VOL. VI. August 1, 1923 No. 15 ECHOES FROM THE PHILADELPHIA
CONVENTION VOL. VI. August 15, 1923 No. 16 VOL. VI. August 1, 1923 No. 15 "OLD FAITH AND HIS RIVALS"
MOST truthfully does the Apostle
Paul say that the "world by wisdom knows not God," and that "the wisdom of
this world is foolishness with God." In all ages it has been demonstrated that much
of what the world calls science, learning, etc., is merely human theory and speculation,
and each generation looks back to the preceding ones and discards more or less of what was
thought to be truth. Thus the Apostle speaks of what was being promulgated in his day as
"science falsely so called." St. Paul recognized that the world's wisdom was in
direct opposition to the inspired revelation, the Word of God; just as the student of the
Sacred Scriptures today clearly perceives that much that is called modern science, human
philosophy, etc., and taught as truth by professors of theology, would utterly remove the
great foundation of the Christian life and faith, leaving no substantial basis for a faith
and character structure. Some one has sent us the following, which sums up well the
standpoint of the Christian; it is designated "A TIMELY
ALLEGORY"
"Old Faith, the Armorer,
worked away in his smithy, and was justly famous for the armor which he made. His wondrous
shields never failed to quench the fiery darts of the enemy. His swords were never known
to break or buckle up in conflict. His breastplate of righteousness might be dimmed for a
time by the breath of slander, but it soon shone out bright again when God brought forth
His people's 'righteousness as the light, and their judgment as noonday.' With one of the
helmets of hope of salvation on his head, the Christian warrior took the field without a
fear, and never had there been a record of a soldier of the cross being defeated. The
soldiers were so much attached to Old Faith that they commonly spoke of him as 'Our
Faith.' Faith obtained all his metal from the mine of Divine Truth. He was enthusiastic in
praise of its quality. He declared it was all good metal, and did not contain one particle
of dross. "His method of manufacture
was simple. He heated his metal in the fire of love, and then hammered out his armor with
the hammer of conviction, on an anvil of solid trust. For many years without a rival in
his own line, Faith became the object of energetic: and organized competition. A new
company was started. They called it the 'Take-Nothing-for-Granted' Com-pany; for the
manufacture of. spiritual armor by machinery. They got their metal from the wine old mine
as Faith. They appointed Mr. Reason as their chief engineer; and fitted up new machinery
which they called 'modern thought.' "Their theory differed from Faith's in this, that
while he held the metal was all good, they maintained that there was a considerable amount
of dross in it, and their first business was to separate it. In practice they differed in
this, that while Faith worked it hot; they worked it cold. Everything was to be kept cool,
and lest any enthusiastic heat should be generated by the friction of the machinery, they
enjoined that the oil of calm consideration should be constantly employed. "They first put Divine Truth
into a crushing mill of human criticism, 'higher criticism' they called it. Then it passed
through a sieve of Rationalism, and all the big miraculous lumps which they could not
pound smaller, and which would not go through the rationalistic sieve, they picked out and
threw away. "Then they placed the metal
under a ponderous steam hammer called 'scientific investigation,' which was worked by vast
wheels of evolution, thousands of years in diameter. They were so high that they were
dreadful. "But all their machinery
failed to make any plates fit for armor. Do what they would, they could not make a plate
of good-hope with all their hammering. The fact was, the supernatural ingredients had all
been taken out, and the metal would not weld or cling together. With all their efforts
they could not produce the fine temper of assurance which characterized the armor of
Faith. They used rivets of probability to fasten their plates together, but in actual
warfare the rivets flew out, and the warrior was left defenseless. Their swords were
fitted into handles of conjecture and speculation, most elaborately decorated with
rhetorical flower-work; but the handles came off in conflict, while the swords were
shivered at the first blow. They never attempted to make a shield, declaring it a piece of
obsolete armor belonging; to a former dogmatic age. "Engineer Reason summoned
the firm together to consider the situation. The machinery was perfect. Modern thought
could not be wrong. The fact was the metal was not what people thought it was. Such a
temper as assurance was not to be attained, it was all a delusion. The utmost they could
reach was strong presumption. "Unfortunately for the
company's verdict, Old Faith was still working away, making as good armor as ever from the
same metal. The warriors of truth encased in this Divine panoply were gaining splendid,
victories, as of yore: And. as they fought they sang, 'This is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our Faith.'" CONSIDER THE FIELD LILIES
SIGNIFICANCE OF
JESUS' PARABOLIC DISCOURSE
SERMON BY. BROTHER RUSSELL "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say
unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore,
if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven [as fuel], shall He not much snore clothe
you, 0 ye of little faith?"--Matt. 6:28-30. THE great Teacher, we are told,
taught in parables and in dark sayings (not easily comprehended). Even our Lord's
disciples were in the dark concerning the meaning of many of His statements until the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost gave them enlightenment, as Jesus had promised. This being true, we
are not surprised that many have misapprehended some of the Master's dark sayings
respecting the cutting off of a hand or a foot, the plucking out of an eye, respecting
undying worms and quenchless fires, and even in respect to the text we now consider. There are people of fair
intelligence who interpret the Master to mean that His followers are not to labor as do
the remainder of mankind for the necessities of life; that they should expect to be
supported by others who do labor with sweat of face -- that they should be maintained by
tithes, collections, etc., and toil and spin not at all. We believe that such are making a
great mistake, as did the man recently reported in the press as having cut off his hand in
what he thought was obedience to the Master's instruction. We can sympathize with these
errors of judgment, but should avoid them and seek to have the spirit of the Master's
teaching, which was always the spirit of a sound mind. In His discourse Jesus had called
the attention of His hearers to the fact that the Gentiles the heathen were continually
thinking about their temporalities and praying about these -- "What shall we eat?
What shall we drink? Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" "But your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of before ye ask Him." Let your worry, therefore, if you
have worries, be for something higher and nobler than merely the necessities of life.
Consider that while you were once aliens and strangers through sin, disobedience to the
Divine Law; you have now been brought back into accord with God and are privileged to
address Him as "Our Father, which art in Heaven." If we have the faith to believe
that God through Christ has accepted us as His children, we should as children trust our
Parent in respect to all the affairs of life -- great and small -- food and raiment --
everything. But here comes the important point -- the crucial test. Are we the children of
God? Is He our Heavenly Father? Has He begotten us of the Holy Spirit? Are our sins
forgiven? Are we reconciled to God through the death of His Son? Are we children --
"and if children, then heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ" our Lord? Upon the answers of these
questions being in the affirmative is the strength of the basis of all our faith and hope.
If we are not God's children, if we have not come in His appointed way, through Christ,
then we are still aliens and strangers. Then our affairs are not under His supervision;
but we are with the world sharers in the sentence of death, each doing for himself
according to his ability in battling against death, and, like all Gentiles, giving our
chief concern to food, raiment, and hollow earthly ambitions -- knowing not, appreciating
not, the higher, the heavenly privileges in Christ. THE HEART OF THE
LESSON
We perceive then that the lesson
is not for the world in general, except indirectly. The world, learning that these words
are applicable only to the consecrated people of God might properly be desirous that they
might apply also to themselves. And if they are thus desirous of having God for their
Father and His providential care in all of their affairs, the lesson to them would be that
they should come into relationship with God through Christ, that they should become His
children, in order to enjoy the privileges and favors which belong to none others at the
present time. The heart of the lesson is that
the Heavenly Father is most gracious; and that His tender mercies are over all His
creatures who are in harmony with Him. We may be sure that amongst all the Heavenly host
there is neither hunger nor want, neither suffering nor pain, nor any disadvantage
whatever. Their Heavenly Father knoweth what things they need, and provides bountifully
for them. The Church is to learn this same lesson and to rejoicingly work by faith,
enjoying full confidence and trust in Him who loved us and bought us with the precious
blood His Son. These children of God need not
feel harassed respecting life's experiences. They have a Heavenly Father, and He knows
their needs better than they do, and is both able and willing to give what is best for
them. And if their experiences in the family of God shall bring them less prosperity and
more adversity, more trials, more difficulties, and necessitate more economies than before
they became His children, they are instructed that, walking by faith and not by sight,
they shall firmly trust Him, come what may. LEARNING LESSONS OF
FAITH
All who can lay claim to being
children of God by faith can surely believe that He who is able to provide for the birds
and the lilies is no less able and no less willing to provide for those who have become
His children through Christ -- those for whom He gave His Only Begotten Son. Would He
redeem them with that precious Sacrifice and then have no care for their future welfare?
Would He beget children with His Holy Spirit and then be negligent in providing for their.
necessities? Nay! God will not overlook the interests of His consecrated children, and
whatever may seem to be an oversight and lack of provision is to be understood to be in
reality the reverse -- that which the Heavenly Father sees to be for their highest and
best interests. The Master called attention to
the beauty of the lily. Much is discernible to the natural eye, and still more when we
examine the perfections of the flower microscopically. Wonderful indeed is the raiment of
the lily! Solomon in all his glory had no such seamless robe, and no such perfect texture
for his raiment. Perhaps the Master had a deeper
thought respecting raiment than appears on the surface by His words, "Shall He not
much more clothe you?" While He assuredly meant that we are to trust Heavenly
provision for our natural clothing, it would appear that He may have meant a clothing for
us as New Creatures -the spotless, seamless robe of Christ's righteousness, granted to us
as a wedding garment, in the merit of which we have access to all the riches of God's
grace in the present life and, if faithful, shall be granted an abundant entrance into His
everlasting Kingdom. God takes thought respecting the Divine plans and arrangements. Jesus
thought out carefully the course He pursued; and lie instructed those who were desirous of
being His disciples to sit down and carefully count the cost. All these things show us
that the Master would not have His followers thoughtless, living merely moment by moment,
failing to make provision for the seasons, the weather, the table, etc. What He meant, what the Greek
text fully bears out, is that His followers should have no worry respecting temporalities.
Having exercised thought, prudence, care, having done to the best of their judgment and
ability, not slothfully, but energetically, they are to rest the matter, realizing that
all their affairs are placed in the hands of the Heavenly Father through Christ, and that
all the Heavenly powers are pledged to make all things work together for good to them,
because they love God and have been called according to His purpose. "SEEK YE CHIEFLY
THE KINGDOM"
While anxious care was not to be
exercised respecting temporalities; great care was to be exercised in respect to anything
appertaining to the Kingdom. The call of the Church is to membership in the great Kingdom
of God, of which Christ is the Head, the Chief King; we may be under kings and under
priests, associated with our Redeemer in His great Messianic work of a thousand years. It
was to attain a share in that Kingdom that we made consecration of our lives, our wills,
our all, to the Lord; and only through 'great tribulation' can we enter that Kingdom. As
God is pleased to see our restfulness respecting temporalities of life when He has agreed
to provide for us according to His Wisdom and in response to our efforts, so He is pleased
to see, on the contrary, our zeal, our perseverance, our almost worrying that the great
prize of the kingdom should not be lost by us. The reason for wishing us to thus
worry for the Kingdom, and not to worry for earthly things, is evident on reflection. To
worry about earthly things would be to show a faithlessness and doubt in respect to God
and His promised care. But our attaining the Kingdom or our failing to attain it is made
dependent only on ourselves. God has already done His part. He has provided the Redeemer
and the forgiveness of sins. He has opened up the way whereby we might return into His
family. When we came unto Him through Jesus, He accepted us and gave us the begetting of
the Spirit and, with it, a right to all the great and ,precious promises, and, joint
heirship with Jesus on condition of our faithfulness. -- Rom. 8 : 17 ; 2 Pet. 1:12. Hence, to agonize for the
Kingdom, to strive for the Kingdom, to run with patience, to fight a good fight, to endure
hardness -- all these expressions indicate the great zeal and earnestness necessary on the
part of those who would be accounted conquerors -- yea, "more than conquerors,
through Him who loved us and bought us with His precious blood." Is it any wonder that God should
expect us to be very zealous in striving to attain the Kingdom? Would He give so great an
honor to any who valued it lightly? Surely, angels and cherubim would be glad to accept
positions in the Kingdom if offered to them! But God has passed by the angels, and invited
members of the fallen race, whose hearts have turned to Him, that they might become not
only justified from their sins, but sanctified through Christ and heirs of the Kingdom. Is it any wonder that the Lord
has provided that only through much tribulation shall any enter the Kingdom? Whoever is
not willing to endure tribulation for the Kingdom's sake would thereby show that he had
not the proper appreciation and that he is not worthy of it. If the Master endured even
unto death, how could we expect that we might be joint-heirs with Him unless we possessed
His spirit, His zeal? Thus the Lord tells us that all who will attain the Kingdom glories
will be copies of His Son. WHAT MUST WE ENDURE?
Here the question properly
arises, What is to be endured, what kind of sufferings? And what is the real object of
these sufferings? Why should God delight to make us suffer before He would give us a place
in the Kingdom? The Bible answers these questions
satisfactorily. It admonishes that only by trials and difficulties can character be really
developed. For character is not merely a preference for that which is good, but a fixed
determination, a loyalty to that which is right. God seeketh such as have firm characters
to be His children on the Divine plane-of the New Creation. He has a great work for them
to do 'for the world of mankind; and unless their own characters were properly formed,
crystallized, established, -- they would not be in proper condition to be the rulers,
instructors and uplifters of the world. Then He has a future work for them to all
eternity. We can readily see that this
class must demonstrate their loyalty beyond peradventure, must show their zeal for
righteousness; as was written of our Savior, "Because Thou bast loved righteousness
and hated iniquity, therefore God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy
fellows." The fellows of Jesus are the members of His Body, His elect Church, of
every nation and denomination. He is their Head. If everything were perfect in
ourselves and surroundings, there would be no real opportunity for cultivating these
fruits and graces of the Spirit -- for developing and crystallizing character and for
showing our zeal for right and opposition to wrong. God, therefore, has taken advantage of
the existence of sin, and of imperfection iii others and in ourselves, to use these for
the cultivation of the graces in our hearts, arid the establishment of character in us. For instance, if there were
nothing to try our patience, how could we grow in patience? If, therefore, we feel that we
need more patience and pray for it, let us expect the answer to come in an increase of
trials and difficulties which would tend to increase patience in our hearts and lives. If
we pray for more meekness, we should expect our prayers to be answered by adverse
conditions tending to show us our weaknesses and make us more teachable, more humble. If we pray for more brotherly
kindness, we should expect more trials and difficulties from the brethren, testing our
love, patience, brotherly kindness. And so by the cultivation of all these various parts
of love, we are gradually growing into God-likeness of character, becoming. copies of
God's dear Son, who is the express image of the Father's person and His
character-likeness; for God is love. THESE THINGS SHALL BE
ADDED
The realities with God's people
are the spiritual, heavenly things. For these they seek, hunger, thirst. To them the
earthly things in comparison have no value; for these were consecrated, given up, at the
very beginning of the Christian way: But although all earthly rights have been
surrendered, and all their interests are Heavenly, yet the Lord's promise is that these
who seek first the Kingdom shall have all other needed things added to them. God-will care
for their temporal as well as their Heavenly interests. And to His praise be it said that
He generally gives them abundantly more than they could have asked or thought. Bread and water are the only
things guaranteed; but how often in the Christian's experiences many comforts and luxuries
are added, even though not asked, and while, he is seeking with all his heart the
interests and -blessings of the Kingdom! May these heavenly things more and more be our
portion! Let us look less and less at the temporary things, and with the eye of faith look
more and more to the things not seen, which are eternal, and to the Church heavenly. -- 2
Cor. 4:18. ECHOES FROM THE PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION
Dear Brethren: "Grace be to you, and peace,
from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ." A blessed season of sweet
fellowship, "sitting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," was enjoyed
in Philadelphia, July 8. As it was my privilege to be present at this gathering I am
taking the liberty to write a word respecting it, believing others would rejoice with us.
We are sure the sentiments of all was that it was good to be there. Friends from
Millville, Easton, Atlantic City, Washington, Royersford, Wilmington, Plainfield,
Brooklyn, Montreal, and other points were present to join in the hymns of praise and
thanksgiving to the Giver of every good and perfect gift and to add their testimony to His
wonderful. goodness and love. Not only was the day a most
delightful one throughout, from the standpoint of the weather, but there were evidences of
the Master's sweet smile of approval in the blessed peace and joy that seemed to brighten
the countenances of all present. The opening exercises of songs
and hymns of praise were enthusiastically entered into by all. This was followed by
earnest prayers, worship, and thanksgiving. In a few well chosen words the Chairman
extended a hearty welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, and in response, a few words of
appreciation were expressed by one of the visiting brethren. The morning address was very
helpful and encouraging. The text was taken from the words of the Master recorded in the
fourteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel. Following the morning session the
friends gathered outside of the Hall on a shady lawn to partake of the many good temporal
things provided by the dear brethren of the Philadelphia Class. A very helpful testimony meeting
was first in order in the afternoon, and the friends spoke freely to one another of their
great joy in the Lord. Another address was given on practical Christian living; every
point was well analyzed and its importance clearly shown. After partaking of more good
temporal refreshments the friends assembled for the closing service of the day; and again
the Father and our dear Lord Jesus came very near to bless and comfort His people. The day's program came to a close
by singing the beautiful hymn, "God be with you till we meet again." All were
happy and rejoiced in the blessings of the day, realizing that the Lord had made good His
blessed promise of His presence. Yours in the Master's service, B.
