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January 1, 1913 ] T H E F
appeal may uot be made. But we knew from
a study of motives that in the use of two motives
the lower and more earthly will obscure
and drive out the higher.
Can we afford to use any other than the highest
motives in bringing up the Church to its
dutyV Ought we not to hold before the Church
this one idea that when we do this to the heathan,
send them the glorious news of salvation, we are
doing it out of love to Christ, and pity for their
condition, and not because we want our mission
ary, or oecause it is easier to got people to give to
an attractive young man. Again, does it not
narrow the vision of the Church? Our missionary
is in Oklahoma, what do we care about
Florida? Or he is preaching to the Koreans,
what interest have we in Africa?
Will not our study follow our vision; our
interest and our prayers follow our study?
'Hius we may become narrowed in our outlook,
and forget that "the world is our parish."
Does it not foster a lack of contidence in our
appointed agencies / The General Assembly has
seieciea cnoice moil to administer its worK.
Sometimes missionaries will differ from their
Committee in regard to certain matters. It will
be difficult to keep the church from supporting
its own missionary in his view of the question.
Thus the Committee will be damaged in the eye
of the Church.
Actually we have heard of Sessions that threatened
the Committee, if certain things were done.
For these and other reasons we believe it far
better to assign no missionaries to individuals or
Churches, to appeal to our people for the love
of the Saviour to furnish men and means for
the extension of his kingdom. Our work may
not have grown as fast, but would it be on a
more solid basis.
Such a plan does not stifle the liberality of
the people. The First church of Selma, Ala.,
has had a notable record for giving to missions,
it has steadily refused to have a missionary
assigned to it. We do not believe a dollar
would be cut off from our treasury, if the whole
scheme of individualizing our missionaries were
abolished in a year's time. A. A. L.
THE OLD TESTAMENT DOCTRINE OF
RESURRECTION.
Is the doctrine of the resurrection taught in
the Old Testament? We lately heard a most
earnest and faithful minister of our church declare
that it was not to be found in that part
of the Bible. It may be profitable to examine
the point. The too fashionable habit of decrying
the Old Testament Scriptures applies
to the doctrines as well "as to the facts recorded.
Men of the theologico-critical school, as
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wen as ox uie nxerary anu Historical scnoois
of destructive criticism, try to rule out many
of the most precious and important teachings
' of the book. Sometimes, as in the instance
just named, even men of a sounder faith and
of more conservative views are swept from
their feet. It is a simple fact that the vast majority
of the advanced critics utterly deny the
doctrine of the vicarious atonement. They
cannot logically do else with their interpretation
of such subjects as the Servant of the
Lord, in Isaiah.
It is of prime importance that we find the
doctrine of the resurrection in the Old Testa
xnent. If it was unknown to the ancient
Church, the faith of the believers of that time
must indeed have been different from that required
now, in its most important particular.
So essential to our spiritual life is belief in
the doctrine that the apostle declared that
without it our faith is vain, we are yet in our
sins. If the scheme of salvation was the same
RESBYTERIAN OF THE S
l lie copy of it it to lie. The moral argument
is altogether in favor of such a doctrine in the
Old Testament system of belief.
The way of life was clearly taught in tho
Old Testament. The New Testament testifies
to this in unmistakable terms. That way involved
in the very nature of things, as the
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ivuiiuaiiv/ii |'i uici|7if5 Ui 1LS SCIIdHU. IWU (Jflrdinal
facts with their attendant doctrines, viz.,
the incarnation and the resurrection of the
Mediator. These two principles are like the
foci of the ellipse. Around them the whole
system revolves. Both must be accepted,
(liven the one. the other must be true. They
are so related that each necessitates the other.
But the incarnation is taught with a clearness
which is beyond all cavil. It was the confident
and assured belief of all the early saints.
Few of even the most advanced critics are
bold enough to deny the deity of the Mediator.
The culmination of the sufferings of the
"Servant of the Lord," in his mediatorial
death, compelled belief in his resurrection, else
there was 110 Mediator. His incarnation would
have been hopele.rsly without legitimate result,
in final triumph. But if the Mediator should
live again, then those who are in him should
for Old Testament saints as for us, they must
have believed in such a doctrine. But we are
nowhere told that there was any difference.
Nay, so far from this, the faith of these Old
Testament saints is held up to us as a model
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vw .? ?? ??o nut icocj j/ui jlv v;i inail
live again. The resurrection of the Mediator
earries with it the principle of the resurrection
of all that are in him.
