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really preach. *' Alas, this bright boy, like
mauy others, had been enticed irom the highest
and noblest calling by a superficial and
transient notion concerning preaching growing
out ol' the meaningless expression, "the
IniKiness man in relicion." filte.rincr thrnuflrh tha
spiritual atmosphere. While the "business
man," like any other man, has his place in religion,
he cannot take the place of the preacher;
and while business methods are requisite
in certain aspects of religious administration,
business ability does not make a preacher of
the Uospel. The writer recalls a man who devoted
his attention during the week to farming
and general merchandizing and horse-traditicr
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an admirable and successful business man. He
accumulated a handsome fortune. The people
liked to deal with him; but they did not like
to hear him preach 1 And this is the case in
the instance of that class of ministers who
spend their time and energy in manipulating
finances and pushing business methods and
running the temporal machinery of the church
and leading civic, social and economic move
meats; they omit that habitual commanion
with Qod and that constant study of Qod's
word which is essential to preaching and
which is evinced by their paucity of ideas and
spiritual power.
God instituted the Christian ministry. It
has a distinctive function. Its one great business
is to preach Christ. The world needs
Christ; his life, his ideas, liis motives, his comfort,
his transfiguring spirit. He solves all
problems in this world and the other world,
1 A 3 /N _ J 1 1
ueiween man ana uoa, ana man ana m&n, ana
man and the outlying world. Thus, "the potentialities
of the pulpit are incalculable." " The
man," says Carlyle, "who produces the most
good is the minister of the ideas of the Almighty."
"The issues of life and death for
society," says Ruskin, "are in the ministry."
"Let no man take thy crown," says the Lord
God.
Mayesville, Ky.
"ONCE FOR ALL."
EDWIN A. WILSON.
No simple, though vital Bible truth, suffers
80 much from lack of emphatic mention as that
which is embraced in these three words?
'* Once For All."
The epistle to the Hebrews especially emphasizes
in many different ways the effectiveness
of the one voluntary act of Jesus Christ
&n the cross. But we see Jesus,
"Who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor; that He by the grace of God
should taste death for every man."?Heb.
2:9.
"For, if through the offence of one, many
be dead, much more the grace of God and the
gift by grace, which (is) by one man, Jesus
Christ hath abounded unto manv."?Rom. 5:
15.
"For in that He died, He died unto sin
once."?Rom. 6:10.
In the sacrifices which shadowed forth, "The
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as depicted in the Mosaic economy, the Priest
was commanded to pour out all the blood at
the bottom of the Altar of the burnt offering.?
Ex. 29:12; Lev. 5: 7, 18, 30, 34.
The truth thus significantly typified under
the old covenant was surely realized in the
new; as exemplified in the words of the blessed
Jesus in Luke 24:39, in the presence of
the "Terrible and affrighted" disciples, when
"They supposed that they had seen a spirit,"
and He said unto them:
PRESBYTERIAN OF 'J HE S (
"Why are ye troubled? Why do thoughts
arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and
My feet that it is I, myself; handle me, and
mo, iui a cpmt iiulu uoi iiesn ana Dones as
ye see me have."
He does not use the common expression,
"Flesh and blood," but "Flesh and bones,"
hence we read that we have redemption
through (all) His blood. "Once for all," we
are made nigh by (all) the blood of Christ.
"Once for all."
The repetition of "One" and "Once" has
deep significance in this connection.
"The one sacrifice for sins forever," is set
over against "Those sacrifices which they
(under Moses) offered year by year continually,"
which were but ineffective shadows of
good things to come. emDtv reDetitions whin.h
take on greater interest because pointing with
unerring certainty to Golgotha. If man was
not the unworthy and helpless recipient of
eternal life, "The gift of God," through the
death of Jesus Christ, his part in the ordeal
of Calvary might be considered; but man in
his essence was altogether unprofitable and the
sacrifices offered by him through a standing
priesthood "Can never take away sins."
"But this man, after He had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right
U 3 - J >1 TT. 1 . * * * *
imxiu ui uuu. unaer ine iaw, "rue priests
went always into the first tabernacle accomplishing
the service of God. But into the
second . . . the high priest alone, once
every year, not without blood, which he offered
for himself and the errors of the people."
