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~"';;;-"~HE elections are over, and the seething excitement of the past few weeks will now cool off, and leave us in our normal state. As to results, there does not seem, at the time of writing, as if there would be any great change of parties. There are other returns to come in, but they will scarcely affect the general result. \Ve note UI)e J61ections. that the country districts are more loyal than the cities to the Government, and this is not without its significance in view of the cry that has been raised that the change of the incidence of taxation under the Ballance reqime had affected the farmers disastrously. In Auckland city the main fight seemed to be to keep out certain objectionable men; and if the specially favoured candidates o~ the temperance and other parties have not been returned there is yet a feeling of satisfaction that men of sterling worth have been elected, and the obnoxious candidates have been left in the lurch. We, of course, must wait to see whether in the balancing of parties there is any hope of the repeal of the objectionable clauses of the Liquor Bill. If an early session is held, as contemplated, it is more than probable that an attempt will be made to alter the Bill so that it will be reallywhat it now wrongfully claims to be -a people's measure. The strenuous efforts of the liquor party to secure the return of men favourable to a trial of the Government Bill is-a telling indication of the real tendency of the existing measure. Why can we not have a further advance in true democratic Govemmentl Although there has been much en-

,.

thusiasm evoked in nearly every nook and corner of the colony it by no means follows that measures satisfactory to the majority, even if brought forward, will be passed. Why should not we lRooltl for 5t1lpro"eltlent~ as a people adopt the Swiss method of submitting questions directly to the people for settlement 1 It would save the time now spent in wrangling in tile House, and would secure a decisive verdict if the referendum were adopted. The Swiss people have now gone a little beyond this, and have adopted what is known as the Initiative, by which a certain number of private citizens can compel the authorities to submit any proposal which they desire to see carried into effect to a mass vote. If we could secure the first named it would be a boon which would bring us nearer to the realisation of a popular Government than any other. That, and the abolition of party Government, which is a most wasteful and extravagant form of conducting the administration of affairs, might bring more relief to this colony than any measure hitherto passed. At least, we would expect that under such conditions both men and measures would get the fair treatment which, as things are, neither receive. As things are, there are times when the exigencies of party clash with the interests of the people, and the latter must suffer, whereas under a rational system, the administration would be entrusted to the best men to carry out the wishes of the majority of the citizens. The new political factor, the female vote, should be kept free from parby interests, and be employed in the direction of the abolition of the present system. Solid, persistent work during the next three years, with that as an aim, should tell immensely in the next election. Borderland is the title of a new quarterly magazine just launched by Mr. W. T. Stead. Its professed design is to help in an intelligent and systematic study of the unseen, and it will deal with such subjects as telepathy, clairvoyance, crystal-gazing, hypnotism, 1Sol'~el'lan~. . automatic writing, spiritualism, theosophy, and occultism generally. Be...

178

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

DECEMBER,

1893.

fore the issue of the first number the editor sent out a circular to 'prelates, parsons, pundits, and persons of distinction,' to ask for their views on the proposed publication, and their co-operation if in sympathy with it. A few of these in their letters give a word of encouragement, but others take' the ground that the enquiry is distinctly dangerous, as tending to an intercourse with demons, who approach men under the guise of the spirits of ,dead men. We may add that nothing which appears in Borderland is likely to allay that fear, where it is felt. Indeed one prominent spiritist says, as quoted in the magazine, 'Do .not believe everything YOIl are told (by spirits), for though the great unseen world contains many a wise and doserving spirit, it also' has in it the accumulation of human folly, vanity, and error; and this lies nearer the surface than that which is wise and good.' We confess that we have no sympathy with the objects advocated by the new quarterly

We are strengthened in our rejection of the proposed investigation when we find the nature of the doctrine given by Mr. Stead's own' familiar' Julia-the spirit who uses his hand as her amanuensis. Her teachings are certainly opposed to the great Bible lines on $pOOTi lDoctrine. man's nature, Christ's redemptive work, His present office, and His second advent. Much is said of Love, love, and nothing of God's wrath against sin. As to this latter let me quote a sentence or two from her communications which Mr. Stead extols for their' beauty and spiritual truth.' 'W' e cannot doubt the love of God. We live in it. The sins and shadows of the earth life are but as shadows that will flee away. But they are merely on the earth plane; there is sin and there is sorrow on this side. Hell is on this side as well as heaven. But it is the joy of heaven to be always emptying hell.' That may be 'orthodox,' according' to Mr. Stead, but it is not Biblical; at one stroke such teaching sweeps away the great cognate doctrines of resurrection and judgment. There is further a distinct tendency to lessen the value of the marriage tie, a tendency which is indicative, according to Paul, of ' doctrines of demons.' It is better to let such teaching severely alone. The words of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Nottingham to Mr. Stead are . strong, but not too strong. ' If you continue such unlawful intercourse with the unseen you will necessarily be misled to your ruin by the enemy of God, the murderer of souls, and the liar from the beginning.' Amongst the men of science addressed by Mr. Stead is Sir G. G. Stokes, of Cambridge, who gave as the real grounds why the proposed investigation is unsound, that it rests upon a popular fallacy. His letter is refreshing in its blunt and candid outspokenness. He writes:-' I have received your 11 $oUl\b circular relative to the project of objecnon. Borderland, I am not myself dis. posed to join in the undertaking. For my own part, and

there are many who are of the ~ame opinion, I do not believe in the natural immortality of the soul. I think that the assumption of a natural immortality, introduced without warrant into the popular theology, but destitute, as I believe, of foundation, either in reason or in Scripture, is the foundation of not a little false theology, and is directly responsible for not a little infidelity. I believe that the future life rests, not on a natural, but on a supernatural basis; that to look for natural indications of it is to seek for the living among the dead. As to so-called occult manifestations, I have never been bronght into contact with them; I can only judge of them at second-hand. My attitude towards them is, I confess, one of scepticism; but if there be any reality about them, I question yery much the lawfulness of the investigation.' It is a pleasure to us to quote these words, for they suggest the necessity for the prior inquir-y which Mr. Stead and his sympathisers conveniently ignore. Is there such a thing as an immortal soul, or soul at all which can live when the body is dead 1 If not, then all the' communications,' if real, must come from other sources. It must be allowed that the belief in natural immortality i.s the on~ fonndation on which not only spirit :com munications, but Theosophy, Sweden borgianism, and the whole circle of Borderland theories, to- . gether with Mariolatry, and much popular theology rest. That taken away, and these must die, or be existent under the avowal of the truth that Borderland teaching is given by seducing spirits, and is doctrine of demons, and that popular theology has no resting place outside human speculation and desire. It is recognised by many that, the Bible gives no support to soul immortality, so sj.iritism is resorted to, to give that assurance otherwise lacking. To our thinking it is ac;::y.erynsafe resort. u The claim made by the Roman Catholic Bishops of New Zealand, that they have a right to one-seventh of the education vote to train their children in their own way, in their own schools, would lead anyone ignorant of history to suppose that Rome has a fervent desire to give all her children a 1Romanism ano JEbucatton sound education. ' By their fruits . ye shall know them' is a very good maxim by which to test the matter. What. has Popery done where it has had full control of all temporal and spiritual matters 1 Till 1870 she had full power in Italy, with what result let statistics tell. In 1864 the Italian Minister of Instruction reported that only three and a-half of her twenty-one millions of people could read and write, and it was found that the nearer to Rome the denser the ignorance. The bishops contend that the present state of education is immoral and godless. We think it will compare favourably with the state of things in Rome under Pius IX., when the illegitimate births were at the rate of one hundred and forty-three to one hundred legitimate, and its murders one for every seven hundred and fifty inhabitants. Here where the Romish influence was centred, and which abounded with Papal clergy of all grades, was darkest

DECEMBER,

1893.

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

179

ignorance and vilest immorality. Thus we can fling back in her teeth her charges, knowing that she only educates ill Protestant communities where she would speedily lose her influence if she did not move in the direction of giving tuition to her children. Gradually the Italian Government has been stripping the great Romish Church of its powers and its privileges. It is twenty-three years since the Pope withdrew to the Vatican and sulked, declaring himself a prisoner because he was deprived of civil power, and announced that he would not be tnnreer at tbe \t)attcan. subject to an earthly Government, and perform the functions of' his office. It has pleased him to keep up the farce of a prison theory, and it has no doubt won mnch sympathy from the faithful, Now we learn that the Italian Government will no longer allow him to consider himself as being beyond its jurisdiction. It demands that the Pope shall acknowledge himself a subject of the King of Italy. Hitherto that Government has recognised the bishops of the church by issuing commissions to them, but it declines to do this until the Pope acknowledges its civil supremacy. A dispatch on October 3rd stated that' forty .talian bishops were without their exequators' (i.e., documents granted by the State recognising the bishops). What the issue will be is as yet unknown, but it betokens that the proud claim made by the Papacy is destined to go down before the march of intelligence, and the spirit of democracy. The Roman Catholic prelates of America have endeavoured, since the Baltimore Plenary Council held in 181H, to compel all their people to send their children to the parochial schools, but there has been such opposition to it that the Pope has commissioned his representative, Mgr. Satolli to clmerican relieve the pressure. It is seen Jl)arocbtal that the parochial school system is $cbools. not good Catholic economy, and Satolli is using his delegated power to make it easy for Catholic parents to send their children to the public schools when they choose to do so. The attempt has been made to overthrow the American common school system, but it has been found that the task is too great for the prelates, and the effort has ended in ignominious failure. We trust that a like result will follow the present attempt in our colony. The electors ought to testify by an overwhelming vote how utterly alien and abhorrent to the progressive principles of our Government is the desire of Bishops Moran and Luck. VI' e much mistake if many of our Catholic fellow-voters will not testify at the ballot-box that they are opposed to any alteration in our public school system in the direction of giving grants to the Romish bishops. All Protestants, however, must be loyal and outspoken, and even when voting day has passed, must not allow their watchfulness to become in the least degree careless. ' Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.'

