mpossible to grow i n th e
Virtu es o f Ch ristian character with out faith
I n al l
these ou r streng t h and progress will be i n p r opor
tion to ou r faith We repent o f si n best at th e
c ross We repent o f s i n i n proporti on as we b e
lieve in the mercy o f God i n Christ
We love
God best as hi s love to u s i s reve a led by a strong
faith i n Christ
We learn to persevere in good
wo r ks as faith brings to o u r vi ew the glori ous r ec
.

13

L I VI NG

CHRI

S TI A NI T Y
.

tru e faith i n Ch r ist i nstead o f be i ng opposed to

good works m u st always produ ce them as its
legitimate fruit
Faith i n Christ i s the v ery s ou l
o f Vital
godliness of h u man charity o f pure and

elevated morality
Faith without works is dead

being alone
It i s no living faith ; it i s only a
p r etence o r a delusion
,

C H APTER X VI I
THE

OFFI CES O F FA I TH

N th e tri o o f permanently abidi ng g r aces faith

h ope and charitymenti oned by Paul i n h i s
rst lette r to th e Co r i nthians h e tells u s that th e
g r eatest is charitythat is l ove
Lo v e ac cording
to the S criptures i s the fullling of the divi ne law
I n the Ch ristian believe r it is that element o f char
acte r which more than any oth er brings the sou l
i nto th e li keness o f God as a Go d o f love It i s
that crowning grace whi ch r o u nds out and c ompletes
the Christian character and th us prepares the sou l
fo r h eaven
Being th u s i n man th e most perfect
r eecti on o f the divi ne excellence and th e ve ry
exponent o f what the s ou l is to become i n h eaven
Christian l ove is well entitled to the encomi u m whic h
the apostle bestows u pon it i n calling it the g r eates t
o f the graces
At the same time it is not to b e denied that faith
h olds th e pri mal and p r e emi ne nt plac e i n the Chri s
tian system and in all true Christian experience Some
o f ou r ablest writers
have recently called attention
to th e prominence o f faith i n the gospel s cheme of
salvation I n an i mportant sense it may b e sai d to
be the v e ry life and sou l of Ch r istianity The r e i s i n
,

13 9

L I VI NG

I 40

CHRI S TI A NI T Y
.

fact no t hi ng in Ch r istianity mo r e Vital mo r e distinct

ive and m ore c h aracte r isti c than faith It i s one o f
its fu ndamental facts and one o f its deepest e x p e ri
e nce s
It woul d be easy to point o u t the reason
why faith holds s u ch pre eminence i n all the Script
u res i n all saving grace and i n all practi cal godli
ness b ut ou r pu rpose at p r esent is not so m u ch to
vindi cate thi s h igh esti mate of faith as to poi nt o ut
i n th e light o f Scriptu re some o f the essential func
ti ons wh ich faith performs o r rath er th e of ces
whi ch it h ol ds I n this perhaps mo r e than i n any
othe r way we shal l be l ed to see the p r e eminence
of faith
I n th e rst place faith i s e v e ry whe r e presented i n
S c r iptu r e as th e j u s tifying g race It is God that j u s

t i e s fo r j usti cati on is always an act o f God s free

and sove r ei gn grace B ut then God j usties throu gh
faith o n th e ground o f th e merits and ri ghteousness
By faith th e sou l
o f Christ received by faith al one
o f th e bel ieve r lays hold upon Ch r ist and is s o u nited
to h im i n that act as to b e at onc e delive r ed from th e

condemning sentenc e of God s law r estored to the

divi ne fav or and entitled to all the benets o f Christ s

r edempti on Th i s is a disti ncti on attrib uted to no
othe r g rac e except faith God is th e j u stie r o f hi m

that belie v eth on Jesu s

The r efore
says Pau l

being j ustied by faith we h a ve peace with Go d

th rough o u r Lord Jes us Christ

Paul tells u S that Ab raham believed God and it
was c ounted u nto hi m fo r r i ghteousness By thi s
j u stifying faith i n God Abraham became th e father
the g r eat mode l and ty pe of all t ru e
o f the faithfu l
,

L I VI NG

14 2

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

and put no di fferenc e between u s and them pu r ifying

their hearts by faith ( Acts xv 8

Now i t is the distincti v e ofc e o f th e H oly Ghost
to sanctify th e sou l even as it is that o f God th e
Father to j ustify B ut in eac h case alike faith i s
t he essential medi um and conditi on both of the j us
t i c at io n and o f the s an c ti c at io n
It is easy to see
how this must be s o
In hi s i ntercesso ry prayer

Christ says
Sanctify them throu gh thy truth : thy
word is truth an d i n his second le t ter to the T hes

s alo n i
an s
Pau l gives thanks to God who had from
th e beginning ch osen them to salvati on throu gh sanc
t i c at io n o f t h e Spirit and belief o f the truth
These
and oth er passages S how that u nder th e in uence o f
t he H oly Ghost t he word or truth o f God bec omes
the e s s ential means o f s an ct i c atio n B ut then t he
word of God can p r odu ce no sanctifying o r pu rifying
e ffect except so far as it is b eli eved Without fai t h i t
would be a dead letter It i s j ust as necessary that we
sho uld beli eve th e truth i n order to be sanctied as
t h a t we sho uld believe i n Christ i n order to b e j u st i e d
H ence th e pri me necessity o f faith to the h uman s oul as
its great sanctifying o r purifying exercise If we have
no fai t h we can have no h oli ness Faith i s the
s ubstance o f thi ngs h oped for and the e v i dence of
thi ng s n ot seen It alone can s upply th e i n uences
a nd bring t o bear upon u s th e m otives from the word
O u r grow t h
o f God whi ch will prompt us to h oly l ife
i n grace and o u r s an c t i c atio n will be great o r small i n
ex a c t propor t ion t o ou r faith
F a i t h bri ngs before o u r minds all the grand inspi ring
doc t rine s o f the word o f Go d the things u nseen and
,

OFFI CES

TH E

OF

FA I TH

14 3

eternal of the life to come and specially the elevating

i n u ence o f the characte r and example o f Chris t
Th us faith s an c t ie s a nd pu ries th e h eart
H e t hat

hath this h O p e i n him says J ohn p u ri e th himself

even as h e is pu re
I n the thi rd place faith i s the w ork ing grac e o f all
Christian experience It is th e active principle the
i mpelling power i n all true religiou s life There i s
s u ch a thing as a dead faith a faith with out works
mentioned by th e apostle James B ut a tru e and
living faith m ust work cannot cease to work It
i s the mainspring i n the wh ole machinery o f s ub
It h olds
j e ct iv e theology o f practi cal godliness
the same r elati on to th e Christianity o f the gospel
that th e mainspri ng o f th e watch h olds t o a ll o t her
parts It i s that with out whi ch n o t a single wheel
within o r index n g e r with out can go Its of ce i s
to start to impel and to regu late the wh ole i nward
an d o utward m ovement
NO o n e can read s uch a passage as the eleventh
chapte r o f the Epistle to th e H ebrews with ou t seeing
the force o f these remarks There everyth ing i n t h e
life of th e O ld Testament sai nts all energeti c servi ce
all heroi c zeal for God all self denial and patient e n

durance u nto death fo r conscienc e sake i s attributed

to fai t h as the grand i mpelling power o f t he Chri s tian
profession It is not that other graces are i gnored
b ut it is that th is o n e grace when it takes possessi o n
o f the soul
sets all the rest i n mo t i on and s u sta ins
the believer i n every service and under every t rial

According t o you r fa ith be it u nto you sai d Jes u s

And s o we read o f the o ld belie v ers that through

,

L I VI NG

144

CH RI

S TI A N I T Y
.

faith they s ubdued kingdoms wrought r ighteousness

obtained promises stopped the mouths o f li ons
quenched th e vi olence of re waxed valiant in gh t

o u t o f weakness were made strong

I n hi s letter to
th e Galatians Pau l n o t only afrms fa ith to be the

working grace but also shows h ow it works : Fo r

i n Christ Jes u s neithe r circ u m cisi on availeth any
th ing nor u nci rc u mcisi on b u t faith which worketh

by love ( Gal v
O nce more faith is the ov erc o m ing and v ic to rio u s
grac e J oh n has alway
s been disti ngu ished as th e
beloved disci ple and the very apostle of l ove love
being the keynote o f all hi s writings B ut it is the
venerable John wh o says Whatsoeve r is b orn o f Go d
overc ometh th e world an d t his i s the vi cto ry t hat over

c ometh the world even ou r faith

When our Savi ou r
had eaten h is last passover with his disciples and was
about to leave them he said I n the wo r ld ye shall have
trib ul ati on ; b ut b e of g o od cheer I have overc ome the

world
By grac e h i s disciples are all enabled s ooner o r
later to do the same thing When he overcame he over
came for hi s people ; they all share i n h is Vi ctory B ut
it is by faith that they do so By faith they are united
to hi m and j ustied ; by faith they are assi milated to
h i m i n character and sanc t ied ; by faith they work
fo r h i m and with him i n all appointed service ; and
by faith at last they conqu er all his and thei r enemies
t he esh the world and th e devi l By fai t h t hey
gh t t he good ght and by faith they wi n th e v ic

t o ry
sai d Christ will
To hi m t hat overcometh
I grant to sit with me i n my throne even a s I also
overcame and am set down with my Father i n hi s
,

C H A P T E R XVI I I
R

EPENTA NCE UNT O L I FE

T i s to be feared that i n the pulpit ministrati ons

of ou r ti mes th e doctri ne o f r epentanc e does
n o t h ol d the p r omi nent place wh ich
it held i n fo r
mer days and whi ch it certainly h olds i n th e
S c r iptu res In s ome o f th e fashionable metropolitan
pulpits and with m ost o f the itinerant revival ists
and lay evangelists there has been a strong tend
ency to si mplify and popularize the gospel by making
everything c onverge o n a si ngl e denite point name
ly the act o f faith whi ch accepts and appropriates
Christ Th e resu lt i s i n s ome cases t hat l i ttl e
more than a half gospel i s preached and the act o f
faith is s o exalted that the law o f God sinks away
from the public View and many minds i n thei r e s
timate o f the essential i mportance o f faith lose sight
alt o ge t her o f the eq u ally essential duty o f r epent
anc e

It m u st be plain on a moment s re e c tio n at least

to every at t entive Bible reader that there can be no
salvation with ou t r epentance any m ore th a n with out
faith The o n e i s as promi nent i n the Sc riptu res an d
as essential to o u r salvation as th e oth er We are all

b y nat u re sinners dead i n trespasses and si ns

We
,

14 6

ENTA NCE UNT O L I FE

R EP

14 7

can never be delivered from si n and l ive anew to God

except as peni t ents and believers I t is j ust as n e c es
sary that we sh oul d tu rn to G o d by repen t ance i n
order t o live the new regenerated life as that we
shou l d take refuge by fa ith i n Christ as o u r only
Savi ou r The t wo exercise s go together as equal
and essential fa ctors of that gospel whi ch i s to
deliver us from s in ; and they can never b e di s
so ci
ate d wi t hout pu lling asu nder what God has fo r
ever j oined together i n th e gospel plan o f salvation
and what has al w ays been fou nd th u s togethe r i n
the experienc e o f every penitent believing S inner
Repentance is the tear o f sorrow whic h trembles i n
the eye o f the si n bu rdened beli ever as h e l ooks up
to Go d throu gh the cross o f Jes us Chri st
This i ndissol uble c o rela t i on o f t h e essenti a l graces
o f faith a nd repentance i s wel l stated by D r Charles

H odge i n th e opening o f his chapter o n

Repen t

ance i n h is work Th e Way of Life :

Clearly as
the S criptu res teach that wh osoe v e r b elieves shall
be saved they teach no less c learly that except we
repent we sh a l l all perish
Thes e graces are not
only alike i ndispensable b ut they cannot exist
separately Repentance i s a turning from si n u nt o
Go d th rough Jes us Ch ris t and fai t h i s the a ccep t
ance o f Chri s t i n order to retu rn to Go d Repent
ance is th e act o f a beli ever a nd faith is th e act o f
a penitent
S o that wh oever believes repents and
wh oe ver repents bel ieves
We have only to tu rn t o th e New Testament t o
see what promi nence i s th ere given to the du t y o f
repentance \Ve canno t preach th e gospel o f Christ
.

L I VI NG

14 8

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

i n r eality with o u t also p r each ing th is duty

When
Christ rst appeared h e signalized hi s o w n p ubli c

m inistry by proclaiming it saying

The time i s
fullled and th e kingdo m o f God is at hand : re

pe n t ye and believe th e gospel

H i s forerunner
Joh n the Baptist had done th e same thing i n the
wi lderness of J u dea and o n th e banks o f th e Jo r
dan when h e preached the baptis m o f repentance

fo r the r emissi on o f sins and cri ed

Repent ye

fo r the ki ngdom o f h ea v en is at hand

S o als o
when he had nished hi s redeemi ng
o u r Savi ou r
work o n earth and was about t o ascend t o heaven

o r dained that
repentanc e and r emissi on o f si ns
sh oul d be preach ed i n his nam e am ong all nati ons

b egi nni ng at Jeru salem

An d precisely this we
nd h is apostles doi ng o n th e day of Pentecost when
they preached Jes us to th e assembled m ultitu des say
i ng Repent and b e baptized every o ne o f you i n th e
name o f Jes us Christ for the remi s si o n o f si ns and ye

shall rec eive the gift of the H oly Ghost

S o essenti al was repentanc e i n the preaching of
th e apostles that we nd it s ometi m es spoken o f
li ke faith itself as th e very su m and s ubstanc e o f
th e gospel ; as for example i n th e twelft h chapte r
wh en Peter preached to the h ouseh ol d
o f th e Acts

R o man centu ri on : Wh en they h eard these

o f th e
th i ngs th ey held thei r peace and gl oried Go d say
i ng Then hath Go d also to th e Gentiles granted re

I n li ke manner repentanc e
p e nt an c e u nto life
and fai t h are associated as comprising the s um and
e s sence o f t h e wh ol e gospel ; as when Paul says t o
the Ephesia n el ders at M iletus in the twentieth chap
.

L I VI NG

1 50

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

pi ritual truth a true sense o f S in as offensi v e to

God and c ondemned by h is holy law and a view
o f th e
great mercy o f God as revealed i n Ch rist
Jesu s d y ing for sinners leading th e sou l to retu rn
to Go d wi t h grief and abh o rr ence o f sin as an evi l
and bitter t hi ng and at th e sam e time wi t h a full

p u rpose desire and determinati on by God s help

to live a new and h oly life
Thi s i s scriptu r al
r epentance ; b ut analyzed to th e bottom thi s is
also savi ng faith for n o soul th u s repents and tu rns
t o God except i n the exe r cise o f a savi ng faith rest

i ng on God s promise o f pardoning mercy th r ou gh

th e atoning death o f h is S on
God c ommands al l men everywhe r e to repent N O
duty o f th e gospel i s m ore u rgent m ore u nivers a l
H o w can the Christian ministry fulll its high calling
of God i f it ceases to ri ng out the c ommand to re
pent ? The author j u st named c loses his ne chap t er

with these stirri ng words

Thi s cal l to repentanc e
c omm only foll ows m en from th e cradle to th e grave

I t i s o n e o f th e rst sou nds whi ch wakes th e i nfant s

ear ; it is o n e o f th e last which fal ls on th e fai li ng
senses o f th e dying sinne r
Eve ryth ing i n this
world is vocal with the voic e of m ercy All j oy
and all sorrow are calls to return u nto God wi t h
wh om are the issu es o f life Every opening grave
every ch u rch e v e ry page o f th e Bible is an adm o
i nvitation Eve ry s eri ou s th ou ght o r
o r an
t io n
ni
anxi ou s foreboding i s th e voi ce o f Go d saying

Tu rn ye for why will ye die ?

It is th r ou gh al l
th ese admonitions that men forc e thei r way to death

They pe ri sh beca u se th ey delibe r ately rej ect salvation

S

C H A PT E R XI X
TH E

NE

B I R TH

H E topi c is an ol d o n e and perhaps not so m uch

disc ussed i n ou r pu lpits and i n o u r c u r rent re
lig io u s literatu re as it ou ght to be and as it was i n

forme r ti mes If it is not the arti cle of a standing

it i s at all events th e point from

o r a falling Chu rch
whi ch dates th e begi nni ng o f eve ry tru e religi ou s life
and the inne r spiritual growth of eve ry efcient Ch ris
tian Ch urc h It belongs to what we call th e s ubj ect
ive practical theology as disti ngu ished fro m the his
t o ric al and the obj ective
It relates essen tially to that
i ncipient life wh ich begins with i n us u nder th e
operation o f th e H oly Ghost when th e s ou l o f th e
believer i s made al ive to Christ and is en abled to
accept the great redempti on which h e pu rchased for
u s o n th e cross I n experimental godliness nothing
can be more vital m ore important
The change whi ch marks the beginning o f thi s
new and hi gher life of t h e soul i s set forth i n
S cripture with great distinctness n o t only by
many explicit statements but unde r many strong
metaphors and analogies drawn from th e material

worl d an d from o u r present h u man l ife

Marvel

not
sai d Christ to a teacher i n Israel that I sai d

u nto th ee Ye mu st b e born again or as it is more

,

15 1

L I VI NG

152

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

p r operly r endered
bo r n from above
That
wh ich i s born o f the esh i s esh and that wh ich i s
born o f th e Spirit is spiri t V eri ly veri ly I say
u nto thee Exc ept a man be born agai n ( born o f
water and o f th e Spi r it) he cannot see the ki ngdom
o f God
Art tho u a master o f Israel and knowest
n ot these thi ngs ? We speak that we do know and

testify that we have received

Certai nly there i s
n o teaching i n all the S criptu r es m ore emphati c
and u nmistakable than are these words o f the di
v i ne Witness
The change o f heart and life th us emphasized by
Ch rist as th e o n e th ing needfu l to an i ntrodu ction
i nto the kingdom o f Go d i s described as a new o r
second bi rth a regeneration a new c reati on a trans
it io n fro m li ght to darkness a qu i ckening an awak
i ng fr om sleep a res u rr ection from the dead
Al l
these and oth er strong analogies u sed i n Sc riptu r e
i mply a change o f l ife and character so radi cal and
c omplete that th os e wh o have felt it may be sai d
to h ave passed from a death o f sin to a life o f h oli
ness
Th ey were blind b ut now see ; o ld things
have passed away all things have bec ome new ; th e
natu ral man has become a spi r itual man and h enc e

forth walks i n newness of life

The believe r i n
Christ may not be able to explai n th is c hange to tel l
p r ec isely h ow or where it began b ut of its r eality
the r e can be no doubt an d the wh ole s ubsequent life
proves it
I ndeed all the explanation that needs t o be given
i s that it i s a change o f state as it regards the s oul
and a t r ansfo r mati on of its character and p u rpose which
.

L I VI NG

1 54

CH R I STI A

NI T Y
.

bec ome the sons o f God even to them that belie v e

o n his name
whi ch were born not o f blood n o r o f
the will o f the esh nor o f th e wil l o f man b ut o f

God (J ohn i 1 2 I 3 )
Evidently it is n o t i n the power o f hu man natu re
dead as it is i n trespasses and s ins to regenerate
itsel f It can n o more raise itself from this de ath
o f Si
n
than it coul d c reate itself
We might as
s oon expect a stone to lift itsel f Th e power of
th is n e w S pi ritual creati on m ust c ome from above
Whether we regard the s ou l as passive o r as active
i n this begi nning o f new life it is manifest that the
germ o f life mu st be fro m witho ut that t he i ncipient
and all e f c ie n t agency m ust be that o f Go d and not
Thi s i s only equ ival ent to saying th a t the
o f man
new birth is more than natural ; it i s s upernatu ral it
i s wrought by the mi ghty O perati on o f the Spirit
o f God
H u man means and agenci es may c ombine and
often do c ombi ne as t he S criptures abu ndantly
teach i n the produc t ion of th is change Th e writ
ten o r preached word o f God has its i mportant in
u e n c e on the mind ; the minister o f th e gospel
the Chri s tian teacher th e C hristian parent t he re
lig io u s book each i n tu rn o r al l together may c on
trib ute thei r i nu ential share i n bringing a sou l to
God Last o f all the sinner h imself h owever pas
sive at rst and even res istant to divine gra c e is

made wi lling i n the d a y o f God s power and b e

c omes wide awake wi t h a ll h i s active powers i n
th e work o f hi s c onversi o n
F o r i n this as i n
other things God works by means and thro u gh
,

TH E

NE

B I R TII

155

the appoi nted h u man meth ods and agencies Still

ove r and above all h uman powers stands the gr a nd
essential gospel truth that th e sou l of every Chris
tian believer i s born agai n n o t o f man n o t o f i ts elf
but o f Go d With out this supernatural divi ne in
n o begi n
u e n c e th ere can be no new c reati on
ning o f spiritual life no birth i nto the kingdom o f
God at l e a s t for adult sinners And even i n th e
case o f i nfa nts saved as they are by the blood and
i mputed righteo usness o f Christ it has been h el d
by many sou nd divi nes i nc l uding Calvi n that they
too are regenerated and sanctied by t h e operatio n
O f the H o ly Ghost
Th e salvation o f th e s oul m u st nec essarily i nclu de
the double agency and th e do ubl e work o f th e S o n
and th e Spi rit o f God th e o n e deliverin g
o f God
u s from the gu ilt and c ondemnati on o f si n and th e
othe r from the p o wer and poll uti on o f si n We can

n o more b e saved with out th e washi ng o f regen

recreati ng
e rat i
o n and renewing o f the H oly Gh ost
and pu rifying o u r sinfu l natu re withi n than we can
be saved without th e S hedding o f the bl ood o f Chri s t
and hi s redemptive work deliveri ng u s from th e c u rse

Th u s i s o u r salva t i on m a de
o f God s vi olated law
c omp lete i n Christ u nder the regenerating sanctifying
and saving i nuence o f th e H oly Ghost raisi n g u s
from the deadness o f sin and enabling u s to wal k

i n the new spi ritual life o f God s chi ldren

.

C H A P T E R XX
THE

ONDI TI ONS OF SA L VA TI O N

H E sal v ation of the gospel s o fa r as it is O b

i
e
c
t
ve
that
is
to
say
external
to
o
u
r
sel
v
es
is
j
a nished thing absol utely c omplete i n itsel f I n
th is v iew o f it the r e can be no c onditi ons ; it is a
fact accomplished B ut as s omething c onnected with
o u r o w n h u man agency it p r oposes certai n te r ms t o
be c omplied with and means to be used and things
to b e done by u s which are prope r ly called the c o n
dit io n s o f sal v ation beca u se with o u t them we cannot
b e saved Th ou gh God may wo r k these things withi n
u s by h is Spi r it and h elp us by his g r ace t o do th em
still i n s ome way or other o u r pers onal activity b oth
i ntellectual and mo r al m ust be employed D oubtless
God can sav e and does sa v e i nfants with out any
personal agency o f th ei r o wn b u t the r e i s nothing i n
the Bible to warrant th e belief that he e v e r saves ra
t io n al adult mi nds witho u t th e p u tting forth o f th ei r
c onsenting and wo r king acti v ities Whil e therefore
we are saved by God and sav ed by g r ace we are not
saved except o n the terms and conditi ons lai d down
i n the gospel

What m u st I do to be sav ed ?
No problem can
be mo r e i mp o r tant than th i s ea r nest question o f th e
,

15 6

15 8

L I VI NG

c ru c i
e rs

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

th e Lord o f glory repent o f their si n

i n having onc e rej ected h im with out n o w believi ng
hi m to be the Lord o f gl o ry ? and h ow c ould they
be baptized i n h is name fo r the remissi on of si ns
with o ut now belie v i ng o n that name and th us b e
lieving i n hi s saving power ? Th us we see that ac
c ordi ng t o th e gospel preach ed by Paul and all th e
apos t les instead of faith standing alone as th e c o n
di t i on o f sal vation repen t ance for si n m ust aec om
pany the faith and stand with it as equally essential
to salvation Each grace i mplies the other and i s
never possessed without it Th e o n e is always i mplied
i n the other There i s no saving faith pos s ible with out
a tru e repentance of si n an d there i s no evangelical
repentance possible with o ut sa v ing faith i n Jes u s
Christ
Th is is evi dent when we consider what the salvati on
The gospel i s
o f th e gospel i s and what it dema n ds

God s remedy to deliver men from si n It i s n o t sal

vation i n S in b ut salvation from si n It professes to
save men n o t only from th e wrath of Go d and from
the penalties o f S in i n the life to c ome but from th e
reigning power an d poll uti on o f si n i n th e present li fe
I f faith i n Christ di d not make men repent and turn
from S in and do works meet fo r repentance i n the pres
ent life it wou ld be a nu llity a dead letter ; it would fai l
o f all the great ends o f salvation ; i n a word it wou l d
be no salvation H enc e the indi spensable necessi t y of
repentance and of all good works owi ng from it
Never di d Ch rist S peak m ore emphatically than when
h e preac hed th e gospel o f repentance and said
Ex

cept ye r epent y e shall all likewi se perish

I II answer
o

TH E

OND I TI O NS OF SA L VA TI ON

1 59

i ng the qu estion th en What m u st I d o to be saved ?

we see that it is i mpossible to separate repen t ance from
saving fai t h i n C hrist because repentance is the turning
u nto God from sin and no m an w h o does not repent o f
Si
n and tu rn from i t can believe s a vingly in Christ as a
S avi ou r from s in Repen ta nce th erefore is as truly a
conditi on s in e qzzo n o n o f salvati on as is faith Faith
i n Chris t saves the beli eving penitent t hat is th e pen
ite n t believer
It i s i nstru ctive t o noti ce i n h ow many v a rying
fo rms the conditi ons or term s of salvati on are s tat
ed in th e New Tes ta ment all o f wh ich h owever
imply the s a me thing
T h u s o u r Saviou r s ai d to

N i codemu s
M arvel not that I said u nto yo u Ye
m u st be born again
Except a man be b orn o f
water and o f the Spi rit h e c a nnot see the kingdom
H ere regenerati on o r t h e bei ng born o f
o f God
Go d implying a change o f h eart and a new natu re
i s made as i ndispe n s a ble to salvati on as are faith
and repentance B ut t here i s no i nc onsistency b e
tween thi s act o f the H oly Gh o s t whi ch makes u s
new cre a tu res i n Ch ris t Jes u s and o u r o w n exercis e

of faith and repentance u nder God s regenerating

ac t ; for H e who performs t h e o n e th ereby i mpart s
to the sou l th a t s a ving grace whi ch enables i t to
comply wi t h t he t er m s o f th e gospel and fulll the

c onditions o n man s side by repenting and believing

S o that wh ile we cann o t be saved with out repen t
ance and fa ith we cannot be s a ved wi t h out tha t

regenerating agency o f God s Spi rit by which we

pass from dea t h u n to life a nd are enabled to re
pent O f si n a nd believe i n Chri st
T here i s n o t
,

16 o

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

only n o i nc onsistency here b etween the divine and

th e h u man agency i n ou r salvat i on but there i s a
perfect agreement as Paul has so cle a rly expressed :
Work o u t you r o w n salvati on with fear and trem
bling ; fo r it i s Go d t h a t worke t h i n you both to wil l

and to do o f his good pleas u re

Aga i n the term s o f salvation are stated i n an
other form by Pa u l i n the Epistle to the Romans