B. -- N. J. ST. JOHN ON CONSECRATION
Continued from last
issue We become more fully acquainted
with St. John as we study his writings and expositions on the subject of full consecration
to God, as summed up in his words, "Love not the world neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." -- 1
John 2: 15. One can scarcely read this advice
of the Apostle John without having another Scripture suggested to his mind, which, at
first sight, may seem contradictory; that is, "God so loved the world that He gave
His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him might not perish, but have
everlasting life." The two, however, are not antagonistic, but are in full harmony
when rightly understood. If God so loved the world, even while they were yet sinners (Rom.
5:8), as to sacrifice the dearest treasure of His heart in order to redeem and save them,
then such love and such benevolence toward the world on our part cannot be out of harmony
with His will. Indeed, such is the direct teaching of the Word. "Do good to all men
as you have opportunity"; "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust .. . . Be ye therefore perfect, even as
your Father which is in heaven is perfect." --Matt. 5 :44-48 To love the world as God loves
it, is not the sentiment against which the Apostle warns the Church, as the context
clearly shows. That is a grand and ennobling love -- a love which stands on the high plane
of purity, and without having the least fellowship with the impure, nevertheless pities
the fallen, and is active in efforts to rescue them from their degradation. This Divine
love, so worthy of our imitation, is that which benevolently ignores personal antagonisms
and animosities, and, overleaping all selfish considerations and vengeful feelings,
considers only the possibilities and the ways and means for peace and reformation and
salvation. But the love of the world to
which John refers, as the context shows, is the love of fellowship, which implies the
partaking of its spirit -- its aims, ambitions, and hopes, and its methods of pursuing
them. If any man love the world in this sense, surely the love of the Father is not in
him; "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world [that is, according to
the spirit of this present evil world]. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." The Apostle has very briefly
summed up the world's treasures as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life. The lust of the flesh includes all the fleshly appetites and passions, the
merely animal instincts. To these thousands sacrifice all the higher interests. To fare
sumptuously in eating and drinking and frolic and pleasure is their delight. The lust of
the eyes demands luxury in dress and home appointments, and the gathering for
self-gratification of all that is admired and desired. And the pride of life glories in
the shame of that selfishness which has ignored the wants and woes of the needy and
suffering, and complacently said to self, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for
many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." And it goes further: it
despises the poor and needy and oppresses them. LOVE IS OF GOD
Such is the spirit of this world.
It is the very opposite of the spirit of God and of Christ; and those who are led of the
spirit of God should keep as far from it as possible. Their conduct, their dress, their
home -- life and home appointments must all speak a different language. We are to mind not
high things, but to condescend to men of low estate; to show no preference to the man that
wears the fine clothing or the gold ring, but, like our Master, to regard with highest
esteem and Christian love those who do the will of our Heavenly Father. -- Rom. 12:16;
James 2 :1-5. "God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is love with us made perfect
[completed] that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He [God] is, so
are we in this world." As God is love, and is so manifested to all His creatures, so
ought we to be love, and thus to shine as lights in the world. And if in this world, we
become living embodiments and representatives of love, we may be confident that at the end
of our course we will stand approved before Him who seeks above all things to see in us
this likeness to Himself. -- 1 John 4:16-18. To fellowship the world is to
walk in harmony with its ideas and to conform to its ways. In this sense we may not love
it, but must be apart from it and in opposition to it. The way thus pointed out to us is,
in some respects at least, a difficult way, and a lonely way; but it is the only way of
peace and lasting happiness. This world with the lust thereof is rapidly passing away: it
is hollow and unsatisfying and eventually leads to disaster and ruin; but those whose
delight is in the Lord's way have blessed communion and fellowship with Him. Their joys
come from a source which the world cannot comprehend. They .live on a higher plane,
breathe a purer atmosphere and enjoy a holier, sweeter friendship than the world could
ever offer. But if any man in Christ descend
from these high privileges to partake of the poor substitutes which the world as to offer,
he is thereby proving his lack of appreciation, and hence his unworthiness of the heavenly
things: t e love of the Father is not in him; and he may well fear tie verdict of the day
of decision. Again the Apostle John's spiritual comprehension and is grasp of the life of
holiness are grandly set forth in is writings. He does not claim perfection in the flesh r
himself or for others; though he ever admonishes his readers to look toward and seek the
standard of perfection, and at the same time he reminds us of the Throne of Mercy and
Grace. He declares that if any man say that he has no sin, he deceives himself -- he is a
liar, and makes God a liar. We are all sinners, as facts and Scripture testify. St. John
thus impresses upon us that if we say we have no sin, we are displeasing to God, who is
pleased to have us acknowledge our sins and apply for cleansing, seeking to put away sin
so far as possible. He goes on to say, "These
things I write unto you that ye sin not." He does not say: Yes, we are all sinners we
cannot help it end must continue in sin. No! But he says: Realizing that you commit
trespasses which are contrary to the desire of your heart, remember that there is a place
to go, a Mercy Seat, where you play confess your sins and obtain forgiveness. Remember
that "we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous-Remember that
He gave Himself a ransom-price for all, and that the merit of this price was applied by
imputation on our behalf. Remember that all the sins of the flesh are forgivable through
faith in His blood. Bear this in mind, too that He knows that with our imperfect flesh we
cannot as New Creatures do perfectly, and it is because of this that God has constituted
Him our Advocate and Head over all things. OUR HIGH PRIEST
GRANTS ABSOLUTION
Our Father knows that we all come
short on account of the weaknesses of the flesh. Jesus laid down His life to absolve us
from sin and to restore us to the Father, and He has appeared in the presence of. God as
the Advocate for all those who, during this Gospel Age, turn away from sin and consecrate
their lives to His service. Thus we see that the righteousness of Christ, through the
great offering for sin which He made (His own body of flesh) is the basis for the
forgiveness of our sins. And the blessing and privilege of going to the Throne of Grace
for mercy and pardon for daily shortcomings is ours because we are the children of God,
because we have come into the relationship of sons. We have a standing with the Father
through the imputed merit of Jesus. Jesus does not advocate for others than the people of
God. It is not the Father's purpose, that He, shall advocate for the world; God's dealing
with the world will be quite different. The Apostle John in this same
Epistle says: "He that is begotten of God sinneth not." How can this be true? Is
the Apostle contradicting himself? Does he here say that "he that is begotten of God sinneth not," and does he say in our text that
there is danger of our sinning? And again, that we would be lying if we denied that we
have sin? What does he mean by the statement,
"He that is begotten of God sinneth not"? We reply that that which is
begotten of God is the New Creature -- the holy will, the new soul. But this New Creature
has only the mortal body in which to operate; God promises to give a new body to the New
Creature in the resurrection. In the meantime, however, He is required to live under the
present imperfections of the human body, and by his good fight against the weaknesses and
sins which are entrenched in his flesh he will show either his loyalty to God and to the
principles of righteousness or his disloyalty. It he be overtaken in a fault, either
through ignorance or through temptation which he cannot control, it will not be sin on the
part of the New Creature, but an infirmity of the flesh. Nevertheless, he must go to God
for forgiveness for these trespasses. But the New Creature sinneth not
-- he "does not practice sin"-as the Emphatic
Diaglott translates this passage. "He who loves
sin will sin; he who does not love sin
will not sin willfully." He might be entrapped through his weak flesh, or
fall into a snare of the Adversary, but this would be unintentional on his part. And
Jesus, our Advocate, will intercede for such sins, but not for deliberate sin. Jesus did
not die for willful sins of the New Creature, but for sins due to the fall -- Adamic sin.
So if any sin willfully as a New Creature, he perishes thereby. Our first life was in
Adam; our first death was the Adamic death. When we accepted Christ and the New Creature
was begotten, our second life was begun. Now if such a one should be guilty of willful sin
he would no longer have any standing whatever before God; he would again come under the
sentence of death -- the Second Death. SLACKNESS IN THE NEW
CREATURE
We might remark here,
incidentally, that sometimes there is a kind of mixed condition; the New Creature has been
slack in guarding against temptation, and has yielded with some degree of culpability. To
the extent that the New Creature has been derelict, negligent, the face of the Lord will
be darkened to him. If the flesh start to do wrong, the new will is not to consent to, or
allow .the wrong. The New Creature is to mortify, put to death, the flesh. To whatever
extent he is slack in this matter, to that extent it is sin. A full sin would be a full consent of the new will, a full turning away
from God. But the flesh might have certain
desires and temptations, and there might occur a partially willful sin. In such a case
stripes would be administered in proportion to the willfulness. Such an individual might
get into a place where he would be spiritually sick, so that the Lord would entirely shut
him off from the light of His countenance. The Apostle James points out that the only
proper action then would be for the individual to apply to the Elders of the Church, the
seniors of the Church, the spiritually minded ones, that they go with him to the Throne of
Grace in order that he might obtain mercy and be reinstated. Seniors, spiritually minded ones
not Elders, might do this service for the one who is sick, but preferably it should be the
chosen Elders of the Congregation. This course would be a very humiliating one for the
sin-sick brother, but such action might save that soul from death by a proper humbling of self "under the mighty hand of God."
Thus such a one might be recovered and become again a true child of God. CHRISTIAN, WALK
CAREFULLY!
If we realize that through lack
of proper watchfulness, or through some infirmity of the flesh, we have taken a wrong
step, contrary to the Lord's will and, to our interests as New Creatures in Christ, let us
lose no time in retracing the step and in calling upon the Father for forgiveness.
"We have an altar whereof they have no right to partake who serve the [typical]
tabernacle"; an altar not sanctified by the blood of bulls and goats., but by the
precious blood of Christ; and we are urged to "come boldly [with holy courage and
confident faith] to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need." (Heb. 13:10; 4:16.) How blessed this Throne of Grace, this Mercy
Seat, provided by our Father's love! How undone we should be without it! Yet, beloved, let
.us walk with great carefulness -- let us never presume upon the mercy of our God by being
careless of our steps. Let us, instead, with earnest prayer and watchfulness, "work
out our own salvation with fear and trembling," while our Father "worketh in us
both to will and to do His good pleasure." -- Phil. 2:12, 13. "Christian, walk
carefully! oft wilt thou fall, MATTHEW THE PUBLICAN
"1 am not come to call the righteous but sinners."
-Luke 5:32. It has been truly said that
"the story of Matthew is an emphatic witness to the truth that the Gospel is no
respecter of persons, and that even in the selection of His more immediate followers Jesus
thought not of their outward surroundings, but simply and solely of their spiritual
fitness for their new task." Surely the Savior made no mistake in calling Matthew to
be one of twelve Apostles. His life subsequent to his call gives evidence of having been
most fruitful, and to him was assigned the honor of giving to the followers of Christ a
most inspiring account of the life and ministry of our blessed Redeemer. It was in or near the city of
Capernaum that Matthew received the call from the Master. This city where our Lord had
been teaching and healing, was situated on the sea of Galilee, or, as we today should say,
the Lake of Galilee. It was a city of considerable commercial importance, especially for
the fish business, and undoubtedly the lake-shore in that vicinity was quite populous. The
tense of the Greek would seem to indicate that our Lord kept going by the sea-shore,
stopping here and there to discourse to the people, multitudes of whom flocked to hear
Him. It was during this journey that He passed Matthew, formerly known as Levi, a
custom-house agent of the Roman government -- a revenue collector, who was attending to
his business, and whom our Lord addressed, saying, "Follow Me," and who obeyed
the call to discipleship. Many get a very false thought
from the brevity of the narrative, and infer that Levi (Matthew) had never heard of Jesus
before, and that our Lord, as He passed him, cast upon him some kind of a spell which led
him to instantly drop his business, as though bereft of his senses. On the contrary, we
are to remember that the Lord and His disciples were well known in. that vicinity for
years, and that probably Matthew had not only knowledge of our Lord, but also faith in
Him, as the Messiah. Not until now, however, had Jesus invited him to become one of His
immediate disciples; not unti1 now, therefore, could Matthew essay to become such. There
evidently were many who heard the Lord discourse time and again, and who were to be
reckoned as amongst His friends, but who were by no means invited to become special
followers, companions and associates in the ministry of the Gospel, as were the Twelve. Nor are we to suppose that
Matthew left his money-drawer open, and his accounts with the Roman government unsettled,
to immediately follow the Master. Rather, we may assume that it may have taken days, or
possibly weeks, to straighten his affairs and to enable him to respond to the Lord's call
to apostleship. We should remember that the history of several years, and many discourses,
conversations and incidents, are crowded in the gospel narrative into very brief space. THE PUBLICANS
DESPISED
The office of a publican offered
many opportunities for dishonesty and extortion, bribery, etc., but we cannot for a moment
suppose that Levi was one of these dishonest publicans, for had he been so we may be sure
he would not have been called to the apostleship and would not have responded to the call,
for we are not to forget that it is written, "No man can come to Me except the Father
which sent Me draw him." John 6 :44. Quoting Peloubet's Notes as to
the general character of the publicans: "To become a publican in Palestine publicans
nineteen centuries ago a man had first of all to sell his country. The publican was the
embodiment and representative of the foreign government. Dr. Johnson once defined a
pensioner as a state hireling paid to betray his country. The Jew would have accepted that
as a true definition of the publican. And to become a publican, in the second place, a man
had to sell his conscience. The publican's trade was a dishonest trade. The fact that once
in the history of the Empire a monument was raised to the memory of a man whose chief
distinction it was that he had been an honest publican, only confirms the truth of the
statement that, speaking generally, the publicans were a set of unscrupulous extortioners
and thieves. Taxes today are fixed by respon-sible and representative bodies, and the
tax-gatherer, as a result, can never exact more than is due. But taxes long ago were
'farmed.' The taxes of a town or district or province would be sold to the highest bidder,
and that highest bidder would then be allowed to squeeze out of the people of his district
what money he could. It was a system that encouraged corruption and extortion. The more
the publican wrung out of the people, the quicker he grew rich. And so the publican lied
and cheated and swindled; he smothered his conscience and hardened his heart, and grew fat
and rich by extortion and false accusation." Matthew was a man of influence,
and .as soon as he accepted the Lord's call, and responded by consecrating himself and his
all, he set about to use his influence in drawing others to the Savior. He would announce
his own devotion to the cause in such a manner and under such favorable circumstances as
if possible would win some. To these ends he arranged a banquet for the Lord and His
disciples at his house, and invited many of his friends and business associates. These in
our lesson are called "Many publicans and sinners." MATTHEW READY FOR THE
MASTER'S CALL
We have seen why the publicans
were ostracized by the scribes. and Pharisees - not always because they were wicked, but
because their business was disesteemed: and being thus cut off socially from the
ultra-religious, the publicans were forced to have most of their social intercourse with
the non-, religious, by way of contrast called "sinners." By the term sinners we
are not necessarily to understand vile persons and evil-doers, but rather persons who did
not profess nor attempt the holiness claimed by the Pharisees -- persons who did not claim
to be absolute. keepers of the Divine Law -- who did not profess to make the outside of
the cup or platter absolutely clean, though perhaps in many instances the inside was as
clean or more clean than were the hearts of the Pharisees, who professed perfect holiness.
This our Lord intimated on several occasions. When, therefore, we read that our Lord was
the friend of publicans and sinners we are not to understand that He made companions of
the rowdies or moral lepers of His time. We are rather to understand that in the usage of
that one class of Jews was designated the holy people (Pharisees), and another class
designated as not professing absolute holiness (sinners). The words of
Dean Farrar are well in place at this point: "But He who came to seek and save the
lost -- He who could evoke Christian holiness out of the midst of heathen corruption --
could make, even out of a Jewish publican, the Apostle and the first Evangelist of a new
and living Faith. His choice of apostles was dictated, by a spirit far different from that
of calculating policy or conventional prudence. He rejected the dignified scribe (Matt:
8:19); He chose the despised and hated tax-gatherer. It was the glorious unworldliness of
a Divine insight and a perfect charity, and St. Matthew more than justified it by turning
his knowledge of writing to a sacred use, and becoming the earliest biographer of his
Savior and his Lord: "No doubt Matthew had heard
some of the discourses, had seen some of the miracles of Christ. His heart had been
touched, and to the eyes of Him who despised none and despaired of none, the publican,
even as he sat at 'the receipt of custom,' was ready for the call. One word was enough.