As expected, the World's Parliament of Religions has been a very big affair, and from reports we learn that it has been very interesting to those who were pri vileged to attend. Throughout the whole Congress a kindly spirit was manifested by all speakers ill 'Ube 1Religious reference to opinions differing from theirs. One writer complains that concress. the Protestant speakers delivered addresses argumentative and eloquent, but lacking in the deep-toned spirituality needed to calTY conviction to those who had not accepted the Christian religion. The Roman Catholic Congress lasted for a whole week, and was held in a hail with a seating capacity of three thousand, and the same writer says, 'I did not hear a word ill prayer or praise to God in any of their great,meetings which crowded the hall. Of course, the arrogant claims of that Church were asserted. Said one of the exponents, Dr. Seton, " The Church also maintains that it belongs to her-e-and to her alone--to determine the true sense of the Scr.ptures, and that they cannot be rightly interpretcd contrary to their decision; because she claims to be and is the living unerring authority to whom ... infallibility was promised and given." "According to our view, the Bible does not contain the w hole of revealed truth, nor is it necessary for every Christian to read and understand' it." ,

'Thlllsday, September 14th, in hall No, 7, which is the third in size in the Memorial Art Palace, and is said to hold some seven hundred people, we had the Ad vent Christian Congress. It was a day of special interest. The hall was well filled, and there was a lively, 'Ube R~"enti:3t enthusiastic interest manifested, that Jl)resentattOlt. produced a very heart-cheering effect. It was a grand day for those assembled, who are looking for the speedy return of our Re deem er. Their faith is firm and unwavering that the night of weeping is nearly ended, and the morning of glory about to dawn. Bro. and Sister Mansfield deserve special thanks for their. untiring efforts to secure a day for us in the great Congress. The excellent programme prepared by them was ably sustained by the different speakers. I never heard them do better. People standing at the door, who were probably hearing these things for the first time, seemed spellbound at the thrilling thoughts and words from the lips of the earnest speakers. To them it was a new revelation. It is arranged to publish in two large octavo volumes the various speeches in the Congress. The chief benefit of our meeting will be in sending to all parts of the world the reasons of our hope, as set forth in the speeches delivered on this occasion. It is the best opportunity we have ever enjoyed since, as a people, we first saw the glorious light on the near coming of Christ, some fifty years ago. Everyone who sees the truth should now let his light shine forth to the utmost of his ability, that others may prepare for the glorious event about to be consummated.'WOTld's Crisis,

180

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

DECEMBER,

1893.

At the Catholic Congress in Chicago Mr. Elder, a layman delivered an address which drove away two-thirds of his audience before it was finished. A Catholic layman, and speaking before the most notable gathering of his brethren, he drove home some most unpalatable ~Iain Speecl). truths. Here are some sentences from his address : 'Our inferior position, and it certainly is inferior, is owing almost wholly to ourselves. The great men have been and will continue to be Protestants. I speak not of wealth, but of brain, of energy, of the action of the heart. The great philanthropists, the great orators, the great writers, thinkers, leaders, scientists, inventors, and teachers of our land were and are Protestants. "Yhat surprises me is the way we have of eulogising -of talking bunkum and spread-eagle, and of giving " taffy" all round. I am sorry to say I cannot well join ill this enlivening pastime. When I see how largely Catholicity is represented among our hoodlum element I feel in no spread-eagle mood. When I note how few Catholics are engaged honestly in tilling the soil, and how many Oatholics are engaged in the liquor traffic, I cannot talk bunkum to anybody. When I observe the increasing power and ascendancy of the Jews, when I see the superior vigour, originality, and opportunities of the Protestant lay charity over similar attempts on our part, and when I observe the immense success and influence of secret societies, even here in this most Oatholic city of the Union, I have no heart for "taffy" giving. When I reflect that out of 70,000,000 of this nation we number only 9,000,000, and out of that 9,000,000 so large a proportion is made up of poor factory hands, poor mill, and shop, and mine, and railroad employee, and poor Government clerks, I still fail to find material for bunkum, or spread-eagle, or " taffy " giving.'-Otaqo Daily Times.

First, then, what does the Bible say about eternal life 1 We find a great deal about life in the Old Testament, but it has, for the most part, reference to this present state of existence. Let me instance the words of Moses, in the solemn charge he gave to Israel just before his death, 'See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.'-Deut. xxx. 15, 16; see also verses 19, 20. When, however, we come to the Psalms, as we should expect, we find gleams of something better. Life is there spoken of in more hopeful terms, as reaching beyond the span of this present state, as, for example Ps. cxxxiii. 3, where Zion is described as a place where' the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.' Once, and only once, in the Old Testament, do we meet with the expression' everlasting life.' It is the well-known passage in Dan. xii. 2, ' Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and -everlasting contempt.' Not, let me remark in passing, to everlasting shame and contemptthe shame is what the man experiences himself, the contempt that which others feel in regard to him. The redeemed, as ages roll on, with ever-increasing apprehension of the unspeakable gift, the inestimable boon of life eternal, -t will view with ever-increasing amazement, the folly, the madness, of those who have judged themselves unworthy of eternal life, and flung away so wonderful a gift Let us now turn to the New Testamen t : and there, as we should expect in the revelation of Him who came to bring life and immortality to light through the Gospel, life is spoken of continually. What is that eternal life of which we hear so much in the New Testament? Some will say it means spiritual life. Well, I will not quarrel with the term. It may be a very suitable one to describe eternal life in some aspect of its character-but it is not the term God has been pleased to use. I read of ' spiritual songs,' , spiritual sacrifices,' 'spiritual meat,' 'spiritual drink,' of Ohrist as a 'spiritual rock,' of a 'spiritual body,' and a ' spiritual house,' but nowhere of 'spiritual life., Spiritual, however, suitable we may think it as an epithet of life, is nowhere so used in the New Testament. Someone may say, Eternal life means divine life. U ndoubtedly-it is divine life. I read of some who are , alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,' and of others who are' partakers of the divine nature,'-' born of God,'-' begotten of God '-these latter possess divine life. But that particular expression is unknown to the Word of God-nor is this life called happy, glorious, perfect, all which may be suitable epithets to describe it--suitable, indeed! for it is happy-- it possesses fulness of joy and pleasure for evermore; perfect and glorious, for it will be a life of realised ideals, of satisfied desires, of perfect knowledge, of fruitful service, a life speut in the presence of God, in the full light of His glory, where 'His servants shall serve him, and see his face, and his

J8ternal 'lUfe-a <Bift.

By

H. C.

BOWKEH,

M.A.,

OF DONCASTER.

THE subject I have to introduce this evening involves two questions: first, what is eternal life 7 and secondly, how is it to be obtained? I only premise that the appeal is to the Word of God, and that God, in his 'Yard, means what He says, and uses the most suitable words to express His meaning-not like Acts of Parliament, which, after being long debated, require a bench of judges to interpret them, and are sometimes found to express the very opposite of what their framers intended. God's Word is for all, and within the comprehension of all-for it is not the wise after the flesh whom God has called, but He has chosen' the weak things of the world, and the things that are despised.' I remember Pasteur Theodore Monad, many years ago, quoting the words of an aged Ohristian, who said to him, 'Read the Bible like a peasant.' And I pass on to you the same wise counsel. Read it, not to read into it, and make it square with your philosophies, but to find out what is in it, and let it speak for itself.

D EO Ei\1BER. 1873.

tHE BtBLE STANDARD.

181

name shall be in their foreheads ;' but none of these things are emphasised in connection with life in the New Testament. The special word of life there (tw~) is found npwards of 130 times, and of these only about 44 times with an epithet. That epithet is one and the same, the word translated 'eternal' or 'everlasting,' save in one instance, viz. Heb, vii. 16, where the priesthood of Christ is contrasted with that of Aaron, and the word rendered , endless' means 'indissoluble.' In every other instance in which life is qualified with an adjective, that adjective is 'eternal,' and nothing else. What is the inference 1 That God designed to emphasise-not its character, not it> origin, nor its happiness, nor its glory, but its pe?'lJetuity, and that the true definition of eternal life is 'living for ever,' '01' as it is expressed in Psalm xxi. 4, 'He asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.'

Secondly, how is this eternal life to be obtained by man 1 It is the inalienable possession of God alone. In Deut. xxii. 39, we find God putting Himself in contrast with all others-' there is no God with me' (or beside me); and in verse 40 He adds: 'For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.' 'Ve have a similar contrast in Jer. x. 10, 11 : 'The Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king. Thus shall ye say unto them, the gods that have not made the heavens and the ~ earth, even they shall perish from the earth and' from under these heavens.' These are not the idols or images, but the evil beings who are worshipped under the form of idols (see. 1 Cor. x. 20). How continually do we meet with the title' the living God,' and what else is the idea conveyed by the name 'Jehovah,' by which God revealed Himself to Moses, but the self-existent one. Man's present life, which he derives from Adam, is no inalienable possession, It is transitory. Hear what James says (chap. iv. 14): 'For what is your life 1 it is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.' This life man can spend independently of God: though God has not abandoned His right to cut it short, and has done so in past history, and I doubt not sometimes does so still. Adam, possessed of this, took the first opportunity to live it apart from God, and to go into alliance with God's ,~:-enemy. Therefore, God, when in His great and amazing love to these creatures of the dust, He determined to raise them to the possession of life eternal, also determined that man should not have it apart from Him. He was the selfexistent source of life, and He made His Son the channel through which life eternal should be bestowed. 'As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself' (Tohn v. 26). Man can only have eternal life in Christ, and not apart from Him. This is the universal testimony of Scripture. Here is Goel's own message: 'This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son j he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath There are some' 120,000 Jews in the Russian Army, all not life" (1 John v. 11, 12). of whom, by reason of their religion, are disqualified from The testimony of John's Gospel is to the same effect, promotion beyond the rank of non-commissioned officers.

