Conviction and Conduct

CONVICTION & CONDUCT
CONVICTION
AND CONDUCT
THE FAITH THAT WORKS
By
ISLIP COLLYER
1968
THE CHRISTADELPHIAN
404 Shaftmoor Lane, Birmingham 28
OTHER BOOKS TO READ
By ISLIP COLLYER
Vox DEI
THE GUIDING LIGHT
By JOHN CARTER
T H E ORACLES OF GOD
Printed in Great Britain by offset litho

at Taylor Garnett Evans & Go. Ltd.
Watford Herts.
Contents
PAGES
I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . • 7
PART I
The Philosophy of Faith
I INTRODUCTORY 12
II WORDS . . . . 18
III ALTERNATIVES . 24
IV THE MIDNIGHT VISION 29
V T H E ETERNAL UNSEEN . • 36
VI SCIENTIFIC E X P L A N A T I O N S . 40
VII B R E A D T H O F BASIS 45
VIII ATHEISM . . . . 5i
IX ATHEISTIC A R G U M E N T S 57
X SUMMARY . . . . 63
PART II
Prepare to Meet Thy God, O Israel
I INTRODUCTORY . . . . . . 72
II T H E POWER O FBELIEF . . . . . 76
III T H E FOUNDATION O FMORALITY . . . 83
IV DEGREES O FGUILT 90
V FIRST PRINCIPLES INACTION . . . . 96
VI " T H EPREPARATION O F T H E G O S P E L O FP E A C E " . 104
VII JESUS T H EA U T H O R A N D FINISHER O FO U R F A I T H . in
VIII SELF-EXAMINATION 119
IX MORE HEART-SEARCHING 134
X PREPARATION BY TRIBULATION . . . . 144
XI EXAMPLES OF PREPARATION BY SUFFERING . 150
XII CONTROL OF THOUGHT 159
XIII PREPARATION BY ALL THINGS . . . . 166
5
Conviction and Conduct
The Faith that Works
INTRODUCTION
T HE two works here reproduced were written more than

thirty years ago and published in The Christadelphian
magazine. The object was to present old truths in a new
way and so perhaps prove helpful in the mortal struggle.
Many readers found the messages provocative of thought, and
it is hoped that in this reprint, readers of another generation
will derive similar benefit.
The two ideas of a reasonable faith and the instructed
preparation of character are found in all parts of Scripture.
The Lord Jesus, in answer to the question what a man
could do to perform the works of God, said that the first step
was to believe on the one whom God had sent. Thenceforth
disciples must bring forth the right fruit. " I am the true
vine", Jesus said, " and my Father is the husbandman. Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every
branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit" (John 15).
The apostle Paul seemed to put the most emphasis on
faith but really he was equally definite in a call for personal
righteousness. " Patient continuance in well doing", "work-
ing out salvation with fear and trembling" ; bringing forth
the fruits of the Spirit; sowing to the Spirit and reaping
eternal life—these are some of his expressions. He put the
matter in negative form too, declaring that men who conform
to the works of the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
CONVICTION AND CONDUCT
The apostle Peter is equally clear in his statement regarding

the " exceeding great and precious promises " God has given,
which make it possible for men to be partakers of the divine
nature, and the vital need to add to our faith all the Christian
virtues (2 Pet. 1). Everyone remembers that the apostle
James bluntly declares that faith without works is dead.
The truth of the matter is that this is a perishing world,
as the Lord Jesus so plainly taught. We are sinners unable
to save a brother or to keep alive our own souls. God has
offered justification to helpless sinners on the basis of faith
and obedience. Once justified, we must bring forth the works
of faith. God has provided us with garments ; we must try to
wear them worthily.
The message is in the Word, reposing in every home but
often neglected. We may perform a little service by calling
attention to that which is written and by reasoning on the
basis of admitted facts. We try to give help wherever it is
needed, and that is why many little books are offered to help
in the study of the one great book. The following pages were
designed for readers who were in large measure acquainted
with the mass of evidence proving the authority of the Bible.
If any readers are unaware of this evidence and are not
prepared to accept the Bible as the Word of God we would
refer them to other little books which might at least give them
some idea of the subject and thus make the following pages
more intelligible. In Vox Dei an attempt is made to show the
cumulative force of this evidence and to put the main facts
on " the shelves of memory", that they may be seen at any
time in convincing combination. In The Word of God,
another little book, other weighty evidence is adduced show-
ing the completeness of the message. If a man can get the
subject so fully in mind that a comprehensive survey of it can
be taken at any time, he will never again be guilty of that
scornful repudiation of faith which is a sure sign of the
uninstructed. If such a man still feels, that the Gospel
message is too wonderful to be accepted, he will at least
understand the belief of others.
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps an illustration may be found to help in the

understanding of this matter. Illustrations are always faulty,
but the following is perhaps better than most, and it has the
advantage of being easy to visualize in these days of ruined
cities.
Suppose we contemplate a city which has been nearly
destroyed and we raise the question whether there are
any plans for rebuilding. A neighbour says, Yes, there are
complete plans, and work will soon be started. He declares
that he possesses copies of all the plans, and that in large
measure he knows the contemplated order of restoration. We
perhaps think that the claim is wildly improbable, and so we
do not either believe it or take any notice of the plans he tries
to show us. If, however, we give him sufficient attention to
remember anything he says, and if presently work is begun in
a surprising manner confirming his statements, it will not
require many illustrations of correct forecast to convince us
that our neighbour was really in possession of knowledge.
Then we may desire to see the plans. A close examination of
them may convince us that while many hands carried out the
work, a master mind was behind it all, taking everything into
consideration and making a perfectly harmonious and com-
plete plan for the reconstruction of the city. Once having
attained to understanding, the suggestion that the plans
could be anything but genuine would seem utterly foolish.
We should know then that the necessary preparations were
in hand and every fresh development in the early stages of
reconstruction would only give added confirmation to a
truth already fully recognized. All readers who understand
the cumulative force of the evidence will appreciate the
significance of this illustration. They know what a strong
basis we have for our faith in the Bible.
There are some students, however, who even with this
knowledge find it difficult to feel a fulness of faith in the
wonderful things revealed. There are many who cannot
always maintain their faith at its zenith. Our feelings are
subject to tides which cannot always be at the flood. For this
9
reason we offer our " Philosophy of Faith", in the hope that

it may give help to thoughtful readers. We try to show that
life is impossible without faith, that each denial implies an
affirmation, and that the way of life is always with the
positives. Put in its simplest form, the suggestion is that
however difficult it may be to believe in the great unseen
forces of creation it is still more difficult to deny their existence.
The greatest danger lies in drifting negatives, or in the
concentration of thought upon things near and evident while
there is neglect of the unseen realities of the First Cause.
In the scriptural idea of preparation to meet God we
present a call to righteousness which was sounded long ago by
prophets and apostles. We try to give the call a new
emphasis, showing the application of old lessons to modern
life and seeking to maintain in all that is presented the
leading idea of preparation to meet God.
In perusing these efforts of more than thirty years ago
one particular comment seems to be invited by the recent
course of history. We insisted that faith was always the
appropriate basis for good works, that conviction was the
foundation of conduct. We used the illustration of a building,
and argued that on the moral plane, just as with material
things, the removal of foundations would lead to the fall of
the superstructure ; the only difference being that with a
building the fall would be immediate while on the moral
plane it would be gradual. Surely this principle has been
illustrated in the history of the last forty years. The atheistic
teaching of Haeckel and others deprived many people of
their foundations, and the utter bestiality exhibited at the
present day is a natural consequence. There is no creature
on earth more dreadful than an egoistical atheist.
If this reprint tends in any way to stimulate the thoughts
of readers and give a little help in the difficulties of Christian
life, the object in producing the book will have been achieved.
10
PART I
The Philosophy of Faith

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
T HERE can be no valid objection to the word philosophy,

since its root meaning is love of wisdom. It has un-
doubtedly been greatly abused, and applied to systems
of thought so far removed from its foundation meaning that
one can perhaps understand the attitude of those who
discard the word altogether, and think of it as permanently
and necessarily associated with "vain deceit". There is,
however, a philosophy of truth. We could ill spare the word
from our language, and there is no more reason for expunging
it on account of the way it has been misapplied than in the
case of science, or of knowledge, of wisdom, or of love.
True science is knowledge reduced to a system, true
philosophy is systematized wisdom. Philosophy is greater
than science, just as wisdom is greater than knowledge ; and
as the true philosophy is more important, so a false philosophy
is more dangerous. A scientist may confine himself to just
one set of facts, like the naturalist described by Oliver Wendell
Holmes, who devoted his life to the study of beetles, and was
so excited by an entomological discovery that he could give
no thought^to anything eke. Even in a larger sense, true
science simply accumulates and classifies a knowledge of facts.
It does not often point the way of duty, or show us how to
be wise, and thus, by confining itself to the consideration of
material facts, science always stands on a lower plane than a
system of philosophy. It is of less importance when it is true,
and it is less dangerous when it is false.
A scientist may make his name great by discovering some
hitherto unnoticed fact in connection with the life cycle of an
insect, and an inventor may win fame by constructing a new
12
INTRODUCTORY
engine of destruction, for all the nations to use against each

other in war. In each of these cases there may be a real
addition to the sum of human knowledge, and an actual
achievement of human intellect, but there is no suggestion of
wisdom. And on close investigation we might have to
conclude that many whose praises have been sung through
all the earth have failed to yield a fraction of service either to
God or man. They have accumulated facts and reared
harmful theories on them, they have discovered forces and
worked mischief with them, so that sometimes even when
they have been truly scientific they have done more harm
than good.
We may thus observe a contrast between science and
philosophy. Science may prosper within a limited area,
whereas philosophy must be comprehensive. Science may do
harm even when it is true ; philosophy can only be harmful
when it is false. The mission of science is to find out what we
may know ; the greatest achievement of philosophy is to
determine what we should do. There is a close relationship
between the two words, but it is a relationship of cause and
effect rather than a partnership. The world's wisdom must
necessarily be based on its knowledge, and thus partial
ignorance or misconception of fact will breed false philosophy.
The law of logical gravitation is slow in its operations. It
sometimes takes as long for the superstructure to fall after
the foundation has been removed as it did to construct the
building ; but the process is a sure one nevertheless. Thus,
many scientists may be at work in their various departments
investigating and classifying, and in so far as their teaching
is accepted by the world, die sum total of their conclusions
will be woven into a system of true or false philosophy to bear
fruit in another generation. Some time may elapse before the
full fruition, but cause and effect may easily be traced. The
settled conviction that God exists, as the supreme life-giver
and lawgiver, leads to the conclusion, " Fear God and keep
His commandments". The negation of all faith leads to the
conclusion, " Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die".
13
The word philosophy is generally used in a sense far too

restricted. When we hear of a man who takes a philosophic
view of life, it generally means simply that he makes the best
of his circumstances and accepts inevitable adversity without
bootless lamentation. Perhaps such a man deserves the title
of philosopher for being wise when so many are foolish, but
we must have a much wider understanding of philosophy
than this.
Even when the word is used in a less colloquial sense than
that just noted, its meaning is still too much restricted. If in
a biographical sketch we read that some well-known man
devotes his leisure hours to the study of philosophy, it will
generally be safe to assume that the philosophy is of one
particular type, and we may quite confidently conclude that,
whatever it is, it has nothing to do with faith. Probably the
great majority of people who even use the word in a serious
sense would scoff at the bare idea of connecting philosophy
with faith. They think of a student of philosophy as being
rather on the sceptical side ; a man of expansive mind, who
has cast off simple faith with the putting away of childish
things, while a man of faith is often despised as the ignorant
representative of mental inertia, who has received a creed
from his moral teachers and clings to it simply because he
knows nothing of the great world of science and philosophy
beyond its borders. To speak of the philosophy of faith,
therefore, seems to such observers a glaring anomaly almost
as great as if we chose for our subject the light of darkness, or
the wisdom of foolishness. We may call to mind the fact that
even such an apparent contradiction as this last suggestion
might be chosen for a subject with some force of scriptural
sanction. There is a way of wisdom which men account
foolish, and the wisdom of the world is foolishness in the
sight of God.
Perhaps this general tendency to suppose that faith is
incompatible with philosophy arises from the fact that the
two words have been abused in totally different ways. Having
advanced a few ideas regarding the true meaning of
14
INTRODUCTORY
philosophy, it becomes necessary to give a similar attention

to the word faith. It is said that a schoolboy once defined
faith as " that quality which enables you to believe what
you know is not true" ; and the fact that the joke has been
repeated with zest, seems to suggest that it has found a
responsive echo in a good many hearts. We also have a lively
recollection of an old atheist who attempted to give us a
lesson in logic, and whose favourite maxim was : " What
you believe, you don't know; and what you know, you
don't believe". This man had a neat way of dealing with
Christians. He would put the question, " Do you know that
there is a God ? " If his victim hesitated, or replied that he
would not go so far as to say he possessed certain knowledge
on the subject, then came the triumphant retort, " This man
claims to be a Christian and to engage in worship, when he
does not even know that there is a God ! " If on the other
hand the Christian proved of a more sturdy type, and
claimed to know, the atheist felt equally triumphant in
retorting, " Then there is no margin left for faith ! "
These foolish criticisms would not be worth recalling to
mind but for the fact that they very well express the general
misconception regarding faith. It is true that the words
believe and know have not the same meaning, but they must
not be placed in antithesis. We suggested to our atheistic
critic that his rule of logic placed him in a curious dilemma :
" If a man tells you something that you know is true, you will
not believe him". The fact is, of course, that belief can be of
many different grades of strength until it finally merges into
knowledge. In connection with all the affairs of life we might
experience great difficulties in determining at what precise
point we are justified in saying we know, but that is no reason
for making the use of the word know impossible. And in those
matters where the word faith is appropriate, surely it shines
the brightest when belief has merged into knowledge. How
can we manifest greater faith in a friend than when we are
able to say, " I know he will be true " ? The human mind,
however, is under such severe limitations that we can at least
15
understand the attitude of those who hesitate to claim

absolute knowledge of anything. The unpardonable mistake
is to cite this universal difficulty as if it were only applicable
in connection with one particular subject. It is not merely a
theological dilemma ; it belongs to the whole realm of
human thought. This fact can hardly be emphasized too
strongly, for the subject of faith is continually being made
the centre for a mere war of words. Unbelievers do not often
state the case so boldly and foolishly as the old atheist whose
lucubrations we have called to mind, but the same kind of
argument is often used, the same obstinate determination to
see difficulties in the way of Christianity which, as a matter of
fact, are common to every subject. The world is full of
faith. Business could not be conducted, society could not
exist without it. It is of many degrees, varying from the
slight balance of probabilities, which hardly deserves the
name, to the conviction which amounts to knowledge.
If any man still persists that faith and knowledge are
incompatible, or that there is practically nothing we can really
know, do not argue with him. There is nothing less profitable
or more contemptible than a war of definitions. Let it be
granted, if he likes, that we cannot, in the nature of things,
know for certain that there is a God, or that the Bible is true :
he cannot know that any part of history is genuine, or that
any countries exist that he has not visited. He does not know
whether his wife is unfaithful, or his dearest friend a scamp.
Indeed, the logical outcome of agnosticism is the position of
the supreme egoist who doubts everything except the fact of
his own existence. He knows that in some form he exists, but
all the world beside may be a figment of his imagination, and
all the events of his life a long dream.
Reasonable men, however, will not sanction such an
extreme idea, and they come to recognize that it is sheer
waste of time and of breath to quarrel about definitions. Men
may frequently be proved wrong even when they are most
positive ; it may be almost impossible to find evidence for any
fact sufficient in absolute logic to justify the words, " I
16
INTRODUCTORY
know", but for all practical purposes we may often possess a

faith which amounts to complete conviction. We may feel so
positive that natural laws will remain unbroken, that we
cheerfully stake our lives on the issue ; we may be so sure that
the friend who has been faithful for years will remain true,
that we leave our honour in his charge without a tremor ;
and we may be so satisfied as to the consistent continuance of
cause and effect, that we devote our lives to a labour which
will be worthless if those laws should change, or our reading
of them prove faulty.
What is all this but faith ? We entertain certain convic-
tions on a basis of reason, and we guide, or attempt to guide,
our lives accordingly. A famous poet voiced the popular
sentiment when he described Christian faith as " believing
when we cannot prove".
If this is intended to imply that Christian faith is in a
special and peculiar sense unprovable, the line is false. If it
only refers to proof in the absolute sense it can be applied to
any subject. Nothing is proved while the work remains
incomplete. An inventor at work constructing a flying
machine may have absolute faith that he is working on the
right lines, he may be able to demonstrate to his perfect
satisfaction that his machine will fly, but the point will not
be proved in the absolute sense until it does fly. A chemist
may mix certain elements and feel perfect confidence as to the
effect; but in the absolute sense his experiment can only be
proved by the result. And in the same way, the faith of a
Christian that God will perform all that is promised in Holy
Scripture can only be proved when the promises are fulfilled.
If we are to insist on such a narrow use of the words know and
prove we must be consistent in our application of them. Each
investigator may feel, however, that, to him, the case is
proved already, and it only needs realization to prove it to
the world. In connection with all subjects that is what is
meant by true faith—a belief in that which we cannot prove
to the world ; on the basis of reasonable evidence, a convic-
tion regarding truths which are not yet realized ; or, as the
17
apostle puts the matter, " the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen".
Our subject, then, should open a promising field. By
philosophy we mean a systematical wisdom which takes a
comprehensive survey of all available facts, and on the basis
of what we know, attempts to determine what we should do.
By faith we mean the reasonable hope and confidence
reposed in God, who has Himself been faithful, and who in
past history has given us assurance for the future. By com-
bining the two words we imply the proposition that when
wisdom has surveyed all that men know, or think they know,
it brings us back to a simple faith in God and His promises.
We are not merely to marshal Christian evidence, and show
forth reasons for believing the Bible ; but, writing as to those
who have some knowledge of the subject, we may make a
general review of the position. Not simply as defenders or
expounders of one particular proposition with all the onus of
proof upon us, and prohibited from examining the difficulties
of mere negation, but with full power to investigate anything,
we may say : " Truth lies somewhere, where is it ? We have
life and certain powers, how shall we best make use of them ?
We want to demonstrate that a man of simple Christian
faith may be a philosopher ; possibly even to show that a
true philosopher must be a man of simple Christian faith."
CHAPTER II
WORDS
I T may seem a strange anomaly to begin with the con-

sideration of the style and quality of the language in which
our ideas should be expressed. Usually one would think
this should be the last of our anxieties, especially in a work
of this nature. The first and most important factor is to have
18
WORDS
some ideas worth recording. Next we should take pains to

arrange them, to give them proper sequence, and logical
elaboration, while the mere question of verbiage should claim
our attention last of all. If we invert this order at the present
time it is simply because it is sometimes necessary to pull
down before one can begin to build. There are many people
whose attitude towards philosophical works resembles that
of the old lady towards the special sermon she so greatly
admired. Asked whether she understood it, she said she
would not presume to do so. There is a tendency to eon-
demn an author as shallow or superficial if his writings are
perfectly clear. And conversely, a writer will sometimes gain
a reputation for profundity simply because no one can quite
make out what he means. It has been said that poets are men
who utter great and wise thoughts whidh they themselves do
not understand. There are also some poets, and prose writers
too, who utter little and foolish thoughts which they do not
understand. The disposition to judge a writer's depth by the
difficulty of apprehending him is altogether vicious. The
water near the Isle of Man where it is sometimes possible to see
every detail of the sea bottom, is deeper than a mud puddle.
We have heard a book commended in all seriousness,
because it produced a pleasant dreaminess, and left a vague
impression of profundity. " It filled my mind with splendid
thoughts, but I don't know what they were." This seems to
be an age when vague thoughts are appreciated to an unusual
degree, and language is often used to conceal rather than to
reveal the ideas in an author's mind. We would not for a
moment dispute the proposition that thought is possible
without language, or at least without the language of words.
We might go so far as to admit that the highest emotions, and
even the highest thoughts, are beyond the expression of
ordinary human speech. But when men speak they should
not attempt the unutterable. Language may be made
musical, picturesque and effective without losing any of its
clarity, and any attempt at decoration which detracts from
its clearness is false and detestable artifice.
19
There is a language of emotion which cannot express

definite ideas, and which should not make the attempt.
Music reaches its highest development when it is farthest
removed from words. There is as much solid brain power
evinced in any of Beethoven's symphonies as in any book that
has ever been written; but they do not express ideas which
are capable of being translated into words, and the man who
attempts to explain them to the multitude is a presumptuous
blunderer. It is quite a consistent perversity that men who
delight in vague books often ask for definite music. They
read a lot of involved nonsense, and say, " There are some
very profound thoughts in that''. They hear a beautiful
symphony or sonata, and ask, " What is it intended to
represent ? " They can enjoy the book if it merely throws
them into a condition of pleasant dreaminess ; they seem
incapable of appreciating the music unless some wretched
attempt is made to make it tell a story.
There are some philosophical works whose reputation
would suffer a profound eclipse if every sentence should be
analysed, and every idea paraphrased, in simple language.
If a philosopher dares to use the words of the common people
it means that he has somewhat to say. It is in this matter
much as it is in the art of dress. That which is o]d and stale
may be made attractive, and that which is false may be made
to look true, if the dresser only has sufficient art. But in the
use of words, as in the use of clothing, the simplest dress is
always the best, and often the most beautiful. There are
writers who exhibit an exaggerated horror of the common-
place, but who only escape from falling under this very con-
demnation by the cloudiness of their language. In Emerson's
essay on " Compensation", the following passage occurs, and
we may take it as a horrible example :
" Every act rewards itself, or, in other words, integrates
itself in a twofold manner ; first, in the thing, or in real
nature ; and secondly, in the circumstance, or in apparent
nature. Men call the circumstance the retribution. The
casual retribution is in the thing, and is seen by the soul. The
20
WORDS
retribution in the circumstance is seen by the understanding ;

it is inseparable from the thing ; but is often spread over a
long time, and so does not become distinct until after many
years. The specific stripes may follow late after the offence,
but they follow because they accompany it."
Is this a profound thought, and if so, can one of the elect
paraphrase it, and render the message in language which we
uncultured mortals can understand ? This passage assumes
an importance quite out of proportion to its merits, by virtue
of the fact that it occurs in an essay which is quite typical of
the modern revolt against simple Christian faith. We might
find more modern expressions, but we could hardly find a
better example of this tendency. Emerson states that his
essay on this subject was partly inspired by his resentment
against the traditional doctrine of judgment to come as it
was expounded in a sermon. It is quite probable that the
sermon was a travesty of Bible teaching, but even making
full allowance for this, it is evident that Emerson had no more
real faith in the Scriptures than he had in the " orthodox "
preacher. And what is his answer to the doctrine of retri-
bution and recompense in the age to come ? Simply the idea
that there is a law of compensation operating now. " There
is always some levelling circumstance that puts down the
overbearing, the strong, the rich, the fortunate, substantially
on the same ground with all others." We are invited to
remember that cold invigorates, while on the other hand, the
most noisome pests which afflict humanity flourish most in
the sunniest climes. We are told that there are always checks
to evil and some measure of alloy with every good.
The essay is interesting and sparkling, in spite of its
obscure passages ; but if we seek for the final soul-satisfying
message which shall replace the worn-out creed of Scripture,
we seek in vain. Emerson was far too clever to carry his ideas
to their logical conclusion. Even when his general contention
was most clearly stated he was careful to qualify it. The level-
ling circumstance puts down the fortunate " substantially on
the same ground with all others". What is meant by the
21
word substantially ? We should certainly think that a very

poor man who has to work hard, who suffers from some pain-
ful disease, who loses all his friends, and who finally is sent to
penal servitude for a crime he never committed, is not at all
on the same ground as any man who can properly be
described as fortunate. The false philosopher might argue
that the mental anxieties inseparable from the position of the
fortunate man bring the two cases " substantially " on a level;
but if he were invited to take his choice as to which part he
would play in life, we cannot think that his philosophy would
cause him even a moment's hesitation. We can remember
reading a small pamphlet some years ago in which the
doctrine of present compensations was pushed to its greatest
extreme, and the author was foolish enough to use plain
language. It was boldly affirmed that " we all receive by the
force of circumstance exactly what we deserve. No more and
no less".
Surely this is not what Emerson meant when he wrote
the passage about " every act integrating itself in a twofold
manner " ! Yet one feels that unless the existing law of com-
pensation can be pushed to such an extreme it is quite
misleading to introduce it as a substitute for the idea of a
final day of divine judgment.
The truth is that this essay is an example of the modern
way of evading serious issues. A man might come forward
with a bold avowal of unbelief, and deny that there was a
judgment to come. He might deny that there are any final
compensations for those who suffer for righteousness, and
express his convictions in the words of Fitzgerald's rendering
of Omar Khayyam—
" Alike for those who for today prepare,
And those that after a tomorrow stare,
A muezzin from the tower of darkness cries
' Fools, your reward is neither here nor there ! ' "
This would surely be an appropriate commentary on
those who look for compensation to the existing laws of
nature ; and we should expect a man who rejects all ideas of
22
WORDS
a future judgment to endorse this pessimistic conclusion. Not

so, however. The modern philosophic writer scouts the old
creed, but affects to find a satisfactory substitute in certain
natural laws. He deals with these laws in vague language,
pointing out principles which bear just sufficient analogy to
the great subject in hand to give an impression of profundity,
and carefully avoiding a plain statement of the issue. His
effort seems more refined and to contain so much more literary
flavour than a simple exposition of the old creed that people
are easily to be persuaded that it contains far deeper thought.
It is only when some less elusive writer attempts to explain
the subject in clear language that the whole case falls to
pieces, and it becomes evident that the philosopher only
escaped from his ideas appearing commonplace by his
language being confused.
We have, then, some reason for considering the words by
which our ideas shall be conveyed before proceeding to
develop our system. We hold that words should be the
instruments of definite thought, while music stands pre-
eminently as the language of emotion. If you seek the
pleasure of an indefinite day dream, study the works of the
great composers ; but if you seek a system of philosophy by
which human life can be guided, insist that the language
shall be clear, and the thoughts definite so far as the system
pretends to go.
It has often been remarked that the value of a book lies
more in what it suggests than in what it actually states. This
is another way of saying that the author who most benefits
his readers is the one who best teaches them to think for them-
selves. This development by the reader should be in clear
thoughts on the basis of ideas clearly expressed ; not simply
that the reader's mind should be exercised in a confused
wonder as to what the author meant. Clearness of thought
is one of the main distinctions between the highest type of
mind and the lowest.
If then we have any ideas deserving expression or any
system of life worthy of the word philosophy, let us convey
23
them in the simplest and clearest language. And if—as is

almost inevitable—we are guilty of stating some platitudes,
let them be naked platitudes, the value of which can be
assessed in a moment, not so dressed up with confusing words
that men dreamily conclude that they constitute a revelation.
CHAPTER I I I
ALTERNATIVES
I T is a principle recognized in discussions that the onus of

proof lies with the one who affirms. This rule is sometimes
put to a very unfair use, the denier refusing to take up a
definite position, or express a definite opinion. Perhaps the
most extreme and foolish instance of this was the case of the
Jew who challenged his Christian opponent to produce the
original writings of the apostles, and declined to consider the
analogous case of the Jewish Scriptures, on the ground that
they were not the subjects of the discussion. There have been
many instances of unfairness almost as glaring. The essence
of discussion is to reason from the known to the unknown, or
from what is admitted, to that which is in dispute. A dis-
putant who refuses to admit anything or to state any of his
beliefs, may easily gain a certain tactical advantage, but he
does not in the least degree assist people to reach a rational
conclusion. It is, indeed, just this disposition to evade the
definite issue which renders most public discussions so
peculiarly valueless.
Now when a man settles down to a thoughtful examina-
tion of life, such as our subject involves, he will not tolerate
these contemptible evasions. He is not to consider any special
proposition, and if he reduced his quest into a single question,
it would be the old inquiry of Pilate, " What is truth ? " If
24
ALTERNATIVES
we were to put the inferior but more definite question, " Is

the Bible true ? " the onus of proof would lie with those who
affirm, while the deniers would be at liberty to raise every
kind of objection without incurring the responsibility of
suggesting any alternative to the ideas they condemn. When,
however, we put the large question, " What is truth ? " we
all stand on a level, so far as fairness of discussion is concerned.
This brings us to a simple, yet most important principle,
which lies at the foundation of our subject. The word faith
is often applied in connection with other than religious
matters. A learned professor and scientist once stated that
part of the theory of evolution required an effort of philo-
sophic faith, so that however much men may think that
Christian faith is out of harmony with scientific research, the
idea of faith apart from Christianity is not altogether foreign
to their speculations. Using the word in this larger sense it
appears that all men of intelligence must have faith in some-
thing. Their mental outlook cannot consist entirely of
negations. Unless a man is prepared to affirm that he knows
nothing, believes nothing, and harbours no opinions, unless
he is prepared to condense all his positive belief into one
solitary affirmation of his own ignorance, he must of necessity
be in some sense a man of faith. Every rational man will
claim to know certain facts, to believe in other facts where he
cannot know, and to entertain opinions even where he would
hardly claim to believe. When we take a survey of life
therefore, and ask, WThat is truth? the question is not, Shall
we have faith at all ? but, In what shall our faith repose ?
Faith is always affirmative, and either faith or something
akin to it, is found in every affirmation.
Thus we reach the aforementioned simple but important
principle. In discussing an inferior question, a man may
simply deny ; but in considering the major question he is
bound to affirm. Every negative implies a positive. If he
denies that there is a God, he must affirm that the universe
reached its present condition without a Creator. If he simply
expresses doubt, then exactly in proportion as he doubts the
25
existence of God, he must be inclined to believe that the

universe made itself. If he says the Bible is not inspired by
God, then he must affirm that it was entirely the work of men.
If he denies that there is a future life for man, or a divine
purpose in the history of the earth, then he must affirm that
all human endeavour will end in the blackness of death for
ever. If a believer in evolution, impressed by the apparent
cruelty of Nature, denies that there has been any superhuman
power at work in her laboratory, he must be prepared to
affirm that the million years of struggle and suffering in which
he believes, have served no final object, and that the end of
all sentient beings will be in the oblivion from which they
came.
The advocate of any particular school of thought may
evade these affirmations, but a man who wishes to take a
philosophic view of life will welcome them. Truth lies some-
where, and he is searching for it. If therefore, he feels to
doubt any proposition, instead of meeting it merely with
elusive negatives, he is at once ready to look at the alterna-
tives, and to consider the affirmative propositions his
negatives imply.
Sometimes there is only one possible alternative and the
issue is placed on the simplest possible level. Thus either God
exists, or He does not. This has always been a simple issue,
and the whole trend of human thought during the last few
centuries has been to make it simpler. There is no need now
to argue as to what is meant by God. Everyone recognizes
that the subject is not touched by any conception of a race
of beings superior to man but still dependent. The only
possible conception of God is as the Uncreate, the one great
Reality, the first Cause. In point of fact we are all bound to
recognize the existence of a first cause or force, in the
universe. There can be no quarrel between philosophers on
this point. We say either there is a God, or there is not, and
we only state the same truth in a slightly different way when
we say either the first cause is an intelligent conscious force,
or it is a blind force. Incontestably the truth lies with one of
26
ALTERNATIVES
these two propositions, and what is true now always has been
true, and will remain so for all time. Sometimes there are
more alternatives than one, and the negative may be taken to
imply one of several affirmatives. Thus, the Bible is either
entirely true, entirely false, or partly true and partly false.
Everyone who denies two of these propositions must affirm
the third. It is obvious that the last named of these three
propositions admits of many sub-divisions, and many more
detailed propositions come under this one heading. In view
of the importance and prominence of the Bible, a man who is
seeking truth will fairly face the responsibilities of affirmation,
and at least determine for himself what is the most reasonable
conclusion with regard to such an issue.
Sometimes there are only three possible propositions,
none of which can be legitimately subdivided. Thus, the men
who first proclaimed the resurrection of Christ were either
true men declaring what they knew had occurred, false men
telling lies, or mistaken men declaring what they thought was
true. It is difficult to see how any one could desire any
further qualification to these propositions. A man may
hesitate to express an opinion, but if he feels that the evidence
is insufficient, or that his investigations have not gone far
enough to justify a definite conclusion on the positive side, he
ought to be equally modest in his negations. It is possible for
an honest man to be in this unfortunate position of uncer-
tainty, unable either to affirm or deny, although we think such
cases are rare. The more usual experience is to find men
ready enough to deny, but anxious to escape the responsibility
of affirmation ; refusing faith in God or the Bible, but very
unready to place it anywhere else.
This then becomes the first consideration for one who
attempts to examine the philosophy of faith. What positive
convictions or positive opinions can we entertain ? Carlyle
said that every man ought to have a theory of the universe
by which to guide his life. The idea is not fantastic. Our
actions are so completely dependent on our thoughts, that
27
if a man declares that he has no opinions regarding these