The 'Follow Me' which showed to Matthew that his Lord loved him, and was ready to use him
as a chosen instrument in spreading the good tidings of the kingdom of God, was sufficient
to break the temptations of avarice and the routine of a daily calling, and 'he left all,
rose up, and followed Him,' touched into noblest transformation by the Ithuriel-spear of a
forgiving and redeeming love." "So Matthew left his golden gains, --J. S. B. Monsell. A HOME CONSECRATED TO
THE MASTER
Matthew's endeavor to bring his
friends and associates into contact with the Master and His teachings is certainly
commendable, and is a good illustration of what each one who enters the Lord's flock
should do. Each should seek to exert his influence where it is greatest, amongst those
with whom he is acquainted and who are acquainted with Him, and upon whom either His past
honesty and good character should have an influence, or else those to whom his radical
change of life would be the most manifest. Another lesson for us is the propriety of using
hospitality as a channel for the advancement of the truth -- the homes of those who have
consecrated themselves to the Lord should be consecrated homes, in which the first
consideration should be the service of the Master; and its influence should be to draw out
friends to the Lord, that they might be taught of Him. Too frequently the consecration of
the home is overlooked and antagonistic influences are permitted to dominate, with the
result that neither the Lord nor the Lord's people are entertained, nor His Cause served
in them. Such a house and home loses a great blessing, and the head of such a house has
serious reason to question whether or not he is overcoming, and therefore an
"overcomer," to whom only the prize is promised, or whether he is being overcome
by adverse influences. The Lord desires a courageous
people, a people so full of faith, and love to Him and His, that they will conquer adverse
influences in the interest of righteousness. What would we think of Matthew if he had said
to the Lord: Master, I would much like to have a banquet at my home, and to invite there
some of my friends, that I might introduce you to them, and that thus a favorable
influence might be exerted on behalf of the truth; but I have no liberty in my own home my
wife would not hear of it for a moment, or my children are unruly, have no respect for me
as a parent, and would create a great disturbance if I were to mention such a thing as a
banquet in your honor, so greatly are they offended that I am giving up my lucrative
business, and so fearful are they that they will not have the same social standing as
before, or the same privileges of extravagance? We would consider him a most
unfit man to he an apostle, or to occupy even the position of elder or deacon in the
Church, according to the terms laid down by the Apostle Paul. (1 Tim. 3:4, 5.) We would
esteem such an one unworthy of any responsible position in the Church, and so deficient in
the qualities of an "overcomer" that he would be in great danger of losing the
prize, unless he promptly instituted a reform of his character. It is only what we should
expect, to find Matthew's case very different from this -- to find that he had a strong
character. Nor can we expect that the Master would have said to him, "Follow
Me," unless he had such character that would permit him to follow in the Master's
footsteps, for surely our Lord Jesus, while gentle, kind, and loving, was never weak or
characterless. And what would we have thought of Matthew's wife and family, had they
objected to the banquet? We would have considered them rather hopeless as respects
saintship, and that his wife had not learned even the first element of wifehood-that she
was a hinderer instead of a helping mate. As it was we may be assured that with the Lord
came a special blessing to that home. SPIRITUAL FOOD AT THE
BANQUET
It would seem from other
narratives of this same banquet (which was probably several weeks after Matthew's call)
that a large number of people were gathered at Matthew's house aside from those who
partook of the banquet (Luke 5:29), and from the connection of the narrative it is
supposed that it was on one of the regular fast days of the Pharisees. These facts led to
the question: Why does your Teacher associate
with these people, who do not profess sanctification? The objection was not because our
Lord taught the publicans and sinners, but because He ate with them, which implied a
social equality, and the Pharisees evidently recognized that our Lord and His apostles
were professing and living lives of entire consecration to God. In answer to this query our Lord
said, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick"; the
implication being that the physician had a right to go to and mingle with those whom he
sought to relieve, and might mingle with them in whatever manner he saw to be expedient
for their cure. This language does not imply that the Pharisees were not sick, and that
they did not need our Lord's ministry, though the fact was that not admitting that they
were sin-sick they were not disposed to receive his good medicine of doctrine. The same
thought is otherwise expressed. by our Lord in the same connection, saying, "I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Any one who considered himself
to be righteous, would be beyond the call of repentance. His first lesson would be to
learn that he was not righteous, not perfect; hence our Lord went chiefly. to those who
admitted that they were not righteous, and whose hearts therefore were better soil for the
truth than others. Our Lord intimated this in His parable of the publican's and the
Pharisee's prayers, assuring us that in God's sight the publican had the better standing,
because of his acknowledgment of imperfections and his petition for mercy. Another of the Evangelists adds
other of our Lord's words-"Go ye and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and
not sacrifice." (Matt. 9 :13.) Our Lord here evidently quoted from Hosea 6:6. The
lesson the Pharisees should have learned from this was that in their particularity
respecting sacrifices, self-denials, tithing of mint, anise, cummin, etc., the very things
in which they boasted as evidences of their holiness were things which God did not
appreciate nearly so much as He would have appreciated mercy. They should have had
compassionate feelings toward their fellow Jews, the yearning compassion which would have
delighted to have lifted them out of sin and brought them nearer to the Lord and nearer to
righteous influences. Instead of having this spirit of mercy, which would have been very
pleasing in God's sight, and would have prepared them to be recipients of His mercy, they
had instead a loveless sentiment which despised others and boasted of self-a
self-satisfied and complacent condition of mind and heart, very reprehensible to the Lord
-a condition of heart unready to be blessed with Divine mercy. MARY MAGDALENE
"Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and
our shield:'-Psa. 33:20. THE Sacred Record tells us that
as Jesus was making a special preaching tour of Galilee-"throughout every city and
village preaching and showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God" -- that He was
accompanied by the Twelve; additionally by certain women, amongst whom was one who had
been healed of evil spirits, called Mary Magdalene. This character, otherwise termed Mary
of Magdala, is presented to our attention as an exhibition not only of the miraculous
power that was vested in the Savior in that she was freed from a great affliction, but
also as an illustrious example of true and womanly devotion to a great Leader and a great
Cause. Like a good number of others of her time, as well as since, she was led to enter
upon this life of consecration and service of Her Master as a result of heartfelt
gratitude-because of what great things the Lord had done for her. Many in the past have identified
Mary of Magdala with the unnamed character mentioned in Luke 7:36-50. Of this woman we
read that she came into the room where Jesus was dining with Simon the Pharisee; with a
vial of very precious ointment in her hand, she walked to the back of the table-couch and
directly to the feet of Jesus. Her intention evidently was to anoint His feet with the
ointment, but ere she had succeeded in breaking the seals and unstopping the vial her
pent-up feelings found expression in a gush of tears which rained upon, the Master's
feet-an indignity where she had intended honor. Quickly unfastening her hair she used it
as a towel to dry the feet, and then, as expressive of her love and sympathy and
adoration, while wiping the feet she kissed them repeatedly (for so the Greek text,
implies). Then, opening the alabaster vase, she poured upon the blessed feet the sweet,
odorous ointment as originally intended. Though it cannot be proved that
this woman who apparently of abandoned character thus came to Jesus in deep penitence
anointing His feet, etc., was Mary Magdalene, yet the surmise is not altogether
groundless. "An ancient tradition," says Dean Farrar, "especially prevalent
in the Western Church, and followed by the translators of our English version -- a
tradition which, though it must ever remain uncertain, is not in itself improbable, and
cannot be disproved -- identifies this woman [referred to in Luke 7:36-50] with Mary of Magdala, 'out of whom Jesus cast
seven devils.' This exorcism is not elsewhere alluded to, and it would be perfectly in
accordance with the genius of Hebrew phraseology if the expression had been applied to
her, in consequence of a passionate nature and an abandoned life. The Talmudists have much
to say respecting her -- her wealth, her extreme beauty, her braided locks, her shameless
profligacy, her husband Pappus, and her paramour Pandera ; but all that we really know of
the Magdalene from Scripture is that enthusiasm of devotion and gratitude which attached
her, heart and soul, to her Savior's service. In the chapter of St. Luke which follows
this incident she is mentioned first among the women who accompanied Jesus in His
wanderings, and ministered to Him of their substance; and it may he that in the narrative
of the incident at Simon's house her name was suppressed, out of that delicate
consideration which, in other passages, makes the Evangelist suppress the condition of
Matthew and the name of Peter. It :nay be, indeed, that the woman who was a sinner went to
find the peace which Christ had promised to her troubled conscience in a life of deep
seclusion and obscurity, which meditated in silence on the merciful forgiveness of her
Lord; but in the popular consciousness she will till the end of time be identified with
the Magdalene whose very name has passed into all civilized languages as a synonym for
accepted . penitence and pardoned sin. The traveler, who, riding among the delicate
perfumes of many flowering plants on the shores of Gennesareth, comes to the ruinous tower
and solitary palm-tree that mark the Arab village of El Mejdel, will involuntarily recall
this old tradition of her whose sinful beauty and deep repentance have made the name of
Magdala so famous; and though the few miserable peasant buts are squalid and ruinous, and
the inhabitants are living in ignorance and degradation, he will still look with interest
and emotion on a site which brings back into his memory one of the most signal proofs that
no one-not even the most fallen and most despised-is regarded as an outcast by Him whose
very work it was to seek and save that which was lost. Perhaps in the balmy air of
Gennesareth, in the brightness of the sky above his head, in the sound of the singing
birds which fills the air, in the masses of purple blossom which at some seasons of the
year festoons these huts of mud, he may see a type of the love and tenderness which is
large and rich enough to encircle with the grace of fresh and heavenly beauty the ruins of
a once earthly and desecrated life." A MIRACLE OF GRACE --
LOVING DEVOTION
However, whether or not Mary
Magdalene was the one who is described as coming to Jesus in the home of Simon, she was
most certainly a miracle of grace. For it is distinctly stated that she had been possessed
of evil spirits, seven of which the Lord cast out. This statement signifies simply
that she had been in the condition that many are who are in the insane asylum. Seemingly
her troubles had not been organic, but caused by the harassing of the seven fallen angels
who had taken possession of her. Whoever believes the Bible message must believe that
there are fallen angels -- spirit beings who have a malevolent influence upon humanity to
the extent that they can gain control, and who must be resisted by the will. Mary
apparently was a woman of some wealth. Released from the power of the demons she was so
grateful to Jesus that she did her best to serve Him on every occasion. Not only had she
come from Galilee to Judea, but she was near the cross at the time of His death, and the
first at the tomb on the morning of the resurrection-"while it was yet dark."
Such love and devotion commend themselves to every sincere heart, and are surely worthy of
emulation on the part of those who receive at the Lord's hands spiritual favors,
forgiveness, reconciliation, the spirit of a sound mind, new hopes and aspirations, etc. Mary Magdalene, finding the tomb
of her Lord empty, hastened and first found Peter and afterward John, both of whom at once
ran to the sepulchre, Mary probably returning more slowly to the same place, arriving
there after they and the other women had gone. It was at this second visit that the Lord
revealed Himself to her. She had been weeping and then stooped down in order to see
through the low doorway, as though to reassure herself that it was empty, and then saw for
the first time two angels in white, who inquired respecting her sorrow. The angels had
doubtless been there when she was there before, but she had not seen them, because not of
their choosing to "appear." Indeed, the Scriptures assure us, saying, "Are
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of
salvation?" And again, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear Him, and delivereth them." CLINGING TO JESUS
The words of the angels to Mary
would be calculated to assuage her grief, for they manifested no grief, and by their
question implied that she had no ground for it. At this juncture something drew Mary's
attention, and turning around she discovered another person near her, evidently in
ordinary garments, whom she presumed to be a servant of Joseph of Arimathea, the owner of
the garden-his gardener. She considered herself a trespasser to some extent, and assuming
that our Lord's body was not wanted longer in the rich man's tomb she inquired where He
had been taken, that she might take the proper steps to care for His reinterment. Then
Jesus (for it was He who had "appeared" in the form of a gardener) spoke her
name: "Mary!" At once she recognized the voice, and crying, "Master,
Teacher!" she 'fell at His feet, -- grasping them as though fearful that somehow, if
she let go, she might never get the opportunity of touching His blessed person again. Our
Lord's words to her, "Touch Me not, but go, tell My brethren," would more
properly be translated, Cling not to Me, etc.: for I have not yet ascended to My Father; I
will be here a while yet before I ascend, but your great opportunity for clinging to Me
and trusting in Me will be after I have presented to the Father, and He has accepted, the
great atonement for sins which I have just accomplished at Calvary. Mary's touch could do
our Lord no harm, for others touched Him subsequently, as the record shows; but our Lord
would lead Mary's mind away from a mere clinging in the flesh, to the higher relationship
and inti-macy of heart and of spirit, which would now be possible, not only for her, but
for all His followers, not only then but ever since. In a spiritual way the Lord's
people may be exhorted not only to "look unto Jesus," the Author and Finisher of
our faith,. but also to "cling to Jesus," and by faith to place our hands in His
that He may lead us all through our pilgrim journey, in the narrow way until He shall
bring us to Himself, when we, like Him, shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, and be like Him, spirit beings, and see Him as
He is; not as He was, before His resurrection, nor as He "appeared" during
the forty days after it. -- 1 John 3 :2. Our Lord gave Mary a message, a
service to perform, and so it is with all who love the Lord and seek Him and find Him:
they are not to merely enjoy Him selfishly, but are given a commission in His service for
the brethren. This seems as true today as ever. Mary departed with her glad message and
was undoubtedly much happier in the delivery of it than if she had been permitted to
remain clinging to the Lord; enjoying her knowledge somewhat selfishly. To find her Lord
alive when she had supposed Him dead meant to Mary a joy such as the Apostle Peter
expressed when he said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." We may well suppose from our own
experience in such matters, that every time Mary told the good tidings to others, and made
their hearts rejoice also, it brought her a fresh increase of joy. The Master similarly
sends all who recognize Him as "He that liveth and was dead, and is alive
forevermore," to go forth and tell others of the glorious fact that we have a living
Savior, whose love and interest extends to every interest and affair of our lives, and who
not only is full of sympathy and compassion, but is able also to succor those who are
tempted, who are in trial, who are in distress of any kind -- one who is able to bring us
off conquerors, to give us strength to endure hardness, and who by and by will receive to
Himself all the faithful. BY LOVE SERVE
Some one has left us the
following beautiful statement concerning Mary Magdalene" The story of Mary Madgalene
teaches us the power of love. It drew her after the Savior. It strengthened her for
ministry. It held her true and strong to the end. It won for her many blessings. 'Love
never faileth.' "We note that the risen Lord
had at once some work for Mary Magdalene to do. Love is always thus rewarded with the
opportunity to serve. The loving are the serving, and they count this service their crown. "Mary says little; one word,
'Rabboni!' and then her Master's bidding. And it is in that immediate obedience, which cut
at the very heart of all her joy, that He that hath eyes to see and ears to hear can gauge
the height and depth of Mary's love." Still another has well remarked: "Mary was
once trodden under foot of evil, a wreck in whom none but Christ saw any place for hope.
It is what is in HIM that is powerful." "Magdalena, thou delightest DANIEL THE BELOVED OF JEHOVAH
SERIES VII NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S
PERIOD OF INSANITY
"The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon,
that 1 have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for .the
honor of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from
heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from
thee . . . . The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar; and he was driven
from men,, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till
his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws." Dan. 4
: 30-34. VARIOUS explanations have been
given respecting the nature of Nebuchadnezzar's punishment. That it was a species of in '
sanity is clear because it is stated to be such by Nebuchadnezzar himself when re -ferring
to his recovery: "And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes
unto heaven, and mine understanding [reason] returned unto me." That the great
affliction came upon him as a direct judgment, as a rebuke to his pride and
self-exaltation, is also evident. The entire account not only gives evidence of this, but
also makes clear that the punishment was a corrective one, Concerning the nature and form of
the insanity, it is sufficient to say that it has been known in both ancient and modern
times alike. It was of that kind or species in which the subjects labor under the delusion
that they are themselves animals, and set themselves to live and act like the particular
animal which they imagine themselves to be. Numerous instances of this form of insanity
are recorded in the various medical works that treat of this malady, and examples may be
seen by visiting asylums for the insane. One may imagine himself to be a king, and deck
himself with a scepter or a diadem. It is very evident from this narrative that
Nebuchadnezzar imagined himself to be a beast, and it was a thing not unnatural that he
would try to live and act like a beast, as the account informs us he did. In such a state
of mind it has been found that nothing can convince the affected one that he is not what
he fancies himself to be. Where cases of this kind exist, and the afflicted ones are
harmless, it is sometimes customary to indulge them in this fancy, in so far as it would
be consistent with safety. It is not necessary to suppose that Nebuchadnezzar was
permitted to roam the forests or fields without restraint. It is more reasonable to
believe that he was cared for, indeed that special attendants were employed to this end.