The well-known passage in the Lord's conversation with Nieodemus in the 3rd chapter runs thus: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted np j that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' What believing means is explained by the 1st chapter, where we read, at verses 11, 12, 'He came unto his own, and his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.' So' believing 00 him' and' receiving him' are one and the same, and life which comes by believing in Christ, is ours when we receive Him. The Lord's words in J no. v. 24, introduced by the double' verily' are to the same effect. 'He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life.' Here it is, believeth on the Father who sent the Son, but the truth is the same. The message of the Father is that already quoted from the Ist epistle of John, that He has given us eternal life in His Son, and those who believe God, believe that He speaks truth, and act upon His testimony, by receiving the Son He gives, and the life He bestows in Him. Such passages are numerous, especially in John's gospel. The conversation with the woman of Samaria, the address in the synagogue at Capernaum, the discourse about the good shepherd, the parable of the vine and the branches, all bear witness to, the same truth. I leave these without quoting them to pass on to the well-known testimony of Paul in Rom. vi. 23. There he gives the contrast, what man deserves, and what God bestows,-' The wages of sin is death,' that is all that we can earn-but this is God's offer, 'The gift of God is eternal life in (not through) Jesus Christ our Lord.' Such then are our conclusIons-That eternal life means 'living for ever,'-that man by nature does not possess this life-that God designs to bestow this wondrous boon, but not to be enjoyed save in union with Himself-s-therefore it is in Chri~t, and only to be received by receiving Him; so all its glad possessors shall for ever live in harmony with God, every heart beating in response to His, and sending up continually the incense of adoring gratitude for His unspeakable gift. This teaching 'glorifies, because it makes intelligible the work of Christ, who died as we maintain, not to save beings already immortal from eternal torments, an idea so unthinkable that its advocates dare not look it fairly in the face, but to save mortal man from death, and to confer upon creatures of the dust the gift of immortality, truly, as Hannah sings, in her outpouring of grateful praise, 'raising up the poor out of the dust, and lifting up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the ,throne of glory.' (1 Sam. ii. 8.)

bECEMllER,

1893.

H)apera on the 1kingbo11l.

No. THE UNITY XXVIII. OF THE KINGDOM.

Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.'-Isa. xi. 13. In a beautiful figure the prophet Ezekiel depicts the union of the two peoples, a 'stick' for each of the two peoples being joined as 'one stick' in his hand, and the prophet goes on to say, in language which admits of no double meaning :- .

~~ltE have .followed in outline the Biblical doctrine of 6:JJl~\l~the kingdom from the time of its initial promise
''ff}f'ff}f

to the furthest point to which revelation takes us. Many interesting and helpful :items have been perforce omitted. Some of these, which are familiar to students of this topic, have not been touched upon, as not lying within the design followed by the writer of these papers. The object has been to trace the doctrine from its initiatory step to its grand realisation. To this end . only the prominent features have been indicated. Much which lies between these will yield further help to the student. If any aid has been afforded in these papers as a stimulus to further investigation the writer will feel well repaid.

, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I will take the children of Israel, from among the nations, whither they le gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the lewd, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all ,. and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more atall.t=-Ezek. xxxvii. 2122. This is to be the prelude to a unity which will embrace all nations in one great universal empire . , And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall the Lord be one, and His name one.'-Zech. xiv. 9. , And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountains of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacoh, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His As a closing topic I select the one indicated in the head- paths; for ont of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge between many peoples, ing of this paper. The' Uuity of the Kingdom' as that is and shall reprove strong nations afar off; and they shall heat fore-pictured in the pages of Revelation. That is a grand their swords into ploughsljares, and their spears into pruning characteristic, which is as certain to come as the kingdom hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall iMelf. Looking back upon the history of the past, and they learn war any more.'-Micah iv. 23. A theocracy so extended and realised, in the nature of viewing the history of the present, it seems a wonderful Under the rule of the thing that at last the Divine purpose shall manifest its the case cannot tolerate disunion. supernaturally endowed king and his eo-rulers, all tendwisdom and its power in the attainment of perfect unity. One Government, reaching to the remotest bounds of encies to dissent and discord will be early rooted out. There is no especial need after what has been written in creation, responded to in one spirit of loving, loyal obedience by every created intelligence, at last, filling out in former papers that I should pursue this line of evidence but I should like to call attention to another gloriou.s realizatio~, the prayer of the Church for so many further, aspect, not usually insisted on, relating to the Church of centunes, 'Thy kmgdoll1 come, Thy will be done on earth the present, and its position with reference to the attainas it is in heaven.' This, Jet me repeat, is the inevitable This I do the result of the working of the Divine plan which we have ment of this worldwide and beneficial unity. more ea,gerly because of the oft-repeated and caustic critibut sketchily followed. cisms on the many divisions which now exist in the Church There is no doubt that this grand consummation-the a permanent evidence of failure. federation of humanity, an object, by the way, which is of God, as indicating Many earnest believers have sought to secure unanimity in even now within the arena of speculative politics, althouah to be attained by no present human effort~is comprised ~n the Church, and their efforts have resulted at the end in The divisions have that proll1i~e so often quoted as the groundwork of the plan the formation of another organisation. been increased, and the object sought is no nearer. No -the blessing to come upon' all nations ' through Abraham one will question that all the Lord's people should be one, and his seed. Upon the giving of that promise, the Lord ~egan, there a~d. then, to make provision for its accomp- one in faith, hope, and doctrine, but the ideal is by no We must mourn the existence of the :lshment: and It IS delightful to think, that although the means attained. numerous party walls that are erected within the pale of Jl)t~rve11lng ages have been marked by adverse events, the Church, but there are some considerations which give a which have seemed to raise perpetual barriers to prevent. little relief to thought. We learn that divisions were the at.tainrneut of this unity, yet the plan has progressed, making sure and abiding advances towards its goal. But expected, may we not say as a result of natural infirmity of the 'eternal we are not left to rest upon the inference which may be of mind and an imperfect comprehension purpose.' Even in the early Church, so early as the days dra'~n from the original promise. Such unity is positively predicted. Very early in the history of Israel, we find that of Paul, we find him saying :, I know that after my departure grievous wolves shail enter in ~ dlvi~ion occurred which was never healed, and which by among you, not sparing the Ilock ; a.nu from among your own Its eXlst~nce seemed to block the way to the final blessing. selves shall men arise, speaking perverse tbings, to draw away On turning to the prophetic Scriptures we find that the disciples after them.'-Acts xx, 2930. existence of this severance is recognised, but it is shown A fact afterwards verified, not only at Ephesns but also that it is God's PUI'pose to remove it. at Corinth and elsewhere. But it is certain that these 'The envy also of ~phraill1 shall depart, and they that vex di visions in doctrine, ritual, and Church government have

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not destroyed the Church. We have in these days to admit sorrowfully that she is in a state of disunion, but that is not destruction, Its existence does not depend upon external unity. Had such unity been imperative, and a condition of its present existence, may we not reverently say that the Apostles would have given us a system of doctrines, and a regular form of Church government 'I At present diversity, and even in some degree antagonism, are permitted, and even if generally hurtful, are in some measure a stimulus to effort. In this it must be understood that I make no apology for this state of things, but I do affirm that its existence is a proof that unity is not absolutely essential in the present to the being of the Church, although it may be fllr its fullest well being. Unity, no~ uniformity, does now largely exist. A unity apart from particular forms of doctrines, or of Church government, subsisting by the greater fact of individual and personal union with Christ the Head. Sceptics are not slow to parade the differences, the antagonisms, and the hostilities of the various Churches, and from these to deduce the unreliability of Christianity. For, they affirm, the Founder of this system expressly declared its unity. If unity, then, is not manifest, in that important particular He erred, and error clearly proven on one point vitiates all His teaching. The strong passage adduced by the sceptic is found in the prayer of Christ as recorded in John xvii., in which He asks that all ' who believe on Him may be one,' and that as a result 'the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.' I desire to look at this prayer for a little, for its fulfilment gives us the starting point and the feasible explanation of the manner and basis of future universal unity. It will be granted, I think, that this pmyer is prophetic Its fulfilment must be future, for it takes in not only the disciples then with Him, but also those 'that believe through their word,' and at some time, as a result, there would be an agreement in belief manifested by the wo: Id. These things are clear, out the q uestion which presses is, , When is this to be realised ? Can allY onc point to a definite point in past history and say that it was, or that it. could have been then fulfilled l' Let me put it more clearly. Short of the completion of the calling out of I he Church, couid this be realised {' Some hold that the unity prayed for must now &13 tnanijested, or there is failure. B'It I' ask, Can any prayer of Christ be without answer 1 Let us notice the terms of that prayer. The unity asked for i; oneness in the perfec-

tion of glory.
, And the glory which Thou hnst gil'cn IlW, I have given unto that they IlIay],o onc, even ,,'; we arc OIlO.'-,-CI'. 22. I in them and thou in IIIC, tll:,t they Illay be perfected into ouc ; that the world Illay know thut thou d idst send Illc.'-vor 2,3.
thCII1,

Does not that show that' glory' is ill. order to 'pcrfection,' 'perfection' in order' to 'oneness,' and 'oneness' ill order to the' world's believing and knowing 1 ' Note the great object of that oneness ill glory. the Church presents this to the world, then will