fundamental truths it is tantamount to saying that he has no
conception of any duty in life. If God did not exist, men
could commit no sin, the earth would have to be regarded as a
product of chance, and man as the highest intelligence could
reasonably consider himself as superior to the forces which
gave him birth. He would be the supreme lawgiver, and what
he determined was right would be right from the highest
standpoint. If men recognize the existence of God, but deny
all special revelation, then all stand on a level, able to make
or imagine their own God, endow Him with such qualities as
please them, and frame laws to suit their convenience. If
men not only believe in God but recognize that He has
spoken, then it should be the most serious business of their
lives to make quite sure as to the nature of the revelation and
guide their lives absolutely by it. Truly every man should
have a theory of the universe by which to live. He cannot
guide his life by mere negations.
The first step in our philosophy then must be this
definite recognition that every negative implies a positive.
Whether we know, or believe, or only entertain a faint
opinion, whether it is a case of creed, credence, or credulity,
we must affirm just as strongly as we deny. The truth regard-
ing these fundamental facts does not vary. However much
human opinion may change or oscillate, truth remains the
same. If sometimes a disciple falters, let him look at the
positive alternatives, and re-echo Peter's question: " Lord,
to whom shall we go ? " If the traveller grows faint because
the path through the wilderness is a hard one, and the lights
ahead seem feeble, a merely negative attitude will serve no
good purpose. It will merely make him half-hearted and
miserable. Would he prefer to remain still in the desert ? or
turn back and retrace his steps ? or forsake the path to the
right hand or the left ? If he gives an emphatic negative to
all these questions what remains except to march forward ?
And why not march with a good swinging step, knowing that
the lights will grow brighter as we draw nearer ?
28
ALTERNATIVES
Our philosophy of faith is not merely to point a way for

those who hesitate, but to quicken the step of those on the
march.
CHAPTER IV
THE MIDNIGHT VISION
I T must be a matter of general experience that a full

realization of even some of the simplest and most familiar
of facts depends largely upon mood. We may not allow
our changing temperament to affect our convictions, because
we are on our guard against this weakness ; but we are all
conscious that our beliefs come home to us far more forcibly
on certain special occasions than is ever the case in the
ordinary monotony of life.
The fact of our existence is a marvel, and we readily
subscribe to the truth that we are " fearfully and wonder-
fully made " ; but how often do we bring the marvel really
home to our perceptions ? Under the ordinary circumstances
of life, we are linked to days of childhood by an unbroken
chain of prosaic recollections. Each day rests on the day
before, and so it has been since the time when we first looked
about us and " took notice " of various objects near, without
having any capacity for coherent thought. In the ordinary
experience of life, our philosophical reflections are so liable
to be interrupted by considerations of bread and butter, that
we rarely obtain a clear and complete view of some of the
simplest truths. Occasionally, however, circumstance and
mood may conspire to give us a momentary glimpse of that
which is generally hidden. For a few minutes the mind sees
truths it had previously only received on trust, just as the eye
may sometimes see for an enormous distance if, when you are
29
on the top of a mountain, the cloud around you suddenly

clears. A minute before you could only see a few yards, and
the nearest peak was not visible. Now the cloud lifts, and you
look over sixty miles of hill and valley, all clearly defined and
bathed in sunshine. You knew, indeed, that such a scene was
there, but your eyes had not perceived i t ; and when the
cloud settles down once more, you cannot see the landscape
again, however much your eyes may be strained in the
effort.
Such an experience as this in the sphere of mental or
spiritual sight, has only been given to the writer two or three
times in the course of half a life. On each occasion it has been
late in the night when healthy men are generally asleep, or if
they wake, are too drowsy for serious thought. Even those to
whom no vision is vouchsafed, may advance the farthest in
pure thought in the night" when deep sleep falleth on men ".
Aroused by some unknown cause from a deep, dreamless
sleep, and so thoroughly awakened that all the faculties are
at their brightest. All is silent round, as if the whole world
slumbers. One seems suddenly to have emerged from the land
of forgetfulness into the fullest mental activity, with all the
powers of manhood. The dreamless sleep has isolated the
mind from the trivial events of the past day, and the general
darkness and silence give it no suggestion of trivial duties to
come. The man, with all the powers of a man, has suddenly
sprung from a dead world ; his mind is so refreshed and
vigorous, his sleep has been so sound, that* it might have been
the sleep of death, and this the resurrection morn. The first
thought is an overwhelming sense of personality, and a
realization of the marvel of his own existence such as never
can be experienced in the ordinary course of a prosaic life. It
is just as if the mist rolls away, and he looks for the first
time at a marvellous expanse of territory which he had
always believed to exist, but had never seen before. Then,
as the thoughts turn to local details and he remembers
where he is, what happened the day before and the principal
duties impending on the morrow, the actual use of life
30
THE MIDNIGHT VISION
seems very paltry. He feels that such glorious powers of

thought and movement should be better employed. And
as he makes good resolutions for future endeavour, the mental
picture gradually slips away from him, and he becomes the
ordinary prosaic man again, linked to the past with the
unbroken chain of trivialities, taking his existence and all his
powers as a matter of course, and quite unable by any effort
to get back to the mood caused by the momentary detachment
from ephemeral things.
Yet, although under the ordinary circumstances of life we
cannot experience this sensation, the lesson remains. We are
able to reason from the acknowledged marvel of our own
existence, even though the wonder is not brought home to us
with the intensity of the midnight awakening. Nothing can
be plainer than the fact that we are creatures. Our powers
have developed gradually during the course of years, and they
are unmistakably dependent on the correct working of our
various organs. How clearly this is recognized in the special
midnight experience ! The regular beat of the heart can be
felt and heard. We are constantly breathing the air which
surrounds us, with a consciousness that it is just the element
we need. We realize that, marvellous as it seems, all our
knowledge of life, all our hopes and ambitions, all our con-
ception of right and wrong, all our thoughts, are contained
within the fragile shell, now lying at rest. And that if air
should be denied to us, if the heart should cease to beat, all
our powers would fail. Beyond all question we are
creatures. Who or what has created us?
None of the theories which have been put forward by
presumptuous men answer or come anywhere near answering
this question. They may refer us back a stage, but the
difficulty only takes another form.
The potentialities have always existed for whatever exists
now. This is a truth so simple and obvious that it might with
some measure of justice be condemned as a naked platitude,
such as we suggested might be inevitable. Yet it is practically
an affirmation of the existence of God, and there seems good
31
reason for emphasizing it now. Whatever difficulties a man

may experience in believing and realizing the existence of an
intelligent first cause, they are difficulties from which he
cannot escape. Remembering our first postulate, our deter-
mination to repudiate mere negatives and insist on an exami-
nation of the implied positive, what alternative is there for
the man who finds it hard to believe in a Creator ? However
far he may fancy that he has carried back the difficulty of
creation, the difficulty is always there. And on closer
examination one has to conclude that all the theories fail to
explain the origin of anything. The theories which have
regarded various forms of selection as the agencies of develop-
ment do not advance us a single step towards an understand-
ing of the original mystery. Even if the most extravagant
claims of Darwin were conceded, creation would remain as
great a wonder as ever. Selection must have something to
select. There could be no beginning until there were living
creatures in existence, no selection of profitable variations
tending to improve eyesight until there was eyesight
sufficiently good to be profitable. Selection does not produce
anything. At the best it can only choose the best from that
which has been produced. Evolution theorists have generally
been conscious of the impossibility of explaining the origin of
life on a material basis, and when the subject is closely
investigated it become evident that each successive step
presents exactly the same difficulty.
The more modern exponents of evolution have largely
abandoned the theories of Darwin in favour of a larger belief
in unexplained tendencies. This shows a more strict con-
formity to the meaning of evolution, which is an unfolding.
There is evolution in the development of a bird from an egg,
but that is simply an unfolding of potentialities, in accordance
with a vital law we cannot pretend to understand. The egg
is in every sense as wonderful as the bird. And if we could be
persuaded that at one time the earth was a ball of fire, and
the present system of life has been evolved purely by natural
laws, then we could only conclude that the fiery earth and
32
THE MIDNIGHT VISION
the laws of nature were just as wonderful as the present

ordered world, although, like the egg, they might present
little variety of outline or substance.
The man who repudiates the belief in God should be able
to express his conviction as to a first cause, or at all events
suggest a possible theory as to what is cause and what is
effect. Presumably he would admit that substance in some
form or other has always existed ; but what are we to say
regarding the various properties of matter as we know it ?
Is the wonderful force we call gravitation to be considered
as cause or an effect ? No one knows by what means
substances attract each other with definite and regular force
according to the density of the objects and the distance which
separates them. That such a force exists is beyond all doubt,
and there is no reason for objecting to the name scientists have
given it. But, while we avoid the foolish error of cavilling at
the word gravitation, do not let us make the opposite mistake
of supposing that scientists have explained the natural force
merely by giving it a scientific name. Is this force of attrac-
tion which can operate through millions of miles of space an
inherent quality of matter, or is it an effect ? The same ques-
tion may be asked of electricity, of life, and then through the
various stages of development it can be pursued with reference
to all the manifestations of life : thinking, feeling, seeing,
hearing, smelling, tasting ; the power of the living creature
involuntarily to turn food into its own living substance, the
power of the blood to select and reform, to build up brain,
heart and lungs, bones, sinews, and flesh, skin, teeth, and
hair. The still more wonderful power—if such a comparison
is possible—of taking substance back again in time of famine,
and selecting it from parts where it can be spared, in order to
sustain the vital organs. After a prolonged fast a man's form
may seem to the last degree emaciated—his cheeks hollow,
and his limbs thin ; yet the three vital organs, brain, heart,
and lungs, remain unimpaired.
An exponent of an evolution theory once rather sneer-
ingly remarked that Christians were continually trying to
33
find gaps in the doctrine of development that they might fill

them up with God. The truth lies exactly the other way.
The atheistic theorists say in effect, " Grant us a world of
matter with certain forces and properties which make it fall
into proper order. Grant us creatures with life, and able to
reproduce their kind ; creatures with nerves sensitive to light
in a world where there is light, with nerves sensitive to sound
and surrounded by a medium which will convey sound.
Grant also that these creatures are liable to produce chance
variations covering in the aggregate the whole range of
Nature's equipment; and we can fill in the gaps without the
aid of God." The answer is that there are no gaps to fill in.
Some years ago it was the dream of inventors to con-
struct a perpetual motion machine. Much time and labour
have been spent in the futile effort to find some system of
applied mechanics which would give unending motion
without waste of energy. Intelligent men, whose equals in
this generation would not give a moment's thought to such
schemes, devoted years to the effort to make a servant of
gravitation. Men who recognized that the falling of a weight
could only give as much energy as was required to lift it
again, nevertheless imagined that by some application of
leverage an advantage could be gained, and years of experi-
ment were spent trying to fix weights on a wheel in such a
manner that they would automatically assume positions to
increase the leverage as they fell and reduce it as they rose.
Others who could see the folly of these primitive experiments
fell into precisely the same error, merely disguised by
increased complexity. Many such inventors have planned
and experimented with the water-wheel, which, driven by
falling water, should yet pump the water back to its original
place. They have failed to perceive that all such schemes are
just as foolish as the simple weights on a wheel. Their futility
is due to the same cause, and all their multiplication of levers
and wheels is an attempt to cheat nature by a complication
of cogs. With the development of electricity as a conveyer
of power a new lease of life was given to the dying hopes of
34
THE MIDNIGHT VISION
those who desired to find perpetual motion. The newly-

harnessed force seemed so mysterious, that there was some
excuse for men thinking it might be exempt from the stern
laws which limited the capacities of forces which were better
known. In course of time, however, it was found that the
same principles prevailed ; and that, while an increase of
complexity easily deluded man, Nature could never be
cheated. The law has now been crystallized into a formula
which is accepted by every man of science, and, probably,
not denied by any man of sense, " Action and reaction are
equal". The man who attempts to make a perpetual motion
machine, whatever forces he proposes to use, and however
complicated his apparatus, is simply hanging weights on a
wheel. It is one law running through all nature, and whether
we experiment with a simple wheel, or with water, or with
electricity, the principle which checkmates us is the same.
Action and reaction are equal.
But while we do not think that there is a word in this
statement of the case that a mechanic would not accept, it is
not the mechanical aspect of the matter that interests us. We
would rather ask the question, When will men carry this
principle to its logical conclusion ? They have already
advanced a long way from the recognition of the first simple
fact that it requires as much energy to raise the weight as you
gain by its fall. They know perfectly well that you can make
no application of power from the fall of water without wasting
the water, and that electricity is governed by the same law.
They know that coal is simply bottled sunlight, and that you
only gain power from it by burning it and dissipating its heat
into space. If you dream of harnessing the tides to take the
place of coal, they can prove to you that even the tides will
cease in time. They can show that the earth, the whole solar
system, and indeed all the bodies in the universe are subject
to the same great law. " Suns shall perish, stars shall fade
away." Heat is dissipated in space and lost to a world just
as the heat escaping from a steam engine is lost to a man,
and the inexorable conclusion is that a perpetual motion
35
machine is as impossible in the systems of suns and planets

as in the man-made machines of earth.
Yet the power of perpetual motion exists. The universe
has eternity behind it, and whatever can be effected by lapse
of time has already been accomplished. If unlimited time
could spend Nature's forces they would all have been spent
eternity ago. The fact that there is motion now, proves that
the power has always been. As we watch the movements of
the heavenly bodies we see perpetual motion as an indubit-
able fact. That fact speaks of a power superior to Nature, a
power outside the moving machine, and above the law that
action and reaction are equal. It demonstrates the existence
of a power able to determine by force of will when the
machine should start, and how it should continue. One great
fountain of energy, one first cause, one supreme reality.
If man should be left to his own devices for long enough,
and if no great revolution should occur to sweep away the
accumulation of human knowledge, there would come a time
when the development of exact science would reach this great
problem, and the existence of one great Creator would be
demonstrated in the manner of a simple sum.
CHAPTER V
THE ETERNAL UNSEEN
T HE things which are seen are temporal, but the things

which are not seen are eternal " (2 Cor. 4 : 18).
These words are true in a wider sense than is
generally understood, or indeed, than is suggested by the
context of the passage. The immediate connection of the
statement has to do with the development of the " new man ",
" hidden man of the heart", or, as it is here expressed, " inner
36
THE ETERNAL UNSEEN
man", which is begotten by the Word, and renewed day by

day after the manner of a natural growth. The apostle Paul,
afflicted in many ways, was writing to men and women who
were companions in tribulation, and who thoroughly realized
their mortality. They were all members of a perishing race,
and if their aspirations and their whole mental development
had been on fleshly lines, they would have been temporal
altogether. Having responded to the call of the gospel,
however, a new character was called to life in them. A
character which could be developed by contemplation of the
eternal truths connected with the gospel ; which could be
purified by the hope of being made partakers of God's
holiness ; and which might finally perfect a divinely begotten
personality fit, in the mercy of God, to survive the destruction
of unprofitable flesh. It is not difficult to see in this connec-
tion, that the only eternal things are the unseen. The
character of the man is not a visible object, and the purifying
hope of the gospel can only be seen by the eye of faith. We
readily recognize that this unseen part is the essential feature.
If a thorough " man of the world, whose portion is in this
life", could be clothed upon with immortality, he would be
thereby destroyed just as surely as if his carcase were burned
to ashes. It is truly not a legitimate speculation except just
to emphasize a truth which is not always clearly perceived.
It has been remarked by other writers that had God created
deathless and sinless beings direct from the clay they would
have been devoid of character, and the same consideration
explains the impossibility of men being saved against their
will. How could it be possible for a man to be at one moment
a thorough servant of sin, knowing and caring nothing for
the commands and promises of God, and the next moment a
partaker of the divine nature ? The transition involves such
a change of character that if it could be sudden it would be
destruction.
When the accepted saints are made the subjects of the
great change, and are clothed upon with immortality, they
will all be distinctive personalities. In the day of weakness
37
they have made themselves acquainted with the divine

point of view. They have struggled against temptation with
much suffering and consciousness of failure. They have all
experienced the same kind of struggle as the apostle Paul
describes in the seventh chapter of his letter to the Romans.
The evil of sin-stricken nature has always been present with
them even when they were most impressed and attracted
by the picture of divine perfection presented to them by their
great Example. But they have understood the purpose of
God, they have responded to the gospel call, they have
endeavoured to bring themselves into line with divine require-
ments, and through the mercy of God they are accepted. The
great change will be to them the end of the painful struggle.
It will make permanent the characters they have tried so
hard to form, and introduce them to the society and the
position for which they have laboured to prepare themselves.
In this sense it is easy to see how completely the unseen things
are eternal and the visible things temporal. The hand of God,
in working out His purpose, is unseen, yet the purpose is sure
and the work enduring. The efforts of men and all the objects
of human desire are aggressively visible, yet they are all most
evidently destined to perish.
On closer examination it is perceived that the words
under consideration need not be restricted to the subject of
their context. In the fullest sense and with the widest
application, they hold true. There is nothing enduring in all
that we see. There are objects which seem so permanent that
we can note no change from day to day, but we can prove
that changes are continually taking place. Not only living
creatures and plants, but rocks and metals reveal their
mutability. Rocks crumble into dust, metals corrode, the
hardest of substances wear away or change their form, and
all the advance of human knowledge tends to prove that
such a law applies to all things visible.
At one time men no doubt regarded substances as
differing from each other in essence as much as they differed
in form. The idea that a gas which burns with a blue flame
38
THE ETERNAL UNSEEN
combines with the vitalizing element of the air we breathe to

form water, would have seemed absurd. No one would have
believed that another main constituent of air could be turned
into solid food for the nourishing of our bodies. Indeed, a
hundred commonplace facts will come to mind, all of them so
far removed from apparent truth that they have only been
accepted after very thorough proof. The tendency of chemical
research has been to show that substances which at one time
were considered elementary, are really compounds ; while,
on the other hand, new substances have come to light which
have compelled a revision of accepted theories, and suggested
to more than one mind the probability that there is only one
original substance, and that invisible to mortal eyes.
Recent discoveries regarding radium have compelled a
revision of theories, and have tended to expand the human
mind. The narrowest of all mental outlooks is that which
regards all obvious facts as commonplace and everything else
impossible. A broader mind sees elements of miracle even in
the every-day event, while it hesitates to draw any hard line
as to where miracle must end. In a world where everything is
so wonderful, surely all things are possible. Speaking of
radium, Sir William Ramsay recently remarked on the fact
that its emanations were really a transformation of its own
substance. He raised the question, How long would radium
last if it were always changing into gas ? " My answer," said
Sir William, " is for ever. It looks like a paradox, but it is
not. The amount given off is always proportional to the
amount of radium there. We can tell, however, how long it
will take radium to half change into the emanation, and the
time we have just measured in our laboratory is 1,750 years."
Sir William went on to say that radium was the most
concentrated form of energy known, and that the emanations
in turn were subject to transformation, making a series of
changes through a cycle of substances, each of which had
been named by science.
Some people might view these revelations with scep-
ticism, and question the ability of scientists to prove their
39
assertions ; but there is no need to labour the point. The

facts are sufficiently certain for the present argument. It is
beyond all question true, that forces have been discovered
during the last few years which further refute the old
materialism, and which illustrate the truth that the eternal
things are those which are unseen.
CHAPTER VI
SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS
R ELIGION and science have so often seemed at variance

that some people have come to regard the antagonism
as natural and inevitable. The votaries of materialistic
science have sometimes contrived to place religion in an un-
favourable light by treating the whole history of this conflict
as if it were the record of a single protracted battle, the com-
batants always standing in the same relative positions
although with continually changing battle ground. Such
men say in effect :
" We are the modern representatives of the pioneers of
progress in all ages, you men of faith are the lineal
descendants of persecuting papists. Each new truth you
resist as long as possible, then when at last it has to be
admitted, you grudgingly give it a place in your temple and
concentrate all your energies to repel the next discovery.
Religious men are continually dragging back, scientific men
are continually pressing forward."
Such a criticism as this has just sufficient of truth in it
to make it dangerous. It is, however, in almost every way
grossly unfair and misleading. It is unfair to treat a vast
number of controversies in different ages as if they were parts
of one long battle ; it is utterly unfair to assume that if a
40
Christian in these days denies that a monad could be turned

into a man merely by " natural selection " he would in a
former age have denied that the earth is round. The error
in this line of reasoning is indeed fundamental. It arises from
an effort to use the word Science in its strict sense, and at the
same time countenance the lowest possible application to the
word Religion. Science in its strictest sense is knowledge
reduced to system ; Religion in its strictest sense is that which
draws a man nearer to God. It may be stated with perfect
truth that any theory which turns out not to be systematized
knowledge was not true science, but we must not forget that
it is equally true that any theory of worship which does not
bring men nearer to God is not true religion. The popular
tendency is to restrict the word science to that which is
believed to be true, while the word religion is used in connec-
tion with any effort in the direction of worship. As the
theories of clever men come to be discarded they cease to be
regarded as science ; but the grossest forms of worship are
still spoken of as religion. When we know sufficient to enable
us to give both words their proper value we shall doubtless
find that there never has been any antagonism between
genuine religion and genuine science.
We raise the question, then, What is scientific expla-
nation ? We have to point out a truth, so simple that it is
continually missed. Science never can do more than observe
and arrange existing facts. It never can explain the essence
of anything or make any object in the universe appear less
wonderful. It explains a fact simply by reference to other
facts, and thus by classifying and arranging what it observes,
a good work may be accomplished, and the mind of man may
become more orderly and logical. If, however, the men who
take the lead in scientific work endeavour to build theories on
the basis of the facts they have observed, they depart from
the strict path of science, and there is more danger of their
going astray.
As an illustration of a scientific explanation and to
exhibit both its value and its limitation, we might take the
41
case of electricity. An ignorant man, seeing the damage

wrought by lightning, and hearing the menacing sound of
thunder, might quite naturally think that he beheld the
sword and heard the voice of an angry God. Science strips
the lightning of its terrors by bringing the facts near to us. It
shows us that electricity is an all-pervading force present in
all objects, and seeking an equilibrium just as water finds its
own level. The manifestation of destructive power is when
something has momentarily disturbed the natural balance
and the electricity violently bursts through all obstacles to
get to rest again. The scientist can show us a miniature
representation of the thunder storm in his laboratory. He
can demonstrate that the balance of electricity can be
disturbed by friction, just as may happen on a far larger
scale with the wind-driven clouds in the heavens. Then
when some object is brought near to the cylinder of his
machine we see the flash, hear the sound, perchance feel the
shock, and realize that the scientist has proved his point and
given the true explanation of the thunder storm.
Yet, after all, what has he explained ? We do not in any
way detract from the value of his work when we point out
that he has simply collated facts, and in the strictest sense of
the word he has explained nothing. He has merely removed
the superstition connected with an occasional manifestation
of Nature's wonders by showing that such wonders are
always with us. It would be an unfortunate result of his
work if, in addition to removing the craven fear, he deprived
us of all feeling of intelligent reverence.
However far mark's knowledge regarding Nature and his
mastery of its forces may extend, he must still admit a com-
plete inability to explain anything in its essence. The
scientific explanation is simply an attempt to show the
relationship, or that there is a relationship between various
facts that have been observed. Sometimes the explanation
opens up a field far more wonderful, and far more helpful to
faith than the first impressions of ignorance. Had it not been
for Sir Isaac Newton we might have taken the fall of the
42
apple as a matter of course, and seen nothing wonderful in it.

His genius opened up a vast field for investigation, in which
fact is explained by reference to still more wonderful fact,
and our view of the universe is enormously enlarged.
So far we have simply pointed out a truth which must
command general assent. We now come to a more doubtful
and difficult question. If scientific men are unable to explain
the essence or the cause of anything, have they any right to
insist that belief in the handiwork of God must be thrust into
the background and only admitted when they have un-
mistakably reached the end of their tether ? It cannot be
denied that such a course is taken, or that, in very many
instances, the scientific theory is accepted simply because it is
assumed as a first postulate that we must not believe in an
ever-present and active Creator. " Parsimony is the law of
logic", says the scientist; " we must never suppose a greater
cause than the facts require." If a suggestion is made that
anything is directly the work of God it is at once met with the
condemnation that it is not scientific.
" Here we have trees", says this class of reasoner, " from
whence have they come ? Science shows that they have
grown strictly in accordance with natural laws. We find coal
in the earth, and a simple-minded man might think that it
was placed there by the Creator for the benefit of the human
race. Science shows that it has been produced by perfectly
natural means, the submerging of forests and the action of
floods. A slow process has produced all these things, and we
conclude that all nature, all plants, and animals, including
man, have been the subject of evolution. We see these subtle
changes at work ; we see Nature's laws in operation, and it is
not scientific to suppose that the ' reign of law ' is ever broken
or to attribute anything around us to the creative power of a
divine Being."
In this manner the inquiry is narrowed down, and those
who accept the premises have only limited space in which to
quarrel over the conclusion.
Yet, although modern scientists generally repudiate the
43
idea of looking to God for a direct explanation of anything,

they almost invariably find it necessary to acknowledge belief
in Him as the first cause. No other postulate seems possible
as a starting point. The existence of one supreme Creator is
the great central fact where all other wonders converge and
have their explanation. We may explain the thunder and
lightning by reference to the wonderful force we call
electricity. We may explain the fall of the apple by reference
to the law of gravitation ; and the only result is that our
minds are open to the recognition of facts far more marvel-
lous in their completeness than in their local manifestation,
and in their turn calling for explanation.
You do not explain the existence of rock by telling us it
is coagulated sand any more than you explain sand by saying
it is pulverized rock. It may be true that coal is simply
pressed and hardened fern, but the fern requires at least as
much explaining as the coal. The scientist thus only thrusts
the mystery further back, and when finally called upon to
account for the laws which have worked all these wonders he
cries, like the magicians of old, " Ah, here is the finger of
God ". Unfortunately, there is some danger of the old error
being repeated. People may grow so accustomed to the
scientific explanation that the belated recognition of God
falls on dull ears. Their hearts are hardened.
We may state a proposition which needs emphasis in
these days, and which may well be impressed on the memory.
If it is scientific to admit the existence of God, or even to
concede the possibility that He exists, then it is certainly most
unscientific to ignore Him. If the idea of God is accepted as
the final cause, then He constitutes the one great inexplicable
fact which furnished the only explanation of all other wonders.
We certainly cannot apply the phrase " systematized
knowledge " t o a school of thought which, as a general rule,
ignores the greatest fact in its whole category, and the only
final explanation of anything. There is not the slightest
reason for affirming as some have done, that miracles are
impossible, or that belief in special divine intervention is
44
unscientific. Rather is it scientific to suppose that an

intelligent Creator would never have set in motion forces
capable of producing such a world as this, without any better
purpose than has been served by its present material develop-
ment. If a scientist believes that at one time God established
laws capable of governing and preserving a planetary system
such as this ; that at another time He introduced life upon
the earth, and rendered it capable of development, surely it
is sheer folly to say, " This is the end of His work. It is
unscientific to admit the possibility of further interference".
If we insist on the application of the perfectly logical
principle laid down in a previous chapter, and ask a critic to
turn from mere negatives and state the affirmative propo-
sitions which his negatives imply, we can slay much of the
foolish opposition of unbelief. Does he think that the earth
was once a mass of fire ? Does he think that it cooled and
evolved the present world of life all by chance ? If not, how
much does he admit may have been accomplished by an
intelligent application of creative power ? And if he admits
that God has ever intervened, on what principle can he deny
that God will ever stretch forth His hand again ? To admit
the existence of God, and then ignore Him, to affirm that
God has ordered the laws of nature, and has thus, either
directly or indirectly, turned a mass of blazing matter into
a world of intelligent life, and then deny that He can ever
interfere again, is neither scientific, nor philosophical, nor
logical. It is not even common sense.
CHAPTER VII
BREADTH OF BASIS
I T is a mistake to suppose that the strength of a man's

faith is always proportionate to the vehemence of his
expressions. An excessive strength of assertion may be
indicative merely of bigotry, and that has nothing to do with
faith. The bigot is one who regards everything so persistently
45
from his own point of view that he suspects aU who dissent

from his opinion of dishonesty. A broader minded man may
hold his convictions quite as firmly and on a far more solid
basis, and at the same time be able to sympathize with those
who differ from him.
We may sometimes find two men in the same community
answering to these descriptions. The first states his convic-
tions in moderate language ; he is prepared to admit that
there are difficulties in his path and that there is some force in
the objections raised by opponents. In short, he is a man of
strong convictions, but he is not a bigot. The second expresses
his opinions far more emphatically, refuses to admit the
presence of difficulties, can hardly credit an unbeliever with
honesty, and perhaps in private conversation whispers a fear
that his colleague is sadly lacking in robustness. If we judged
by externals we might admit that this seemed a legitimate
criticism coming from such a quarter ; that by comparison
with the critic's whole-hearted confidence the other appeared
weak. A few years pass by. We visit the same community
again, and find that there has been a great change. The man
who seemed feeble is still at his post; but the robust critic
has deserted to the ranks of the enemy, his over-expressed
conviction all gone, and his energies perverted to destroy the
faith which once he preached.
In such a case as this we may feel astonished at such
inconsistency. Yet, after all, there is nothing which need
excite the mildest surprise. Strictly speaking, there has been
no inconsistency. The deserter was a narrow-minded
supporter before, and now he is a narrow-minded opponent.
He never saw the whole even of his own side of the picture,
while he was utterly oblivious of the other side. When circum-
stances first forced him to widen his outlook, he saw more of
the other side than of his own, and his narrow faith was
shattered by the shock. There is still hope for him if he can
crush out all natural vanity and begin to learn in a more
thorough manner.
46
BREADTH OF BASIS
An illustration may help to explain the matter. We may

imagine the two men as defenders in a besieged fort. Both are
confident of the strength of their position ; but they greatly
differ in their reasons for this feeling of security. The first has
minutely examined the defences and is also thoroughly
acquainted with all the resources of the enemy. He knows
that there are powerful weapons arrayed against the fort, and
he recognizes the possibility that there may come a time when
the enemy will appear to be on the verge of triumph. Yet
after a careful investigation he is satisfied as to the ultimate
strength of the defences, and with quiet unboastful confidence
he states his faith. The second man believes in the fort with
the blind, ignorant confidence of the partisan, denies that the
enemy has a single weapon worthy of the name, or that he
will ever trouble to approach anywhere near. In a time of
peace we might think this man the more robust defender of
the two, and admit the justice of his reproaches. But the final
test is in the day of action. When the enemy conies in force,
when the full strength of hostile weapons is at last realized,
when foes reach the very gates and it looks as if the outer
defences have already fallen, then is the time for the foundation
of men's confidence to be tested. The first man never falters,
for he sees nothing more than he expected. He is just as
confident as ever that the tide of battle will turn back again,
leaving the fort unharmed. The boastful man, on the other
hand, has no such foundation for his faith. For the first time
he feels the force of those weapons he has derided, he sees the
enemy accomplishing that which he has loudly declared to
be impossible, and in the sudden shock his confidence dies
and he turns traitor. The illustration does not need special
application. All men of wide experience will recognize that
such things have often been in connection with religious
matters, and surely there is justification for a close
examination of defences while we remain unassailed by
any doubts.
If any feel that such an investigation is unnecessary, let
them reflect upon the actual experience of the last half-
47
century. How many cases can you call to mind of men and
women who embraced the hope of Israel, entered the Sin-
covering Name, remained faithful and even enthusiastic for
a time, and then drifted right away ? They can be numbered
by the hundred. Why did they go ? What was the underlying
cause of their weakness ? It is not reasonable and it is not
Christian charity to assume that they were dishonest and
simply left the service of God in order to enjoy the pleasures
of sin. There can be no doubt that for some cause their faith
failed. Can we be certain that there are not similar causes
operating now ? And if we admit the danger, is it possible to
heal up the breaches before they grow too wide ?
Raise the question for a moment : What was the
ostensible cause of departure in those unfortunate cases
which have come under our notice ?
Sometimes the explanation offered has been the old
excuse, "I cannot live the truth". But is this the real
difficulty ? No ordinary man ever has lived the truth to
perfection, but while he retains full faith in God's promises,
surely no ordinary man will voluntarily sever his connection
with those promises simply because he is disappointed with
his own past record. If we probe the matter a little further
we generally find the deserter inclined to raise difficulties
which indicate only too plainly that doubts have arisen in his
mind, and that his faithless action arises from the simple and
obvious cause that faith has left his heart.
Now here we come to a close application of our system.
We never meet or hear of one who, having been well
instructed in the matter concerning the hope of Israel, turns
aside as the result of closer investigation. Those who leave
the household either drift away gradually or else they are
drawn aside by outside influences. No doubt this assertion
would be challenged by some. We know of men who would
claim that their desertion of the hope was due to extended
study, which carried their knowledge beyond the limited
sphere of believers. They hint quite plainly that their minds
48
BREADTH OF BASIS
are of a superior order, and that their scepticism has a

thoroughly rational basis.
In some instances it is doubtless perfectly true that such
men have made extended studies and that their desertion is
largely due to a knowledge of facts which are concealed from
the majority of faithful believers. But this admission does not
in the least degree invalidate our previous assertion that
those who leave the household never desert it through making
a closer investigation of its foundations. In those special
cases just mentioned, attention has been concentrated, not on
our foundation, but on outside forces altogether. To revert
to the illustration of the fort, it is easy to understand that men
who tire of life in the camp, and wandering away from home
devote nearly their whole energy towards examining the
resources of the enemy, may end by throwing in their lot
with him. They are further influenced to this surrender if
they feel that former colleagues have manifested a blind and
ignorant confidence in the fort's defences. This, incidentally,
furnishes a complete explanation of a phenomenon which has
often excited the wonder of superficial observers. " How is
it", they ask, "that some who have been brought up from
childhood in the strictest possible manner, should go quite
astray in later life ? " It is a simple law of nature. If you
force a system of thought on a child and yet fail to fetter his
intellect completely there will be an inevitable reaction which
may easily carry him astray. If he learns the pros of the case
by statute labour, and yet is left free to seek out the cons for
himself in later life, which side would you expect him to learn
most thoroughly, that which is forced upon him or that which
he seeks for himself? We never learn a lesson thoroughly
under fear of the cane.
Even when a man has learned the rudiments of his faith
with something approaching thoroughness, there is always a
danger that he may be unduly influenced by arguments which
have the force of novelty. The old saying, that familiarity
breeds contempt, is capable of a very wide application. It
seems to be part of a great law extending from the physical
49
to the mental. A drug may lose its potency through too

frequent application, and arguments seem to be subject to
the same rule. We may perhaps see in this the explanation
of the revolt against conventionality which leads some clever
men into such inordinate use of paradox.
These, however, are minor considerations. They may act
as contributory causes when men lose faith ; but they do not
present the greatest difficulty, and to recognize their presence
is to be armed against them. I am convinced that the most
persistent difficulty we have to deal with is the disposition to
avoid the positive side and drift away from truth on a tide of
half-hearted negatives. And this is the danger against which
our philosophy of faith will protect us.
When a believer turns away from the truth because he
has been studying another system of thought, it does not
necessarily imply that he has become a convert to the new
theory. He might find it quite impossible ever to feel con-
vinced of such a thesis. The plausible arguments he has been
considering do not convert him to the writer's point of view,
but they seem in some way to weaken and thrust to the back
of his mind the convictions which he has previously held.
The negative side is always easier to maintain than the
positive side. It may be difficult to believe that some time
in the remote past, God worked on this earth and produced
various forms of living creatures from the lifeless clay ; but
surely it is still more difficult to believe that these creatures
came by chance, or that they always have been here. There
is no choice outside of these three possible theories. It may be
difficult to believe that God has a definite purpose with our
race and that there will be a time of recompense when His
judgment will be given ; yet surely it is still more difficult
to believe that there is no purpose in human life beyond the
immediate ambitions of sinful men, that death ends all, that
sacrifice and virtue have no final meaning, and that all
creation has struggled and suffered only to pass away finally
into the oblivion from which it came.
50
BREADTH OF BASIS
The man who is moved from his moorings through his

extended reading, does not often find another anchorage.
The contemplation of another haven has simply tempted him
to drift out into the stream, and his position is always the
point to which he happens to have drifted.
I have a strong conviction that a measure of true
philosophy might have saved many such. If only they had
raised Peter's question in time, " Lord, to whom shall we
go ? " they might have decided to remain, making their
moorings more secure. In plain language, they might have
made a choice which would indeed seem pitiably weak to a
man of strong faith, but which could at least have started
them on a firm foundation.
CHAPTER V I I I
ATHEISM
A CERTAIN man, who was endowed with a liberal share
X J L of this world's goods, when caught in a particularly
candid mood, once expressed his conviction that all men
who think deeply on the subject of religion either become
Christadelphians or atheists. It was a confession that there
is no logical halting ground between " believing all things
that Moses and the prophets did say should come", and the
extreme of not believing anything.
In this instance, such a recognition of the clean-cut line
did not bring the thinker on to our side. But, of course, there
is always one serious consideration in favour of atheism. It
requires a strong conviction to make a Christadelphian of a
rich man ; but if he has no convictions, he may become an
atheist automatically. An atheist is a man " without God in
the world". We cannot improve on that translation. He does
51
not necessarily proclaim that there is no God, he simply says,

