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December 6, 14)111 THE?
was a remnant saved according to the election
of grace that the redetermination of God might
stand, not by works, but of him who called.
Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives,
were Baved, the rest were destroyed. Of Noah
it is said he had faith. Heb. 11:7. Being divinely
instructed and moved by fear, he constructed
an ark for the safetv of hia npnnlo nnriHomno/1
the old world and became an heir to the righteousness
of faith; but we may ask what is the
"righteousness of faith?" It is precisely the
same in the Old Testament as in the New. There
is no righteousness worth anything to us or acceptable
to God except the righteousness of
Christ. On account of Noah's faith and the
new spirit with which he was blessed, this
"righteousness" of God was imparted to him
just as unto us. Because there is only one way
of salvation, whether Jew or Gentile. God's
plan of righteousness has always been the same,
for the best reason in the world, because there
can be no other.
Noah was saved by grace; justified by Christ
as the great propitiatory sacrifice, his faith, the
evidence of it; his righteousness not his own; his
regeneration by the Spirit; the cause of the
whole of God's holy and just predestination.
With Noah there was no written law, no published
rule of right doing; he knew but little concerning
the plan of salvation; in all things he
was constantly and divinely instructed. Why
God pursued this plan we can not tell. It seems
good to his infinite wisdom and power. It is our
duty to believe and obey. But we know if the
word of God be true he took eight persons and
left the rest of creation to be destroyed. 2 Pet.
2:5.
(4) The next great personage in the line of
salvation is Abraham, about 2,000 years after
the creation. The world again had grown to be
very large, with many nations; but God chose
one out of the great multitude with whom he
greatly enlarged and emphasized the scheme of
redemption, and the coming of the Messiah.
Christ said "Abraham saw my day and was
glad." Jno. 8:56.
Did God do more and differently toward Abraham
than toward other men 1 I think so; to the
Law and the Testimony.
Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get
thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father's house, unto a land that
I will show thee. Gen. xii. 1.
And I will make of thee & great nation, and
I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and
thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse
him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all
families of the earth be blessed.
Who called Abraham? Jehovah himself.
He said: "Get thee out of thy country." "Where
was he to go: "Into a land that I will show
thee." It will be a new land to him, where he
will be a stranger, exposed to the dangers of a
new DeoDle and with new customs?aroes from his
kingdom and father's house.
But Jehovah promised great things for his obedience.
"I will make thee a mighty nation."
"thou shalt be a blessing.** "I will bless them
that bless thee, and curse thosa who curse thee."
"In thee all the families of the earth shall be
blessed." "When did Qod determine to do all
this for Abraham's own good, and that of othersf
Well, 2,000 years before he cursed the serpent,
and declared the seed of woman should bruise
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iiia ueuu; mat is, utterly uverturow ills power
and destroy him forever. Heb. 2:14. This call
and endowment of Abraham was only carrying
out what he then pronounced, the fulfillment of
which we see every day, in the blessing of some
In the passing by of others. This seems hard and
unlike the uni vassal beaevoleaee at Ood, bat
RE8BYTER1AN OF THE 8 (
Paul answers the objection in this way:
For if the truth of God hath more abounded
through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I
also judged as a sinner?
And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported,
and as some affirm that we say,) Let us
do evil, that good may come? whose damnation
is just.
Hut if our nnnofJitoniiDnfloo ? ? -1 ?
? <0>*bvuuuuvo>3 ^VililUlCiiU L11C
righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is
God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I
speak as a man.)
God forbid; for then how shall God judge the
world?
We may observe further (a) God gave to him
a new heart, full of faith, obedience and love,
(b) He called him out of the heathenism and
wickedness of the surrounding world and made
him know and fully realize the surpassing greatness
and eternal blessedness of the inheritance
of the saints, (c) He was made the father and
foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ. It
was pre-ordained that from his seed the coming
and promised Messiah was to be born; by whose
means his own salvation and the salvation of
all God's elect was emphatially guaranteed.
They who are called, justified, in all ages and
countries are with him the ** hoit-o
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and the redeemed of God. Gal. 3: 7. And Paul
continues: "So then those who are of faith are
being blessed with the believing Abraham."
Gal. 3: 9. See the Greek.
Hamburg, Ark. J. W. Moseley, Sr.
DANIEL'S PRAYER AND THE DEN OF
LIONS.
BY REV. T. E. CONVERSE, D. D.
Why do these preachers urge on us to pray so
much? They would have ua pray in private
every morning and every night, and they would
have us hold family prayer twice a day, and they
invite us to pray also at intermediate times.
Why so much insistence on prayer?