When an im-

pression be made, never before equalled. Then will the world believe that the Father sent Christ, that the Father loved Him, and that the Father loved the Church, even as He loved Christ This will be manifest, and the world will know it and believe it. The knowledge will come from a manifestation, not of some unity in doctrine, but of such 'glory,' visible, marvellous, the associate of immortality-like Him--that there will be no choice but to accept such overpowering .testirnony to the facts stated. Unity as the Body--the Bride of Christ cannot be manifested with such effects until He comes for His own. So, the idea, held by many, of a world-conversion, issuing from present Church missionary effort, is a feeble one, compared with this presented to us in this wonderful prayer of Christ, a petition which is sure to be fulfilled. I think we shall view the present condition of the Church with clearer vision if we can grasp the fact that. her present position is a preparation for grand service in the' ages to come,' in which she will play her part in association with her Head-the King, in securing and permanently retaining the unity of the kingdom. That future wIl see a perfected union of Church and State. That did once exist in the Theocracy in Israel, and when Israel is restored that will be again effected. Such a union has been songht by Christian bodies, but where effected it has proved disastrous to both sides. It, is cheering to know that that forms no presen t part of the New Testament teaching. When secured in the future, it will be safe, beneficial, and permanent, for it will be under the direct personal auspices of the Christ and His associate rulers. So by the presence of the Christ, and His Church in perfected glorious oneness, by the establishment of Israel as a nation, under its New Covenant, shall unity pervade the world, and coming to stay-it will stay for ever. This is the unity to which I look forward, and which has been the goal to which I have directed the thoughts of my readers as I have conducted them through this series of papers now closing. Some good will be accomplished if the mind has been enlightened on the purpose of the ages, but more, if thereby there has been fostered a real spii-itnal gronth and a large-hearted charity. As to the first, seeing we look for such thiugs, what manner of persons ought to be in all holy conversation and godliness. As to the second, it is well if we have been learning that if we cannot see eye to eye with all believers, yet we may endeavour to cultivate t hat true spirit of Christian unity which overleaps all barriers and unites upon the basis of a common faith in Christ. True union with Him will mean it real union with all who are His, and party shibboleths are no real guide to this. Let us look on and away from this scene of disunion and strife to that era when the wonderful prayer shall be answered in Godlike fulness \Ve are now mortal and fallible, and our full spiritual, mental, and physical perfection awaits the return of the Lord, Whilst now we try to spell out the lessons which the All-wise and All gracious Father has given us, let us not assume that at any point we know them all, or that all must agree with our findings as a basis of fellowship . Here then, for the present, we take leave of this theme. The writing of these papers has been a deep pleasure to me. To some, I know, the reading has brought gladness and help. May it be that with yet deeper joy we may study this topic, and find that as our knowledge grows, our I faith and our devotion alike deepen as we understand that the Kingdomis the object of hope for the world, and the sphere of reward for tile saint, ALPHA.

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THE BIBLE STANDARD.

DE<..:EMB1H,

1893.

3tandard ~
ORGAN
OF THE

7l
~ G)

MONTHLY

X V

111' cm Zealillltl lEballgdistic anti 19ubliratiolt ~ssodatiolt.

EDITED ASSISTED BY GEORGE ALDRIDGE. SPl!;CIAL CONTRIBUTIONS.

BY

'the Editor wishes it to be understood that, while he exercises a general supervision over the articles and correspondence appearing in the S'l'A~DA RD, responsibility for sentiments expressed rests upon the individual writer.

aeeoctanon
THE

1Aote6.

Annual Conference will be held on the usual date, January 2nd. Particulars and programme will Rppear in the January issue, which we will endeavour to issue early. , Rome in Politics' is the title of a lecture delivered by the editor, and issued as a sixteen-page pamphlet. It was printed by request of a number of friends who heard it, and believed it to be a timely utterance on the education question. It is published at one penny, but the publisher will forward a dozen copies post free on receipt of onc shilling in stamps. At the conference there are certain proposed changes in the constitution and rules which will come up for discussion. Brother E. Carr will move that under the heading , Membership' the first clause shall read:
The Association shall consist of (a) churches subscribing to the Declaration of Faith, as held by churches in Auckland, 'I'hames, and Dunedin, and contributing to the funds of the Association (an 'annual donation, or subscription, of -per member per annum).

Under Representation

add the following:

The delegates to have votes equal to the mcmbershlp of the affiliated church they represent."

forwarded it to the Conference, in which he pointed out that the doctrine of eternal misery was the great hindrance to the spread of truth, and the cause of the annual' leakage' in the church, and he brought a copy to show the nature of his protest. Brave and fearless in the advocacy of the truth, every Wesleyan minister in the colony knew just what he believed. He avowed that although he had sent them his 'Century of Questions,' not one had ventured upon a reply. "Tell, another able exponent has fallen asleep. We tender our sympathies to the members uf his family who mourn their loss, and. for ourselves, whilst regretting the loss to the cause of truth, we are praying that others may be found who as boldly and unflinchingly may declare the truth of God's love, and the falsity of much of the current human teaching as regards the expression of the Divine wrath. We are in receipt of copies of the Ceylon Evangelist, a live publication by Bro. F. Wells J ansz. From it we are glad to learn that the doctrine of Conditional Immortality is spreading in Ceylon, and that it is advocated by such an able exponent as the editor of the Evangelist. 'M ay his bow abide in strength.' The series of ' Papers 011 the Kingdom 'closes with this issue. \Ye hope to publish a short series on the' Miracles of the Bible,' commencing with the January issue. The questions in the' Children's Corner' have not received the extent of support we hoped for, and they will therefore be discontinued. The October number of Th Faith is to hand, containing an official report of the Edinburgh Conference. It is a splendid number. We copy from it the address in this issue on 'Eternal L'Ie.'

MUCH has been said recently by the advocates of Biblereading in schools of the Irish text-book as the' irreducible minimum' which all denominations could accept as a satisfaction to their demand for the introduction of Bible instruction in the public schools. At the early meetings held in Auckland we believe there was some degree of enthusiasm shown by the ministers and by the friends of the movement, but latterly there seem to be signs of cooling off. This results largely, no doubt, from lack of confidence, as there is no certainty that this will fully satisfy all who are working for it, It may be nothing more than an introductory measure. \Ye think, however, that the falling away of other supporters springs from the unsuitable character of the text- book suggested. The more it is known the less it is liked. It was a most uufortunate circumstance that a meeting should be called of sympathizers, to pass a resolution to recommend the introduction of a book that but few had seen. We are convinced that if the public generally knew it, it would receive very little support. Apart altogether from the fact that the Bible is a book with a purpose, which no book of selections can fairly represent, we affirm that this text-book contains certain

Will the churches please consider these alterations, and instruct the delegates in reference to them 1 As announced last month, we find ourselves at the close of the financial year behiudhand in our STANDARD account. There is a deficit to make up, which could be easily met if every subscription were paid, May we again ask that overdue monies shall be at once sent to the publisher, and further that if any friend can help us by a donation in aid of this desirable work of keeping the STANDARDafloat, bearing the message to many who would otherwise be deprived of its aid, we shall he grateful for the assistance just now. Our readers will share with us the feeling of regret with which we record the death of Rev. J. S. Hudson, of Mahursngi. They will remember him as the author of . A Century of Questions,' which appeared first in this paper, and was afterwards issued in pamphlet form. For 34 years he had resided in the Dome Valley, and was for many years the representative minister there of the Wesleyan body. He fell asleep on Sunday, October 29th at the ripe age of eighty-six. and was buried at Warkworth on November Ist. The last time we saw the clear old man was at the time of the sitting of the great Pan- Wesleyan Conference in America. He had written a small pamphlet, and had

