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THE PRESHTUi,
AS TO THE LEAVEN.
Several articles on tills subject have
been published since the Rev. H. Waddell
Pratt first objected to the exposition
given in the "Earnest Worker."
HIb statement is that a majority of us
/mln4afA?\ \~~11 ? 4
(uii.nDi.Di o/ ucntsve ?.um in? leaven typifies
here, as always in Sortpture
"evil." Also that "we believe further
that the Gospel will not permeate the
whole mass of mankind In this age and
make it a homogeneous mass." "But we
do believe that evil doctrine?ttfat"
which is anti-Christ in its effect?will
permeate the visible clvurch until it is
wholly apostate." Mr. Pratt has published
a second article in which he explains
his views further, and claims
that he has studied it out for himself,
and reached his own conclusions under
the instructions of the Holy Spirit.
He still believes that a majority of the
ministers hold his views.
Upon examining all the biblical expositors
within reach, I found that the
ordinary view of the leaven' as Christian
truth was held among the Anglicans
by Alford and Trench; among the
Lutherans by Bengel, Meyer, Stier, and
Bernard Weiss; among the Puritans by
Matthewr Henry, and among the Presbyterians
by David Brown and A. B.
Bruce. It is the view given also in
Smith's Bible Dictionary, in Grimm's
New Testament Lexicon, in the "Standard
Bible Dictionary," in the Herzog
and Plitt Real Encyclopaedic, (Second
edition) and in the Expositor's Bible.
Trench states that Vitringa gives two
entirely independent expositions of the
parable, taking first the leaven in a
good, then in an evil since, but decides
absolutely for neither. He also cites
"Ourtler and Teelman," as holding this
view, and "some lttle bands of modern
separatists." Bruce cites Oalvln as
saying, "By these parables (Mustard
Seed and Leaven), Christ animates His
disciples, lest having been ofTended by
tfhe humble beginnings of the Gospel
they should draw back." But few of
these Interpreters take the view that
the whole world is to be converted be
fore the end of the age. Rather do they
believe that the world 1b to be evangelived
and permeated by the Influence of
Christianity; while none of them
teaches that the leaven Is an evil principle,
and that the whole church is to
become corrupt and apostate through
its influence.
These expositors are well-known and
accessible to all our ministers. The
Idea that the leaven is evil is taught
in a work entitled, "The Plan of the
Ages," published by the "Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society," Brooklyn, N.
Y. This book says (page 90). "The
Scriptures declare "that at the time of
our Lord's second coming the world
will be far from converted to uoa." ur.
A. B. Bruce says well, "It may be granted
that In some sense, and to some extent
it Is the destination of Christianity
to pervade the wtiole of society, and
to Influence In some way, and to certain
effects, the whole human race.
But It does not follow that the leavening
process must be complete and
thorough.1'
It seems, then, that the general understanding
of this parable Is that It
denotes the quiet, hidden, progressive
diffusion of the Kingdom of God
iiiruuK'iiuUb luc iu, 'OTi, r iwti
claims that the Parable of the Sower
means that "in one heart in four the
preaching: of the Gospel is effective."
The Parable of the Tares teaches "that
at the end of the world there will "be
so many tares that to Rather the whe8t.
before would have been to endanger
it."
The mustard seed implies that "when
professing Christendom becomes large
'n numbers and deeply rooted in the
earth, it will afford refuge for that
k H O E THE 6 0 0 T H
which is unclean, symbolized by the
birds." II seems like forcing the parable
of the sower to make it mean that
three-fourths of the Beed were lost. He
would be a very poor sower Who should
scatter seed in this careless way, while
even a careful sower could not help the
birds gathering some Beed, and other
seed falling on stony ground or among
thorns. Nor does the Parable or the
Tares imply such a large quantity. Jo
the early stages of growth, they would
be hard to distinguish, and for each
stalk pulled up, several stalks of wheat
might be taken up. Some wheat might
thus be lost; not necessarily the whole
crop endangered. As to the birds symbolizing
what is unclean, why should
the Holy Spirit manifest His presence
at the 'baptism, of Christ, under the
symbol of a dove? Why should Mary
offer for her cleansing " a pair of turtle
doves?" and why should John see one
rvf fho fnn r litrln rr aeno^nrAf. oe ?? "
1UUI 1>T4U5 V/jcamico cwj ail cagici
in the very presence of God? The parable
of the seed growing secretly in
Mark also teaches a quiet, gradual development
from good seed to the full
corn in the ear. As to the parables of
the treasure hid in the field, and the
pearl of great price, they evidently cannot
be Interpreted of something evil,
so Mr. Pratt passes over them in silence.
In every parable, It is the "Kingdom
of Heaven" whch is compared to
something, never the kingdom of evil.
No doubt, the Kingdom of God is opposed
in every way, but our Lord says
"the gates of hell shall not prevail
agalnet it."