As expressed by another: "Perhaps the real influence of Nebuchadnezzar, and the true
greatness of his character, cannot be seen more dearly than they are from the conduct of
the Babylonians towards him upon this melancholy occasion. As a rule in the East
everything depended upon the personal activity of the king, and his constant presence to
direct every movement whether in the direction of war, fine art, politics, theology, or
civil engineering. But in this case the king was in a helpless condition, confined [most
probably] to one of his palatial parks, and there shut off from all intercourse with the
outer world. Here he was treated, most probably, not as unfortunate persons are at the
present time by the kindness of skilled physicians who have made a study of human
infirmity, but by his own magicians, who bound their sacred texts around him, and recited
over him some of their incantations. Yet the whole of the state machinery went on just as
if the mainspring itself was sound. No attempts were made to nominate a successor or even
a regent. The prestige of the great conqueror, aided doubtless by the wisdom of Daniel,
was in itself sufficient to maintain the empire." Another writer has also laid
stress an this matter as follows: "That after so deep, long, and total disability he
found his imperial authority still reserved to him must likewise be referred to the
special providence and merciful goodness of God, the while foreseeing what a salutary
change the sorrowful affliction would work. We may justly attribute it, in good part, to
that generosity and sound statesmanship which led the king to put Daniel and the three
Hebrews at the head of things. Faithful to their God, they would not be unfaithful to
their king, nor allow advantage to be taken of his melancholy sufferings to set up another
in his place. These men knew that the trouble was only for a definite time, and that then
the king would be recovered to his right mind in a still higher sense than it was ever
before possessed. And so far as their high, authority and influence would go, they would
reserve the kingdom for him, as the Chaldeans had done when his father, died." The expression, "they shall
make thee to eat grass as oxen;" seems to denote that as this was his fancied
propensity, he would be indulged in it. It is not necessary, however, to suppose that his
food was confined to what is termed grass today. The account is in the Chaldean language,
and the corresponding Hebrew word for grass, according to Mr. Barnes and other learned
expositors, means properly herbs, green herbs, vegetables. "The word grass in our
language conveys an idea which is not strictly in accordance with the original. That word
would denote only the vegetable productions which cattle eat." The herbs or
vegetables would of course in this instance be eaten raw, the same as with cattle. The
expression, "They shall make thee to eat grass," means that as this would be his
inclination, they would treat him so that he would be permitted to do it. The words,
"And they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven," means that they would allow
him to live out in the open air. This would not be considered a strange treatment of an
insane person, and especially so in a climate where it was not uncommon for all classes of
persons to pass the night in the open air. However, we must not lose sight
of the fact that this affliction of the king was a special judgment of God. "The
affliction was meant to be extraordinary, and the falling of it within the category of
common afflictions, though with peculiar features of its own, serves the double purpose of
showing that it was not at all unlikely on the one hand; and that it was a mere natural
disorder, on the other." THE DEEPEST
DEGRADATION
It is utterly impossible to
conceive a contrast more marked than the one between Nebuchadnezzar's former state and
condition and that which this great punishment brought upon him. The description exhibits
one of the most melancholy and sad afflictions that could be visited upon any human being,
however low his condition; but when considering the former exalted state of the great
Monarch, the affliction would be so much more greatly magnified. Imagine, if you can, the
great Monarch of .the world, the one who was symbolized by the head of gold of the great
image of empires, the one whose dominion reached almost to the end of the inhabited earth,
the one whose genius surpassed all others, whose fame as a warrior, architect, and ruler
resounded far and near; imagine him having reached the height of worldly success, honor
and glory, walking upon the walls of his palace, contemplating with inward satisfaction
what his great genius and military prowess had accomplished; imagine him looking down with
selfish pride and admiration upon what he believed his own wisdom, and might, and power
had accomplished, and saying, "Is not this great Babylon which I have built, for the
house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty." Then
come and see him under-the terrible affliction-this same man, walking among the cattle,
thinking himself one of them, trying to live and act like them, disdaining human
habitation and ways of living. Observe him feeding upon the green herbage, disdaining the
dainty food of the palace. Mark his matted hair and beard. Observe his nails grown so that
they looked like birds' claws. Note. the dull, vacant look of his countenance; his refusal
to speak to any human being, even to answer their questions. Observe his beast-like
habits. Note how impossible it is to persuade him that he is anything different from the
beasts that he persists in associating with. What degradation! Can this be a man? Is this
the great and mighty conqueror whose fame had reached the world over? Is this the man
under whose supervision and by whose wisdom and genius Babylon,, the glory of the
"Chaldean excellency" had been built? Is this the man that had consolidated and
welded together all the kingdoms of the ancient world and brought them to acknowledge him
as their ruler? Can this be the great and mighty monarch who was so desirous of having his
fame handed down to generations unborn that he had his name stamped on the millions of
bricks that were used in the construction of the wonderful palaces and other. buildings
designed by him or under his supervision? Indeed, this is the man! how has
the mighty fallen This is the punishment the Almighty imposed upon him for ignoring his
Maker-for not heeding the "signs and wonders" shown him of the great omnipotent
One's power. What a punishment indeed. was this! However, it was all designed for good. In
his case it was corrective -- sent upon him in order that he might see his sin, abhor, and
forsake it, and acknowledge that the great God of heaven was the One to whom all men
should give the praise and honor, for what they are, as well as what they have been
enabled in this world to accomplish. Was the punishment in vain? Did he learn the lesson?
Did it cause him to look up to the great God? Was his recovery an illustration of how the
goodness of God leads men to repentance ? It is impossible for us to tell
whether or not the king retained his inner consciousness during the period of this
terrible affliction. Medical works refer to cases of like affliction in which the
subject's consciousness or even memory was seriously impaired; although they persisted in
maintaining that they were not men, but beasts. The late Joseph Seiss is authority for
saying "Dr Browne, the eminent commissioner of the Board of Lunacy* for Scotland,
gives it as his opinion, male up from an experience of thirty years in the treatment of
mental alienations, that 'the idea of personal identity is but rarely enfeebled, and that
it is never lost.' He says, 'All the angels, devils, dukes, lords, kings, "god's
many," that I have had under my care remained what they were before they became
angels, dukes, etc., in a sense, and even nominally.' This author says 'I have seen a man
declaring himself to be the Savior sign himself James
Thomson, and attend worship regularly, as if the notion of divinity had never entered
his head.' And in reference to the case now before us he says, 'I think it probable that
Nebuchadnezzar retained a perfect consciousness that he was Nebuchadnezzar during the
whole course of his degradation.'" * He occupied
this position about 1850. If the quite general opinion that
a "time" represents ,a year is correct, then seven years was the divinely
appointed period that this great affliction was to continue. The decree of the heavenlv
"watcher" was that after this period had passed, he would recover. Whether the
great king retained the consciousness that he was Nebuchadnezzar all these years or not,
it is quite certain that he possessed it as the time drew near for his deliverance from
the punishment. It is very significant that the
great calamity came upon him while the voice from heaven was speaking to him, and when his
deliverance came, Nebuchadnezzar informs us that he found himself looking up to heaven
whence the voice came. He tells us: "At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted
up mine eves to heaven." He must have become conscious then that he was a grievous
sufferer; he must have known what was the great sin that caused his affliction; and it is
very reasonable, indeed it can hardly be otherwise, than that the look upwards was one
which needed no audible expression for the One who is not only just but merciful to know
that the king was pleading for mercy and help. It was a look expressive of reverence-a
look that indicated earnest prayer for pity; and the One who has said, "I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones," responded,
and Nebuchadnezzar was delivered. He informs us, in words expressive of his joy and
gratitude, that his understanding returned to him, and that he blessed the \,lost High,
and praised and gave honor to Him for his great deliverance. His words, as recorded in the
closing verses of this most remarkable decree or proclamation are: "At the same time
my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness
returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in
my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol
and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, .and His ways judgment; and those that walk in pride He is able to abase:" Some writers, with seeming
reasonableness, have located this incident of Nebuchadnezzar's recovery as occurring only
a brief period, perhaps a year before his death. All accounts agree that his death
occurred in 561 B.C., after a reign of about forty-three years. This Bible account is the
last we hear of this great monarch. Berosus hints at some mysterious silence. in
connection with his closing days. From the few vague and very brief passages mentioned in
these ancient histories, however, there can be no solid inferences drawn. After this most
remarkable proclamation, which he says was designed to show the signs and wonders that the
Most High God wrought toward him, the veil is drawn over his after history, and what
occurred is hidden. from our view, until "the judgment o f the great day." THE GREAT KING A
CHANGED MAN
Much debate has been had as to
whether 'Nebuchadnezzar was genuinely converted or not. To answer with certainty it would
be necessary to know for a surety what was the character of his life after this. So far as
his words are concerned, they express nothing less than a genuine repentance and
conversion. May we not with confidence believe, that his words, "And for the glory of
my kingdom, my honor and brightness returned to me, . . . and excellent majesty was added unto me," express his purpose that his
restoration to the exercise of his reason, should contribute to the glory of his kingdom,
by the acts of justice and beneficence which he intended should characterize the remainder
of his reign? And indeed, if what many eminent writers believe is true -- that
Nebuchadnezzar was a symbolical man; that in both his degradation and recovery, he
represented both humanity's degradation and restitution -- then will it not require, to
make the typical representation full and complete, that he not only suffered a judgment degradation, but, that he also
in the close of his life experienced a genuine
conversion to the God of heaven? It certainly would seem so. Concerning this a noted
writer has said: "He had endured a most
signal judgment, but it had upon him the intended effect. It humbled his pride. It brought
him to the most devout personal recognition of God. It set him to work to do all in his
power to honor and glorify Jehovah. It took away from his heart all shame or hesitation in
confessing his sin, and the justice of the punishment he had suffered on account of it. It
made him a penitent adorer and royal missionary of the true God. Not a great golden statue
now, but his own imperial station, his recovered reason, his softened heart, his royal
pen, himself and all his power and faculties as a king, were dedicated to that infinite
One whose majesty he had offended, whose judgment he hail suffered, and whom all men
should fear, worship and obey. He transmitted his throne into a pulpit and his state
papers into sermons, that his erring subjects might learn the wonders of Omnipotence, be
led to honor the high God, and have peace multiplied unto them ,through His name. He had
learned that 'the heavens do rule'; and now his royal desire was that all people, nations,
and languages that dwell in all the earth might learn the same, without coming to it
through such sorrows as he had felt. He had through deep waters reached the better shore,
and he now sung his psalm of royal praise to the 'King of heaven, all whose works are
truth, and His ways judgment.' He had come to a pious apprehension of the signs and
wonders that the high God had wrought toward him; and touched with that beneficent
missionary -fire which always attends a true experience of grace, he now would have all
men reverence and adore that same almighty Being, who is able to humble all the children
of men. "Men have debated whether
his was a full and genuine conversion or not. To me it seems as if everything that could
be expected under the circumstances was actually wrought. There breathes through the whole
document so quiet, candid, earnest and beautiful a spirit that I know not how to explain
it without referring it to- a thorough transformation of his entire character, which only
the converting grace of God could work. The offensive pride of the heathen autocrat gave
place to that penitent humility which frankly confesses its sin and blesses the Hand that
chastised it. The hand which held the sword, and wielded it with such terrible effect is
now stretched forth in, benediction. The lion so fierce and ravenous is tamed 'into a
lamb. The harsh enactor of decrees to cut men to pieces, and to burn them in furnaces of
fire, now exhorts and admonishes them as a prophet of God. If his language and speech are
not yet completely purged of their heathen accent, and do not in all respects conform to
that of the inspired teachers of Israel, we can distinctly trace in it the soul of a true
worshiper and servant of the Most High. Nor do I know by what authority any one can deny
him a place in the great congregation of them that know God and share His redeeming
grace." - Joseph Seiss. It certainly is remarkably
significant that the last view of Nebuchadnezzar that sacred history gives us is that of
issuing a proclamation to all people to reverence and obey the great God whose signs and
wonders are so mighty, and who sits in majesty as the King of heaven. What more, in so far
as words can express it, is needed to describe a human soul won to God? THE PICTURE OF
HUMANITY
It is understood by several
eminent writers that Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and recovery had a deeper significance, a
much wider application, than is contained in the interpretation as given by Daniel. The
thought is that Nebuchadnezzar was a typical man. Mr. Guinness has said,
"Nebuchad-nezzar was a typical, representative man. Not only was he the golden head
of the great four-fold image, but he stands as its representative, as the representative
of the long succession of rulers who were to succeed him till the coming of the Son of Man
. . . . His degradation to a bestial condition, typified the moral degradation of the
Gentile kingdoms, through idolatry, pride, and self-exaltation; his restoration to reason
prefigured the yet future day when the empires of earth shall own that the 'heavens do
rule'; . . . thus the duration of Nebuchadnezzar's insanity, became typical of the times
of the Gentiles, the times during which supreme power in the earth, is by God committed
to Gentile rulers, instead of to the seed of David. Now these 'times' have already lasted
more than 2400 years since the days of
Nebuchadnezzar, and thus we see that the seven years of days; during which the king was
insane, were intended to prefigure seven years of
years (2520 years) during which the moral
and spiritual degradation and debasement of the kingdoms of this world, dating from
himself, are destined to endure." Mr. Elliott thus refers to this
matter: "Did he [Nebuchadnezzar] experience this extraordinary judgment and recovery
simply in his individual character, or as a symbolic
man? . . . For my own part, considering the extraordinary nature of the judgment --
the fact of its being so fully recorded by Daniel-the circumstance of Nebuchadnezzar being
addressed on an occasion of another prophecy as the representative of his nation, ('Thou
art this head of gold,') -- and that of the symbolic tree, when cut down, being bound with
a band of brass and iron., the metals significant of the Greek and
Roman Empires, which for ages held sway over the prostrate region of Babylon-all these
considerations . . . induce me to believe that the seven times 360 days that passed over
Nebuchadnezzar in his madness, represents the 2520 years
times of the Gentiles." Pastor Russell's interpretation
of this remarkable dream also carries with it a typical application. Regarding this he
says: "This remarkable tree, in its glory and beauty, represented the first dominion
of earth given to the human race in its representative and head, Adam, to whom God said,
'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth
upon the earth.' (Gen. 1 :28.) The original glory of man and the power invested in him
were indeed sublime, and were over the whole earth, to bless, and feed, and protect and
shelter every living thing. But when sin entered, the command came to hew down the tree,
and the glory and beauty and power of mankind were taken, away; and the lower creation no
more found shelter, protection and blessing under his influence. Death hewed down the
great tree, scattered his fruit and foliage, and left the lower creation without its lord
and benefactor. "So .far as man was
concerned, all power to recover the lost dominion was hopelessly gone. But it was riot so
from God's standpoint. The dominion originally sprang out of His Plan, and was His
gracious gift; and though He had commanded it to be hewn down, yet the root -- God's
purpose and plan of a restitution -- continued, though bound with strong fetters so that
it should not sprout until the divinely appointed time. "As in the dream the figure
changes from the stump of a tree to a man degraded and brought to the companionship and
likeness of beasts, with reason dethroned and all his glory departed, so we see man, the
fallen, degraded lord of earth: his glory and dominion have departed. Ever since the
sentence passed, the race has been having its portion with the beasts, and the human heart
has become beastly and degraded. How striking the picture, when we consider the present
and past half-civilized and savage condition of the great mass of the human race, and that
even the small minority who aspire to overcome the downward tendency succeed only to a
limited degree, and with great struggling and constant effort. The race must remain in its
degradation, under the dominion of evil, until the lesson
has been learned, that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to
whomsoever He will. And while men are in this degraded condition God permits some of the
basest characters among men to rule over them, that their present bitter experience may
prove in the future to be of lasting benefit. "True to Daniel's
interpretation, we are told that 'All this came upon the king, Nebuchadnezzar,' and. that
in this insane, degraded, beastly condition he wandered among the beasts until seven times (seven literal years in his case)
passed over him.. Daniel's interpretation of the dream relates only to its fulfillment
upon Nebuchadnezzar; but the fact that the dream, the interpretation, and the fulfillment
are all so carefully related here is evidence of an object in its narration. And its
remarkable fitness as an illustration of the Divine purpose in subjecting the whole race
to the dominion of evil for its punishment and correction, that in due time God might
restore and establish it in righteousness anal everlasting life, warrants us in accepting
it as an intended type." In addition to this, may we not
say that just as man's fall and degradation are represented by Nebuchadnezzar's insanity
and his beastly state during its continuance, so man's recovery and restitution must also
be represented by Nebuchadnezzar's recovery and 'genuine conversion? Furthermore, if the
entire dream is representative and typical, it is most reasonable to suppose that the
period of the seven times are likewise so. In
other words, if Nebuchadnezzar's insanity lasted 2520 literal days, so reckoning from his
day, man's dominion under sin would be 2520 symbolic days, a year for a day. Associating
this expression "seven times" with the prediction. of our Lord, "Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the tines
of the Gentiles be fulfilled," it seems not only clear that there is a symbolical
significance in the expression "seven times," but that its beginning is marked
by two distinct events in Nebuchadnezzar's career, one of which began with the servitude
of the Jewish nation to .Nebuchadnezzar, which marked his lease of power, the other to the
overthrow of Jerusalem and the temple. The dates for these two events are respectively 606
and 587 B.C. Their ending is 1914 and 1934 B.C. The arrival of this future date will
settle or .determine the truthfulness or untruthfulness of this typical application of this dream of the great
king. VOL. VI. August 15, 1923 No. 16 PROGRESS IN THE HOLY LAND
"ANCIENT
PROPHECY BECOMING REALITY"
STORY OF TRANSFORMATION OF HOLY LAND TOLD BY THE wilderness and the solitary
place shall be glad and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.' Such was the
inspired prediction of the Hebrew Prophet of old when, looking down through the ages, he
saw the future of the Holy Land, and such is the transformation that under the beneficent
rule of Britain is taking place in Palestine today. In an interview with The Globe last
evening Rev. S. B. Rohold, Principal of the Mount Carmel Bible School, Haifar, who has
just returned to Toronto on a visit after a three years' sojourn in Palestine, told
something of the story of the development and transformation that is taking place in the
.land where the Christian religion found its birth. Mr Rohold is at work in Palestine
under the British Jews' Society, of which Sir Andrew Wingate is President: WHAT BRITAIN IS DOING
" 'Palestine must remain
British,' Mr. Rohold emphatically declared. Only thus would the country reach its highest
development. Under British administration the arid wastes of the desert were being changed
into fertile country, and order, justice, sanitation and cleanliness were everywhere
evident in Jerusalem. Where the Turk held sway there was filth, squalor and oppression in
the city and waste and unproductive spaces in the country outside. Now all is changed.