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teachings which cannot be allowed to enter our public schools, because they partake of the nature of dogmatic theology. The promoters of the Auckland Association affirm in their manifesto that there is no dogmatic theology taught. vVe qnote from the advertisement: 'Throughont the four volumes a few practical, explanatory footnotes, chiefly for the guidnnce of teachers, have been added. These bear no reference to any ueculiar religions views.' v f . f h b' I . A kl d \ ery ew copICa 0 t e 00 c are In uc an , but we . obtained the loan of ? set for a few days for tbe purpose of . . . . examination. There are questions and notes 111 tbese . . . volumes to which, we are certain, a large proportion of. Ch . ti Id bi f hi h h f d rrs ians WOll 0 ject, some 0 W IC we ave re erre to. . bli dd Th Ior i b f III a pu IC a ress. ere are, or instance, a num er 0 .. notes on the New Testament, which, whilst not positively :. h Ch hIT' d h b stating It, yet avour t e urc ""-Ing om t eory, y . h h h J d h di . I h Id attempting to s ow t at t e ews an t e ISClPes e . h f hI' d hi h erroneous views npon t e nature 0 t e nng om W IC Ch rist came to esta bli h S uc h are t h e f 011owmg: . . . IS. . . . . : The disciples .a,sye~ had but an Il1lpe~'fect ppI:ehenslOnof ~he a officeof the Messiah, They expected HlI1l to deliver the JewI~h nation from hod~lyservitude to the R:0maus,and to re-establish the throne of Israel 111he House of David. They could not, however, t '1 I I .' id reconci e H'IS(ea tl1 amI sunermgs WIt1 tlreir pompous 1 ea 0 f H'IS character. Our Lord took frequent opportunities of undeceivinz them, and of showing them that His glory was of a different kind from that of this world.'-Page 38. 'The Jews, mistaking the nature of Messiah's mission, think that the kingdom of Israel was immediately to be established ingreat power and splendour.'-Page 74. , It is evident that the disciples were still filled with the expec tation of a temporal prince and of worldly honours in His Kingdom.'-Page 83. We consider that these notes are a sad mixture of truth and error, and in this opinion we arc sure many who are looking for the kingdom will join. Without contending here for the truth of our own views, we point out that many parents could not suffer their children to be taught a doctrine which in their view destroys the meaning of Old Testament covenant and prediction, and which makes the disciples, and the Jews generally, ignorant of their signification. Many believers would say that if the Old Testament really taught the setting np of I)" literal kingdom Oil the earth by a literal i'tI essiah, an heir to David's throne, and Jesus Christ did not come' to set up t.his but some other thing, then the Jews were not to blame for the rejection. But if, on the other hand, He did actually come to establish the kingdom literally as promised, and they rejected Him because He demanded holiness and obedience Oil their part as pre-requisites, then they were to blame, but on either ground the' notes,' instead of being practical and explanatory, are dark and mystifying. Here is ground for diversity of view, and from positive knowledge we can affirm tbat a large section of the people would object to the ideas embodied in the notes. There are also certain very dogmatic statements on New Testament prophecies and parables, which would be repudiated by students of that book, but to which we do not here allude There are, however, two or three notes which we copy here, as very striking comments on the words
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practical and explanatory.' In Luke xii. 33 the word 'treasure' occurs, and the footnote to this contains the following extraordinary statements a meaning for it :'The eternal happiness of their souls in heaven.' To make sure that the scholar gets the benefit of this note, the question at the end of the lesson asks :'What treasure is to be provided for us?' N . . f th f t tl t t t . b f d .1. OW 111 VIew 0 e ac la no s a ement IS to e oun . anyw h'ere in H 0 1Y UT'rit w hi h teac h es sue h a d octrine vv IC h b d b '11 W ' t ere can e no won er t at many Wl say, e cannot '" hild b h h dEI suuer our c 1 ren to e taug t suc oamas. ' terna . ,. " .. happiness of souls In heaven IS no part of Divine revela.. . . . tion, and 1 It were, It IS no explanation of the word ,t ,. b L 1 .reasure as gIven y u ce, O havi d h h course, aVIng gIven one SI e, we expect t at t e . . . theology of dark ages will somewhere show Its VIew of the . . . . other side, and we get It clearly enough described m a note L k ... 98 ')9, upon u e XIll. ~ ,~ .. ' Many Oentiles from all parts of the earth shall be admitted into a state of happiness and glory, while the impenitent Jew" with all other unbelievers, will he thrust into eternal misery and despair.' Th t i 'd ti h I L t d a IS ogma IC enoug sure y. e . our rea ers.. try . to understand a number of godly men, ministers of different denominations, meeting together and enthusiastically passing resolutions to persuade the Government of the country to put a text-book into the schools of this colony as tl Ie '1' [[ -redu Cl muumum , on w hi h th ey can a 11 azree ' ible .. IC ., . b , and which contains such a hateful, horrible statement as this. Is the State to be a party to the spread of a doctrine which has long ago been discarded by thoughtful men in all denominations? A doctrine which ascribes a frightfully vindictive character to God, and which must serve to minister intolerance in the minds of the children. There are Jewish children and others attending our schools who must be withdrawn during the teaching of the lesson. Are the children who remain and read this lesson to have the comforting reflection that' the impenitent Jews and other unbelievers (children) will be thrust into eternal misery and despair? ' Our own view Oil this doctrine is well enough. known, but we do not press it here. It is sufficient for us to say that Christian thougbt on the doom of the unsaved has changed considerably during the last few years, and we do not believe that half the number of ministers in this colony would themselves subscribe to the statement in this note, and the other half would hesitate if they gave five minutes' thought to the possible influence it would have upon the minds of children, in their thought concerning teachers and scholars who would withdraw under the 'conscience clause.' The Irish text-book vaunted as the' minimum ' does not contain very much of the Bible, and that little is 'patchy,' and gives no idea of the real purpose of the Scriptures, but it contains a little more, and the extra' notes' will be the millstone which will sink it into merited oblivion, in spite of the efforts of some to float it into the schools under the flag of Government sanction. EDITOR ..

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186
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tHE BIBLE STANDARD.

DECEMB:Ii!R.

i893.

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back again because they were all numbered according to the berth that the holders occupied. Brother, sister, don't worry about that dear, highlyCl-lAS. E. Co PP. coloured little reputation of yours, if it is in Jesus' hands. JESUS' made Himself of no reputation' when He came Out of His hands it is hardly worth more than the pasteinto this world, and His cross-bearing truth makes no board a ticket is printed on j in His hands it is worth It is amusing how alarmed some will be as to reputation of us when we follow Him fully. ' If the world everything. hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. what folks will think of them if they become cross-bearing Christians when at present they are hardly known out of ] f ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you the little town they live in, and not very well known in out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.' John that if it is a large place, unless they have advertised themsel ves extensively in sin. III that case they ought to make xv. 18, 19. the plaster as big as the sore, and be as notoriously out and Has this become obsolete? Who or what has changed? Where a Who has compromised in the battle against sin, God or out for God as they were in and in for the devil. profession cuts off one worthless men 1 Is there 110 sharp outline between light and dark- person by Christian , sucker' who has been masquerading in the guise of a ness in the mind of God, though it has become confused and blended in the minds of men 1 Doubtless we shall in friend, a half-dozen fruit-bearing branches will spring up as his true friends. The best way to improve the quality and due time come face to face with the stinging fact that eighteen centuries do not wipe out in the mind of God His extent of one's reputation is to give the poor thing to God opinion of right and wrong. He never gets so absorbed and let Him make what He will of it. Our reputation with the rapture of the realms above and the singing of the will then go up (not in smoke) as well as north and south seraphs and the harping of the harpers as to become insen- and east and west. Paul handed his reputation right over Before that he kept sible to the minutest wrongs and to forget to punish wrong to Christ on that Damascus journey. doers and justify and avenge His abused people. There is it himself with a vengeance just as many have done since and are doing to-day. It made but little difference to him just one thing that God forgets-and there are not seraphs enough in glory to keep Him in mind of it-s-and that is whether he was salaried or stoned, kissed or kicked, in the pardoned sin. 'Yom sins and iniquities will I remember ship or in the sea, in the synagogue or in the jail, so long no more.' Let us by repentance and faith bury our sins in as he had hold of the life-line that was wreathed about the the ocean of His pardoning grace.' eternal throne. 'I count not my life dear unto myself,' 'But Our reputations as Christians before God will be well said he, 'so that I might finish my course with joy.' taken care of if we take as good care of them before men what things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ.' Phil. iii. 7. as we can by leading pure lives-they are in safe keeping. An incident in my late Western trip brought this forcibly Mind your count, brother, or you may be thrown out on to my mind. As a railroad man on railroad business I a recount just as you expect to sit down with Abraham, held passes over every road I was to pass over, but as I Tsaac, and Jacob when God gets hold of the list. Look out started on my journey at seven o'clock at night and when for your reckoning. When you 'reckon yourself dead the sleeping-car conductor came around before bedtime he indeed unto sin,' as did Paul (H.omans vi. 11) see to it that took up the passes of two roads I was to go over, though a something beside the Indian's hatchet, gun, and blanket portion of each pass was good for a return trip a month goes in j see to it that the Indian himself goes in. Then later, in order that he might show them to the other con- with Paul you may say as you come down to the end of ductors on each road while I was asleep, so as to not dis- your usefulness, 'I have fought a good fight, I have turb me, and that is the way the sleeping-car conductor finished my course, I have kept the faith j hencefo;th there does with all the tickets of the passengers under his charge is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord in such a case. 'I will give them to you in the morning,' the righteous Judge shall give me at that day, and not to said he, to some who did not understand it and remon- me only but unto all them also who love His appearing.' strated ; , you would not like to be routed out at midnight .2. Tim. iv. 7, 8. This statement was made, probably, for your tickets.' I instantly thought that is just the way when they were whetting Nero's beheading axe and wben Jesus, our heavenly and. good conductor, does with our be must have known it was soon to be used on him. \Vhat reputations. When we enter the gospel train He takes cared he so long as his life was' hid with Christ in God?' them into His care and keeping, and if we innocently and Like martyred Stephen whose clothes he held till he 'fell unwillingly cling to a piece of our reputation He seems to asleep,' so Paul sleeps with the fat.hers, but the Conductor say, 'Let Me have it all j I'll give it to you in the morning.' has his life, his reputation, his all, and he will surely get all . , in the morning' when we get ours and we are' caught up 0, why not give all to Him and rid ourselves of the bother of keeping that which we are almost sure to lose 1 True to together to meet the Lord in the air to be ever with the 1. Thes. iv. 17. his word, though some worried who did not understand it, Lord.'

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in sleeping-cars by night, our ea rly the next morning, "won

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187

B {talk 'UUlitb tbe :JJ30~5.

My boy, you came in rather late last night and this morning, when your mother asked where you were, you said, 'Down street.' Then when she wanted to know whereabouts down the street, you said, 'Oh, just a little ways. ' Now, I don't think you intended to lie to your mother. As a rule you are a truthful boy, and your mother can believe yon. But I wonder if you know how far down 'street you were last night 1 You were right when you said you were' down street.' Whenever a boy comes home late at night, and is afraid or ashamed to tell just where he has been and what he has been doing, I know as well as he does, .and his mother knows arid everybody who knows anything about boys know, that he has been down street -, And more than that, my boy; I know that he has been a long way down street. A long, long way. Have you a map of your route last evening 7 No! Well, never mind; we know you were down street, and we can make a map in a minute or two. Sit down here, and we'll see how far a boy travels when he leaves home after supper, and goes down street a little way and doesn't get back until ten o'clock or later. Here is your home, this bright spot like a star on the map. The sweetest, purest, safest place this side of heaven; the home where, from father to baby, they love you better than all the rest of the people in all the big, wide world. Now, when you start from here and go down street, somehow the street always has a down grade from home when you start out after night. See how far you get from respectability and self-respect, when you reach this corner, 'just a little way down,' where you loafed-eh 7 well I'll say loitered if you prefer it-where you loitered last night. Here ~re the fellows with whom' you loitered. You had to meet them here, because you ean never meet them in your home, for two reasons. In the first place your father wouldn't permit one of them to come into his house, and in the second place, you would be ashamed to invite them there, whether your father forbade it or not. Sweet gang for your father's son to loiter with, isn't it? It is a long way from your respectable home, from your mother, from your mother's friend and your father's guests, to this corner down street, isn't it 1 Then-look on the map, my boy, see how far it is from manliness and decency. Two ladies hurried past this corner, friends of your mother; possibly they had been spending the evening at your home. Thank heaven, they could not see you as you slunk back into the dark doorway, feeling like the sneak that YOll were; and as they passed by, on-e of the loafers with whom you were loitering shouted an insnlting remark after them. Your cheeks burned in the dark, at that. Didn't your home and sisters seem to be a thousand miles away just then 1 See, too, how far you were from purity. Some of the boys told some stories; do you think you could repeal, them to your sisters 1 Don't you wish this morning that you could forget them forever 1 Don't you wish you had never