Th e word is nigh thee even i n thy m outh and i n

thy h eart that i s the word o f fa ith whi c h we
preach tha t if thou shalt c onfess with thy mouth
th e Lord Jesu s and shalt bel ieve i n t hine heart
that God ha t h raised hi m from the de a d th ou
shalt be saved Fo r wi t h th e he a rt man beli eveth
u nto ri ghteousness and with th e m outh c onfe s si on

i s made u nto s alvati on

B ut th ese are not new
c onditi ons
To make o utward c onfe s sion with th e
m outh before men of that faith i n Jes us Ch rist
whi ch is felt i n th e heart i s V i rtually to renou nce
a life o f si n to take up th e cross and foll ow Ch rist

wi t h full pu rpose o f and endeavor aft er new o b e

and th us to fu lll the condi t i ons o f s a lvation
die n c e
And so in ano t h er passage th e same apostle s u ms u p
th e requi rements of the g o spel i n this twofold state
ment where he s peaks o f te s tifyi ng b oth t o the Jews
and Greeks repent a nce toward God and faith toward

ou r Lord J es u s Ch ri s t
Faith i s unqu esti on a bly t h e j ustifyi ng act of th e soul
As s u ch it is t h e prime c onditi on o f s a lv a tion We a re
j ustied by fa i t h wi t h out th e deeds o f the law H e
that believeth sh a ll be saved a nd h e tha t believeth not

shall be damned
T hi s s ai d Ch rist is the work o f
'

L I VI NG

16 2

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

e v er h e b e o f yo u that fo r saketh not all that h e hath

cannot be my disciple ( Lu ke xiv 2 7
Wh en th e
you ng r u ler came with the qu es t i on What m ust I do
to i nherit eternal l ife ? he was rst tol d to keep th e
c om mandments and aft er protesting th at he had kept

all th ese fro m h is youth up Jesu s said

O ne thing
tho u lackest Go thy w a y sell whatsoever th ou hast
and give to the poor and th o u shalt have treasu re i n
h eaven and come take up thy c ross and follow me
Still furth er there are passages whi ch requ ire that
the sou l m ust s ubm it to God and obey the gospel i n
order to be saved : there i s no salvation possible to
th ose wh o rebel and refuse to obey the gospel S o

als o o u r Saviou r s a ys H e that shal l endu re u nto the

end the same shall be saved where salvati on is made
to depend o n faithful c onti nu anc e i n wel l d oing Th us
too o u r Lord closed h is Sermon on the M ou nt saying
H e th at heareth these sayi ngs o f m ine and doeth
them shall be likened to a wise man wh o bu ilt hi s

h ou se upon the rock

B ut these are not new c o n
dit io n s o f s a lvati on differing from what is implied i n
th os e already stated
All thes e and other forms o f
requ i rement are necessari ly i nvolved i n repentanc e
faith and a holy l ife
We m ust be h oly we m u st
tu rn from si n and bri ng forth th e fru its o f ri ghteous
ness i n all well doing as long as we live B ut it is pre
ci
se ly when and as we repent and believe i n Ch ri st that
we are i nclined and enabled to do all these thi ngs For
no man eve r obeys the gospel s ubmits to God keeps
h is commands renounces the world and follows Christ
wh o does not exercise a tru e r epentance and a saving
faith

THE

ONDI TI ONS

OF

S A L VA TI

ON

16 3

Alth ou gh th e gos pel comes to us th us r estricted i n

i t s applicati on by terms or conditi ons which m ust b e
c omplied with it i s easy to see that th e terms are th e
Very lowes t whic h woul d b e compatible with salvation
from si n The terms are neither difcu lt n o r unreason
able What better c ould we ask God to do for u s than
to save u s from si n and hell on the exerci se of faith i n
C hrist repentance of S in and a new life o f holiness
and virtu e ? If God i s holy and heaven h oly what
less c ould we desi re than to have ou r sinfu l natu re so
regenerated and changed that we can enj oy th e pres
ence o f God i n h eaven
If holiness is better than sin
what less coul d we ask o f God than to give u s t hat re
p e n t an c e wh i ch will tu rn u s effectually from a life of
Si
n to a life o f holiness ?
If God be en t i t led to the

sou l s c ondence and h omage and Ch ri st be worthy

o f i mpli cit fai t h and love what less cou ld we desi re i n
the scheme of salvati on than to be r equi r ed to exercise

s u ch a faith in Go d and i n th e S on ?
Ye believe i n

God believe also i n m e

We m u st see that from t he
ve ry natu re o f things there is not only no salvation
without th ese equitable c onditi ons but that there ou ght
to be none
Still further n o candi d man can fai l to see that this
gospel o f faith and repen t ance and h oly living i s offer
ed to all men freely and offered witho ut any pri ce to
p a y o r merits t o plead o n thei r part It i s both free an d
gratuitous
The evangelical prophet Isaiah portrays
this offer o f salva t i on in glowing terms : H o eve ry
o n e that thirsteth c ome ye to the waters and h e that
hath n o money ; c ome ye buy and eat yea c ome

b uy wi ne and milk with out money and with out pri ce

,

16 4

L I VI NG

CHR I

S TI A NI T Y
.

The Son o f God stood and c r ied on th e last great day

o f the feast at Jeru salem

If any man thi rst let h i m

c ome u nto me and dri nk

The last proclamati on o f

th e Apocalypse is
Th e Spirit and the Bride say
Com e And let h i m that h ea r eth say Come An d
let hi m that i s athirst come And whosoeve r wi ll let

hi m take the wate r of life fr ee ly

,

1 66

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

The r e is perhaps no act o f duty enj oined u pon hi s

foll owers by o u r blessed L ord wh ich he has laid down
i n more emphati c terms than th i s duty o f c onfessi ng
h im before men
I n th e tenth chapter of th e Gospel by Matthew o n
the oc cas ion of calli ng and sending forth his twelve
apostl es o u r Savi ou r uttered these i mpressive words :

Wh osoever therefore shall c onfess me before men

h i m will I confess also before my Fathe r which is i n
heaven
B ut wh osoever S hall deny me before men
hi m will I also deny before my Father whic h i s i n
h eaven
I n the twelft h chapter o f the Gospel by
Lu ke the same i mportant statement i s given i n its
twofold form and i n the very same words except the
added clause that this confessi on o r denial shall be

before the angels o f God

Then again we have
s ubstantially the same great alternative o f d uty per
formed o r neglected presented i n si milar terms by

b o t h M ark and Luke :

Wh osoever wi ll come aft er
m e let h i m deny h i mself and take u p his cross and
follow m e For who s oever will save his l ife shall l ose
it ; b ut wh osoeve r shall lose hi s life for my sake and

the gospel s the same S hal l save it F o r what shall

it prot a man i f h e S hall gai n the wh ol e wo r ld and l ose
h is o wn sou l ? O r what S h all a man give i n exchange
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed
fo r his soul ?
i n this adu ltero us and si n
o f me and o f my words
fu l generati on o f h i m also S hal l the S on o f man be
ashamed wh en he c ometh in the g lory o f h is Father

with th e h oly angels

With these wei ghty words before us fou r ti mes re
ite r ated in t he Gospel narratives can we say that any
.

CH

TH E

RI S TI A N

F R OFE

SSI ON

67

duty is more i mperative in the Christian pilgri m a ge

t han tha t o f c onfess ing Ch rist ? H ow can any man
think it safe to i g nore o r defer so plai n a precept de
livered u nder c ondi t ions s o solemn and s o vital ? If
Christ i n these words has n o t made a Christian p ro
fe ss io n indispensable to h is favor a nd i ndispensable to
any clai m o f discipleship it would be di fc u lt to say
what i s indispensable
This is still fu rther evident
when we turn to su ch a passage as that o f Paul i n th e
tenth ch a pter of the Epis t le to th e Romans where th e
d uty o f c onfessi on li ke faith itself is made a c onditi on

I f th ou shalt c onfess with thy mo uth

o f salvati on :
the Lord J es us and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised hi m from th e dead th ou shalt be saved
F o r with th e h eart man believe t h u n t o ri ghteo usness ;

and with the mouth confessi on i s made unto salvati on

Seei ng therefore that the duty o f c onfessing Christ
i s s o clearly taught i n the Scriptures and is s o essen t ial
to Christian character it becomes a matter of th e u t
most importance to consider h ow the obli gation i s to be
discharged With th e apo s tles at thei r rst calli ng it
was simply to foll ow Christ from plac e to place to b e
c ome a learner i n his school o f i n stru cti on a nd to
obey his di recti ons Afterward it meant m uch m ore
Endowed with power from o n hi gh by the des cent o f
the H oly Ghost these ch osen apostles were c ommi s
si
o n e d to preach hi s gospel am ong all nati ons begin
n i ng at Jeru salem
and at last as c onfessors o f an d
martyrs for th e truth they lai d down their lives for hi s
sake H undreds and th ousands si nce that d a y have
been called to confess and h onor hi m at a S i milar sac
,

ri
ce

16 8

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

B ut what are we to u nders t and n o w by a tru e pro

There are three several applicati on s
fe s s io n o f Christ
erent ways i n wh ich th e
o f the term implying th ree diff
servi ce is to be rendered
T h e rst is i n the act o f a fo rmal separati on from th e
world and a v o l u ntary u ni on with the Christian Ch u rch
by what is known as a publi c professi on o f r eligi on
N o candi d man can read the New Testament without
seei ng that Jesu s Christ came to establish a kingdom
i n the worl d whi ch i s not of the worl d b ut entirely
separated from it This i s his Ch u rch consisting O f
h is o w n followers h is t r u e disciples wh o i n every age
have formed a pec u liar people distinct from the world
the little ock t o wh om he said Fear not fo r it is

you r Fath er s good pleas u re to give you the kingdom

From the beginning till now it has been made the per
p et u al law o f h is kingd om binding o n al l h is tru e
children i n every land and nation that th ose wh o love
and h onor hi m sh o u ld attes t thei r allegianc e by c om
ing o u t from the worl d an d attachi ng themselves to hi s
person to his cau se and to h is people by a public and
vol u ntary act of c onsec ration Thi s they ou ght to do
if they are his by the highest o f all obligati ons ; this
they are bound t o do whenever they have th e o pp o r
I n the light o f
t u n ity by the m ost sac re d o f al l ties
th e New Testament i t i s i mpossible to see h ow any
man o r woman having th e opportu nity and failing th u s
to profess Christ can have any claim to be called h is
di s ciple
A second w a y i n whi ch a tru e c onfessi on o f Chri s t
befo re men is exemplied and attested is by a fai t hful
attendance on th e appointed ordinances of hi s wor
,

L I VI NG

17 0

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

any man or woman wh t as never once done th is b ut

has gone throu gh life havi ng many opportunities yet
habitually neglecting it clai m to be hi s disciple ?
A th ird essen t i a l attes t ati on and e x e m p li c atio n o f a
tru e Ch ristia n profession is that of a c onsistent Chris
tian character a life spent in th e practi ce of good works
and charity a faithfu l c onti nuance i n well doing even
to th e end This and this alone can complete the
pictu re of th e fu ll stature o f a perfect man i n Christ
J esu s Th e full requirement o f Chri st is no t h i ng less
t han to take up o u r c ross daily and follow h i m We
m u st be li ke Ch ri st h imselfli ke hi m i n all holy l iv
i ng ; like h i m i n character and c ondu ct ; li ke hi m i n
self denial and cha r ity ; like h i m i n word and deed ;
l i ke hi m i n the S pirit and tempe r o f o u r minds in
order to vi ndi cate ou r Ch ristian profession befo r e th e

worl d : By this shall all m en know that ye are my

di sciples if ye h ave l ove o n e to anothe r
Then
only i s o u r Chri stian professi on a livi ng powe r for
Christ before th e worl d when by faithfu l c ontin uance
i n well doing we grow i nto hi s li keness and s o b e
c ome li v ing epistles k nown and r ead o f all men
,

C H A PTE R XX I I
C ON S E CR A TI O I V

CH

TO

RI S T

S Ch r ist Jesu s is the c entral gu re i n theology h old

ing rela t i v ely to all lesser truths the place whi ch
the su n h olds among th e planets eve n so is h e the cen
tral attraction i n a ll Christian experience
It i s not
wi t hout a deep s ignicanc e that h e hol ds this supreme
place i n the scheme o f salvati on and i n th e hearts o f
h is redeemed people It i s the o n e thing which makes
vital Chri stianity so attractive to a believing s o ul and
so produ ctive o f h oly and blessed inuences ove r life
and character If we consider wh o Christ Jes us was
what he became and what he n o w i s we shall not won
der why he h olds th is s eat o f pre emi nence i n the
Chu rch o n ear t h am ongs t the h eavenly h osts and i n
th e deepest experience o f every believing heart
Chief

est am ong ten th ousand and altogeth er lo ve ly h e h olds

the throne i n o u r hearts and th e t h r o ne i n heaven b e
cause h e alone i s worthy to ll it
I n ass u ming th e vows o f a worthy Christian p ro fe s
si on and in en t ering upon th e h i g h and s acred obliga
ti ons o f a rel igiou s life no o n e t hi ng i s o f m ore vital

i mportanc e than t he sou l s a t titu de o f servi ce tow a rd

Jesus Ch ri st It i s an at t i t ude o f complete s u rrender
at h i s feet and o f eager j o v fu l O bedience i n h is servi ce
,

17 1

L I VI NG

17 2

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

It i s th e att i t u de i n wh ich we m ay s uppose the onc e

doubti ng Th omas to have stood a t the h ou r when e v
ery demand fo r evidence had been met an d every doubt

h a d v a nished and h e exclai med i n devout h omage My

Lord and my God ! It i s th e attitu de wh ich without
d o ubt the onc e persec uting Sau l o fTars us was brou ght
t o oc c upy wh en smitten t o t h e earth by t h e exceeding
glory o f that Savi ou r wh om h e was persec uting h e
c ri ed out with a new and h itherto u nknown c o n s e

c rati on Lord what wilt tho u have me to do ?

Now there i s e v erythi ng i n the l ife s u fferings char
acte r and attributes o f o u r adorable Redeemer to e n
title h i m to t he s upreme h omage o f th e h u m a n sou l
It was o n e pa rt of the great mystery o f godliness that

man s Redeemer shou ld bec ome h is brother ; th at H e

wh o sh ou ld stoop from heaven to save us shou ld not
only c om e i nto th e worl d a God confessed b ut shou ld
becom e God manifest i n th e e s h the God i ncarnate
plo th e d i n the vei l o f o u r mortality a bro t her man
tempted i n all p oints l ike as we are yet without si n
H e bl ended th e two natu res perfectly and glori ou sly i n
th e o n e person o f I mm an u el H ad there been about
h i m m ore o f Godhead and less o f h u manity we cou l d
not have lo v ed hi m with that pu re and sympatheti c
tou ch o f h uman kindness w hi c h we now feel H ad
there been m o r e o f h u manity and less o f the s upreme
G o dhead overshadowing hi m we could n o t have wor
s h i e d hi m with that eleva t ed and u nstin t ed ador a ti on
p

whi ch now swells the believer s u nconditi onal l oyalty

and love The m ore we shall study the pu rposes and
the c o nditi o ns o f thi s mystery o f mysteri es the in
carnate Go dhead of Jes us Christthe more we shall
,

L I VI NG

74

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

to be Im man uel that h e has bought u s with hi s

bl ood called u s i nto his kingdom delivered u s fro m
Si
n and h ell and given u s a su re ti t le to eternal life i n
heaven and th en think o f h onori ng hi m befo re men
with a miserabl e lip servi ce of neglect and coldness
think o f withh oldi ng th e tru e service o f a heart and
l ife baptized with his Spi rit and consecrated t o h is
work ?
It i s ob v i ous that no outwa r d professi on of religion
no m e r e ch urch c onnection is o f any avail without a
livi ng Chri st i n the h eart and i n th e life Ch rist th e
power of God and th e wisdom o f God u nto salvati on
m u st be i n th e c reed and al so i n th e heart o f the b e
li ever H e and he alone can transform th e character
and ch ri stianize the life Genu ine Christianity is more
than a tru e creed more than an orth odox professi on :
it is a livi ng s oul transformi ng experience o f grace
and a daily practi c e o f self denial an d good works o u t
o f l ove toward th e person of Ch rist and a c o n s c i
en
ti ous obedienc e to all h i s c ommands No formalist
n o hypoc rite no mere theorizer can ever fulll its
high requ irements N o man can serve two masters :
h e m u st be all for Chri st or h e wi ll be fou nd against
him
To o n e wish ing to enter upon s uch a l ife and s o to
fulll the law o f Christ we may say that three things
are essential S upposi ng hi m to h ave been born o f
th e Spi rit and to h ave accepted Ch ri st as th e Savi ou r
and S overei gn of h i s s ou l i n o rder to live thi s higher
life there are th ree thi ngs whi c h h e m u st
S piritual

m ake u p h i s m i nd by God s help n o t to neglect

Fi r st h e m u st h ol d comm uni on with Christ i n the
,

C O N S E CR A TI

ON

TO

CH

RI S T

daily reading and study o f his written wo r d H e m ust

es t ablish and m a i ntain u nceasing interc ourse with Christ
throu gh the appointed medi u m of prayer
Then he m u s t go forth i n the daily i n t ercou rse of
life and b usi ness to work for Christ to do so mething
for his c ause something to honor his name something
to help his brethren and to pers uade h is fellow men to
b e reconci led t o God through h im There are a thou
sand i nuences which a sou l fully consecrated to Christ
can exert and a thousand things whi ch willing hands
can do i n his servi ce besi des preachi ng the gospel o r
teaching a Sabb at h sch ool o r going far h ence to p ro
c lai m Christ among the heathen A tru ly c onsecra t ed
l ife like that o f George M iille r o r o f D avi d Livi ng
stone o r of Alexander D uff will i ndeed oft en demand
o f t he you ng disciple that h e s h ou ld renou nce earthly
h onors and pleas ures and reli nquish worldly pu rsu its
even o f lawfu l b usiness that he may give his whole
life to the mi nistry o f the gospel at home o r i n pagan
lands
B ut these are not th e only elds o r the only p urs uits
i n whi ch a c onsecrated life o f servi c e i s needed H e
demands the s a m e s ort o f c onsecrated servi ce from
eve ry one o f hi s professed followers
from every
member o f th e Ch urch mi litant T here i s work for a l l
and a place for all b ut no tru e effectual work will be
done with out thi s missi onary spirit o f a consecrated
life N o acceptable work ever has been done exc ept
i n th e spirit of t h e great apo s tle of the Gentiles wh en
h e c ried Lord what wilt thou have me to do ?
It
i s recorded among the inci dents o f th e gospel h i s tory
that o u r Lord once had need of a c olt It was a small
.

L I VI NG

17 6

CH RI STI A

NI T Y

menial se rv i ce and yet an h ono r able se rvice whi ch

was requ i red o f the ass s c olt

Is there a singl e
member i n the Chu rch to day h owever h u mble wh o
is not as val uable as the colt and o f whom it might

not b e sai d for some partic u lar servi c e

Th e Lord

hath need o f h i m ? I f n o t let the you ng man or the

you ng woman o r perchance th e olde r dis ciple respond
to the su mmons i n the spirit of a c onsecrated se rv i ce :

Lord h ere am I send me

Blessed be Go d this spi rit o f consecration is n o t c on
ned to the l earned and the great Th e h u mblest dis
ci
p le in his l owly sphere o f du t y and the m ost sh rink
i ng of Sabbath school teachers seeking to win her
l ittle pupi ls for Christ may po s sess it as truly as may
the h onored foreign missi ona ry wh o ha s given up all
fo r his divine Master B u t in o u r times when t here i s
s o m uch work to be done for the Lord on every hand
and s o few to do it when th e harvest e lds are so
white and th e re a pers s o i nadequate when the world
i s s o fu ll of need and th e Ch u rch herself so worldly
when God by his providence and Christ by h is gospel
are calling so l oudly for m ore l ab o rers and a h igher
c onsecrati on i s it n o t amazi ng that there are not m ore
to say Lord I am r eady consecrated to the work

o r for th e sacrice
H OW th en sh all th is baptism o f c onsec rated zeal be
obtained
We have already i ndi cated th e proces s an d
pointed o u t the means Al l experience pro v es and all
th e saint s o f Go d j oin in th e testim ony that there i s
no oth er way except th rou gh the th ree essenti a l c on
To begi n with there m ust be
dit io n s already named
a l iving faith and a full pu rpose o f heart to live thi s
,

C H APTE R XX III
SPI R I T UA L L I FE

TH E

HA TEV ER di fferences

opi ni on m ay exist as
to the val u e o f c reeds and systems o f doctrine
al l evangelic a l ch u rches profess to hol d t hat spirituality
i s essential i n the Chris t ian life To divest religi on o f
this attribute i s to rob i t o f all saving power A ch u rch
with ou t spi rituality i s a dead or dying c h u rc h A pro
fessing Christian wh o has no S pirituali t y i n h is e x p e
ri
e n c e no S pi rituality i n hi s daily life has b ut a name
to l ive wh ile his h eart i s far from God A m inister o f
the gospel wh o has no spi rituali ty i n h is preaching may
attract the m u ltitude by his gifts o f eloqu ence o r by
h is learning b ut i n the end his ministry will be as bar
ren o f lasting good as soundi ng brass o r a ti nkling c ym
bal Go d is a Spirit and they who worship at h is al
tars o r proc lai m h is word m ust do it i n spi rit and i n
truth Christianity is nothi ng exc ept as it is a spi ritual
religi on ; and the s ou l has not made th e rst real ad
vance i n the divi ne life except so far as by prayerfu l
experience it has attained to that c ondition which th e
Scriptures describe as the s pi ritual mi nd
Let u s not deceive ou rselves fo r Go d i s not mocked
and cannot be i mposed upon :
Wh a tsoever a man
soweth that S hall he also reap F o r he that soweth to
of

I 7S

SPI R I T UA L L I FE

TH E

17 9

h is esh S hall o f th e esh r eap c orruption b ut he th at

s oweth to t he Spirit shall o f th e Spi rit reap life ever

Christianity is m ore than a

lasti ng ( Gal v i 7
name ; religi on is m ore than ch u rch member s hip ; th e
vital experi enc e o f th e sou l i s more than zeal fo r o r
t h o do x y o r gen t eel c onformity to c onventional pro
ri
e ty o n the Sabbath o r e ry champi on s hip o f a party
p
i n th e Ch u rch All hi story sh ows that we may have
respectable formalists and heartless professors i n th e
Ch u rch j u st as easily as we have ti me servers and par
t isan s and ambiti ous aspi rants for place and power i n
th e publi c servi ce o f th e State
Nothing can be plainer i n all the teachings of Ch rist
and h is apostles as seen i n almost every page o f t h e
New Testam ent than that S pi ritu ality i s th e ve ry e s
sence o f vital godli ness ; that there is no true rel igiou s
experience no true Christian li fe with out it ; that th e

kingdom o f heaven is wi th i n u s
that it does not
c onsist i n meat and drink o r any mere outward servic e
b ut in righteousness and peace and j o y i n th e H ol y
Gh ost
I n i ll ustrati on o f this essential requ irement and c on
dition of tru e Chr i stian life we might qu ote a large part
o f th e Scriptu res n o t only of th e New Testament b ut
als o o f th e Psalms and of the prophets
Let u s in
stanc e o n e b r ief b ut m ost emphati c statement o f th e
apostle Pau l i n th e eighth chapter o f th e Epistle to

the Romans :
Fo r th ey that are afte r the esh do
mi nd th e things of th e esh ; b ut they that are after
th e Spi rit th e th ings o f the Spirit Fo r to be carnally
minded is death ; but t o be spi ritually minded i s li fe
and peace because the carnal mind is enmity against
,

1 8o

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

God : fo r it i s n o t s ubj ect t o the law of Go d neither

i ndeed can be S o then t hey that are in th e esh can
B ut ye are n o t i n the esh b ut i n
n o t please God
th e Spirit i f s o be that th e Spirit of Go d dwell in you
No w if any man have not th e Spirit o f Christ he i s
none o f his And if Ch rist b e i n you the b ody i s
dead because o f si n ; b ut the Spirit is life because of
r i ghteousness
Th erefore brethren we are debtors
not to the esh to l ive aft er th e esh F o r i f ye live
aft er the esh ye shal l die : b ut if ye t hro ugh the Spi rit
do mortify the deeds o f the body ye sha ll live
Fo r
as many as are led by th e Spi rit o f God they are

th e s ons o f God
I n al l th e S criptures is there anything m ore essen
ti al to salvation an d to growth i n Chri sti an characte r
than th e great doctr i ne o f S pi ritual life s o forcibly pre
sented i n these ve r ses ? They tell u s what the t r u e
life of Go d i n th e sou l is h ow it i s s ustai ned and by
what agency it i s wrou ght withi n u s It i s a life of
h oliness of resistance to sin o f c onqu est over th e
world the esh and the devi l th rough Jes us Ch rist
and the H oly Ghost It is a c easele s s spi ritual warfare
against corrupti on withi n u s and agai nst evi l without u s
and arou nd u s It i s a new S pi ritual life as disti n
ui
s h e d from th e O ld life o f the natu ral man whi ch i s
g
carn al and ea r thly It is a S pi ritual heavenly life draw
i ng its inuences and motives from above as distin
ui
h
e d fro m
that
life
f
s
in
and
f
o lly wh ich u n re
s
o
g
generate men l ive i n the world It i s a spiritual li fe
c onsisting i n a gradual confo r mity of th e sou l to th e
h oly law o f God and o f li keness to th e pu re and

ele v ated cha racte r o f Ch r ist by wh ich all God s re

,

82

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

tu ry th ese ch u rches a nd thei r ministers had so decli ned

i n S pirituality that Ri ch a rd Baxter wrote his fa mou s
b ook Tlie R efo rmed Pas to r mainly to break the reign
o f worldliness and call th e
sec u larized c lergy to a
higher spiritual life It was only t he great reviv a ls
u nder Whiteel d and th e Wesley s abo ut th e middl e
o f the following century that saved spiritual religi on
By these revivals God rolled away the reproach o f a
dead formalism from the British and Ameri can ch u rches
and set that high standard o fS piritual evangelism whic h
has h el d its predominant inuence to t h e present time
It is to be feared that ust now t here are i ndi cati ons i n
all the great evangelical ch u rches especially o fou r o w n
cou n t ry that a reaction has again set in toward sec u
laris m and worldly conformity and the mere externals
o f religious observanc e whi ch is n o t only loweri ng the
S pi ritual tone o f th e pulpit b ut sending its deadening
i nuenc e down th ro ugh the ranks of th e ri si ng ministry
and the lives o fall Christians N o greater c a lamity can
befall the Ch urch o f God in our day or i n any day T o
l ose the tru e spiritual life from th e ministry and mem
bers o f the Ch urch is to lose the greatest power Go d
ever gives to them I t is to lose the presence and th e
agency o f the Spirit o f God ; and to l ose these i s i n
the end to s ubvert the truth and destroy the savi ng
power of th e gospel God save us from an ambiti ous
me r cenary ministry and a sec ularized mam mon w o r
shiping and world c onforming Ch u rch !
.