Now while the high priest approached more
nearly to that which they typified, yet there
wag no difference, for priest and high priest
were compassed with embarrassing weaknesses
and infirmities and could not even in type
offer a sacrifice for another, until they had performed
that ceremony in their own behalf.
i nese sinning priests came with their ineffective
offerings daily and continuously. The
high priest might be but once a year, but it
was yearly and both were in harmony with
"A carnal commandment." "While Jesus
Christ without sin" was made to be sin (and
that once for all) "After the power of an
endless life that we might be made the righteousness
of Qod in Him."
The effective work in redemption by Jesus
Christ for sinners cannot be emphasized as it
should be on the warrant of the mo$t Holy
Word, so long as man even in his best estate is
made to figure as a factor in the calling of the
sinner or the keeping of the saint. The Colossian
saints were "complete" (as all other
saints) in Him. The handwriting of ordinances
which was against us, He blotted out.
The absolutely effective work wrought in the
sinner's behalf is emphasized by God's Anointed
Son over and over again by the most Holy
Spirit, through the written Word because we
need "Line upon Line."
Again and again man is robbed of all the
honor and glory in salvation, the honor and
glory for God's Anointed, the joy and peace
iL. L-12 *
iui me ueuever, ior we read:
"But (Christ) ... by His own blood
entered in once, . . . having obtained
redemption for us."
The high priest had sins of his own under
the law for which he was commanded to atone,
Knt "OflP?J IT: 1* *
cttv viii iov viici CU XAI111SCIX Wlinout spot TO
God," for Christ (our High Priest) is not entered
into the holy places made with hands,
the figures of the true, but into, heaven itself,
now to appear (once and forever) in the presence
of God for us.
Emphasize this precious truth in your meditation,
in your teaching, in your preaching, in
^
3 U T H [August 7, 1912
your conversation. If llis one not could be
charged with weakness, and insufficiency, He
must often have suffered since the foundation
of the world.
And thus have given warrant for the false
and untenable theories advanced by many
poorly equipped men who thus advertise themselves
as "Blind leaders of tha blind."
"But now once in the end of the world hath
He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself." No room is left for speculation.
The Holy Spirit with an axiom familiar to all,
which no one can gainsay, points effectively
to the truth of this contention, when He says:
"And as it is appointed unto men once to
die .... so Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many."
The "Law was weak through the flesh," and
powerless to offer any adequate way of salvation
apart from perfect conformitv to its nrP.
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cepts, for no one, apart from Him could say
"I do always those things which please Him."
"The law was given by Moses but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ." These elements
law and grace, are so far removed from each
other, as "The east is from the west." They
have nothing in common. The law deals with
the flesh; grace with the spirit. The application
of these two unmatched and unmatchable
principles, as joint factors in the solution of
salvation, is monstrous and only admissible
when they are defined as deadly opposites?i.
A < < fTM 1 i
e., j. ue law woraetn wrath.''
"The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance, against such there is
no law; for the flesh lusteth against the spirit,
and the spirit against the flesh and these are
contrary, the one to the other."
Grace does not save the sinner and turn the
o?;n4- i ? ? "? ? - -
.miui wyci tu me iaw ior sanctincation. Faith
secures to the sinuer the sou's place. God
separates the sons to Himself; grace makes the
sinner free. The law brings the saint into
bondage.
'' If the son shall make you free, then are you
free indeed." Jesus Christ, who took the sinner's
place, "Hath quickened us together with
Himself and hath raised us up together and
made us sit together in heavenly (places) in
Christ Jesus" and "Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth.''
cspnngneia, ill.
THE DIFFERENCE.
A missionary in China once heard a group of
Chinamen discussing China's various religions.
At last one of the group said: It is just as if a
Chinaman was down in a deep pit, and wanted
help to get out. Confucius came along and said,
"If you had kept my precepts, you would not
have fallen into this pit." Buddha also came
along and said, "Ah, poor Chinaman! If you
were only up here where I am, I would make
you all right." Then came Jesus with tears in
his eyes and jumped into the nit and lifted the
poor Chinaman out.
This is the true philosophy of Christianity,
and a life that comes to censure, like Confucius,
or one who comes to pity you only, like Buddha,
and does not come with either censure or pity,
lift at the life of another, can not be said to be
frruly Christian.
Do not fear the face of men; remember how
small their anger will appear in eternity.?Rob
ert McCheyne.
If you want your neighbor to know what the
Christ spirit Will do for him, let him see what it
has done for you.?Henry Ward Beecher.