heard them 7 Don't you know your mind will never again be as pure and innocent as it was before you went' just a little way down street' last night 1 While you were listenillg to these stories, punctuated with profanity, the dear ones at home gathered in the sitting-room, your father opened the Book, and read. They knelt at the family altar and commended t.hemselves to the keeping of the Heavenly Father, and tenderly rerncm bered the boy who was' .i usb a little way down street.' Then the lights went out one by one, the house was still, and only the loving mother waited anxiously and sleeplessly for the boy who was down street. It was more than ten million miles away from the sweet old chapter that your father read, down to the stories that you heard, my boy. And what a steep grade, all the way down! And it was a long, long, way from the truth. When YOll evaded your mother's question and said you were only , a little way down street: the lie in your false heart looked guiltily out of your eyes as it rose to your cowardly lips. Just see where you were; YOll, ordinarily a brave, manly, truthful boy, turned into a liar and a coward! You would fight, I know, if any boy called you such names but just tell yourself the truth; don't lie to yourself. Were you not ashamed to tell your mother where you were 1 Yes. Well, doesn't that make you a sneak 1 And weren't you afraid to tell your father? Yes. Well, what does that make you 1 And did you tell the honest truth when your mother asked where you were 1 NoW ell, what are you then 1 And let me tell you that the' half truth' and' half lie' you told your mother is like all half-breeds ; it has all the worst traits of the vilest race and none of the virtues of the best. , But, ' you say, ' a boy doesn't have to go with the roughs and riff-raff when he goes down street; there are some mighty nice boys go down street at night.' My boy, I know it, there are some' mighty nice boys' go out of nights, but they are not so nice when they come back You can't select your company on the street. The corner is free to everybody. There is no exclusiveness in street company. There is no safe 'corner' for you after night except the chimney corner. And when you leave that, and spend your evening on the street, and can give no account of your doings on your return beyond the bald statement that YOll were 'just down street a little way,' we know with pain and sorrow that our boy has locked up in his mind and heart shameful guilty things that he dare not tell in his home. Keep off the street after night, my boy. Other people' will think better of you, and, what is a far more important thing, you will think much better of yourself.Robe1t J. Burdeue in Ladies' Home Journal.

The Bishop of Peterborough says that a clergyman, to meet modern requirements, would need to be a saint, a student, an orator, an organiser, an athlete, and an indefatigable visitor. During the past twelve months the railways of the United Kingdom carried 164 millions of passengers-of whom 21 were killed and 601 injured through accidents beyond their own control to trains in motion-s-and ran trains for their convenience 176 millions of miles.

188

tHE

BIBLE

StANDARD.

DlwmvillER,

1893.

\tWill tbe <Iburcb pass tbrouub the <5reat I Son

1T" .'

""n u anon .

b 1 .

of Man in the clouds of heaven for the deliverance of Israel.

Rev. xiii, 5-forty and two months Rev, xi. 2-forty and two months Danl. vii, 25-a time and times and dividing ( of times 3' .2 ycar-.

IN order to the right understanding of this question, it is necessary that we should have a clear grasp of two things. First, What is the Church 1 Second, What is the great tribnlation 1 The Church in Scriptural language (about which there can be no mistake) is 'His body, the complement or fulness of Him that filleth all in all' (Eph. i.); and again, 'For as the body is one, and hath many members and all the members of that one body, being many are one body, so also is the Christ.' 'Now ye are the body of Christ and members ill particular (1 Cor. xii, 12, 27). 'And He is the Head of the body the Church; , , His body's sake which is the Chmch' (Col. i. 18, 24). From the above Scriptures we are taught the unity or oneness' of the Church. It is a question of in the Church or out of it, a member of 'His Body' or not. If the Church passes through the Tribulation all tbe Jiving members of that Church pass through it. But we know that the tribulation of Matthew is a Jewish one, and comes after the Rapture of the Church. The 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians tells us plainly 'Christ the first-fruits afterwards they (not some of them) that are Christ's at His coming.' The 4th chapter 1 Thess. says, 'The dead in Christ shall rise first, then we that are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air' -not some of us. To be saved in this dispensation is to be 'in Christ,' and this is all of grace, 'not of works lest any man should boast.' 'Saved not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal.' Rewards will be according to our works, but salvation is all of pure grace. Hence I conclude that when Christ comes all His Church, dead ones raised, living ones changed, will be caught Hp to be for ever with the Lord. Now what is the great tribula-

Whereas these redeemed ones are seen victorious, clothed, in white robes, before the throne in heaven, before the seventh seal is opened, and the tribulation of Matthew, Daniel, and Joel comes in between the sixth and seventh trumpet (Hev. xi.), just before the Lord comes to the Mount of Olives to take possession of His power and Kingdom, and to sit on the Throne of His Father David (c.) Because the persecution and tribulation which Israel suffers is at the hand of the Gentile powers under the antichrist who is to be destroyed at the coming of the Lord Jesus with all Hi8 saints. 'What then, it may b~ asked, is the great tribulation of Rev. vii. 1 Not to occllPY too much space, I reply, that referred to in John xvi. 33, John xv. 19, 20, 21, 2 'rim. iii. 12, and the many kindred passages. Moreover, we have the Lord's promise to Philadelphia'I will keep thee from the hour of trial that which is to come upon the whole world to try them th.rt dwell upon the earth.' And here comes the solemn question, How is it that any Christians doubt that this is the time of great tribu lation 1 How is it that so few of us know anything about persecution l Why are we and the world such good friends 1 These are questions which the study of prophecy brings strongly before our minds, and thus studying it we shall find it not merely speculative but sanctifying or separating unto God. This might have been made clearer, but I fear taking too much room. R.. B. L.

'<tbtist t1l\? 1Rest $tone.'

tion of Rev. vii. 1 . IN India, where burdens are carried 011 men's heads and on I conclude that it is not the tribulation of Matt. xxiv. their backs, and not in carts, and waggons, and barrows. J oel, and the time of trouble spoken of by Daniel. as with us, it is customary to provide resting places for (a.) Because those spoken of in Rev. vii.. are clearly them along the roads. For this purpose stones are set up Gentiles (though there may be Jews among them). The along the hot, dusty, and sandy ways just the right height description of them corresponds with those of whom the for a man to rest his burden on. There he can stand till four living creatures and the elders sing in chap. v., relieved and refreshed he is able to go on his way. whereas the tribulation spoken of by Matthew, Joel, and A native Christian in Travancore once said to an EngDaniel is just as clearly Jewish. Moreover, they are seen lish gentleman, "Ah, sahib, Christ is all my hope; Christ in heaven before the throne wIth the angels, the elders, is my rest stone.' The words expressed very beautifully and living creatures, and are here introduced (they are not the man's sense of the comfort and blessing he had ill his there in chap. v.) doubtless in direct contrast with the Saviour. sealed of Israel on the earth. The native Christian had many a time used the rest (b.) Because the time of trouble and tribulation spoken stones by the roadside, and he was .calling the Lord Jesus of by Matthew, Joel, and Daniel, elsewhere spoken of as Christ his rest stone. He had learned to know the bur'the time of Jacob's trouble,' is uniformly placed in Scrip- den of sin, and to feel its weight; but finding it too heavy ture at the very time of the end, in the last half week of to bear, he had come to the Saviour with it, had laid it Daniel, and is brought to an end by the appearing of the upon him, and found rest.-Jl.fissiona1Y Dayspring.

DECEMBER,1893.

THE BIBLE STANDARIJ.

