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THE HEATHEN LOST WITHOUT
THE GOSPEL.
A SERMON BY REV. MALCOLM MAC
GREGOR D 1).
Forbidding us to speak to the Gen
tiles that they may be saved. —1 Thea
2:18.
The resurrection of Christ was the
dividing line between Christ's first pre
paratory commission, which gave the
gospel to the Jews only, and Christ's
second and final commission, which
gave the gospel to all the world- Up to
the time of his death, Christ confined
the ministry of his apostles, as, with the
exception of a few days, he confined his
own, to the Jews of Galilee and Judea,
saying, “Go not into any way of the
Gentiles, and enter not into any city of
the Samaritans, but go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel In
this way. he offered the gospel to the
Jewish people without arousing their
violent race prejudices, and observed
and confirmed the rule in the divine
economy both of law and of grace, “ To
the Jew first and also to the Greek '
But the second, the great, the final
commission of Christ, given soon after
his resurrection, commanded that the
gospel should be given to all the world,
without distinction of race, class, char
acter or condition Though his gospel
was to be given “to the Jew first, it
wistobe given “ also to the Greek "
Christ s final orders were. “ All author
ity hath been given unto me in heaven
and on earth Go ye therefore, and
m ike disciples of all the nations;' "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to the whole creation;" and
“ that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name, unto
all the nations."
The apostles in general, and, in a
very special • way, Paul the apostle to
the Gentiles, that is, the apostle to the
heathen races, endeavored thoroughly
to carry out this world wide gospel
commission.
But this broad and generous gospel
policy gave great offense to the Jewish
people They had been for ages the
exclusive recipients of God's inspired
m -ssages to men; and they grudged and
h ited, intensely, to have such privileges
extended to heathen. They could not
endure that the Gentiles should be in
eluded in the gospel offer. They in
sisted that if any of the Gentiles were
to be permitted to receive the .gospel,
they should, first of all, by process of
naturalizing ritual, become Jews They
were ready to persecute the apostles to
the death for offering the gospel of the
kingdom of God to tin (tentilea as such.
So in the text and context, the apostle
says of them, "who both killed
the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and
drove out us, and please not God, and
are contrary to all men. forbidding us
to speak to the Gentiles that they may
be saved, to fill up their sins alway: but
the wrath is come upon them to the nt
te most."
Hostility to foreign missions has not
yet ceased from among men. 'Effete
Judaism and spurious Christianity,
though on different grounds, unite in
refusing to send God’s message of
mercy to the heathen. Many instructed
and nominal Christians to-day oppose
the giving of the gospel to the heathen,
erroneously alleging that the heathen
do not need the gospel, and that they
will surely be saved because of their
ignorance l of the gospel. Nothing
could be more opposed to Scripture
teaching thau this There could be no
more disastrous and fatal misconcep
tion.
In the light of the implications of
the text, reinforc d by kindred pas
sages, let us candidly and earnestly con
sider the momentous and solemn truth,
that the heathen are lost without the
gospel.
1 IN THE TEXT, IT IS IMPLIED THAT,
IN THEIR NATURAL STATE, THE
HEATHEN ARE PERISHING.
That the heathen are corrupt, in
nature and practice, the testimony of
Scripture, the testimony of secular his
tory, the testimony of missionaries and
travellers, the testimony of the heathen
themselves abundantly confirm That
they are in a lost state, morally and
spiritually, cannot be gainsaid They
know it themselves, and all who un
derstand and believe God s word know
it also.