" I do not know of one " ; probably with an unexpressed
inclination in the direction of absolute negation.
There are many people who, even when their faith is
weak, are quite confident that they never could reach this
position of absolute atheism. To such it may come as a shock
when we proclaim our full endorsement of the opinion
expressed by the wealthy man. Yet, in attempting to give
effect to our system, that every negation should be examined
in the light of all that it implies ; in attempting to make an
application of Peter's question—" Lord, to whom shall we
go ? "—the present writer must confess an absolute endorse-
ment of the opinion quoted at the beginning of this chapter.
Then some will say, " But, of course, you do not mean
actual atheism as the only possible alternative, you mean
some form of agnosticism". I have to answer, I do mean
absolute atheism as the next most logical position, if once we
abandon the truth as we have learned it. Friends are
shocked, and say, " But surely, that is unthinkable. You
never could come to such a position". I answer, I sincerely
hope not. It does indeed seem unthinkable, impossible, yet
just such a position remains as the logical end of the rejection
of simple faith.
In order to render the meaning of this statement quite
clear, it may be well to have recourse again to illustration.
Suppose, then, that three men visit a certain island, and, in
exploring its surface, see some evidence of work having been
performed there, suggestive of human effort. The first
explorer is convinced that men have been there before them,
and here are the remains of their activity. The second,
profoundly impressed with the idea that there are evils in the
island which would never have been tolerated by human
inhabitants, proclaims that men have never visited the spot
before. The third is inclined to agree with the estimate of
the first. In course of time they examine more than the
surface of the ground, and succeed in laying bare some
extensive works of intelligent design. To the first explorer
52
this affords conclusive evidence that the island has been
inhabited, and goes far to suggest the object of the people's
labour. "Here", he says, " are works which are unmistak-
ably of human origin, and we can in large measure perceive
the object that authors had in view." " No ", says the second
explorer, " I am so convinced on other grounds, that men
have never been here, that I refuse to believe that these
works are of human origin." The third says, " I fully believe
that men have been here, but I am inclined to think that
these works, however suggestive of design they may be, are
purely the outcome of chance, and men had nothing to do
with their production".
It will readily be admitted that in this illustration, the
third position is illogical to the point of absurdity. The man
who denies the adequate cause must perforce find some other
explanation of the wonderful effect ; and however much we
despise his explanation, we must admit his consistency. But
the man who admits the presence of an adequate cause, and
then—out of mere caprice, apparently—refuses to recognize
any connection between the cause and the effect, cannot
surely command our respect.
Is this illustration a fair one ? Agnostics of all varieties—
and there are very many in these days—will protest that it is
not fair at all. But writing for those who know the Bible and
understand the Hope of Israel, the question may be put with
confidence. Is it not a fact that in the fundamental laws of
the Universe, in the wonders of the earth on which we live,
and in the existence of the human race, we have an accumu-
lation of marvellous facts which require a great Cause to
explain them ? If it is admitted in any case that God exists,
would it not be capricious to the point of absurdity to say
that He had nothing to do with the production of these
wonders ? Is it not also a fact that there is evidence of the
truth of the Bible, so strong in its entirety that it would be
equally foolish for one who had ever once grasped it, to say,
" God has had no hand in this, yet still I believe in God " ?
53
Doubtless, the difficulties experienced by many arise

from the fact that they never have had a comprehensive grasp
of the evidence. The force of the argument is cumulative,
and if a man is unable to see more than one small section at a
time he cannot realize the strength of the whole. In other
simpler matters this principle is recognized. Even when you
write a letter to a friend it is in measure illustrated. There
may be thousands of men in the country bearing the same
name, there may be thousands of men in the same town, there
may be hundreds of Market Streets or High Streets in the
country, each with many inhabitants. Yet when name,
street, and town are put in combination, the letter goes
unerringly to its destination. If the postal authorities were
incapable of considering more than one item at a time they
could not act. Whether they looked at name, street, or town,
the address would be hopelessly inadequate.
The most extraordinary illustration, however, of this
incapacity to take a comprehensive view is furnished in con-
nection with the subject under consideration. An attempt has
been made by some sceptics of influence and standing to
answer a small section of Christian evidence, and in the effort
to account for this minor part they have given an amazing
exhibition of failure to understand the whole case. I refer to
the suggestion that Jesus did not die as the result of crucifixion,
but only swooned ; and that his recovery, on purely natural
lines, gave the impression that he had risen from the dead,
thus laying the foundation for that enthusiastic propaganda
which turned the course of human history.
This sceptical suggestion, which is probably familiar to
all readers, is to be welcomed, in that it brings us to close
grips, and enables people to see the force of the argument
better than when the enemy refuses to take up a position of
any kind. It is at least an honest attempt to find a rational-
istic explanation of one phase of the great miracle. The
author or authors of the theory evidently recognized that in
strict process of logic the fishermen of Galilee can be put into
the witness box almost as if they were still living, and if we
54
ATHEISM
refuse to credit their evidence that Jesus rose, it is only fair to

determine whether they were lying in their testimony, or
whether they were merely mistaken. No reasonable man
would suggest that, in their testimony as to a fact so resented
by those in authority, the disciples of Christ could wilfully
tell falsehoods, so it only remains for the unbeliever to find
some explanation of their strange mistake. Hence this
curious suggestion that Jesus only swooned, and that his
recovery imparted to his disciples the burning conviction
that a miracle had been wrought on his behalf.
The suggestion is not very satisfying, even in the very
limited sphere to which it can be made to apply. It would
be very strange for a man to recover from such an ordeal
after the Romans were satisfied that he was dead ; very
strange for him to escape from the tomb and appear before
his disciples with enough vitality to convince them that God
had raised him. And if we can concede the possibility of this
happening, there would still be his mortal nature—with
expectation of life shortened by his terrible ordeal—a drag
on the very vitals of the new religion, and finally, when he
died, a direct negation of its fundamental hope.
We might understand a man strongly prejudiced against
all ideas of miracles accepting such a strained theory if the
testimony of the fishermen of Galilee had been the only
difficulty for him to deal with. But when we remember that
this is only a small part of the case, and that after the
ingenious sceptic has elaborated his single coincidence, he has
to fit it in with a number of other converging lines of evidence
which are not even touched by his theory, we can only marvel
at the incurable tendency of so many people to see only an
isolated fragment at a time.
The swoon theory makes no attempt to account for the
conversion of the apostle Paul. In the epistle to the Galatians,
and the first letter to the Corinthians, we have explicit claims
that the writer is the apostle Paul, and that the well known
story of his conversion is true. " Last of all Christ was seen of
me also, as of one born out of due time." " Ye have heard of
55
my conversation . . . how that I persecuted the church of

Christ." " Now in the things that I write unto you " (the
things concerning his miraculous conversion, and the fact
that Christ was revealed to him), " behold, before God, I lie
not."
We come into such close touch with the writer here that
there is no middle position for us to take. Either he is an
impostor telling lies, or he is the apostle Paul telling the truth,
so far as he knows it. An acquaintance with the epistles is
sufficient to rule the first suggestion out of court, as even the
enemy will admit; and if it has to be conceded that this
extraordinary writer had his convictions revolutionized so
completely by the alleged fact that Jesus appeared to him,
surely it is reasonable to ask the candid sceptic to suggest
a possible explanation. The swoon theory does not attempt to
meet the case here. If a seeker foi4 truth accepts the swoon
theory to account for the faith of the immediate disciples of
Christ, some other coincidence must be invented to account
for the conversion of Paul. An entirely new set of facts must
be found to account for the many prophecies in the Jewish
scriptures which bear upon the rejection and the resurrection
of the Anointed ; and finally he will need to stretch co-
incidence in a new field altogether if he attempts to explain
away the argument for Christ's resurrection which may be
drawn from the book of Revelation. The swoon theory is
merely a clumsy attempt to deal with the least part of the
whole case. The honest seeker might believe that one extra-
ordinary coincidence came by chance to favour the uprise of
Christianity ; but can he believe that a dozen such chances
chanced to converge ? You might take the most intricate
machine ever made by man, and if you looked at it in small
enough sections at a time, you might conclude that each part
might have been formed by chance. It is only when you
consider the machine as a whole that the fact of design
becomes quite certain. In the same way scepticism towards
Christianity flourishes on the partial, sectional view. It is
rooted out when we realize the cumulative force of evidence,
56
ATHEISM
and with comprehensive view note the spot where all

coincidences coincide.
But if men believe in the existence of God, why all this
straining to prove that He has never shown His hand ? Why
seek out wild theories to resist the idea that God ever foretold
the future to man, or ever raised a human being from the
dead, if all along you recognize the existence of a God to
whom such work would be easy ?
If a man does not believe in God at all I can understand
his resisting the thought that super-human intelligence has
ever operated on human affairs. But if he admits the great
Cause, it seems evidence of wicked perversity or deplorable
blindness to refuse to recognize the obvious effect. The illus-
tration of the explorer seems quite fair.
Those who have had patience to read so far will at least
begin to see the idea which this fragmentary, wayside writing
is striving to express. In another chapter there will be
opportunity to carry the thoughts a stage further and show
that the real difficulties men experience in the exercise of
simple faith are atheistic difficulties, and that the crowd of
doubters and drifters scattered in all parts away from the
true anchorage of hope, have simply made an illogical
compromise between the impossibility of their becoming
atheists and their unwillingness to accept God as He really is.
CHAPTER IX
ATHEISTIC ARGUMENTS
P ERHAPS it will be well to begin the present chapter by

quoting the last words from the previous one :—
" There will be opportunity to carry the thoughts
a stage further, and show that the real difficulties men
experience in the exercise of faith are atheistic difficulties, and
57
that the crowd of doubters and drifters scattered in all parts

away from the true anchorage of hope, have simply made an
illogical compromise between the impossibility of their
becoming atheists, and their unwillingness to accept God as
He really is."
Everyone who has been at all observant of human
controversies will recognize that men often make use of
elaborate arguments which played no part in establishing
conclusions. In public discussion, whether verbal or written,
many points are introduced which may help to give the
appearance of victory, but which to men of discernment carry
no real weight. There is good reason for placing in this
category the majority of the attempts to convict the Bible of
inconsistency. Some charges of contradiction have been so
obviously strained that they are clearly the effect of unbelief
and not the cause. The attempt to prove inconsistency
between the accounts in the four gospels as to the number of
women who visited the sepulchre is a notorious instance. If
I say that a certain man visited my house to-day, I do not
contradict the statement of another that two men came, or
of a third witness who declares that there were several
visitors. It is quite evident that if anyone founds an accusa-
tion of inconsistency on such a case as this, it is merely an
exhibition of unreasonable prejudice.
We need not be surprised that alleged contradictions
should occupy a prominent place in the stock-in-trade of a
professional sceptic. In the nature of things it is inevitable
that even when there is a perfect answer to such accusations,
the attack can be stated in fewer words than the answer. And
a large number of alleged contradictions recklessly flung into a
controversy regarding the authority of scripture, is sure to
have some effect in giving that appearance of victory so
ardently coveted by the lover of shallow polemics.
No well-informed student of scripture will deny that
there are some real difficulties of this character, some of which
we cannot fully explain ; but, was the contemplation of these
apparent discrepancies ever the real cause of faith being
58
ATHEISTIC ARGUMENTS
shattered ? Surely the evidence is all the other way.

Extended study finds the solution of so many problems, that
the way is opened for a recognition of unknown factors which
will bring apparent discord into harmony. In the false book
the harmony is superficial, and the discord fundamental. In
the Bible the apparent inconsistencies sometimes glare at us
from the very surface, and then disappear as the result of
extended study. Nature herself is full of apparent contra-
dictions. Sometimes men readily find the explanation,
sometimes with all their research they fail to discover the
underlying cause of irregularity in her procedure. Yet they
never doubt that such a cause is there.
When we remember the number of books included in the
Bible, the period of time covered by its production and the
processes through which it has come down to us, it is only
common-sense and ordinary fairness to recognize the possi-
bility that in some instances there are harmonizing facts of
which we have no record. Many unbelievers have used
apparent contradictions to justify their unbelief, many
Christians have pondered over these things and asked for
more light, but I cannot believe that these minor difficulties
were ever the real cause of an opponent's scepticism, or of a
brother's fall from grace.
There are other arguments, however, which continue to
exercise a baneful influence on almost all people. They are
the objections which are given the prominent place in all
serious attacks on the Bible, and which have been the real
difficulties in the way of simple faith in many cases where
faith has faltered. They may be summarized in a single idea
which has often found expression, thus : " Surely the God
of love would never do or sanction such a deed as that". If
the subject is fully examined, I believe there will be a general
confession that this sentence is a concentration of the real
essence of scepticism, and that the laboured attempts to
convict the Bible of inconsistency in detail are the effect
rather than the cause of unbelief.
59
Herein lies the explanation of the sentence with which

we link the last chapter to the present one. Whenever these
difficulties regarding the acts attributed to God in the Bible
are thrown into the form of argument, it can easily be demon-
strated that they are atheistic. In other words, either they
prove too much or nothing at all.
If we wish to find an illustration of this principle in
working, it will be as well to take it from the reasoning of
ordinary people, and the lessons of current events. During
the last month a controversy arose in one of the daily papers
regarding the claims of the Bible and the right of human
revision. After several correspondents had expressed their
opinion, an opponent of simple faith wrote the following
letter :
" Mr. Metford points out that it is impertinent and
awful to ' eliminate pages, chapters, even ' of the Bible on
any account.
" There is, however, no doubt that at the present time
the chief method of imparting the truth which it is claimed
God has revealed in the Bible, consists in teaching selected
passages from it (usually called Bible history) to unreasoning
children, on whose minds they remain permanently
impressed.
" I t is from this history children draw their first
inferences of the life of man, of good and evil, and of God
Himself. They learn how that, more than 6,000 years ago,
God created the earth ; how He created animals, fishes,
plants, and finally man. How Adam and Eve then partook
of a certain fruit, and were consequently expelled from
Paradise, and how they and their seed were cursed. Then,
how God drowned Adam's descendants (except Noah and his
family, and certain animals who were with him in the ark).
Then from the plagues and the murder of the first-born
Egyptians, to the wholesale destruction of men, the execution
of the priests by Elijah, and the tearing and eating of boys by
two bears for laughing at Elisha, the whole history is a series
60
ATHEISTIC ARGUMENTS
of miraculous occurrences and horrible cruelties committed

by the Hebrew leaders.
" Surely elimination on account of ' fashion ' would
produce more satisfactory notions of the earth, the sky, of
man and of God, than this selection of Bible history."
Now it is quite evident that when a man has only a
limited space to express his views on a very large subject, he
is apt to state the heart of his position and not the unim-
portant details. Probably the writer of the foregoing letter
imagined he had delivered a trenchant attack on the Bible
without raising any difficulties in the way of his own position.
In any case, there can be no doubt that he indicated clearly
enough the line of argument which has carried the greatest
weight with the vast majority of those who have ever
felt the influence of sceptical thought.
A few days after the appearance of this letter, the papers
contained an account of a terrible tragedy in Russia, a
wedding party being chased by wolves and over fifty people
being killed and devoured. For the purpose of the present
argument it does not matter whether that account was
entirely true or whether it was exaggerated. Such things have
happened all through the history of mortality.
Here, then, is the point of this illustration drawn from
current thought and current history. Some blasphemous sons
of the prophets in the days when God's power was made
known on earth, mocked at the idea of Elijah being caught up
by God, and told Elisha to " go up " also. Two bears out of
the woods then became the instruments of a terrible retribu-
tion. The implication is that this was a providentially
manipulated judgment. Our sceptical letter-writter, con-
vinced that providence would never do any such thing,
quotes the incident as a proof that the Bible is not true.
Would he regard such a tragedy as that of the wedding
party being devoured by wolves, as a proof that God does
not exist ?
Now it may be that many sceptics would immediately
be up in arms against this line of reasoning. They would urge
61
that from their point of view the adventure with the wolves
was simply a chance tragedy, that it was in no sense provi-
dential, and cannot be regarded as a retribution. In other
words, the sufferers are not to be regarded as offenders
against God. They were the victims not of divine wrath, but
of an unfortunate chance, which brought unmerited disaster
upon them. Probably this tragedy, and thousands of others
like it, were simply the outcome of chance ; but does that
lessen the difficulty ? In what facts can we find the cause of
such horrifying carnage ? Simply in the facts that there are
beasts of prey on earth, that sometimes, when weather
conditions are severe, these monsters become especially active,
and that sometimes human beings become the victims. Who
made the wolves ? Who established the conditions ? The
sceptical deist moves a step farther back. He says God did
not make these creatures, but that they are the products of a
natural evolution. Follow his argument back to the begin-
ning, and ask how the many laws on which life depends had
their origin ? How the heavens were first spread forth, and
the worlds first given their appointed orbit ? How was the
ordinance of day and night established, and the earth set at
its appointed distance from the life-giving sun ? Who gave
it this coating of air, and who first started life upon its
surface ? Does the unbeliever think that all things, including
the reasoning mind of man, have sprung of themselves from
what was once a mass of fire ? Here generally the fleshly
reasoner hastens to assure us that he holds no such idea. He
admits the existence of a Creator. Darwin suggested that at a
very remote period God started life upon this earth, and then
left it to evolve in accordance with natural laws. But if that
were so, can any man believe that God did not know what
the results would be ? An ignorant savage may believe in an
imperfect, limited God ; but surely the only possible
philosophical conception of a creator is as the one supreme
reality in the universe, all-powerful and all-knowing. In
plain process of logic, the typical unbeliever must either be
driven into absolute atheism, or else take back his choicest
62
ATHEISTIC ARGUMENTS
arguments against the Bible. To our limited perceptions it

may seen terrible that God should curse man for his sins,
and that so many tragedies should be enacted during this
period of selection and probation ; but surely it would be
vastly more terrible if God had started life on earth, and then
without a care for any of His creatures and without any final
object in view, had left the earth to a million years of
purposeless suffering.
CHAPTER X
SUMMARY
r 1
I HIS is an age of summaries. Writers often find that
JL they have not time to elaborate their thought as they
would like, and they may console themselves for
necessary abbreviations by the reflection that modern
readers lack the patience to read.
We will summarize the Philosophy of Faith so far as it
has been unfolded, and attempt to point the practical lesson
that it carries.
First with regard to the kind of language in which our
convictions should be expressed. It has been noted that style
of verbiage often lies much nearer the foundation of what is
called philosophy than many people have supposed. That
sometimes utterances which have been regarded as pro-
foundly wise owe their entire reputation to the cloudiness of
the language, and when reduced to solid meanings it is seen
that the only elements of truth they contain are the
shallowest of platitudes.
We raised a protest against the perversion of the arts,
in the tendency to cultivate cloudiness of language, con-
curring with the effort to make music definite. Music should
63
be simply a language of emotions, words should be the

vehicles of clear and definite thought.
We laid down as a fundamental proposition that Truth
does not consist in negatives, and the sceptic who simply
denies, is making a wholly indefensible effort to shirk his duty.
Every negative has its corresponding positive, and a man who
denies a proposition, cannot escape from the moral responsi-
bility of saying what he would put in its place. If his know-
ledge is not sufficient for him to affirm, neither is it sufficient
for him to deny.. Every shade of negative has its equivalent
on the positive side. This is so, even when we might be
inclined to think that an exception had been discovered.
Suppose some new and extraordinary phenomenon is brought
to our notice, and a wildly improbable or absurd explanation
of it is suggested. We may be quite unable to offer a more
reasonable solution, and yet have no hesitation in rejecting
the explanation given. At first sight then it would seem that
here is a case where denial is justifiable, although we are not
in a position to affirm. Closer investigation, however, will
show that our rule still holds good. Our repudiation of the
absurd explanation is based upon a latent conviction that
some more adequate cause can be found, and when we begin
to argue the case, if we are capable of stating any ground for
our denial, we shall equally be able to suggest a more
reasonable alternative.
Perhaps no better illustration of this could be found than
in the change which has taken place in the attitude of men
towards phenomena which by a former generation were
attributed to evil spirits. Men are inclined now to repudiate
such explanations of a new wonder, simply because their
knowledge of Nature's resources has been so greatly enlarged.
If it should be suggested that some new and inexplicable
disaster was the work of evil spirits, men would now say,
" No, far more likely to be a perfectly intelligible outcome of
Nature's laws under circumstances not hitherto observed ".
Thus, with an increased capacity for affirmation has come an
increased capacity for denial.
64
SUMMARY
If a mail is engaged in a discussion regarding first causes,

and his only desire is to gain an apparent victory, he will do
well to avoid the positive side as much as possible. If, how-
ever, he is simply discussing the matter in his own mind with
a genuine desire to find the truth, he will remember the rule
that his affirmations must be as strong as his denials.
It may seem that the description of creation in Genesis
is not convincing. Can he condense any possible theory of the
case into the same compass and make it sound better ? It
may seem that the idea of God intervening and producing
man from the clay, by a definite creative act is unscientific,
but, with the popular understanding of that word, is it
possible to account for existing things without being un-
scientific ? Popular theories are not quite honest here. When
the suggestion is put forth, " Let us deal only with the world
as we know it, and with forces which are familiar", a strong
claim is established in public favour. It seems so much more
scientific to deal with such facts than to believe in a special
creative work remote from our experience. But the near and
familiar facts do not yield an explanation. They only provide
men with a vast field of thought in which despite its familiar
aspect one can easily get lost. As we pointed out in an earlier
chapter, if all the most extravagant claims of Darwin were
admitted, the difficulty of creation would only have been
pushed a little further back. The evolution theory needs a
very large postulate. In effect evolutionists say, " Let it be
granted that matter and the various forces of Nature existed.
Let it be granted that there was a world capable of sustain-
ing life, and that life had appeared upon it. Let it be granted
further that these living creatures were capable of repro-
ducing their kind and were gifted with an almost infinite
capacity for putting forth profitable variations, and then we
can explain the evolution of mankind without looking to
God ". On similar lines we might say " Give us a fertile egg9
and we will produce a chicken from it without further help
from nature". But there is not much cause for boasting in
this, for all we do is to keep the egg warm, and even this
65
simple task would have been performed far better by the

hen.
If the man who objects to the Bible will accept the full
responsibility of his negative attitude he will soon perceive
that with our limited understanding difficulties are inevitable,
but as we experience in all phases of life, those which are near
and clear look most formidable. Human theories which
attempt to explain the secret of the Universe only cover the
difficulties with a flood of confused thought.
The truth of the matter is that life itself is beyond our
understanding, and the original production of it on earth
must have been equally marvellous. But men are accustomed
to life as it is, and the forces of nature as they are, and with
shallow reasoning they conclude that their search for a final
cause must be bounded by the fragment of nature they have
been able to observe. Then after all the assumptions, the
strained arguments, and the cloudy language, they find if
they look closely enough into the matter, that they have
explained nothing at all.
Whether our faith and rule of life is a burning conviction
amounting to a passion, or a cold product of logic which
can only be converted into a living influence by hard labour,
or a feeble opinion drawn from what seems to us the balance
of probabilities—in any case let it be such as can take shape
in clear thought and be expressed in clear language. The
weak faith needs definite and vigorous thought to give it
strength ; the cold conviction needs such exercise to give it
warmth ; and even where faith amounts to a passion there
must be clear thinking if it is to be durable. This fact was
pointed and illustrated in the chapter on " Breadth of Basis".
Passions are apt to exhaust themselves if they have no more
solid basis than emotion. Sometimes, indeed, the men who
despise the philosophy of faith are those who stand most in
need of it.
Let us summarize conclusions, then, with a determina-
tion, above all things, to think clearly, to affirm as strongly as
we deny, and to make our building solid as far as it goes.
66
SUMMARY
We are absolutely satisfied that God exists and that the

only possible conception of God is as the Uncreated Unity,
the one great fact in existence. We realize that all the efforts
of rationalism have not diminished the wonders of creation
by a hair's breadth. They have only tended to make God
seem far off, instead of near at hand, and have offered
encouragement to men to shirk the real issue. Whatever
trials faith may have to endure, we never can reach such a
position as to affirm that all things, including our own power
to reason, came by chance from a world of dead matter which
chanced to exist.
Turning to the Bible we find that man's principal
objection to it is that it is so far removed from what he would
like. But we are living in a world which rudely repudiates
man's ideals ; a world in which wolves may become the
guests at a wedding breakfast; a world in which brutality
rules and man asserts his ascendancy with sword and rifle,
not by moral force ; a world in which appalling tragedies
occur every day, and chance spares not sex, nor age, nor
beauty. Hardly anyone flies for refuge from their problems
to the position of absolute atheism, and those who do present
only a cowardly negative. Put the positive question, " Do
you affirm that all things, including ourselves, have come by
a series of chances ? " and they falter and retrace their
steps. " We can only suppose", the scientist says, " that God
is so immeasurably great that He cannot be judged by human
standards, and the death of a man is no more than the death
of a worm." Why not express the thought in better language,
ready framed for us ?
" His ways are higher than our ways, as the heavens are
higher than the earth." " All nations before him are as
nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing, and
vanity." And, to the petulance of baffled human reason, put
the question, " Where wast thou when I laid the foundations
of the earth ? Declare, if thou hast understanding."
What folly to attack the Bible because it presents a
view of God in harmony with nature !
67
I look round on the world of men with all its sin and
suffering, and it seems to me, that apart from all revelation,
some rudiments of truth would appear. The existence of an
intelligence superior to ours can be assumed just as certainly
as when we watch, the meandering of a stream we know that
it is supplied with water from a higher level than the glade
through which it flows.
The sun shines through the pall of Yorkshire smoke
today, and I can imagine myself carried away from city
grime, back to one of those favourite Welsh solitudes, with
scarcely a human being in sight. From an elevated position
I look over an expanse of hill and valley, carpeted with grass
and flowers, warmed by the sunshine and glowing with
brilliant colours, and it seems to me unthinkable that such a
world as this has come into being for no better purpose than
to be the battle-ground of selfish flesh.
In this solitude, almost as well as in the midnight vision,
one can realize the elementary truths of life, the marvels of
brain and muscle, the familiar miracle of our being. And
then, with the clear view of beautiful country added to the
vision, could any reasonable man fail to raise the question,
" For whom was this land of promise designed ? " With such
blend of evil and of good in the world, might not a man be
led to the conclusion that God is angry, but that He is
prepared to forgive ? With some knowledge of history,
might he not remember a thousand explanations of the
wrath, while right before his eyes would be a thousand
promises of mercy ?
But if I were to see such promises in the face of nature,
they would all stop short of giving satisfaction, for they offer
no breath of personal hope. If I waited on the hills until
night, with the blotting out of near objects and the opening
up of distant worlds, there would only come a crushing sense
of human littleness, and no hope of individual salvation. I
might speculate on the possibility that in course of time a
select race would be evolved, to enter upon this fair
68
inheritance with the blessings of peace and a fuller life. Only
through revelation can I learn that the work of selection
began long ago, that already thousands have been numbered
in the Book of Life, and that it is possible for my name to be
written there.
Scripture is in complete harmony with Nature, both in
its frowns and its promises. It interprets the world to us, fills
in the details, and gives us the message of personal hope.
Its claims to be divine are more direct and understandable
than those of Nature, and with the subject in heart and head,
not merely with the book in our hands, it is possible to see a
vision indeed. A line of evidence which would require a
hundred thousand words to express, is before me in a single
thought. It can be examined as a whole, and its full cumu-
lative value be appreciated, as in our illustration of the
addressed envelope.
The Jews, Christ, the Jews and Christ together ; direct
testimony of honest men, testimony of prophecy, and
history : Babylon and Tyre, Rome and Egypt; the corrupt
Church ; the heedless nations ; the awakening of Israel, and
the clash of arms—these things are before me with all their
combined force, and a thousand recollections of incidental
Bible harmonies, intertwining with them : and as I look over
a part of this fair earth I say, " Here is the world interpreted
to me, and a perfect harmony of ideas presented".
If I could believe that uninspired men chanced to pro-
duce the Bible, then I could believe that blind force chanced
to produce the world. If I could refuse to believe in the
Bible because it represents that God has sometimes used
beasts of prey, or no less savage races of men, as the instru-
ments of His vengeance, then I should also feel bound to
l3elieve that God could never allow such evils to prevail at
all—and thus deny His very existence. There is no logical
halting place between the position of the Christadelphian and
that of the absolute atheist: no halting place for me
between simple faith and utter folly.
It is not through the exercise of reason's powers that

faith becomes weak or that those who have run well begin to
stumble. It is through the cramping cares of life, or the search
for pleasure, or perhaps even the narrowness of friends. And
when believers grow weary, their drift from faith is nearly
always with mere half-hearted negatives. The habit of self-
examination with a continued insistence on the simple
positives might have saved them.
Life itself is an affirmation.
When hearts do not beat, and lungs do not breathe,
their day is over. And when we cease to have a positive
belief by which to guide our lives, we might as well not
live at all.
70
PART II
Prepare to Meet Thy God, O Israel
71
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
n p H E R E is sometimes a close analogy between the life of
JL a man and the life of the community. It has frequently
been observed by historians that a nation passes through
periods of youth, maturity, and old age, and sometimes a
nation follows the pattern of the individual from old age
to decrepitude and death. A similar parallel can be traced
between the spiritual development of a son of God and the
experience of the ecclesias. Sometimes a believer passes from
the first enthusiasm of youth into a middle age of indifference,
and then with more rapid retrogression to a final death of
faith ; and, beyond all doubt, there have been times when
the truth has come to light, and flourished for a while in a
Christian community, only to follow the same pathetic
course.
If, on the other hand, we look on the more pleasing
spectacle of a community holding fast to the faith and grow-
ing in grace, we can find the pattern of its proper development
in the life of a faithful man. A faithful brother changes some-
what with advancing years. At first, full of enthusiasm for
new found truth, strong in himself and anxious to convince
others, he finds a certain zest and pleasure in the strain of
controversy. He passes on into middle age, and his character
is gradually moulded to a fuller and more finished shape. His
enthusiasm is undiminished, but it burns with a steadier flame.
He is more discreet, more subdued, more sympathetic, and
he is drawn to recognize the immense significance of the many
exhortations to " hold fast". Old age comes upon him, and
there is still another change. The truth has a stronger hold
on him than ever, because it appeals direct not only to the
intellect but to the heart. He engages in controversy only
72
INTRODUCTORY
from a sense of duty, and with none of the zest of former