'Take the transformation that has taken place in the Valley of Jezreel, which extends to
the foot of Mount Carmel. It was near here that Elijah slew the prophets of Baal. Previous
to the capture of Jerusalem and the advent of the British in Palestine, even the Bedouin
could not live there. Now the entire valley has been changed and looks like a veritable
garden, where flowers bloom and vegetables are cultivated by the Jews.' "Greater developments than
can be conceived are pending in the future. Under the Ruttenberg scheme, which aims to use
the waters of the Jordan and the Yarmuck Rivers in much the same Way that Ontario has used
Niagara, the whole land will be transformed and made useful and productive. Already the
scheme is well under way, and electricity is solving the problems of Palestine in much the
same way as it did this Province in the past few years. SIR HERBERT SAMUEL'S
TASK
"For Sir Herbert Samuel, the
High Commissioner of Palestine, Mr. Rohold has the highest admiration, arid believes that
he is the right man in the right place. 'He may be described as an autocrat, but it is an
autocrat that is needed: there today, and he is absolutely just.' The position of Sir
Herbert is. no sinecure, Mr. Rohold stated. There were numberless factions amongst whom he
had to keep peace, and, at the same time deal justly by all. As an instance of the
affection and esteem in which he is held by the people, Mr. Rohold stated that a Moslem
had told him that Sir Herbert Samuel was a most wonderful man, whom he dearly loved. 'I
could kiss his boots,' he said, 'if he were, only a Mohammedan.' "Regarding the recent
troubles in the country, Mr. Rohold lays the blame for most of them at the door of
agitators, who, almost without exception, he believes came from Syria. They were neither
Jews nor Arabs, but Syrians seeking to exploit the, country and to foment troubles for
their own selfish purposes. "Speaking of his own work in
Haifar, Mr. Rohold stated that it was doing much to break down the walls of hatred and
prejudice that had formerly kept Jew, Christian sand Arab apart. In connection with the
institute, there were conducted night schools, in which English, Hebrew, and Arabic were
taught. To the Christian Gospel he thought that the Jew in Palestine was more amenable
than in any other part of the world. CHRISTIANITY TAKES
HOLD
" 'Palestine is the only
place that I know in the world where the missionary has access to the Jewish mind and
heart,' he said, -- 'Eight months ago Dr. Klausner published a Life of Christ in Hebrew.
This is the first time that this has ever been done by a liberal Jew.' The sale of this
book among the Zionist Halutzim (pioneers) was remarkable. They read it eagerly, he said,
though the orthodox Jew, who believed that Zion would be rebuilt by God in a miraculous
way, would have nothing to do with it." -- Toronto
Globe. PALESTINE'S CHEERFUL
STORY
"There is good reason to
believe that political, economic and social progress are being made in Pal'stine when we
find, for the first time, that the. high commissioner and the Palestinian administration,
the Jewish telegraphic agency and the London Daily Mail are in agreement regarding the
improved conditions. Hitherto not only the points of view but the conclusions have been so
various that the facts could not be easily ascertained with any great degree of certainty.
Now it is pleasing to note the unanimity as to the development of the little country that
is dear to the adherents of three religions in all parts of the world. Its government on
humanitarian principles by a Christian nation as trustee, with the Christians in the land
a comparatively insignificant minority, with the Jewish 11 per cent. of the population
being joined by immigrant Jews for the purpose of restoring in Palestine a national home,
and with the native Arabs an overwhelming majority, is a new and hazardous experiment, the
ultimate outcome of which it would be rash to predict. "But the initial
difficulties have been overcome, and Palestine, including the recently founded Zionist
colonies, is more prosperous than it has been for years. Though the general economic
depression of 1922 was felt in the country to some extent, the colonies paid their way so
well that Zionists propose to allot part of the fund raised in the United States by Dr.
Weizman to the founding of new colonies. The only complaint seems to be that too few of
the immigrant Jews care for agriculture and too many settle in the towns, attracted by the
building activities of Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa and Tiberias. But of these additions to the
population Sir Herbert Samuel says that they are of good quality and not bolshevist--which
is a reassuring contradiction of earlier reports. In the official balance sheet of his
government he shows a rising revenue and a falling expenditure, and in his London speech
the other day, he expressed the belief that in the not distant future there would be an
ideal and wholly self-supporting Palestine. We hope this faith will be justified. In the
meantime the prospect appears to be full of cheer and promise." -The Boston Herald. PALESTINE
Amongst other press reports that
come under our observation, bearing upon the progress of Zionism, are the following "Dr. Chaim Weizman,
president of the World Zionist Organization, recently reported that conditions in
Palestine were steadily improving. "The foundations of the
Jewish national home are being laid in a way that will do credit to the Jewish people. "In the last two years
thirty thousand new immigrants have entered Palestine, a considerable achievement for so small a country. "Great stretches of land
have been plowed, new roads have been built, one million trees planted, and a network of
schools formed as the nucleus of the Jewish university. "A technical school has been
completed at Haifa. "Dr. Weizman said that, the
relations of the Jews to the Arabs are improving and conditions in the Near East are
rapidly settling down." "JEWISH TOWN
WINS FIRST GREAT VICTORY"
"The Jewish township of
Tel-Aviv, Palestine, has scored a triumph for the success of Zionism, according to Rabbi
S. M. Neches, Rabbi of Temple Beth Israel, Olive and Temple Streets, who yesterday
received word that the two elements in Tel-Aviv, a township composed entirely of Jews, had
reached a satisfactory solution of the first snag which for a time had seemed to threaten
the successful drafting of a charter for the municipality. " 'The difficulty arose;'
said Rabbi, Neches, 'over the question of legalizing the observance of the Sabbath. There
.are two elements in Tel-Aviv, as there have been in every Jewish community, the Orthodox,
and what I might call the passively religious. The first element wanted the observance of
the Sabbath made legally binding on the community, after the manner of our Sunday Blue
laws in America, which raised such an outcry here not very long ago, while the second
element objected to it: FIRST EXPERIMENT
" 'The eyes of the whole
world and of the supporters of the Palestinian movement in particular were fixed with
interest on the debate, as Tel-Aviv might be called the first experiment of a Jewish town
in a Jewish State. What would they do? " 'The High Commissioner of
Palestine, Sir Herbert Samuel, said that every municipality had the right to enact its own
laws, and that if such a law were enacted he would enforce it. " 'The information came to
me today, from a reliable source, that, to the satisfaction and relief of all the elements
both inside and outside of Palestine, they had reached a working solution of the problem,
to the effect that the profaning of the religious holiness of the Sabbath openly should be
legally prohibited. THRIVING COMMUNITY
" 'The suggestion was
offered by A. I. Kouk, chief rabbi of Palestine, who was lately elevated to the rank of
colonel in the British army by King George. "'Tel-Aviv is a thriving
modern community, a community that would be modern even in America, according to reports,
with wide streets and modern sewerage and lighting, systems, and boasting the great
Hertzel gymnasium or high school. Recently the little German colony of Sarrona applied to
be annexed to Tel-Aviv in preference to the Arabian municipality of Jaffa, it was said. " 'I look upon this first
solution of a much-mooted question as a highly important augury for the success of the
Jewish State,' added Rabbi Neches, 'especially in view of the fact that so many previous
attempts have gone upon the rocks on lesser questions."' The foregoing items scarcely need
any comment. They speak in no uncertain tones of the continued and sure progress and
development in the land that has been made sacred above all lands of the earth to both Jew
and Christian. Surely we may regard these changed conditions in the Land of Israel as
amongst the "signs of the times" -- signs that the Times of the Gentiles have
about run their course, and that the period of Israel's disfavor is rapidly drawing to a
close. Consequently we may "speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that
her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins." DARKNESS THAT CAN BE FELT
By a Traveler IN THE TRAIN, EGYPT.
"Through the window of the
railway carriage in which I am writing I look out on a thick London fog. "The air hangs around me
like a dark blanket in color and consistency, and to breathe is like eating flannel. The
lights are burning in the train, and we can hardly see a yard beyond the border of the
railway line. Dimly visible beyond the further gloom gigantic forms are tossing
multitudinous arms in mid -air, like Titans wrestling with the gods of Olympus, or, as it
might be, forests of windmills in a hurricane. In reality, these writhing shapes are the
green tops of palm trees. "The fog is .compounded not
of soot, but of sand, and the very paper on which I write is gritty. We pity ourselves
heartily for being caught on a railway journey in a Khamsin of the first magnitude. COMING OF THE SIROCCO
"We have just entered on the
most trying season of the Egyptian year. Anglo-Egyptians know exactly what really happened
when Moses afflicted all the land for the space of three days with darkness that could be
felt. At this period of the year the 'North breeze, which makes Egyptian nights so cool
and refreshing after the hottest of days, gives place to a blistering sirocco from the
Sahara, calculated while it lasts to afflict human kind with a brimming measure of
discomfort. " 'Khamsin' is the Arabic
word for 'fifty,' and the name is given to this furnace-blast from the desert by reason of
the period of fifty days during which its intermittent onslaughts must be endured. "The first sign of the
approaching visitation is a sudden still oppressive-ness in the air, such as in England
heralds a thunderstorm. The atmosphere seems to be neutralized between the fresh ripple of
the wind that blows up the Nile from seaward and the advancing breaths of the opposing
heat blizzard from the South. The clear-cut contours of the desert hills begin to lose
their distinctness; their sky-line is blurred in a mist, which is really a curtain of
blown sand and . dust. Finally, after, it may be, a day's or only a few hours' warning,
the Khamsin swoops down on the country with the fury of a typhoon at sea. "Down go the sweet peas, so
fresh and beautiful in their recent colors, like a piece of crazy scaffolding. The vine
trellis crashes and collapses, the flowering bougainvillea slips its moorings on the
lattice-work of the balcony like a fleet scattering before a submarine, and streams in
ribbons on the air. The atmosphere cracks and rattles with hundreds of shrivelled and
whirling leaves, and not clouds, but a solid bank of eddying dust, blots out sun and
landscape, and renders the colored air solid in place of fluid. BARRICADED FROM THE
BLAST
"It is recorded of the
Egyptians under Moses' plague that 'they saw not one another, neither rose any from his
place for three days.' They adopted, in fact, the only possible course in a Khamsin, and,
as far as we can, we follow their ancient example in modern Egypt. "For the human victim the
only salvation is to fly to his house and barricade himself behind the triple ward of
shutters, wire blinds and windows, with rugs and towels over-spreading the crevices of
doors and window sills. "Even in the barricaded and
darkened house the situation is as uncomfortable as can well be imagined. No parapet of
quilts or blankets can keep out the drifting dust. Finely sifted through the interstices
of windows and doors, the very house walls seeming almost porous before it, we sit
helplessly watching it as it spreads inexorably in grey-brown waves, mounds and ridges
over the surfaces of our polished floors, fills our basins, jugs and kitchen utensils with
a gritty sediment, and buries our books, furniture, and pictures under the drifts of a
displaced Sahara, from which we shall later on 'excavate' them with much expenditure of
elbow-grease, when the clear North wind blows once more, and, as of old, drives the plague
into the sea. "THE AGES"
THE article published below,
received from one of the friends, is an extract from the writings of one who wrote more
than thirty years ago. We publish it as a matter 'of interest-as an example of the clear
comprehen-sion of much of the truth respecting the order and purpose of the Ages, on the
part of one who had not read The Divine Plan of the
Ages. "It is not a matter of
surprise that men have been slow to understand the onward movements of the hand of God
behind the scenes, in the development of the Ages. Phenomena are more easily studied and
understood than the unseen laws that govern them. Israel saw the 'acts' of the Lord, but
Moses understood His 'way' -- the reason of things. Israel's view was from without, but
Moses was admitted to the counsels of Jehovah, who 'made known His way'-His purpose and
the principles on which He .acted. "As we have seen, these Ages
are among the things that are revealed. God has taken, us into His confidence and made
known His purpose respecting the Church, respecting Israel, and respecting the nations.
during this Age. He has unfolded the greater glory of the Age to follow the one in which
we live, and He has even given unmistakable revelations respecting the everlasting Age of
glory succeeding that. "Our study of these Ages in
their development reveals a fourfold law: 1. The Ages overlap. There is. no sharp point at
which the one ends and the other begins. You cannot mark a -day or an hour when power
passed from Jerusalem to Babylon, nor an hour when the Jew ceased to be recognized and the
Church began. Jerusalem continued more than thirty years after Pentecost, and her
destruction under Titus is plainly predicted by our Lord in His discourse recorded in the
twenty-first chapter of Luke. Jerusalem wilt recommence an existence at the end of this
Age, and before the Church has gathered in the full number of the elect it will be in
existence long enough to re -establish laws, customs, and worship according to the
commands of Moses. It is evident that just as the instruction given in Luke 21, respecting
the surrounding of that city by armies was of service then, and none of the Christians
perished, so shall the instruction given in Matthew 24, respecting 'the abomination of
desolation' guide the Christians in the future destruction, to flee for safety. Luke
refers to the days of Titus in the past, Matthew to the days of greater trouble in the
future. It was 'the day of vengeance' then, but in . that hour to come 'it shall be great
tribulation such as bath not been from the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be.' "2. God never destroys His
previous work. He judges and sweeps from the scene whatever man has accomplished, but He
always preserves the work of His own hands. The promise of salvation imbedded in the curse
pronounced in Eden, is perpetuated in the new earth under Noah, and its fulfillment will
crown the new heavens and the new earth under Christ. The kernel of government given to
Noah, has been preserved through all dispensations, notwithstanding man's abuse of the
trust. Even the law which only came in by the way 'until the seed should come,' remains
holy and just and good -- a revelation to the New Man, although a source ,of death to the
Old. The Gospel, with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven which began with our Lord,
will be continued in the Age to come. In a word, God never finds that He has built upon
the wrong foundation or of the wrong material. He never tears down His barns to build
larger -- He builds them large enough at first. Step by step, in the onward advance of the
Ages, whatever has come from God, has the stamp of His unchanging character. His
foundation standeth sure. "3. In each Age there is
first of all a gradual deterioration from the former condition of things. This declension
continues and accelerates as the end of the Age approaches. Whatever irregular attempts at
recovery may appear, they will be found to be the results of some external force or
forces, and are never an evolution from within. "4. In each Age, the power
of evil waxes stronger and stronger. In the end it makes a final and supreme effort to
maintain itself against the incoming of a better state of things. The course and climax of
the Mosaic Age is the type and mold of every Age. Man resisted, stoned and shamefully
entreated the Prophets. When God sent His Son they killed Him in the most shameful way
known to history and sought to seize His inheritance. They descended from a rejection of
the message to a hatred of the messenger, and then from that to the murder of the King
from whom the message came. . "5. There is also revealed
the victory of the. new or better Age, coming out of, and ruling over, the wreck and ruin
of the Age preceding. This victory, in every case, is preceded by judgment, and is led and
accomplished by God in the person of His Son. "Thus, from the 'unbeginning
beginning' spoken of by John, we have reason to believe that the countless Ages have been
unfolding their glories. But we know by revelation that from the time of that other
'beginning,' when the heavens and the earth were created, the Ages have had their birth,
their course and their death-struggle and agony that has never been equaled. In its last
days it will be marked by the most subtle deceptions of Satan and by the host daring
blasphemy of man, ever seen in human history. It will be the combination of earth and hell
to defeat the gracious purpose of God to bring in the better things of the Age to come.
The Devil will have 'great wrath, knowing that he bath but a short time.' "But all of the human and
Satanic combinations will be in vain. 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the
Lord shall have them in derision.' The Son shall he set 'upon the holy hill of Zion,' and
'shall break them with a rod of iron.' The 'appearing of the great God and our Savior,'
will be an epoch, marking the end of Israel's blindness, of the Church's suffering, of
Satan's power, and also marking the beginning of the Millen- nial reign. The Old will die
and will be put in its bloody. coffin and then sunk into oblivion, while the New will be
born and laid in its peaceful cradle. But the One who buries the Old, and brings forth the
New, will sit on the throne and shall have- 'dominion under the whole heaven,' and 'from
the river to the ends of the earth.' 'All kings shall fall down before Him, and all
nations shall serve Him.. His name shall continue as long as the sun.' "It is thus that God bath
molded the Ages of the past. Thus is He molding the present, and thus will He mold the
future. But whether in the past, the present, or the future Ages, it is the same
everlasting God of light and love, the same Holy Spirit, the same Mediator, and the same
human race, either needing mercy; or 'having obtained mercy.' The Gospel has not been a
failure, it does not' fail now, and it will not be a failure in the Age to come. It has
accomplished, and it will accomplish the ends for which it is preached. In this Age it
takes out a people from the nations. In the next it will begin by 'repairing the tent of
David,' in order that 'all nations may seek after the Lord.' And when the final Age is
reached, redeemed man; the redeemed heavens and the redeemed earth will attain a
perfection leaving no wish or will of God Himself ungratified, and when that long expected
day has come, we will have no song of praise for man, for sociological reforms, for Church
pretension or for good laws, but unto the Father and unto the Son, and unto the Holy
Spirit unto the Ages of Ages, shall be glory and dominion and power. Amen." --
Extract from "The Doctrine of the Ages" by
Robert Cameron. MARTHA AND MARY
"Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be
taken away from her:" -- Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-12:8; Mark 14:3-9. IT has been supposed by some that
the rich young ruler who came to Jesus for advice and subsequently went away very
sorrowful was His friend Lazarus who, with his sisters Martha and Mary, resided at Bethany
near Jerusalem and at whose home our Lord was frequently entertained-a welcome guest.
Whether or not the surmise is correct, there is no doubt that here in this home in Bethany
Jesus frequently found refuge from labor and fatigue in His weary hours, in constant
sympathy with Mary and Martha, and their brother Lazarus. Some have conjectured that
Martha was .the widow of "Simon the leper" named later; others think that she
was his daughter. She is mentioned first and takes the lead as if she were the oldest of
the three. Hers was at any rate the most active and aggressive temperament. As in the affairs of life we meet
and associate with fellow beings and become acquainted with them, so in the Sacred Record
left us of some who lived long ago, the lessons of their lives come vividly before us.