189

perfect. correspondence with the Bible and all Christian experience. No unjustified or unpardoned person is sanctiHence it THERI!:seems to be a question in some minds as to which is fied, and no sanctified one can be unjustified. tiret; justification or sanctification. This question may be most positively follows Ihat justification must precede MIUS GHAN'J'. very easily settled. J ustification and pardon are used to sanctification. represent the same thing. In order to obtain justification or pardon, one must confess and forsake his sins. Before rtDanife5toee. doing that, he is entirely destitute of spiritual life, for' he that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.' 1 John v. 12. When the Spirit F ROMtime to time certain persons seem to regard it as 'of life enters into him at the time of justification, because their duty to issue manifestoes telling people what they he has confessed and forsaken his sins, he becomes a, 'new believe, and embodying their opinions, in some symbol, creature,' and is said to be 'quickened,' or made ali vc, He creed, or confession, hoping thereby to restrain the progress We are not sangis then joined as a branch to Christ, the living vine. ' You of error and advance the cause of truth. hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.' uiue as to the advantage of such manifestoes. A man tells . Eph. ii. 1. 'God ... hath quickened us together with us that he believes this and that. Who cares what he believes 1 The question is, what is truth? and what reasons Christ.' Eph. ii. 4, 5. can be offered for such a belief? If half thc time which has If we have not been 'quickened,' or made alive by the Holy Spirit, we are called' dead in trespasses and sins.' been spent in tinkering and ;..greeillg upon creeds and conWhen thus dead, we cannot present our bodies living sacri- fessions had been spent in proclaiminq the Word of Uod, fices to God Justification or pardon can only reach to the and the truth as it is in Christ, the results would probablv present. The Lord never justifies beyond the present. have been much greater and more desirable, Unlike the Pope, he grants no indulgences. He pardons It is useless to undertake to fence out of error with a no sins before they are committed. Justification relates creed. The stiffest creeds have some of the mo st flexible entirely to the past. men behind them. The creed is ironclad, but the man is Unlike justification, sanctification relates only to the pulpy, and he accepts any kind of a creed, and makes any futaore. To sanctify is to set apart for a holy use. It is as kind of a confession which is necessary to attain his end. impossible to sanctify anything for the past, as to obtain Place a big salary behind the tightest woven creed that ever justification for future sins before they are committed. It was made and some hungry soul will get in there and hold is not possible for an unpardoned or unjustified person to the fort, and you will try in vain to dislodge him, no matter sanctify himself to the Lord, inasmuch as sin cannot be what he believes. Take away his salary and gi ve him forty sanctified, or set apart, for a holy use. Justification puts stripes for preaching, instead of for ty dollars, and you will the person in a condition where he can sanctify himself. to doubtless find a sudden but radical change in his doctrinal holy work He must he made alive in Christ by justifica- status. tion before he will feel inclined to sanctify himself to the The remedy for error is truth. It is not saying what we Lord. believe, but telling what God has said. The opinion of one It is sometimes said that sanctification is the first act of man, or of a dozen men, weighs very little at the present the sinner in order to obtain pardon. This cannot be true, day. The ever living Word of Almighty God is the only unless we give an entirely new and un scriptural definition thing that can command the belief and obedience of the to sanctification. Sinners are never required to sanctify sons of Adam. Never mind what you believe, tell us why themselves. When they come to Christ they are required you believe it. One text is worth ten manifestoes. ODe to confess and forsake their sins, but not to sanctify their text of Scripture is worth a dozen creeds of men. Quote sins to the Lord. They must be cleansed before they can God's Word, proclaim it. Hide yourself behind the shield be sanctified. They must be made alive in .Christ, or of faith. Tell what God has said, and if your faith does justified by him, before there is anything fit to be sanctified. nut agree with that make it ag1'ee with it. But instead Of After such an one sanctifies himself to the Lord, then bringing out your creeds and your opinions to be spit upon the Lord can sanctify him, or set him apart to do. any and scoffed at, let the Word of Life be held forth as a work the Lord would have done in his vineyard; but when message from Almighty God to command the favor and the sanctified one refuses to obey, then his sanctification obe.iience of the sons of men. "Preach the \Vord."-ceases till he will ftdly submi; again to do as the Lord may A 1'1nOu1Y. direct. In Rom. xii. 1, we read: '\Ve beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your Forty-four thousand children are enrolled as active membodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is bers of the Ministering Children's League. Each one proyour reasonable service.' Observe, the 'brethren' are en- mises to let no day pass without doing at least one kind treated to present their 'bodies a living sacrifice, . . . deed. unto God.' Now if all did that when they were converted Dr. Haig Brown, head master of the Charterhouse in order to obtain justification, why exhort them to do it afterwards? When we are right in our position, the .Bible School, says that it is impossible to judge of a boy'; future by the position he takes in school. School life is full of and experience will harmonise. Sr far as known, the position taken in this article is in surprises.

3u5tiftcatton

ano Sanctification.

190

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

DECEMBER,

1893.

tln 3111l5tration b~ :fJ3eecbcr.

speech after this does he do the same, though not using the same in Matthew is the O. T. divided into two?
Give

i uames ?
I

A MAN who had been a warm friend of Henry 'Yard 4. Where Beecher, tells this: references. 'Almost the last time I l\tr B I 'h 'd I I 5. Where saw ~'.lr. eec ier e sal " ; 6 Wl aere was with him 111 company with a group of men, one of iverse 15)? which was Colonel Ingersoll. The colonel was airing some 7. \Vhere of his well known religious opinions, but Mr. Beecher for I 8. 'Vhere some time took no notice of the half challenge of his: 9. Give a remarks. 10_ Give a
' I .',

two

i
in Lul:e does Jesus divide it into three? . . . In D arue l' IS t If' lere a re erence to this resurrectiou did the alms come trom ? in Romans does he refer to the alms ? reference in I. Corinthiaus. reference in If. Corintluans. A~~WERS
TO

sat silent with his head bowed. Finally, in a pause, ... , a ter an especially daring assertion from the colonel, he spoke slowly; , "On my way here," he said, "at the corner of Fulton Street and Broadway, where the press of vehicles is close and dangerous, a man, a cripple, was trying to cross the h hi d . s t ree t . A s t out crutc supporte d im, an he was making _ _ . progress, when a fellow ran out and knocked his crutch . .. ., from under him, leaving him helpless agalllst the aangers bearing down on every side. f , "That cripple, sir," he went on, suddenly raising his voice and throwing back his leonine head, "is humanity; his crutch is Christianity, and you are the one who would push it away, offering nothing in its stead.'"

'He

1. orrn l cts xvm. 13). 2. Antipater, father of Herod the Great. 3. About 30 miles from Cl:Csarea. 4. Castle of Antonia (Bi.ble Dictionary). 5. In Herod's palace.

C.

tl (A

NIKTH SET.

'~wo y.ears (~cts xxiv. 27). Eusebius (Btble Dictionary) \ Vhen he took the Greeks into the temple (Acts x x i. 28). .' A mover of sediti IOn among '11 tlle J ell's t Ilrong Ilout the . (1 It world.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10. John xviii, 31.
EXTRA QUESTION.

Give your ideas of the words 'just references on which you found them.
ANSWEHS

and unjnst' SET.

'V.

with the Bible

TO NINTH

Margaret Green, Ernest Aldridge, Smith, George T. Maunder . ANSWER TO EXTRA Margaret Green.

.Jud kins,

Sitlney

H.

QUESTIOX.

~i~;;gQL~~;;ii~1~1;
~
MPETITORS must be under eighteen years of age. It will be understood that the answers sent are the entire toor]c of the children. HINTS. Begin with the present set. Do not write the questions, but send the amsuiers numbered to correspond with the questions, and state ioliere YOtb found them. Write in ink See that your note contains name and address, and reaches me not later than the 18th of the month. Competitors South of Wellington, and in Australia, are allowed extension of time equivalent to the time taken for- the STANDARD to reach their homes. To give an opportunity to those who are over the above-stated age, and who would like to compete, we have decided to form another class; age from eighteen to twenty-one. These will be expected to answer the stated questions and the extra ones, which latter the younger class need not attempt. Write answers to extra questions on separate sheet of paper. Do not keep back, though you cannot s~ve every question. THE APOSTLE OF 'THE GENTILES.
SET. TIIIRD SERIES.-TENTH
.~ ~.A..A.J..-A.-A..A A.-A.-A.-A.-"_.A-A..A.~-A.-A..A.-A.-A.-A..A..A"

-~

~~.

~;:

THE above society in Auckland has completed the first six months of its history as a united organisation, and at the close of the period a meeting was held to receive the reports of past meetings, and of work done, and to elect new officers for the next term. The President took the chair' at this gathering, and after devotional exercises the reports were read. Bro. Herring, secretary of the united meeting, reported that the monthly gatherings had been seasons of great blessing and sources of strength to all, the privilege of hearing the bright and cheerful testimonies given in response to the roll call being very great. The young men's meeting held fortnightly has worked satisfactorily, having an average attendance of 12, and all could join in-thanking God for putting into the hearts of some the desire to commence the meetings. The result was good, for it brought the younger people into closer ton eh with each other, and with the Master, Christ J esus, Sister E. Rendell, secretary for the Young Women's 'Band reported eight meetings held, with an average attendance of 17. Its meetings had been presided over on five occasions by members of the Band, twice by church members, and once by a member of another church. One source of regret was that the short letters from absent mem bel'S were not so regular as at first. These when received had been

(Paul before Felix.-Acts xxiv. 10-17.) 1. How long had he been a Judge? 2. In which speech after this does Paul refer to the Temple? 3. In verse 14 he divides the O. T. into two parts. In which

DECEMBER, 1893.

THE BIBLE STANDARD.

191

hopeful and encouraging. Very happy times had been experienced, and the promise had been verified, 'Where

He has given us.' In Paul's epistle to the Romans, viii. 19-' But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit; if so Le that the Spirit of God dwell in you'; verse 10-' The body is dead because of sin' ; two or three are gathered together in my name, there am verse 14-' For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are I in the midst.' Sister E: Browne, secretary of the Church the sons of God' ; verse 15--' For ye have received the Spirit of Building Fund, reported an average receipt of 10 per adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father.' Here is clearly a new quarter. birth, for the natural man cannot cry Abba, Father. In John's Brother Le Roy reported the work of the STANDARD gospel, i. 10, we find, ' The world knew Him not,' verse 11-' His own received Him not,' verse 12-' But as many as received Him Committee during the five months of its existence. An to them gave He power to become the sons of God,' verse 13increased circulation of sixteen copies per month had been 'vVhich were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of effected, and 220 back numbers had been distributed. the will of man, but of God.' The above ought to convince the Reports were also given from the various committees, most sceptical, but we find further proof in James i. 18, ' Of His and although all that was desired has not been attained, own will begat He us with the word of truth.' Paul, writing to . ... the Corinthians in iv. 15, says, 'For in Christ Jesus I have heyet valuable lessons have been acquired, which WIll work gotten you through the Gospel.' Again, in 1 Peter i, 22, 'Seeing out in the future. that you have purified your sonIs (" or selves ") in obeying the ,The election of officers and committees for the next half I truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see year was then proceeded with, and a song of praise and the that you love one another with a' pure heart fervently'; verse 23benediction brought a happy eveninz to a close. 'Being born again, not of corruptible seed, hut of incorruptible hy b _ the word of God.' In 1 John iv. 7, 'Everyone that loveth is born DUNEDIN.- W e summarise the following from a com- of God'; v. verse 1-' Whosoever helicveth that Jesus is the munication received from Sister Lawrence: The Band here Christ is born of God.' Now, sir, I wish to draw your attention meets under great disad vantages. The church has been for to 2 Cor. i. 22, 'Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest some time in a very disorganised state feelinz the want of of the Spirit in our hearts' ; Rom. viii. 1, 'There is therefore now ' d' h no conclemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not a Iea d er very muc h . Th IS causes a eep sa ness t~.t ose after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' Paul, writing to the Ephe. who are bound heart and soul to the truths, and militates sians, calls it the' spirit of promise,' which is the .earnest of our against doing effective work. The members of the Chris- inheritance. 'Ve also find this birth spoken of as passing from tian Band have added a circulation of 20 copies of the death unto life, from sin unto righteousness. We are' quickened STANDARD per month to the stated number received, and ~y the spirit,' the spirit of truth. 'He ~hat hath th~ .Son hath . . life.' '~Ve are the SOilS of God,' born again by the spirit of adopare hopeful of domg even more. The prayers of brethren tion of incorruptible seed, not an incorruptible body, hut seed and sisters elsewhere are asked on behalf of these dear ones which at the resurrection will bring forth an incorruptible body. that they may be encouraged to labour on, and that theY'Ve know we are the sons of God; we love the brethren; 'every may receive abundant blessing therein. one that loveth is born of God.' 'He that acknowledges the Son hath the Father also '-He is His Son and an heir of the kingdom. -Yours in faith and love, TIMARU.