years. He would like, if possible, to have a little quiet time
for preparation, for he feels that he only just begins dimly to
realize the greatness of God and the holiness of our calling.
I am impressed with the feeling that there is an analogy
here between the life of a faithful man and the experience of
the community in this latter-day manifestation o'f the truth.
It seems to me that we have passed through two periods and
entered upon a third, and these periods are associated in my
mind with three scriptural exhortations.
The first speaks in an incisive, severe tone which must
arouse those who hear, whether it induces repentance or
resentment, and it bids us turn from vain idols to serve the
living God and to wait for His Son from heaven. The second
is equally stern and uncompromising, and it bids those who
have repented to hold fast the form of sound words. The
third in a gentler tone addresses those who have held fast,
and says, " Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel".
It would be foolish to raise the question which is most
important of these three ideas. There can be no graded
degrees of value when all are absolutely essential. We might
as well speculate on whether a man could best dispense with
brain, heart or lungs. These three exhortations can be
expressed in single words—Repent, Endure, Prepare ; and
they are all equally important because they are all vital.
Apart from the first the later processes are impossible ; apart
from the later developments the original repentance is
useless.
Of what use would it be for a man to repent and turn to
the worship of God if he could not hold fast to the truth he had
accepted ? Of what use to hold fast merely if he did not allow
the truth to have its proper effect in preparing him for the
future ? It may be suggested that repentance, in its fullest
sense, implies a completed life of faithful service, and that
preparation implies a previous repentance, and that we there-
fore need not insist on the three words as if they marked three
distinct stages in the working out of our salvation. There is
73
reason for this division, however, and it is amply justified by

the experiences of life. There have been some who have
repented with all sincerity, but have not endured; and there
are others who have endured, but have not prepared. The
Lord Jesus indicated these classes in his parable of the sower.
There are some who receive the word with all gladness, but
having no root in themselves, wither away after the type of
the grain sown in stony places ; and there are others who
endure and grow up to maturity, but, choked by the cares of
this world, bring forth no fruit to perfection. There is reason,
then, for insisting on the three necessary processes expressed
by these words—Repent, Endure, Prepare.
But, although these ideas are of equal importance inas-
much as they are all essential, there are times when one may
seem to require more attention than the others, just as there
are times in the life of a man when more seems to depend on
one of the vital organs than on the other two. When there
was no community of believers in existence the pioneers of
the truth's revival in the latter days might well concentrate
their whole attention on the work of calling men to re-
pentance. When a community was formed, but assailed by
various new suggestions and disturbing theories, when men
arose who would make a whole symphony out of a single
crotchet, or on the destructive side would pull down an entire
building in order that their names might be inscribed on the
foundation stones, there was reason for faithful brethren to
concentrate their energies on the word Endure, and
constantly enforce the exhortation to hold fast.
But now, are there not grounds for giving more attention
to the word Prepare ? A considerable number of men and
women serve the true God, and wait for His Son from heaven.
We do not know when the day of the Lord will be, but all
signs indicate that it is drawing near; and with events
transpiring which incontestably fulfil some Bible predictions
concerning the latter days, we can discern an especial sig-
nificance in the words addressed to the Hebrews : " Let us
consider one another to provoke unto love and good works,
74
INTRODUCTORY
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the

manner of some is ; but exhorting one another, and so much
the more as ye see the day approaching."
These words seem especially applicable to the present
day, and they put the emphasis on the last stage in the work-
ing out of our salvation. This idea does not suggest that
there should be a slackening of labours in other directions.
Until we are called away to meet the Lord we must continue
to advertise the invitation God has issued. Nor do we imply
that there has been any failure of good exhortations in the
past, for some of the most inspiring words were written when
there were very few to pay heed to them. But now that we
see the day approaching we seem to be required in a special
sense to exhort each other. Not only must we be united in
the work of instructing others, not only firm in the deter-
mination to hold fast to sound words, but above all we must
be whole-hearted in the higher work of " strengthening the
things which remain", exhorting one another, provoking to
love and good works, and doing all in our power to realize
the idea expressed in the words : " Prepare to meet thy God,
O Israel."
By more careful reading of the Word, by examining
ourselves, by giving more heed to faithful exhortations, by
allowing the first principles of the oracles of God to be
carried to their legitimate conclusion—in all these ways we
may prepare ourselves for the great position to which God
has called us.
Experts in physical culture tell us that the success of any
effort to develop the body depends largely upon the concen-
tration of the mind. Not only must we engage in certain
exercises, but we must perform them with a conscious
direction towards a certain end, and a whole-hearted
determination that they shall accomplish the results for which
they are designed. If this is so in matters pertaining to the
body, how much more will the rule apply in the development
of the mind ? All the work of the truth provides mental and
moral exercise, even the most elementary labour of pro-
75
claiming first principles. We may go further than this, and

say that such exercise is provided by all the experiences of
life down to the most trivial trials of home, office, or factory.
But unless the mind is properly directed, the lessons pass
unheeded. The trials of everyday life may simply irritate
instead of engendering patience, the work of the truth may
be perfunctory, and some of the grandest and most profound
of Bible teaching may be accepted merely as a matter of
cold, logical demonstration, instead of it being the warm and
glowing foundation of a living faith.
If we see the Day of Christ approaching, and feel the
necessity of exhorting each other more than ever, if we feel
that in these latter days the most important work of all is to
clear away the thorns of worldly care which are preventing
the production of perfect fruit, and so increase the yield in
the day of harvest, we need not attempt to seek out anything
new. The teaching required is ready to hand, and all that is
needed is a new emphasis.
CHAPTER II
THE POWER OF BELIEF
HE actions of a man may be very inferior to his beliefs,
T but they will never be superior. Righteous conduct is
simply right doctrine in practice. The theory of right
is the foundation, and the practice of it is the superstructure ;
and while it is possible to have a useless, bare foundation
without the building, it is not possible to have the building
without the foundation. A man may do good without being
religious ; he may have no definite end, and no conscious
recognition of God ; but he must have some idea of good and
76
THE POWER OF BELIEF
evil as a foundation for his actions. Thus, while the Creator

is not acknowledged, there is still some appreciation of law
which came from Him.
We frequently hear men say that they do not attach
much importance to doctrine ; they concentrate attention
on the living of a good life. Such a sentiment only emanates
from a very shallow brain. It is as if a child should enter a
garden, and seeing the gardener planting bulbs, should say,
" I do not care for those ugly bulbs, I like the beautiful
flowers ". The living of a good life without a foundation of
good doctrine is impossible, just as it is impossible to grow
flowers without roots. In every case of intelligent action the
thought must precede the deed, and thus sound doctrine is
the foundation of sound morality.
When we draw attention to this obvious fact our shallow
friends sometimes say, " But the doctrines we condemn are
those controversial questions of belief which do not affect
our actions. We say, Concentrate attention on those great
principles of morality which are recognized by all men".
In plain language this means " Conform to the age in
which you live " ; and it puts a check on all progress. What
great principles are recognized by all men ? There are men
living now who think that the greatest virtue is animal
courage, and the greatest achievement to fight and slay. Our
ancestors practised a " morality " of this kind, and if a
higher standard is recognized in this country now it is
because of doctrine introduced to us from outside. In some
parts of the world there are men living who have a lower
standard even than this appreciation of mere animal
pugnacity. According to the recent testimony of a well-
known journal there are tribes in Northern India where
thieving is inculcated as a primary virtue, while a treacherous
style of fighting is regarded as a recreation. If such people
are ever induced to give up their murderous and predatory
practices it will be because they are in certain measure made
to understand doctrine. When our shallow friends are thus
closely followed they sometimes explain that there are some
77
foundation principles the observance of which will show the

most excellent results in the social life of man : sobriety,
honesty, chastity, gentleness, or, in one word, love. There
are other doctrines which whether true or false, have no
obvious bearing on the welfare of humanity. Be convinced
that other men are your fellow-creatures, and have equal
rights with you, and your attitude towards them will be
affected. Be convinced that all men are mortal, and the
Platonic doctrine a fiction, and what difference will it make
to your life ? Obey the command of Christ to do unto others
as ye would that they should do to you, and you will bless
mankind and make the world better for your presence. Obey
the command to be baptized, and whom will you benefit ?
Such questions put the issue very tersely, and admit of a
terse reply. Every important doctrine can be placed under
one of two headings : as affecting our attitude towards God,
or towards man. It is only reasonable that this should be the
case, since the foundation of all morality is of the same two-
fold character. The Lord Jesus said that all the Law and the
Prophets depended upon the two fundamental precepts of the
law of love : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart", " T h o u shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". All
sound doctrine is simply elaboration of these principles, and,
consequently, every important precept can be placed under
one of these two headings. Shallow critics sometimes point to
some excellent moral precepts of pagan teachers, and suggest
that the fact of sound doctrine emanating from such a source
militates against the truth of Christianity. It is a very narrow
method of reasoning. Jesus never claimed to invent or
discover truth. He claimed to be the embodiment of eternal
truth. He came neither to invent nor to destroy, but to fulfil.
According to the Bible, it is clear that the ancestors of all men
living were taught of God, and we cannot doubt that the law
of love was the foundation of the earliest instruction given.
We need not be surprised, therefore, to find that some of this
teaching has survived ; the wonder is, rather, that any man
should have completely forgotten it.
78
THE POWER OF BELIEF
If we look at the matter more closely we shall readily

understand why the first precept of the law of love should be
forgotten sooner than the second. The evil results attending
a violation of the second law are immediately apparent. It is
hardly possible for society to hold together at all without at
least some faint recognition of neighbourly love. By love and
co-operation how much may be produced ? By hatred and
competition how much can be destroyed ? Any pagan
philosopher might see this truth, and when it comes to us
with the force of an authoritative command any man of
intelligence will endorse its excellence. Individual selfishness
often violates the law, and society falls far short of the ideal;
nevertheless the beauty of the ideal is admitted, and
reformers urge men to follow it.
It is far different with the first and greater law of love.
The evil consequences of neglect are not so immediately
apparent, and men may forget in a single generation. This
great law, to love God with all the heart, was repeatedly
impressed upon the Israelites and as often forgotten. We need
not be surprised to find that Gentiles have been equally
remiss. Any general rule of human conduct which will be
beneficial to others will be equally good for us. Even a far-
seeing selfishness might bid men put a check on their natural
greed. The selfish desire to safeguard their own persons and
property might induce them to inculcate principles of justice
and respect for the rights of others. But the more abstract
question of love for God does not come home to us in the same
practical way.
Our religious instincts may be satisfied by a form of
worship of our own devising. Human sentiment is easily
suited, and unless men bring reason to bear upon the issue,
they will be content to give no practical manifestation of love
for God except in so far as it is expressed by their attitude
towards each other. Some openly contend that this is all that
is needed, but surely no one claiming to be a Christian can
take such a narrow view of human responsibilities. Two pre-
cepts of the law of love were given ; Jesus quotes two ; and if
79
one should be esteemed greater than the other, surely the

place of honour must be given to the first. A little considera-
tion will show that this is infallibly true. The first command,
to love the Lord with all the heart, includes all other
commands. No sin can be named which does not violate this
fundamental law. It is not only broken by sinful acts, it is
transgressed even by the thought of evil, for if vain or evil
thoughts find places in our minds the love of God is in that
measure banished. The apostle John uses very uncom-
promising language on this point. He declares that a man
who professes love for God while hating his brother man, is
a liar. But while it is not possible for men to love God and
hate their neighbours, it is quite possible for them to love
their neighbours and hate Gkxl. To love God with all the
heart is the first command, and all other laws are simply
elaborations and explanations of this. To love our neighbour
is an important part, but it is not the whole. Men seeing that
love for humanity is one way of expressing love for God, have
deceived themselves as to the state of their feelings. With a
childish narrowness of view they have judged everything by
its apparent value to humanity, and perceiving that love for
God requires good fellowship among themselves, have
supposed that their love and obedience is sufficiently expressed
if they observe those items of divine law from the observance
of which they themselves will benefit. Hence they give heed
to those doctrines and commands which affect our attitude
towards each other, and neglect those which only affect our
attitude towards God.
It is almost disconcerting to find professors of Christi-
anity openly advocating such an attitude. A few weeks ago,
chance threw me into contact with a clergyman, and in the
course of conversation, I suggested that one of the greatest
faults of the present age was that men presumed to pick and
choose between divine laws, only heeding those commands
which were obviously beneficial to humanity. He replied
that those were the important laws, and that an agnostic or
atheistic socialist, who loved his fellows, was a better man
80
THE POWER OP BELIEF
than a professor of Christianity who did not. I agreed that an

honest man was always better than a hypocrite, but pointed
out that to be Christian meant to love and obey Christ in all
things, and not simply to obey him when his commands
accorded with the obvious interests of humanity. I cited
baptism as a case in point, where men had presumed to
change the ordinances of God to suit their tastes and con-
venience. Surely such matters of simple obedience were
pre-eminently the tests of our Christianity. The clergyman
made no attempt to defend the attitude of Christendom
towards baptism, but he expressed himself as very much
surprised that I should speak of such minor points as
constituting a pre-eminent test. Surely I did not mean
that.
I replied that I could not regard them as minor points,
and I certainly meant to use the word pre-eminent. The
illustrations he had cited proved the point. Our love for
mankind did not prove our love for God, since similar love
was manifested by an atheistic blasphemer ; and if men only
observed those divine commands which accorded with human
judgment, and repudiated those which were of no obvious
benefit to society, it proved that their good fellowship had a
merely human foundation, and did not manifest love for God.
He then suggested that in the matter of baptism, obedience
would seem to have more of a selfish element in it than in the
case of service rendered to our neighbours ; for we should
help our neighbours for their sake, while we should be
baptized to secure salvation for ourselves. I replied that even
taking the matter at his estimate, we are still helping our
neighbours by doing right ourselves, and on a higher plane of
action. The good things of this world go by competition, and
the success of one man deposes another ; but in spiritual
things it is different. We help others by helping ourselves,
and there is no destructive competition. I should prefer,
however, to look at the matter from a higher standpoint, and
to regard baptism as a simple expression of loving obedience.
A Christian should unhesitatingly place God first and obey
81
His laws because they are His laws, and not simply because
they are convenient and helpful to human society.
It was an interesting point, and might have kept us up
all night if we had pursued it. But what a mere scratching of
the surface ! What a tremendous issue for two mortals to
discuss in an evening's chat! And what a huge mass of
material was pressing in the background ! This question
touches the foundation cause of God's controversy with
mankind from the transgression of Eden to the end of
mortality : God must come first with all those who approach
Him. There must be no interference of human convenience,
no offering of strange fire before the Lord. Men speak in
these days of their advanced views, and think they are
drawing nearer to Christ because they have learned from him
some simple lessons in political economy. They ignore those
of his commands which offer no obvious profit for the life
that now is. A reputed minister of religion will thus com-
promise with a blaspheming Socialist, and say, " We agree
on the most important points, since we should both like to
see the hungry fed". They only disagree on the question of
whether it is right to worship God or curse Him ! What kind
of worship is it which can regard such a difference as
immaterial ? God is just, and men who concentrate their
attention on the service of humanity by no means lose their
reward. The affairs of temporal life engross their attention,
and the affairs of temporal life will be their portion.
If we desire to help each other on a higher plane than
this and prepare to meet our God, we must not pick and
choose from among the commands and doctrines of the
Bible. In order to escape the contagion of infidelity it maybe
necessary to give most attention to that which is most
despised, and bring reason to bear most closely on those
doctrines which are most unpopular. Closer examination
will make it increasingly evident that all the first principles
of the truth perform a part in the ordering of our lives, and in
the great work of preparation. The reason that some of these
doctrines have been regarded as unimportant and far
82
THE POWER OF BELIEF
removed from moral precept is simply because they affect

our attitude towards God and not towards man. And in all
generations the first great law has been the first to be
forgotten.
CHAPTER III
THE FOUNDATION OF MORALITY
T HE influence of human philosophy must be numbered

among the thorns which sometimes choke the Word
and prevent our final preparation for the kingdom of
God. It is always difficult to resist fashions, whether in
clothes or theology, and when we think we are quite un-
moved by the stream, it often only means that we are lagging
a little way behind.
The error mentioned in our last chapter—the tendency
to ignore any of God's commands which offer no obvious
benefit to humanity, is indeed nothing new. It is as old as the
human race. This generation is, however, giving it a new
emphasis, and there is perhaps some danger that we may be
unconsciously influenced to go at least part of the way with
polite and cultured serpents.
Surely there was never an age when commands which do
not appeal to human reason were rejected so openly as at the
present. Ministers of religion congratulate themselves on the
" triumph of common sense over the bondage of form and
custom". They rejoice to see that attention is being concen-
trated on the service of humanity, and that the mind of man
is shaking itself free from the shackles of laws and statutes.
The gulf between the church and unbelief is being bridged so
rapidly, that perhaps, before long, confession of faith in the
Bible will be the surest sign of heresy, while the question of
83
right and wrong will be determined solely by the fashion of

the age.
With loose ideas expressed so freely, it becomes necessaiy
to examine foundations, and to make sure that thorns are
torn up by the roots.
If a man denies the existence of God, he cannot logically
contend that it is possible for human beings to sin. If he
admits the Creator into his philosophy, but not divine revela-
tion, he is in a very similar difficulty. There are very few
men, however, who dare to accept this logical conclusion, and
most deniers of God will argue for a code of morals. Many
who admit the existence of the Creator, and simply repudiate
revelation, seem to be unaware that their position is attended
with difficulty. They cling to a portion of the law God has
given to man, and fail to perceive that they have stripped it
of all authority.
Sir Oliver Lodge, who expresses these modern ideas as
well as any man, has delivered an opinion on the matter of
free will and sin. He pointed out that reasoning power and
intellect upheld volition and capacity to choose between one
course and another. In exactly such proportion as men were
free to do good, they necessarily were also free to reject it,
and when they knew what was right, and deliberately chose
that which was evil, they committed sin.
All this is very true, and, we may add, very elementary.
But for those who repudiate revelation the question arises—
What is right ? What is the standard of good and evil ? Any
reply to these questions would probably simply be a re-echo
of the second great law of love. It is right to act with due
regard for the well-being of our neighbours, and arising out
of this law, on the negative side, it is wrong to kill, or to steal,
or to bear false witness.
But, we may ask, is it always wrong to kill and steal ? Or
are men at liberty to determine for themselves whether killing
is sinful or virtuous ? Is it wrong to kill a neighbour in our
own country, but right to build huge engines of destruction to
84
slay neighbours across the Channel ? Does the law of love

end with men of our own nation, or with men of our own
colour, or with the human race as a whole, or does it extend
to all living creatures ? When is it wrong to steal and kill,
and how do we know that it is wrong at all ?
Perhaps this last question would raise a storm of protest
in some quarters. It is so obvious that robbery and murder
are wrong, that we ought not to raise such a question. The
point of the question lies in the fact that there are so many
other obvious truths completely ignored, and it is only by
penetrating to the hidden foundations that we can ascertain
how much of the original plan of the building has been
abandoned. I would like to force this issue on the minds of
all who are capable of exercising their reason. When a
modern thinker accepts the doctrine of evolution and
repudiates revelation, how can he give us an authoritative
moral code ?
He believes that the human race has come into existence
by a long process of evolution, in which natural selection has
played the principal part. More creatures have been born
than could survive ; this has led to a struggle for existence,
and survival of those most suited to their environment.
Sometimes the strong have killed the weak in actual conflict,
sometimes the determining factor has been a scarcity of food,
sometimes the struggle has been to find a mate. In all cases,
those best equipped by nature have triumphed over the unfit.
The strong have taken more of the good things of life than
they needed and the weak have been deprived of the very
means of life. In other words, according to this theory, the
human race has been produced by a law of killing and
stealing, and development to a higher standard still depends
upon the continuation of these principles.
Darwin, more consistent than many of his followers,
openly maintained that it would be a mistake for charity and
human pity to interfere too much with the law of struggle
which sends the weakest to the wall. Other scientists have
raised the same point as a serious objection to Socialism, and
85
the authority of these critics was sufficient to provoke a reply

from one of the latest dreamers of Utopia. Mr. H. G. Wells,
in his book, Mew Worlds for Old (published 1908), devotes
several pages to this objection. Mr. Wells apparently accepts
the evolution theory as a demonstrated fact, and in answering
this particular criticism he speaks of it as " the difficulty of
the mind that realizes clearly the nature of the biological
process". Yet his reply is tantamount to a denial of the first
principles of Darwinism.
He points out that natural selection can only preserve
those most capable of surviving, and not the fittest from any
moral or aesthetic point of view. He then quotes statistics to
show that the finest children are produced in periods of low
infant mortality ; and when the struggle for life is sufficiently
severe to kill the weak, it will also tend to weaken the strong.
It is a most interesting admission to those who have given
any attention to the teachings of Darwin and his followers,
but it certainly shows a lack of harmony between their
scientific conceptions and the first principles of morality.
The matter can be pressed rather more closely than this.
If a man says that God has given us no revelation of His will,
and that nature is the only guide we have, he surely should be
punctilious in his observance of those few matters in which
nature gives us an obvious rule of life. Man has discovered
some vices which are palpably unnatural. Those vices must
be repudiated if a rejector of God is to have a moral code at
all. If those vices are avoided and men live natural lives, they
will be healthy and they will increase in number.
Individual childlessness may simply indicate individual
misfortune ; but national childlessness is a sure sign of
national degeneration. There is probably not a doctor, or
philosopher, or statesman in all the world who would deny
this proposition. The rate of increase will vary according to
the conditions of life ; but when human beings are most
healthy and leading the most natural lives, then they will
multiply the quickest.
This question of increasing population presents a prob-

lem in connection with both the past and future. It has been
proved that all that can be ascertained regarding the probable
rate of human increase, favours the Bible representation of the
case. Many people are somewhat startled when their attention
tion is first drawn to the evidence of figures. At first sight one
would think that it would be difficult to account for the
present population of the world at anything like the usual
rate of increase. In the controversies of some years ago it was
shown that if the human race had doubled itself but once in
one hundred years, and this rate of progress had been
sustained from the days of Noah until now, the eight people
who came out of the ark would now be represented by a
family many times greater than the present population of the
world.
When there was abundance of food, and conditions of
life were healthy, the increase of population would be much
more rapid than this ; at other times checks would intervene
and thus reduce the average. After making an ample allow-
ance for warfare, pestilence, and all causes of destruction,
however, the present population of the world is quite con-
sistent with the Bible record, and, on the face of it at
least, glaringly out of harmony with the views of Gentile
philosophers.
What is the answer of those who claim that our ancestors
were on the earth hundreds of thousands of years ago ? They
reply at once that the struggle for existence was very much
keener than we suppose, and whenever a country became so
thickly peopled as to make food scarce, a devastating war
would follow, and the weaker tribes would be driven from
their lands or exterminated. In other words, according to
this view of the case, men have been on the earth so long, that
apart from special checks the population at the present time
would have been a million times greater than it is, and life
could not have been supported. This disaster, however, has
been prevented by a long course of killing and stealing,
growing more severe when competition was keener. It seems
87
rather strange for people who hold this view to claim that
they derive a humanitarian moral code from the teaching
of nature !
The case, however, presents even greater difficulties than
this. The man who denies that God has ever interfered with
human affairs in the past, repudiates the idea that the future
of the earth will be subject to divine control. If, then, men
live healthy, natural lives, and the population of the earth is
doubled, say every two centuries, what prospect does the
future offer ? In another three thousand years there would be
about fifty billion people in the world, and if we extended the
calculation to such periods as are contemplated by scientists
the figures produced would be utterly appalling.
But even this fails to express the whole difficulty. All
scientists seem to agree that the earth cannot be expected to
sustain life for ever. Some think that the power of the sun
will eventually fail, and after restricting the area of possible
life more and more to the equator, will at last cut it off
altogether. A recently expressed idea—probably based on
observations of Mars—is that the water supply of the earth
will fail before the sun loses its power, and living creatures
will perish from thirst. In the one case there would be a last
frantic struggle for warm lands ; in the other case, for well-
watered lands.
In what part of nature do the advocates of such theories
find the commands : Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal,
or thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself? Amidst all the
confusion of tongues in the world there is nothing more
grotesquely illogical than the attitude of the atheistic
evolutionist who poses as a humanitarian, and teaches the
universal brotherhood of man. If men and beasts come from
a common ancestry how can it be proved wrong to make
slaves of negroes, but right to make slaves of horses ? If the
law of nature is the law of battle how can it be proved wrong
to kill and steal ? If human life and human propagation are
to go on for ever, how can humanitarian principles be
88
sustained ? Nations grow too large for their homelands and

they seize some of the fairest spots of earth for further
development. The aborigines resent the intrusion and are
slain or subdued. Great nations grow, and encroach upon
each other's borders, their interests clash and their animosities
are aroused. They perhaps avoid the horrors of war as long
as they can, not because they think it is wrong to take the
sword, but because they know it is painful. The strain grows
greater until at last one side perceives a favourable opportu-
nity, offering almost a certainty of success. Then the blow is
struck and with a frenzy of patriotic enthusiasm, they kill
and steal.
The heart of the Socialist is often better than his head.
There is something within man which rebels against this
conclusion, but it cannot be resisted. If God had never given
a revelation of His will to man there would be no standard of
right and wrong, except the standard of human fashion ; and
if the atheistic conception of the past and future of the earth
were correct, even the most elementary principles of human
righteousness would be at last impracticable. Nature would
be the lawgiver, and nature would say, " Thou shalt kill and
steal, or thou shalt quickly perish from off the land".
Perhaps there are some earnest people in these days who
would feel shocked at this exposition. One might say, " I
have frowned on the poor man who steals pheasants from a
landowner's preserves, and I have shouted with enthusiasm
when the army of my country went forth to seize the land of
an enemy. Is it, after all, a matter of fashion ? Is there no
real standard of right and wrong ? "
Yes, there is a standard ; so simple and complete that
the only marvel is that it can be so neglected. AH things
everywhere belong to God, and sin is, as the Bible defines it,
" the transgression of the law". When God says, " Thou
shalt not kill", it is wrong to kill; if He says, " Slay, and
spare not", it is wrong to save alive. If God tells His servants
to seize property which is in the possession of others, it is not
89
stealing, though the world might so call it. It is simply a

redistribution of His own property. The commands of Christ
would not be practicable if applied to an everlasting world of
multiplying mortals ; but they are practicable for his friends
who for a "little while" must endure a soul-refining probation.
To " fear God and keep his commandments", is " the
whole duty of man", and in that idea we have the foundation
of all morality and all good. It is so simple that it seems
almost an insult to human intelligence to labour the point,
yet it has been so much neglected that even advocates of
Christianity have followed secularists in trying to find another
foundation for a more limited moral code, and the only other
basis they can find is human fashion. If we desired to prepare
to meet our fellow man, human fashion would be the best
guide, but if we desire to prepare for that far higher society
which will only admit those who are made partakers of the
divine nature, our foundation must be the law of God.
Our repudiation of mere human standards will lead to
some conclusions far removed from human philosophy,
startling to those who do not understand, and perhaps not
quite realized by many who have learned the first principles
of the oracles of God. And perhaps a clear statement of these
conclusions may be interesting even to those who have for
long realized them, and who have helped the present writer
to a perception of the truth.
CHAPTER IV
DEGREES OF GUILT
I T is usual to judge the heinousness of a sin solely with

reference to its effect on humanity.
Even those who have grasped the principle that sin
is the transgression of God's law, almost always fall into the
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DEGREES OF GUILT
error of supposing that the worst sin must be the one which
most harms our neighbours ; and from this assumption it is
not a very long step to an attitude of toleration or indifference
towards all sins which do not appear harmful to anyone.
This might be reasonable in the case of nations God has
not known. When such nations have been so wicked as to
evoke a special act of divine retribution, their cup of iniquity
has been filled with sins which were not only dishonouring to
the Creator, but also obviously harmful and degrading to
human society. In such cases, perhaps the ordinary human
method of assessment is not far wrong.
When people claim to be servants of God, however, they
must employ a higher standard. It is true that some sins are
more serious than others, but the comparison must not be
made by reference simply to the well-being of humanity.
There are some transgressions for which God has in a special
sense expressed His abhorrence, and which may therefore be
regarded as exceptionally offensive. Apart from this, the
depth of a man's guilt is determined, not by reference to the
degree of harm he does to other men, but by the degree of
deliberateness with which the law is violated. In other words,
sins of presumption are always worse than "sins of infirmity".
All reasonable people will see the truth of this proposi-
tion when it is expounded, although they often lose sight of it.
It is perhaps seen most clearly on a lower plane of action. It
is recognized by almost everyone that children should obey
their parents, and that when this rule is not observed domestic
life assumes a very ugly shape. All reflective minds will
perceive that when punishment for disobedience is admin-
istered, it should be meted out in relation solely to the
disobedience and not be affected by the chance effects of
transgression.
Nothing could be more demoralizing than for children
to be taught that disobedience did not signify so long as no
evident harm was done. Yet how often we see parents taking
a course which will inevitably give this impression. A child
is perhaps meddling with some ornaments which should not
91
be touched. The mother commands him to leave them alone,

and come away. The mandate has to be repeated several
times, perhaps with threats, and it may be that in the end
obedience is only secured by some kind of bribe. The child is
not punished, though richly deserving. But now, on the other
hand, suppose that, without any deliberate disobedience of
this nature, the child, turning to come away at the first
command, chances to break one of the most precious of the
ornaments. The parent becomes a perfect fury, and the
erring child is punished with the utmost severity.
Doubtless we have all seen such exhibitions of incom-
petence and lack of self-control on the part of ignorant and
undisciplined people, and doubtless we can all agree that it is
most deplorable. The child should not be punished for an
accident, but should be taught that prompt obedience is the
first virtue, and deliberate disobedience is a deadly sin,
whether ornaments are broken or not.
This illustration is worthy of attentive consideration, for
it is probable that for every ten people who can perceive the
true bearings of this law in the matter of obedience to human
parents, only one can see it in reference to the laws of God.
There is such a deeply ingrained tendency to judge all things
from the point of view of humanity—to lay the whole
emphasis on the second of the two fundamental laws of love—
that it required a great effort to break away from the tradition.
Yet the attitude of such people is only a shade less
narrow-minded than that of the undisciplined mother they
condemn. She takes no notice of the mere act of disobedience
because the evil result is not immediately apparent. The
broken ornament, on the other hand, was of value, and will
cost money to replace.
Many modern theologians reason in a similar narrow
groove. The neglect of the Bible, the rejection of such an
ordinance as baptism, produces no immediate and evident
harm to humanity ; but to kill or steal does. Wherefore they
condone the offences analogous to the deliberate disobedience
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DEGREES OF GUILT
of the child, and only condemn those analogous to the

breaking of an ornament.
A little deeper reasoning would in each case lead to the
conclusion that the act of disobedience is the sin, and not the
accidental results which may accrue ; and although in some
cases disobedience may not be productive of immediate and
obvious harm to humanity, a terrible retribution comes at
last. In the one case we have the hateful spectacle of an
unruly, selfish, worthless family ; in the other case, a godless,
worthless race. Sin is the transgression of God's law ; and the
more deliberate the disobedience, the more serious the sin.
The full apprehension of this fact will explain much in
the Bible that has been a cause of stumbling. The Israelites
complained that the way of the Lord was not equal, and
many modern critics have re-echoed the charge. Thus they
have pointed out that David, who committed a sin of the
blackest character, was not only forgiven, but was permitted
to retain the kingdom, and is even held up as an example. In
earlier times Achan, and all confederates with him, were
stoned for an offence which did harm to no one ; while still
earlier a man was stoned, at the express command of the
Lord, simply because he went out gathering sticks on the
Sabbath day.
The man who reasons according to the flesh sees
inequality in this. He points out that David, in spite of his
great possessions and his privileges, became a robber, an
adulterer, and almost a murderer, yet he is held up as an
example. Achan's offence was to save some treasure which
should have been destroyed and he did no harm to any man :
yet he was not given a chance of repentance. As for the man
who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day, the modern critic is
shocked at the idea of such an act being punished with death.
What possible harm could it do to gather a few sticks ? No
man would be any the worse for it, society was not menaced,
no one was wronged. Why this strange disparity, this severity
towards a trifling error and leniency towards an atrocious
crime ?
93
•CONVICTION AND CONDUCT
Such questions indicate that the critics are imbued with

something of the perversity that caused the offences in
question. In effect they say, "We are human beings. The
world was made for human beings. Where is the harm in
doing anything which is no detriment to our fellows ? What
is the good of doing anything which is of no benefit to anyone? "
One who has grasped the elementary principles already
enunciated will immediately see the answer to the apparent
paradox. They will make no attempt to justify David, whose
sin was as black as the Bible describes it, but they will
recognize that his sin was distinctly one arising from the
weakness of the flesh, and not from a deliberate intention to
flout the law of God. It was otherwise with the man who
gathered sticks on the Sabbath day. A strict command to
hallow the Sabbath, and do no manner of servile work on
that day, had just been given. There was no temptation to
break the law in this manner. The offender could not
possibly plead that he was assailed by a great temptation to
gather sticks, and in a moment of weakness succumbed. The
same may be said, with very little qualification, regarding the
sin of Achan. There may have been some temptation to save
a goodly garment, or to appropriate for himself some of the
silver and gold ; but it was such temptation as would not be
felt at all by a man who had the fear of God before his eyes ;
and in view of the fact that a special command had been given
regarding this particular occasion, the transgression was
tantamount to a deliberate despising of the law. The distinc-
tion is between sins which arise from the weakness of the
flesh and sins which arise from the perversity of the spirit.
When the spirit is willing, and the heart is inclined to God,
much of the weakness of the flesh may be forgiven ; but
when the spirit is perverse, and the heart rebels against God,
how can it be possible for the great breach to be healed ?
The enunciation of this principle should provide much
material for serious thought, and induce men to ask them-
selves whether they are paying heed to all divine laws simply
because of their duty to the Creator or whether they pick and
94
DEGREES OF GUILT
choose according to the dictates of human fashion. Unfor-