Martha and Mary are two most interesting characters, but like all others of our race,
their naturalness, their humanity, are plainly manifest as we read the various incidents
pertaining to them in connection with our Lord's ministry. JESUS IN THE HOME AT
BETHANY
We find our Lord enjoying the
fellowship of this home in Bethany "on the eve of the Feast of the Dedication,"
which marked the close of that public journey designed for the full and final proclamation
of His coming Kingdom. "It was natural that there
should be some stir in the little household at the coming of such a Guest, and Martha, the
busy, eager-hearted, affectionate hostess, 'on hospitable thoughts intent,' hurried to and
fro with excited energy to prepare for His proper entertainment. Her sister Mary, too, was
anxious to receive Him fittingly, but her notions of the reverence due to Him were of a
different kind. Knowing that her sister was only too happy to do all that could be done
for His material comfort, she, in deep humility, sat at His feet and listened to His
words. "Mary was not to blame, for
her sister evidently enjoyed the task which she had chosen of providing as best she could
for the claims of hospitality, and was quite able, without any assistance, to do
everything that was required. Nor was Martha to blame for her active service; her sole
fault was that, in this outward activity, she lost the necessary equilibrium of an inward
calm. As she toiled and planned to serve Him, a little touch of jealousy disturbed her
peace as she saw her quiet sister sitting idly, she may have thought-at the feet of their
great Visitor, and leaving the trouble to fall on her. If she had taken time to think, she
could not but have acknowledged that there may have been as much of consideration as of
selfishness in Mary's withdrawal into the background in their domestic administration; but
to be just and noble-minded is always difficult, nor is it even possible when any one
meanness, such as petty jealousy, is suffered to intrude. So, in the first blush of her
vexation, Martha, instead of gently asking her sister to help her, if help, indeed, were
needed-an appeal which, if we judge of Mary aright, she would instantly have heard -she
almost impatiently, and not quite reverently, hurries in, and asks Jesus if He really did
not care to see her sister sitting there with her hands before her, while she was left
single-handed to do all the work. Would He not tell her (Martha could not have fairly
added that common piece of ill-nature, 'It is of no use for one to tell her') to go
and-help? LESSONS OF WORSHIP
AND SERVICE
"An imperfect soul, seeing
what is good and great and true, but very often failing in the attempt to attain to it, is
apt to be very hard in its judgments on the short -comings of others. But a Divine and
sovereign soul-a soul that has more nearly attained to the measure of the stature of the
perfect man-takes a calmer and gentler, because a larger-hearted view of those little
weaknesses and indirect nesses which it cannot but daily see. And so the answer of Jesus,
if it were a reproof, was at any rate an infinitely gently and tender one, and one which
would purify but would not pain the poor faithful heart of the busy, loving matron to whom
it was addressed. 'Martha, Martha,' so He said -and as we hear that most natural ad dress
may we not imagine the half-sad, half-playful, but wholly kind and healing smile which
lightened His face? -- 'thou art anxious and bustling about many things, where as but one
thing is needful; but Mary chose for herself the good part, which shall not be taken away
from her.' There is none of that exaltation here of the contemplative over the active life
which Roman Catholic writers have seen in the passage, and on which they are so fond of
dwelling. Either may be necessary, both must be combined. Paul, as has well been said, in
his most fervent activity, had yet the contemplativeness and inward calm of Mary; and
John, with the most rapt spirit of contemplation, could yet practice the activity of
Martha. Jesus did not mean to reprobate
any amount of work undertaken in His service, but only the spirit of fret and fuss-the
want of all repose and calm-the ostentation of superfluous hospitality -- in doing it; and
still more that tendency to reprobate and interfere with others, which is so often seen in
Christians who are as anxious as Martha, but have none of Mary's holy trustfulness and
perfect calm." Though there is room for difference of opinion with regard to the
worth and qualities of, Martha and Mary, there can be no doubt that they were both
excellent and noble women. Their conducts and temperaments have been commented upon from
various standpoints by those who have studied the narrative. Thus Bishop Henry C. Potter
remarks: "A kinsman of mine was once entertained by a gifted woman, who was so much
absorbed in his interesting conversation that she forgot to inspect the 'spare room' in
which he slept, and in which he passed the night in exasperating collisions with a silver
soup tureen which long before had been concealed from the burglars in his bed; and I
confess I agreed with a cynical female critic who observed, on hearing the story, that
clever and devout women might sometimes most wisely 'pray and talk less and keep house
more." Another says, "Of all things Jesus delights in, none are better than
humble discipleship. Service He looks for; but service must follow discipleship, not
precede it; otherwise it will go in mistaken lines, wasting itself on efforts which,
though well meaning, are yet unwise." Still another has remarked, "very
Christian should combine Martha and Mary in his or her life, working when Christ calls for
work, and worshiping when opportunity for worship is given by the Master." LEAVING OUR BURDENS
AT HIS FEET
Upon another occasion the Sacred
Record, gives us a most interesting insight into the lives of these two sisters. The
little home at Bethany has become a house of mourning and is enshrouded in the deepest
gloom and sorrow. The brother. Lazarus was taken suddenly sick. The illness developed very
rapidly and about the time the messenger from Bethany reached the Lord beyond Jordan, a
distance of only about thirty miles, Lazarus had died. Even then our Lord made no haste to
reach Bethany but on the contrary tarried two days. The message was sent to Jesus "He
whom Thou lovest is sick." It was not a prayer that He should come to his relief nor
that He would exercise power for his recovery; it was merely a statement of the facts
submitting the whole matter to the Lord. This message alone tells us of a deep work of
grace in the hearts of the family of Bethany-that their intercourse with the Lord had been
profitable, that they had learned of Him. We commend the words of their message to all
spiritual Israelites as the proper form for bringing before the Lord's attention our
various burdens and troubles. We are not wise enough to direct the Lord as to what should
be done in respect to our affairs. If we have committed our all to Him, a proper faith
bids us trust Him, bids us rely upon the Divine wisdom and love and power, which promises
to make all things work together for good to us-better than we could ask for. It was quite
sufficient to say, "He whom thou lovest is sick." Let the Lord do as seems best to
Him. And so it is quite sufficient in respect to our dear ones who are sick, to comfort
our hearts by going to the Lord in prayer and making mention of the facts, although we are
sure that He knows them. Our burdens should be left at
the Lord's feet and our faith should firmly trust Him, come what may, and accept the
results of Divine providence -- meantime, of course, doing all that we know how to do
reasonably and properly in the aid of the ailing ones or to rectify the troubles, just as we may be sure
that the sorrowing sisters, while sending this message to the Lord, neglected not to do
everything in their power for the relief of their brother from his illness, for the
assuaging of his pain. It speaks volumes for the
character of Lazarus as a man that he had the love of the Lord Jesus. We remember that in
the record concerning the rich young ruler it is written that after he had related to the
Lord that he had at least outwardly kept all the commandments from his youth, Jesus
beholding him, loved him-even though he was not in the condition of heart to make a full
consecration and thus to become a true disciple. So we are bound to love all in whom we
see the beauties of a noble character, whether they be of the consecrated ones or not-but
our love and esteem for them of course increases as we see them recognizing their
"reasonable, service" and presenting their bodies living sacrifices to Him who
redeemed us. Let us all more and more
cultivate such elements of character as will make us lovely and lovable in the estimation
not only of the brotherhood, who overlook our imperfections righteousness, may on .become
pronounced, more went the disappointment. brother, that so. have of wonder behalf to
should Brooklyn, N. Y. imperfections and cover them with the robe of Christ's
righteousness, but also in the estimation of the world, that they may behold our good
characters and glorify our Father in heaven on our behalf. It has been inferred that later
on Lazarus did become a fully consecrated follower of the Lord. Tarrying two days, in order that
the miracle might be more pronounced, our Lord and the Apostles spent portions of two more
days in reaching Bethany. Martha, learning of His coming, went down the road to meet Him
in advance. While greeting Him, the burden of her salutation indicated a measure of
disappointment. She was still sorrowing for the loss of her brother, and her heart was
pained additionally with the thought that the Lord might have prevented this calamity, yet
had not done so. She said, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here my brother would not have
died." How apt we all are, while laboring under the weight of sorrow, disappointment
and trial, to look to the Lord and wonder why His omnipotent power does not intervene on
our behalf to save us from some of the ordinary experiences common to the world -feeling
that because we are His special friends we should have had special consideration. "BE NOT
FAITHLESS, BUT BELIEVE"
Let us learn a lesson on this
point from the experience of Martha and Mary. Let us learn to trust the Lord even where we
cannot trace His providences in all of our affairs. Let us remember the love Divine which
already has done so much for us, redeeming us and inducting us into the Divine favor, and
providing for us exceeding great and precious promises respecting the things unseen as
yet. "Only believe," was the keynote of our Lord's reply to Martha. And so to
each of us in the many experiences which affect our interests, we must learn the lesson of
faith, confidence in the Lord's wisdom, love anti power. The lesson eventually learned by
Martha and Mary more than compensated them for all their tribulation, and so it will be
with us if we will allow our faith to firmly trust Him. In the end we shall be stronger in
our faith, closer to the Lord, and full of appreciation of His favors. In answer to Martha's expression
of confidence in our Lord's power to have preserved her brother from the tomb, our Lord
suggested the great consolation He had to offer, not only to the sorrowing sisters, but to
the whole world of mankind, namely that the Divine power within Him was not only such as
could keep the sick from dying and heal them, but a power of resurrection-a power to bring
forth from the tomb and, more than that, a power to raise up out of all the imperfections
of the fallen condition, up, up, up, to the original perfection, the fullness of life
enjoyed before the curse of death came upon our race. All this is in the words, "I am
the resurrection and the life." These are the great lessons for
all of the Lord's people to learn: first, that death is a just penalty because of
imperfection, second, that God has had mercy upon us as a race, and has provided a ransom;
and third, that the Ransomer is the divinely appointed and commissioned and empowered One
who, by and by, shall, in God's due time, bid all in the tomb come forth, and He will,
then, additionally grant an opportunity to all to escape entirely from all the weaknesses
and blemishes of the fall, and eventually, if they will obey Him, secure the perfection of
life which He purposed for all at the sacrifice of His own life. As faith is able to recognize
Jesus as the Redeemer whose sacrifice is sufficient for the satisfaction of Justice -- as
faith discerns that this ransom sacrifice was made to the intent that the blessing of the
Lord might reach every individual of our race -as faith is able to look forward to the
Second Coming of this Redeemer as the Life-Giver to His people, in that proportion faith
is able to rejoice and to permit even in the presence of sorrow, sighing, tears and'
dying, the looking forward beyond the tomb to the glorious morning of the resurrection. In
proportion as faith can lay hold of the precious promises of God's Word, it is able under
the most trying conditions, to sorrow not as others who have no hope, but it is able to
believe that as Jesus died and rose again as our dear Redeemer, so also all who sleep in
Jesus, the world of man-, kind, will God bring from the dead through or by Him. 1 Thess.
4:14. It has been assumed that there
was a special heart-fellowship between our Lord and Mary, and it is in full harmony with
this thought that we find the latter remaining at home until she received the message that
the Lord had inquired for her. Our lesson opens with her response: she came to the Lord
and fell at His feet, her burdened heart giving utterance to the same expression that
Martha had. used, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here my brother would not have
died." If the words contained a measure of chiding or suggestion of wounded hopes, it
was a very delicate one. FULL OF SYMPATHY,
"JESUS WEPT"
The grief of the sisters broke
forth afresh in the Lord's presence as they thought of what might have been if the Lord
had been there before their brother died. Likewise we are all more or less inclined to
think of what might have been if something had been different -- apt to forget that our
Lord and Master has full charge of all of our affairs if we are truly, consecratedly His,
and that no "if" of chance has to do with the Little Flock. When Jesus looked upon the scene
of sorrow, we may well suppose that it brought vividly before His mind the abject sorrow
and despair of the groaning creation "Jesus wept." "Indeed we may suppose
that, being perfect, all the circumstances and conditions of fallen humanity would be much
more weighty and impressive upon the Lord than upon those whose minds were less acute to
the situation. We are glad of those words which constitute the shortest verse in all the
Bible -- "Jesus wept." They tell us as no elaboration could have told of the
sympathies of our Master's heart; they tell us that we have an High Priest, who can be
touched, who was touched, who is touched still with a feeling of our infirmities, a
sympathetic feeling. How unlike all the great ones of this world, whose greatness so often
is represented in their coldness, stoicism, and really represents their lovelessness,
their lack of sympathy. The Lord presented to us in the Scriptures is the only great and
sympathetic Immanuel known to the world -- "To us He is precious." Before performing the miracle of
waking Lazarus, our Lord lifted His eyes to heaven in acknowledgment of and humility.
acknowledged His way was Father, them of the Father's power and that He was acting as the
Father's agent and representative. What a manifestation we have in this of true humility.
It was so in all of our Lord's utterances; He freely acknowledged that He had come to do
the Father's will and not His own; that the Father was above all, and that what He did in
the way of wonderful works was but the Father's power. His prayer was in the nature of a
conversation as between a Son and His Father, "I know that Thou hearest Me always;
but for the sake of them which stand by, I said it." As might have been expected, this
wonderful miracle, the revival of a man dead more than three days, created no little stir.
No wonder that we read that many of the Jews seeing these things believed. It would be
wonderful indeed that they could disbelieve under such conditions. Surely, no words can
describe the joy of the sisters when their brother was restored -to them. This act of our
Lord in restoring the brother must indeed have greatly accentuated the loving and
reverential devotion toward Him on the part of Martha and Mary. MARY'S GRATEFUL
TRIBUTE
It was very near the close of our
Lord's ministry that we have another striking and remarkable picture, one that contains
lessons for us, as do the others. The record tells us that Jesus was in Bethany in the
house of Simon the leper. "There have been many suppositions regarding this Simon. He
has been wrongly confused with Simon the Pharisee at whose house Christ's feet were
anointed by the woman who was a sinner, and Mary of Bethany has been absurdly confused
with that woman. Some think this Simon was a friend of Lazarus or even his brother. Some
regard him as the husband of Mary; others, as the husband of Martha. It is not even
certain that he was living at this time and the entire matter must rest in conjecture. If
he was acting as host, he could not have been a leper then, and probably Christ had cured
him, thus doubling Mary's cause for gratitude." Whatever may have been the facts
regarding Simon, Jesus was evidently entertained by Martha and Mary at the house of Simon
the leper. John tells us in his Gospel that Lazarus was also one of the table guests. We
may suppose that this was no ordinary supper, but in the nature of a feast or banquet in
our Lord's honor. Nevertheless, one incident connected with it so outshone all its other
features that the narrator mentions it alone-the anointing of our Lord with
"spikenard ointment, very costly," designated by some, "Mary's grateful
tribute." Our Lord Himself declared, "Wheresoever this 'Gospel shall be preached
throughout the whole world, this also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a
memorial of her." -- Mark 14:9. The alabaster box was rather in
the shape of a flask or vase, and the breaking of the box (Mark 14:3) signifies the
opening of its tyings and seals by which the precious odors were confined. Judas' words of
dissatisfaction. furnish us a clue respecting the costliness of this perfume, for he says
that it "might have been sold for three hundred denarii."