Os course, the heathen are not con
demned for not receiving the gospel
which they have never heard, nor for
rejecting Christ of whom they have
never known. The Bible condemns
them on no such ground as that. It
teaches plainly enough that those pet
sons and people who have heard the
gospel of the Savior and rejected it and
him-are deeply and doubly condemned
on that, very account. But the Scrip
tures as certainly teach that, whether
with or without a divine revelation of
mercy, and altogether apart from the
gospel of Christ, all men are divinely
condemned for doing what they know
to be wrong and for failing to do what
they know to be right, and this shows
that the heathen are in a lost condi
tion
1. The heathen are under divine con
demnation for their criminal ignorance
of God. Wen ad the mind of God on
this matter, in the inspired words of
the psalmist, “Pour out thy wrath
upon the heathen that know thee not,
and upon the ki igdoms that call not
upon thy name:" and it is similarly ex
pressed in the words of the prophet
Jeremiah, " Pour out thy fury upon
the heathen that know thee not, and
upon the families that call not on
thy name " (Ps. 79:6; Jer. 10:25.) It
is plainly implied in these passages that
the heathen, in the light of nature, have
some means of knowing the existence,
the character and. to some extent, the
will of God. in the matter of duty, and
that they have criminally disregarded,
and failed to use them. Such language
implies that their ignorance of God is
blameworthy, without excuse, punish
able.
Tuiningto the New Testament, we
learn from the great Epistle to the Ro
mans. which is very full and positive
upon the question before us. that the
heathen are " without excuse" for their
ignorance of God and for their wicked
conduct toward each other and toward
him. "The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men. who hold
down the truth in unrighteousness; be
cause that which may be known of God
is manifest in them; for God manifested
it unto them. For the invisible things
of him since the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being perceived
through the things that are made, even
his everlasting power and divinity;
that they may be without excuse: be
cause that, knowing God, they glori
fied him not as God. neither gave
thanks; but became vain in their rea
sonings, and their senseless heart was
darkened." (Rom 1:18 21.) In his ad
dress to the heathen at Lystra, Paul
convicts them of criminal ignorance of
God and of criminal ingratitude to
ward him God ‘ ‘ left not himself
without witness, in that he did .good,
and gave you from heaven rains and
fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with
food and gladness.” (Acts 14;17.) Very
significant and unmistakable, on this
point, is the language of Paul in his
second letter to the Thessalonians,
when he speaks of “the revelation of
the Lord Jesus from heaven with the
angels of his power in Hauling fire,
rendering vengeance to them that know
not God, and to them that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall
suffer punishment, even eternal destruc
tion from the face of the Lord and from
the glory of his might.” (2 Thes 1:7 9 )
In this passage, it Is plainly declared
that, at the last day, the Lord Jesus
will take vengeance both upon the hea
then who know not God and upon the
hearers of the gospel who obey not
Christ.
From all this it is evident that •crimi
nal ignorance of God, as revealed in
eternal nature and in the constitution
of the human mind, is one ground of
the divine condemnations of the
heathen.
2 The heathen are under divine con
demnation for their idolatrous perver
sions of the Godhead. From Old Testa
ment and New Testament alike, we
learn that to the mind of God, idolatry
is impious, inexcusable, abominable and
worthy of direst penalties. Hatred of
God, as the Scriptures imply, is the
prime cause of all idolatry. The living
God indignantly resents the libels and
insults cast, by every form of idolatry,
up>n his holy name. Under the direct
inspiration of God, the psalmist iinpre
cates and pre-announces the confusion
ami retribution of idolaters, because of
their impious affronts to the true God.
“Ashamed be all they that serve
graven images, that boast them
selves of idols.” “The idols of the
nations are silver and gold, the work of
men's hands. They have mouths, but
they speak not; eyes have they, but they
see not; they have ears, but they hear
not; neither is there any breath in their
mouths. They that make them shall be
like unto them; yea, every one that
trusteth in them ” (Ps. 97:7; 135:15 18).
We learn very definitely from that
great treatise on heathenism and Chris
tianity, the Epistle to the Romans, the
origin and guilt of idolatry. Speaking
of the heathen, Paul therein says;
' Knowing God,they glorified him notas
God, neither gave thanks; but became
vain in their reasonings, and their sense
pss heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools,
and changed the glory of the incorrupt
ible God for the likeness of an image
of corruptible man, and of birds and
of four footed beasts, and creeping
things. Wherefore God also gave
them up in the lusts of their hearts
unto uncleanness, that their bodies
* lould be dishonored among them
selves: for that they exchanged the
truth of God for a lie, and wor
shipped and served the creature rather
than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen” (Rom. 1:21-25).