tunately reflections on these elementary principles often take
another form. A man will sometimes say to himself—indeed
we have heard it openly suggested—that as David was
forgiven his sin, and it is evident that God makes much
allowance for human weakness, surely we in these days shall
be excused for doing such and such things.
These fleshly reasoners fail to perceive that by the very
fact of their indulging such reflections they move the trans-
gression of fleshly weakness into the category of deliberate
despising of God's law. If David, previous to his trans-
gression, had deliberately reasoned the matter out and
concluded that since God had shown mercy in other cases, it
might be worth while to undertake the risk of sinning, we
should never have heard of him as an example of rectitude.
In all probability he would have been treated with the
severity shown to other despisers and wilful transgressors of
the law.
When a sin has been committed, and the transgressor,
with a repentant humility, pleads for pardon, it is doubtless
comforting to know that other servants of God have sinned
and have been forgiven ; but all our efforts must be to shape
our lives in accordance with the commands and examples
held up for our guidance, and to avoid the stumbling stones
over which others have fallen. If a man reverses this process
and is encouraged to do evil by the contemplation of great
offences which have been forgiven, he becomes a perverse
despiser of that which is good, and can no longer plead the
weakness of the flesh. Let him set his face like a flint to do the
will of God ; let him strive to keep his body under and bring
it into subjection, and after all his effort he will stand in very
much need of forgiveness.
There is, however, no need to labour this point here. We
desire not to find how little we need do to prepare ourselves^
but how much we can do. We see clearly enough that the
first great law of love has been greatly neglected by humanity*
and that, as a consequence, an artificial severance has been
95
made between first principles of doctrine and first principles

of morality. We see clearly that the foundation of all
morality is the law of God, and that, from the point of view of
the atheist, it cannot even be proved wrong to kill and steal.
We see that a deliberate violation of the law of God excludes
from divine favour, even though it may be on what seems a
trivial issue from the standpoint of self-centred man.
A clear perception of these elementary truths is not
without value in the work of preparation. It is true with
regard to all first principles, that a very thorough grounding
is of great advantage when the time comes to leave the
foundation and push on to perfection.
CHAPTER V
FIRST PRINCIPLES IN ACTION
W HEN the apostle speaks of leaving first principles of

the doctrine of Christ, and pushing on to perfection,
he does not imply that when we have secured a mental
grasp of these elements they require no further thought. His
complaint was against those who were continually discussing,
and questioning their foundations, and who, at a time when
they ought to have been teachers, had need that one should
teach them again what were the first principles of the Oracles
of God.
He desired that they should be grounded and settled on
such points, in order that they might gain a knowledge of the
deeper and more subtle matters he was prepared to expound
to them. Pushing on to perfection also implies a practical
application of doctrine in the working out of character, and
the ordering of our daily life. It is possible for a man to spend
so much mental energy in discussing and re-discussing the
96
simple elements of truth, that he never puts what he has

learned into practical effect, and probably this is why some
people have drawn a fictitious distinction between matters of
morality and what have been called " mere questions of
doctrine." As we have previously stated, sound doctrine is
the foundation of sound morality, and right action is simply
right doctrine in practice. The time has now come to consider
this idea in greater detail.
When we say that all men are of one blood, and that they
have certain rights which must be considered, we propound
a doctrine. All professing Christians will acknowledge the
truth of this, and, except when human selfishness interferes
with duty, they endeavour to carry the principle into effect.
There is no need to argue the case so far as our attitude
towards man is concerned, for everyone can see how much
depends on the doctrines which lie at the foundation. What
is needed is a careful examination of the first principles,
which are generally dismissed as " mere matters of doctrine,"
and which are supposed not to affect our walk in life. There
is need for a clearing away of clouds in connection with this
matter.
To begin the exposition, we may confidently affirm that
the worship of God is a part of morality. It seems almost
absurd to propound such a truism ; but we are living in an
age when it has become necessary. Even some religious
people have come perilously near regarding the question
whether God exists or not as " a mere matter of doctrine."
Try to imagine a State in which regard was paid to the
rights of humanity, and the law of neighbourly love observed,
but in which there was no worship of God. "A Godless Soc-
ialism," indeed, in which all the members were unfettered by
tradition and unchecked by public opinion. Who could say
that such a community had held to morality and only dis-
carded " mere questions of doctrine " ? As a matter of fact,
the relation, in connection with which the words moral and
immoral are used most frequently, obviously turns not on a
question of animal rights, but on a question of divine law ;
97
and many Socialists are even now openly repudiating the law,
despite the present fetters of tradition and public opinion.
Presuming then, that worship is admitted to constitute
an important element of morality, where is the line to be
drawn by one who deprecates doctrine ? Would anyone
suggest that while it is a fundamental principle of morality
that we should worship, it is immaterial whether we worship
the true God or not ? Probably no one would venture to
draw such a distinction, and so we see on this point how
inseparable is doctrine from morality. Knowledge of the true
God is the foundation, and acceptable worship the super-
structure. Reverence for a false conception of God is doubt-
less better than no reverence at all, but simply on the prin-
ciple that a little light is better than total darkness. A
complete knowledge of the truth is the root from which may
grow a complete morality.
We may next consider the nature of man. When the
elements of this subject have been argued and the evidence of
man's mortality has been pressed home to some of our
friends, they have often said, Well, after all, I cannot see that
it makes much difference. 11 is a mere matter of doctrine, and
does not affect the way in which we order our lives. If we do that
which is right we shall be none the worse for having thought
we were immortal, even should your views prove correct.
We could hardly imagine a more deplorable error than
this. It is another instance of throwing the whole emphasis
on the second law of love, and ignoring the greater command
to love and fear God. A false conception of man's relation-
ship towards his fellow-man affects the law of human love and
duty, and the evil effects are immediately apparent. A false
conception of our nature affects our love and fear of God, and
society may remain indifferent to the results. The pagan
doctrine of the immortality of the soul probably affects man's
attitude towards his fellows very little indeed, but its effect
on his attitude towards God is utterly disastrous.
He cannot approach the throne of grace in the right
spirit. He cannot " humble himself beneath the mighty hand
98
55
of God . He cannot " seek for immortality". He cannot
" discern the Lord's body", and he cannot place himself in
the right attitude to receive the "free gift of eternal life".
This false doctrine affects every fibre of his life, and con-
sciously or unconsciously, dominates his whole being. While
a mortal man cherishes the conviction that he is immortal,
that his personality must necessarily enter into all eternal
calculations, that he is already a " partaker of the divine
nature", although he perhaps knows nothing and cares
nothing about the great and precious promises God has
given, it is impossible for him to approach the throne of grace
in a right spirit. He fails even when judged by the simplest of
standards. He may " do justly", and " love mercy", but he
cannot " walk humbly with his God". He might, indeed,
give an appearance of humility to his fellow-man, but there
could not possibly be a genuine humility before God. The
very thought involved when this doctrine is believed offers a
standing insult to heaven, and forbids acceptable worship.
It is impossible to emphasize this argument by the use of
an effective illustration. An illustration can only fulfil its
purpose when it slightly exaggerates, or when it presents a
similar relationship of ideas on another plane of action, and
thus exhibits incongruities which in the issue under con-
sideration had been unperceived. When men reach the pro-
foundest depths of ignorant presumption in their approaches
to the Most High, it is impossible to find a parallel, and any
attempt at illustration would be feeble. It is possible, how-
ever, to see some of the effects of this doctrine ; and perhaps
no better example can be cited than that of a famous English
poet, who held the doctrine of man's natural immortality
with such ardour that he spoke of the matter in this way :
" If I have not an immortal soul, then there is no God, but a
mocking fiend has made us. I would shake my fist in his
Almighty face, and tell him that I cursed him ! "
" What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ? "
Walk humbly indeed ! Here is a result of Platonic food !
99
A poet, who was supposed to be a great instructor of the

people, and who probably turned out more shallow senti-
mentality than any other man of his generation, loses his
temper when his immortality is called in question ; and,
instead of humbling himself beneath the mighty hand of
God, indulges in this wild and foolish blasphemy. He was
ready to " curse God and die " before the adversary had even
menaced his possessions.
This, however, is merely the negative side of the issue.
It is easy to see that a false and flattering doctrine regarding
our nature has an enormous effect upon our walk before God.
It is easy to see that the Platonic doctrine has so inflated
human pride, that a man can never make any substantial
advance until this extension of the serpent's lie has been
abandoned. But the question may be raised, " How does an
appreciation of the truth regarding our nature help us to
prepare for the great day of judgment ? "
There is some danger that we may lose sight of the im-
portance of first principles in the work of preparation. We
learn that man is mortal as one of our first lessons, when we
begin to study the Bible. It is one of the principal issues in all
our early arguments. The nature of man is regarded as a nice,
simple subject for a young speaker, and more advanced ex-
ponents of the truth are often disposed to fight shy of it.
If the mortality of man is mentioned in an exhortation, or if
it is emphasized in a week-night meeting convened for the
brethren and sisters, it is generally considered that the time
might be spent more profitably than in the exposition of
such elementary matters.
This feeling may be justifiable, yet there is a distinct
element of danger in it. There is a danger that having once
learned the first principles of truth, one should lose sight of
their bearing on the development of character. There is a
great difference between discussing what are the principles of
the doctrine of Christ, and building on those first principles.
Those who fail to realize this are in danger of failing to
100
derive any benefit from the truths they have accepted, and
their doctrines will be as dead as faith without works.
Here is a young man, perhaps, who has thoroughly
mastered the bearings of the controversy as to the nature of
man. He has passages of Scripture dealing with the subject
at his finger ends. He knows the best that can be said for the
Platonic theory and—if the whole truth should be exposed—
he rather enjoys the effort of pulling that theory to pieces.
At the time we meet him, we will suppose that he has just
encountered an opponent, and has been even more successful
than usual in the discussion. While the subject is fresh in his
memory, we will take up the subject and deal with it in rather
a different way.
You have just concluded a dispute with a disciple of
Plato who thought that he was also a follower of Christ. You
have completely refuted his arguments, placed evidence
before him which he could not pretend to answer, and he has
retired, feeling very uncomfortable. You are smiling with a
certain feeling of satisfaction at your success. We are quite
agreed that man is a creature of the dust, under sentence of
death because of sin ; so leaving the elementary argument of
the case let us look at the moral bearings of this truth.
Do you quite realize all that is involved in the fact which
you have just demonstrated ? It is very much easier to prove
that other men are mortal than it is to realize that you are
mortal yourself. You have an animal body with two legs and
two arms. You are made of soft flesh on a framework of bone,
and although your body comprises many wonderful organs,
they would all soon decay apart from the animating principle
of life. All that you know, or think you know, of history or
philosophy is locked up in your skull, and if that were
suddenly destroyed it would cut a thought in two and send
you back to the dreamless sleep from whence you came. You
may lay your finger on your pulse, and as you count the
throbs think that the existence of the universe, so far as it has
any meaning for you, depends upon that regular pulsation,
and if in days of darkness the heart had grown tired and ceased
101
its work, all would have been over at once, and for ever.
You may think of millions of human beings who have
lived in the past, each with personality as distinct as your
own, and realizing the fact of man's mortality, you may read
a lesson from a skull, far more effective than the ordinary
homily of Gentile philosophy. You may calculate the possi-
bilities with generations yet unborn, and feel staggered at
the figures which multiply so readily, and the pictures they
conjure up of mountains of human flesh.
Even this does not set the limit, for in rebuking the
Pharisees and showing how futile it is to place confidence in
the flesh, and the dignities of pedigree, John the Baptist
said : " Think not to say within yourselves, We have
Abraham for our father ; for I say unto you, that God is able
from these stones, to raise up children unto Abraham".
And why should any man stumble at this saying ? The
thought in the abstract is not more wonderful than the
manner in which nations are raised from mother earth.
Think of some fruitful land, where man has never been, and
consider the changes wrought by time, remembering the
while that time is only relative, and the whole history of man
is not a fraction of eternity. A few hardy settlers go to the
uninhabited country. A few ticks of the clock, and the land
is overcrowded. The introduction of human life has turned
thousands of tons of clay into mortal human flesh, like unto
you ! It is like the almost magical production of maggots in
a favourable environment.
Now, while thinking of yourself in this light, and fully
realizing the truth regarding your own nature, recall to mind
some passages of Scripture. " God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."
It is an intellectual pleasure to contemplate the harmony,
the order and the logic which appear everywhere in the
Bible when the eyes are open to the truth regarding ourselves.
" Not perish, but have everlasting life." We belong to a
perishing race, and, apart from this divine interference,
102
would pass away like the beasts of the field, whose founda-
tion, like ours, is in the clay. But do not stop at this intellec-
tual pleasure. Regard the first words as well, and you will see
that just as the neglected part of this passage is given a new
meaning by the truth, so the oft-quoted part is given a new
emphasis. What rights are possessed by the common elements
of clay around us ? The breath of God, either directly or in-
directly, acts upon them, and a vast army of men and women
rise to life and vigour, to work and play, love and hate, rejoice
and sorrow. They are made from the earth, which is the
Lord's, animated by the breath of God, and eating the fruits
He has made. You are one of the crowd, and what rights
have you more than the elements from which you spring, or
of what value are you more than the myriads who might be ?
With such thoughts as these quote the passage regarding
the love of God, and the truth will reveal as much new mean-
ing in its appeal to the heart as to the head. Christ loved us
and gave himself for us. " Fear not, little flock, it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." He has
given us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these
we might be partakers of His own nature. Such an offer as
this to creatures of the dust, who in the exercise of the volition
He has given them, have all transgressed His law ! Truly the
goodness of God is great towards those that fear Him. The
old platitudes of Christendom may be re-quoted, and they
are platitudes no longer, but are filled with a meaning un-
suspected by Gentile philosophers.
The follower of Plato, honoured, flattered, loaded with
wealth and every delight of the sons of men, talked of shaking
his fist in the face of the Almighty if his desires were
unfulfilled.
The humble servant of God, who recognized that if he
had died in infancy he would have been as though he had not
been, stripped of all his possessions and stricken with disease,
said, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him".
Argue your case with all the force you can bring to bear
upon it, but be humble even in that. Derive full satisfaction
103
from the perfect harmony established between various parts

of the word by the simple truth, and the light it throws on
the constitution of nature, but do not allow the lesson to end
there. Attempt to realize the truth and it will reveal a view
of the goodness and condescension of God such as was never
imagined in the philosophy of Plato, and will play a part in
humbling the mind ; as great a power for good as the false
theory has been a power for evil. The truth here has its active
side, affecting us every day in our attitude towards God, and
allowing almost unlimited scope for building on the simple
foundation. We may re-state the truth to ourselves with
every appeal we read to walk worthy of our calling, and
perhaps at last through the mercy of God be sufficiently
humbled to be the subjects of a greater miracle than the
transformation of clay into mortal flesh.
CHAPTER VI
" THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF
PEACE "
W inEthatmay expect the Gospel to play an important part

the work of preparation, since the apostle declares
it is "the power of God unto salvation to every-
one that believeth". There are two senses in which the
Gospel is " the power of God unto salvation", and although
we may feel somewhat reluctant to use the words legal and
moral, since they have been subject to so much abuse, it
would nevertheless be difficult to find better expressions.
In this connection, however, the legal aspect has to do with a
law of grace. There are times when a man is technically
guilty although morally innocent, but the New Covenant
establishes a gracious law which gives forgiveness and sancti-
fication to those who are morally guilty.
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" THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE "
When a speaker or writer, with a knowledge of Bible

teaching, gives an exposition of " the Gospel as the power of
God unto salvation", he generally deals with this legal aspect
of gospel power, and practically confines his attention to that
half of the subject. He points out that all men have sinned,
and stand related to death as the wage of sin. He explains
that salvation involves change of body, a clothing with im-
mortality, a partaking of the divine nature and inheritance
of the Kingdom of God. Men are morally unfitted for such
honour, and the principle of justification by faith and im-
putation of righteousness is an act of divine mercy and con-
descension which we may without paradox describe as a law
of grace.
The intelligent expositor of scripture proceeds to show
that since God has been so merciful, it is increasingly im-
portant that men should accept the conditions offered, and
make no effort to tempt Him further. Since He has proposed
to accept our faith as righteousness, we must take care that
our faith is genuine, and that it comprehends the promises
God has actually made as the " substance of things hoped
for". These things are comprised in the good news, or Gospel,
to be heartily accepted and obeyed. The New Covenant is
more redolent of mercy than the Old, and for that very
reason it is more serious to reject or neglect it. " How shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? " or despise Him
who speaks from heaven ? The expositor of the truth has no
difficulty in showing that although the New Covenant is full
of grace and mercy, it involves somewhat of legal procedure.
It is absolutely necessary to have faith in the promises God
has made, not in the imaginations of man's heart ; and,
having accepted the " one faith", we must pass through the
ordained legal procedure in submitting to the "one baptism",
in order that we may enter the Covenant and stand within
the circle of the sin-covering Name. In this manner the
Gospel is the power of God unto salvation in giving justifica-
tion to sinners who could never justify themselves, and
105
bringing under the constitution of righteousness men whose

natural righteousness was like a clothing of filthy rags.
This is the first half of the subject, the elementary part
of a first principle. By faith in the Gospel and the obedience
of baptism, a sinner is turned into a saint—at least, in a
nominal sense ; and the power of the Gospel has been mani-
fested in its legal aspect.
There is, however, still much to be accomplished.
Having received a talent, we must use it; having been
presented with garments we must keep them clean ; having
been brought within the constitution of righteousness, we
must" work out our salvation with fear and trembling." The
question was asked in ancient times, " Wherewithal shall a
young man cleanse his way ? " And the immediate answer is,
" By taking heed thereto according to thy word."
The quotation from the epistle to the Ephesians chosen
for the heading of this chapter falls into perfect harmony
with this idea. In putting on the whole armour of God, we
must have our " feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel
of peace." Our shoes are in use every step of the way. We
are not always using the sword of the Spirit to the throwing
down of fleshly strongholds ; but we are always walking,
whether in war or peace, whether surrounded by the wicked
and assailed by fiery darts, or in the assembly of the saints
and hearing words of cheer. " Our walk in life " covers all
this experience.
It is, of course, unsafe to apply a scriptural metaphor
in greater detail than the writer intended ; but surely there
is a real significance in the figure of speech here chosen.
" The preparation of the gospel" is a part of the word of
God ; but it is the part which requires the most constant use,
and therefore the apostle puts it in a separate category, and
in his figure of a man thoroughly armed and equipped, he
places this preparation of the gospel on the feet, to be used
every step of the way. In plain language, the gospel is the
power of God unto salvation, first, by offering sanctification
to sinners who will believe and obey it; and afterwards by
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" THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE "
exercising a steady moral pressure all through life, to keep

saints in the narrow path of saintship, to help them in the
working out of their salvation, and finally prepare them to
meet their God.
The apostle Peter, writing to those who had believed in
God, and had been born again, tells them to " desire the
sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby".
Everyone who is acquainted with the context of this passage
will admit that the reference is to the gospel, or good news
of the kingdom, so that here we have an illustration of the
gospel as a power to promote growth in those who had already
been the subject of its first work of sanctification. The
Lord Jesus told his disciples to seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and the apostle Paul constantly puts
the kingdom forward in his exhortations. We are required to
remember that we are " called unto God's kingdom and
glory", that " in due time we shall reap if we faint not " ;
and in many indirect ways we are called upon to have regard
to the reward God has promised. Paul shows that even at
the end of his life this idea was still to the front in his mind,
and he looked forward to the crown of righteousness to be
given him " at that day " of the appearing and kingdom of
Christ.
We have a higher example still in this matter, for we are
told that the Lord Jesus " for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross." He looked forward to the consummation
of God's purpose, and saw glory instead of shame, joy instead
of sorrow, a righteous world in place of a wicked one, and
instead of the crowd of mocking enemies he saw a vast
assembly of adoring brethren, every one of them saved by his
sacrifice. The thought of the coming kingdom was the power
of God to help the Lord Jesus through the hour of trial, and
so will it be with all his brethren. " Fear not, little flock",
he said, " it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom."
The consideration of such testimonies is sufficient to
justify the division we have made of this subject into a legal
107
and moral aspect. If we investigate the matter rather more

closely we shall find the distinction even more clearly marked.
If we had been given no information as to the nature of the
reward God has offered, the good news of salvation might
still have been the power of God in a legal sense.
In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews a general principle
is enunciated that " those who come to God must believe that
he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek
him." Had God chosen to give us no more precise informa-
tion than is contained in this simple proposition, it might
have been made a test of faith, and baptism into such a faith
might have been constituted a test of obedience. But such
meagre information could not possibly exercise a moral
influence in any way comparable to that which the complete
picture wields. There would be such little scope for thought,
such little material for conversation. Brethren might " speak
often one to another", but they would not be able to converse
regarding the purpose of God. It would seem impious to
speculate on a subject where no information had been vouch-
safed, and thus in their efforts to serve God they would be
deprived of the tremendous moral help of a definite hope on
which to converse and ruminate.
The subject will appear in a still stronger light if we
compare the position of one who, with intelligent faith, waits
for the Kingdom of God, with the cascof a Gentile who knows
not the gospel.
We once heard of a young man who expressed his opinion
regarding Christian hopes with more candour than reverence.
He had been given to understand that the future experience
of the saints would be to sit in heaven playing on harps of
gold. " Why", he exclaimed, " I should get tired of that in a
day ! " From the point of view of some people this might
seem a most irreverent and shocking criticism to make.
Others will admit that it contains a strong element of reason.
In all seriousness, and with no unkind contempt for the mis-
guided, we may ask those who hope to go to heaven at death,
what are their expectations ? What work or occupation do
108
" THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OP PEACE "
they anticipate finding there ? What information does the

Bible give to suggest a picture to the mind ? To raise a more
practical issue, do such people in point of fact, converse, with
each other about the joys of heaven, or reflect upon their
hopes with a longing to realize them ? Is it not rather a fact
that the hope of heaven is relegated to a back place, to
administer consolation when the present life is almost
exhausted, but not to interfere with the social activities of
this mortal world ?
How different is the Hope of Israel. Instead of a vague
consolation for the hour of death it presents us with a tangible
idea which has its foundations in the history of the past, its
signs in the events of the present, and in its consummation
it will transform this earth on which we dwell. Not only so,
but in almost all ages, believers have expected an early
realization of their hopes, and have apparently been pur-
posely kept from knowing how long a time was to elapse
before the day of blessing. The hope has thus been intimately
connected with every-day life ; brethren have felt that at any
time their ordinary associations might come to an end, and
the whole course of human history be changed.
Gentile expectations of a life beyond the grave are
entirely detached from ordinary human interest, and there is
nothing in the course of every-day life to bring the purpose of
God before the mind. The hope of Israel, on the other hand,
is so intimately connected with our present experience, that
it is continually impressed upon us. It gives a new meaning
to history, and throws a new light on politics. Even the
development of science renders some assistance as giving a
faint forecast of powers of the world to come. If we see wrong
and injustice here, we know all will be rectified when Jesus
comes again, and perfect justice will prevail in the very place
which suffers the evil now. If we see warfare, and warlike
preparation, we know that just as truly as the first advent
brought an increase of strife and division, so will his second
appearance bring the promised " peace on earth". If we
look over a landscape of perfect beauty, only spoiled perhaps
109
in some part where " man marks the earth with ruin", the
Kingdom of God comes before the mind at once without an
effort. Here, where we stand, men will participate in the
promised blessing ; and perhaps our lot might fall here, and
we should come with the power of immortality to enforce the
principles we try to exemplify now. And with this thought
we perhaps experience something like a shock, and a number
of pointed questions are put to self. It brings the matter so
close home to us.
We are not left to our own imaginations. Whole books of
Scripture, which are practically meaningless to Gentiles, give
abundant information regarding the hope of Israel. We can
read, converse, reflect upon it, and then in all the experiences
of life, in our studies, our friendships, our travels, our work,
and our recreation, the kingdom of God is continually
presented to the mind.
The gospel of the kingdom was the foundation of the one
faith which first gave us justification, and if we will allow it
free scope it will exercise a steady moral pressure upon our
minds, and finally effect what could never be accomplished
by human will power or any number of " good resolutions".
It has already been the power of God to bring us within the
sin-covering Name ; it may be His power still to keep us
faithful and fit for His purpose.
The great examples already cited show us how important
is the moral help of first principles. Even in the case of the
Lord himself, it was the hope that sustained ; and the apostle
John, speaking of the fact that in the day of Christ's coming
his brethren will be like him, says, " He that hath this hope
purifieth himself even as he is pure."
If we are to be prepared for our Lord at his coming, we
must certainly allow the hope of the kingdom to exercise our
minds in all our walk through life. Our feet must be " shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace."
110
JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH
CHAPTER VII
JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR
FAITH
A MONG the first principles of truth which can be trans-

lated into action in our daily lives, the sacrifice of
Christ stands pre-eminent. It is, in fact, part of the
preparation of the gospel of peace, with which our feet must
be shod. "He is our peace", says the apostle, "who hath made
both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition;
having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances ; for to make in
himself of twain one new man, so making peace."
Again, in writing to the Romans, the same apostle says,
" Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
For the moment we are more concerned with the moral
effect of this doctrine in the preparation of those who already
understand and believe, than with what may be called the
legal aspect of its first principles. Yet here again it is simply
a matter of translating knowledge into action, or perhaps,
more still, into growth. A thorough grasp of first principles
is the necessary basis for all true development. A false con-
ception of the atonement has most obviously evil results. It is
not simply that it is the will of God for those who approach
Him to understand the meaning of Christ's sacrifice. We can
see that an appreciation of the truth has an effect in the
moulding of character, and that knowledge rightly applied
will promote growth.
The harmful effect of false doctrine is equally obvious.
If a man thinks of Christ's death as substitutional, and
imagines that the whole of his debt to God has been paid, he
cannot approach the throne of grace in an acceptable manner.
This idea of substitution and a debt discharged in full is of
one piece with the doctrine of immortal souls. It leads to the
111
monstrous caricatures of religion to be seen in connection with

death bed repentances, and sudden conversions.
Thus, the lords spiritual will agree with the civil authori-
ties that a certain man is unfit to live on earth, and yet will
think that the combined ministrations of parson and hang-
man will send him off to heaven. The cross is sometimes held
up before people, and in answer to the question, " What shall
we do ?"a preacher will reply, "Do nothing, Jesus has done
it all". Such ideas can never humble men under the mighty
hand of God, and in the end it often happens that a man so
instructed will use his reason rather more and lose his faith in
the doctrine of the atonement altogether.
In a lesser degree the minor controversies which have
arisen in connection with this matter have done a measure of
harm. Some attempts have been made to explain the sacrifice
of Christ as if it had arisen out of the complications and
technicalities of imperfect human law. God's law has been
treated as if independent of His will, and the whole subject
has been obscured.
Another evil has been the tendency of some speculative
thinkers to raise the question, What would have occurred if
the purpose of God had been in some respect different ?
There has been much disputing over such futile issues, in
which it is perfectly safe to say that there has been at least an
equality of ignorance, since we can none of us know what the
will of God would have been if in any respect His purpose
had been different from that which has been revealed.
It is, indeed, surprising that men who have had ample
opportunity to study the Scriptures, whose eyes have been
open to the elementary principles, and who have had access
to excellent expositions, should raise these questions. It has
frequently been asked, " Would Jesus have had to die as a
sacrifice for his own cleansing if he had been the only one to
be saved ? " And there have been some who have actually
regarded this as a serious question, and have thought it right
to insist on a definite answer. The great sacrifice will never be
112
much moral help to men in preparing them for the kingdom

of God, if they spend their time in such fruitless contentions.
These problems would probably never be raised if there
was an adequate recognition of the difference between the
ways of God and the ways of man. Human legislation grows
gradually, contains so many faults, and has such unexpected
results, that " the law " seems to be a separate entity, a
powerful instrument, which must be respected even when it
is unreasonable. It may indeed be moulded and gradually
changed, but while it remains " the law " it must be carried
into effect, even if it has results totally at variance with the
designs of those who framed it. Men sometimes resort to
hasty expedients in legislation, that they may avoid some
unforeseen consequence of the statutes they or their fathers
have formulated, and occasionally we may behold the spec-
tacle of a law having consequences which are deplored by
almost everyone. Men say, " This is the law and it must be
carried out; but in this connection it is thoroughly unjust,
and should be amended at once."
It is very different with the law of God. There are no
discrepancies in His statutes, no unforeseen results, and there
is no need for expedients. " Known unto God are all his
works from the beginning of the world." When God made
laws, He made them with a full knowledge of all their effects
right to the end of time, and thus the law of God is simply
an expression of the will of God. It is true that sometimes
we can gain a glimpse at God's point of view, and see the
reason for His laws, but we are on safe lines only so long as
we are guided by the Word.
It was the will of God that sins should only be forgiven
on the basis of a perfect sacrifice. Under spirit guidance we
can see the reason for this law. It was because man had
become unfit to approach the Father. God gave a law which
condemned all, that He might show His mercy to those who
had faith in Him, and " that every mouth might be stopped,
and all the world become guilty before God". Forgiveness is
thus offered on a basis which humbles the creature and exalts
H3
the Creator. The sinfulness of man is emphasized, while the

righteousness and holiness of God is declared " that he might
be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
But when the apostles deal with this matter they speak
of the purpose of God as it is, not as it might have been. Thus
in speaking of the fact that God subjected His Son to a
painful life and a painful death, the apostle says, " It became
him, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through suffering." And the Lord
Jesus, in the hour of trial, submitting to the Father's will,
told his disciples that he might pray even then, and have
legions of angels at his command, but " How, then", he asked
11
should the Scriptures be fulfilled ? " There is not the
slightest scriptural warrant for propounding the question
what the will of God would have been had Jesus been the
only one to be saved.
Perhaps those who have sometimes put the question
would admit that it is not strictly legitimate, but excuse
themselves on the ground that they only raise the issue to
test whether there is a proper understanding of the position
of the Lord Jesus. The question, however, is worse than
useless for such a purpose, for like all such questions it tends
only to place those who understand the least, and those who
understand most, in the same category. Ask a child, " What
is electricity ? " and he will admit that he does not know.
Propound the same question to the most learned scientist of
the day, and he also will confess ignorance. But ask a school-
boy who has attended a couple of lectures on the subject, and
he will probably tell you at once.
Guided by the word of God it is easy to prove that
Christ offered for his own cleansing as well as for his people.
It is easy to demonstrate that in the revealed purpose of God,
the holiest place was not to be entered except with a perfect
sacrifice. We can clearly see that the offering of his body on
the cross was the culminating act of our Saviour's obedience,
for which he is " highly exalted". It was the will of God that
the captain of our salvation should be made perfect through
114
JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER' OF OUR FAITH
suffering. And it is the will of God that many should be saved

through faith in his blood, and all that is involved in
that expression.
Beyond this we cannot go. It is most unscriptural and
most improper—to use no harsher term—to speculate on
what the will of God would have been towards His Son, if it
had been totally different toward all others. In this matter
we are not arguing. We are simply mentioning facts which
only need to be stated for their force to be felt.
When the apostles speak of the sacrifice of Christ they
make no effort to develop a technical argument such as would
appeal to a lawyer, and if only we can clear the mind of false
impressions, and get back to apostolic definitions, the diffi-
culties vanish. We could not desire a clearer exposition of the
atonement than is given in the third chapter of Romans ;
and, like many dissertations of the apostle Paul, exhortation
arises in a perfectly natural manner out of the exposition.
The chapter is very well known, but, unfortunately, it is
possible for the best known chapters to make the least
impression.
If a seeker after truth should read this chapter for the
first time when his intellect was fully mature, it might give a
clearer view by that one perusal, than the many readings of
one who first became acquainted with the language used
when the mind was incapable, or indifferent. It is wonderful
how dead the brain can be to the meaning of words which
have been familiar to the memory from the time of its earliest
recollections, and sometimes nothing is needed in the way
of exposition except to call a halt at every verse, or possibly
present the idea in slightly different language that the brain
may be stimulated by the change.
The apostle quotes from the Old Testament to show that
the history of humanity is a history of evil, and no man has
been perfect before God. He declares that no man shall be
justified by the law, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
That is to say, that the law,with its clearly defined commands,
made it evident to all reflective minds that they fell far short
115
of perfection. " But now", says the apostle, " the righteous-
ness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed
by the Law and the Prophets." The purpose of God to justify
men by faith was witnessed by nearly all parts of the Old
Testament, from the time when coats of skins were made to
cover the nakedness of the first transgressors, and our mother
Eve was given the promise of a sin-destroying seed.
It was witnessed by the call of Abraham and his trial
of faith, especially by the words, " Abraham believed God,
and he counted it to him for righteousness." It was witnessed
by the Psalms in the blessing pronounced on the man whose
transgression is covered, in the promise that the man who has
clean hands and a pure heart shall receive the blessing from
on high and " righteousness from the God of his salvation " ;
and in the promise of a deliverer, the " son of God's hand-
maid "—the man God made strong for Himself. It is
witnessed by all the promises of a Messiah who should put an
end to sin, and make reconciliation ; who should please God,
live a perfect life, make his soul an offering for sin, and
become the father of the future age, since the travail of his
soul should bring forth a numerous seed of glorified sons.
It is witnessed by the severe law which condemned all who
came under it, and convinced them all of sin. In fact, the
whole of the Old Testament is a complete enigma apart from
the explanation brought by the New.
But with Jesus as the keystone the whole building is
<c
fitly framed together", like the spiritual house it is instru-
mental in forming. The gift of righteousness from God is,
indeed, witnessed by the Law and the Prophets ; fcC even the
righteousness of God which is by faith unto all who believe,
for there is no difference "—that is, that all men, both Jews
and Gentiles, are alike under condemnation.
" For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus." All men being sinners, they are
dependent on the grace and mercy of God, and the gift of
righteousness to those of pure heart. And it has pleased the
116
Father to make this gift only through the Lord Jesus, " whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past through the forbearance of God."
Some have regarded the word propitiation as conveying
the idea of substitution. There is no justification for such an
interpretation. Propitiation may be taken to mean the turn-
ing away of wrath, and that is indeed accomplished by the
sacrifice of Christ; but the teaching of this passage is utterly
contrary to the unscriptural, unjust and unreasonable idea of
a substitute. There is no question of a debt discharged, no
question of a " death incurred by Adam and inflicted on
Christ", that the technical demands of a law may be satis-
fied. The sins are forgiven " through the forbearance of
God", and the basis on which God offers remission is the dec-
laration of His righteousness in the life and death of His Son.
Righteousness primarily means right conduct according
to law. The supreme lawgiver is God ; therefore righteous-
ness is to act in harmony with the law of God. In the case of
man it involves a bending of the human will into harmony
with the divine. Thus the perfect righteousness of the man
Christ Jesus is expressed in the words he used, "Not my will
but thine, be done". But the righteousness of God must
necessarily mean something different from this. The will of
the Father is the supreme law, and if righteousness simply
means conformity to law, a declaration of His righteousness
would simply mean a declaration of His consistency. Perhaps
rightly understood, this idea covers the whole subject. God
has declared that He will not give His glory to another ; and
that He will be sanctified in those who approach unto Him.
The righteousness of God thus involves more than we usually
associate with the word.. God set forth Jesus to be a declara-
tion of His holiness, His supremacy, His consistency, and on
this basis He offers forgiveness and the exercise of forbearance
towards humble and believing transgressors. The apostle
repeats the idea: " To declare, I say, at this time his right-
eousness, that he might be just and the justifier of those who
117
believe in Jesus. Where is boasting then ? It is excluded."