C H A P T E R X XIV
R

EL I G I ON

AS

L I VI NG P O WER

T is only as it moulds the character and controls

t he life that religion becomes a livi ng power A S
a mere sys t em o f dogm a s u nfelt and u npracticed it is
to al l intents and pu rposes a dead le t ter I n t h e dry
light o f d o gma alone i t mig h t deserve the indifferenc e
o r contemp t whi ch its enemies some t imes S h ow f
o r it
I n pr o porti o n h owever as its doc t rines are c ordi a lly
embraced intelligen t ly u nders t ood and reduced to prae
ti ce i n dai ly life religion becomes a Vital and ever pres
ent reality amongst men winning t h e admi ration o fthe
good and c ommanding the respect even o f its enemies
V iewed i n this truer aspect it is far more o f a r eality
i n o u r Christian soci ety than su percial obse rv ers are
apt t o th ink I n fact it may be que s tioned whethe r
there is a ny o t her reality in th e world s o potential and
so vital
L e t u s no t i ce fo r a moment some o f the manifesta
tions o f thi s l iving and c ontrolling power o f evangel
i cal religion We shall nd t hem not i n o n e Ch u rch
al one not i n o n e cl ass o f Ch ristian s al one b u t i n all
true C hri s tian ch u rches a mong al l s i ncere men and
women o f every name w h o have i n a ny way c ome
u nder the i n u ence o f Bible Christiani t y We s h a ll
.

1 84

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

nd that Christianity has its st r ongh olds i n s ocie t y and

gives daily manifestations of its power which i t wou l d
be well fo r th e S kepti c a l rej ecters o f i t s c laims to c o n
sider There are several o f these indicati ons o f Vital
i n uence which are exceedingly stri ki ng as showi ng
the degree i n wh ich Chris t ianity has w o n its way to
the h earts of men and tri u mphed i n ou r modern s o
.

ci
e ty

The rst of these i s seen i n the worship of th e Ch r is

tian c ongregati on Wh enever and wherever a c ongre
a
i
Ch
ristian
worshipers
large
o r small is assem
t
o
n
o
f
g
bled on t he Sabbath d a y i n city town o r c ou n t ry th ere
i s the ocu lar demonstration o f what Christianity is doing
for men there i s the standing m onu ment o f the prog
r ess w hich it has made acro s s th e ages and over th e
earth
What i s it that everywhere sim ultaneou sly
draws these m ultitu des and holds t ogether th ese at
I s it any
t e n t ive i nteres t ed and devout worshipers ?
feeble or i nadequa t e power that has done th is so l ong
and i s s t i ll doi ng it i n every part of Ch ristendom ? I f
o n any given Sabbath we c ou ld see all th e Christian
c ongregati ons i n the worl d assembled i n thei r places
with their solem n ordinances o f
o f sac red worshi p
prayer o f praise to God o f reading and expoundi ng
th e Sc riptu res and o f th e proclamati on of t he gospel
ac cordi ng to th e last c ommand o f Christ what an idea
wou ld th is vi sion give u s of that i n uence whi ch has
gone o u t over the ear t h and is perpe t ual ly c ontrolli ng
th e tho ughts the pu rposes the plans o f life and th e
acti ons o f livi ng men ! None b ut th e divi ne mind is
adequate to grasp this vision to meas ure thi s i nuence
to u nderstand the power of this agency
And yet
.

L I VI NG

86

CHR I

S TI A NI T Y
.

of

thanksgiv i ng and praise gives u nction to th e sweet

h ou r o f prayer We do n o t say that t his picture o f
s ocial devo t i on i s realized i n every fami ly ci rcl e b ut it
i s i n many i n different parts o f the l a nd This at any
rate is the type and model o ffamily worship whi ch th e
gospel aims to exemplify and does exemplify i n th e
degree to wh ich Christian parents live up t o thei r high
v ocati on
Now can any o ne fail to see that he r e i s a st r ong in
u e n c e exerted over the cha r acter and th e actions of
Christian families wh i ch is as sal utary and powerful as
that whi ch goes o u t from the weekly ministrati ons o f
the great c ongregati on ? I t is i n fact when we divi de
the great c ongregati on i nto its c onstituent elements
th e Christian families and trace the publi c i n uences
o f the o n e th rou gh all the more private inu ences o f
the other that religi on may be sai d to exert its great
est power and to reach the very c itadel o f its strength
Th e tri u mph o f Chri stianity i s never m ore complete
th a n when it i s fou nd to establish and c ont r ol th e
Ch ristian h omes o f th e peopl e Al l th at is done and
sai d i n th e great c ongregati on i s for the express pu r
pose o f m ou ldi ng the lives o f th e p e o p le i n th ei r
Ch ri stian homes These are th e well springs o f gos
pel i nu ence ; these are the very h i di ng places o f its
p owe r
A thi rd i ll ustration o f the livi ng powe r o f Ch ristian
ity still wi der than either of those we have menti oned
i s fo u nd i n the i nner life o f the i ndivi du al There are
th ou sands o f persons belonging t o n o Ch ri stian c on
i
n havi ng no Christian h ome o f th ei r o w n and
r
e
a
t
o
g g
pe rhaps attending no hou se o f God o n the Sabbath to
.

RE

L I G I ON

L I VI NG P O WER

AS A

1 87

wh om neve rthe l ess Christianity i s a living power

They feel its i nuence i n th ei r deepes t experience ; it
c omes h ome to them as a sweet remembrance o f the
pas t as a h ope o f relief for the future and as a conso
lati on i n the present So o ner o r later t his experienc e
c omes home to almost every man It c omes with spe
ci
al power i n th e dark days o f a dversity i n th e sad
h ou r o f bereavement i n the privations o f pen ury and
want i n th e gloom of si ckness i n the approaches
o f old age and i nrmity i n the bitter waters o f dea t h
At su ch s easons o f trial what c a n a man do wi t hout
religion ? H e may shake o ff all c oncern abo ut it i n
times o f health and prosperity b ut the deepest e x p e
ri
e n c e of his sou l wi ll c ry o u t for it long before h e
reaches the end o f life o r i f not before c ertainly at
the end
Wi ll any one tell us that to th is numerou s class o u t
si de o f o u r ch u rch es and o u r Christian h omes religi on
is not a vital reality th e gospel o f Chri st i s not a living
power
I n ten thou sand s u ch cases it i s felt to be a
l ivi ng power and th e dying man thou gh no professo r
o f religion ies to it as hi s only refuge and h is greatest
privilege It i s not only th e Christi a n wh o bears wit
ness to the fact that the gospel o f Christ i s the power
of God and the wisdom o f G o d u nto salvation : eve ry
man reared i n a Christian land has felt its power
through life as a restraint on S inful passi on and most
men have borne witness to its tru t h at the dyi ng h ou r
The living power O f reli gi on nds another sti ll m o re
striking i ll ustr a tion It is seen i n the godly lives o f th e
faithful few wh o live nearest the cross and h old daily

c ommu ni on with Go d It i s the privilege of all Chr i st s

.

1 88

L I VI NG

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

disciples to ascend to this hi ghe r plane and breathe

this pu r er air o f holy living b ut c omparatively few at
tain it The gospel h owever to day as i n all former
ages bac k to the apostles sh ows what it can do i n the
transformation of character by appealing to i t s living
witnesses of th is h igher type They may be few i n
nu mbe r here and there a disciple among many pro
fessing C h r istians h ere and there a tru e man O f God i n
the m inist ry o r eldersh ip of th e ch u r ches but wh e r
eve r they are fou nd they have powe r with God And
they neve r fai l to leave thei r deep spiritual impress o n
th e comm u nity around them it may be o n the very
age in whi ch th ey live O ne su ch mi niste r o r even
pri vate Christian i s equal i n h oly i nuence to a thou
sand sleeping dis ciples o r wo r ldly minded p r ofessi on
These faithful ones a r e th e tru e
alis ts i n the pulpit
workers and the tru e types o f Ch ristianity They give
u s the real meas ure o f the advanc e wh i ch th e gospel
i s maki ng i n al l lan ds O ut o f th is class come nearly
all o u r foreign m issi onari es both m en and women
the J u dsons and th e H arriet Newells wh o car ry th e
glad tidi ngs of salvati on to th e heathen In this cla s s
are found o u r best Sabbath sch ool workers and o u r
i ndefatigable evangelists among th e poor and the
pe r ish ing
To thi s class bel ong the godly men and women wh o
i n th e ch urches s u stai n th e hands o f the pastor and
m eeting
are neve r absent from th e prayer
These are
th e praying ones wh o live th e r eligion they profess
and who if needful would stand ready to di e for it ;
and if th e Lord S hould come at midnight o r i n th e
mo r ni ng the y would be fou nd faithfull y waiti ng and
,

C H APT ER XXV
CH

R I S TI A N L I FE

M I I VI S TR

Y OF L O VE

V O LU M E m ight be lled with precepts from the

Bible ill u strating the senti ment that Christian life
was de s Ig n e d to b e a perpetual ministry of lo v e Love
is the c rowning grace of the Christian code o f ethi cs
and Chri sti a n experienc e is neve r at the full u ntil it
reaches this perfection God is l ove ; Christ the I n c ar
nate is love ; the H oly Ghost is the Spi rit of love The
disciple i n th is school i s o n e wh ose hi ghest lesson is to
bec ome assi milated to the character o f hi s divi ne Teach
ers in all the of ces of love H i s l ife i s a mi nistry of
l ove i n the double sense that it is prompted by l ove
and that its ends a re l ove It S prings from love at the
root and it produ ces l ove as its ripened fruit Its very
law o f existence i s c easeless activity i n doi ng good to
o thers in c omm u ni cating blessing to all withi n its

reach
To do good and comm unicate says the apos

tle o f the Gentiles forget not for with su ch sacrices

God is well pleased
And let us not be weary i n well
doing fo r i n du e season we shall reap if we faint not

As therefore we have opportu nity let us do good

u nto all men especially u nto them wh o are of th e

h ousehol d of fai t h
And remember th e words o f
the Lord Jes us h o w he said It i s more blessed to
.

19 0

CH

R I S TI A N L I FE

M I NI S TR

Y OF L O VE

19 1

give than t o receive ;

Ye have t he poor wi t h yo u
always and whensoever ye wil l ye may d o them
good
S uch a mi nistry of l ove was that O f Ch rist h im s elf
i ll ustrating the great law o f b e n e c e n c e for all h is fo l
l owers S uch a mi nistry was that of Pau l and o f each
o f the ch osen apo st le s
teaching us by thei r u ntiring
labors thei r heroi c zeal and t heir deep c ompassi on for
th e peri shi ng h o w to work and h o w to su ffer for Chri st
and o u r fellow men It is the glory o f Christiani ty tha t
throu gh all its centuries it has been adorned by a long
list o f faithful men and women wh o inspi red by t h e
exampl e of th e great Fo under have exhibi t ed t his mi n
ist ry of l ove i n thei r o w n lives
What noble women
the Christians have ! was th e enc omi u m given by a
pagan ph ilosoph er o f th e early centu ri es ; and it has
been j ustied by a great cl ou d of witnesses i n every
centu ry w h o have learned at t he c ross h ow to make
li fe beautifu l and s ubli me by th e practi ce o f b e n e c e n c e
and th e lu stre of good deeds The world itself does
h omage to the maj esty o f Christian charac t er when
that character i s fash ioned acc ordin g to the pa t tern o f
the divi ne Master and i s illu strated i n the walks o f
daily life by saintly men and women wh o cou nt no
c e not even that o f life itself t o o dear t o res
s ac ri
c u e th e fallen
Among the th ings poi nted o u t by Christ i n proof
that h is religi on was from h eaven and h e the M essi a h
of the prophets was his benevolent regard fo r t he poor

Go and shew John again said he

those things
whi ch ye do hear and see the bli nd receive their s igh t
and the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and t he
,

L I VI NG

19 2

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

deaf hear the dead are raised u p and th e poor hav e

the gospel preached t o them

When h e entered upon
h is publi c m inistry i n th e synagogu e at N a zare t h h e

sai d The Spi rit of th e Lord is upon me because h e

hath anointed me to preach th e gospel t o t h e poor
H e hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach
deliverance to the captives and recovering o f sight to the
blind to set at liberty them that are bru ised to preach

the acc eptable year o f the Lord

N o religi on i n th e
world has so exalted the v irtu e o f benevolenc e and
S hown s o tender a care f
o r th e poor as Christianity
There has been known am ongst men n o friend fo r
the poor li ke the gospel This deep and yearning
c ompassion for the poor was n o t only inau gu rated b ut
exemplied to th e fu ll i n th e life labors and in s tru c
ti ons o f the divine Fou nder and it has been ill ustrated
i n th e life and character of all tru e followers j ust i n
proportion t o th e degree i n wh ich they have possess
ed h is spi rit and i mitat ed his example
T he lesson o f charity o f benevolent self
s ac ri
c in g
zeal for the helpless i s enj oi ned i n a th ousand passages
and it has been exhibited i n ten tho usand examples
There i s no o n e point o n whi ch th e teachi ng o f Christ
and h is inspi red apostles is m ore emphati c Th e g o s
pel does not m ore expli c itly requ ire h oli ness i n th e
h earts o f its disciples than it requi res zealou s a nd cease
less endeavor in thei r lives i n doing good to others
I f a man feels n o i nte r est in his s uffering fello w men
puts forth no h elping hand to the poo r and perishing
it matters not what pretensi ons to pie t y he may make
o r in what Ch urch h e may fol d h is arms o f self c o m
placent ease h e i s n o t ru e disciple o f Christ H e has
,

L I VI NG

1 94

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

Go work to day i n my vineyard

Th e gre at law o f
the kingdom reach es down to every member o f it ; it

is D o good u nto al l men as ye hav e opportu ni t y

H ere is the extent of th e law u n to a ll m e n ; and here
i s th e only li mit to its application as ye
op o rt u
p
Nothi ng c ou l d be wide r noth ing c ou ld be more
ni
ty
equ itable If there i s a so u l i n the world that has no
opportu nity not even to give two m ites o r th e c up o f
c old wate r o r the word o f good ch eer o r the prayer
o f faith that sou l is exempt fro m the bi nding force of
th e law ; but even that s ou l o ught to be ready for th e
good deed wh en th e opportunity c omes I f there is a
s oul i n th e Ch u rch s o u nli k e th e good Samaritan as to
have n o neighbors eith er Jew o r Genti le among the

all men o f this c ommand that sou l may stand b e

fore Ch r ist at th e day of j u dgment and say I had n o

s u fferi ng brother man to whom I c o u ld give th e two
m ites o r the c up of c old wate r I pray thee hav e m e

exc used
It was fo r a l ittle act o f love a last mem orial o f af
fe c t io n and sympathy that o u r S a v i ou r spoke th e word
o f encomi u m t o a faithful di sciple when sh e had broken
her preciou s alabaste r b ox to anoint hi s head and h is

feet : Sh e h ath done what she cou l d What a witness

t o th e wo r ld it wo ul d be if the wh ole broth erh o od o f
disciples wou ld exemplify in thei r daily acti on that
single text o f Jam es Pu re religion and u n de le d b e
fo r e God and the Fath er is this to Visit th e fatherl ess
and the wi dows i n thei r a f icti on and to keep h imself

u nspotted from the wo r ld

-

C H A P T E R X XV I
TH E

G OL DEN R ULE

O precept of Christ has been more applauded th an

th e one known as th e Golden Rule uttered rst

i n h is Sermon o n th e M ou nt
Th erefore all things
whatsoever ye wou ld that men shou ld do to yo u do
ye even s o to th em ; for this i s th e law and th e p ro p h

ets
It has commended itself to t he u dg m e n t o f man
ki nd as tru e and wh olesome doctri ne as the v ery es
sence o f that ethi cal system o f j u sti ce and b e n e c e n c e
wh ich we nd illu s t r a ted ali ke i n the teach ings and i n
th e acti ons o f the Founder o f Ch ristianity It is sai d
that the sternly
j u st Roman emperor Al exander S e v
e ru s s o admi red the senti ment that he had i t i nscribed
o n the walls of h is ch amber oft en q u oted it in givi ng
j udgment and h el d bo t h Ch ri s t an d hi s discipl es i n
great h onor o n acc ount o f it
S om e scholars and criti cs of recent times have m ai n
t ain e d th at th e doctrine here enun ciated i s n o t ori ginal
with J e s u s Christ They tell u s it h a s been fou nd else
where in anci ent writings both Jewish and pagan
S ome nd it i n th e Talm u d among the maxims o f
H illel a famous d o ctor o f th e Jewi sh law wh o s a ys :

What i s disagreeabl e to thyself do n o t th u s to an

a wise negative precept unqu esti onab l y b ut

other
certainly very far sh ort of the broad p o si t ive inj uncti on
,

195

I 96

L I VI N

of

CH R I

S TI A N I T Y
.

Ch r ist Othe r s te ll u s that something like it has

been disc overed i n the wri t i ngs of Isocra t es and o the r
Greek phi los ophers and also i n the teachi ngs o f Con
fu c iu s B uddha and other anc i en t sages and religiou s
fo u n ders o f t he Ori ent
V ery likely ; it woul d be
r at her singular if a sen t iment s o deeply fou nded i n
the elemental p r inciples of j ustic e and h u mani ty shoul d
hav e entirely escaped observation and utterance o n th e

part o f all the wo r l d s greatest thinkers at least i n

s ome negati v e o r pa rtial appli cati on o f it As Adam

Clarke well remar k s it seems as if Go d had w r itten

it upon the h earts o f all men fo r sayings o f th is ki nd
m ay be fou nd among all nati ons Je wish Chris t ian an d

h eathen
It i s to be observed h owever that o u r Savi o u r does
n o t clai m originality f
Th e
o r the r ule h e announced
oppo s ite is i mplied o n th e ve r y face of the passage ;
for havi ng stated the doctri ne i n its b road positive and
emphati c terms h e adds
F o r th is i s the law and th e

p r ophets prec isely as h e does i n so many othe r in

stances where he appeals to the Old Testament Script
u res i n vin di cation o f h is o wn s ubl i me i nstru ctions

I t i s equ ivalent to saying

This all c ompreh ensive
requi rement o f duty to you r fellow men whic h I here
r eaf rm and enj oi n i s the v e ry s u m s ubstan ce and
S pirit o f al l th e precepts o f the sec ond tabl e o f the
D ecalogu e and all the precepts a f rmed by th e p ro p h
e t s of Go d as taught i n t hat law
As all th e precepts
o f th e rst table relati ng to God are fullled i n one c om

preh ensive s u mmary Th ou shalt l ove th e Lord thy

God wi t h all thy heart and s ou l and mi nd and

strength s o all the d uti es of this second table relat

.

19 8

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

wh o h ad made vo i d th e law by thei r traditi ons

The wh ole matter i s set i n a clear light by the following
c ommen t o f t h e apostle Pau l i n th e thi rteenth chap t er
of the Epistle to th e Romans
Render th erefore t o all
their d ues : trib ute to wh om t r ibute is due ; c ustom to
wh om c u stom ; fear to whom fear ; h ono r to whom
h onor Owe n o man any thing but to l ove o n e an
other ; fo r h e that lo v eth anothe r h ath fullled the law
F o r this Th o u s halt n o t c ommit ad ultery Tho u shalt
not kill Thou shalt not steal Th o u shalt not bear false
witness Tho u shalt not c o v et ; and if there be any other
c ommandm ent it i s bri ey c omprehended i n this say
i ng namely Th o u shalt l ove thy neighbor as thyself
Love worketh no i ll to h is nei ghbor : the r efore l ove i s

th e fullling o f the law

Go d hi mself i s love and the only obedience whi ch
can satisfy and fulll any precept o f the divi ne law
whether to God or to man i s the obedi ence prompte d
by l ove I n the last analysi s e v e ry law of God is a
law o f l o v e Th e Golden Rule is b ut the c omp r e
h e n s iv e statement O f this s ubli me pri ncipl e i n its app li
cati on to the duties we owe o u r fellow men Instead
o f teaching as di d th e Pharisees that we are to treat
whi c h wou ld be to
o u r fellow men as th ey tre a t u s
establish ou r own self i nte r est as th e pri me ru le of ac

tion o u r Saviou r teaches that we are i n all things

whatsoever we do to consi der th e feeli ngs the ri ghts

and the welfare o f othe r s that i s to treat them as w e
w o u ld lea v e them tre a t u s wh i ch i s to enth r one the pri n
o f good will and b e n e c e n c e as th e r u le o f acti on
l
e
ci
p
N o law e v e r was p r omu lgated more j ust equitable rea
It is the fundamental
s onable and b e n e c e n t than this
is e e s ,

TH E

law

G O L DE N

ULE

1 99

of

Ch r istian eth ics ; i t i s th e basis of all t r u e mor

Christ di d m ore
al c ondu ct between man and man
than si mply anno u nce it Others may have done that
m u ch Th e gl ory of the t eaching o f C hrist i s that
wi t h the annou ncement he gave the worl d i n his o w n
l ife and character a practi cal and perfect e x e m p li c atio n
o f th e ru le which h e enj oi ned
H e taught the lesson
and h e showed the way
H e had taught th e lessons o f mercy and good will

i n s om e of h is m ost striki ng parables ; he had sai d I f

ye forgive n o t men their trespasses neither will yo u r
h eav enly Father forgive you
H e had i ndeed for ever
i nc orporated the lesson o f reciprocity and forgiveness
i nto th e daily p r ayers of his worship making it there

by a pe rpetual law of his kingdom : Forgive u s o u r

si ns ; for we als o forgive every o n e that i s i ndebted to

us
B ut it was becaus e he m ore i mpressively than all
other teachers had sh owed the way i n his own life o fb e
n e v o le n c e and death o f self s ac ri
c e fo r oth ers that the
lesson has had su ch powe r over the h earts of men and
h as bec om e so preci ou s and i mperishable a remem
branc e to all h is foll owers Al l i ntelligent men feel
that this i s the essenc e of th e religion o f Chri st ; al l
good men i nstinctively do h omage to th e principle as
o n e that mu st be tru e
Even the c ultured skepti c can
j oi n the praye r
.

e ach me to fee l an o the r s w o e

T o h i de an o the r
faul t ;
T h at me r c y I to o the r s S h o w
T h at me r c y S h o w t o me
T

C H APTE R XXVI I
TH E

NE

O M M A ND M E NT

N EW commandment I give u nto yo u That ye

love o n e another : as I have loved you that ye
also l ove o n e another
By this S hal l al l men know
that ye are my discipl es if ye have l ove one to an

other (Joh n xi i i 3 4
The c om mand i s new not
i n th e essential princ ipl e of it lo v e wh i ch he had
tau ght before as the v e ry s u m o f th e moral law b u t
i n the ex te n t mo tiv e o r ex amp le o f it wh ich i s that ye
my di sciples sh ou ld do to one another as I you r Lord
and Master have done to yo u The key to the i nter

i
r
e
t
a
t
o
n
i
s
i
n
th
e
clause
As
I
have
loved
you
that
p

ye also love one anoth er

H e had j u st sai d I have
given yo u an example th at ye s hou l d do as I have

done to you
H e had j ust i llu strated the measu re o f
h is own l ove i n th e menial servi ce o f wash ing thei r feet
and i n telling them fu rth er that i t was a love even
u n to death : Th e good Shepherd giveth h is life for th e

sheep
It was new also i n being now enj oined as
th e very badge and test of al l tru e disc ipleship : B y
th i s shall al l men know that ye are my disciples i f ye

have l o v e o n e to another
Th e apostle J ohn wh o i n his Gospel has rec orded
th ese i mpressi v e wo r ds and the ci rc u mstances i n which
,

2 00

L I VI NG

2 02

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

s o u l and with al l thy mi nd Th is i s the rst and great

c ommandment And the sec ond is like unto i t ; Th ou
shalt l ove thy neighb or as thysel f O n these two

c ommandments hang all the law and the prophets

The apost le James als o refers to this c ondensed state
ment of the law by Ch rist i n the sec ond chapter o f his
gene r al Epistle where he calls it th e law o f liberty and

the royal law H e says

I f ye fulll the royal law
acc ordi ng to th e scriptu re Thou shalt love thy neigh
b or as thyself ye do well : b ut i f ye have respect to
pers ons ye c ommit si n and are c onvi nced of the law

as transgressors
I f we p ut all these passages together we shal l see
h ow perfect is the agreement o f S crip t u re and h ow the
o ld commandment given by M oses in th e D ecalogu e
and i nte rpreted by Christ as the law of love t o God
and l ove to man bec omes the all c omprehensive n e w
c om mandment o f the New Testament Ch u rc h ill us
trat e d by the livi ng example of Christ h i mself and re
qui ri ng the m ost intense self sac ri c in g love in h is
name to th e wh ole brotherh ood of his disciples and
u niversal good will to o u r fellow men as neighbo r s and
brothers We shall see too with what wonderfu l c o m
prehensiveness o f appli cation and with what depth of
spi ritual i mport o u r Savi ou r s u mmed up th e whole of
th is new and o ld c o mmand ment when i n his Sermon
he expou nded the sec ond tabl e of the
o n the M ou nt
D ecalogu e and gave the Golden Rule for all the Ch urch

and all the world

T herefore all things whats oever ye
wo uld that men S h o u ld do to yo u do ye even s o to

them : for th is is the law and th e prophets

I t i s to be feared that the great law o f lo v e and
.

TH E

NE

OM M A NDM EN T

2 03

brotherh ood s o enforced by Christ and s o exempl i

e d in his o w n life i s fa r t o o m u ch ignored i n t h e
m inist r ations o f the pulpit and far too m uc h neglected
i n th e daily life o f his disciples H ow seldom do we
h ear a sermon o n the Golden Rule o r on the new c o m
mandment ! H ave Chri st ians forgotten that s u ch pas
sages are in the Bible and that they stand among t h e
most empha t i c words o fthe Savi ou r
Th e writer can
n o t recollect havi ng heard a serm on for many years on
either text I n looki ng recently over many vol u mes o f
sermons i n his own l ibrary from preachers o f different
denominati ons h e was s u rprised that h e c ou ld nd b ut
Th is was by
o n e published sermon o n ei t h er s ubj ect

D r Chal mers on th e text i n M att v ii 12 entitled Th e

Great Ch ri s t i a n Law o f Reciprocity between Man and

M an a ne practi cal disc u ssi on of th e theme If ou r

divi ne M aster sh ould come back to his Ch u r ch wou ld

h e not have somewhat agai nst us t o nd hi s minis

ters and ch u r ches th us forget t ing o r putting i n the back
grou nd precepts s o preci o u s t o h i m and so essential to
all tru e life and godliness ?
Still further an i nterpretati on i s sometimes put upon
th is law of love which virtually reverses it Christ re
qu ires u s to l ove o n e another even as he l oves u s and
n o t only to love our fellow Christians a s being his dis
ci
p les b ut to love all men even o u r enemies with th e
love o f kindness and good wi ll We are com manded
to do good u nt o all especi a lly to those w h o are o f the
h ou seh ol d o f fa i t h ; for all men are o u r neighbors ac
c ordi ng t o h is teach ing and all Christians are ou r
A re we living up to this law ?
brethren
It h a s
certainly been enj oi ned and it has never been re
,

L I VI NG

2 04

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

pealed B ut many professing Christians act as if th e

Golden Rule ran th us
D o u nto others wha t they do

to yo u ; treat them as they treat you

In most cases
th ose wh o adopt th is low selsh ru le do no t even live
u p to thei r own interpretati on They do not i n fact
treat their fellow m en o r their fell ow Ch ristians half so
well as they are treated It is o f the natu re o f selsh
ness to ai m lo w i n m orals and then to fall even lowe r
than it ai ms
A man i s n o t often better than h is principles I f h i s
m ora l principles are lax and selsh there is nothing to
elevate h i s cha r acter I f h e begi n s by i nj uring th ose
wh o inj u re h i m speaking evil o f those wh o speak evi l
o f hi m h e will end by failing to retu rn good even fo r
the good he r ec eives H i s low mo r al ai m will lead h i m
to construe and meas u r e the good conduct o f othe r s b y
h is o w n selsh standard o f action
What a blessed
thing it is that Christ has given u s a perfect m oral
code a p u re and spiritu al standard o f acti on the h igh
est and the pu rest ever propou nded to m an ! H e only
will attain to tru e excellenc e wh o adopts this loft y stand
ard o f right and ai ms at it perpetually i n his daily life
All others fall sh ort and mi ss th e mark Th ou gh th e
Chri stian man may be all h is life approaching and never
qu ite attaining this perfect standard of the Golden Ru le
and the new c ommandment s till he wi ll approxi mate
i t more and more and i n the end rise i mmeasurably
h ig h e i than th e man wh o has n o highe r law than the
wretched selsh ness o f h is o wn h ea r t
.