The divine displeasure is kindled
against the heathen for their disregard
of the natural light which they possess
concerning God, and for their perver
sion of the truth concerning him. God
manifests his displeasure toward the
heathen by forsaking them and giving
them up to their vile sins. There is
something diabolical and heaven defy
ing in idol-worship. Hence Paul de
clares that “the Gentiles sacrifice . . . to
devils, and not to God;" and John as
severates that as "for . . idolaters
. . . their part shall be in the lake that
burneth with fire and brimstone; which
is the second death” (1 Cor 10:20; Rev.
21:8).
In his marvellous address to the
heathen, on Mars Hill. Paul charged
home upon them their culpable neglect
'he light of nature concerning flciL
flu.: .their iniquitous misrepresentations
of the divine nature. “ Being then the
offspring of God, we ought not to think
that the G >dhead is like unto gold, or
silver, or stone, graven by art and de
vice of man" (Acts 17:29) In the same
manner, modern foreign missionaries,
in order topreach the Gospel effectively,
find it necessary to press home upon the
heathen the error and guilt of their
idolt t y.
3 The heathen are under divine con
demnation for their impious transgres
sions of the law of God as revealed in
nature In the earlier part of the
Epistle to the Romans, the apostle
proves the sin and condemnation of the
Jews who had the Scriptures, and of the
Gentiles, the heathen, who had them
not. and shows that the heathen are
condemned by the light of nature and
that in addition to the light of nature,
the Jews are condemned by the light of
Scripture He declares that “the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men," whether committed against the
light of Scripture or the light of nature
“wrath and indignation, tribulation
and anguish, upon every soul of man
that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and
also of the Greek” (Rom. 2:8, 9). The
word of God implies and declares that
the heathen are " without excuse ” for
their ignorance of God and for their
desperate sins. The frightful enormi
ties recorded against them in the first
chapter of the Epistle of the Romans,
were true of them in all past ages and
are true of them to-day, and the heathen
know them to be unutterably vile and
utterly inexcusable. Speaking of the
heathen and their crimes against the
law of God in nature, Paul says: "Who.
knowing the ordinance of God, that
they which practice such things are
worthy of death, not only do the same,
but also consent with them that practice
them" (Rom. 1 31). Paul further says:
"For as many as have sinned without
law | that is without the written law of
divine revelation| shall also perish
without law;" and "the’se |the heathen]
having no law. are a law unto them
selves: in that they show the work of
the law written in their hearts, their
consciences bearing witness therewith "
(Rom. 2:12, 14, 15).
As the seal is to the stamp, as the
lock is to the key, so the breast of man
is to the law of God. revealed in nature
or in Scripture —the moral nature of
man being correlative to God’s law. and
a counterpart of it. Thus, in their own
hearts, the heathen have tracings of
the law of duty, and know the differ
ence between right and wrong. But it
is with them all as it was with the
learned and leading heathen of long
ago, who said. "I see and approve the
better; I follow the worse." That in the
light of nature —the light inherent in
the nature of things and the light of
reason and of conscience in the human
breast—the heathen have a means of
knowing, not indeed the way of salva
tion. nor any part of it, but of knowing
well God's law of duty, especially as be
tween man and man. is manifest from
their sound and elaborate systems of
ethics, founded on philosophy and
formulated into law. The grand old
Roman law, which is so largely the
foundation of English, European and
American law, is but the product of
heathen reason, discovering the princi
ples of things in nature and in the
human mind.