All apostolic references to the atonement are in harmony
with this clear exposition. We read that Jesus died to put
away sin. How could sin be put away more effectually than
by conquering all its impulses in life, and then submitting
to the crucifixion of the flesh ? We read that he died to
condemn sin in the flesh. How could sin be condemned more
effectually than by thus being put away ? And how could the
righteousness, the holiness and the supremacy of God be
declared more emphatically than by the complete triumph
over sin on the part of His Son, and the complete repudiation
of the flesh involved in his perfect life and the final crucifixion
of his body ?
If, without any attempt to improve on the exposition of
the apostle, we take a comprehensive glance at the whole
subject of redemption, we obtain a glimpse of God's point
of view, which is in itself a perfect exhortation.
We see man in a sinful and hopeless condition, unfit to
approach his Maker. We see a law given, which condemned
all who came under it, and made it evident that they were
sinners. At the same time, there were many evidences that
God intended to exalt some of the sinful sons of men to the
power of an endless life, and even the angels desired to look
into these things. God made selection of a virgin of the house
of Israel, and by the power of His Spirit, produced from her
substance a man, made in all points like unto his brethren,
subject to all fleshly weakness, and differing from them in
nothing except his mental and moral strength. He was the
" man God made strong for himself". Begotten by the power
of the Spirit of God, his character, as it unfolded, reflected the
character of the Father. He " set his face like a flint", to
" choose the good and refuse the evil". He was '' obedient in
all things, even unto the death of the cross", and because he
loved righteousness and hated iniquity, God has anointed
him with the oil of gladness above his fellows. By every act of
his life he condemned sin in the flesh, and declared the
righteousness of God, and finally, by the free offering of his
118
body on the cross, as the culminating act of obedience, he

made a suitable basis for the exercise of God's forbearance.
Here is the weak body of sin subdued and controlled in life by
the strong will of the Son of God, and finally slain on the
cross, and thus completely put away. The flesh repudiated,
man humbled, boasting excluded, and the holiness, majesty,
and supremacy of God declared. This is our mercy-seat.
We are not told that our debt is paid and there is nothing
more to do. We are urged to offer our bodies as living sacri-
fices, to follow Christ, to obtain spirit-help from the Word of
God, and play our part to make it possible that God can be
just and yet our justifier.
" Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race before
us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith ;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
God."
CHAPTER VIII
SELF-EXAMINATION
O NE of the most important, and certainly one of the

most difficult of all the phases into which this subject
of preparation can be divided, has now been reached.
So much depends upon self-examination, because it is the
process by which all other lessons can be made effective. A
man may have a very thorough grasp of the truth, so far as
its elementary principles are concerned, he may retain a
lively recollection of apostolic exhortations, he may even be
able to speak " a word in season " for the building up of
others, and yet, through lack of the ability or the inclination
to examine himself, he may quite fail to make any practical
119
application of his knowledge in the moulding of his own life.

There are many exhortations in the writings of the
apostles to examine ourselves, and there are still more
passages from which the necessity of such a process may be
inferred. " Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith."
'' Prove your own selves.5' " If we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged." In such words as these, the apostle
Paul teaches the necessity for an analysis of self. "The
thoughts of man are evil continually." "Out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, murders, thefts, covetous-
ness." " In my flesh dwells no good thing." In such passages
as these, the same idea is implied in a less direct way.
This work is necessarily an individual matter, and herein
lies the difficulty. A man is his own accuser, his own defender,
and his own judge. With the most complete facilities for
knowing the full measure of his guilt, he unites a most un-
judicial bias in favour of the accused. He perhaps possesses
all the knowledge necessary to draw up an unanswerable
indictment; but his talent is mainly employed to find ex-
tenuating circumstances. He has all the skill of a defending
counsel to raise a false issue, but lacks the impartiality of a
judge to expose the pretence.
It would be late in human history for a writer to devote
much space to the task of proving that men can deceive
themselves. The fact is generally recognized and has many
times been the subject of comment. The idea was very well
expressed by a celebrated English historian when, in speaking
of the hatred engendered and the cruelties practised in the
contentions between Catholics and Protestants, he remarked
that men had often mistaken their own vindictive feelings
for motions of pious zeal. Yet although modern writers have
frequently referred to this human weakness, they have very
seldom ventured to use language anything like so strong as
that in which the Bible has stated the matter. " The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can
know it ? "
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SELF-EXAMINATION
The deceitfulness of the heart makes it difficult for man

to know himself, hence the need for great care in the work of
self-examination.
•
The question is asked, " Who can know the heart ? " and
an immediate answer is given, " I the Lord search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways,
and according to the fruit of his doings." The contemplation
of this passage will give added significance to the words of the
apostle, " If we would judge ourselves, we should not be
judged." God will make no mistake in judgment. He will not
be deceived by the heart's evasiveness, even if we are deceived
ourselves. But if we can force ourselves to be impartial, if we
can guard against the deceptiveness of our nature, strip
ourselves bare of pretence, and administer to ourselves the
correction needed, we may escape the judgment and
condemnation of God.
The question, Who can know the heart of man ? implies
that an effective introspection is always difficult. It is an
individual task in which, however, we may either help or
hinder each other. We may either look facts honestly in the
face and help our neighbours to be equally honest, or we may
cover them up with a cloud of subtle and misleading lan-
guage and assist the heart in its deceitfulness. Men walk in a
vain show. They think that all is well when all looks well, and
are even disposed to blame the man who strips off some of the
veneer and reveals the blemishes that lie beneath.
Honesty is the first quality necessary when we come to
examine ourselves, and perhaps the first step is to take an
honest look at humanity as a whole.
What is a man ? We must not choose the best of men,
and, judging even them more as they appear than as they
really are, think of them as fair specimens of the human race.
Neither must we choose the worst of men, and think of them
as representing the measure of our fellows. But, taking a
more comprehensive view, we may see what are the weak-
nesses characteristic of all humanity ; and after an honest
121
survey of man as a whole we may be able to direct an honest

look into our own hearts.
Man is an animal, with animal tastes and impulses. He
yearns for happiness, and in his untutored state expects to
find it by having his own way and gratifying his own desires.
He is extremely conceited, and loves the praise of his fellows.
With an animal sensuality he unites a vigorous imagination
which renders his animalism far more dangerous than it is in
the beasts of the field. He seeks out " many inventions " far
from the uprightness of his original standard. And when in a
high condition of civilization, well instructed in all the
primary laws of morality, and with a certain pattern of
righteousness, set by society as a whole, man presents a
spectacle of extraordinary incongruity. He constantly
relapses into habits which are disgusting even to himself.
This is not a phenomenon confined entirely to those who
are consciously striving after an ideal. Truly, it is felt most by
the earnest Christian, who, like the apostle Paul, finds a law
of sin in his members warring against the law of his spiritually
regenerate mind, and seeking to bring it again into captivity
to the flesh ; but it is also felt in some measure by any man of
sound mentality, even though he makes no profession of
religion. He is conscious of the degradation of other men, and
he is also aware that there are certain forces, certain allure-
ments which tend to drag him down to the same low level. In
contemplating the wrecks of humanity he may almost feel like
Addison, " afraid to remain alive, for dread of what he might
become".
Surely this constant temptation to do that which is
repulsive to our higher self bears eloquent testimony to the
fact that man has fallen. Indeed, it was pointed out some
years ago, when the modern theory of evolution was first
elaborated, that, although at first sight the theory of evolution
seems like a direct negation of the Bible record, the scientists
were compelled to believe in a fall of man in large measure
corresponding to the old faith—that when reason took the
place of instinct, man made deliberate choice of evil, and
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SELF-EXAMINATION
hence the infanticide of certain savage nations and the many

other unnatural vices that have cursed the world.
This union of high ideal with low practice causes
hypocrisy. Men pretend to be better than they are. A
celebrated author of the nineteenth century—himself an
unsparing exposer of human vanities—once deplored his own
timidity, and declared that Fielding was the last English
writer " who ever dared to depict a man". This is doubtless
a drastic criticism ; but it may contain at least an element of
truth, and it is important that truth should be recognized.
When a medical examination is made to determine the
physical fitness of a patient, some of the clothes must be
removed, and the doctor must see the man as he really is.
The same rule holds good with the more tightly-fitting clothes
of the mind. When we begin the work of self-examination,
we have to study the nude. Sometimes the clothing of the
mind fits so perfectly that we are quite unconscious of it,
and serious defects, all the time growing worse, remain
undiscovered.
An instructive incident was reported recently, and even
some of the newspapers were constrained to moralize. An
old man and his wife were admitted into a workhouse, and on
examination it was found that, in spite of their apparent
destitution, they possessed several hundred pounds in cash.
No sooner was this curious discovery reported in the papers
than some relatives came forward, most anxious to know how
" the dear old people " were.
The case was too glaring to admit of a charitable con-
struction being put on this sudden interest in the neglected
old couple awakened in the breasts of relatives. It furnishes
an instructive study in the nude ; and at least one of the
newspapers was tempted to make use of it to raise the question
whether even those who smile cynically at such hypocritical
covetousness are entirely free from all taint themselves ;
whether the noblest of all human impulses is not often alloyed
by a mixture of the most ignominious. Men may feel certain
that they are inspired by pure motives of love, and yet if they
123
can penetrate through the heart's deceitfulness they may find

at least some slight element of a sordid character. The
unblushing greed we observe in an extreme case may thus
assist an analysis of self, and teach us to distinguish the true
metal from the alloy.
There are other matters in which the heart is more
successful in its deceitfulness, and very few people indeed
ever look at the naked truth. We frequently hear of some
controversy being raised as to whether a certain public
performance for the amusement of the people should be
condemned on the ground that it appeals to the lust of the
flesh and of the eye. Such a dispute always gives occasion
for a vast amount of hypocrisy, some of it only subconscious,
and some of it, perhaps, hardly conscious at all. There are
always some writers to defend the exhibition, and to express
the utmost astonishment at anyone seeing anything in the
least degree objectionable in it. The old man of the flesh can
so easily quote " To the pure all things are pure", and on
such an issue can sometimes shame his opponents into
silence, and make them fear to criticize, lest they should
appear to have impure and nasty minds. Then, perhaps,
some writer, anxious to maintain a reputation for strictness
of morals, yet fearful of appearing to reveal a possible weak-
ness in himself, makes a ghastly attempt to compromise. He
says that the particular performance under discussion is so
beautiful that its artistic merit renders it free from all sus-
picion of grossness, but it is just possible that there might be
imitators, who, lacking the ability of the original, would
present the features of possible objectionableness, ungraced
by the skill and beauty of their model. And thus by permit-
ting such a performance to begin, the way might be opened
for many abuses.
In this manner an exceptionally pious newspaper
recently attempted to find a compromise between the attitude
of another paper and the attitude of a Watch Committee,
towards a modern " dancing woman". It furnishes a remark-
able instance of the deceitfulness of the heart. Anyone with a
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SELF-EXAMINATION
fair knowledge of human nature ought to know, that if such a

performance can possibly appeal to the lusts of the flesh at all,
the more beautiful and artistic it is made the more dangerous
it will be. The blundering old man of the flesh with his
deceitful heart, thinks there can be no objection to any
exhibition which he finds wholly pleasing. If there is not
sufficient grossness to be repellent, he thinks there is no
grossness at all. The facts rule all the other way. The most
shameless of exhibitions would be innocuous if we could be
certain that everyone who attended would be thoroughly
disgusted. But it is not pleasant to be disgusted, and if
everyone found an exhibition distasteful, no one would
attend.
Would it not be a great dea" more honest to brave the
taunt that we are nasty minded, and admit that it is a good
description of our native ugliness ? That we are conscious of a
carnal mind to be displaced, and of a body to be kept under ?
The man who is never conscious of any element of nasty
mindedness is either much to be envied or much to be pitied.
Either he is exceptionally free from fleshly difficulties, or else
he has never made any struggle against them.
Certain it is that there is much hypocrisy or else self-
deception in the attempts made to justify doubtful exhibi-
tions. It is a well-known fact that unsavoury subjects always
prove irresistibly attractive to a great public. Let a book be
pronounced obscene, and unless it is suppressed by law, it is
sure of a large circulation. Let a dancing woman be con-
demned by the Watch Committee of a great city, and it is the
best advertisement she can have. If we desire to see still
further commentary on human weakness and wickedness, we
can see it in the heartrending spectacle of crowds of fallen
women—tens of thousands (it has been said as many as
seventy thousand) in London alone. All people see these
horrible evils. What they often fail to see, is the fact that they
themselves are of the same nature as the fallen ; that perhaps
they owe their superior position more to circumstance than to
their own strength, and that when they revolt at the practices
125
of others, it may not mean that they are any purer in the
sight of God, but simply that their taste is rather more dainty
and refined.
Close observers of mankind always feel rather suspicious
of those who make a profession of superhuman purity. When
frail human nature pretends to have grown more refined than
God originally made it, we generally find that the profession
is a mere cloak to cover an exceptional depravity. Those who
have been most successful in subduing the flesh have always
been most honest in describing it.
This is one of the great objections frequently raised
against the Bible. In many parts it is not at all pleasant
reading, and the reason is that it is too honest. Perhaps there
has never been a more complete confession, or a more
damning self-exposure, than that of a famous American
blasphemer, who, a few years ago, railed against the objec-
tionable stories contained in the Bible. " It does not enliven
the subject with a single touch of wit or humour", he com-
plained, "it never rises above the level of dreary, stupid vice."
This testimony is true, but what are we to think of a man
who could object to such a truth ? Vice is dreary and stupid,
and certainly does not afford a fitting subject for wit or
humour. Human nature takes to evil readily enough without
the " pen of a ready writer " being employed to dress sin in an
attractive garb. Sin is hideously ugly in the sight of God, and
when He speaks of sin in His word, a kind of language is
employed to make it ugly to us. It is not desirable that we
should dwell unnecessarily upon unpleasant subjects, but it
is desirable that when we deal with them at all, we should be
honest.
There are times when human beings meet in social inter-
course, and it is well to be decently and respectably clothed.
There are other times when we retire into privacy and put off
our clothes for washing. And this presents a certain analogy
to the matter of language and moral teaching. Most parts of
the Bible are suitable for the social gathering, but there are
some portions evidently designed more for the moral bath-
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SELF-EXAMINATION
room. There are people who, in connection with this matter,

resemble the man who performs his ablutions without
removing his clothes, and who on special occasions would put
on a pair of gloves instead of cleansing his hands. The Bible
teaches us the truth regarding our nature, shows us how to
wash ourselves, how to obtain clean garments, and how to
keep them from being defiled.
We can spare no part of it. The grand characters and
the desperate sinners, the wonderful conversions and the
deplorable falls, the lofty exhortations and the outspoken
condemnations, are all needed in this work of washing and
clothing. The harmful book is the one which makes naked-
ness look desirable, and gives to filthy rags the appearance of
cloth of gold. The Bible holds up a true mirror to human
nature, and the natural man rebels, and says how ugly it is.
The question may well arise whether it is not possible
to find something more definite and personal to help in
the work of self-examination than this mere recital of
general principles. We may be taught to see man as he is by
nature, we may be induced to look facts honestly in the face,
and to beware of mistaking the refinements of sin for real
purity ; but is it not possible to obtain some more personal
help than this ?
The apostle Paul gives rather a personal turn to one of
his exhortations, when writing of the wilderness experience of
Israel. He reminds the brethren of the transgressions of many,
and warns them against lust, idolatry, fornication, tempting
Christ, and murmuring, and he gives the warning a personal
turn by saying, " Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall."
There is good reason for this solemn exhortation. If a
superficial thinker of the twentieth century reads these
examples without receiving any assistance he may entirely
fail to benefit from the perusal. He says to himself, " These
men, in spite of all their privileges, in spite of the marvellous
manifestations of divine power witnessed by them, sinned in
127
almost every possible way, and showed themselves utterly

lacking in faith. I am much better than that."
But did the apostle Paul contemplate the possibility that
those for whom he wrote would ever worship a golden calf, or
indeed in any respect furnish an exact replica of early
Israelitish sins ? We shall never draw any lessons or warnings
from these ancient examples unless we can look a little deeper
than this.
We have sometimes been censured for introducing new
and dangerous speculations, when we had thought our only
offence was that we had unnecessarily laboured a truism.
There is a truism in connection with this matter. It is
undoubtedly recognized by the vast majority of the brethren
and sisters, and properly taken into consideration in all their
efforts at self-examination. But as there are some who have
not recognized it, we must devote some attention to it now.
We may state this truism in borrowed words : '' All men
are in large measure the creatures of their age". That is to
say, they are influenced by the general trend of human
thought, and they invariably feel the various winds of
doctrine even when they refuse to be blown about by them.
If men of different generations are brought into line by the
truth, it is certain that the difficulties they experience will
vary according to the peculiarities of their environment.
If we were to read the history of the Exodus without
paying any regard to this principle, the faithlessness of Israel
would be inexplicable. An unbeliever will pronounce the
narrative palpably false, and affirm his conviction that if the
children of Israel had witnessed half the wonders recorded
they never could have been so faithless. A believer will accept
the history as it stands, but with such a superficial reading
cannot take any real warning from the awful examples of
failure. He is inclined to say, " These people were granted
the supreme privilege of beholding the visible hand of God,
and yet although so much was given to them they could not
believe." The effect of his reading is to make him self-
satisfied, and he thinks that with far less privilege than was
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SELF-EXAMINATION
vouchsafed to ancient Israel he is able to manifest far more

faith.
Before we can understand the extraordinary perversity
of Israel in refusing to believe that God was sure to fulfil all
His promises, it is necessary to recognize the simple truth that
their environment had been totally different from ours.
Their's was an age of superstition and idolatry, ours is an
age of science and scepticism. The influences may be equally
dangerous, but it is obvious that they press in different
directions. In the age of superstition and idolatry men
found it easy to recognize that a superhuman being spoke to
them, but hard to believe that His power was supreme. In
the present day, men find it easy to believe that God is
almighty, but hard to realize that He has ever spoken. The
only possible philosophical conception of God is as the great
Original, the Creator of all things ; and this idea has been so
thoroughly accepted in these days that we need no lesson to
enforce it.
If we think of one of the angels giving a message to an
Israelite at the period of the Exodus, and then imagine the
same message and the same manifestation of power to a
brother of our own day, it is easy to see that the difficulties in
the way of faith would press somewhat differently in the two
cases. The Israelite would never doubt that an angel had
spoken to him ; but if he was a man of feeble faith he might
doubt the faithfulness of the messenger. He had been brought
up among people who believed in many gods of limited
power—gods of the hills and gods of the plain ; gods who
were unable to carry out their designs, or who forgot what
they had promised. True, he had repeatedly been told that
these idols were all vanity, and that the God of Israel was
supreme ; but the influence of his environment might press
heavily upon him in the day of weakness and cause him to
doubt. " Dangers surround me", he might say, " and there
seems no prospect of deliverance. Has the angel forgotten his
promise, or does he really hate me, and mean me to perish ?"
Such a man would simply be the feeble creature of his age,
129
his " evil heart of unbelief" moulded by the thoughts of the

period in which he lived.
A modern brother would not fall into the error, even
though he might be equally weak in faith. He would never
doubt that the promise of an angel would be fulfilled, but
when difficulties arose to try his faith, he might doubt whether
the promise had ever been given. "Perhaps I was dreaming",
he would think, " or the subject of some extraordinary
hallucination." And if he took his case to a modern doctor,
doubtless a scientific explanation could be given, and a
scientific name found for the condition of nerves which led to
the supposed vision.
Perhaps the point can be forced home still more by an
illustration taken from history. The Israelites were taught
that their God was supreme, and they were given abundant
evidence of His power. They witnessed all the plagues of
Egypt, and the severance between the land of Goshen and the
land of their enemies. They were led out of Egypt by a pillar
of fire, and yet they lost faith when confronted by the waters
of the Red Sea. The sea was divided and stood up in walls for
them to-pass through, and then it returned and overwhelmed
their enemies. They were fed with food from heaven, they
saw water miraculously gush forth from a rock to sustain
them in life, they heard the terrible voice from Sinai, and
witnessed a greater manifestation of power than their eyes
could endure.
And yet, after all this, when they reached the borders of
the promised land they lost faith because the cities had high
walls and the inhabitants were big men. It seems utterly
incredible, until we learn to make allowance for the influence
of environment. Observe the form of their unbelief. They
never doubted that God had been with them. Even the
language of their murmurings admits this fact: "Wherefore
hath the Lord brought us into this land to fall by the sword,
that our wives and children should be for a prey ? Were it
not better for us to return into Egypt ? "
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SELF-EXAMINATION
We cannot imagine a brother using language like this

now. There have been many instances of those who at one
time ran well, losing all their faith, but we never hear of one
who freely admits that God has promised and yet doubts
whether He will perform. The modern unbeliever throws
doubt on the whole subject of revelation, and seeks to find
plausible explanations of every incident in history which in
any way indicates the overruling power of God. In truth, the
doubters are always the feeble creatures of their age, their
evil heart of unbelief at one time moulded by the prevailing
idolatry and at another time by the prevailing agnosticism.
If a man, in these days, retains a robust and living faith in
spite of all the oppositions of" science, falsely so called", it is
probable that had he been with the Israelites at the time of
the Exodus he would have been found on the side of Joshua
and Caleb.
But if in these days, after enjoying every opportunity, he
refuses to believe the testimony of history and of prophecy,
it is probable that had he come from the darkness and slavery
of Egypt he would have doubted the voice from Sinai. Men
are generally keenly alive to their difficulties, while accepting
all their privileges as a matter of course, and in judging the
actions of others they see all the advantages and none of the
limitations. In some respects the children of Israel enjoyed
privileges greater than ours, but in other respects we have the
advantage. We must learn something of historical perspective
before we can take full warning from their experience. And
we call attention to their limitations not in any sense to excuse
them, but to explain a perversity and faithlessness which,
apart from these considerations, would present a complete
and hopeless enigma.
It is true that the explanation brings us closer to ancient
Israel, and renders their weakness more intelligible. Instead
of appearing like monstrous types of incomprehensible
infidelity, they begin to assume a humiliating resemblance to
men and women of the present day. Herein lies the value of
our learning to view history in its true perspective. It is not
131
simply an interesting study to examine the nature and cause

of Israelitish unfaithfulness. It is not a mere mental exercise
to find the true explanation of the strange perversity which
resulted in the rejection of a whole generation of the chosen
people. The apprehension of this principle is absolutely
necessary before we can learn the true lesson offered to us
here, and we might almost say it is necessary before we can
examine ourselves effectively.
Exhortation does not merely consist in saying, Let us
choose the good and refuse the evil. The mind adjusts itself to
conditions just as the eye adjusts itself to almost any degree of
light, and the force of contrast is needed to teach us to
distinguish how dark or how evil it has been. If we imagine
ourselves projected back to the time of the exodus from
Egypt, with all the advantages of twentieth century education,
and the privileges given to ancient Israel superadded, the
warnings of the apostle will fall on dull ears indeed. But if we
recognize all the facts of the case, they give us a searching
power of self-examination.
How far do we conform to the age in which we live, and
how far are we drawn thereby from the path of perfect
faithfulness ? There is a lesson in the fact that the principal
stumbling blocks which obstructed the path of the Israelites
have been dissipated by time ; and we may ask the question
how far are we influenced by the worldly fashions which
vanish so quickly ? Do we ever give God cause to address us
as He addressed the Israelites, slightly altering the wording
of the question to suit the modern difficulty, " How long will
it be ere ye believe that I have spoken ? " Or if we do believe,
do we always remember, always realize that God is omnis-
cient, that Christ will return, that we shall stand before him?
And is it a belief " from the heart unto righteousness", or do
we sometimes tempt Him, sometimes murmur, sometimes
lust after evil things ?
The apostle mentions matters which would provide
materials for whole chapters by themselves, but, for the
moment, we will only take one item to illustrate the possi-
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SELF-EXAMINATION
bilities of thorough self-examination on the basis of a true

view of history. We enjoy a modern set of advantages, and
we experience modern difficulties. We have fully grasped the
principle that God is almighty. No other conception of Him
is possible to a modern thinker, and this point, therefore,
causes us no difficulty. We have been given evidence that He
has spoken, sufficient to satisfy every test we can apply to it.
We have been brought out of darkness, and are being led
through a wilderness. We have been forewarned that we
should experience some adversity to humble us, and teach us
in our turn that " man does not live by bread alone " ; but
we have the assurance that if we love God and serve Him
faithfully, all things will work together for good, and He will
never forsake us, nor permit the trial to pass beyond our
strength.
If then, we murmur or complain, are we any better than
the grumblers in Israel ? There is room for rigorous self-
examination here, for sometimes murmuring voices are heard
with less excuse than the Israelites might plead. If it is urged
that the complaint is not against God but against circum-
stances, the question may well arise whether this is not
another feeble surrender to the influence of our age, whether,
in fact, it is not our special trial of faith to recognize the hand
of God in circumstance, knowing, as we do, what ancient
Israel found so hard to learn, that if God be for us none can
be against us ?
We might even imagine a resurrected Israelite presen-
ting a view of our case so totally different from the usual
habits of modern thought that it would come with something
like a shock to us, and yet the extreme picture containing a
sufficient element of truth to arouse some profitable reflec-
tions. " You have many advantages", he might say ; " in
your education you begin almost where we left off. You have
instilled into the mind from infancy, lessons we had to learn
by bitter experience. You have the word of God ever ready
to your hand and can consult it when you like. Instead of
faith depending on your memory of events which were soon
133
over, you have the great miracles of history and the Bible
always before you, and you can renew the impressions as
often as you will. Instead of coming from slavery, you were
brought up in freedom. Instead of wandering through a
homeless wilderness, you have houses of your own. You are
protected by the powers that be, instead of being attacked by
them. And yet with all these advantages, protected, well fed,
well clothed, well housed, you often murmur at the most
trifling difficulties."
We are far from suggesting that such an indictment
would be perfectly just ; but it might conceivably appear in
this light to a man coming from other times with other
manners ; and, presented in this way, it may help to broaden
our minds. And the effort to enter into and understand the
point of view of others may help us to look at our own case
with a measure of that detachment which is absolutely
necessary before we can understand our errors, or even begin
the work of self-examination.
There is much more to be said, but unless these found-
ation principles are remembered it would be almost vain to
pursue the subject any further.
CHAPTER IX
MORE HEART-SEARCHING
W HEN a man has learned something of what we have

called historical perspective, he is able to draw
lessons from even the most ancient portions of
Biblical history ; and he is also able to put many searching
questions to himself as to his motives and the ruling principles
of his life. " Is my course of action, in any particular instance,
guided by pure regard for the law of God, or simply the
134
conventions of man ? Am I taking pains to bring every