L I VI NG

2 06

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

is a gospel of c hari t y not less than o f pietya

great c ode of p ure practical morality among men not
less than a divine revelati on of those truths whi ch are
u nto salvation ? H ow perfe ctly too does th is text o f
th e New Testament both i n its i deas and i n the order
o f thei r statement harmonize with a s imi la r s u mmary
o f d uties
given by the anc ient p r ophet
H e hath
showed thee O man what i s good ; and what doth th e
Lord requi re o f thee b ut to do j ustly and to l ove

me r cy and to walk h u mbly with thy God ? ( M i c

Vi
I n forming an estimate of the elevated m orality re
qui red by th e gospel we are always c ompelled to dis
t in g u is h between the ideal Ch r istianity of the N e w
Testament and the actual Chri stianity existi ng arou nd
u s i n th e Ch u rch Christianity has always been better
than th e lives o f its professed followers The morality
o f the gospel as tau ght by Christ and i llu strated i n hi s
o wn character or even as taught and i ll us t rated by h i s
i nspired apostles has always been a pu rer and noble r
thing than that whi ch has passed fo r Christian m orality
i n the c ond u ct of m ultitu des wh o have professed hi s
name M en and women have been fo u nd i n the Ch u rch
wh o like th e
o f every age and su ch are still found
early Christians have i n s ome good degree attai ned to
th is noble r type of New Testament m orality ; for they
hav e felt that the law o f lo v e as expounded by Chri st
i n his Sermon o n th e M ou nt and s u m med up i n the
Golden Rule was binding o n them and th ey have
aim ed to live u p to it When therefo r e we j u dge o f
th e pu re elevated mo r ali ty req u ired by Christianity we
m u st take the meas u r e of it not from th e worldly mi nd
t ian ity

TH E M

OR A L I T Y O F

THE

G O SPEL

2 07

ed or the half h ea rted o r th e backsli ding o r th e selsh

and ambiti ous classes o f professing ch urch members
b ut we m ust either j u dge by the lives o f the faithfu l few
wh o h a ve walked worthily o f their high calling o r else
we m u st go di rec t ly to the original standard C ontai ned
i n th e New Testament This i s the law and the testi
mony t o wh ich Christianity always appeals and by
which it is willing to be tested
I f now we turn t o the New Testament to ascertai n
what Christian morality i s and what are its high re
q u ire m e n ts we nd three principal i ll ustrations o f it
each formi ng a distinct line o f argu ment and all to
gether a perfect demonstrati on o f its i mmeasu rable
s uperi ority over every other c ode o f ethi cs known
am ongst men The rst is seen i n th e explicit teach
i ngs o f Ch rist the Master and o f al l his inspi red apos
t les as they exemplied and conrmed hi s inj u nctions
These are what continually appear i n all the New Tes
tament c ommands precep t s statutes ordi nances b oth
for worship and fo r c ondu ct It is qu ite too mu ch

overlooked that a large part o f Chri st s teachings a

large part of the New
Testament Epi stles and hence
a large part o f the gospel c ome to us i n th e form o f
law o r precepts enj oi nin g a life o f holy and active o b e
die n c e
The gospel o n every page o f it requi res o b e
die n c e to the law o f Christ and Christ i n every serm o n
and i n every parable requi res O bedience to th e pu re and
h oly law o f God The wh ole S ermon o n the M oun t

running through three chapters o f Matthew s Gospel is

an e x e m p li c at io n of the point The command i s clear

and u nmist a kable : Except you r ri gh t eou sness shall ex

c e e d the righteousness o f the scribes and Pharisees ye
-

2 08

L I VI NG

CH R I S TI A NI T Y

hall i n no case ente r i nto the k ingdom of heav en

Be ye therefore pe r fect even as you r Fathe r which

is i n heaven is perfect
All things whatsoeve r ye
wou ld that men sh ou ld do to yo u do ye even so to

them : for th is i s the law and th e prophets

Thi s
memorable discou rse whi ch comes to us like a new
and enlarged proclamati on of the law of Go d c ove r s
all ou r duties to God and to man He closes it wit h
the solemn declarati on of life and salvati on not to hi m
wh o hea r s and professes h is name befo r e men but to

h i m that heareth and doeth these sayings of mine 2

Fo r not eve r y one that saith u nto me Lo r d Lord
shall enter into the kingdo m of heaven ; but h e that

doeth th e will o f my Father wh o i s i n heaven

I f we look into an y o f the Epistles of his inspi red
apostles we nd th e same inc u lcation o f divine law
and high Chri stlike morality They enj oin every p r e
c ept whi ch h e enj oined and call upon hi s foll owers c o n
t in u ally to remember h is c omm andments and do them
I n no single i nstance do they ever reverse o r attempt
to abrogate o r modify th is c ode of absol ute perfection
thi s Ch ristlike morality demanding the pu ri t y of th e
whole heart and the wh ole life The apostle Peter
writing to the Ch ristian believers eve rywhe r e scattered
abroad i n h is ti me takes u p the ve ry words o f h is di

vine M aster and says

As obedi ent ch ildren not
fash ioning yourselves ac cording t o the former l usts
i n yo u r i gnoranc e : b ut as h e who hath called you
i s holy so be ye h oly i n al l manner o f conversati on ;
because it is written Be ye holy ; for I am h oly
His
two General Epistles are largely taken up with the in
o n of the great practi cal p r inciples o f that high
c u lc at i
S

L I VI NG

2 10

S TI A NI T Y

CHRI

following : We exh o r t you b r eth ren wa r n them that

are u nruly comfort the feeble minded s upport th e
weak be patient towa r d all men See that none render
e v i l fo r evi l u nto any man ; b ut ever foll ow that wh ich
is good both among you rsel v es and to al l men
Abstai n from all appearanc e of evil
And the v e ry
God of peac e sanctify you wh olly ; and I pray God
you r wh ol e spirit and so ul and body be p r ese rv ed

blame l ess u nto the c oming of o u r Lord Jes us Christ

I
Thess
v
I
1
2
2
Fi
nally
bret
r
en
what
h
4
5
(
soe v e r things a r e tru e whats oever things a r e honest
whatsoeve r things a r e j ust whats oeve r th i ngs are p u re
whatsoe v er things are lovely whatsoeve r th ings are of
good report ; if the r e be any v i r tue and if the r e be any
praise thi nk on these th ings ( Phil iv
We have not spac e n ow to develop but simpl y to in
dic at e the other proofs of th e s u peri o r excel lence o f
the mo r ality i nc u lcated i n the gospel The one i s seen
i n those pec uliar v irtues s uch as b e n e c e n c e cha r ity
and self denial which Christianity has exalted among
m en and the othe r i s seen i n the actual p racti c e o f
th ese and al l th e associated vi rtues i n th e lives o f
Ch rist and his apostles ; fo r not only di d they teach
this exalted u nselsh mo ralit y i n all thei r publi c in
b u t Ch r ist Jes u s lived and acted it before
o ns
s t ru ct i
m en i n absolute pe r fection and hi s apostles by his
grace were enabled i n an emi nent deg r ee to i mitate
th e divine exampl e
The s upe r io r excellence of the Ch r istian c ode i s seen
in its benevolent and p h ilanth rO p ic S pirit It breathes
u ni v e r sal good will to men and proclai ms peac e to all
nations F r om th e rst it b r oke o v er th e traditional
,

M OR A L I T Y

THE

OF

TH E

G OSPE L

2 11

con v entionalities of r ace and nati on and socia l r ank and

emb raced the whole world It di d what no school o f
anci ent philosophy and no system of politi cal govern
ment had eve r done : it recognized the equality of men
and preached a morality for the poo r as well as for th e
r ich It i naugu rated a new and n oble class of vi rtu es
It r aised h u mi lity s elf denial benevolence charity
philanthropy and their kindred v i rtu es to a place o f
p r omi nence whi ch they had never before h eld and to
a place whi c h they now h old i n the esti mation of al l
civilized Christian na t i ons simply because Christ an d
h is apostles had s o exalted them
The S piri t of i ndivi dual self sacri c e fo r the good o f
others o f b e n e c e nt endeavo r to r esc u e the poo r and
the perish ing and of a ph ilanthropy as wide as th e
world whi ch to day s o exalts Ch r istiani ty in the eyes
o f th ose pagan nati ons to wh om th e heroi c missi onary
h as carried the gospel breath es fo rth i n all the teach
ings o f Christ and i n fact c onstitutes th e essential prin
ci
p le o f that practical morali ty whic h he enj oined on
all his followe r s N 0 man can r ead th e gospel h istory
witho u t seei ng this pure and elevated b e n e ce n c e o n
every page H i s system was a c omplete salvation
wh i ch i n the song of th e angels annou nc ing the nativ

ity brought glo ry to God in th e h ighest ; but at th e

same time it was a pu r e b e ne c e nt c ode of practical
ethic s wh ich shoul d u lti mately p r evai l o v er the selsh
ness of mankind b r inging peace o n earth and good
wi ll among men
Another st r iking illust rati on o f th e s upe r i o r excel
l ence of the morality inc ulcated i n th e gospel i s found
i n the powe r o f its moti v es and sanct i ons Many o f
,

'

L I VI NG

2 12

CH RI

S TI A NI T Y
.

th e phi losophe r s and sages o f antiq u i ty inc ulcated

beautifu l p r ecepts and s ome li ke Soc rates Seneca
Ci cero and the Antoni nes partially exemplied them
i n thei r own lives B ut thei r splendid systems o f ph il
osophy and their comparatively pu re moral c odes all
failed as a ru le of li fe beca use they were enforced by
n o divine sanctions ; they had no eternal basis o f truth
o n wh ich men c ou ld r ely as a s u fci ent m otive o f duty
J u st here is the point at wh ich the gospel morality
m akes its appeal to the c onsci ences of men with a pow
er u nknown to any other system It i s not only
grou nded on the truth o f God as revealed i n the m oral
law o f God b ut it c onstitutes an essential part o f th e
truth itsel f It has al l th e high and sacred sanctions
di v i ne religi on o f whi ch it i s a part ; and
o f that
thes e sanctions are drawn from th e nature o f God the
natu re of man and th e r etrib uti ons of that eternal world
to whi c h we are desti ned No sanctions can be h ighe r
no motives more effective All the precepts enj oined
by Chris t and reaf rmed by his apostles come to us
with the authority o f hi m wh o spake as man neve r

spake and th ey come with the added practi cal demon

s t rat i
o n that they were exemp lied to the full i n th e
l ife and character o f the great Teacher and als o to
s ome good degree i n th e lives and characters o f c o m
missioned apostles
Th e grand distinction o f the
Ch ristian ethics i s that th e code not only c omes to u s
with the high autho r ity o f o u r C reator and Ch rist ou r
Savi ou r b ut it c omes i llust r ated and e n forced in every
partic ular by the perfect model life o f the I ncarnate
O ne And thi s great example set before u s i n th e
New Testament as it was seen by his apostles i s con
,

L I VI NG

2 14

CH R I STI A

NI T Y
.

little disposed to dispa rage Christianity as an ethi cal

system They oft en tell us of the stern heroic Vi rtues
o f old Greeks and Romans
and point to th e grand
charac t ers produ ced under the Stoical philosophy and
th e pagan mythology B ut after all what a narrow
selsh bloody and vindi ctive morality it was h ow dark
h ow h opeless h ow u nl oving and u nlovely ! gods and
men alike i mpelled by vi ndi ctive passions and ru led
by bli nd i rrati onal i nexorable fate Let any o n e read
the o ld Greek poets t o see the spirit and the practical
working o f su ch a morality and s u ch a religi on o r let
h i m study it even as presented in its most attractive light

i n Thomas Noon Talfo rd s tragedy o f I on

What a
c ontrast to the gentle loving spirit o f the gospel !
What a relief to turn from th ose best achie v ements
o f c lassic paganis m to th e bright and j oyo us and beau
tifu l precepts o f Ch r ist and his apostles !
.

C H A PTE R XX I X
PR A YER

D UT Y

AND

PR I

VI L E GE

ND

he spake a parable unto them to this end

That men ought always to pray and not to fai nt

It sh ows the estimate which was placed upon prayer
by the S o n of Go d that h e made it th e s ubj ect o f one
That e s t imate is su s
o f h i s most beautifu l parables
t ain e d not only by his invariabl e instru c t i ons b ut by
the I mpressive fact that prayer was exemplied i n th e
daily habit and practi ce o f his own life H e tau ght
h is disciples to pray he perfo r med some o f h is mighty
miracles in th e exercise o f prayer and he at ti mes re
tired to mou ntai ns and desert pl a ces where h e spent
the night i n commu ni on with Go d If the incarnate
and S i nless S o n of God whi le tabernacling for a season
i n thi s h uman state felt the need o f prayer and often
withdrew from the society o f men to hold i ntercou rse
with God h ow i rresistible i s the argu ment o f th e par
able that frail and S inful man ou ght always to pray and
not to fai nt ! I s there a need of the h uman s ou l more
u niversal and more pressing i n its demand than this
deep need o f p rayer ?

Prayer says D r Charles H odge i s the c onverse

of the soul with Go d Therein we manifest o r expres s
to hi m o u r r everence and love fo r h is di v i ne perfecti on

2 15

2 16

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

gratitu de for all h is merc i es o u r penitence fo r ou r

sins ou r h O p e i n his forgivi ng love ou r s ubmis s ion to
his authority o u r c ondence I n his care ou r desires for
his favor and for th e provi dential and spiri t ual blessings

needed fo r ourselves and others

It i s pre eminently
i n the act of prayer that we worship God Prayer i s
th e appoi nted medi u m thro ugh which we approach
h i m ; and when we approach hi m i n the exercise of
h u mble sincere ea r nest and believi ng prayer offered
i n th e name of Jesu s Christ o u r worship i s always
acceptable I n th i s S pirit the psalmist said It i s good

for me to draw near t o G o d

Whos o offereth prais e

saith the Lord I n al l the m ultitu de of

g lo ri e th m e
h u man actions wh i ch m en perform in this life there i s
perhaps no o n e th ing more i ntri nsically noble and ac
c e p tab le to God than that act i n whi ch an earnest de
v o u t m ind h olds c omm u nion with its God i n prayer
Prayer is o n e of th e gene r al ordinances o f divin e
worship whi ch l ike th e day of sac r ed rest was ap
pointed for all ti me and it has b elonged ali ke t o every
There has never been a
d ispensati on of the Ch u rch
perio d when the children of Go d di d not love to cal l
upon th e Lord i n prayer and there h as been no o n e
distincti on more characteristi c o f a sinner tu rning fro m
the ways o f sin u nto God than to say of hi m as wa s

sai d o f Sau l of Tars us at his c onversi on Behold h e

prayeth
It is one o f the doctri nes of th e B ible o n
whi ch there has been little con ict of opini on among
Christians and al most no contro v ersy
Th e in de ls
and skeptics o f ou r day call i n qu estion b oth the utility
and th e necessi ty o f prayer b ut all th e ch u rches o f
Ch r istendom h owe v e r they may diffe r o n other points
o ur

L I VI NG

2 18

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y

prayer and sh ows u s i n what spi rit and t o what ex

tent we S h ou ld make known o u r requests t o God Ask
and it shall be given you ; seek and ye shal l nd ;
knock and it shall be opened u nto yo u fo r e v e ry o n e
that asketh receiveth and h e that seeketh n deth ;

and to hi m that knocketh it shall be opened

Then
he ill ustrates and enforces th is d uty o f praye r by ap
pealing to the l o v ing care o f an earthly parent : What
man i s there of you wh om i f hi s s o n ask bread wi ll
h e give hi m a stone ? o r i f he ask a sh wi ll h e give
h i m a se rpent ? If y e the n bei ng evi l know h ow to give
good gifts u nt o you r children h ow mu ch m ore shall
yo u r Father whi ch i s i n heaven gi v e good th ings to

t hem that ask h i m ?

O n n o s ubj ect are th e S criptu res m ore ri chly in
stru ctive than on the duty of prayer They give u s
every motive to enc ou rage u s to a life o f prayer and
they set before u s the conditi ons o f s u ccessfu l prayer
They everywhere reveal Go d as loving to hear and to
answer the c ry of his children They set before u s
many noble examples o f prevailing prayer as i n th e
case o f Ab r aham i nterceding fo r Lot in the d o omed
c ities o f th e plain Jac ob wrestling all ni ght with th e
angel M oses pleadi ng with God fo r the rebelli ous ch il
dren o f I srael Hannah praying for the gi ft o f a son
Elij ah p rayi ng for rain D avi d c ryi ng fo r mercy afte r
h is great transgressi on H ezekiah asking fo r r estoration
to health Jeremiah and D aniel inte r ceding for rulers
and fo r th ei r people not to mention th e many striking
cases i n th e life of o u r blessed Lo r d and i n the writings

Pa u l tells u s to pray with out ceasing

o f h is apostles
th u s ma k ing it the dai ly d u ty o f l ife to be c onti nued as

of

PR A YE R

D UT Y

A ND

PR I VI LE GE

2 19

l ong as we live W r iting to Ti m othy i n h is p u bli c

charac t e r as a mi nister o f God h e says

I exhort
therefo r e that r st o f all s uppl ications prayers i nte r
c essi ons and giving o f t hanks b e made for all men :
for kings and for all that are i n auth ority ; tha t we may
lead a qu iet and peaceable life i n all godli ness and h on

esty
James referring to th e history o f Elij ah says
H e was a man s ubj ect to li ke passions as we are and
h e prayed earnestly that it might n o t rai n and it rai n

ed not o n th e earth ( that i s th e land o f Israel) by

the space o f th ree years and six month s And h e
prayed agai n and th e heave n gave rai n and th e earth

brought forth her fru it

The effectual fervent praye r

I s any among
o f a righ t eous man availeth m u ch
you aficted ? let hi m pray
I s any si c k among
let hi m call for th e elders o f the ch u rch ; and let
yo u
t hem pray over him anoi nting hi m with o il i n th e nam e
and the prayer o f faith shall save th e
o f th e Lo r d :

sic k
Th e c onditi ons o f pre vailing p r aye rthat is o f
prayer whi ch Go d will hear an d answerare very
clearly laid down in many passages o f Sc ripture
The rst is that we sh ou ld ask fo r things i n accord
anc e wi t h his will and i n deference to h is will God has
no t promised to give u s everythi n g we ask : it woul d
n ot be wise fo r h im to do so ; it might not be for o u r
good N o wise parent wo uld do th at John says i n

h is Fi rst Epi s t le Thi s is t he c ondenc e that we have

i n hi m that if we ask any thing acc ordi ng to his will
h e h eareth u s : a nd if we know that h e h ear u s w h at
soever we ask we know that we have t h e petition s that

we desired o f h im
Even ou r exalted Savi ou r prayed
.

L I VI NG

2 2 0

CH R I S TI A NI T Y
.

th is p r ay e r of defe r enc e to h is Fathe r s will when i n

Gethsemane he cried
If it b e possible let this c up
pass from me : neve rtheles s not as I will b ut as tho u

wilt
Th e sec ond c ondi t i on is that we sh ould pray in al l
h onesty and sincerity o f heart desi ring to know and

to do God s will God has not promised to hea r th e

prayer o f hypocrisy and deceit

D avi d said
If I
rega r d i ni quity i n my h eart the Lord will not hea r

me
and h e adds B ut ve r i ly God hat h heard me ;

h e h ath attended to th e voi ce o f my p r ayer

If
h oweve r D avi d had cl ung to h i s sins u nrepentant
and persi stent i n them there is no evi dence that God
would have answered his p raye r God will h ea r th e
persistent believing s inne r b ut it is when h e i s turni ng
from ini quity and no longer ch erishi ng i t i n his heart
The h u mble publi can prayed thi s prayer of si ncerity
when h e c r ied God be mercifu l to me a sinner
and
th e penitent thi ef on the cross di d the sam e wh en h e
sai d Lord r emembe r me when th ou c omest i nto thy

k ingdom
A thi rd conditi on of s u ccessfu l prayer i s faith
With o u t faith it i s i mpossible to please God and
with out faith it is i mpossible to pray th e effectual
fe rv ent praye r of th e righteou s man Th e penitent
p ubli can and the peni t ent th ief believed i n the God
to whom th ey prayed It i s the prayer of faith that
prevails to h eal the si ck and to open the h eavens

According to you r faith be it u nto yo u sai d o u r

Savi ou r when h e opened the eyes o f the bli nd Th e
r ule might be applied with equal propriety to those
w h o pray : their prayers will be answered accordi ng
,

L I VI NG

2 2 2

CH R I S TI A IVI T Y

prompt u s to it as an eve r
r
ss
m
duty
all
the
pre
e
p
g
c io u s promises o f God invite us to it as one o f the h igh
est privi leges we can enj oy i n this life What arith
meti c can c ompute the amount o f happiness c onferred
upon the s uffering C hi ldren of want and sorrow by th i s
o n e blessed and inalienable privilege o f bri nging thei r
cares and t hei r dist r esses to th e th rone of grace i n
prayer ? What a different thi ng life here without pray
er wo u ld be to them from what it now i s in the dai ly

habit of prayer ! To stri ke from a good man s life his

daily i nterc ou rse with Go d an d with it th e ass uranc e

that God s ea r is always O pen to his c ry wou ld be to

rob hi m o fthat which has been his u nfailing c onsolati on
i n distress and leave hi m to utter desolation and dark
ness fo r the future
The farther on we go i n life the stronger is o u r c o n
The you ng
c ti
vi
o n that we cannot live without praye r
and the worldly it is tru e i n the ea ger chase o f present
pleas ure o r from th e pressing calls of b usi ness do c on
t in u e fo r a season to get o n without prayer ; b ut even
i n thei r case th e dark day o f calamity s ometi mes s u d
de n ly falls upon thei r pathway and drives them sooner
than they th ought to th e secret place of prayer I n
the h ou r o f calamity and above all i n the dread hou r
There
o f death there is no privilege like that o f prayer
i s no m ore pressing want of the h uman s ou l than ac
cess by faith to a p rayer h earing and a prayer answe r ing
God I n th is s upreme crisis no other h elper can bring
r eli ef no other friend wh ispe r peace li k e that whi ch
c ome s to hi m wh o p rays
The children of God i n e v ery age of th e Ch urch
h ave testied h ow g r eat and h ow preci ous is th e p r iv
,

PR A YER
ilege

of

D UT Y

A ND A

PR I

VI

L E GE

2 2

praye r It has been the vital b r eath of thei r

wh ole spiritual experienc e It has been the powe r
whi ch has c om e down from God to s ustai n them unde r
thei r c onicts wi t h temptati on as t h ey have passed
throu gh th e dark valley of h umiliation and the shad
It has been the strong i nu ence whi c h
o w o f death
through all thei r pilgri mage has thrown an ever bri ght
radiance o f peac e and h ope ove r thei r l ives
eni
ng
There i s probably no o n e thing i n which the Christian
people of all ages all cou ntries and all ch u rches have
been more ali ke and more allied than i n their esti mate
and their experi ence o f the val u e of prayer
It i s a signicant fact that o n e wh ole b ook o f th e
B iblethat of the Psal ms consists largely o f the rich
experience o f prayer Thi s experience too is as di
e d as h uman life ru nning through all j oy and al l
v e rs i
sorrow t h e deepest adversity the highest prosperity
Though written by a warri or king nearly three thou
sand years ago these wonderfu l psalms o f praise and
prayer are as deeply expressive of o u r Christian e xp e
e n c e to day as they were at rs t
ri
Th e devout sou l
now i n its approaches to God whether i n j oy o r i n s or
ro w i
n penitential s uppli cati on f
es
o r me r cy o r i n c o n f
si on of si n o r i n j oyful thanksgivi ng fo r blessi ngs re
cei
ve d can nd
no other words s o apt s o fresh s o
admi rabl e as the i nspired words o f the psalmist
H o w many si n b u rdened penitents hav e cried to God
i n the brief sententiou s utterances o f the fty rs t
psalm
H av e mercy upon me O God according t o
thy loving kindness : acc ording u nto the m ultitude o f

thy tender mercies blot o u t my transgre s si ons

A nd
h ow many gratefu l hearts r ising fro m beds o f sic kne s s
.