A denarius, translated "penny" in verse 5, is represented as being the
average daily wages at that time-"a penny [denarius]
a day." (Matt. 20 :2.) The three hundred denarii
would be the equivalent in wages of one hundred and fifty dollars of our money. Thus
we see that the perfume was indeed "very costly." There was nearly a pint of the
perfume, a Roman pound being twelve ounces. Nor need we question the possibility of
perfumes being so expensive, for even today we have a counterpart in value in the attar of
roses made in the far East. It is said that Nero was the first of the Emperors to indulge
in the use of costly perfumes for his anointing; but one much more worthy of tribute,
homage and anointing with a sweet perfume was the "Prince of the kings of the
earth," whom Mary had the honor to anoint. Judas was first to object to this
as a waste-the difficulty with him being that he loved the Lord too little and money too
much. The amount that love is willing to expend for others is, to some extent at least, a
measure of the love. Another Evangelist informs us that several of the disciples, under
the influence of Judas' words, took the same view of the matter, and spoke disapprovingly
of Mary's action. The Apostle John, however, takes this opportunity to throw a little
sidelight upon the character of Judas -- more than is apparent in the common translation
of verse 6. His declaration is, "Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor,
but because he was a thief, and had the box, and stole what things were deposited in
it." -Diaglott. Our Lord's words, "Let her
alone!" are in the nature of a severe reproof to those whose sentiments of love had
no other measure than that of money. It was indeed true that there were plenty of poor,
and there would still be plenty of poor, and plenty of opportunities to minister to them;
but the opportunity to specially honor the Lord, and to pour upon Him the fragrant odors
so beautifully expressive of Mary's love and devotion, would not be for long, and our Lord
declares that the circumstances fully justified the costly expenditure. He shows Himself
out of sympathy with the sentiments which balance themselves too accurately with money
values. Moreover, we may esteem that in many instances like the one here recorded the
persons who are so careful lest money should be spent except for the poor are often like
Judas, so avaricious that whatever money gets into their possession very little of it gets
to the poor. ALL NEED THE SWEET
PERFUME OF LOVE, AND SYMPATHY
Mary poured the perfume first
upon our Lord's head (Mark 14 :3), the usual custom, and then the remainder she poured
upon His feet. But the Apostle John, in recording the matter, seems to have forgotten
entirely the anointing of our Lord's head, so deeply was he impressed with the still more
expressive devotion manifested in the anointing of the feet and the wiping of them with
the hairs of her head. It is indeed a picture of love -- a devotion well worthy of being
told as a memorial. Some one has said "She took 'women's chief
ornament' and devoted it to wiping the travel-stained feet of her Teacher; she devoted the
best she had to even the least honorable service for Him. It was the strongest possible
expression of her love and devotion. She gave her choicest treasures in the most
self-devoted manner. She was bashful and retiring, and could not speak her feelings, and
therefore she expressed them in this manner." We are not surprised to learn
that the whole house was filled with the odor; and we doubt not that the odor remained for
a long time: but far more precious than that was the sweet odor of Mary's heart
-affections which the Lord accepted and will never forget, and the sweet odor of her
devotion which has come down through the centuries to us, bringing blessing to all true
hearts who have honored her service and desired to emulate her conduct. It is not our privilege to come
into personal contact with our dear Redeemer, but we have, nevertheless, many
opportunities for doing that which to some extent will correspond to Mary's act-it is our
privilege to anoint the Lord's "brethren" with the sweet perfume of love,
sympathy, joy and peace, and the more costly this may be as respects our self-denials, the
more precious it will be in the estimation of our Elder Brother, who declared that in
proportion as we do or do not unto His brethren, we do or do not unto Him. (Matt. 25 :40,
45.) Moreover, He represents these "brethren" in a figure as "members of
His Body"; and from this standpoint we see that, while it is not our privilege to
pour the perfume upon the Head of the Body, now highly exalted far above angels,
principalities and powers, and every name that is named-next to the Father-it is our
privilege to pour the perfume upon the feet of Christ-the last living members of His
Church of this Gospel Age. We know not to what extent the
closing years of this Gospel Age may correspond to the closing days of our Lord's ministry
-we know not how similar may be the experiences of the "feet" of the Body of
Christ to the experiences of the Head of the Body; we do know, however, that in any event
it is our blessed privilege to comfort one another, to encourage one another, to sustain
one another, in the trials incident to our "filling up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ." (Col. t :24.) And to whatever extent we would improve these
opportunities, as did Mary, we must first appreciate them as she did. Nothing in this suggestion is
intended to imply any neglect of the members of our natural families "according to
the flesh": attentions to these are proper always, and are generally so understood,
and should more and more be appreciated and used in proportion as the Lord's people
receive freely and fully of His spirit of love, kindness, gentleness, patience,
.long-suffering. But we emphasize that which the Scriptures emphasize, namely that our
interest and efforts are not to be confined to those of fleshly tie, but, on the contrary,
are to be "especially to the household of faith." (Gal. 6:10.) There will be
other and future opportunities of doing good to mankind in general, but the opportunity
for serving "the Body of Christ" is limited to the present Age. Apropos of
this propriety of doing good to others -- expressing our love by our conduct as well as by
our words, to the members of our families as well as to the members of the Body of Christ,
we quote the words of another "The sweetest perfume that the home circle ever knows
arises from deeds of loving service which its members do for each other. The sweetest
perfumes of our homes do not arise from elegant furniture, soft carpets, elegant pictures,
or luxurious viands. Many a home, having all these, is pervaded by an atmosphere as
tasteless and odorless as bouquets of waxen flowers." STEPHEN THE MARTYR
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or Peril, or
sword?"--Rom. 8:35; Acts 6:8-15; 7:54-60. STEPHEN, the first of the early
Church to Suffer death as a martyr, appears upon the scene in connection with an emergency
which arose in the Church, calling for a force of seven deacons to look after various
temporal matters; Stephen was one of these seven, all of whom were chosen by the
congregation, not by the Apostles; as men of honest reputation, wise, and full of the Holy
Spirit. This incident suggests to us the free character of the organization ,of the early
Church. It had not cast-iron rules and laws, except that the Lord, the Redeemer, was the
Head of the Church, and that none could be recognized as members thereto except as they
recognized Him as their Savior and Lord, and made consecration to Him, receiving His
spirit. Aside from this, the necessities of each ,case seem to have guided: and yet, we
may safely presume that in all the arrangements in the Church, as well as in the teachings
of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit directed -- for the benefit also of those believing on
the Lord through their word, throughout the entire Age. No doubt some of those chosen for
the serving of tables -- the money collection and the food distribution -- were
representatives of the Grecian brethren who, knowing the peculiarities of the Grecian
customs, would be the better able to see to the welfare of the Grecian widows. It is here
that we get acquainted with Stephen, as one of the seven chosen deacons. The word
"deacon" signifies runner, attendant, servant. The "elders" of the
Church were more particularly chosen according to their Christian character and aptness to
teach, while the deacons were chosen according to Christian character and aptness in
business affairs. In both instances, however, the Christian character, the holiness of
spirit and wisdom were primary considerations. So with the Lord's people today: those
chosen to any part of the service should first of all be recognized as the best and the
wisest of the number -- the possession of a holy, meek, and quiet spirit, of great value,
being carefully considered -- then natural abilities. In Stephen's case we see an
illustration of the Lord's methods of advancing His people step by step in His service:
First, he was honored with a knowledge of the truth; faithful in his acceptance of it, and
zealous toward the Lord, he ere long manifested these qualities; and under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, was chosen a deacon; second, faithfulness in this, serving tables,
prepared him for further opportunities; third, we find him exercising the gift of healing
and performing signs in attestation of his ministry
of the truth, which implies that he had actually attained the position of an elder in
the Church. Stephen was so full of the spirit of the truth and devotion to its service
that he had the high honor, fourth, of being the first one of the brethren to follow the
Master's footsteps in a sacrificial death. Here surely was an advancement in service and
its honor that may well quicken and energize all of the Lord's people to greater efforts
to serve and please the same Master. He who thus accepted the consecrated Stephen, and
advanced him step by step in His service, is ready and willing today to take and use those
who are similarly consecrated, and burning with heavenly zeal. He is willing to make of
such burning and shining lights in the Church, if they in turn are willing to suffer with
Him, that they may also be glorified together in due time. --Rom. 8:I7. DANGERS BESETTING
SERVANTS OF THE CHURCH
Stephen's faith and power and
opportunities for service came to him along the same lines as faith and power have come to
the Lord's people since --whole-hearted devotion to the Lord, to His people and to His
truth. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Had Stephen been
self-seeking and ambitious for honor of men or of the brethren we may be sure we would
have heard little of him, unless, like Ananias, his approbativeness had resulted in his
being made an example of evil-doing. This is a danger which besets every brother chosen by
the Church to any service. Hence the Apostle's caution, "Be not many of you teachers,
brethren." Hence the necessity that the Church choose for its servants only those of
humble mind; and the need of care amongst these servants that they fall not into the snare
of the Adversary, and after having preached to others, themselves become castaways.--Jas.
3:1 ; 1 Tim. 3:6, 7; 1 Cor. 9:27. Stephen in preaching got into a
debate with some of his day, and was more than a match for them. As we read, "They
were not able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake." We are not
to suppose that Stephen was the greatest of all orators, nor even that he had no peers
amongst those with whom he disputed. In this case the adage, was well applied,
"Thrice armed is he who hath his quarrel just." It was because Stephen had the
truth, the right side of the controversy, and because God was with him, that he was more
than a match for any of his adversaries. The same God is still with His
people; and the Lord's Word, therefore, is still worthy of all acceptance, "I will
give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries shall be able to gainsay or
resist." (Luke 21:15.) Do we not see this same principle illustrated today, when
humble ones amongst the Lord's people are more than a match for all their adversaries? The
truth being powerful, prevails, though it is not always acknowledged to prevail, even as
it was not acknowledged by Stephen's enemies. It was Stephen's turn to be
called before the Sanhedrin, that he might give the leaders of his people a gospel sermon,
the basis of which was Jesus and the resurrection. His opponents, who could not down him
in argument, were determined to destroy him; and, like other zealots, deluded by
superstition, they were nevertheless influenced by their higher principles to desire to
accomplish his destruction legally -- that is to say, with a form of law. Alas, how. many
people now, as yell as then, of comparatively noble mind, succeed in "deceiving their
own selves" into thinking that a wrong becomes a virtue, becomes right, if to any
extent they can wrap it in the folds of the law! The Lord's people need to have the spirit
of the law, the spirit of justice, the spirit of righteousness: without this even the best
balanced minds may be led astray under the pressure of zeal, superstition, or error. IN THE STEPS OF HIS
MASTER
Doubtless, as Stephen heard the
charges against him, and noticed the advancement of 'the case, he mentally remarked the
correspondence between these charges against him and those upon which his Master was
convicted. We may be sure that some such thoughts were passing through his mind when his
face was so wonderfully lit up with the indwelling joy, that it is recorded that all
sitting in the Sanhedrin "looking steadfastly on him saw his face, as it had been the
face of an angel." But even an angelic face could not move such hearts, some of the
same, doubtless, that had sat in condemnation of the Master Himself. Seemingly, Stephen's
witness was fruitless, so far as his auditors were concerned; the same might have been
said respecting our Master's trial and testimony. And yet, as the latter bore fruit on the
day of Pentecost and afterward, so, doubtless, Stephen's testimony bore fruit
subsequently. Who can say that the beaming and angelic face was not one of the
"pricks" against which Saul of Tarsus had been contending for some time, when
the Lord interrupted him en route to Damascus ? Who can tell that experiences
connected with this martyrdom may not have been valuable not only to Saul, but to others?
At all events, it was Stephen's duty, as it is our duty, to be faithful under all
circumstances, under all conditions, regardless of whether appearances indicate the
accomplishment of much, or of little good. We are to remember that the Lord's work is in
His own hands, and that our part is to be faithful to him and to the truth, to the extent
of our opportunities: If every time the brethren stand
forth before men publicly or privately, as the representatives of our Lord, they could so
realize His blessing and their privilege as His servants, that it would fill their hearts,
and beam forth from their faces, in gladness, in thankfulness, for the privilege of
serving, then indeed they would have the highest degree of blessing to themselves and
doubtless also would bring the largest degree of blessing to all those whose hearts would
be prepared for the truth, and also for those not yet ready for it, but who are under the
Lord's discipline and guidance, in preparation for it, as was Saul of Tarsus. A FAITHFUL TESTIMONY
The charge against Stephen was
blasphemy against the holy place, Jerusalem (and especially its holy Temple, which
sanctified it), and against the law of Moses. Passing by the charges, Stephen went into a
history of the Lord's leading of Israel from the time of Abraham down to his own time; and
thus showed his full faith in the holy places and in the promises and presence of God,
which made them holy. His familiarity with the facts, and the reverent manner in which he
stated them, and the conclusions which he drew from them, must have shown his judges
clearly that so far from being a blasphemer of Moses and his institutions and holy things,
he was a firm believer in these, and a zealous advocate of them. So with us; when
discussing holy things there may at times be those who, intentionally or ignorantly, will
attribute to us evil conditions or evil motives. With us, as with Stephen, the best manner
of dealing with such charges is to show, without ostentation, and by deeply reverent
manner, that we are trusting implicitly in the gracious promises of God, and that we
appreciate fully His various providential leadings and dealings in the past, not only as
respects ourselves, but with all His holy people. Now, as in Stephen's case, the best
answer respecting our fidelity to the holy things is represented in our knowledge of them,
and in the reverent manner in which we mention them. Stephen rehearsed to his hearers the
fact that Moses, the great Law-giver, whom they now reverenced, had at one time been
rejected by Israel, saying, "Who made thee a judge or a ruler over us?" But he
was God's agent and representative, and hence, in due time, he became Israel's deliverer.
He reminded them also that Moses had said, "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me." The lesson which Stephen desired
his, hearers to draw is, that as Moses was rejected at his first offering to the
Israelites so the one like unto Moses would, like him, be rejected -had been rejected, in
the person of Jesus. Nevertheless.' as Moses subsequently became the leader and commander
of the people, and delivered- them, so also Jesus would in due time become the great
Deliverer of His people at His Second Advent. He pointed further to the fact that the
Prophets all down through the Jewish Age had been refused by the people in the time of
their presence and ministry with them, many of them being foully dealt with; nevertheless
subsequently they were discerned to have been the Lord's representatives. Stephen would
have his hearers recognize Christ as the great Prophet, whom God had set forth to be the
instructor of the people. We see no attempt to defend himself, except by showing up the
truth. He evidently relied upon his course .of conduct and teaching corroborating the
history which he was now delineating. Let us also, in our intercourse with others whom we
would lead into the truth, pay less attention to self defense than to a presentation of
the Divine Word. As the Apostle declares, the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, is
sharper than any two-edged sword. -- Heb. 4:12. DARKNESS HATETH THE
LIGHT
About this time, apparently, some
manifestation of impatience on the part of the Court caused Stephen to hasten to his
conclusions abruptly, saying, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,
ye do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the Prophets
have not your fathers persecuted, and they have slain them which showed before the coming
of the just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers; who have received
the law by the dispensation of angels, and have not kept it." (Ver. 5I-53.) It is not
necessary to suppose that these simple, true words were uttered in any harsh tone or
strifeful manner; for everything about Stephen's attitude seems to imply gentleness,
forbearance, love. It was the truth, and it was the right time to tell it. He evidently
knew what was likely to be the result anyway, and wished to give his testimony, that as
those who had foretold the just One had been killed, it was no more remarkable that those
who afterward bore witness to Him should be killed also. His persecutors were thwarted;
their attempt to traduce him and show him an enemy of the Lord, of the nation, and of the
law, had abundantly failed. He stood before the Sanhedrin a great teacher, reproving them,
and showing from their own Scriptural records that they were now intent on doing toward
him as their fathers had done toward the Lord's faithful in every age. His hearers were
"cut to the heart." This expression reminds us of the record (Acts 2:37) of
those who heard Peter preach on the same theme -- they were "pricked to the
heart." But people can be pricked to the heart, and yet have, very different results
follow. Much will depend upon what is in the heart when it is pricked. If it be good the
results will be good: if it be evil the results will be evil. Undaunted by their manifestations
of hatred and malice, Stephen was so filled with appreciation of the Lord's goodness, and
of his being a servant of the truth, that he was all aglow with interest in his theme, and
his face illuminated with an angelic expression, such as the truth only can impart. It was
then that looking away from his own surroundings -- away from his enemies' faces -- he was
granted a glimpse of the Lord at the right hand of the Father. Whether it was a mental
vision, such as any of us can awaken in our minds, such as the Apostle referred' to, when
he said that we should be continually "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of
our faith," or whether it was actually a vision granted to Stephen at this,
particular time, we know not; -most probably it was a vision. A VISION OF HIS
MASTER
He of course did not see in
reality what he described, as that would be an impossibility-"No man hath seen God at
any time," and the Only Begotten of the Father is -- now the express image of His
person, and He also would be invisible to humanity; even the light of His glory would have
smitten Stephen down, as it smote Saul of Tarsus a short time afterward. But that Stephen
should have had a vision or revelation of his Master and his high exaltation is entirely
reasonable; he told what he saw, and this furnished the occasion of his death. His
adversaries could have found nothing against him in anything he had said, or that any
witness could have proved, but now, affecting great indignation at the thought that Jesus,
whom they had crucified, Jesus the imposter, had become exalted to heavenly glory, next to
Jehovah Himself -- this furnished an opportunity for the claim that Stephen was a
blasphemer, and therefore ought to be stoned to death. All being in a wrong attitude of
heart, the same impulse affected all, and they rushed upon the faithful servant of the
truth, pushing him out of the city to a secluded spot, where they stoned him to death. Let
us likewise be faithful to the Lord, and we also shall have revelations of our Lord's
glory -not, probably, visions or dreams, but such mental pictures as are clearly
delineated before us in God's Word, which now is commonly in the hands of His people, and
under the leadings of the Holy Spirit reveals to us the deep things of God which human
eyes have not seen nor ears heard. -- 1 Cor. 2:10, 13. It is here that attention is
drawn to the fact that Saul of Tarsus was probably a member of the Sanhedrin, which tried
Stephen, and surely one of those who consented to his death-standing guard over the outer
garments of those who executed the will of the Sanhedrin, in doing the actual stoning. He
refers to the matter himself subsequently, in contrite language. (Acts 22:20.) Stephen's
attitude in receiving his persecution was most noble. He prayed for himself and for his
enemies that the latter might be forgiven, so far as he was concerned; they will have
enough to answer for and to receive "stripes" of just retribution; for himself,
that the Lord would receive his spirit. He meant to express to the Lord his confidence,
his trust, in a future life through a resurrection, when he made this expression,
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" -- receive my life, preserve my life, that it
may be granted to me again in the resurrection, according to Thy gracious promise. I
commit my all to Thee, in hope. With us also the one thought should be the pleasing of our
Lord and the attainment through Him of the life everlasting -- having Him to care for our spirit of life, and to revive us
again in the resurrection in due time. "HE FELL
ASLEEP"
In the midst of his prayer he
fell asleep -- he died. Commenting on these words an "orthodox" writer says "Though the pagan authors
sometimes used sleep to signify death, it was only a poetic figure. When Christ, on
the other hand, said, 'Our friend, Lazarus, sleepeth,'
He used the word, not as a figure but as an expression of a fact. In that mystery of
death in which the pagan saw only nothingness, Jesus saw continued life, rest, waking-the
elements which enter into sleep. And thus in Christian speech and thought, as the doctrine
of the resurrection struck its roots deeper, the word 'dead,' with its hopeless finality,
gave place to the more gracious and hopeful word, 'sleep.' The pagans' burying place
carried in its name no suggestion of hope or comfort. It was a burying place, a hiding
place, monumentum, a mere memorial of something gone; . . . but the Christian thought of
death as sleep brought with it, in the Christian speech, the kindred thought of a chamber
of rest, and embodied it in the word cemetery -- "the place to lie down to sleep" -- Word Studies. Throughout the Scriptures the
word "sleep" is frequently used as a synonym for death-but only in view of the
hoped-for awakening-the resurrection. The figure is a beautiful one, viewed from the right
standpoint, the standpoint of Divine revelation, which shows us the blessings of mankind,
restitution, which are to be expected as soon as the morning of the new Millennial Day
shall have been fully ushered in. Doubtless there were many who
considered the martyrdom of Stephen a great calamity to the Church, a great loss of
influence; a cutting off of one of the ablest exponents of the Gospel. But we are not sure
that they took a correct view. Viewed from God's standpoint, quite possibly the testimony
which Stephen gave at the close of his life was a most beneficial one; first in its
influence upon the believers, in teaching them by precept and example faithfulness, even
unto death; and that the Lord's people could die as they lived; joyful through the faith
that is in Christ. His death also probably bore a valuable .witness to some of his
enemies. Quite possibly the Apostle Paul's first favorable impressions toward Christianity
were received through his witness of the courage and zeal of this noble martyr, whose
spirit of Christ he doubtless witnessed in others of the hated "sect, everywhere
spoken against." So with us; we know not which act
in life may glorify the Lord most, or whether our living or dying would be most helpful to
His cause. We are to leave this in the Lord's hands, and to remember that our course in
any event must be one of faithfulness, and that if faithful nothing can by any means harm
us, but all things must work together for our good. DANIEL THE BELOVED OF JEHOVAH
SERIES VIII BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST
"Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand
of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."-Dan. 5:1. THE occurrences described in this
chapter took place nearly a quarter of a century after, Nebuchadnezzar's death. The glory
of the Babylonian kingdom began rapidly to wane, and its influence in the world to
decline, after his death. No successor of his attained any notoriety. Nebuchad-nezzar,
according to the Scriptural account, was succeeded by his son Evil-merodach. This
information is given by the sacred historian in connection with one of Evil-merodach's
first acts -- that of the release of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, who had been in prison
since being taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, thirty-seven years before. (2 Kings 25:27-30;
Jer. 52 :31-34.) Daniel makes no mention of any of Nebuchadnezzar's successors save that
of Belshazzar. WHO WAS BELSHAZZAR?