More direotly still, the doctrine is most
clearly expressed in a number of places in the
Old Testament. For instance, Job declared
it, in his famous words (xix, 26, 27), "And
though after iny skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall 1 see God, whom 1 shall
see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold."
David expressed it, in his messianic statement,
(Psalm xvi, 9, 10), "My flesh also shall rest in
hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in
hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine lloly One to
see corruption." Daniel announced it (xii,
2), "And many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting con
4. n ii : i?i ti ' *
tempi. it was mvoivea in JMioen s translation,
in Joseph's command concerning his
hones, in the raising of the sons of the widow
of Zarephath and the woman of Shunem, in
the resurrection of the hody that touched Elisha's
bones, and in Jonah's deliverance.
The testimony of the New Testament that it
was taught in the Old is clearness itself. Besides
being involved in all the mediatorial relations
of Christ in the general fact that "the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"
(liev. xix, 10), and that the Old Testament
writers' business was (1 Pet. i, 11), "Searching
what, or what manner of time the Spirit
of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when
it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ,
and the glory that should follow," it is said
positively by Paul (Acts xxvi, 22, 23), "I
continue unto this day, witnessing both to
small and great, saying none other things than
those which the prophets and Moses did say
should come, that Christ should suffer, and that
he should be the first that should rise from the
dead, ami should show lierht unto th.> npnnlp "
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And Christ himself, when the doctrine of resurrection
was ridiculed in his presence, and
the effort was made by the Sadducces to entrap
him, declared (Luke xx, 37, 38), "Now that
the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the
bush when he called the Lord the God of
Abraham, and the God Isaac, and the God
OUTil (1425) 11
of .Jacob. For he is not a <>o?l of the dead,
but of the living."
The fact is, therefore, indisputable, that the
Old Testament taught the doctrine of the rising
from the dead. To think otherwise argues that
the Saviour was either too ignorant to know
the truth or too dishonest to tell it.
A fact as to the Jews which we nsimllv iir.
liore, and which the complaint ot' many of their
best people is that they themselves usually ignore,
is that they are a sect as well as a people,
that they have a religion as well as a
name. We think of them more as a race than
as representatives of a faith. There are
amongst them many who are truly seeking a
higher spiritual life. They have refused, it is
true, the best and only effective means for securing
that better life, in their rejection of
Christ, their own Messiah, and therefore they
lack the chief motive and power for developing
that deeper spiritual interest which makes
the higher life. Hut there are some who seem,
in their defective way, ardently to long for
higher ideals and a more elevated life. The
ease has anneared to he n
to us, but it may represent others of which we
have not known, but one of the most spiritually-minded
men we have ever met, if the adjective
may he applied to any one who has refused
the Messiah of the prophets and evangelists, is
a learned Jewish rabbi with whom we have had
frequent and happy intercourse, whose whole
soul seems to be aflame with desire to see all
his people thoroughly religious, not only with
the forms of faith but with the power of godliness,
and the burden of whose crv to his nen.
f - - x
pie in pulpit and press is that they eeasc to
look so much to business and race ami strive
to do more the things that glorify God.
Do we want a revival of pure religion in our
churches and our entire communities?a revival
in which believers will be endued with intensified
zeal, with renewed spiritual power and the peace
that comes from conscious fellowship with
Christ? All Christians want the revival for
which the Psalmist craved when he rJe.o/ia/4
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"Wilt thou not revive us again that thy people
may rejoice in thee?" The normal, healthful
state of any church is to be diligent, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord: it is surely the happy
and faithful state. We all believe that Gdo will
hear prayer for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Then why not continue iu prayer for his presence?
Many great revivals have begun in this way.
Two, or three, or more persons liave met quietly
for prayer, meditation and praise. They have
thought together on God's promises, his precious
gospel, his redeeming love, his welcome for seek
ing souls, his free forgiveness to penitent hearts,
his cleansing power, his deliverance from unbelief,
his marvelous love and his abounding
grace. Lingering in his presence became a holy
delight. They sat together in the heavenlics.
Their communion was sweet. They tasted of
the good word of God and the powers of the
world to come. The peace of God filled their
souls. By faith they saw the clear shining of
the Father's face. They entered into a holy
rapture. Their meeting place became a house
of God and a gate of heaven. Their personal
influence became a benediction. The contagion
of their faith and love affected others. A spiritual
atmosphere pervaded their presence. Others
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?uoii tuiuwiruge 01 mem >nai inev naa neen with
God. Conversation was turned to sacred chan
nels, faith was stimulated, souls humbled themselves,
grace abounded, a new spiritual consciousness
possessed the community and Christian
service and testimony became a delight