2 2

L I VI NG

CH RI

S TIA NI T Y
.

o r afte r deep experienc es o f be r eavement and s o r row

hav e entered i nto all th e exu ltant emoti ons o f the o n e
I love the Lord b e
h u ndred and sixteenth psalm l
cause he hath h eard my v oi ce an d my supplicati on s
B ecause he hath i ncli ned his ear u nto me therefore
wi ll I call upon hi m as long as I live The s o rr ows
c ompassed me and the pains o f hell gat
o f death
h old u pon me : I found trouble and sorrow Then
called I u pon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech
thee deliver my soul Graci ous i s the Lord and
r i ghteo us ; yea our God is merciful The Lord pre
serveth th e si mple : I was bro ught l ow and he helped
m e Retu rn u nto thy r est O my so u l ; fo r the Lord
hath dealt b ou ntifully with th ee Fo r tho u hast de liv
ered my sou l fr om death mine eyes from tea r s and my
feet from falling
What shall I rende r u nto the
Lo r d for al l his benets toward m e ? I will take the
c up o f sal vati on and call upon the name o f the Lord
I wi ll pay my v ows u nto th e Lord now i n the presence

hi s people
i n the c o u rts o f the Lo r d s
o f all
h ouse i n the midst o f thee O Je r usalem Praise ye

the Lord
Th is is but one o f th e many si milar instances of ap
proach to God i n distress and of j oyful delive r ance i n
answe r to p r aye r H ow deep are the chords o f sym
pathy which h e tou ches i n milli o ns o f prayi ng hearts
i n passages like the following
I n my dis t ress I call
e d upon the Lo r d and c r ied u nto my God : h e h eard
my voic e o ut o f h is temple and my c ry came before

h i m e v en unto his ears ( Psalm x vii i

I s ought
the Lord and h e hea r d m e and del i v e r ed me from al l
my fears Th ey looked u nto hi m and were lightened :
,

C H A P T E R X XX
THE

NSPI R E D WO R D OF

GOD

S th e sac red writers bear witness to thei r own in

spi ration and to th e inspi rati on of one another it
may be usefu l to set h ere i n th e foregrou nd a few o fthe
\
proof texts from the New Testament by wh i ch this im
portant doctri ne o f the Christian faith is attested I f
we admit Christ to be as he clai med to be the tru e
M essiah and th e tru e Son o f Go d i nvested with all di
v ine auth ority it is di f c u lt to see h ow we cou ld have
any h igher evidence for the doctrine o f S c riptu r e in
spi rati on than thi s expli c it tes t i mony o f Christ and hi s
apostles What he afrmed m u st be tru e and what
they a f rmed m u st b e true be cau se he was a tru e
Teache r c ome from Go d and they were teache r s in
v ested with authority by hi m and i nspired with u ne r
ring wisdo m by th e H oly Ghost There can be n o
u ncertainty i n this conc lu si on and no escape from i t
if we admit th e facts o n whi ch it rests
The apos t le Pau l writing to Timothy says From
a c hi ld t h ou hast known th e h oly scriptu res wh ich
a re able to make thee wi s e u n t o salvation t hro ugh
fa i t h which is i n Chri st J es us All s cripture is given
by i nspiration of God ( that is t/zeop n eu s tic God in

S pired
and is p r otabl e for doctrine for reproof
,

22 6

THE

NSPI R E D WOR D OF G OD

2 2

for correcti on for instructi on i n ri ghteousness ; that

the man o f God may be perfect throu ghly furnished

u nto all good works ( 2 Ti m iii 1 5

H e opens
h is Epistle t o the H ebrews saying God wh o at s u n
dry times and i n diver s manners spake i n ti me past
u nto the fathers by the p r ophets hath i n these last

days spoken unto us by h is Son

To the Corinth
ians h e wri t es clai ming the very same kind o f i nspi ra
tion whi ch h e had ascribed to the fathers : No w we
have received not th e S pi rit o f th e worl d b u t th e
Spirit wh ich i s o f God ; that we might know th e
things that are freely given to us o f God Wh ich

th ings also we speak not i n the words whi ch man s

W i sdom teacheth but wh i ch the H oly Gh ost teacheth ;
c ompari ng spiritual things wi t h spiritual ( I C or ii
I n like manner the apostle Peter c omparing
12
the new with the olde r S criptu r es asserts th e doctri ne
o f divine i nspi rati on i n both i n the following words :

We ha v e also a more su re word o fprophecy ; where

u n t o ye do well that ye take heed as u nto a light that
sh ineth i n a dark place u nti l the day dawn and t h e
day star arise i n you r h earts : knowing thi s rst t hat
n o prophecy o f the scripture i s o f any private i nter
re t at i
n
o
F
o
r
th e proph ecy came not i n O ld t i me by
p
the wi ll of man : b ut holy men o f God spake as they

were m oved by the H oly Ghost ( 2 Pet i 19

N ow these claims of divi ne inspirati on by the apos
t l es for themselves and for all the S criptu res o f th e
O l d Testament and o f th e New are i n perfect ac cord
with th e words o f Chri st when h e promised to send
upon them the Comforter whi ch promise we know b e
gan to be fu llled o n the day o f Pentecost H e sai d
,

2 2

LI

VI NG

CH

RI S TI A N I T Y
.

Wh en th e Comforte r is c ome whom I will send

u nto you from th e Father even th e Spirit o f truth

h e shall testify o f me
H e shall teach yo u al l
th ings and bri ng all things to you r rem embranc e what
soever I have sai d u nto yo u
H e wi ll gu i de yo u i nto

all truth
and h e will S h ow you things to come
Among th e many
( J oh n xv 2 6 ; xiv 2 6 ; xvi
refe r enc es wh ich he made du ri ng his publi c m im st ry to
th e O ld Testament S cr i ptures two wi ll b e s ufcient
to cite here as sh owing h is estim ate o f thei r divine

authority and their i nnite importance : Search th e

scriptures ; for i n them ye thi nk ye have eternal life :

and they are they whi ch testify o f me (J oh n v

O n the oc casi on of meeting two of his disciples after th e

resu rrection it i s recorded that beginning at M oses

and al l th e proph ets h e expo unded unto them in
al l th e scriptures th e things c oncerning hi msel f
And h e sai d u nto them These are t h e wo r ds wh i ch
I spake u nto yo u while I was yet with yo u that all
th ings m ust be fullled wh ich were written i n th e law
o f M oses and i n the p r ophets and i n the psalms c on
cerning me Then opened he thei r u nde r standing that
they might u nderstand th e s criptu res , and said u nt o
them Th u s it i s written and th u s it beh ooved Christ
to s uffe r and to rise fr o m the dead the third day : and
that r epentance and remission o f sins sh o ul d be preach
ed in his name among all nati ons beginni ng at Jeru
salem And ye are witnesses o f th ese things And
beh old I send th e promise o f my Father upon you :
b ut ta rry ye i n th e c ity o f Jerusalem u ntil ye b e

endued with powe r fro m o n high ( L u ke xxi v 2 7

,

44 4 9)
-

L I VI NG

30

CHR I

S TI A NI T Y

Christ the Savi our o f the world It c omes from God

as the only infallible ru le o f duty the only perfect stand
ard of moral and r eligious truth Being inspired o f
God it i s s u fcient ; and it is the only s ufcient guide
o f l ife
As s u ch it j u sties th e maxi m o f Protestanti sm
Th e Bibl e th e whole Bible and nothing b ut the Bible

the religion o f Protestants

As s u ch Christianity has
always accepted it as s u ch all evangeli cal ch urches i n
th e world accept it to day and are wi lling to stand
o r fall by it
It is i mpossibl e to o v eresti mate the v al u e o f th e
B ible We may say with D avi d Thy testi monies have
I taken as an heritage fo r e v e r : for they are th e rej o i

c ing of my heart ( Psal m cxi x 1 I I ) Th is i nspi red word

i s o n e o f God s th r ee s up r eme gifts to man H e has

given us his S o n to di e for u s he has given us h is H oly
Spirit to abide i n u s ; and h e has given us hi s sacred
B ook contai ning th e knowledge of hi mself and o f his
S o n and o f h is Spi rit
Thanks be unto Go d fo r all his
u nspeakable gifts I
Th e Bible i s so u ni qu e and s o wonderfu l i n its o r
i gin s o original and s o wei ghty i n its c omm u nications
s o pu re and s o elevated i n its tone s o potential and s o
sal uta ry i n its i n uenc e upon h u man characte rin a
word s o u tterly unlike all other books that it can i n
no way be accou nted for except on the ground o f i t s
divine auth orship Admit this s upernatu ral origin and
all is plain ; deny it and the book remains the u nsolved
enigma and wonder o f all literature B ut by th e p o
tent and bl essed i nuence whi ch it has always exer t ed
and still exerts o v er the h uman heart th e Bible is it
self the standin g demonst ration o f the t ru th of Chri s
.

THE

SPI R E D WOR D OF G OD

IN

I n th e Bib l e Chri stiani ty may be sai d to ca r ry

its o w n open c redentials o f truth ; fo r it cannot be that
a book wh ich reveals s u ch truths and p rodu ces s u c h
results is fou nded on falsehood and set s forth a religion

o f falsehood
By thei r fru its ye shall know them i s

o n e o f Christ s o w n maxims
I t i s a sou nd o n e and
by it Christianity and t he Bible have been demonstrated
a thousand ti mes over to be o f God
Th e inestimable val u e o f the Bible is seen not only
i n its being a perfect and i nfallible standard o ftruth and
duty but als o i n th e i mpo rtant place wh ich it h olds
among the appointed means o f grace It i s i n all
spiritual things the gu i de of life It i s th e nouri sher
and the s ustainer o f al l tru e spi ritual life It i s that
o n wh ich the sou l o f th e Christian perpetually feeds
an d that by wh i ch Chri stian character i s formed Truth
i s u nto godliness and t h e B ible contains the truth S o
o u r Savi our utters that comprehensive petition fo r hi s
disciples Sanctify them th rou gh thy truth thy wo r d

i s truth
Th u s D avid said Thy word have I h id i n
mi ne heart that I might not si n against thee
Where
withal shall a you ng man cleanse his way ? By taking

h eed thereto according t o thy word

Pau l speaks o f
the strong meat o f th e word fo r them wh o are o f full
age and Peter wri t es A S new born babes desi re t he
si ncere milk o f the w o rd that ye may grow thereby
The word of God is the food o f the soul as nee dfu l
fo r its spi ritual life and growth as material bread i s fo r
th e body
H ence i t stands with prayer preachi n g
the sacraments and other ordinances o fworship among
the regular means o f grace by which men are brought
i nto the Ch u rch o f Ch rist and prepared fo r glory U n
t ian ity

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

der the operati on of th e divi ne Spirit we are enlight

ened qu i c k ened sanctied an d saved by the word o f
Go d
It i s by the preaching of the word u nder th e
appoi nted Christian ministry that si nners are converted
to God and his o w n chi ldren are e di e d i nstru cted and
trained conti nually
The word o f God is the sword of the Spirit
and

by th at i nstru ment wh i ch i s qui ck and powe rfu l

sha rper than any two edged sword and a discerne r

th e H oly
o f th e th oughts and i nten t s of the heart
Spirit makes ef caci ous his of ce i n th e c onversi on o f

men I t is by the same powerfu l i nstru ment the p u re

word o f Godthat the ministers of the gospel are e n
abled to wi n sou ls fo r Christ Th ere i s no true spirit
ual work done i n th e Chu rch except through the word
o f God
There i s no growth i n grace except throug h
the knowledge o f the word of God O ur salvation i n
Ch r ist i s i nti mately c onnected with th e word Prac
ti cally there is noth ing i n Christianity more essential
to all growth whether o f the i ndivi dual s ou l o r of th e
whole Chu rch than th e c ontinual preaching of th e
word of God and the lifelong reading and stu dy o f th e
word o f God

U nto them says Paul were com mitted th e o ra

cles o f God ( Rom i i i

We do not yet s ufciently
appreciate th e i nesti mable val u e o f th e S criptu res as
the or a cles o f the livi ng God ou r infallible s ta ndard o f
truth o u r u nerring gu ide i n d uty This i s i ndeed ou r
pri celess inheritance as Protestants ou r fu ndamental
distincti on as Christians of the Reformati on the Bible
th e whole B ible and nothing b ut the B ible to bi nd the
c onscience i n matters o f faith By th is high histori c
,

CH APTER XXXI
TH E

OF

DA Y

ES T

OF WOR SH I P

A ND

XPER I E N C E and histo r y p r o v e that man needs

a day of rest from sec ular toi l i n which to re c u
perate his exhausted powers a day of worship i n
wh ich to c omm unicate with God and to prepare fo r
h eaven I n the same way it has been ab u ndantly de
m o n st rat e d that one day i n se v en i s the amou nt of tim e

i n each man s life and i n the world s great cycle wh ich

i s best adapted to secu re th e ends o f rest and worship
fo r th e I ndi v i d u al with out interfering with th e l egitimate
demands o f sec u la r bu siness and pleas ure I n noth ing
perhaps has the reli gion of th e Bible b oth u nde r its
J ewish an d its Christian dispensati on m ore h ighly
c ommended itself to the approval o f sages and states

men and to the grateful admirati on of earth s toiling

millions than by this appointment of a sacred day o f
r est and worship
Its perpetually r ec u rr ing sabbati c
r est i s the perpetual dem onstration that it is the fri end
It has been
o f man and the benefactor o f th e world

H eaven s antidote
tt in g ly called the pearl o f days

fo r th e c u rse o f labor
It is not less nee ded by the
toiling body and the wo r king brai n as a day of respite
than by th e spiritu al part o f man It brings repose to
th e wearied m uscles r estorati on t o th e overtaxed min d
and di v i ne r efr eshment to the t r oubled fai nting spirit
'

2 34

THE

DA Y

OF

RE

ST

OF W OR SHI P

AND

35

Whethe r we r egard the Sabbath from the standpoi nt

o f God s r equi r ement recalling th e h u man s oul from

the too absorbing pu rs uits of sec u lar b usiness and
pleasu re to seasons o f meditati on and praye r o r fr o m
the standpoi nt of ou r own physical and intellectual n e
c e ss i
t ies demanding rest and relaxati on the argu ment
for s u ch a day i s equally decisive The whole history
o f th e wo r ld b oth where th e Sabbath has been o b s e rv
ed and where it has not only s erves to ill ustrate th e
wi sdom o f God i n its appointment and i n the porti on
H ad more time been
o f time which it c onsec r ates
th us c onsec r ated than one day i n seven it wou l d have
distu rbed the ec onomy of the wo r ki ng world by s ub
tracti ng too m u ch fr om needfu l labor Had less been
given fo r rest and worship it wou l d not have su f ced
to rel ieve the toi li ng fac ulties and to c onse rv e the g r eat
ends o f moral edu cation and reli gi ou s worship
Thu s Christiani ty has ordai ned an d blessed a Sab
bath as di d its predecessor J u daism I n truth th e in
au gu ration was i n each case th e same The authori t y
enacting the ordinance was th e same ; th e divine Law
giver was th e sam e ; the g r eat moral spi ritual and phys
i cal ends c ontemplated were the same The earlie r
Sabbath only prepa r ed th e way fo r the later and trans
fer r e d to it its o w n divine sanc ti ons Th e merely J e w
i sh and l ocal restri cti ons were set as i de and the tim e
o f observance
changed by Christ and hi s i nspired
apostles from th e closi ng to th e openi ng day o f th e
week All else r emai ned i n its binding and u nivers a l
obli gati on That is to say th e Fo u nder of Ch ristian
ity organizing h is Ch u r ch o n a basis whi ch shou l d be
as wi de as the wor l d and stand th r ou gh all ti me took
,

36

L I VI N G CHRI S TI A NI T Y
.

th is sac r ed day of r estwh i ch had been o rdained i n

Eden whi ch had been obse rv ed by pat r iarchs and

prophets which had been promulgated by God s o w n

voi ce from M ou nt Sinai and written o n tables of stone
by his nger as o n e o f th e ten commandments o f the
m oral law and which had not been u nknown among
the stat u tes o f many ancient nation s and i nc orporated
it as the law o f h is o wn spiritual kingdom making it
i n fact th e ve ry b on d of connecti on between th e old
and the new th e one great link whi ch shou ld bi nd al l
dispensati ons togethe r as havi ng one Ch u rch o n e Sab
bath o n e wo r ship

Th e Sabbath was made fo r man and not man for

th e Sabbath Th erefore the S on o f man i s Lo r d even

These words of Ch r ist s o far

o f th e Sabbath day
fr om abrogating the Sabbath as s ome have strangely
i magined only establish it o n a wi de r basis
The
Sabbath is something m ore than an excl usively Jewish
nati onal i nstitute It i s n o t only of divine authority as
binding th e Jew but of u niversal obli g a ti on as an in
H e w h o ordained it at
s ti
t u t io n needed by th e race
th e begi nning to c ommemorate th e nished work of
c r eati on has auth ority to i nterpret its i mport and a
right to change it from the seventh to the rst day o f
th e week to c om memorate the nished work of re
dempti on And that Lord of th e Sabbath wh o bo t h
c reated and redeemed th e worl d i s Christ As s u ch
h e had auth ority over the Sabb ath
Rising fro m the narrow sepulch r e to whi ch th e Jews
i n th eir i gnorance and folly had consigned hi m and
h avi ng al l power given to hi m i n heaven and ea rth ;
th r ough h is apostles whom he i n v ested with full powe r
,

38

L I VI NG

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

Jewish docto r s o f his day were g reat sti ckle r s fo r th e

letter of th e law They r i gi dly enforced its obse rvance
outwardly and vi olated it i n the spi rit O ur Sav i ou r
m u ch to t hei r indignati on wrou ght some of his mighty
miracles o n the sac r ed day to sh ow them that it was
lawfu l to do good and to save life on the Sabbath I n
this i mpressi v e way he taught us that tru e inte rp re
tat io n o f the law which has pre vai led i n the Christian
Ch u rch and u nde r whi ch works o f necessity and o f
mercy may be pe r formed with out any v i olation of the
Sabbath It was o n o n e o f these occasions that h e
u ttered th e weighty sayi ng that he was Lord o f the

Sabbath and that the day m ust be u sed fo r man s good

and not for h is inj u ry
It i s impossibl e to overestimate the va lu e of the Sab
bath to man o r its essential i mportance to reli gion We
c an s carcely conceive of a greate r blessing to society
to the i ndivi dual membe r o f it to the families that c om
p ose it to the nati on i n its aggregate o f c ommunities
than the Sabbath i nstitute It is the very feeder and
prese rv er of all that is good i n religi on that i s dear i n
the h ome c irc le that i s great and noble i n the life and
th e character of nati ons By no o n e thi ng is the ad
vance o f tru e Civilizati on i n the worl d m ore acc u rately
measu r ed than by th e manne r i n which the day o f s a
c red rest i s observed U nder God the Sabbath is the
grand c onservator o f religi on It is difcult t o see h ow
Christiani t y c o uld have made m uch headway am ongst
men o r retai ned its hol d upon the wo r ld without its
sac r ed day o f rest o f worship and o f publi c in stru c
tion A r ou nd this day cluster all true ideas and in u
e n c es of r eligi on and by it they are promoted ; for along
.

THE

DA Y

OF

ES T

OF WOR SHI P

A ND

39

with its sac r ed day Christianity has carried its sacred

b ook its h o use o f divi ne worsh ip its spiritual in stru c
tion and its living minist ry
By all these divi ne instituti ons operating together as
a great religi ou s and edu cational agency Christianity
has th us far wo n its way over the minds o f men and
has been able to retain its i nu ence By these it has
trained th e you ng and educated the people o f e v ery
generati on It i s easy to see that all the other agen
cies th e h ou se of worship the text book o f in stru c
ti on the l iving ministry and the ordi nances o f preaching
and praye ra r e able to perform their appointed work
ch iey by reason o f th e ti me given them by th e sacred
day To destro y the sacred day therefore o r t o relax
its divi ne authority woul d b e i n the end to lessen o r to
destroy th e inu ence of all th e other appoi ntments and
s o far to destroy Christianity itsel f
H ence we c onclu de that the man wh o seeks to u n
de rm in e the authority o f th e Sabbath and to destroy
its hol d upon the people is whether aware o f it o r n o t
an enemy o f Christianity and a s ubverter o f th e high
est and best i n terests o f his fellow men And that c o m
m uni ty o r nati on wh i ch by its legislation by its publi c
press o r by th e cu stoms o f its peopl e tramples i n th e
dust thi s sacred day i s at war with the auth ority of God
at war with Chri stianity and th e Ch u rch at war with the
peace and order o f soc iety and at wa r with all tru e in
divi dual and nati onal prosperity
,

C H A PTE R XX X I I
TH E

T WO

SA CR A M ENTS

H I LE C h r istianity i s pre emi nentl y a S pi ritual

religi on requi ri ng th e whole hearted servi ce
o f the i nner man
it does not altogether r ej ect the
o utward observanc e o f rite and ceremony On th e
c ontrary it has establi shed and enj oi ned am ongst its
ordinances o f worship two i mportant s ervi ces whi c h
are distingui shed as holy sacraments and are to be o b
served to th e end of the worl d Th ese are baptism and

the Lord s S uppe r Th ey were each instituted by Christ

and it is his divine auth ority that gives them thei r sac red
character and their perpetual O bligati on i n his Ch urch
They stand c losely connected with the essential and
distinctive doctrines o f his religi on The o n e relates
to his own sacricial and redemptive work on th e cross
the standing memorial o f his d eath ; the o t her to the
equally essential work of the H oly Ghost i n the h u
man heart regenerating sanctifying and cleansing from
si n
Baptism had i ndeed existed as a r eligiou s ordi nanc e
before t he advent o f Christ Th e proselyte baptism
had been known and practi ced among th e Jews fo r
many centuries as one of th e r ites to be observed o n
the int r od u ction o f Gentiles i nto th e c ommonwealth o f
-

2 40

L I VI NG

42

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

the bondage o f Egypt b ut it si gnied and sealed to th e

Ch ristian believer i n a higher and wi der sense wha t t h e
passover had si gnied and sealed namely redemp t i on
th rough t he shed b lood and th e atoning righteo usness
o f Christ
Th us th e two great sacraments of the older disp e n
s at i
o n so n e coming
down fro m th e Abrahami c and
th e o t her from t he M osaic di spensati on were changed
and m erged i nto the two c orrespondi ng sacraments o f
th e Christian Ch u rch u nde r this last and closing dis
e n s at i
o
n
H
ence
i
n
th
e
language
o f the New Testa
p

ment writers th e Lord s S uppe r i s the Lord s pass

over for Christ o u r Passover i s sac ri ced fo r u s and

Ch ri stian baptism which symb olizes the washing o f

regenerati on and renewi ng o f th e H oly Gh ost stands

fo r t hat tru e circ u m cisi on o f th e h e a rt i n th e spi rit
wh i ch i s not o f the lette r no r outward in the esh
Tit
i
ii
Rom
i
i
;
5
(
There i s an em inent propri ety in th e appointment o f
two sac raments and only two The work o f th e S on
o f God redeemi ng u s from death needed t o be perpet
u ally represented i n a holy sacramen t and th e work o f
th e Spirit o f God needed also to be represented in t h e
Ch u rch by its appropriate sac rame nt O n these two
divi ne agents and th eir work depended o u r c omplete
salvation It is t th erefore that th e Ch u r ch should to
th e end of ti me cel ebrate th e two i nstituted ri t es whi c h
symb olize th e j oi nt agency o f th e sec ond and the thi rd
Persons o fth e Tri nity i n o u r salvati on N o r c ould any
symbols i n nat u re have bee n fo und more stri ki ngly ap
ro p ri
a
t
e for thi s end than th ose whi ch have been ch o
p
sen namely the water of baptism and th e b r ead and
,

TH E

T WO

SA CRA M ENTS

43

wine o f the Eu charist Th rou gh th e Ol d Testament

hi st ory wat er had a lways been u s ed to represent cl eans
i ng from si n and bl ood t h e s hedding s prinkli ng and
pou ring ou t o f blood had always been used to re p re
sen t a t onement redemp t ion o r th e taking away of t h e
guilt o f sin Th u s we have water sti ll used i n the bap
t is m and the bread and wine o f the S upper represent
i ng the br o ken b ody and t h e shed blood o f Ch rist th e
tru e Lamb of G o d that t aketh away the S in of th e
world
N othing can be more si mple beautifu l and appropri
ate than t hese two sacramen t s o f th e New Testament
when they are O bserved i n t he way Chris t has ordai ned
them
They h ave been strangely distorted an d per
verted from t he i r intenti on and m ixed up with vari ous
s uperstiti ou s O bservances i n the Ch u rch o f Rome and
o t her c ommu ni ons Th e Ch u rc h of Rome has added
ve o t her alleged sac raments to th e original two and
has s o c overed u p the r eal desi gn of baptis m and th e

Lord s S upper by a mass o f h uman traditi ons as to

des t roy thei r very si gn icance and tu rn them into in
s tru m e nt s o f i dolat ry and priestc raft
B ut all evangel
i cal Protestants stand agreed i n observi ng th e two
appointed sac raments o f Ch rist as the only ones bi nd
ing o n t he c onsci ence becau s e t h ey are th e only ones
having any New Tes t am en t auth ori t y
There are several i nteresting aspects i n wh ich we
m ay regard these h oly sacrament s
One has been al
ready i ndi cated We may reg a rd t h em as m ost s ig n if

ic an t symbols o f Chri s t s great atoning work and th e

Spirit s sanctifyi ng work A S s u ch th ey tou ch th e very

centre o f all saving truth and the h eart o f a ll tru e
-

L I VI NG

44

CH RI S TI A

NI T Y
.

Chr i stian e x pe r i ence The r e is plainly no v ital Ch r i s

t ian ity witho ut them
Th ey contai n i n symbol th e ve ry
e ss ence o f the gospel They are designed by Go d and
they are well adapted t o keep alive i n th e remembranc e
o f the Ch urch and i n th e heart o f every believi ng s ou l
the great central fa cts and doctri nes of o u r salvati on
By their con t i nu ed ce lebrati on they are a stand ing
witness to the worl d o f what Ch rist has done : They
preach th e gospel from age to age They are to the

Ch u rch the perpetual S igns and seals o f God s c o v

.

e n ant

The baptis m in the name o f Father S on and H oly

Ghost as oft en as it i s administered proclaims this great
mystery o fth e Godhead and calls fo r a h oly consecrated
life o n the part o f the recipient whether child o r adu lt
Th e pu re water whether applied by affus ion o r by e n
v e lo p i
n g th e recipi ent by i mmersi on i s the emblem of
a new and holy life Be i t little or be it mu ch applied o r
r ecei ved the water i s equally th e S i gn a nd the seal o f
that only true bapti sm whic h i s t he i nner baptism o f the

H oly Gh ost S o i n the Lord s S upper th e bread an d

the wine a r e the spi ritual symbols o f the b r oken b ody

and the shed blood o fo u r Lord Says Paul Th e c up

o f ble s si ng wh ich we bless 18 it not th e c omm u ni on o f
the blood of Christ ? The bread whic h we break i s it
n o t th e c ommu nion o f th e body of Christ ? For we b e
i ng many are o n e bread and o n e body : for we are all

partakers of that o n e bread ( I Cor x 16

I n this
sac red ordinance we see the deep spiri t ual i mport o f

o u r S a vi ou r s w o rds to the Jews when speaki ng of th e

manna whi ch God gave to thei r fathers : I am the

living bread whi ch came down from heaven ; if any
,

46

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

Fo r says Paul as o ft as ye eat th is bread and drink

this c up ye do S h ow the Lord s death till h e com e

I t i s a tender tou ching m emorial o f o u r absent Friend
an d Lord It is a perpetual remembranc e o f h i m wh o
gave h is life for u s Whi le it stands i n its pu rity love
can never die ; and wh i le love li v es i n the Christian
heart this outwa r d memorial and expressi on o f it can
never die I n all p r obabil ity since th e Lord h i mself
i nstit u ted it i n the upper ch ambe r at Jeru sal em no sin

gle Lo r d s day has passed without witnessing this sac r ed

c elebrati on s om ewh ere am ong h i s disciples
The sacraments m u st als o be r ega r ded i n the light o f
hi gh and preci ou s privi leges They stand among th e
m ost i mportant o f the var i ed m eans o f grace whi ch
Chri st has appoi nted i n his Chu r ch fo r the spi ritual
growth of h is beli eving people
This i s especially

tru e o f the Lord s S uppe r whi ch as being the memo

r ial o f the Lord s passi on and the ou twa r d expressi on

o f co mm uni on and fellowsh ip am ong his people c omes
to u s with i nu ences pec uliarly adapted to touch the
h eart o f its recipi ent It would be i mpossible to c o n
v e of an i nstit u tion better tted to c onser v e the great
cei
end of keeping the love of Chri st fresh and warm i n the
h u man h eart than this ext r aordina ry mem orial S uppe r
It i s a festi val not o f nati v ity b ut o f death and as su ch
it stands o u t di sti nct from all the comm on celebrati ons
It was instituted by Christ i n person u n de r
o f men
s u ch peculiar c i r c u mstances that e v ery s olemn celebra
ti on o f it bri ngs distinctly before th e minds of h is fol
l owers al l the tou chi ng scenes o f that drama o fpatienc e
and l ove whi ch ended at th e c r oss and the s epu lch re ;
and th e constant r ec u rrence of this commemo r ati v e o r
,

TH E

T WO

SA CRA M EN TS

47

throu gh the wh ole life o fth e Christian beli ever

( i n some chu rches o n every Lord s day i n others every

m onth and at farthest several ti mes a yea r) si ngles it
o u t from all th e other means o f grace as a great and
preci ous p r i v i lege
dinan c e

C H APTE R XXX I I I
TH E

CH

UR CH OF

CH

RI S T

U R s u rvey o f th e fundamental pri nciples o f the

Christian system wo ul d n o t be complete without
some noti ce o f the Ch u rch N othi ng i s more c learly
revealed i n the Bible than the fact that i n saving men
Jes us Christ has fou nded a s oci ety o r kingdom wh ich
h e calls h is Ch u rch
The topi c i s a fruitful o n e
through out the Scriptu res and the idea of su ch a king
d om formed among men and c onsec rated to the servi ce
and gl o ry o f Ch rist i s scarcely eve r absent from th e
sac r ed pages espec ially th ose o f the New Testament
H e di d not com e to save men singly as i solated indi
du als o f the h u man fami ly b ut to associate them to
vi
gether in thi s salvation i n a commu nity separated fro m
th e world u nder new bonds of relati onship to hi mself
and t o one another This c omm u nity he called th e
kingdom o f God th e kingdom o f heaven hi s Ch u rch
D istinctly di d h e proclai m it when at the O peni ng of
h is publi c ministry he preached sayi ng Repent for

the ki ngdom of h eaven i s at hand and when on Peter s

c onfessi on that h e was the M essiah th e Christ the Son

o f the living Go d
h e said U pon th is rock ( this fun

I
dam e n t al basis of h is o w n acknowledged Godhead )
will b uil d my Ch u rch ; and t he gates of h ell shall n ot

prevail agai nst it

.