Scholars for many years were
confused by the account in chapter five, which speaks of Belshazzar as being the king when
Babylon fell and the great city was captured by the Medes and Persians, as it seemed to
conflict with the secular records. Skeptics formerly made use of this in their efforts to
overthrow the Divine authenticity of the book of Daniel. They declared that no king of
that name ever occupied the throne of Babylon. The secular historians of those times do
not make mention of Belshazzar. However, like all other seeming disagreements with the
ancient historians, when sufficient facts are known, the Bible account is always proved to
be the true; the correct one; and so with this. The following from the International Encyclopedia explains the matter, and
is sufficient to establish the truth of this most remarkable occurrence associated with
the fall of Babylon, recorded in this chapter: "Belshazzar, or Belsaruzar, a ruler of
the Chaldean dynasty, was slain about 538 B.C., when Babylon was taken by the Medes and
Persians, as related in the book of Daniel. (Chap. 5.) This account which speaks of him as
the king of Babylon, and as warned of his doom by the handwriting on the wall, long
confused scholars, since it conflicted with the narratives of other writers. Herodotus (1.
184, 89) calls the last king Labynetus and says that he was defeated in the open field,
while Berosus in Josephus (apion, 1, 20), calls him Nabonnedus, stating that he was
blockaded in Borsippa (Birs-Nimrud), and finally surrendered, to Cyrus-, being assigned an
honorable retirement in Carmania. That truth lies on both sides, has become known through
cuneiform inscriptions discovered in 1854 and deciphered by Rawlinson, which state that
Belsaruzar, [Belshazzar] the eldest son of Nabonnedus, was associated with his, father on
the throne. Belshazzar [or Belsaruzar] at first conducted the campaign against Cyrus, but
afterwards was left to govern and hold the city (and so perished) while Nabonnedus took
the field. The latter, returning to the relief of Babylon, was defeated and took refuge in
Borsippa. In Dan. 5:2, Belshazzar is spoken of as the son of Nebuchadnezzar, but the word
'father' is properly translated ancestor or grandfather." THE PURPOSE OF THE
FEAST
It would seem that Nabonnedus was
the husband of one of Nebuchadnezzar's daughters. He had, through a conspiracy, succeeded
in taking possession of the throne. The twenty-three years that elapsed between
Nebuchadnezzar's death and the fall of Babylon, seems to be made up of conspiracies and
murders in connection with the throne power. The historians' accounts of those times are
more or less confusing and contradictory. The following is understood by many scholars to
be the real facts "When Nebuchadnezzar died,
his only son, Evil-merodach, took the throne; but he reigned only two years, when he was
murdered and supplanted by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar, who reigned four years. After
him his son, a mere boy, was made king. He held his place for only nine months, when he
fell -a victim to the conspiracy of Nabonnedus, who, together with his own son,
Belshazzar, whom he made co-regent with himself, were the last kings of Babylon." The chapter opens with a
statement giving the information that "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a
thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand." There has been much
discussion or surmising as to whale was the occasion or object of this feast. This,
.however, does not seem of much consequence. The record tells us that Belshazzar made a
feast to his lords. It would seem from what can be learned from the brief references to
him in connection with this account that he was a young man, given up to the lowest vices
of self-indulgence, and allowed nothing to restrain him in the gratification of his
desires. It may be true, as some writers have expressed, that reports or rumors had been
received that his father, Nabonnedus, had met with some temporary success or victory, in
his warring against Cyrus, and that Belshazzar instituted a feast of rejoicing over the
supposed success. However, no matter what may have been its cause, it was made by
Belshazzar an occasion to satisfy his dissolute, pleasure-loving spirit, as the narrative
plainly intimates.. Whatever may have been the cause, it seems evident that he felt quite
secure from any enemy attack -- that the great walls of defense around the city, and the
strong gates at the end of the broad streets at the river's brink, were sufficient to hold
back any foe from entering the city, either by land or water. It is certain that Belshazzar
made a great ado, both in the preparation and observance of this feast. It was made, as
the record shows, an occasion of general license and carousing on the part of himself and
his lords, and even their wives and concubines were called in before it was over.
"The 'great feast' turned out to be a scene of mere bacchanalian orgies, in which the
king led off. It was not the custom of kings to eat and drink before their subjects; but
here all restraints were thrown aside. The dignity of the monarch was all sunk in the
loose hilarity of the occasion. Drinking wine was a chief part of
the performance, and Belshazzar familiarly joined the thousands of his lordly guests to do
royal justice to it. He 'drank wine before the thousands,' and drank till he felt it, and
continued to drink till it became his counselor and put all sorts of wild thoughts into
his head." Xenophon informs us that Gobryas, one of Cyrus' generals, said at the time
the command was given for the assault to be made an the city, "I should not be
surprised if the doors of the palace are now open, for the whole city seems tonight to be
given up to revelry." It seems evident that Cyrus had been informed concerning the
feast and had anticipated that the night in the city would be spent in reveling and
drunkenness. DESECRATING THE HOLY
VESSELS
We are told in verse two that
while Belshazzar tasted the wine, he commanded that the gold and silver vessels which his
father, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken out of the Jewish temple at the time he captured
Jerusalem be brought into the banquet hall. We have brought to our attention in this
action of Belshazzar a fact which has been illustrated in every generation of man's
history. This fact is that when men are under the influence of wine, or other intoxicating
drinks, all kinds. of wild fancies take possession of their minds and they will do many
evil things in a spirit of bravado, which they would not be guilty of when sober. It is
quite evident that these vessels had always been considered by Nebuchadnezzar as sacred,
and that they had never been used for any purpose whatever since the capture of Jerusalem.
It would seem that even Belshazzar in his sober moments would have respected the sacred
character of these vessels, which he knew had been devoted to the service of religion. It
seems probable that the king, when he instituted the feast, had no thought of making use
of these vessels for such a purpose. The words of Daniel (verse 23) would imply that the
king intended this particular act to be an expression of his contempt for the God of
Israel. It is expressly stated that the vessels were to be brought into the impious feat
that his lords and his wives and his concubines might drink out of them, and "praise
the gods of, wood and stone which see not, nor hear, nor know." These vessels had all
been consecrated to Jehovah to be used only in connection with His worship, and He always
respects whatever is truly consecrated to Him. We have every reason to believe
that Belshazzar knew of his grandfather's respect for the God of the Hebrews, and of his
having held these vessel's to be sacred-to be used only in connection with the worship of
Jehovah. But the wine-crazed king, had neither respect nor reverence for his grandfather,
or for what was consecrated or devoted to the God of Israel. The influence of the wine had
destroyed all such feelings, if he ever had them, and had" aroused in him a spirit of
insolent independence, which caused his naturally evil nature to triumph over all the
reverence or perhaps fear that had influenced others before him; and he would use these
vessels to do horror to his drunken revels, that they might drink from them. One has said,
"It was of no use to remonstrate with such a libertine, if any had been so disposed;
therefore the golden vessels were brought and he and his lords and his women 'drank in
them.' If any compunctions were felt on the subject, they had to be stifled and suppressed
in the presence of his Imperial Majesty. So 'they drank wine, and praised the gods of
gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood and of stone.' Not only their ill-timed
merriment, their trampling on the customary proprieties, and their drunkenness, but even
their foolhardy and blasphemous insult to the Most High God, is veiled over and cloaked up
with a pretension of devotion!" It was not the usual custom for
women in these eastern countries to be present and engage in these feasts, but in this
case all the usual customs were disregarded when the Bacchanalian feast reached a certain
stage. Mr. Barnes suggests that "the wives and concubines were probably now present
when the feast began, for it was made for his 'lords'; but when the scenes of revelry had
advanced so far that it was proposed to introduce the sacred vessels of the temple, it
would not be unnatural to propose also to introduce the females of the court." We
have related a similar occurrence in .the book of Esther, at a feast which the Persian
king Ahasuerus gave. We there read that "On the seventh day, when the heart of the
king was merry with wine," he commanded that Vashti his queen should be brought into
his presence, the object being to make a, show of her beauty. The writer already quoted
says that "nothing can well be conceived more senseless and stupid than what it is
said they did at this feast, and yet it is a fair illustration of what occurs in all the
festivals of idolatry: And is that which occurs in more civilized Christian lands, in the
scenes of carousal and festivity more rational than this? It was not much worse to lavish
praises on idol gods in a sense of revelry than it is to lavish praises on idol men now;
not much less rational to 'toast' gods than it is to 'toast' men." IN THE MIDST OF THE
REVELRY, THE MYSTERIOUS HAND
It has been of rare occurrence
that the great God has interfered in man's impious acts, but in this case, under the
peculiar circumstances, an exception to the general rule was made. All in an instant when
the impious feast was at its height and the wild hilarity seemed unrestrainable, there
came a most startling interruption, which, as is usually the case in such instances,
suddenly brought to a halt the orgies and sobered not only the king but all the revelers
in the great banquet hall. The king himself seems to be the one who first witnessed the
strange and startling sight. As he looked toward the golden candlestick, which had been
brought, into the great hall, together with the sacred vessels, he beheld a sight that
caused a mighty change to come over his face, which plainly indicated that he was moved
with fear and terror; and the sacred record informs us that "his knees smote one
against another." That which caused this sudden interruption of the impious
proceedings is recorded in verse five and reads: "In the same hour came forth fingers
of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick, upon the plaster of the wall of
the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote." A noted writer
remarks: "Belshazzar had as much of power, and of drink withal, to lead him to
defiance of God as any ruffian under heaven; and yet when God, as it were, lifted up but
His finger against him, how poorly did he crouch and shiver. How did his joints loose, and
his knees knock together." Commenting on Belshazzar's
impious act and this most fearful, startling, and above all, strange and mysterious
interruption to this most impious feast, the eloquent Joseph Seiss writes: "This was
as far as ,it was possible for human daring and infatuation to go. It was more than the
powers of Heaven could quietly endure. The Divine resentment broke forth on the spot. 'In the same
hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon
the plaster of the wall of the kings palace.' The moment of doom had been reached, and
here was the miraculous writing of the sentence. There was no legerdemain, no deception
about it. 'The king saw the part of the hand that wrote.' His own eyes followed it as it
traced in mystic letters where no hand of mortal could reach to do it. He beheld the black
characters it left frowning down upon him from the palace wall. He saw the consternation
of men and heard the shrieks of women. He could not read the letters nor decipher their
meaning, but his conscience took alarm, and he could not treat it with indifference. All
his courage and proud bravado broke down. "Alas, alas for the dignity
and bravery of those who think it mean, little, and cowardly to fear God! They may think
it manly to set at naught the scruples of a tender conscience and all dread of Jehovah's
judgments, but their superior stateliness is the first to give way when the trying moment
comes. Nor is there a more craven cowardice or dastard pusillanimity than that which
underlies the noisy courage of men who defy God, and glory in trampling moral restraints
under their feet. Show me a man who thinks it great and heroic to despise the bonds of
piety and the inculcations of religion, and I will show you a miserable poltroon at heart.
The audacious and defiant king Belshazzar is horror-stricken and unmanned in the midst of
all his gallant valor before a handwriting on the wall, not a syllable of which he could
read!" The terror-stricken king, after
the effects produced by the suddenness of the startling interruption to the feast had to
some extent subsided, seems to have recovered his self-possession sufficiently to call for
his astrologers and soothsayers. The highest honors of the kingdom were to be given to the
man who could read the mysterious writing. He should be clothed in purple; he should be
honored by having a, necklace of gold to wear; he should become the third ruler in the
kingdom. This latter expression is generally understood to mean next in authority to
himself, as he was next in authority to his father. The wise men and the astrologers came
in and gazed with astonishment and amazement at the mysterious writing, but none were able
to read it. The fear and terror of the situation was only increased by their presence and
failure. DANIEL IS REMEMBERED
AND CALLED FOR
It is impossible even to imagine
the alarm and bewilderment that was crowded into the brief period which elapsed before
there entered the great palace hall the queen-mother. It would seem that she was the only
woman of the palace who had taken no part in the impious banquet-feast. This woman, the
wife of Nabonnedus, and, what is more significant, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, seems
to have been the only one in the palace who had profited by Jehovah's judgment and mercy
upon tier father. She had in remembrance those far-away days when the young Hebrew captive
Daniel had interpreted the dream of empires that had been 'given in a night vision to
Nebuchadnezzar. She remembered how her father had honored this young man and how during
the great monarch's life time he had been such a trustful, faithful servant, counselor,
adviser, and yet fearless reprover of the king. All these things had made an indelible
impression upon her mind. We next read: "Now the queen, by reason of
the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house," that is, she was
moved by hearing the commotion. Immediately taking in the situation, but doubtless .not
having any suspicion of what was the significance of the hand-writing, she first addressed
Belshazzar in the formal salutation customary in eastern countries. She next sought to
calm his fears, and then coming directly to the matter which was troubling his mind and
the minds of all present, she said: "There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the
spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father [margin, grandfather] light and
understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king
Nebuchadnezzar .thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians,
astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit and knowledge,
and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving
of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar : now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the
interpretation. Then was Daniel brought in before the king." It would seem quite clear that
Daniel at this time, while living in Babylon,
for some. reason was not as well known as formerly. It is not unreasonable, however, to
believe, that he was still known to the queen-mother, and that sire had kept up an
acquaintance with him because of his former relations to her father and the Prophet's
services to him. Daniel had evidently been out of favor with King Belshazzar and his court
and had been treated with indifference, or perhaps he may have been forgotten altogether.
Indeed it would seem from Belshazzar's words to Daniel when .requesting that he interpret
the handwriting, that Belshazzar was not personally acquainted with him. One writer has
accounted for Daniel's not appearing at the first summons on the ground that Belshazzar in
his terror forgot to summon the fourth order,
consisting of the magicians and Daniel their chief. It is notable that this class is not,
mentioned in the summons made by Belshazzar. (Compare Dan. 2:2 with 5:7.) However, this
does not seem to account for the fact, for the queen-mother informs Belshazzar that his
grandfather had made Daniel master of all these different orders. A most reasonable
explanation of this matter as given by Albert Barnes is that on the occasion of
Nebuchadnezzar's death Daniel had been removed from his position as head over the wise
men, magicians, astrologers, etc. This writer states that it was a custom when a Persian
king died that the physician, as also those holding the positions referred to, be driven
from the court for not preventing the king's death. If such was the custom of the ancient
Babylonian court, we have certainly a most satisfactory explanation of why Daniel, who
would be living to some extent a retired, private life during the reign of Evil-merodach
and his successors, was not known by Belshazzar. In so far as the record in the
book of Daniel is concerned, this was Daniel's first appearance into Belshazzar's
presence. If he had been there before, it was as one unnoticed and unknown. It is quite
reasonable to suppose that if Daniel continued to hold a position in the government all
the time from Nebuchadnezzar's death that the very character of the men who succeeded
Nebuchadnezzar on the throne was such as to make Daniel's services unappreciated, if not
undesired. It was in the first and third years of Belshazzar that Daniel had two of the
most remarkable prophetic visions recorded in the book, but there is nothing in these two
chapters (seventh and eighth) that gives us any information respecting .his relation to
the court of Belshazzar. At the time that Daniel was summoned into the king's presence to
interpret the hand writing on the wall, he must have been at least eighty-five years old.
The overthrow of Babylon, which occurred at this time, brought him, as we shall see later,
into prominence again in public affairs connected with the Medo-Persian Empire. |