^nought into subjection to God, or do I countenance ideas
which, under more primitive conditions of life, would be
translated into sinful acts ? "
Such questions as these will at once occur to a reflective
mind, in working out the details of this subject. The Bible
gives us a very clear lead in this matter, and states the
principle involved with a directness of language and an
absence of qualification that would probably have been
severely censured had it originally emanated from the brain
of a modern writer : " Whosoever hateth his brother, is a
murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life
abiding in him."
The principle here involved is precisely the same as that
laid down by Jesus in connection with another matter. The
harbouring of evil thoughts may sometimes be regarded as
heart guiltiness, although the evil desires have not been
translated into action. There is no need for earnest men to be
unduly distressed by this principle, when, in contemplating
their own weakness, they are conscious that evil thoughts have
sometimes sprung from their hearts. With both good and
evil intentions, the will can only be " taken for the deed",
when there is a real and deliberate determination. We shall
not have praise of God simply for good thoughts which we
have instantly dismissed, neither shall we be condemned for
evil thoughts which we have instantly repudiated. But a solid
intention to perform a good work is counted for well doing,
even though circumstances should prevent the consummation;
and, on the other hand, a deliberate harbouring of evil
thoughts is counted for sin, even though lack of opportunity
prevents the sinful act.
Thus, as an illustration of the first statement, we may
remember the words of the Lord to king David when telling
him that he was not destined to realize his dream of building
a house for God. " Whereas it was in thine heart to build a
house unto my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine
heart " (i Kings 8 : 18). This was not a fleeting idea which
135
had crossed the mind of David without any solidity of purpose

behind it ; it was a definite and absorbing object in his life,
born of his zeal for God, and not with any idea of self-
aggrandizement. And, although he was not permitted to
carry the intention into effect, it was said to him : " Thou
didst well in that it was in thine heart".
Conversely, it may be said to a sinner who is saved from
an evil act by lack of opportunity, " Thou didst evil in that it
was in thine heart". Now, is it not a fact that the changing
circumstances of human life may sometimes put a check on
evil stronger than the moral force of divine law ? If Cain and
Abel were living in modern days, would the anger of the
rejected brother end so tragically, or would he keep the hatred
in his heart ?
The words of the apostle John simply give a re-emphasis
to an old Testament principle, that man looks on the outward
appearance, but God looks into the heart. Man sees the
circumstance, God sees both circumstance and intention.
Man sees the act, God sees both act and motive. It is a
startling thought, but there is no escape from the conclusion
that it is possible for a highly respectable, apparently pious
man in these days to cherish such bitter feelings against his
brother, that if he were living under more primitive con-
ditions he would strike and slay.
It is not at all uncommon for a man to feel such resent-
ment against one who has wronged him, that he clenches his
fists and feels that he would like to strike. What withholds
him from delivering the blow ? Is it the fear of God or the
fear of man ? Is it a sincere regard for the law of Christ or is it
the influence of a purely Gentile training in manners ? Is it a
desire to be respectable, to avoid any action which would be
out of harmony with the rules of a shallow gentility ? One
thing is certain ; if it is a pure regard for the law of Christ
which holds him from injuring, the same motive power will
quickly eradicate all feeling of bitterness. For the law of
Christ goes further than our national code. It not only
forbids us to strike our enemies, it commands us to love them.
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Not only must we abstain from evil action, we must cast out
the evil thought.
Perhaps there are some who would pronounce this
impossible, and say that while we can control our actions we
cannot control our thoughts ; that we can withhold ourselves
from doing anything to injure an enemy, but we cannot help
hating him.
Control of thought is a subject worthy of a separate
chapter, but we may here remark that complete lack of
control simply means insanity, and the contention that " we
cannot help our thoughts and feelings " is of one piece with
the doctrine of determinism, which repudiates responsibility
for everything. It has been repeatedly proved that a sincere
regard for the law of Christ, a recollection of the love he
showed, and a realization of the great debt we desire God to
forgive, will not only hold men back from malignant and
revengeful acts, but will humble their hearts and kill every
bitter thought.
Indeed, it is a fact that some find it much easier to cast
out such feelings of resentment against those who have
wronged them than they do to control their acts in other
directions. That is largely a matter of individual temperament.
But whether the task is easy or difficult, the most complete
justification for the principle laid down is to be found in the
fact that the old man of the flesh has repeatedly been
conquered in this matter.
I suggest the idea that a most effective self-examination
can be carried out by a comparison of our circumstances
with more primitive times, and asking ourselves the question
what course should we take if we were under none of those
powerful restrictions erected by the conventions of man.
There is room for consideration of this idea in connection
with other matters than the apostle's definition of a
murderer. We might refer back to a previous chapter, and
put some searching questions in connection with some of
the subjects previously mentioned.
137
First with regard to the matter of doubtful or demoraliz-

ing exhibitions which appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eye, and the pride of life. There are undoubtedly,
men—we will not say brethren, although brethren are still
men—who, while revolting at the bare thought of going in
the sight of all the world to attend such an exhibition, would
readily embrace the opportunity to witness it all in secret,
when they felt quite certain that no one would know.
What is this but the fear of man instead of the fear of God ?
Public opinion undoubtedly exercises a salutary influence on
the great majority of men, but the dread of our neighbour's
censure, however useful it may be in the ordering of human
life, is certainly not anything to merit the praise of God.
There have been instances of men who have maintained
a conventional morality while under the restrictions of public
opinion, but have completely broken loose when they have
gone to live in some undeveloped country, with the power to
indulge their evil desires, and no settled law or settled society
to impose the restraints of legal punishment or public censure.
Under such conditions men readily develop a contempt for
divine laws, and even what may be considered human rights.
Murder, pillage, and every kind of outrage become common,
while men accustomed to violence soon lose all repugnance at
the sight of blood.
And yet, after all, there has perhaps been no great
change in the hearts of the men themselves. The Cains
among them, instead of hating their enemies in secret, and
trying to ruin them in business, lie in wait behind a rock
with loaded rifle. They are murderers at heart in any case,
and abhorrent in the sight of God, whether they live in the
superficial decorum of the city or the freedom and savagery
of the undeveloped land.
A man may ask himself the question, Would my regard
for the law of God keep me in the right way if all human help
were removed ? Or should I find my strength unequal to the
task, and prove that my fear of man is greater than my fear of
God ? If by some strange chance I became the unquestioned
138
leader of a simple people in some remote part of the world, a

people with no knowledge of right and wrong, and looking
to me for guidance, should I be full of zeal for God, and
instruct them in the right way, or should I take advantage of
them, and make them all the ministers of my pleasures ?
One thing is certain. A man who would retain his zeal
for God, even if subjected to such tests, will always be on the
side of righteousness in the ecclesia. A man who would not do
any manner of violence to his neighbours if they were living
far away from all human restraints, and accustomed to scenes
of bloodshed, will never "beat a fellow-servant" in the
ordinary experience of ecclesial life. And a man who would
be proof against the allurements of the flesh with every
opportunity, and no dread of public censure to deter him,
will not indulge even the thought of evil now.
These helps to self-examination are, perhaps, all in the
nature of tests of our motives. Yet the matter of motive is
worthy of separate treatment. It is possible for even the
noblest work to be spoiled by an improper motive at the
foundation. We have no right to judge the motives of others,
but it is a duty to judge our own. We must not be superficial
in such a work, and we must remember that sometimes
several motives might lie at the root of human actions.
There may be an alloy of base metal with the pure gold.
Thus, in the work of the ecclesias, it is inconceivable that
the motives of any worker should be wholly evil. He is called
to the work by a desire to serve God, and apart from such a
desire, he would not wish to have any part or lot in the
matter. A superficial thinker may examine himself and
quickly decide that his motives are beyond reproach. He
looks into his heart, and finding that there is a sincere desire
to be on the Lord's side, he assumes that all is well. If he
examined more closely he might find that there were certain
secondary motives which, if unchecked, might in course of
time assume the first place in his affections. The possibility
of such an evil is attested by centuries of dismal history in
both ancient and modern times. Many kings and great men
139
of old began their course well, yet afterwards were lifted up

with pride and fell into condemnation. That which had at
one time been only a secondary motive, in course of time took
the primary position and turned away the heart from God.
The apostle Paul speaks of this evil in his day. There
were some who with envy and strife preached Christ of
contention, not sincerely; and while the apostle was prepared
to rejoice that Christ was preached whether in truth or in
pretence, he nevertheless taught that evil motives would
destroy the preacher, even though he had been instrumental
in instructing others. Thus, in writing to Timothy regarding
the office of a bishop, Paul commands that a novice should
not be put into such a position, lest, being lifted up with
pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
If such a danger could exist in apostolic times, we must
not expect to be free from it now. It behoves every worker
to make a careful examination of his motives, to delve deep
into his heart, and not be content with finding some good
there. It may be accepted as a matter of course that he
desires to serve God, or he would surely take no part in the
work, either active or passive. But are there any other
motives which will render his labour unacceptable to God ?
The counterfeit is always most dangerous when it con-
tains the largest proportion of the true metal. There have
been spurious coins in circulation so ill-made that no man of
ordinary acumen would be deceived. In recent times we are
informed, a number of counterfeit half-sovereigns have been
made so perfectly that even banks have been deceived. But
these coins, which deceive even expert eyes, are more than
half pure gold, and it is just the presence of so much of the
true metal that prevents the base metal from being detected.
Thus a man may be a most earnest preacher, may cherish a
sincere desire to serve God, and on the first effort at self-
examination may think all his motives are pure gold ; yet
perhaps there may also be a love of approbation or desire to
have the pre-eminence which, if unchecked, will quite spoil
his life's work.
140
We may here revert to the case of David to enforce this

idea still further. We remarked that David's desire to build a
house for God, was inspired by a pure zeal for divine things
and not with any idea of self-aggrandizement. There are two
proofs of this assertion. The first lies in the fact that God
approved him and commended his intention. The second
arises out of the plain facts of history. It is obvious that the
construction of a magnificent temple for the worship of God
would seem one of the grandest of all possible achievements
for a king of Israel. It would be a lasting memorial of his
greatness, a centre of pilgrimage from all parts of the
kingdom, and with each successive generation men would
point out to their children the beautiful house of prayer, and
speak of the great king who conceived the idea and carried
it into effect.
We can easily imagine what a day of pure delight it
would have been to David could he have carried out his
intention, and having completed the work, assembled all
Israel to the dedication. His intention was frustrated. His
ambition had been a worthy one, but it was not to be
gratified, because he had been a man of war. What was
David's attitude in the face of this disappointment ? He
humbly thanked God for the mercies promised, and started
with zeal on such work as was permitted. He was not to have
the honour of building the house, but he could perform the
humble work of preparing material. He seems to have
devoted himself to this idea, and " in his trouble " made
great preparation for the work he was not permitted to
consummate.
Might it be possible, without any undue straining of the
case, to make a translation of this incident into modern times,
and put ourselves to the test ? Suppose that a brother con-
ceives the idea of writing a book on a grand scale in support
of the truth's warfare. It will need much research, much
patient labour, much sacrifice of ease ; but it is a grand
work, and he is ready to devote his life to it. The idea is
suggested to the brethren, and a meeting takes place to decide
141
whether they will find the means to carry it into effect. The
brethren, in their collective wisdom, decide that such a book
is necessary, but they choose another brother to write it.
What will be the attitude of the one who first conceived the
idea ? Will he be filled with bitter indignation, and become
an active opponent of the work ? Or will he maintain a
passive attitude, and merely make spiteful remarks ? Or
will he crush down all evil feelings, and retire into himself
hurt and silent ? Or will he prove a man after the David
type, accept the decision, with perhaps a pang of regret, but
with no diminution of his enthusiasm, and with a whole-
hearted determination to make the work a success, apply
himself to the hack labour of accumulating material to help
the chosen author ?
In this way we obtain a glimpse at God's point of view
in pronouncing David a man after His own heart. There are
many who would not have transgressed in the manner David
did, but who, if baulked in a laudable ambition to build a
temple, would have washed their hands of the whole affair.
Perhaps there are some who will think that our modern
illustration hardly presents a fair parallel, since it might be
much easier to accept a disappointment with becoming
meekness when it comes from God than when it comes from
man. If, however, we go to the root of the matter, there is no
real difference. The work of the ecclesias now is in the service
of God. It should be performed "with singleness of eye to the
glory of God". There are many matters in connection with
which our only course is to accept the decision of the majority,
and we all recognize that this is the only possible workable
rule. But when the decision of the majority runs contrary to
our ideas of what should prevail, there are various ways in
which we can accept it. We can make the best of it or the
worst of it, while between those two extremes are many
grades. We may think an unwise course has been taken, but
when the decision has been made we should try to make it a
success. We may think the wrong brother has been chosen
142
for a special work; but since he has been chosen, let us do

all in our power to strengthen his hands.
Perhaps there are some other critics who will not dispute
the fairness of the lesson drawn from the life of David, but
will think the instruction is hardly needed. If there are none
in these days who would assume an improper attitude in the
face of disappointment; if none of our brethren ever decline
work they might perform, because they are not permitted to
take the part they would have chosen—so much the better.
The more we can be like David in this particular the closer
shall we approximate to the standard set us. But a little self-
examination in this matter will not harm anyone. It is
sometimes well for a healthy man to ascertain how incipient
disease may be detected and checked.
There is one other matter which may well be mentioned
under this heading. We sometimes hear of harsh judgment
being passed on one who has been overtaken in a fault, and
from whom the brethren have felt it necessary to withdraw.
There are times when this painful course becomes a duty.
For the honour of the Lord, for the benefit of the ecclesias,
for the sake of interested friends, and even for the sake of the
offender himself, it is necessary to withdraw from one who
is guilty of disorderly walk.
But when this duty has been performed, it is not right to
pass comments on the action of the offender, and assume that
his association with the brethren has been hypocritical.
Rather let us judge ourselves and ask whether we have always
been consistent, or whether in some sense—as suggested by
the apostle Paul in the seventh chapter of his letter to the
Romans—we do not all lead double lives. When one who has
for many years been a labourer in the sendee of the truth
makes complete shipwreck, let it not minister occasion for
uncharitable comments ; but rather for a most thorough
heart-searching, to see whether there are not some incon-
sistencies in us, which might grow almost imperceptibly from
year to year, till our very profession of faith would seem like
hypocrisy. In this connection it is well to remember that on
143
a certain historic occasion, the only one whose life was

perfectly consistent was the One to recognize that a dis-
covered sinner might yet fear God. The One who never
offended was most charitable towards the weak offender.
CHAPTER X
PREPARATION BY TRIBULATION
N English writer of great reputation once remarked that
A prosperity was the blessing of the Old Testament, and
adversity the blessing of the New. Having stated this
broad distinction, he tried to qualify it by pointing out that
even in the Old Testament there is some recognition of the
blessings that accrue from divinely-administered chastening.
The statement needed even more pruning than this ; for,
although at first sight it may seem to express a truth, it
becomes evident, on closer consideration, that there is no real
difference in this matter between the two dispensations.
Under both covenants prosperity is exhibited as the final
blessing, and under both covenants adversity is commended
as a means to an end.
"Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I
observe thy word." This passage, from the book of Psalms, is
the enunciation of a general principle, which is exemplified
in all parts of the Bible—in the lives of the fathers, who
dwelt as strangers and sojourners in the land of promise ; in
the history of Israel; in the repeated declensions during
times of prosperity, and purification through adversity ; and
it is only more fully manifested in the lives and writings of the
New Testament saints. " We must through much tribula-
tion, enter the kingdom." Exaltation is only to be after we
144
have " suffered a while". This is only a re-emphasis of the

principle laid down in the Psalm, and it is instructive to note
that some of the most complete expositions contained in the
New Testament give extensive quotations from the Old.
The beautiful Scripture " which speaketh unto us as
unto children," comes from the Book of Proverbs : " My son,
despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of
his reproof. For whom the Lord loveth he reproveth, even as
a father the son in whom he delighteth " (R.V.). In truth,
the only difference between the old covenant and the new in
this respect is, that in former times the Land of Promise was
inherited under the law of Moses, whereas now it lies desolate.
In former times obedient servants received some typical
blessings in the chosen country, whereas now all Israel, both
natural and spiritual, are scattered among the heathen. The
underlying principles remain unaltered. The final blessing is
complete unity with God, and an abundant inheritance of
all desirable things. Adversity and suffering play their part
in the preparation for the meeting with God.
It would surely be a mistake, however, to assume that
misfortune and disaster befall the servants of God more than
other men. When the apostle declared that the way to the
kingdom was through much tribulation, he did not imply
that the way to everlasting chains of darkness was through
much happiness and ease. The Bible verdict is quite the
other way, and a survey of this troubled world confirms the
truth of it. The most genuine joy is to be found among the
servants of God, and the most complete misery and discon-
tent is to be found among the most thorough servants of sin.
It is a great mistake for brethren to be anxious to
represent that they suffer much for their profession. It seems
almost like an insult to God for one to say, " If it had not been
for the truth, I might have been well off instead of being
poor, and hardly securing the bare necessities of life". These
" might have beens " are very uncertain. Were it not for the
truth, he might have been in the workhouse or in prison.
Trouble is the common lot of humanity, only in the case of
145
the righteous it is divinely controlled, and covered by the

gracious assurance that we shall not be tempted beyond
what we are able to bear.
The question may then be asked, Wherein is the force of
the apostle's words regarding the chastening God administers
to those He loves ? If as much, or more, trouble might have
been heaped upon them by the accidents of time and chance
had they never known the way of life, where is the significance
of tribulation or of the apostle's words ?
One answer has already been indicated. The sufferings
of a saint are divinely regulated, while the sufferings of
sinners have been accurately described by a much-afflicted
poet as " the bludgeonings of chance". There is, however,
another answer to the question. There is one kind of tribula-
tion experienced at all times by those who try to serve God,
and from which the thorough-going servants of sin are quite
exempt. It is described most vividly in the seventh chapter
of the epistle to the Romans. It is the struggle against our
own fleshly weakness, which may become so severe as to lead
one to exclaim, " O wretched man that I am, who shall
deliver me from the body of this death ? " All those who are
described as having washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb, will have passed through severe
tribulation of this kind. There is no escape from it, and,
generally speaking, the more spiritually-minded a man is, the
greater will be the struggle, the more severe the trial.
Other troubles—sickness, bereavement, poverty, weari-
ness, and all the other evils that afflict humanity, are a
common heritage of saint and sinner. The principal differ-
ence between the two cases is that the troubles of saints are
divinely controlled, while sinners are far more the sport of
chance. Those glorious ministering spirits sent forth to the
heirs of salvation encamp around those who fear God and
deliver them, whereas when the angels have a special mission
to aliens, it is generally because the long suffering of God has
come to an end, and human society must be subjected to a
drastic purging. Time and chance happen to all, but some-
146
times chance is controlled for good or evil. Other men beside

Joseph have been wrongfully imprisoned, other men beside
Job have lost their possessions and been stricken with illness,
other kings beside David have been driven from their thrones
by rebel sons ; but in the vast majority of these cases the
afflicted men have been the sport of chance, and where they
have been the subjects of providential control the object may
have been to punish rather than to purify.
In the special instances mentioned the apparent evil was
only the chastening hand of God on beloved, although not
faultless, sons. And this thought brings us back to the most
difficult and most interesting phase of the subject. It is
comparatively easy to see that chance advantage or chance
adversity may befall an alien world. It is easy to accept the
truth that every servant of God must pass through some
tribulation arising out of the conflict with self, but there
remain these other evils to be explained. God-fearing men
are sometimes plunged into dire misfortune. Prayer seems of
no avail, the very effort to do good sometimes appears to
enhance the evil, and if the angels of God surround such an
one, it appears as if they have a charge to torture rather than
to deliver him. Yet we are told that we must not regard this
as evidence of God's displeasure, but that " whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth".
Why this suffering ? Why should it be necessary for
those who are trying to serve God faithfully to pass through
such tribulation ? The analogy suggested in the passage just
quoted is of some assistance, but it fails to give complete
satisfaction. The feeling may arise, and we have heard it put
into actual words, that there is no comparison between the
gentle punishment and reproof a parent will administer, and
the awful suffering to which some of the sons of God have
been subjected. Perhaps the most important work one could
possibly perform in writing a treatise on the philosophy of
suffering, would be to give a clearer view of the relationship
between punishment and reward, and a better understanding
147
of what is meant by the fatherhood of God. When men feel

rebellious against the trials which overtake them, and are
unable to reconcile the evil we experience with the mercy of
God, it is simply because they see everything in a wrong
perspective. They are wearing short-sight glasses which
enable them to see their fellows and all near objects, but
which quite fail to give a more distant view.
We may at once point out that if there is no comparison
between the punishment a father will administer to his son,
and the affliction which has sometimes come on the sons of
God, neither is there any comparison between the two objects
in view. Indeed, if we examine the matter closely, we are
bound to recognize that there is a far greater disparity
between the objects than between the reproofs. The fact is,
man looks at the matter from the narrow standpoint of
merely human life. The human father directs his efforts to
train the child in such a way as to be fitted to take a proper
place in the world of his day and generation. If there is some
regard paid to the idea of a better life beyond, there is always
the feeling that the same foundation of training will suffice,
with nothing added except instruction in the ways of God and
exhortation to seek after Him. The human father is rather
like an older child in the nursery. He still shares the nursery's
fortunes, and his horizon is practically bounded by its walls.
He may be well able to teach the younger ones to behave
according to nursery etiquette, and to qualify for nursery
games, but he knows little of the great world outside, and
when some evil or disappointment comes, he is as ready to
cry as the youngest child.
There can be no comparison between a temporal and an
eternal object, since the finite can never be compared with
the infinite. It is a fact, however, that in all temporal objects
men pay great regard to the time required for the endeavour
and the durability of the finished work. Who would not be
willing to endure a single second of suffering in order to
secure some substantial advantage for the rest of life ? Yet
even a second is a proportion of our allotted span. The
148
fraction can easily be expressed in figures, and not such an

appalling array of figures either. Sixty seconds to the minute,
sixty minutes to the hour, twenty-four hours to the day,
three-hundred-and-sixty-five days to the year, and then
seventy years for a human life. But the whole history of man-
kind does not constitute a fraction of eternity. The realiza-
tion of this fact helps us to see something of God's point of
view, and we can understand why that which seems like the
most awful suffering to us can be described as a " light
affliction which endureth but for a moment". The apprehen-
sion of this single fact is enough to reprove those who feel
inclined to complain that the chastening hand of God is
more severe than that of the human father. There is, indeed,
a disparity, but it does not lie in the direction the grumblers
think.
We must delve deeper than this, however, if we desire
to understand God's point of view with anything approaching
to completeness. As men and women we naturally attach too
much importance to the individual life. This feeling does not
possess us so much when we look back on the tragedies of
remote history. No one grieves over the destroyed Sodomites,
or feels that those personalities ought to be restored, to be
given another opportunity to repent. When men have been
dead so long we are apt to think of them as if they had never
really been, and we do not feel that there is anything more
terrible in their " perpetual sleep" than the prevented births
of the children they would have borne had their lives, been
spared.
From God's point of view there is no limit to the possible
production of human personalities, and those who sin and
perish are of no more account than those who have never
been. Therefore, since God calls us from the dust, and gives
us all things we possess, what possible analogy can we suggest
which will be a real illustration of the position ? We are the
products of an alien world, only living through God's long-
suffering, and if, by adoption, we become children, and are
subjected to chastisement, it is only through God withholding
149
for a while some of His good gifts. A fair consideration of the

elementary truths we have learned will bring us to the
attitude of Job. " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken
away. Blessed be his name." The chastening is grievous, we
are made sorrowful by i t ; but our apprehension of the truth
should make us " sorry after a godly manner". The trouble
with the grumblers is that they accept all blessings as a
matter of course, and comparing the best they can imagine of
life with the limitations of their experience, think that they
have in some way been wronged. Whatever happens, they
have no ground for complaint, unless it was wronging them
to give them a personality at all.
But still, when all this is admitted, the question remains,
Why should the servants of God, who humbly recognize His
supremacy and His goodness, have to suffer in their time of
preparation ? We are told that He will not afflict willingly,
or grieve the children of men, so there must be some reason
for the chastening rod to fall. Perhaps the consideration of a
few special cases may serve, in part, at least to show us what
that reason is.
CHAPTER X I
EXAMPLES OF PREPARATION BY SUFFERING
W E could hardly do better than begin by a review of

the experience of Israel in the wilderness, that period
of history so fruitful of instruction. This was a
national preparation, yet it was also individual, as there were
many among those who finally entered the land, who were
old enough to discern between good and evil at the time of
the Exodus, although they had not reached man's estate.
They passed through the whole experience which taught the
nation discipline, and witnessed in their own lives the effect
of divinely regulated trial.
150
The case is particularly interesting from the fact that the

Israelites were in bondage in the land of Egypt, and the
Exodus came to them as a great deliverance and an offer of
freedom. We read that they were under the command of
hard task-masters, that they were made to serve with rigour,
and that " their cry came up unto God by reason of the bon-
dage". Yet when they were brought out of Egypt, it did not
seem to need much trial or danger to create in their minds a
desire to revert to the old conditions of slavery. On more
than one occasion they called to memory the good things of
Egypt, and appeared to conclude—as some have done in
latter times—that Egyptian bondage was preferable to the
freedom of Truth.
They looked back with longing eyes on the flesh pots of
Egypt when they first saw the wilderness before them, and no
apparent means of sustenance (Exod. 26 : 2). The mixed
multitude fell lusting, and many of the children of Israel were
rebellious when there was nothing but manna to eat (Num.
11 : 6). They proposed to make a captain of their own, and
return to Egypt rather than encounter the giants of Palestine
(Num. 14:2). And they openly affirmed their preference for
Egyptian life, and their loathing of the " light bread", with
which God had sustained them (Num. 21 15).
Readers who accept the argument used in a former
chapter regarding historical perspective, will have no
difficulty in recognizing the fact that, from the purely human
point of view, the deliverance from Egypt was intensely
disappointing ; and with little more penetration the possible
application of the lesson to our own days will be equally
obvious. God's point of view was totally different from that
of His people ; and before they could be established in the
land of promise, before they could be accepted as a nation,
they needed drastic purging, they required much instruction,
and their whole point of view had to be changed.
From the standpoint of the slaves in the land of Egypt,
the distinctive evil of their experience was that they were
made to work hard, and their task-masters were severe. From
151
God's standpoint, the evil was that they were in a thoroughly

bad religious atmosphere, and that there was no opportunity
for spiritual growth. When they were delivered, they longed
for material blessings, and complete exemption from the
bitter experience of toil and weariness. God looked for an
improvement of mind and a growth of the spiritual man.
They apparently thought that God should have exer-
cised His power to give them all desirable luxuries, to feed
them with food such as they appreciated, and to save them
from evil, or even the fear of evil. The object of their Creator
is expressed in the words of Moses, as recorded in the eighth
chapter of Deuteronomy : "He humbled thee, and suffered
thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest
not, neither did thy fathers know, that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God doth man live."
Thus, the deliverance from Egypt really involved what
might, from the human point of view, have been considered
merely a change of troubles. Instead of a grinding and
stunting servitude, with plenty to eat and drink, but with
no opportunity to develop the higher powers, they were
brought into the life of divine truth with a privilege of access
to God such as has never been vouchsafed to any other nation;
but, at the same time, they were suffered to hunger, sustained
by a kind of food which was not intended to please the flesh,
and subjected to experiences designed to humble and prove
them.
The good effect of this severe discipline is seen in the
account given in the last chapter of the book of Joshua. The
people protested that they would serve the Lord, and we are
told in a sentence which covers a period of some years that
they had respect unto their vow : " Israel served the Lord all
the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that over-
lived Joshua, and who had known all the works of the Lord
that he had done for Israel."
This presents a great contrast to the picture of the
Exodus, or to the time when in their first disappointment at
152
the limitations of their deliverance, the people desired to turn

again to bondage. They had been brought through the
wilderness, many rebels had been purged out from among
them, they had suffered many trials ; and at last, chastened
and humbled, they were brought into the land of promise as
a righteous nation, serving the Lord. Having learned that
the word of God is more precious than material blessings they
were fitted, for a time at least, to receive and enjoy such
blessings ; and this experience stands out as one of the great
illustrations of preparation to meet God, as an example for
all generations following.
It is not difficult to see some ways in which the lesson
may be applied in our own day. Men sometimes cry unto
God by reason of their hard bondage in these times, and in
such modern instances the hardship they deplore is often
more in the strain and worry of exacting labour, than the lack
of opportunity for spiritual exercises. Sometimes God
interferes and calls such men to freedom, and as in the case of
the Israelites they sometimes find the deliverance very
disappointing. We have heard those who are afflicted raise
the question, " What possible object can this trouble serve ?
It does not and cannot make me any better. It rather makes
me worse". With the example of the Israelites in mind we
may recognize the possibility of this being true. The
affliction in the wilderness did not improve every individual
although it served the nation. It was a purging process as
well as a means for individual discipline, and certain words
of the Lord Jesus suggest that trouble performs a similar work
now.
He speaks of some who, like the seed on stony ground,
have only feeble roots, and who, when trouble arises, are
quickly offended. In the presence of affliction it is well to
remember the impressive words we have quoted from Moses,
for Jesus quoted those words in the hour of temptation :
" Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God". " He humbled thee,
and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna",
153
Moses said, and thus indicated that the special food God
provided for His people was intended to chasten. It sustained
them in life ; there was no cause to complain, but it fell short
of what they desired. It was not equal to the portion they
would have chosen for themselves.
If, then, we feel in these days that our experience is
rough and humiliating, it simply presents an analogy to that
portion of Israel's history which is, in a special sense, offered
to us as an example and a warning ; and if we feel that the
adversity we have to endure cannot in any way benefit us,
it suggests a terrible alternative, that instead of being num-
bered among the faithful to be purified, we are joining the
ranks of the rebels to be purged out.
The fact is, we can, in large measure, determine for our-
selves what shall be the effect of our experience. We may
resolve, under all circumstances, to draw closer unto God ;
that, even under the stress of greatest affliction, we will still
trust in Him, and in times of prosperity we will remember the
lessons of adversity. With so many examples before us in the
Scriptures we ought never to feel rebellious, or for a moment
suffer the thought that we are unjustly treated. Those who
respond to the call of the gospel in these days are like Israel
of old journeying through the wilderness. There are some
times of pure joy, and there is always the comfort of having
access to the mind of God ; but there are also many trials and
afflictions, purposely designed, to purge the whole body, and
to purify individuals. There are not many who are required
to endure for more than forty years.
Sometimes, however, a man may feel unduly depressed
by the fact that circumstances hinder his best efforts, and the
trend of events would almost seem to indicate that his work
for the truth was unacceptable. He may feel that his sphere
of action is so deplorably limited, while if he were more
favourably situated he would do so much. It is not that he
pines to be rich, for he recognizes that riches are proverbially
deceitful ; and the one who talks of the good he would do if
possessed of money is generally allured, whether he admits
154
the fact or not, by the thought of the power and pleasure

wealth confers more than by the good it might accomplish.
" I do not even desire to be wealthy", such an one may
say, " I only desire that life's burden should be eased just a
little. I feel that I could write and speak in the service of the
truth with some effect if my mind were not so jaded. But
with a life of wearying toil sapping a man's strength, how can
he ever do his best ? If a man comes home at night worn out
in mind and body, and then, perhaps, has to minister to an
ailing wife, and take charge of a peevish child, how can he
possibly prepare any effective work in the truth's warfare ?
How is it that some who are called upon to serve, are so
fettered and afflicted in their labours ? "
One who reasons in this way has failed to recognize one
of the most elementary of the principles which govern the
plan of salvation. We may address some home truths to such
a complainer, truths which are not perceived in some
quarters, and which may be given a new emphasis even to
those who know them.
There is only one work in which God has any actual need
of your assistance, and that is the work of your own salva-
tion. If, then, God regards you with favour, from His point
of view, your most important task in life is to make your own
calling and election sure. Any other work you may perform
might just as well be done by others ; all that is required of
you is, that within the limits of your opportunities, you shall
do your best : not the very best of which you might be
capable with the most favourable conditions, but the best
that is possible under the circumstances. The disadvantages
under which you labour are included in the assessment of the
talent given you.
Has it ever occurred to you that your chafing at the
fetters which hinder your work savours of egotism ? Do you
suppose that God had any need even of Moses in the deliver-
ance of Israel ? As a matter of fact, when Moses, in the en-
thusiasm and strength of youth, " supposed that his brethren
would have understood that God by his hand should deliver
155
them", he was not permitted to perform the work. He had

to flee ; he lived as an exile for many years, and perhaps he
sometimes felt that his powers were being wasted in the land
of Midian. He probably endured many trials in those days,
and then, when he was humble, shrinking from the idea of
being a leader, and desiring a life of quietness, he was called
forth to the greatest trial of all. But God could have per-
formed the work by other hands, and had Moses refused to
obey, God would have suffered no loss, except the loss of
Moses.
Wherefore, O complaining brother, what does it matter
if your powers all seem to be wasted, through the prosaic
duties of life being too exacting ? The labourers in the
harvest may be few, but God will have all He needs, and
perhaps these very trials of yours, this apparent waste of your
energies, may be a necessary part of your training, and God
may think of you more as part of the harvest, to be ripened
and prepared, than as a labourer for others. But it is
demanded of you that you shall do your best, and, so far as
possible, triumph over obstacles. When you are tired after a
day's work, therefore, do not jade your mind still further by
worrying over your limitations. Minister to the ailing wife as
she needs, soothe the crying child, and then do your best
under difficulties to write or prepare the wqrk you have to do.
It is not that God stands in need of your help, it is simply that
with a full knowledge of all the circumstances, He demands
the best you can perform. And it is just possible, after all, that
a few ragged sentences or feebly expressed ideas, prepared
under such trying conditions, will strike home with a greater
force of truth than the most polished emanations from the
private study, and in their artless simplicity be even more
effective than that highest form of art which conceals art.
If we seek illustrations of individuals who have been
prepared through suffering, we might take the case of David
as a special example. He was called to a position of excep-
tional honour and responsibility in mortal life, and he had to
pass through a period of much affliction and trial by way of
156
training. The beginning of his reign shows how well this

tribulation prepared him, and his later transgression
furnishes a remarkable illustration of the dangers of pros-
perity. David was sent to the hard school of adversity for a
second time to prepare him for the higher position to which
he was called.
Other characters might be mentioned whose lives illus-
trate the same principle, and whose example has often been
cited ; but it would only be to repeat the lesson already
given. Men of strong faith, who make a proper use of the
very varied Scriptures God has given us, will not be purged
out from the commonwealth of Israel by tribulation. Though
they may not understand why certain troubles come, they
will determine to be rightly exercised by them, in order that,
like Job, they may come out of the furnace of affliction like
silver refined. It may seem that their abilities are fettered,
but they remember that God knows all the circumstances,
and He will be just. They will continue the work of building
even though the enemy presses so hard that they only have
one hand wherewith to labour ; their troubles will become
their tutors, and disappointment—to borrow a fine idea from
Henry Kirke White—will be like a gentle nurse to wean them
from the world.
I think that the Hindus, with their doctrine of Nirvana,
simply exhibit a perversion of a truth taught long ago to our
common ancestors. This idea of an ultimate absorption into
the divine—that all things come from God, and all things
turn to God again, is unquestionably scriptural. Yet what a
vast difference there is between the false and the true in this
matter. The heathen conception appears to be that personal
existence is a curse ; that all the suffering endured serves no
purpose except to help us back towards the condition from
which we started ; and personalities are purified only to be
destroyed.
The Bible teaches that we are subjected to trial in order
that we may be fitted for our individuality to be perpetuated.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, will be in
157
the Kingdom. Men and women of whom the world was not
worthy will be made perfect as real and distinct individuals,
who have passed through such experiences that it is possible
for them to be made partakers of the nature of God and yet
remain distinct and separate characters. The affliction of the
righteous thus accomplishes a real work. It is not a mere
stepping-stone back to the original condition. It is the way to
a new creation, it is the pain of spiritual childbirth.
Where can we find such clean cut and distinct personali-
ties as those who have suffered for righteousness, and trod the
narrow path which leads to life ? men who have striven
against temptation, who, conscious of their weakness, have
clung to the hand of the One who is strong ; sometimes
stumbling, sometimes receiving instruction through bitter
suffering and sorrow, but pressing towards the mark of their
high calling ? " With strong crying and tears " they have
made their supplication to God, with earnest prayer they
have besought His forgiveness and His help. Even in the
darkest hour of trial they have remembered their early
lessons, and while pleading that the cup of bitterness might
pass, have said, " Thy will be done". However dark the way
they have not faltered ; however bitter and incomprehen-
sible the pain they have maintained their trust, and prayed
that sorrow should have its right effect and bring them
nearer to God.
In this development is witnessed the strange yet beautiful
paradox that the more they grow like God, the stronger is
their personality. They have risen from the formless
animalism of the natural man, and through the travail of
temptation and trial have approached the angelic standard
of intense individuality, yet perfect harmony with God.
158
CONTROL OF THOUGHT
CHAPTER XII
CONTROL OF THOUGHT
E VERY deliberate act is the outcome of deliberate

thought, and it therefore follows that control of
thought must lie at the foundation of all reform, and
must be the mainspring of every virtue right up to that
bridling of the tongue which is placed by an apostle as the
supreme test of a man.
We shall never find a better description of the process
which leads to destruction than that contained in the first
chapter of the Epistle of James : " Every man is tempted
when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin : and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
It is safe to affirm that there has only been one out of
all the human race who has exercised a perfect control over
thought; only one to whom that passage from the Psalms
is perfectly applicable—" I hate vain thoughts ; but thy law
do I love." It is characteristic of humanity to love vain
thoughts, and the step from vain to sinful is only a very small
one, if, indeed, there is a step at all. But, although we are all
sinners, we are required to follow the perfect example of our
Lord and Master as closely as we can, and so must endeavour
to resemble him in this. In other words, we must learn to
control our thoughts.
This at once raises an issue mentioned in a previous
chapter. There are some people who deny the possibility of
such control. They claim that thoughts come uninvited,
seeming to flash into the brain from nowhere and defying all
effort to exclude them. Consequently it is urged that control
of actions is hard enough, and control of thought impossible.
We need not be surprised at this objection, since there are
many writers in these days who take a similar stand regarding
the whole subject of human action. Indeed, humanity has
always been disposed to repudiate responsibility for evil
159
behaviour, at one time seeking to lay the blame on the