2 48

L I VI NG

50

CH RI

S T I A NI T Y
.

both o f government and of worship Thi s

i s the spi ritual kingdom o f God t he Ch u rch o f Christ
c alled o ut from the worl d by special covenant as h is
pec uliar people t o who m he has given t he dispens a ti ons
o f h is grace the sacred oracles o f S criptu re the minis
try o f reconc iliati on the holy sacraments and all other
ordinances neces s ary for t he preservati on o f his wor
ship and the dissemination of h is truth am ong men
It i s designated i n Scriptu re u nder vari ous h ighly
ap

It is the pillar and ground

p ro p riate names and t it leS

the h ouse and fam i ly o f God the spi r

o f the truth

temple of God the

c omm o nweal t h o f the
it u al

saints and kingdom of God

the body o f whi ch
Christ i s th e H ead the fullness of hi m that lle t h al l
things the Z ion o r city of God and in the Apoc

New Jerusalem and the B ri de o f t he

alyp s e the

Lamb
I n the Ol d Tes t ament it is mo s t frequ ently

called the congregation of Israel o r th e congrega

tion of the Lord
By whatever name designated it is
always co nceived o f i n S cripture as one b ody o n e
kingdom one Church
Whether in the O ld Testament o r i n the New w h eth
er under the Ch r istian dispensation o r u nder th e th ree
dispensations whic h preceded the Adamic the Abra
hami c the M osai c the Chu rch o f Go d is always one
and th e same Ch urch At any given peri od it may
c onsist o f a few members o r o f a membership scattered
as wi de as th e earth or it may consist o f many local
c om mu nions and separated den o minati ons o f Christians
b ut s till u nder all fo rms and o rders an d outward o r
g an iz at io n this great spi ri t ual body of whi ch Ch rist i s
the H ead is one Chu rch and n o t many All are o ne in
sti
t u t io ns ,

TH E

CH

UR CH

OF

CH

RI S T

51

Christ Jesus all wh o by faith and prac t i ce are worthy

to be members i n any Chu rch are by thei r high calling
of God in Ch ris t Jes us members o f th e o n e h oly cath
oli c apos t olic Chu rch which i s t he Ch u rch o f patri
arch s prophe t s and apos tle s th e o n e tru e and only
Ch urch I n th e Chu rch says Paul there i s nei t her Jew
nor Greek circu m ci si on n o r u ncirc u mci s i o n barbarian
S cy t hian bond no r free but Christ i s all and i n all
T his u nity o f th e Spi ri t u ni t y of t he t rue fai t h unity
o f the c om mon s a lvati on is i n fact o n e of th e essen
tial attrib utes o f the C h u rch even as spirituality o f
worship is another D iversity o f forms and O f org a n
iz at io n s no m ore breaks th e oneness o f th e Ch u rc h
than diversity i n natu re b reaks the u nity o f c reati on
and the true order o f th e u niverse
Th e oneness o f the Ch u rch i n Ch rist i s a favorite
them e wi t h the apostle of th e Gentiles I n h is Epi stles
to th e Romans and to th e Galatians he argues at length
to S h ow that all tru e belie v ers are the chi ldren of Abra
h am and that t h e Ch u rch u nder all dispensati ons c o n
sisting of tru e beli evers i s o n e and the same H e tells
the Galatians that the gospel was preach ed before u nto
Abr a ham i n th e promise t h a t i n his seed ( the M essiah )
all nat i ons would be blessed a nd t hat the legal disp e n
s a ti on di d n o t annu l but c onrmed that everlas t ing
c ovenant made wi t h Abraham ac cording to whi ch th e
same gospel was preach ed and th e same Chu rch re o r
Writi ng to t he R o
g an iz e d on th e d a y o f Pentecost
mans h e says Fo r as we hav e many members i n o n e
body and all members h ave n o t the same of ce ; s o
we being many are o n e body i n Christ and every o ne

members o n e of a nother
To t he Corinthians he s ays
,

L I VI NG

52

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y

Now there are diversities o f gift s b ut the s ame Spirit

And there are differences o f administrations b ut th e
same L ord And there are diversities o f oper a tions ; b ut

it i s the s a me God which worketh all i n all

H e ex
h orts the Ephesians to keep the unity o f the Spirit i n

th e b ond o f peace saying

There i s o n e body and
o n e Spi rit even as y e are called i n o n e hope of you r
calling ; o n e Lord one faith o n e baptism o n e God and
Father o f all who is ab o v e all and th r ough all and i n

y ou all
O u r blessed Lord h i mself had given th e text o f th is
far reaching spiritual u nity i n h is kingdom when i n th e
i ntercessory prayer h e sai d N eith er pray I fo r thes e
alone but for the m also whi ch shall believe o n m e
throu gh thei r word that they all may be o n e as th ou
Father ar t i n me and I i n thee that they also may b e
o n e i n u s ; that the world may bel ieve that tho u hast
sent me And the glory whi ch th ou gavest me I have
given them ; that they may be o n e even as we are one
I i n them and th ou i n me that they m a y be made per
fe c t i n o n e ; and that the worl d may know t hat th ou
hast sent me and hast lo v ed them as th ou hast loved
.

me

Th e h istory of th e Ch u rch i s in fact coextensi v e

with the hi story o f r edempti on It dates back to the
garden of Eden and to th e rst promise o f sal v ati on

by the M essiah wh o as th e c oming O ne th e woman s

seed shou ld brui se the serpent s h ead

From that

small beginning o f hope and promise and from Abel s

altar of faith and b urnt sacrice the Ch u rch was grad
u ally de v eloped throu gh the ages before and after th e
ood u nti l the ti me o f Ab r aham then with the added
,

L I VI NG

54

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

sacred books o f life and salvation its s ublime m or a l

and ceremoni al laws i t s pre a ched g o spel its inspi red
prophets its sacred bard s its s a c raments o f c irc u m c is
i on an d the passover its tru e faith its pu re gospel its
way o f salvati on and its devout believers
To th e Ch u rch th u s enshri ned i n the sacred memo
ri es of fou r th ousand years th u s lled with the gifts
and the graces of th e H oly Gh ost o n the day o f Pen
t e co s t and th u s prepared for th e c onquest o f th e world
the risen and exalted Savi ou r gave his last great c om
m issi on and with it t he ordinances sacraments and
of
c e bearers o f this Christian dispensati on
All thes e
we hav e i n the New Testament They are c om monly
c al led hi s ascensi on gifts i n ac c ordance with the M es
si
an ic p r ediction qu oted fro m the sixty ei ghth psalm
by Pau l i n the fou rth ch a pter o f his Epistle to th e

Ephesians : When h e ascended up on h igh h e led

captivity captive and gave gi fts unto m en
And h e
gave some apostles ; and s ome prophets ; and some
evangelists ; and some pastors and teachers ; for the
perfecting o f the sai nts for t h e work o f th e ministry

fo r the edi fyi ng o f th e body of Ch ri st

Thi s Ch u rch o f th e new dispensati on (wh ich i s als o
the last ) with its ri ch ascension gifts i t s livi ng m inistry

its h oly sacraments of baptism and t he Lord s S upper

its c ompleted canon o f i nspi red S criptu res its great
c om missio n to evangelize all nati ons its i ndwelling
presence o f th e H oly Gh ost and its prophetic word of
p romise
Lo I am with you alway e v en u nto th e end
o f th e world is itself th e historical realization of th e
kingdom o f God o n earth
It is a great mistake to think that ki ngdom belongs
,

TH E

CH

UR CH

OF

CH

RIST

55

alone to the futu re That kingdom o f righteo usness

and truth an d peac e has long ago been fou nded and i s
al ready i n th e world lling it with gl ory We are now
i n it livi ng in t he m idst o f its tri u mph s ; we are u nder
the bright blaze o f its c u lmin a ting dispensa t i on Th e
light from h eaven is n o w shini ng over all the earth
Jesu s Ch rist i s already rei gning and has been reig ni ng
for eighteen cen t uries There are great thi ngs b eh ind
u s i n all the past history o f h is rei gn and doubtless
still greater things b efore us i n t he near futu re B ut
we are n o w living amid the won derfu l tri u mphs o f hi s
grace and the manifestati o ns of hi s presence and glory
are visible in all parts o f hi s ki ngdom Th e M essiah
h as n o t abdi c ated his t hrone o r abandoned h is Ch u rch
Why sh ou ld h e ? Wicked men may blaspheme and
devils may rage but are t hey li kely t o be too strong
for the Lord ? H e w h o h a s all power i n heaven and
ear t h and who said to h is Ch urch by the ancient p ro p h

The n at ion and ki ngdom tha t will not serve thee

et

shall perish ; yea those na t i ons s hall be utterly wasted

Isa
is
no
t
likely
t
o
desert
her
now
after
ei
ght
1
x
(
een centuries of trial and tri u mph and progress
T here i s s omethi n g o f th e m or a lly s ubli me i n th i s
perpe t u a l and i ndestru ctible li fe o f th e Chu rch of Christ

Because I live ye s h a ll live a lso is as true o f the o r

ganie life o f t he Ch u rch as of t he i ndivi du a l life o f i t s
members Th e Ch urch i s th e only governm ental in s ti
I t has al ready outlived
t u t io n o n earth t h a t never di es
every t hing else i n t he world It was wel l symb o lized
by the b u rning b u s h a t H o reb All the great world
p o wers o f an t iqui ty th at i n s uc cessi on st rove t o c ru s h
her life have passed away The A s syrian the M edo
.

56

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

Persian the G rae c o M a cedonian the Roman empi r e

r ose aro und her and raged against her and t hen per
T h e m ost of th e
is h e d one after an o t her at her feet
great nations o f modern his t ory have g o ne i n th e same

way except as t hey were i n sympathy with Christ s

kingdom All earthly i nterests and i nstitutions ex
c ept those which h a d the tru e life o f Chris t ianity i n
them h ave di ed aro und her The Ch u rc h alone has
stood fast ami d t he s t orms o f ti me and the wrecks o f
nations B uilt upon t he Rock o f ages and end ued with
the power of an endless life S h e has al w ays been safe
and i s as safe to day as ever
When these heavens
shall b e diss olved and the s o lid ear t h shall pa s s away

sh e wil l sti ll s t and fast ready to b e transferred t o th e

new heavens and t he new ear t h wherei n dwelleth ri ght
T i me has been when man c o unted it a great
e o u snes s

H o w empty
h onor to say I a m a Roman c itizen
the b oast compared wi t h that o f th e apostle when he

sai d I am a fellow citizen with the saints and o f the

h ousehol d of God !
-

) 9

58

L I VI NG

CH RI

S TI A NI T Y
.

to th e existenc e and perpetuity of a soci ety wh i ch from

th e begi n ning had to be propagated by the preachin g
o f the word and the telli ng o f the story o fthe cross that
it should have a di s ti nct class charged with all the sol
e m n responsibilities o f th e Chri stian m inistry that we
can scarcely conceive h ow t he Ch urch could h ave made
any headway i n th e world without th is div m e institution
N othi ng perhaps more e v i nces th e divi ne and fa r r each
i ng wis dom o f the great Founde r o f Christianity than
this ordination of a perpetual leadership o f i nstruction
and oversight and gui danc e exemplied i n th e pastors
teac h ers and e v angelists of the New Testament Ch u r ch
To a living ministry i ndu cted i nto of ce from age to
age u nder th e m ost sac red o f all vows charged with
the greatest of all i nterests the care o f s ouls and e n
dowed with th e best spi ritual gift s and the hi ghest in
t e lle c t u al and m oral c u lt u re th e H ead o f the Ch u r ch
has com mitted the great work of preaching his gospel
to the ends o f the earth and carryi ng forward the ad
ministrati on o f h is kingdom u nti l h e shall retu rn
Wh en h e gave this grand c ommissi on O f delegated

and prescribed power h e sai d

Lo I am with yo u

alway even u nto the end o f the world

M en may diffe r as to the names titles an d attributes
o f th is mi nistry b ut with th e New Testament S cript
u res i n o u r h ands it is i mpossible not to see that Christ
has appoi nted it and that he has attached to it th e u t
m os t i mportance I n Vi rtu e o f his o w n mediatorial and
kingly ofc e he had al l power i n heaven and earth to
ordai n a ministry for al l ti me H e rst called and
trai ned and ordained h is twelve apostles To thes e
h e gav e th e key s o f the ki ngdom with plenipotentiary
,

THE

OSPEL

M I NI S TR

59

power and th e gifts of the H oly Gh ost to i nvest others

wi t h all the authori ty needful fo r the work of the mi n
is t ry
When he had ascended to h eaven we nd them
fu llling this h igh co mmissi on i n the ordi n a ti on of the
bishops presbyters deac ons and evangelists of the New
Testament Ch urch What the apostles di d they had
autho r i t y to do because Christ had fully i nvested the m
with it Th us the Ne w Testament minist ry began wit h
Christ h i mself and was transmitted to others th rough
his i nspired apostles acting i n hi s name What they
di d h e di d ; and so the ministry they o r dai ned has
come down th roug h all the ages as his own divi ne
i nstituti on
The livi ng ministry therefore i s a part of the gospel
itsel f It can n o more be set asi de than the Ch urch can
be set asi de It i s part and parcel o f New
Testament
Christianity
It is an i ndispensable part o f all tru e
evangelical Christianity We can no m ore disparage

it than we can disparage Ch rist s o w n word and Chris t s

o wn institution
If the Ch u rch is fou nded o n a rock
against whi ch the gates of hell S hall not prevai l th e
l ivi ng ministry i s fou nded o n th e same rock fo r it i s an
i ntegral part o f the Ch urch Paul calls it the mi nist ry
o f the word because its great disti nctive functi on i s to
proclai m and expou nd the word o f Go d and h e calls
it th e minist ry o f reconciliation becau se its great ai m
through t he preaching o f the word is to p ers uade and
i nduce men to be reconciled to God : Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ as tho ugh God did beseech

u
o
by u s : we pray yo u i n Christ s stead be ye recon
y
c iled to God ( 2 C o r v
The same apostle i n an
other S ig n i c ant passage c onnects this living ministry
.

60

LI

VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

di rectly with th e salvation o f men H e says Wh oso

eve r shall call upon the name o f the Lord shall be
saved H ow then shall they call on hi m i n wh om th ey
have n ot believed ? and h o w shall they believe in h i m
o f wh om they have n o t heard ?
and h ow shall they
h ear with out a preacher ? and h ow s hall they preach
except they be sent ? as it is written H ow beautifu l are
the feet o f them that preach the gospel of peace and

bri ng glad tidings o f good things ! ( Rom x 1 3

It i s fo r eign to the pu rpose o f these pages to ente r
i nto any disc ussi on o f the c oni cting v i ews h el d by
the diffe r ent branches o f th e Christian Ch u r ch as to
the orde r s titles and pec u lia r fu nctions of the ministry
Each Ch u rch claims to follow th e standard of th e New
Testament Ch u rch on these differentiating poi nts Of
c ou rse all cannot be right but that Ch urch i s certainly
nearest th e truth whi ch can S how itself possessed of a
m inistry the most i n ac c ordance with the letter and
spirit of th e New Testament It i s s u fci ent here t o
mai ntain what i s admitted by all that a separate
ofcial m inistry i nvested by regular ordinati on with
th e great functions of preaching and instru ction and
c harged with th e pastoral care o f th e Ch u rch i s essen
tial t o th e propagati on of the gospel and to t h e S pirit
ual e dic atio n o f th e b ody o f Christ and that s uch a mi n
is try i s of divine auth ority as being i nstituted by Ch ri st
and h is ap o Stle s The existence of su ch a ministry
th rou gh all the ages from th e beginning u nti l now is
an unquesti onable fact o f Ch urc h history as patent as
the Chu rch itself and th e fact o f its appointment and
exi stence i n the New Testament i s as u ndeniabl e as its
existence i n all s ubsequ ent history H ence we are e n
.

62

L I VI NG

CH RI

S TI A N I T Y

b ut the spirit giveth life

Therefore seei ng we have
thi s ministry as we have rec eived mercy we faint not :
b ut have renou nced the h idden things o f dish onesty ;
n o t walking i n craft iness nor handling the word of Go d
decei t fu lly ; b ut by manifestati on o f the truth c o m

mending o u rselves to every man s c onscience i n th e

s ight o f God ( 2 Cor i i I 5I 7 ; i ii 5 6 ; iv 1

In l ike manner the apostle Peter says As eve r y

man hath received the gift even so mi niste r the same
o n e to anothe r as good s t ewards of the manifol d grace
If any man speak let hi m speak as the ora
o f God
cles of God ; if any man mi nister let hi m do it as o f
the ability whi ch God giveth : that God i n all th ings
may be gloried throu gh J es us Christ ; to whom be

praise fo r ever and ever ( 1 Pet iv 10

Again h e

writes : Th e elders whic h are among yo u I exh o rt

wh o am als o an elder and a witness o f the s ufferi ngs
o f Chri s t and a lso a partaker o f the gl ory that shal l
be revealed : Feed the ock o f God wh ich i s among
yo u taki ng the oversight t h e re o f n o t by c onstrai nt
bu t willingly ; n o t for lthy l ucre b ut of a ready mind ;

neither as being lords over God s heritage b ut being

ensamples to t he oc k And when th e chief Sheph erd
shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fad

eth not away ( 1 Pet v I

Pau l has given u s three Pastoral Epistles addressed

s pecially to G o d s ministers two to Ti mothy and o n e

to Titu s c ontaining t he m ost explic it di recti o n s as to
the qu alica t i o ns and d uties o f th ose wh o enter the
sac red of c e H e says If a man desire the of c e o f
a bish op h e desi reth a good w ork and he exh orts to
t he utmost faithfu lness i n th e discharge o f it :
B ut
,

G OSPEL

TH E

I I I N I S TR

63

watch th o u i n all thing s endu re aficti ons do th e

work o f an evangelist m a ke full proof o f thy mi ni s

try ;
Stu dy to S how thyself approved u nto Go d a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly di

O Ti mothy keep that

vi
din g t he word o f truth

wh i ch i s committed to thy trust

Agai n he say s

Let the elders t hat rule well be c ou nted worthy o f

double h ono r especially they wh o labor i n the word

and doctrine
No candi d man can read these brief b ut weighty
Epistles with out feeling at every sentence h ow high
is the cal li ng h ow sacred th e of ce h o w momentou s
the work h ow solem n the responsibility o f the minis

ters of God
Obey them says Pau l that have th e
rul e o v er yo u and s ubmit you rselves : for they w at ch
fo r you r souls as they that m ust give accou nt that they
may do it with j oy and not with grief : fo r that is u m

protable for yo u ( H eb xi ii I 7 ) ; And no man tak

eth this h onor u nto hi mself but h e that is called o f

God as was Aaron ( H eb V

,

C H A P T E R XXXV
THE

ONVERSI ON OF

WO R L D

TH E

F the ni ne or ten m ost prominent systems o f

r eligi on which have gai ned belief amongst men
Ch ris tianity i s the only o n e which has possessed th e
tru e missionary S pi rit and aim ed at the m oral conquest
o f the world
M oham medanis m has i n fact extended
o v er large porti ons o f mankind o f di fferent races and
nati onalities but its greatest tri umph s were won by th e
sword and b ut for th e l ust o f power o n the part o f its
rst great military leaders there is little reason to think
it wou ld ever have spread beyond the h ome o f its bi r t h
The rel igion o f B u ddha which g a i ned s o strong a foot
h old over t he vast popul ati ons of Central Eastern and
S outhern Asia has been regarded as th e nearest paral
lel to Christianity i n its S pi rit o f diffusi on ; b ut even
this aft er eighteen centu ri es of gradual expansi on has
been c onned to o n e quarter o f t he globe and cannot
properly be called a m issi onary religi on i n the sen s e
that its direct ai m from the rst has been to bring the
wh ole world u nder its in uence
O n the c ontrary t he divine Fou nder of Ch ristianity
when he sent forth his rst apostles sent them fo rth as
m issionaries to th e ends o f the earth B reaking over
the narrow b ou ndaries o f r ace and nati on which h a d
h itherto divided manki nd h e gave his followers a c om
.

2 64

66

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

pi ration of S criptu re and an i ndwel ling presenc e of the

H oly Gh ost for t he express pu rpose o f b ringing all
men to the knowledge o f the truth and of s ubdu ing
all th ing s to hi msel f I n a word he c ontemplated t he
c onversi on o f the world to Christianity and the estab
lis h m e nt o f his u niversal reign of ri ghteousness amongst
men an d com mitted to h is reorganized Ch u rc h the task
Ac cord
o f ac c omplishing i n h is name that great end
i ng to hi s directi on hi s apostles di d ta rry i n Jerusalem
u nti l the marvelo us endowment of spi ritual power came
down fr o m heaven i n th e cloven tongues and mi rac u lou s
gifts of th e Spi rit o n the day o f Pentec ost Then th e
work began and a new departu re was i naugu rated
wh i ch has neve r c eased b u t h as been going forward
with eve r i nc reasi ng power and widening inuenc e to
th e present h ou r
We are l iving to day u nder this great comm issi on o f
the Son o f God We are livi ng and acting ou r part i n
fu rtherance of th i s great endeavor of the Ch u r ch o f
God th e m ost giganti c the m ost au gust and in sp ir
ing th e m ost perse v eri ng and u ndyi ng that ever e n
gaged the heart of m an th e God appoi nted endeavor
to convert all men to th e acknowledgment o f t h e truth
and belief of the gospel H ow many h eroi c m en and
women th rough th e ages have felt th e i nspirati on of thi s
l ofty i dea ! H ow many have spent th eir lives and per
ish e d i n th e attempt to p ut i t i nto actual realizati on !
H as the great endeavo r ever been abandoned ? N o t
fo r o n e moment M any o f th e noblest charac t ers th a t
h ave adorned the history o f Christianity throu gh th e
centu r ies belong to th e annals o f missions M en and
women of whom the world was not worthy i n al l
S

THE

O NVERSI ON

TH E

OF

W OR LD

67

Christian lands have cheerfully endu red al l manner of

privation and toi l an d faced death i n a t h ousand fo r ms
i n obedi enc e to thi s charge of thei r ascended Lord
I t is the pec uliar dis t i ncti on o f the Ch u rch o f Chri st

to at t empt great t hi ngs and expect great th ings

Th e
cause of m issions calls for a nd at th e same time wa r
ran t s th i s spirit O f h igh endeavor I n carryi ng th e
gospel to all nations the Ch u rch is only acting u nder
th e command o f h er divi ne H ead only obeying th e

ma rch ing orders of the Captai n of ou r salvati on

All th e tri u mph s o f th e past t h e whole progress of
eighteen centuri es th e s u re promi ses o f Chri st and the
predictions o f ancient prophecy u nite thei r strong e n
c o u rag e m e n t to u rge forward the Ch u rch in her work
N o o n e can read the M essiani c psal ms o r
o f missi ons

the glowing descripti ons o f I mmanuel s kingd om i n the

Old Testament proph e t s with out seei n g that Christian
ity i n attempting th e conversion o f the world i s ai m
i ng at an end wh ich God h i mself has auth orized and to
wh ich he has set hi s o w n seal th a t it shall s u rely be ac
complished
Th e t i m e may be long deferred o r it
m a y be nea r at hand bu t th e promise of Go d cannot
fa il
The inspired ps a lmist represents Go d as saying to
th e M essiah
Ask of me and I shall give thee the
h eathen for thi ne i nh eritance and t he ut t ermost parts

o r thy pos s essi on

H e shall have do
o f the ear t h f
mi ni o n also from sea to se a an d from th e river u n t o
the ends o f t h e ear t h
All na t ions shal l s erve h i m
H is name s h a ll endure fo r ever : his name sh a ll be c o n
tin n ed as l ong as th e su n : and m e n s hall be blessed in
h i m : all nati on s s hal l call h im bles s ed ( P s al ms ii and
,

68

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

Th e prophet H abakku k speaks o f a ti me

wh en the earth shall b e lled with the knowledge of

the glo ry o f the Lord as the waters c over the sea

M i cah says H e shall j u dge among many people and
rebu ke strong nati ons afar off and th ey shall beat thei r
swords i nto pl oughshares and t hei r spears i nto p r un
i ng h ooks : nation shall not li ft up sword agains t n a
ti on neith er shall they learn war any m ore ( Hab ii
14
M i cah iv
Th e evangeli cal prophet devotes the
last twenty si x chapters of h is b ook to a desc ripti on o f