Of Christian hospitality it is written, "Some
u? ?' ... -
nave euieruunea angeis unawares." And of
prayer the same is true a hundred times over.
On one of these instances let us reflect.
In the seventieth year of Daniel's captivity in
Babylon, Cyrus, the Persian, conquered Babylon.
Apparently he soon departed?probably on some
campaign?leaving Darius in Babylon as his
viceroy. Darius appointed Daniel chief of the
presidents of the realm. Then the other councillors
in their jealousy undertook to destroy
Daniel. Their plan was to obtain a royal decree,
whose penalty should be death, against anyone
who for the period of thirty days should utter a
prayer to his God.
Already Daniel was engaged in special prayer,
and we know what he was praying about. In the
ninth chapter of his prophecy we read that, 44 In
the first year of Darius ... I prayed unto
T?V u n - J
ucuuvau iny uoa 10 cause tny face to
shine upon thy sanctuary, which is desolate."
He was praying for the restoration of the temple
at Jerusalem.
Now. he is advised of the decree forbidding
him to pray to God. Will he cease praying Or
possibly, will he refrain from praying at his
usual place and time, and make his petitions in
secret onlyt The temptation to cease from
formal prayer, such as could be seen by others,
would come to many of us, in like circumstances.
Did he yield to itt Nay; with windows open
toward Jerusalem?for he was praying for the
Temple?he prayed regularly three times a day.
Did God keep him from being cast into the
den of lions t Nay, but in the den he protected
mm, ana maae nis deliverance more conspicuous.
It became town talk; yes, nation talk.
Daniel was not only a man of prayer; he was
a student of his Bible. In the last verse of
JOT & (1155) 3
Isaiah 44, and through the forty-fifth chapter, he
found three or lour prophesies, written by
lsaiaii nearly two hundred years before, specifying
that a king named Cyrus should become a
mighty conqueror and should rebuild that
Temple.
Daniel's pkavek.
it was a critical season not ?nlv +>?? no?;^i
J.V* x/ CUAiVlj
but for his nation, the Jews and lor the world.
On the one hand, if he was faithful in worshiping
Cod, he was exposing himself and possibly
all the seed of David to violent death; on the
other hand, if he ceased from prayer, all his
people would do the same, and would forfeit the
favor of (iod. lie chose aright. It is ever safe
to obey God rather than man. In questions that
have the slightest tinge of doubt, it is always
wise to ask God and then, fearless to follow
his instructions.
THE OUTCOME.
Can we trace the outcome? It is reasonably
certain that within a few weeks Cyrus returned
from his campaign, to rest in his palace. He
calls on Darius for a report of what has transpired,
and it elicits such questions as these:
"Has there been anything special!" "Yes, the
the most wonderful thing in the world.''
"What is it!"
"1 put a man in the lions' den, and left him
there all night, and not one of the lions harmed
him.''
"Who, and where is he!"
" He is Daniel, chief of the Presidents.''
"Bring him; Daniel, is this true. By what
means were you delivered from the lions 1''
"My God sent his angel, and shut the lions'
mouths."
" W ho, what is your God !''
"lie is Jehovah, the same God who, almost two
hundred yeans ago, prophesied that you should be
the conqueror of the nations of Asia.''
*' W here is that prophecy ! Bring it.''
"Here, in Isaiah 44 4r? 'That aouu
-i. AiUb OOiiU VI %
Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all
my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, she shall
be built, and of the Temple, thy foundations shall
be laid.' 'Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to
Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue
nations before him, and I will loose the loins of
kings; to open the doors before him and the
gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee and
make the rough places smooth; I will break in
pieces the doors of brass and cut in sunder the
bars of iron; . . . that thou mayest know
that it is I, Jehovah, who call thee by thy name,
even the God of Israel." "I have raised him up
in righteousness, and I will make straight all his
ways; he shall build my city, and he shall let my
exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith
Jehovah of Hosts."
"And you say that this was written nearly
two hundred years ago."
"Yes, Sire, by the prophet Isaiah, who died
a hundred and fifty years ago."
"So be it, let this matter have further consideration.
''
Have we drawn too much upon human reason
for a vtew of what passed in the mind of Cyrus
Let the answer be found in the first chapter of
the Book of Ezra. "Now in the first year of
Cyrus, king of Persia, Jehovah stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus, so that he made a proclamation.
Thus, saith Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdom
of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of Heaven
given me. And he hath charged me to build ? -
him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah."
And then follows the decree for the rebuilding
of the Temple. ^
Now, let us return to the question, with which
we began. ""Why do these preacher* urge ua on 00>
to pray, so much,." Because God lores to an
(Oontinued on v+*m I).
: y 8