cl

~~~

.,s~~~~
A-~_~~
AUCKLAND.-The .Sunday meetings this month have been well attended, the evening services especially so. Certain topics of present interest have been dwelt upon by the preacher, and have attracted many who are not regular attendants. We wish that a larger number would avail themselves of the opportunities given at our weekly Bible Class. The theme now being studied is of special interest to all lovers of the Gospel, and many points are indicated connected with the kingdom message, which are not usually commented upon. On November 26th the Annual Floral Services were held. The hall was beautifully decorated by the teachers and friends. Under the leadership of Bro. C. R .King the children sang some appropriate pieces at both afternoon and evening services. the Sunday School orchestra supplying the musical accompaniments. Rev. Henry Miller of Onehunga gave the address at the afternoon service. His words were attentively listened to by the children as he told the history of the little Forget-Me-not, and drew instructive lessons from that tiny flower. The building was crowded in the evening. On Boxing Day, if the weather prove favourable, the Sunday School picnic will be held at Henderson. vVe understand that there will be but one morning train, so that all intending to go must he ready to start early.

<.

To THE EDITOROF THE BIBLE STANDARD. SIR,-I see in your November number an article on 'The Spirit Birth,' which I believe to be founded on wrong premises. Being a firm conclitional imortalitist, my contention is, that to hring all passages in connection with 'The Spirit Birth' to bear in support. of conditional immortality only weakens the foundation. That many of the passages speak of a piritual birth while in this life appears to me, and to many others, abundantly conclusive. Your correspondent, Wm. H. Wils on, commences with the passage in John iii. 6, 'That which is boru of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,' and asks us to learn when the spiritual succeeds the natural by reading 1 Cor. xv, 44, 'It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.' Further on he gives us 1 John iii, 9. Now, sir, with your permission, I shall take this as my starting point. Read the context, 2nd verse-' Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be'; verse 6-' Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not'; verse 8-' He that committeth sin-is of the devil' ; verse 9-' Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for His. seed remaineth in him' ; verse 10-' In this the children of God are manifest.' Now, sir, there is no hereafter in connection with these passages. Again, , Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.' Surely this is plain enongh. Verse 24, And hereby we know that He ahideth in us by the Spirit, which

192

THE BIBLE STANDAHD.

DECEMBER,

1893.

THAMEs.-During the month three of the brethren frornAuck land have supplied for Sunday services-Brethren Fletcher, Yearbury, and Green, in the order named. They report good meetings.

~be 113ible$tanoarb.
The BIBLE STANDARD can be ordered direct from the Publisher, E. H. FALKNER, Karangahape Road, Auckland, or obtained from any of the Agents. PRICE per annum, post free... beyond New Zealand, per annum, post free 28. 6cl. 3s. Od.

current mews ano 1Aotes.

FIFTEEN pence represents the daily wages of two hundred and fifty thousand women in London. It seems a strange thing, but it is said that France leads the world in the thoroughness with which she teaches morality in the public schools. By a law of 1882, moral instruction became obligatory in the primary schools, and the results, as given in the recent report of the commissioner of education, is encouraging, showine an improvement in the morality of the masters. The gospel is now being proclaimed to the Israelites in every part of the earth. Great Britain alone has sixteen societies for the conversion of the Jews; the United States has eight. . It is fashionable in Madagascar to be a Christian, and this faCt is a hindrance. The missionaries have to strive, not to get people into the church, but to keep them ont nntil they give evidence of being truly converted. Given Christianity and how soon the position of women begins to rise. The king of Uganda recently sentenced an offender to pay as a fine so many cattle and sheep and two women. Immediately a Christian chief interposed : 'But Christians do not give men or women; they give cattle and goats, not human beings.' The king forthwith altered his sentence, and a new principle in Uganda jurisprudence, let us hope, was established.-Conglega-

AGENTS FOR THE BIBLE

NEW ZEALAND.

STANDARD

Auckland-Mr. C. Mackay, Bookseller, Grey-street. " Mr. Hancock, Bookseller, Karangahape Road. Christchurch-Mr. Hewitt, Mayfair Street, Addington. Drury-Mr. Joseph Dixon, Dunedin-Mr. Lawrence, Great King Street. Gisborne-Mr. A. Slack. Hamilton-Mr. John Steadman. Invercargill-N eil's Botanic Dispensary. Kamo-Mr. J. Heape . Kaiapot-c-Mr. James Holland. Milton-Mr. Gregg. New Plymouth-Mr. Fred. Goodacre, Courtney Road. Timaru-Mr. David Ferrier, Arcade. Thames-Mr. W. H. Cropp. Tinwald, Ashburton-Mr. Shearer. Wangaloa-Mr. Taylor. Wellington-lIlr. Slinn, Brougham Street.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Adelaide-Mr. Adelaide-Mr Sydney-Mr.

C Gamble, Life and Advent Book Room, King William-street, City. .: C. Gamble, Magill Road, Stepney.
NEW SOUTH WALES.

tionalist.
'Walking with God is keeping step to the music of His Word. \Ve may indeed obey its precepts from a cold sense of duty, but obedience lacking the element of loving fellowship with God is drudgery. A soldier may obey his captain's orders with mechanical precision, like a well regulated machine, not even having a thrill of affection for his leader, but it should not be thus with sinners plucked from the fire by a loving hand, and saints preserved from fear by God's gracious purpose. Th~ Catholic clans have gathered in force in Chicago. In an opening speech Judge Moran advocated a complete separation of Church and State and the necessity of public schools to educate the non-Catholic masses. Archbishop Henneseyand Archbishop Ryan both defended parochial schools, showing that Sunday Schools, with only half an hour in the week for religious teaching cannot give enough of it, and claiming that 'unsectarian generalities and mere sentiment can never affect the paSSIOns so as to really master them.' The quoted words are from Archbishop Ryan, who means that even if the public schools do or shall teach , common Christianity' or 'Christian morality,' on an unseetarian basis, it will not be enough.-Chlistian Statesman: CHURCH OF CHRIST. MELBOURNECity.-Monday, 7.30, Bible School" at late Y.M.C_A., Russellstreet. South. Yarm.-Sunday, at 11 a.m., Breaking of Bread. \Yednesday, 7.30, Bible School. IVilliamstmC!t.-Sunday, at 3 p.m. and 7.30 p.rn., Meetings at Mechanics' Hall. Friday, 7.30, Bible School at W.C. T. Rooms. Newp01t.-Wednesday, at 7.30, Bible School, Jubilee Hall. Hctwtlwln.-Thursday, at 7.30, Bible School, \V.C. T. Rooms, Burwood Road. Collingwood.-Monday, at 7.30, Bible School, \Vellington-street. Abbotsford (Melboumej.c-Bloomsburg Street Church(W. BROADBENT, Evangelist.) Sunday-Morning, Fellowship Meeting at 11. Afternoon, Sunday School, 3. Evening, Gospel Service, 7. Wednesday Evening-Prayer and Exhortation Meeting, 8.

W. H. Carr, Lyndhurst,

Ebley Street, Waverley.

Communications to the Editor to be addressed :-G EO. ALDRIDGE, Boston Road, Auckland. All Communications to the Association to be addressed to the Secretary, WM. RATTRA Y, Victoria Avenue, off Eden Terrace, Auckland.

CHURCH
Hold services as under :-

OF

CHRIST

A UCKLAND-Foresters' Hall, Karangahape Road. Sunday, at II o'clock a.rn., Fellowship Meeting. 6.45 p.m., Lecture on some important Bible Theme. Sunday School at 3. Wednesday evening, Bible Class at 7.30. Evangelist's address-s-Geo. Aldridge, Boston Road. GISBORNE-Adrlress-Mr. A Slack. North Gisborne, DUNEDIN-Oddfellows' Hall, Stuart-street. Sunday, at II a.m., Fellowship Meeting. Lecture at 6.45. Sunday School at 2.45. Prayer Meeting and Bible Class every Friday evening at 7.30. Secretary's Address-Francis Battson, Stafford Street, South Dunedin. . THAMES - Pollen Street Lecture Hall. Sunday, at 11 a.m., Fellowship Meeting. Evening Service at 6.3. Sunday School at 2.30. Bible Class every Wednesday evening at 7.30. Evangelist's Address-E. H. Taylor, Thames. ADELAIDE, S._\.Inquiry and Discussion Class, Blackeby's Boot Shop, 226, Rundle Street, every Thursday, at 7.45 p. m. Secretary's Address-F. B. Hughes, 96, North Terrace. SYDNEY-Temperance Hall, College Street, Camperdown. Morning meeting at I I. Bible Class Wednesday at 7.45 -. Secretary's Address- W. Wa: ner, 16 Pi tt-street, Redfern. ROCKDALE.-At residence of Mr. H. Cropp, Curtis Street, Rock dale Park. Prir-ted by H. BRETT, Evening Star Office, Shortland-street, for the New Zealand Evangelistic and Publication Association, and published by E. H. FALKNER, Karangahape Road, Auckland. DECEMBER, 1893.