Christ s ki ngd om i n the last days wh en t h e world S hal l

b e full o f peace and ri ghteo us ness when there shal l be
nothi ng to h u rt o r destroy i n all the h oly mou ntain of
the Lord
It is in acc ordance wi t h thes e ancient predicti ons of

the u niversal extensi on O f M essiah s kingdom and th e

c on v ersion o f all nations to hi m under th e preaching
o f the gospel and the outpou ri ng of th e Spi rit i n the
l atter days th at i n th e Apocalypse the last New Tes
tament write r beholds a mighty angel ying through
h eaven and h avi ng the everlasti ng gospel to preach to
the i nhabitants o f the earth This s ubli me visi on from
h eaven symbolizes fo r all ti me what c onstitutes th e p e
ar glory and distincti on of o u r Christian dispensa
c u li
ti on namely the universal proclamati on of the gospel

i n all lands and i n all nations by G o d s appoi nted her

alds the ministers evangelists and missi onaries o f th e
Christian Ch u rc h This grand proclamation o fth e truth
i s now goi ng o n u nder t he whol e w i de ci rc u it o f the
h eavens
I n th e h i s tory o f Christianity we may trace three
disti nct epochs of m issionary zeal i n the evangeliza
,

L I VI NG

70

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

c hief poi nt of dep a rtu re was Rome th ou gh it had

other cen t res o f i nu enc e had for its gre a t ai m the
evangelization of al l th ose erc e warli ke people s
whi ch o n e a ft er an other afte r s preadi ng de s olati on
over t h e Roman empi re made th ei r permanent h om e
i n North ern Eastern and C entral Eu rope It was no
light task to Christianize and c ivilize s u ch races bu t
it was n o t too great for th e gospel of Chri st Th e
work was sl ow an d O ften ret a rded b ut it was e v er ag
It cost m a ny n o ble lives and
g re s s ive and onward
m u ch treas u r e and long centu ries o f patient toi l ; it
extended far down throu gh th e M i ddle Ages ; but i t
was at last ac c omplished Every tribe and every na
ti on of Eu r o pe h ea r d th e gospel recei v ed th e gospel
r enounced its pagan gods and its savage life and before
ten centuri es were ended rej oic ed i n the p ure light and
c ivilizati on o f Chri stiani ty
A continent o f nations
n o w the m ost powerfu l i n the world had been w o n and
reclai med for Ch ri st It was h i s sec ond grand h is t o r
i cal tri u mph The rst had saved th e Roman empi re
c i rcling the M editerranean and given the world Greek
and Lati n Christianity i n plac e of the o ld myth ology ;
th e sec ond evangelized and saved all Eu rope givi ng u s
the Ch ristianity o f the great Teu t oni c Scandi navian
German S clavo n ic and Anglo Saxon nati ons i n place
of th e reli gi on o f the erc e followers o f Wodin and
Thor Th e second conqu est had been longer b ut it
was greater than the rst for th e conqu erors of the

worl d s c onquerors had now yielded to th e divin e

power o f C hristianity
The third great revival o f th e missi ona ry spirit i s
that u nder wh ose in uence it is o u r privilege to live
,

TH E

ONVERSI ON

OF

W ORL D

TH E

I t dates from the c losing decade of the last centu ry and

the opening years o f the ni neteen t h It i s a s yet i n its
bright spri ng ti me o f promise
Compared with th e
other two great mis sionary ages i t s epoch th u s far
has been brief ; b ut the movement o n the part o f th e
Ch u rch has been far m ore general and the el d o f O p
e rat i
o n s o n a far wider scale
Its c entres o f i nu ence
a r e not i n o n e c ountry b ut i n many They are th e
great c om mercial capi t als of every leadi ng nati on o f
Protestant Ch ristendom o u r own i nclu ded The New
Worl d n o t less than th e Ol d has caught th e spi rit
across the waters and i s fai rly enlisted i n the cau se
Th e missi onary en t erprise i s now the cau se o f uni
versal Ch ristendom especially s o with all Protestant
ch u rches amongst wh om thi s last m issionary epoch
was i naugu rated Eve ry evangeli cal body o f Protes
tant Christians i n the world is now engaged h eart and
s ou l i n the work o f foreign missions havi ng its band
o f Ch ristian heralds o n th e eld and contributi ng its
treas u r e and its prayers to the cause And what a
el d it i s ! It i s the world fo r whi ch Jesu s di ed th e
o n e world o f h u man b roth erh ood ; the world of nati ons
n d races and tribes o f pagan men
N o longer th e nar
o w bou ndaries o f Rome or o f Eu rope b ut all the c on
t in e nt s and all the isles of the ocean c onstitute t he o n e
missi onary eld now set before the c ombi ned Ch u rc h
o f God for this th ird and greatest an d perhaps nal
effo rt to bless and save the rac e
What has been done du ring the centu ry th us fa r o n
both the h ome and the foreign eld i s enou gh to de
m ons t rate and to guarantee the s uccess of all th e re s t
The i ncreasing tri u mphs o f the past a nd of the pres
.

L I VI NG

2
7

CH RI

S TI A NI T Y
.

ent whereve r the gospel has been preach ed and is now

being preached are s u f c ient to i nspire all hearts with
u nspeakable j o y at the ne a r prospect o f the h our when
C hristianity shall wi n its nal universal vi c t ory We
can have no hesitation i n saying that the o n e most u r
gent duty to which G o d is n ow calling h is Ch u r ch o f
every name and o f every order i s that o f giving th e
gospel to manki nd i n every pagan land Thi s i s livi n g

Christianity to preach the gospel to the poor to sen d

th e gospel t 6 th ose wh o still sit in the regi on and S hadow
o f death
Wh a t is any Christian professi on worth and
what i s any organiz ati on u nder heaven cal ling itself a
Ch u rch wor t h i f it fails to do th is
That venerable servant o f God and noble type of th e
Christian mi ssi onary D r A lexander D uff expressed th e
senti ment j u st before h is death that the cau se o f mis

si ons is th e chi ef reas on for the Ch u rc h s c onti nu ed ex

is te n c e i n this world
Havi ng c l osed his l ong and s u c
c e ss f
u l career i n I ndia and returned for th e last ti me to
h is native Sc otland worn o u t i n the servi ce h e ad
dresse d a c omm u ni cati on to the rst General Cou nci l
o f th e Presbyterian Ch u rch at Edinbu rgh in 1 87 7 i n
wh ich h e declared with great emphasis th e one ruling
c onvi ction o n wh ic h he had begu n hi s m issi onary life
and with whi ch he was now cl osing it t o be that mis
si ons i n th e large and c omprehens ive sense of th e

world s evangelizati on are by appoi ntment and decree

o f the gl ori ous tri u ne Jeh o v ah the ch ief end o f th e
Christian Ch u rch and he expressed th e belief that the
Christian Ch u rch wou ld acc omplish its grand missi on
o f converting the whole world to Christ only w he n
i t shou ld enter heart and s ou l i nto the mission work
,

L I VI NG

74

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

hi s M essi a hship and said H ereaft er shall ye see the

S on o f m a n s i t ting on the right h and of power and c om

i ng i n th e cl ouds o f heaven
H e had already a fe w
days before as recorded i n the twenty fth chapter o f
t h e Gospel by Ma t thew made the same revela t ion of

h is c om ing ki ngdom and gl ory to his disciples : When

the S o n o f man shall c ome i n h i s glory and all the
h oly angels with h i m then shall he S it upon the th rone
o f his glory : and before h i m shall be gathered all n a
ti ons ; and h e shal l separate them one fro m another as
a shepherd divi deth hi s sheep from the goats : and he
shall set the sheep o n h i s ri ght hand b ut the goats o n

th e left
These subli me revelations are i n ac c ordanc e
with what took plac e o n the day o f his asc ensi on to
h eaven as s t ated by Lu ke i n t he last chapter of h is
G o spel and i n the rst c hap t er of th e Ac t s o f th e
Apostles : And he led them out as far as to Bethany

and he lift ed up hi s hands and blessed them

And
when he had S poken these th ings wh i le t hey beh el d
h e was taken up ; and a c lou d received h i m o u t o f
thei r sight And wh ile th ey l ooked steadfastly toward
h eaven as he went up beh old two men stood by the m
i n white apparel ; which also said Ye men o f Galilee
why stand ye gazing up i nto heaven ? This same Jes u s
which i s taken up from yo u into heaven shall s o c om e

in like m a nner as ye have seen hi m g o into heaven

If we tu rn to th e s ubsequent writings o f the New
Te sta ment we nd t hem everywh ere lled with thi s
gloriou s h ope o f th e re t u rn o f Jesus Christ to thi s
w o rld H e had pr o m ised t o c ome a g a i n i n great pow
er and glory and had exh o rted them to stand always

ready watching and praying for his appearing : Ye

,

TH E

OM I NG OF

TH E

L OR D

75

k now nei t her the day n o r th e ho u r i n wh ich th e S o n

I n th i s spirit Pau l writes to th e

o f man shall come
C ori n thians : S o that ye c ome behind i n n o gift ; w a i t
ing fo r th e c omi ng o f o u r Lord Jes u s Ch ri st ( I C or
i
To the Thessalonians h e says I pray God you r
wh ole spirit and s oul and b ody be preserved blame
less unto th e comi ng o f o u r Lord J e s u s Christ ( 1
Thess V
T o the Philippians he sai d
O u r c on
versation i s i n heaven ; from whenc e al s o we lo o k fo r

To
the Savi o u r th e Lord Jes us Chri s t ( Ph il i i i
Titus h e wrote
Looking for that blessed h ope and
the gl ori ous appeari ng o f th e great Go d and o ur Sav
io u r Jesu s Ch ri st
Tit
i
i
I
n
the
General
Epi
s
tl
e
(
to th e H ebrews h e says S o Christ was once offered
t o bear th e si ns o f m an y ; and u nto them t hat l ook for
h i m shall h e appear the second ti me wi t hout si n u nto

salvati on ( H eb ix
The last book o f the Bible th e Apocalypse opens
and C loses with this great prom ise o f the second c o m

ing : Beh old h e cometh wi t h clo uds ; and eve ry eye

shal l see h i m and they als o wh o pierc ed hi m : a nd a ll
k indreds of th e ear t h shal l wail becau se of h i m

Behold I come qu ickly : blessed i s h e th a t keepeth

the sayi ngs o f th e proph ecy o f thi s b o ok
H e which
te s ti e th these things saith S u rely I c ome qu ickly :
Amen Even s o c ome Lord Jes u s ( Rev i 7 ; xxi i
The apostle Peter as if i n antic ipation o f th e
7
l ong delay of thi s co ming says i n the close of his Sec
o n d General Epistle
The L ord is n o t sl a ck c oncern
i ng h is promi s e as s ome men c ou nt slackne s s ; bu t i s
l o ng s uffering t o u s ward not wi lling t hat any S h o ul d
perish but t ha t a ll s h oul d come t o repentanc e But

76

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

the day of th e Lord wi ll c om e as a thief i n the night ;

i n which th e heavens shall pass away with a great
noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat
the earth also and th e works that are therei n shall be
b u rned u p ( 2 Pet iii 9
Th e o n e passage h ow
ever whi ch gives u s th e fu llest revelati on o f the Sav

io u r s second advent is i n Pau l s Fi rs t Epis t le to the

Thessalonian ch u rch :
I wou ld not have you to b e

i gnorant brethren c oncerning them whi ch are asleep

( dead) that ye sorrow not e v en as others which have

no hope For if we believe that Je s us died and ros e
agai n even s o th em also which sleep i n Jes us wi ll Go d
bring with hi m F o r this we s ay u nto you by t h e word
o f the Lord that we whi ch are alive and remai n u nto
th e c oming o f the Lord shall n o t prevent them wh ic h
are asleep Fo r the Lord hi mself shall descend fro m
heaven with a sh out with the voi ce o f the archangel
and with the trump of God : an d th e dead i n Ch rist
shal l rise rst : then we wh i ch are alive and remai n
shall be c au ght up together with th em i n th e cl ou ds
to meet th e Lord in th e ai r : and so shall we ever be
with th e Lord Wherefore c omfort o n e another with

these words ( I Thess i v 1 3

S u ch i s the clear testi mony of Sc ript u re on the sub

j e ct of o u r Lord s sec ond c om ing I n a matter wh ich

belongs wh olly to th e futu re and o n whi ch w e can hav e
no possible informati on except what God has seen t to
reveal to u s i n h is word it i s nee dl ess to spec ulate o r to
frame theories We m u s t await th e h ou r o f the gran d
apocalypse from h eaven before we can know the fu ll
truth As i n all former generati ons s o al so i n ou r own
many learned and godly m en have earnestly striven to
,

78

L I VI NG

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

Savi ou r i n th is worl d o r in t h e next I n either event

the great and blessed promise is fullled that he shall
see hi m and be for ever with h i m Of the tru e b e liev
ers o fall ages and all lands s ome have lived and toiled
i n the e x pectati on o f seeing his r etu rn t o this world o f
rst seeing h i m here and s ome have toi led and died i n
the expectati on of meeting hi m rst i n heaven ; b ut al l
alike have lived labored and died i n th e ass u red h ope
that they sh all certainly see hi m fo r t he Lord ha t h
S poken it :
I go to prepare a place for yo u ; and i f I
go and prepare a plac e fo r yo u I wil l c ome agai n and
r eceive you unto myself that whe r e I am there ye may

b e also
While th erefore we know nothing as to the precise

ti me o f o u r Lo r d s c oming there a r e s ome character

ist ic s of it whi ch are reveal ed i n Scri pt u re with great
c learness We know rst that it i s to be an actual
and a personal advent Th ere can be no u ncertainty on

this point : Th is same Jes us wh i ch is taken up from

i
nto
h
eaven
S hal l s o come i n li ke manner
Then
o
u
y
aga i n I t is t o be a s udden c oming : At su ch an h ou r

as ye th i nk not
H e has hi mself c ompared it i n s u d

th e lightning which shineth o u t o f o n e

de n n e ss to

pa r t o f h eaven to the othe r

Still fu rth e r it i s to be
glorio us beyond anything eve r befo re witnessed on

earth : Then shall they see the S o n o f man c omi ng

Al l th e
in the clou ds with great po wer and glo ry
s ubli me r evelations o f th e last j u dgment th e u niver
sal r es u r recti on of th e dead th e c ons u m mati on of h i s
mediatorial kingdom and th e ret r ib uti ons o f eternity

gathe r a r ou nd this g r eat cent r al fac t of o u r Lord s

second ad v ent
.

C H A PTE R XXXV I I
TH E

FI NA L

E TR I B UTI ON

U R benev o lent sympath ies woul d p r ompt u s to

desi re the salvati on of all men th rough the g o s
pel and to h ope that under the rul e o f a me r cifu l and
long sufferi ng God thei r eternal happiness m ight i n
some way be secu red B ut s uch i s not th e doctrine
o f t he Scriptu res ; thi s natural prompting o f the heart
i s not s us t ained by the testi mony o f God When we
li s ten to th e repeated ut t erances o f Chri st and his in
mp o s
S pired apostles i n th e N e w Test a ment it seem s i
sible to resist th e c oncl usi on that whi le some men
shall be saved some wil l irretrievably perish N o can
di d i nterpre t ati on o f these utterances not to me n tio n
many similar ones i n the Old Te s tament can set asi de
th e great fact which u nderlies them all that th ere i s
t o be a difference hereaft er even as there is now b e

t w een the righteou s and the wic ked between h i m

that s erveth God and h i m t hat serveth hi m n o t

Any
expl a nation which wou l d obliterate this fu ndam en t al
di st inction o f the S criptu res and make Ch ri st and h i s
ap o st les teach th a t the ri ghteou s and t he wi cked sh a ll
g o t o t h e same abode and S hare i n the same blessed des
tiny wo uld nullify the clear and obvi ou s import o f al l
language The plai n doctri ne o f th e Bible i s that
,

2 79

80

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

th e r e is a difference now between the good and th e

bad and that i n the worl d t o c ome th e difference wi ll
become an actual and a nal separati on a great gulf
xed between
Th e ti me when th is nal sepa rati on and sentence of
retributi on o n the wi cked shall take place is described

i n the New Testament as the day of j udgment

It
i s to be at the end of th e world th e close o f the Chri s
tian dispensation and the c ons u mmation o f al l thi ngs

It is to be ac companied by the great events o f Christ s

sec ond c oming and by the general res urrection of th e
dead I n many passages of S cripture th e three th ings
are s o i nti mately associated that it seems difc ult if not
i mpossible to divide them Yet s o me able interpreters
o f the twentieth c hapte r o f the Apocalypse and a f
ew
other texts have thou ght there will be two re s u rre c
ti ons o n e o f th e righteou s dead and the other o f the
wi cked dead separated by a peri od of a th ousan d
years duri ng whi ch Christ will reign o n earth and
at the end o f whi ch peri od the n al j udgment will
t a ke place It m ay be s o ; b ut we shall not h ere u n
de rtak e to unfold what seems to us as yet a deep mys
It i s enough to know that the ti me
t e ry o f prophecy
will s urely come ; the King shall appear i n h is gl ory ;
the dead shall be raised and assembled before hi m ; th e
throne shall be set ; the books S hall be opened ; and the
world S hall b e j udged i n righ t eousness
The day o f n a l j udgment and retributi on i s often
r eferred to by o u r Savi ou r i n his parable s and publi c

disc ourses H e spe a ks o f it as that day

the end

the c oming of the Son o f man

In
o f the world
the twen ty fourth and twenty fth chapters o f the Gos
.

82

LI

VI NG

CH R I S TI A NI T Y
.

strange r o r naked o r si ck o r i n prison and di d not

minister unto thee
Then shall h e answer them say
ing V erily I say u nto you Inas m u ch as ye did it not
to o n e o f the l east of t hese ye di d it not to m e And
these shall go away i nto everl a sting pu nishment : b ut

the righteous into life eternal

It is here to be no t iced that th e words e v erlasting

i n the rst clau se and eternal i n th e second are

r enderi ngs o f o n e and th e same word i n the origi nal
Greek text ; so that th e pu ni shment o f th e wicked
and th e life of the righteou s as to duration a r e placed
upon the same basis There i s no indication that eithe r
th e pu nish ment o r the life S hall ever cease Ass uredly
there is nothing i n all th e word of God more solemn
and momentou s than this scene o f j u dgment and thes e
sentences o f life and death
N o rightly c onstit u ted
mind can th oughtfully ponder them with out being
deeply moved
N o preacher o f th e gospel should
declare them to hi s fell ow men without tears of sym
pathy s u ch as his divi ne Master shed over l ost Jeru
salem B ut n o faithful preacher can yet hesitate to

declare them as a part o f God s m essage o f warning

and o f love to dyi ng men Whi le they stand i n the
New Testament amongst the most emphatic and reit
e rat e d sayi ngs o f o u r Lord they m ust be beli eved and
they m ust b e preach ed i n all thei r awfu l i mport by
th ose wh o woul d not sh un to declare th e wh ole cou n
sel of Go d O u r natural sympathies and o u r reason
i ngs drawn fr o m premi s es outside o f the Bible m u s t
not be a ll owed to ignore o r impu gn what i s o b v i
and
o u s ly so prominent a doctrine o f all Scrip t ure
especially of Christianity as the doctrine of a j udg
,

FI NA L

TH E

R E TR I E U TI ON

83

ment to c ome and the nal i rr eve rsible pu nish ment

o f th e wi cked
As to the ti me when this nal j u dgment is to take
place nothing furthe r is r evealed than that it wi ll be at
th e end of the world afte r the gospel has been pro

clai med among all nati ons O u r Savi ou r sai d Thi s

gospel o f th e ki ngdo m shall be preached i n all th e
world for a witness u nto all nations ; and then shall

the end c ome ( Matt xxiv

Tu rning to the writings of th e apostles we nd th e
doctri ne o f a j udgment to c ome set fo r th with m u ch
di stinctness When Pau l stood before th e men o f

Athens o n M ars H i ll and u rged th e c ommand o f God

o n all men to r epent his argu ment was

Because h e
hath appoi nted a day i n the which h e wi ll j udge t h e
worl d i n ri ghteo u sness by that man whom he hath
ordained : whereof he hath given assu rance u nto al l

men i n t hat he hath raised him fro m th e dead ( Acts

xvi i
When writing to the Romans and th e C o r

in th ian s h e declares the same great truth :

For we
shall all stand before th e j udgment seat of Christ

For we m ust all appear before th e j udgment seat o f

Christ ; that every o n e may receive th e thi ngs done i n
hi s body ac cordi ng to that h e hath done whether i t
be good or bad ( Rom xiv I O ; 2 C or v
Ho w
fully does th is ac c ord with what S olomon has sai d
F o r God shall bring every work into j u dgment with
every sec ret th ing wh ether it b e good or whether i t
be evi l ( Ec cl xii I 4 ) and al s o with what o u r Lord

says : Every idle word that men s hall speak they

shall give acc ou nt thereof i n th e day o f j u dgment
For by thy words th ou shalt be j ustied and by
,

84

L I VI NG

CH

RI S T

AN I T Y

thy wo r ds th o u shalt be c ond emned

36

M
att
xii
(
.

Th e apostle J u de qu otes the ancient prophecy o f

Enoch the seven t h from Adam saying Beh ol d the

Lord c ometh with ten tho usand of his saints t o exe
c ute j udgment upon all and to c onvi nce all that are
ungodly among them o f all their ungodly deeds whi ch
they have u ngodly com mitted and o f al l their hard
speeches wh ich ungodly sinners hav e spoken against

him
The apostle Peter cl oses his Sec ond General
Epi stle with an earnest exhortation to his fellow Chris
tians to stand always p r epa r ed for tha t great day of
r eckoning whi ch S h all witness th e destr u cti on o f th e
worl d that n ow i s and th e inauguration o f new heavens
and a new earth : Looking fo r and hasting u nto the
c oming o f th e day of God wh e r ei n the heavens being
o n re shal l b e dissolved
and the elements S hall melt
with fervent h eat Nevertheless we acc ording to h is
prom ise look for new heavens and a new earth where
i n dwelleth righteousness
B ut the apostle J ohn 1n
th e twen t ieth chapter of the Apocalypse has given a
m ost graphi c and s ubli me revelation o f the s cene o f

th e last j udgment : And I saw a great white throne

and h i m that sat on it fr o m whose face th e earth and
th e h eav en ed away ; an d there was fou nd no place for
them And I saw the dead s mall and great stand b e
fore God ; and th e books were opened : and another
b ook was O pened whi ch i s the book o f life : and the
de a d were j udged o u t o f those things which were
written in t he books acc ordi ng to thei r works And
th e sea gave up the dead whi ch were in it ; and dea t h
and hell deli v e r ed up th e dead which were i n them :
,

C H A P T E R X X XV I I I
TH E

ES URRE C TI O N OF

TH E

OD Y
.

F we we r e asked to point o u t th e o n e doctri ne

wh i ch more than any oth er differentiates Ch ris
t ian ity from all other reli giou s systems we sh ou l d

name that whi ch i n th e Apostles C reed i s styled th e

res urrection o f the body

If again we sh ou ld single
o u t th e one doctrine o f the Christian
system which
pri or to all evi dence it wou l d be the m ost difc ult to
beli eve as containi ng the greatest of all mysteries we
shou ld name th is doctri ne o f th e res u rr ection Yet
pec u liar as it i s to Christianity and dif cult as it mu st
have been ori ginally to be accepted the doctrine has
u nquesti onably won i t s way over all O bstac les to a
wellnigh u niversal belief among Christian nations
O f all the pec uliar and disti nctive tenets taught by
Christ and his apostles there i s not one which h olds
its plac e m ore rmly as an accepted faith i n the heart
and mi nd of Christendom than this stupendous mir
acle th e nal res urrection of th e body
T he remarkable thi ng i s that th ousands of men and
women outside o f all ou r ch urches wh o make no pro
fe s s io n o f Christianity yet believe or at least acquiesc e
i n this doctrine o f the Ch u rch and when they are call
ed to b ury their dead do it j ust as we do i n th e ass ur
,

2 86

TH E

ES UR RE C TI ON

TH E

OF

OD Y
.

87

ed h O p e of a blessed resu rrection I t woul d seem in

deed that th e tri umph o f Chri s tianity over the minds
and hearts o f men has been more general and c o m
l
e t e on this point than o n any other si ngle dogma
p
H ere at least they feel that it is far better
o f its creed
to bel ieve than to deny
The doctrine o f the res u rrecti on o f the b ody fro m
the sleep o f death was taught with m ore or less dis
t in c t n e ss in many passages o fI he Ol d Testament Script
u res but it held there no su ch pro mi nence as it assu m
ed in the New Testament i n the teachi ngs o f Christ and
h is apostles I n fact nothing is m ore prominent i n the
utterances o f o u r Lord and of all the New Testament
writers than t hi s blessed assu rance that th e dead shal l
r ise H ow emphati cally and h ow s ublimely does h e

declare hi mself at the grave o f L azarus

I am the
r es urrecti on and th e life h e that believeth i n me
th ough h e were dead yet shall he live : and wh osoeve r

l iveth and believe t h i n me shall never die

I s th ere
a si ngle passage i n all th e New Testament wh ich im
presses the reader wi t h a m ore V ivi d convi c t ion that
h e wh o speaks has th e absol ute certainty of a divi ne
authority than when he declared o n another occasi on

V erily verily I say u nto yo u Th e h ou r i s c oming

and n o w i s when th e dead shall hear th e voi ce o f t h e
Son o f God ; and they that h ear shall l ive Fo r as th e
Father hath life i n hi mself s o hath he given to t he Son
to have life i n hi ms elf and hath given hi m auth ority t o
exec ute j udgment also because he is the S o n of man
M arvel n o t a t this fo r th e h ou r i s c oming i n the whi c h
all that are i n th e graves shall hear h i s voic e and sh a l l
c ome forth ; they that have done good u nto the r es ur
,

88

L I VI NG

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

recti on of life ; and they that have done e v il u nto th e

r es urrection o f damnation
S inc e Christ hi mself r ose from th e sepulch re it
stands amongst the clea r est and the s ublimest r evela
ti ons of Go d that there is to be a nal resu rrecti on o f
the dead b oth o f the j ust and of the unj ust I n order
to see h ow promi nent a place this great doctrine hel d
i n the p r eaching of the apostles we h ave only to read
that i nspi red c hapter of logi cal argu ment scriptu ral
argu ment i mpassi oned eloquence and exu ltant hope
the fteenth c hapte r of the Fi rst Epistle to the Corinth
ians whi ch has become the very form u la and l itu rgy
servi ce o f every Ch u rch under heaven
o f the bu rial

I ndeed so prom inent was it that to preach Jesus and

th e res urrection became the descriptive designati on

o f the gospel as we learn when Paul reached the m e
t rO p o lis o f the Grecian ph ilosophy and delivered h i s

rst se r mon o n Mars H ill to the Athenian sages and

c ritics Ho w i mpressively are we taught o n th is occa
si on th e wide antagonism between Ch ristianity and all
th e antecedent paganisms when we are told that th e
c ultu red audience heard hi m patiently u ntil he broach
ed the topi c o f the resu rrection of the dead and then
broke u p the assembly u nwilling to hear anything on
a topi c so abs urd and s o abhorrent to the reigning
philosophy !
H ow c ould the gospel ever tri u m ph ove r prej udices
so deep
rooted and over oppositi on so erc e and u m
reasoning ? B ut why need we disc uss possibilities ?
We know that it did tri u mph and that too within a
centu ry from the ti me when this Athenian audience
laughed it to sco r n It is a remarkable fact that two
,

L I VI NG

90

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

utterances of th e Apostles Creed I n the t h ree se c

ti ons o f that anc ient symbol describing i n tu rn th e
most i mportant tru t hs related to t he personali ty and
work of the a dorable Tri ni ty we nd this doctri ne
enunciated among the great c losing wo r ds o f the

form ula : I believe i n the H oly Ghost ; the h oly cath

oli c Ch u r ch ; the communion o f saints ; the forgive
ness of si ns ; the r es urrection of the body ; and the

life e v erlasting
H ere it will be percei v ed that the
resu rr ecti on o f the body is i ntr oduced as th e v e ry gate
to the eternal i nheritance the nal and perfect p r epara
tion for the full fru iti on of the life everlasti ng
The i nsc r iptions o n the tombs o f th e early Ch ristians
as fo u nd i n the catacombs at Rome represented death
as a sleep and the new life as an awakening This had
been th e favorite metaph or o fSc r iptu re T o di e i n the
Lord was but to fal l asleep i n Jes us and to wake agai n
i n his i mage thei r vil e bodies fash ioned like u nto hi s
glori o u s b ody I n th i s blessed hope the early Ch urch
b uried its dead I n thi s condence the early confessors
and m arty r s willingly lai d down their lives fo r Jes us
Wit h s u ch a h O p e h ow j oyous and exultant are th e
words of the i nspi red apostle
S o when this corrupt
ible shall have p ut o n i ncor ru ption and this mo rtal
S hal l have put on i m mo r tality then shall be brought
to p ass th e sayi ng that is written D eath is swallowed
up i n vi ctory O death where i s thy sting
O grave
w h ere i s thy victo ry Th e sting o f death is si n and th e
strength o f si n is th e law B ut thanks be to God wh o

g iveth u s th e vi cto ry through ou r Lo r d Jesu s Christ

.