Our Lord says expressly (Matt. 24,
14), "This Gospel of the kingdom shall
he preached In all the world for a witness
unto all the nations, and then
shall the end come." So in the Parable
of the Tares, they are to be gathered
and burned In the Are, "in the end
of the world." So Is It with the net of
fishes. The good fish are to be gathered
Into vessels and the bad are to be
cast away, "at the end of the world."
Matt. 13: 40 and 49. In the apostolic
commission to make disciples of all the
nations, Christ promises, "I am with
you always unto the end of the world."
There does not seem to be a gap here
between the abiding presence of Christ
with His church, the evangelizing of
the nations, and the final separation of
the righteous and the wicked. And this
Is the belief of the church, generally,
as the writer Is constrained to believe
rnis implies evangelization or ine
world, permeation of the nations by
Christian teaching and Influence. The
spirit of the nations is to be under the
Influence of Christianity to a large extent,
and when this result shall he
brought about, the followers of Christ
will have fulfilled His commission.
"Mr. Pratt says that he was not taught
this doctrine at Union Seminary; nor
would he be taught It, we believe, at
any seminary of our church. It Is
taught in the "Watch ToweT" literature,
and "Pastor Russell" makes the
same claims aB to Its influence on his
hearers that Mt. Pratt makes for his
views. But If the leaven is evil, If the
evil doctrine is to permeate the visible
church until it Is wholly apostate, then
it would seem useless to strive against
this fore-ordained plan. "Why should
we attempt to check the spread of evil
if it Is destined to permeate the church
and the world? The sooner "this apostasy
Is effected, the speedier will he
the eomlng of our Lord. Tf the Gospel
of Christ, the Influence of the Holv
Spirit and the ordained ministry of the
church are powerless to prevent this
complete leavening with evil, what Is
the use in keeping up the evangelization
of the world? The whole church
is te become apostate, yet "a people 1s
to he taken out of them for His name."
How did this remnant ecsape corruption?
It Ul as "clear as noonday" to
1
[ September 11, 1912
Mr. Pratt; it is absolute confusion to
me. (If I had been taught at the seminary
forty years ago, that evil -was to
be stronger than good; that light was
to be overshadowed by darkness; that
the entire church would become apos
tate, I would have khut up my Bible,
sold out ray text-books, given up the
ministry and gone at some work which
promised more encouragement and
more visible success! But having been
taught that 'Uhe word of the Lord is
like a fire and a hammer that breaketh
the rock in pieces," that it is "living
and powerful," that it is "the power
of God unto salvation," and that it
"shall endure forever, I can derive en*
couragement from the manifest blesg^
ing of God upon H1b truth, and trust ih
the ancient promise that "the earth
shall be filled with the knowledge of
the glory of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea."
Clinton, S. C. W. S. BEAN, D. D.
TTTf T.HiVlfW Afi-ATV
I have read with some amusement,
and yet with serious concern, the adverse
criticisms of the Earnest Worker
by Bro. Pratt and his exegesis of
the parable of the leaven.
He must know that the Bible speak?
of leaven many tmes and In many
places, and In some places it Is spoken
of as good and some times as bad. yet,
as Dr. Girardeau would express it, he
"makes the astounding declaration"
that the Scriptures never speak of leaven
as good, but always evil.
This plain parahle, as found in Matt.
13:13 and in Luke 13: 21, Is too plain
to admit of an explanation, and that
good leaven Is spoken of In this connection
Is so clear that it does seem
strange that any one could misinterpret
it.
Read the language as written by
Matt. 13, 33?"The Kingdom of Heaven
Is like unto leaven which a woman
took and hid In three measures of
meal till the whole was leavened."
Now read It after Bro. Pratt's Interpretation?"The
Kingdom of Heaven is
like unto evil leaven or the leaven of
wickedness, which a woman took and
hid In three measures of meal until
whole was leavened with the leaven of
evil or wickedness."
Read It as Luke wrote it IS. 31?amd
the only difference between these two
sacred writers is that "Matt says "the
Kingdom of Heaven" and Luke says
"the Kingdom of God."?"The Kingdom
of God is like leaven, which a woman
took and hid In three measures of meal
until the whole was leavened."
But Bro. Pratt would be compelled
to read, "The Kingdom of God Is like
unto evil leaven or 'he leaven of wick
ednes, -which a woman took and hid
in three -measures of meal until the
whole was leavened with the leaven
of evil or wickedness."
As the "Earnest Worker taught, It
must be good leaven In this connection.
To read it after Bro. Pratt's Interpretation
would make this -parable a monstrous
and unpardonable contradiction,
if not a blasphemous misrepresentation
of the church and God.
Does Bro. Pratt, or any other man
dare to say that the Kingdom of Heaven,
or the Kingdom of God, is like unto
any evil or wicked thing?
no. Bro. Pratt does not believe any
such horrible nonsense; but that Is
where his Interpretation leads blm.
His mistake was in affirming that leaven
always and everywhere means evil,
and his confusion and contradiction
must follow. He reveals the motive
that led him t.-> make hold mistake In
his zeal to pvove and proclaim a human
"theory about the Second Advent,
which theory is at variance with the
analogy of Scripture as expounded by
our old "Westminster confession.
/ .