Creator, at another on a god of evil, or devil, and now in
these more scientific days, on the many causes described by
the word Circumstance. It is urged that man is the helpless
subject of environment, that in so far as a babe possesses
character or the material from which character may develop,
it is the outcome of ancestral environment, and that from the
cradle to the full development of manhood it is the sport of
Circumstance. In short, that whether men are noble or
bestial, cultured or degraded, they are the natural product of
the soil in which they have grown.
There is a considerable element of truth in this
contention, and therein lies its danger. The highly respected
judge may have no greater intrinsic virtue than the vicious
offender he condemns, and if their whole conditions of life
could have been exchanged, their positions in the final scene
might be inverted. No wise man will dispute that environ-
ment accounts in very large measure for the failure or success,
the righteousness or unrighteousness, of man. But when this
principle is carried as far as some writers have taken it, it
becomes not only untrue but absurd, not only absurd but
self-destructive.
Thus, if men are the helpless creatures of circumstance,
and can exercise no real power of choice, what is the use of
arguing with them, and what possible object can be served by
propounding a system of philosophy ? If the denier of free-
will replies that he is not a fatalist, and that he acknowledges
the possibility of argument being a factor in determining a
man's course of action, surely then, his whole system stands
self-condemned. For the very doctrine of determinism will
be one of the determining factors, and who could commend it
then ? Teach men that they are poor creatures of circum-
stance and cannot injustice be punished or blamed, however
much they sin, and what manner of men will they become ?
It is quite possible for a defence of " bottom dogs " to be a
prime factor in the production of the breed. Let it once be
admitted that men may hear the voice of wisdom and be
160
CONTROL OF THOUGHT
influenced thereby, and all we ask is then conceded. Preachers

of righteousness are justified, and sin's apologists stand
condemned.
Approaching more directly to the subject in hand, we
may aismiss all philosophical speculations and consult our
own experience. There is surely a real difference between
sanity and insanity, and the difference can best be expressed
by saying that a sane man is responsible for his actions. His
thoughts are definite, he sees certain real issues before him,
and he is conscious of making deliberate choice. Not only so,
but he must also be conscious of a higher part of the mind
capable of controlling in large measure the unclassified
thoughts which flit through the brain with such rapidity and
in such profusion. You are perhaps walking along a crowded
street, and a multitude of crude thoughts come into the mind,
some of them excited by objects you see and sounds you
hear, some coming with no apparent cause, but probably
arising in many cases from latent impressions you do not
properly remember, or from associations of ideas too mech-
anical for the higher part of the brain to follow. It may be
quite true that you cannot prevent these flitting thoughts
from passing through your mind. The eyes see whatever is
before them, the ears hear whatever sounds are in the air, and
the mechanical association of ideas is unavoidable. So it is
that many vain thoughts are thrust upon us as we walk along
the street of a city, and we cannot be held responsible for
them.
But are you not conscious of a higher part of the brain
capable at any moment of seizing on any one of those stray
thoughts, and retaining it in the mind for definite considera-
tion ? And is it not beyond all question a fact that in this
you exercise some power of choice and control ? You may
pass a picture shop and see therein a picture of Christ and a
picture of a sinner. You cannot prevent this presentation of
opposite ideas, but you can exercise a choice as to which sub-
ject shall be encouraged and which shall be dismissed. And
this is only an illustration of many such choices which are
161
e©ntinually prigintid t© the mind* A man is n©t a p
Jngtrumint t© ligtin t© thi bill argumintg ©f b©th gin and
1
hti©ugnigg, and by a kind of automatic pr©qigg yield t© thi
danei ©f ©ni ©r thi ©thir, T h i r i i§ thi p©ggibility ©f ligtin*
g te thi v©iei ©f wigd©m gaying, " Qiagi, my g©n, t© hiar
thi lngtrueti©n whieh eaugith t© irr fr@m thi w@rdg ©f knew-
l i d p " , and by making §udi a gh©i@i t© gieuri griat rigultg in
thi ind, digpiti human wiaknigg and gin'g diîitflil
and wi ari ail @©ng@i©ug ©f thi power t© ehmm frem am©ng

thi fliitlng impriggi©ng §©nviyid t© thi brain by thi mnm>
T h i habitg @f thi tewif part ©f thi brain ari und©ubtidly
ditirminid by eireumgtangig and training, and thi griatigt
©fall determining fket©rg i§ thi attitude ©f thi higher, riag©n*
ing part ©f man. Habit hag been defined ag gi§©nd naturi ;
and few people will deny thi truth ©f what thig gaying Implies
Habitg beeome like natural impulgig, Whin in griat gtrinf th
they leern irrigigtibli, and even whin thi higher reasoning
part of thi brain eendemn§ them, they have their own way,
Like alt reihrm§, thi reordering ©f the brain i§ a lengthy
preee§§, It require§ a weeding out ©f thi unfit elements a
strieter di§dpline, and §eme ttae hf eêrei§e t© git all thi
parts in efficient working order, and t© train thi habitg in thi
right direction, Thi iggui eome§ befere u§ very plainly hifi,
Teaeh men that they ari not resp§n§ible for their
thoughti and aetion§, that there jg n© guen thing ag tm will,
that environment i§ everything, and fhat they @ann©t with
justlee bi pralied for welldoing, ©r blamed mr their §in§=
and they will rilan all effort, live &m rein t© habitg, and gink
very mueh into thi automatfe machines they believe them*
Teaeh them that they ari re§pon§ible, that they ean

" refti§e thi evil and ehoo§e thi pod^', and ean even inirdgi
a eontrol ow$f their thought§, and they will ri§e t© thi
oeeasion. There will bi a eon§eiou§ enoiee, a con§eiou§
itruggli againgt evil tendeneie§ and evil environment, and a
[uent development of personality. It i§ out §f such a
There have been some attempts on the part of scientific
men to classify the several parts of the brain, and I© present a
comprehensible picture of il§ powers and processes. Without
attempting t@ bi §diatifie, wt may in §§m@ m@aiur§ fellow
th§ itad if a seitntist in lutpiliiig an iUuitratten @f the
matter whteh will trnphasiie tn§ imp@rtang§ ©f diidpiine and
the gultivad§n ©f g§§d habits* The brain ii rather like A t
€@ntf§&ng itaff m a peat buiinm> the higher reaieninf
part being repre§ented i y the head ©f the firm, and the tewer
parts by vari§us gub§rdinate§: The servant! g§metimeg aet
under &e direct instruction and super^si§n ©f the master,
but very ©ftifi they have t@ a§t fef themselves, ©nly indirectly
e@n&died by hiffl: Iven then> however, he is largely res*
pensible fef their behaviour* If he is the soul of honesty and
on the other hand, he is unscrupulous and

'will M o w his lead, and probaoly end by
the master himself:
It ¥411 be the same with the staff whose duty it is to
gather and report intonation, and who correspond to the
receptive faculties of the brain: If the master promptly
consigns useless or harmful reports to the waste paper basket,
and reprimands those who have produced them, the number
of such reports will greatly diminish, and the amount of
valuable intonation obtained #111 proportionately increase.
If; on the contrary, he manifests great interest in the most
frivolous items, sucn matters will predominate, and the eyes
of the staff grow keener Ibr them: It is so with the powers ©f
the mind: The ruling part is responsible fbr the training of
many servants, and on their training will the efficiency of
I t ' l l !
We may often see the most eiictive condemnation of a

felse theory in the attitude assumed by men of business. On
no subject are men so practical as where finance is concerned,

and it is possible sometimes to learn a lesson from these mun-
dane affairs which is applicable to higher things. There may
be some successful business men, who, as a matter of theory,
embrace the doctrine of determinism, and deny the freedom
of the human will, but it is quite certain that they will never
attempt to make a practical application of the principle.
They recognize dearly enough that there is a constant
necessity for choice and conscious effort. They perceive that
one of the great essentials of success is in the cultivation of
businesslike habits, and they are generally ready to claim
that some credit is due to them for the energy they have
displayed and the control they have maintained over the
natural inclination to shirk all unpleasant work.
One of the best business-exhortations I ever read was on
the subject of habits. It was not merely a condemnation of
bad habits on the lines of ordinary moral maxims. It pointed
out that habits of many kinds may be developed ; and the
subconscious powers of the brain furnish us with a whole
army of servants, which may be so well trained as to become
most efficient helps, or so mismanaged as to become our
masters. Cultivate good habits, and the higher part of the
brain is left free to perform the work which it alone can
accomplish. The right thing is done at the right time as a
matter of routine, regular duties are performed with the
same instinctive certainty that calls us to the breakfast table
in the morning, and the higher part of the mind is able to
devote itself more thoroughly to the realm of pure thought.
Such a well-ordered brain is like a business with a good
organizer at the head. The chief does not run here, there,
and everywhere in a random and disjointed effort to see all
the work done. He knows how to delegate labour, and to
maintain an efficient staff of workers. He knows how to
establish an effective routine which leaves him free to direct
the whole machine, and think out further possibilities of
improvement. In short, he has, by conscious choice and
effort, produced and cultivated an army of useful habits,
164
CONTROL OP THOUGHT
first in his own brain, and then in the whole organization of

his business.
If the desire for temporal success can evoke such effort,
how much more should the ambition to be fit for the kingdom
of God. The same rules apply regarding the control of
thought, and the same lessons must be learned over the
matter of habits. We must remember the positive side as well
as the negative, and as well as avoiding those habits that are
levil, cultivate the good—the habit of reading, the habit of
well ordered thought, and the habit of prayer. Control of
thought lies at the basis of it all, and the persistence of these
habits will, in their turn, enormously strengthen that control.
A business magazine published an account of a most
successful salesman who maintained his efficiency by putting
himself through a kind of catechism every morning, to
impress upon his mind the excellence of his proposition
and his determination to be successful. Perhaps his example
might, with advantage, be followed on a higher plane of
thought. Men may exhort themselves sometimes more effec-
tively than they can be exhorted. Our ideals go far beyond
our attainments, and an author may sometimes feel that his
own writings are his severest critics, and his own exhortations
pre-eminently suited to his own case. Thus it is possible for
men to examine and reprove themselves, and, without any
knowledge of scientific propositions, practice what has some-
times been called self-hypnotism. There is a very real wisdom
in the institution of special evening and morning prayer, for
it is at those times that the mind is most plastic, and habits
of thought most easily formed. Let a man deliver his evening
prayer from the heart, and then, dismissing worldly thoughts,
woo sleep by thinking about the kingdom of God, and his
mind will be in the right condition for the silent night's work
of renovation. It is by the encouragement of such ennobling
thoughts that the positive habits are formed and evil habits
are excluded. In this way also our power of controlling
thought may be increased, and instead of being guided by the
imaginations of an evil heart, the faculty of imagination may
165
bm®m% §ub§efvient aai fill a m§§! vmM part in riving u§ a
kreaie? §ytl©§k, eaiargiag mi? §pipathie§ threap a letter
uadeistaadiag §f ather §taaip§iat§ be§iie§ §u? §wa3 aai ia
eaafeiiag u§ t§ reaiige aai ©riag h§m§ te §UF mi»i§ !h§
t?uth§ w§ have liamei
PRIPARATIQN 1 ¥ ALL THIN8§
TJL
MII hâdiiig &? th§ la§!
the
lh§ id§a
idea If a feeapitulatisa:
fi§a@i Ifi §§aae§ti§& with
alffi§§l aav §lh§F §ukj§§t it w§uli iaieed fe§ §@3 fef
aft§f aa pth§f &a£ d§all ia istatl wilh va?i@u§ m§lh§i§ ^f
pfgpaFali§fi3 the Saai heaiiagj "Pi^pai^tida by all &iap 3 S
§§uM §fily meaa a ?e@etiti§a3 §? ggagral §uiafaafy ©f what
hai
tiaipe ia ihi§3 that all

wh§l§vi@§g j alllhg i all the a§tivit¥ §f lift gaafeeaa
flferifig
8F iBt@ theuirfiatQF
iRe 8 aRfl a HFfiaaFatieiR df the s t a t u r e , i t
i§ a§t m\y ia !hg lateu? iif§§tly iB§pi?§i by a lave fef iiviag
ihiap) lhal a §§M§e §aa be iiaigzî j But §ft§fi ia w§fk
whiih §6§m§ l§ have a§ §§aaegii§a with the pu?p§§§ §f § § i
lh§f§ i§ e p a l §p©§Fiymi¥ fe feiihfol §ai§av§u?3 a a i !h§
maaMg§{a!i§a §f fev§: The ap§§!lg §h§w§ u§ lhal there i§
§§§pt fef reaieriag §em§e l§ 3§d evea ia w§?kiag M a feai
faa§te?: The e^l§ §h§yli be ea£u?e£ patieatly a§ pan §f a
ae§e§§af¥ t?aiaiag3 aad the w§?k pei#»aei heartily a§ UBI§
the L§?£ aai a§t ufty *aaa:
The taeetiag §a the gf§t day §f the week ha§ §§ffl§liffl§§
beea iêgîed a§ aa aatii@te t§ w§fk=a=day @ipeHea§e3 a§ if
PRSPAftATOB 1 ¥ Ahh ¥HHf§5
all w§?lily a§§§§iati@a§ wire tvil, aad a spidal iffef t wa§
a i i i s i iviry wiik te §@uatifa§t their iaauia§i: May wi
a§t rathir make it a timi §f §ilf=inamiaati§a t§ ia§ure thai
w§ are rightly §M§?§i§§d by aivifii ixpiriia§i, and t§ §§ lags
thi fer§i§ §f ivil that th§^ are all §§aviftid iat§ hilp§ t la
mattif§ @f phy§i@al dgvil§pm@iit3 §Mgf§i§g will alway§
it^ngthia th§ mu§d§§ §§ l§nf a§ it i§ n§t §§y§i;g @n§uih t§
traia ih§m: A»4 §vta i f they art §§milim§§ |g§til t§§
11@ thi ta§k ims@§ii up§»mm th ihgfflj
t i§ fa? îttif t§ §U%F §§mi mi§hap§ in thi F§ugh=aa&tiimbls
©f life: thaa fef thi p§wif§ t§ b§ atf§phiii though laek @f «§i:
A ghild i§ a§t itiâgthiaid by it§ Hll§3 mi may p§§§ibly b§
greatly harmii by thim, yit thi mu§eli§ mw §tf§ag
pif§ugh iMif§i§i, whi§h i§ a t t i a i i i by iaivitafels ri§k j a a i
it i§ bittif t§ havi a few fell§ thaa t§ fiiaaia ffeibli aai u$ili§§:
Thi L§i^ jg§u§ Hi a§t pray that hi§ di§dpli§ §h§uli hi
takia §ut §f thi w§fld, but taat thiy might fei §hiiliii fr§m
harm, aai remaia Ikithlul t§ thiif tfu§t3 th§ugh liviag la a
&ithli§§ a p s Whia mm §f wsmia attimpt t§ i§©lal§ lh§m=
§ilvi§ &@m thi w§rld ia §fdir t§ cultivate a §pg§ial §@ifitual-
ity, thiy are a§t agtiag ia harmsay with thi Ma§tif}§
tiaehiag, aad thiy i § a§t iivitep a p a y i a i piity : Thiif
vi?tui§ are §aly §f a aigativi kiai 9 aael pifhap§ a§t &?
rem§vii fr©m p§§itivi vi§i: A Miai maa §aaa§t bi §aii t@
havi §¥ire@mi thi lu§l §f thi §y§5 aiithir gaa a dumb maa
bi prakid bi§au§i hi §piak§ a§ iviL Hut a maa ia lull p§§-
§i§§i§a ©fall hi§ fk§ulli§§ may livi ia thi w©rii3 ret a§t bi ©f
it, aad by hi§ p§§itivi igbf t§ atti§t hi§ fkilh ia §u§a a way a§ t§
g a i fe?giviai§§ fef hi§ Ikiliap: la that great pieture §f thi
juigmiat §iat pre§iatid t§ y§ by thi L©fd J§§u§ @hri§ta thi
?ighti§u§ are §§mmiadii fef thiif p§§itivi vif|u§§5 aas thi
wi§kid are §§aiima&l fef thiir §ia§ ©f §mi§§i§a:
Wi are §h§wa what i§ required by maay §hiaiag
inampli§ j mia wh§ maai&§tii thiif Ikith by thiif w§?k§a
aai wh§ t§§k thiir pla§i ia thi w©fli §fa§ti§a: They §§ul@
mjaigg ©? §©ff©w3 thiy §©uli ab§uai ©F bi aba§ii, thiy
g@uld h§li thi reia§ ©f i§ffl§©?al p§wir ©F bi Mwn t§ i
miny and death—and in all their experience find some

exercise to plrepare them for the life which is to come. We are
exhorted to work, not as men-pleasers, but as in the sight of
God, doing all things heartily as unto Him. This is a most
helpful thought, supplying us as it does with an eternal
object, even in the ordinary experiences of every day, and
drawing us close to God even while we are engaged in
temporal pursuits. We require something more than the
will to improve. Mind, like muscle, requires exercise as well
as food. Sometimes people have been oppressed with the
feeling that there is so small a part of their life which brings
them into contact with divine things, and they
more opportunity to serve God. They are like the ship*
wrecked men, whose experience has furnished such an
excellent illustration for preachers. A party of unfortunate
mariners, drifting helplessly on a rudely constructed raft, half
mad with thirst, and with no land in sight, frantically
signalled to a distant ship for water. A curt answer, in three
words, fluttered at the masthead of the vessel, " Dip and
drink". Wondering at the strange advice, they tasted the
the water and found it fresh. The raft had drifted by the
coast of South America, and they were near the mouth of the
mighty Amazon, whose waters flow over the surface of the
sea for many miles before they are finally mingled with the
salt. These poor voyagers, piteously pleading for drink, were
all the while surrounded by enough fresh water to assuage
the thirst of all the world. So it is with those who ask for
opportunity to serve God. It is there all around them, and
no work is asked of them beyond what they can perform.
We might perhaps even establish a closer analogy than
heretofore between the development of muscle and or mind.
Athletes tell us that the gentler exercises give the muscles
strength, and finally equip them for the great achievements
which merely display and test their powers. Perhaps it is the
same in large measure with the growth of the mind. The
great work is more in the nature of a test than an exercise.
Our growth will find its motive power in the smaller events of
168
PREPARATION BY ALL THINOI
life, the more prosaic but more frequent experiences of every-

day effort, success and disappointment. Only those who ao
all things heartily as unto the Lord will gain strength to
triumph in the day of great trial, and only such will be chosen
for any special work. The Lord Jesus nimself laboured for
many years in a very humble sphere before he engaged in the
final struggle. He proved his love for God and man in the
ordinary experiences of life before he manifested it in perfec-
tion in his great sacrifice. In him we have the perfect example.
It is possible to obtain a very clear view of what is
required from the sons of God by taking the converse of a
description
11
of wicked men. It was testified of some that
God was not in all their thoughts'9. Again, we perceive that
the condemnation is for a sin of omission, or at least the
matter is put in this negative form. Righteous men have
fallen, ana sometimes it may be possible to point to a single
instance of more glaring sin on the part of a servant of God
than can be found in the records of many children of evil.
When, however, men merit this sweeping scriptural descrip-
tion that God is not in all their thoughts, it avails than
nothing that their offences haye been mild in character, or
that records have been kind to them. There are cases where
notorious sinners can be prepared for the kingdom of God
more easily than some of good reputation. Repentant
publicans and harlots go before hypocritical Pharisees.
For the moment, however, we are more concerned with
the converse of this description than with the indictment
itself. It'gives us an ideal suited to our present theme. If we
would be numbered among the righteous, God should be in
all our thoughts, and then we shall find preparation in all
thing*.
There is nothing in this idea to impose a strain upon the
mind, nothing in the least degree related to that habit of
thought which sometimes leads to religioui mania and
insanity. It is pre-eminently characteristic of perfect sanity
for intelligent creatures to recognize the Creator in all things,
and to give Him a place in afi their thoughts. In times of
169
suffering and g§?r@w, where i§ it p§ggible t§ ©btain any real
eengelatien eneept Item ©ur Maker ? When hard w©rk and
great efibrt art repired* where i§ it p©ggible t© ©btain gu§h
nelg and ingpirati©n a§ Hi §an give ? And in a time §f
rtj©idng, gurely it i§ ©nly fitting anl natural t§ re§©gni§e Hi§
g@©dnegg, ginee it i§" in Him we Uv§ and m§vt and navt §ur
gi§ug mania arigig fr§m a e§ne§nt?ati§n §f ih§ mind
§n §nly §n§ phasi §f f§ligi§n} and genially §n thi lia§l
imp@ftant phagi*. S§mttimig3 ind@§d, it ig the §ut@§me §f aa
intîi§ati§n whigh eannet bi galled r§ligi§n at all: Pe§pl§
d§ubtl§gg find pleagufi in th§ îdtimint and inlktuati§n §f
revival meetinggj but it ig the pleagure §f int§nieati§n, and)
gheeking a§ tne gritieigm may geem, it ndght feiriy be
degeribed ag genguaL nIt hag n@ affinity with the " pure
reliii§n and undefiled 9 whieh masifeis itg feiih by its
werlig in the §rdinary dutieg §f lift-. The iigal wag pregented
in the Old Tegtament," What d§th the L@rd resuire §f thee
but te d§ jugtly, t§ l§ve merey, and t§ walk humlly with thy
@§d f" Opportunity §an be feimd every .day, even under
the m@gt pr§gai§ §§niiti§ng and in §©nne§ti§n with matterg
whi§h w@uld never bring @§d t§ the mindg §f w@rldly men:
We are eengtantly e@n&§nted by alternativeg whigh j u t u§ l@
the tegt: It ig dten eagy t§ appear jugt and mer§ilul in the
d§ justly in the gight @f 8§d will §ertainly find many p§ggible

tegtg @f nig pr^ggi§n every day he liveg^ often in little matterg
whieh geem ingignifi§ant in themgelveg, but whi§h are
invaluable ag enereigeg; They are like the very eagy m§ve*
mentg wilh p§und weight dumb=bellg whi§h gtrengthen the
mug§leg §f the athlete^ and n§ wige man will degpige them:
The m§gt impreggive w§rdgf h§wever, §§me lagt in thig
gimple greed> " Walk humbly with thy §§d" : Thig paggap
fell§ int§ perfect harm§ny with the idea ©f preparati§n by all
thiagk If a maa walte humbly wilh hi§ § § i ia all his
pr©gre§§ thr§ygh lift; he i§ at all time§ yaier iiviae gyiiaaee
aaaiaiyeage: whether ia §©rr§w §r jey, at w§rk §r play? his
eMperiea§e§ eaa thy§ help l§ prepare him fer the m§re
€§m|lete maaife§tati§a whi§h i§ t§ §§me.:
Th§§e wh§ §taai with their §ia§fergivea3aai privil^§i
t§ gall @§£ Ihgif Falhgfj tseifieagg mm @f thai gfavea ftaf
whigh i§ §a§t §ul ky l§v§: Taei?feari§ a dfgad §ffriiviag thi
Father §f gay§iag a teagh: §f bgiat ieeatpatef frâ fhgif
Makgf: They are a§i like awkwafd §§g@§ll§y§ ia the pre§epe
§f a §tem aai ua§pipatheti§ ma§t^ afraid t§ d§ aaythiag
kit §luiy3 aai §§§?§ # teagiag fef the t e i a p p e fc§ m away
that they might bfeathe frf§lv agaia*. They are like ihtl&ea
ia the §?§§ea§e §f a g§§i fkthe^ with a wh§le§§iae fear
ia§pire@ by l§ve, taking thtif iûbli§ t§ Hiai, aad tevmg t§
have Him aear j e^yaSy ?eaiy t§ w§fk §F play ia Hi§ §igat \
aai ifawifig el§§gf ia §ympathy with Him, either ia mm
lateuf §F their §p§ft: It §aaa§t he t@§ §tf§agly empha§ieei
that mea §aa aever mmmmi theai§elve§ t§ @§i hy
humaaly=ievjsei eneêi ia a§§etiei§m: If we aeglegt Hi§
e§mmaai§; it will he a@ exeu§e that we have kept §&ae
i?k§§ffl§ mm §f @u? §wa: If we eat ferhiiiea fruit, it i§
u§ele§§ t§ pleai ia esteauatisa that we have ieaiei §ur§elve§
fruit that i§ a§t Ibrhiiiea: Aai i#=a§ i§ paerally the m%=
ih§ e§tahli§hmeat @f yawHttea law§ §f reprei&oa §impiv
?§§ult§ ia hai^h jyigmeat aai g§aiemaati§a §f §theBj §yeh
legi§lative lafe§uF§ are very my§h w§r§e thaa y§ele§§: All
i teai§ t§ §h@w that whea mea try t§ imp§§e m§re
it e@aiiti§a§ thaa @@i ha§ laii i§wa, they are
[the &yaiati§a§ @f the byiliiag t§ give it a w@?thie§§
. _;ie§§rati§a:
If ia i§yht a§ t§ the legitimagy §f aay w§rk m aay
|lea§yre, te§t the matter fey tai§ §ye§ti@a=@aa y§y a§k the
father^ Me§§iag, §r §aa y@y give Him thaak§ ? Aai we have
t§ beware h§w we §@aiema aasther fef that ia whiih he give§
@§i thaak§: l y §§ wiieaiag the ha§i§ §f §UF §§mmyaida we
Sai §ppertyaity far preparati§a ia all the agtivitie§ §f life)
ifi
and none has ground for complaining that prosaic duties

absorb all the tune and prevent the use of his talents. You
may dig or sweep the roads, and make it a work for God, and
you may preach and make it a work for the devil. A critic
may raise the question," How can digging a few square yards
of earth be of any value to God ? " We answer, " How can
the most eloquent preaching be of any value to Him ? " In
the words of one of old} " If thou be righteous, what givest
thou him ? or what receiveth he at thy hand ? "
The fact is we can only give God our hearts. We can
exercise our volition just in so far as He has made us free, and
endeavour to serve Him by responding to that invitation
which is given to whosoever will. All faithful work performed
as in His sight is simply an index of this gift of our hearts. No
human achievement can be so great as to be of any benefit to
Him, yet no faithful work can be so insignificant as to be
overlooked. Wherefore let us remember our task in life is
here, ready to our hands every day, and we can find prepara-
tion in all things.
By way of conclusion, and to emphasize this thought in a
form which will perhaps linger in the memory longer than
any prose argument, we will select a few verses from a poem
composed about three years ago, wherein reason reproves a
discontented man, and tries tp instil the lesson of humility.
Were the ambitions of thine early youth

Of what might teem the noblest type of all ?
A burning seal for spreading Christian truth,
A ready recognition of " a call" ?
And now. has Circumstance so bowed thy head
Beneath the harsh corrections of her rod ?
Thy strength so spent in struggling for bread,
That thou has almost lost thy faith in God ?
No napkin round thy gift didst thou entwine,
No bushel o'er the light which thou didst bear ;
Yet both are hidden through no fault of thine,
Beneath a crushing load of toil and care.
172
PREPARATION BY ALL THINOt
Yet thou rcmairiest unimtructcd still}

And to thou speakest with presumptuous haste :
How can it be a wiie Creators will
That all my powers thus should run to waste ?
The answer is, Thou art being taught a truth

So hard to learn, so easy to forget;
In Heaven's sight, thou still art but a youth,
A pupil merely, not a teacher yet.
How can the Lord have any need of thee,
Since all things in the Universe He owns ?
What matter if thy powers wasted be
Since He could raise up servants from the stones ?
If any special work for thee is found
Think not that the Creator needs thy care ,*
Look at the man of mother earth around,
Think what potentialities are there.
Men would have lived, the sun still give his light,
If thou had'st never come upon the scene ;
What more art thou in the Creator's sight
Than countless myriads who might have been ?
If thou art something more, 'tis by His grace j
Thou hast been taught by His afflicting rod ;
And having sinned and suffered, hide thy face,
Humbled beneath the mighty hand of God.
The days of toil which seemed so ill to thee,
The bitter pain and seeming fruitless strife,
Have given what at last may prove to be
Thy only title to eternal life :
And in the consummation thou wilt find
The hard and wearing struggles of thy part
Detracted from the brilliance of thy mind,
But gave instead a broken, contrite heart.
And thou wilt see the meaning of it then,
And even come to bless the chastening rod
Which, taking that which gives the praise of men,
Gave that which takes thee to the praise of God.
173
There is alene ene field ef lafceur where
Thy peal greater hath real need ef thee,
And even that ene heneur theu must §hare
With ail whe have feeen er ean ever T
Nat in the werk te whteh the mind aspires
Ner ift ihe gsli where men have m§§tly
The we?k ifl whi§h pii§ia»§e lie reeuirei
is fylifif ihe veiitiea lie ha§ |i
i» thy hea?t}§ H@ft theu §halt fiai
Thy ©R§ ffl8fi§4 @fw§& Mere are
A myriad entities
Saeh with eae
:emembeh 6 § i with i__.„, __._.

ki raise frem §@mm@s elements i
A miUi§n t@npes mere elepent th
if theu ha§t strenfth) 'tis Me wh@ m%&% thee strong j
And what if theu shalt give with pi@us v@w
Thy strength t@ Mim te wn@m all tmnp hek
same efRg? glay w@uld d@ as well as th@&
lut in the ruling @f thine swn fr(
(P@i in larp measure Me has i
N§ ether man ean that pesitipn j
;lfi
1 thy heart, }tis all that Me deth ask:

'' ~ sliedien§e te that ene §emman@
I still invelve aeeepting
ilhifi the pewer 4f thy In er hand:
; a§ theu eanst lift?
And give te @ed a§ Me has filled thy §ter§ <
The wiiew with her humble farthing gift
Sid what she eeuld* and theu ean^st de ne i
m
§¥ ALL f mnm
And when th§u hail eampletely §§nquered pride,
Ctentent a humble labourer t§ be j
Perehanee the daers will be thr§wn epen wide,
And @§d will ind a speeial w§rk fer thee*
Te@ eften th§se wh@ ieughl t§ be the head,

And wished i§ figure in the sight §f men,
ihriflk fr§m the task when vanity is dead:
J net n§w at the gall rf 1 ,
AU§w »§t that F«pp©a§h t§ rest §R thee |
N§f shun fl©f seek the p§st §f pr@miAeaee,
lut ever ready, sever ansiaus be \
Qmtmt t@ lab§ur in a humble sphere,
Petfbrmi&g w§rk Ibr @§d m man ga» see j
Yet ready in the lbrefr§»t t§ appear,
And take the plage where fi&ls will envy thee*
8§ tread infeilhftilfies§the aarr@w way,
Pursue net pleasure lest thy strength fee shaken f
Pursuit ef pleasure ©ft leads men astray,
¥et very rarely is she evertaken:
atift§___7
^lest
Restthen
th
Thy path @f duty shall thy
And ha
If every w§rk and deed theu wilt perform
As unt§ @§d, then th@u wilt never stray,
m thr§ush life unharmed by m§rtal ster.
U strengthened by the battles §f the way,
Snally prepared mr that Sreat Say:

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CONVICTION & CONDUCT

Printed in Great Britain by offset litho

T HE two works here reproduced were written more than

The apostle Peter is equally clear in his statement regarding

Perhaps an illustration may be found to help in the

reason we offer our " Philosophy of Faith", in the hope that

The Philosophy of Faith

T HERE can be no valid objection to the word philosophy,

engine of destruction, for all the nations to use against each

The word philosophy is generally used in a sense far too

philosophy, it becomes necessary to give a similar attention

understand the attitude of those who hesitate to claim

know", but for all practical purposes we may often possess a

I T may seem a strange anomaly to begin with the con-

some ideas worth recording. Next we should take pains to

There is a language of emotion which cannot express

retribution in the circumstance is seen by the understanding ;

word substantially ? We should certainly think that a very

a future judgment to endorse this pessimistic conclusion. Not

them in the simplest and clearest language. And if—as is

I T is a principle recognized in discussions that the onus of

we were to put the inferior but more definite question, " Is

existence of God, he must be inclined to believe that the

if a man declares that he has no opinions regarding these

Our philosophy of faith is not merely to point a way for

I T must be a matter of general experience that a full

on the top of a mountain, the cloud around you suddenly

seems very paltry. He feels that such glorious powers of

reason for emphasizing it now. Whatever difficulties a man

the laws of nature were just as wonderful as the present

find gaps in the doctrine of development that they might fill

those who desired to find perpetual motion. The newly-

machine is as impossible in the systems of suns and planets

T HE things which are seen are temporal, but the things

man", which is begotten by the Word, and renewed day by

they have made themselves acquainted with the divine

combines with the vitalizing element of the air we breathe to

assertions ; but there is no need to labour the point. The

R ELIGION and science have so often seemed at variance

Christian in these days denies that a monad could be turned

case of electricity. An ignorant man, seeing the damage

apple as a matter of course, and seen nothing wonderful in it.

idea of looking to God for a direct explanation of anything,

unscientific. Rather is it scientific to suppose that an

I T is a mistake to suppose that the strength of a man's

from his own point of view that he suspects aU who dissent

An illustration may help to explain the matter. We may

are of a superior order, and that their scepticism has a

to the mental. A drug may lose its potency through too

The man who is moved from his moorings through his

not necessarily proclaim that there is no God, he simply says,

Doubtless, the difficulties experienced by many arise

refuse to credit their evidence that Jesus rose, it is only fair to

my conversation . . . how that I persecuted the church of

and with comprehensive view note the spot where all

P ERHAPS it will be well to begin the present chapter by

that the crowd of doubters and drifters scattered in all parts

shattered ? Surely the evidence is all the other way.

Herein lies the explanation of the sentence with which

of miraculous occurrences and horrible cruelties committed