CHAPTER XXXIX

L I FE E VE R L A S TI NG

TH E

H E last cl a u se o f th e Apostles Creed i s like th e

grand n a le o f some l ofty anthem
It swel ls
ac ross the ages bearing the ri ch harmonies o f al l
Christi a n doctrine to one s ubli me c onsu mmati on i n

the life t o come The c redo o f the holy c atholi c

Ch urch the comm u nion o f sai nts the forgivenes s of

sins the resurrecti on of th e body i s but th e prel u de

and the preparation for this nal note the life ever
las t ing
All is well that ends well and all here ends
i n the rest and the glory o f the futu re u nending li fe
It i s beautifully signicant that three things this most
ancient c reed o f the Chu rch the book of God and the
life of the righ t eo us all have o n e and the same end
ing in the rest and gl ory of heaven
I mmortality

blessed and perfect at God s righ t hand is the o n e

i deal the o ne goal o f the Bible of t he Ch u rch and o f
every faithfu l foll ower o f Jes us Christ
T rue there is a higher end a s ubli mer ideal o f th e
futu re life It is the glo ry o f God as formu lated i n the
Catechism B ut then the life everlasting to th e right
e o u s will consi s t largely i n the beh olding and the e n
j oying o f t hat divi ne glory Whe t her o n ear t h o r in

heaven the word o f Christ stand s true : Th i s i s eter

.

2 91

L I VI NG

92

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

nal l ife that they might know thee th e only tru e God

and Jes us Ch rist wh om tho u hast sent

The end o f
salvation h ere i s th e life everlasting hereafter ; b ut that
endless li fe i n heaven wi ll nd its hi ghest blessedness
i n God e v en as Ch rist p r ays : Father I wi ll that they
also whom th ou hast given me be with me where I am ;
that they may beh ol d my glory wh ich tho u hast gi ven

me
H ow perfect i s the ec onomy o f divine grace i n

th e gospel and i n th e u nfolding o f the saint s e ve rlast

i ng rest i n t h e li fe to c ome ! Fi rst the cross and the n

th e c rown i s H eaven s o r der th e life that n o w i s only

preparing for an d endi ng i n that whi ch i s to c ome
Afte r toil the rest ; afte r st r ife the peac e ; after pain
the pleasu re ; after defeat the Victo ry ; afte r weeping
endu r i ng for a night the j oy of th e c omi ng mo r ning ;
afte r si n and death th e S inless life and the unending
gl ory Wh o wou l d ch ange it if h e c ould ? Wh o
wou l d reverse the conditi ons of Christianity and th e
p r omises of Go d ?
It i s e mi nently tti ng that thi s ancient c reed of the
Chu r c h sh oul d r eac h its s ubli me doctri nal cli max i n
the strong assu rance o f everlasting li fe What c o u ld
have been mo r e cheering i n the hou r o f trial mo r e in
spiring i n the day of persec ution and death to th e s uf
fe rin g ch ildren o f God than this beli ef i n a li fe to
come thi s blessed h ope of an im mortali t y to whi ch
death was b ut th e po rtal ? It was a c ompensation full
and perfect fo r all th e ills o f thi s mortal existence fo r
all th e losses and privations the pains and penalti es
wh ich that s uffering Ch u rch was endu ring at the hands
of an u ngodly and i nfu riated world
Neve r i n all the h istory of man was any belief em
,

'

L I VI NG

94

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

i n this life only we have h ope i n Christ we are o f all

men m ost m iserable ; and i n ano t her place to the Phi l

ipp ian s
I am i n a st rait betwixt tw o having a desi re

to depart and to be with Christ wh i ch i s far better

J ohn says with the utmost condence We know not
what we shall be b ut we know that when he shall ap

pear we shal l be li ke h i m for we S hall see hi m as h e i s

H ow r esp l endently does the grand i deal of the life to

c ome and th e sai nt s e v erlasti ng rest shi ne fo rth th r ou gh

all the symbols and imagery o fth e Apocalypse with its

book of life its tre e of li fe its r iver o f the wate r

and its New Je r usalem of light and life from

o f life
whi ch sickness and sorrow and si n and death have ed
fo r ever ! We can sca r c ely say that the r e i s any one
th ing more essentially characteristi c o f the Bible as a
b ook and o f Christianity as a reli gi on than its preciou s
doctri ne o f the life everlasti ng
F o r what woul d the s uffering child o f God to da y
exchange this blessed hope o f the ancient c r eed ?
What earth ly p r ize o f wealth o r station wou ld be an
adequate c ompensation to th e h u mblest believer fo r
th e loss o f it ? S ome tell us i n th eir ignorance and
folly that all the creeds and all th e dogmas o f th e
Ch u rch ar e now e x ploded Is th e li fe everlasting ex
I
f
s
o
what
are
ou
r
great
t
hinkers
prepared
to
l
d
ed
o
p
gi v e u s i n its place ? S ome h ighly c u ltivated minds
wou ld perhaps gi v e u s the agnosti cis m and nih ilis m o f
m odern spec ulation as the most tting c onsolation fo r
the last days o f a ph il osophe r S ome poeti c souls smit
ten with th e newly disc overed beauties o f h oary an
t iq u ity seem inclined to c ons ole u s with the pu re m o
ty o f Confuc i us o r the panthei stic Ni rv ana o f B u ddh
rali
,

TH E

L I FE E VERL A S TI NG

95

i s m Some perhaps with less el evated th oughts stand

ready li ke Esau o r Ju das to sell thei r celestial bir t h
right and thei r i nheritance i n the S on of Mary fo r a
mess of pottage o r for thirty pieces o f silver
But what ari th meti c S hall compute for us th e los s
and the gai n o f s uch a bargai n ? What words i n h u
man speech are so adequate to solve it as those o f h im
wh o spake as neve r man spake
What shall it p r ot
a man if h e shall gai n th e whole wo r ld and lose h is o w n

sou l ? o r what shall a man gi v e i n exchange for h is sou l ?

One o f the ablest sermons ever delivered was by that

pri nce o f preachers Robert Hall on th e theme The

V anity o f Man apart from h is I mmortali ty O u r gen

Is life worth
e rat i
o n has been discussi ng th e questi on

living ? The tru e sol uti on is fou nd only by hi m wh ose

life here bri ef o r long ends i n the everlasting life prom
ised and made su re by the gospel o f Jes us Christ With
o u t this all is vanity and vexation o f spirit ; with it al l
is blessedness and gl ory fo r eve r
The nal abode o f th e righteous whe r e they shall
enter upon this inheritance o f everlasting life i s re
vealed to u s with m u ch fullness in the Sc r iptu res par
t ic u larly i n the closing book o f the N ew Testament
I t i s described as the
ne w heavens and the new ear t h

wherein dwelleth righteousness

It is the paradise


th e h ouse o f many mansi ons
the city that
o f God

hath foundati ons wh ose Maker an d B uilder is God

the New Jerusalem prepared as a bride ado r ned for

her hu sband
It is a world o f pu re spiritual enj oy
ment i n th e pre s ence o f Go d in th e society o f angel s
i n the c ompanion s hip o fj u st men made perfect There
S hall be nothing to h urt o r destroy i n all th e h oly moun
.

L I VI NG

96

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

tain of Go d It i s at once the saint s e v erlasting r est

from sin and sorrow and everlasting employmen t i n all
that can make existenc e peaceful and j oyous With

what emphasis di d our Lord speak o f it

I go to
p r epare a place fo r yo u : and if I go and prepa r e a
place fo r you I will c ome agai n and r eceive yo u u nto

myself that where I am there ye may be als o

Al l th e images of splendor and beauty whi ch can be
drawn from material nature a r e employed i n the book
o f Revelation to give us an i dea of the glory o f this
h eavenly worl d to whi ch Ch ri st Jes u s has ascended
There he now reigns on his mediatorial throne at

God s right hand s u rro unded by th e cherubi m and

the seraphi m and the i nnu merable hosts of the re

deemed
clothed i n white raiment
Nothing co ul d
b e m ore approp r iate than that the canon o f i nspi red
S cripture sh o ul d c lose with these s ublim e revelations
a ble glo ry of
o f th e Apocalypse setting forth the i neff
that h ome o f the blessed that endu ri ng city that
h ouse of many mansi ons whi ch th e great Redeem er
has gone to prepare for hi s people When we spe a k

o f it as a h ome a heaven a Father s h ouse we have

r eached the h ighest purest noblest utteranc e o f whi ch
either thou ght o r speech is capable I n al l literature
and i n all philos ophy th ere i s nothing hi gh e r grander
than thi s
The ve ry book o f God has reach ed the cli max o f
promise and its li mit o f delineati on i n th e heaven o f

th e Apocalypse :
And h e carried me away I n th e
spirit to a great and high mountain and sh owed m e
th at great c ity th e holy Jeru salem descending out o f
heav en from Go d havi ng the glo ry of G o d : and her
.

98

L I VI NG

CH

RI S TI A NI T Y
.

I n that h ope she has l ived and i n that h ope all h e r

sons and daughters have died No r shall th ey be dis
appoi nted : There r emaineth a rest for th e people o f
God
Now we see th rou gh a glass darkly ; b ut then
fac e to face now I know i n part ; bu t th en shal l I k now

even as also I am known

Eye hath n o t seen n o r
ea r heard neithe r have entered i nto the h eart o f man
the things which God hath prepared for th em that love

hi m
B ut we shall ente r i n th r ough the gates into
that blissfu l abode
,

W he r e

o w o e r th e b ri

ri v e r s o f p l e asur e
gh t p l ain s
A n d th e n o o n ti de o f g l o y e t e rn ally r e i g n s ;
W he r e th e s ain ts o f all age s in h arm o ny mee t
T he ir S avi o ur an d b r e th r e n t r an sp o r t ed to g r ee t ;
W he r e th e an them s o f p l e asur e un ce asin g ly r o ll

A n d th e sm il e o f th e Lo r d is th e fe ast o f th e s o ul
th e

C H A P T E R XL
TH R

EE EXPER I ENCES : SI ZY G RA CE GL OR Y
.

e v e ry Chri stian beli eve r bel ongs a career o fthree

s u c ce s sive stages o r states o fbeing each distinct
ly marked i n the S c r iptu r es as bringi ng to the soul i n
s u c cessi on its own pec uliar revelations and experi ences
The rst is the state o f sin o r natu ral depravity ending
at conversi on ; th e second is the state o f grace and par
tial san c t i c at io n ending at death and th e thi rd is the
state o f perfect and u nendi ng holi ness and glory i n
heav en O n each the B ible gives u S clear and u n
mistakable i nformati on O n two o f them we h ave an
actual knowledge derived from experience additional to
the li ght furnished by Script u re O n the thi rd we have

as yet no knowledge except God s o w n testim ony re

v ealed i n th e i ns p i red pages Nature grac e gl ory
si n s an c t i c atio n redemption these are the three great
periods o fo u r i ndivi dual existence th e three su ccessive
steps o f o u r transit from ti me to eternity o r as th e
S criptures express it what we were what we a r e and
what we shall be
Every h u man life has i ts past its present and its fu
tu re So here the Christian believer has h is past hi s
present an d his future as c ontemplated in the clea r
light o f Scrip t u re And h ow distinctly m a rked is eac h
,

2 99

L I VI NG

3 00

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

pe r i od ! I n the rst he is called to a perpetual remem

brance of the bitter pastwhat h e was u nde r S in ; 1n
th e second to a conti nu ed realizati on of what he i s
u nder grace a mixed c onditi on o f good and evi l each
struggling for the mastery ; and i n the thi rd to a brighter
futu r e a j oyful anticipati on a great h O p e o f what h e
shall b e Standing in the midst of a caree r like th is
( whic h is i n fact th e career o f every tru e believer) th e
great apostle o f the Genti les wel l descr i bes th e case
past
present
and
futu
re
when
he
says
B
reth
r
en
I
(
)
co unt not myself to have app r ehended ; b ut this one
th ing I do fo r getti ng those things whi ch a r e behi nd
and r each ing forth u nto th os e th ings which are before
I p r ess toward the ma r k fo r th e prize of the hi gh call
i ng o f God i n Ch r ist Jes u s ( Phil i ii 1 3
It may be u seful to young Bible r eaders and othe r s
to b r i ng together i nto one v iew some of th e many pas
sages which bear upon these th r ee stages o f o u r caree r
T o g r oup all th e texts having r efe r enc e to th e subj ect
wou ld be to quote a large porti on of the New Testa
ment Epistles whi ch are in fact full o f desc ripti ons o f
what we we r e by n atu r e what we bec ome by grace and
wh at we shall be i n glo ry B ut a few promi nent pas
sages may be p r esented
1
Wha t w e Were I n the second chapte r o fhis Epis
tle to the Ephesians Pau l sets forth a Vivi d pi ctu re of
what th e believe r s am ong th e Gentiles had been i n
their u ncon v e rted estate ; and this desc r iption appli es
not only to Gentiles b u t to all othe r s i n a state of na

tu r e H e says
Wh o were dead i n t r espasses and
sins ; whe r ei n i n time past ye walked ac cordi ng to
th e c o ur se o f th i s world ac c o r ding to the pri nce o f
,

L I VI NG

02

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y
.

level o f a sinful nature and all m u st be regene r

ated i n o r der to see God i n peace
The wi ld oli v e
stock o f o u r degenerate natu r e a fter all its g r aftings
and c u ltivation i s still a wild oli v e at th e r oot Not
only the Bible b u t the ten thousand facts of daily o b
se rvation and experience e v en as it rega r ds the ch il
dren o f Ch ristian pa r ents can leav e u s i n no doubt as
to the si nfulness o f all h u manity
I f th e c u ltivated
philosopher o f the ni neteenth cent u ry has not yet dis
c ove r ed this t r uth it m ust be because h e i s v e ry u n
obse rv ing
2
Wha t w e A re The ap ostle Pa u l w r iting to th e
Co r inthians ab out thei r fo r me r conditi on o f igno rance

and si n says And s u ch we r e some o f y ou ; b u t ye

are washed b u t ye a r e sanctied b u t y e a r e j u s tied i n
th e name of the Lo r d Jesus and b y th e Spirit of ou r

God ( 1 Co r vi
Writing to the Ephesians h e
says
Fo r ye we r e so meti mes darkness b u t now are
ye light i n the Lo r d : walk as ch i ldren o f light ; ( fo r
th e fruit of the Spi r it is i n all goodness and r ighteou s
ness and truth proving what is acceptable u nto th e

Lo r d ( Eph V 8
To th e Romans h e says For
si n sh al l not hav e domi ni on ove r yo u ; fo r ye a r e not

u nde r th e law b ut u nde r g race

Being j u stied by
faith we have peace with God th r ou gh o u r Lord Jesu s

Chri st
The r e i s th e r efore now no condemnation to
them wh ich a r e i n Ch rist Jes u s wh o walk not a fter th e

esh b ut afte r the S pi ri t ( Rom v i 14 ; V I and viii

,

The apostle John spea k ing o f those wh o a r e i n

C h r ist tells u s that as many as r eceived hi m to them
gav e he power to become the sons of God e v en to
,

TH RE E E XPE R I E NCE

S:

G R A CE G L OR Y 3 0 3

S I IV,

th em that belie v e o n hi s name wh i ch were born n o t

nor o f the will
o f bl ood no r of th e will o f th e esh

Joh
n
i
1
2
Beh
old
what
o f man b ut o f God
(
manner o f love the Fathe r h ath bestowed upon us

that we shou ld b e called the sons o f God ( 1 John iv

S o al so the apostle Peter writing of the Chri stian

C h ur ch says
Ye a r e a chosen generati on a royal
priesth ood an holy nati on a pecu lia r people ; that ye
sh ou ld shew forth the praises o f h i m wh o hath called

you out of darkness into hi s marvelou s light ( 1 Pet

ii
By g race we are what we are th e r edeemed th e
sanc t ied i n Christ Jesus the h ei rs o f promise the
sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty ; no more
forei gners and strangers but fellow citizens with th e
sai nts and o f the h ouseh old of Go d bu ilt upon th e
fou ndation o f apostles and prophets Jesus Ch r ist h im
self being the chief Corner stone
W
w
e
B
e
ha
t
ha
ll
Beloved n o w a r e we th e
S
3

sons o f Go d writes the venerable apostle and it doth

n o t yet appear what we shall be : b ut we know that
w h en h e shall appear we shall b e l ike hi m ; for we

sh all see him as he i s ( I John iii

Pau l tells u s
that o u r life i s h id with Ch rist i n Go d ; that when Christ
wh o is o u r life shall appear then shall we als o appear
with hi m i n glory ; an d that h e shall change o u r vi le
body that it may be fashioned like u nto his gloriou s
body
I n a moment i n the twinkling of an eye
s h all this change be made Thi s c orruptible shall
put o n i ncorruption and thi s mortal i mmortality S O
when th is c orruptible shall have put o n inc orrupti on
and this mortal i mmortality then shall be brou g h t to
,

L I VI NG

3 04

CH

R I S TI A NI T Y

pass th e saying that is written D eath is swallowed up

i n vi ctory ( Phil i ii 2 1 ; C 0 1 i i i 4 ; I Th e s s 1v I 6 ; I
C o r xv
After death i s th e glory Li fe here is fu ll of toil fu l l
o f s orrow full o f si n
H ere we see through a glass
darkly ; there we shall see face to face N ow we know
i n pa r t u nderstand i n part ; then S hall we know even as
we are known N or shal l we await the r es urrection to
enter i nto th is rest and gl ory Pau l tells u s that to be
absent fro m the body i s to be present with the Lo r d
To depart and be with Chri st i s fa r better For me to
live is Ch rist and to die i s gai n F o r we know that if
o u r ea r thly h ouse of th is tabernacle were dissolved we
have a b u ilding o f G o d an h ouse n o t made with hands
eternal i n th e heavens ( I C o r xi ii I 2 ; 2 C o r v I 8 ;
Phi l i 2 1
Th e th eme i s a fru itful one I n the light of it th e
wh ole catechis m o f Christian experienc e and h ope may
be s u mmed up i n three q uesti ons and answe r ed in th ree
words : What were we ? sin What a r e we grac e
What S hall we be ? gl ory
,

3 06

L I VI N G CHR I

S TI A NI T Y
.

i n th e book o f J o b says Ac quai nt now thyself with

h im and be at peace : thereby good shall c ome u nto

thee ( Job xxi i

M oses aft er a long life of faith
fu l servi c e i n h is parting cou nsels to the people o f I s

r a el sai d Thei r rock is n o t as o u r Rock even o u r

enemies themselves being j udges ( D eut xxxii

The i nspi red psalmist asks th e qu esti on

W h o wi ll

S h ow us any good ?
and answe r s it Lo r d lift tho u
u p th e light of thy c ou ntenance upon u s
Tho u art

my porti on O Lord ;
Wh om have I i n h eav en b ut
thee ? and th ere i s none upon earth that I desi r e b e

s ides thee
I shal l be satised when I awake with thy
l i k eness ( Psalms i v 6 ; cxix 5 7 ; xvii I 5 ; lxxii
King S olomon s u ms up al l i nstru cti ons i n o n e saying
Let u s h ea r th e c oncl usi on o fth e wh ole matte r Fea r
Go d and keep hi s c ommandments fo r this i s th e whole

duty o f man ( Eccles xii I

Isaiah sai d Th o u wi lt
keep hi m i n pe r fect peace wh ose mi n d i s stayed o n thee :

becau se he tru steth i n thee ( Isa xxvi

Th e p ro p h
H e hath showed thee O man what is
e t M i cah said
good ; and what doth the Lord r eq u ire o f th ee b ut to
do j u stly an d to l ove mercy and to walk h u mbl y with

thy Go d ? ( M icah v i
This u n v a ry i ng testi m ony of the O ld Testament wri
ters that the s up r eme good for man i s fou nd i n Go d
al one is abu ndantly c onrmed by all the teach i ngs of

th e New Testament
And this i s li fe ete r nal c ri es
th e great Teache r that th ey might k now thee th e only

tru e God and Jes us Ch rist wh om th o u hast sent

I

am come sai d h e that they might have life and that

they might hav e it more ab undantly

S ea r ch th e
s c r ipt ur es ; fo r i n th em ye th ink y e have eternal life :
,

S UPRE M E G O OD

TH E

3 07

and they a r e th ey which testify o f me ( John xvi i 3 ;

x 10 ; V
When di d oracle o f h u man ph ilosophy
or gift ed bard o f poesy o r fou nde r of r eligi ou s system
utte r any v oice of t r uth and c onsolati on s o adapted to
the necessities o f h u man natu r e and at th e same ti me
s o tende r and ass uri ng to o u r hea rts as that voi ce of
th e i nca r nate One
Come u nto m e all ye that labo r
and are heavy laden and I wi ll give you rest Take
my yoke upon you and lea r n o f me : fo r I am meek
and lowly i n h ea r t ; and ye shall nd r est unto you r

s ouls Fo r my yoke i s easy and my b u r den i s light

Matt
xi
2
8
(
We do not wonde r that th e apostles wh o h ea r d thi s
voi ce o f s upernatu r al wisdom wh ose very acc ent was
the blessed tone o f authority and love s u ch as neve r
man had uttered befo r e shou l d be won by it They
had turned away from all other teachers to follow h im
and o n a certai n occasi on when the questi on was put

Wi ll ye a ls o go away ? what c ould they do bu t reply

with deepest emphasis i n th e words o fPete r
Lo r d to
wh om shal l we go thou hast the words of eternal life
And we belie v e an d are s u re that th ou art the Chri st

the S on o f the livi ng God ( Joh n Vi 6 8

N o o ne
can r ead the lives of these apostles after the day o f
Pentecost as r ec orded i n the book o f Acts and listen
to their instructions as given i n th e Epistles with out
seeing h o w c ompletely they had solved the great prob
lem of life and fo und i n Jes us Christ and in h is blessed
se rvic e th e s upreme good No r has the modern man
with all h is scienc e literature and art his treasu red
learning of th e ages and h is great ad v ance i n eve ry
thing that makes life desirable eve r been able to nd a
.

3 08

L I VI NG

CH R I STI A

NI T Y
.

h ighe r g ood a t r u er w i sdom a p u r e r so u r ce of happ i

ness Christianity i n setting before u s God s se rv i c e

and glo r y as th e ch ief good the s up r eme j o y has
r each ed th e c li ma x at once o f h u man thought and o f
all h u man expe r ienc e Thi s i s the perfecti on of wis
dom than wh ich no hi ghe r can be c oncei v ed I n thi s
r espect o f gi v ing u s an u lti mate good to live fo r Ch r is
t ian ity c ommends itself to al l men as a religi on
wo rthy

o f all ac ceptati on
To th e g r eat questi on s o l ong and deeply pondered
by th e thou ghtful What is the ch ief end o f man
no
tru e r answe r was e v e r gi v en or eve r can b e given than
th e brief one o f th e Westmi nste r Sh orte r Catechis m

Man s chief end is to glorify God and to enj oy h im

for e v er
The m e r it of this bri ef deniti on is that it
comp r ehends i n one simpl e p r oposition the wh ol e r ev
elation o f th e Bible and the wh ole pu rpose o f Ch r isti
The u l
an i
ty i n its r elati on both to God and to man
ti mate ai m o f Ch r i stianity as it r elates to God i s to
decla r e and to manifest th e divine glo ry As this i s
th e highest c oncei v able excellence s o th e highest en d

o f Chri stianity i s to re v eal and promote God s gl o ry

S o far as it r elates to man the ai m and end of Chri sti
an i
B ut salvation i s only a means to
ty i s h is salvati on
a high e r end Chri stianity seeks to save man i n o r de r
to gl orify God h is Savi ou r It i s by and th ro ugh th e
salvati on of man that Ch r istianity reaches its u lteri o r
and supreme end of glorifying Go d Ch ristianity saves

men from si n restores them t o God s i mage and favor

prepares them fo r heaven and th u s enables them t o
r each that noblest desti ny fo r whi ch they we r e orig
in ally c r eated and fo r wh ich the y a r e r edeemed i n
,

L I VI NG

10

W he n

CH R I

S TI A NI T Y
.

c re ated stre am s are d ri ed

H is fulln e ss is th e s ame :
M ay I w i t h th i s b e s ati s ed

A n d g l o ry in h is n ame
all

We close th ese chapters where we began them with

God The rst sentence i n the Bible is about God the
c reati v e act of God cal ling th e h eavens and th e earth
i nto bei ng and the last i s abo u t God the S on of God

c oming i n his glory

E v en s o c ome Lo r d Jes u s
The g r ace o f ou r Lord Jes us Christ be with yo u all

Amen
The power o f c reation opens th e b ook o f
God and th e book o f ti me and th e grace of re de mp
ti on c loses them
What a vol u me o f truth what a
world of h isto ry li es between the two poi nts ! O u r
whole Christian theology beginning with God and
endi ng with God i s u nfolded h ere for the Bible from
rst to last i s a h isto ry of r edempti on an u nfolding
of that scheme o f divi ne g r ace th r ough J esu s Christ
which i s to end i n the con v ersion o f the worl d and

Then c ometh th e
th e salvati on o f the redeemed
end when he shall have del ivered up th e kingdom to
God even the Father ; when h e shall have put down
all r ul e and all authority and power
that God

may be all in all ( 1 Co r x v 2 4

.

'

T HE

E ND