We need not wonder, therefore, that
the Bible pours its anathemas upon the
heathen for their criminal ignorance of
God, for their insulting misrepresenta
tions of the Godhead, and for their
desperate sins against the law of God
revealed in nature and in reason, or
that the sacred volume declares the
heathen, in their natural state, to be
perishing, condemned, lost
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX: THURSDAY, JUNE 11. 1896.
11. IN THE TEXT, IT IS IMPLIED THAT
WITHOUT THEGOSPEL THE HEATH
EN CANNOT BE SAVED.
1 That the heathen cannot be saved
without the G< spel is manifest from the
implication aid purpose of the great
eommissicn. Christ's command to
evangelize the world assumes the lost
condition of all men, and implies that
the salvation of men can be brought
about only by knowledge and reception
of Christ. Christ never admits or im
plies -that the heathen, or any otheri,
can be saved without him and hie Gos
pel He commands that the Gospel
shall be preached among all nations for
the obedience of faith, and for the at
tainment of salvation through faith in
him. The Gospel is to be preached to
every creature with the promise that
“He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved.”
The mission of Paul to the heathen
was declared by Christ himself to be
“to open their eyes, that they may turn
from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God, that they
may receive remission of sins and an in
heritance among them that are sancti
fied by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).
We learn from Paul, the chief auostle
to the heathen, that the ancient chosen
people of God to whom the word of God
came, and the heathen peoples to whom
it had not come, could be saved in only
one and the same way. namely, by be
lieving on Christ, and that silvation,
without knowledge of Christ and faith
in him, is impossible. “For there is no
distinction between the Jew and the
Greek. for the same Lord is Lord of all,
and is rich unto all that call upon him;
for whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved. How then
shall they call on him in whom they
have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not
heard? and how shall they hear with
out a preacher? and how shall they
preach, except they be sent? . . . .
So belief cometh of hearing, and hear
ing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:12-
15, 17). Clearly, therefore, the funds
mental assumption of the commission
to preach the Gospel is that the heathen,
and all men in their natural state, are
already condemned and lost because of
their sins; and on that distinct basis,
the Gospel is sent to rescue men from
their sin and doom.
If Christ’s coming into the world, and
his sending of his Gospel throughout it,
are the means of salvation, then the
world was lost before he came to it.
and the world needs to know about
him in order to be saved. If the heath
en could be saved without the Gospel,
and, as some venture to assert, by their
mere ignorance of Christ, then Christ’s
coming into the world was needle-s,
an 1 his commission to preach the Gos
pel is worse than useless; for if igno
rance concerning Christ could save at
all, it would save innumerably more
than the preaching of the Gospel saves.
But a very small proportion of man
kind possesses the Gospel; but a very
small number of those who possess the
Gospel profess to receive it; and it is no
breach of charity to say that but a few
of those who profess to receive it, under
stand its meaning, experience its power,
and conform to its principles. The
Gospel, confessedly, can save only those
who possess living faith in it, and these,
co nparatively speaking, are very few.
Faith in Christ, being saving, can save
all who have faith in Christ, but, as we
have seen, tney are only a very small
fraction of the human race, and only a
small fraction even of the peoples to
whom the Gospel comes.
Now if ignorance concerning Christ 1 e
saving if it can save anyone then itc.an
and wiljl an 1 mart -s>v? everJMie wh z is
ignorant of Christ, in which case, the
world ultimately, as a whole, would be
immeasurably better off without the
gospel of Christ than with it, for all,
then, would be saved without it. while
but few comparatively are being saved
by it.
This whole notion of being saved by
ignorance is false and pernicious, a de
lusionand a snare. The divinely or
dered proclamation of the gospel to all
the world proceeds on the assumption
that all men are lost and justly con
demned, already, fortheir sins, and that
they can be saved only by repentance
from sin and faith in Christ. To en
courage hope of salvation by ignorance,
therefore, is to countermand Christ’s
commission, to frustrate the gospel, to
stultify Christians, and to deceive and
ruin the world.
But it is sometimes asked with
strange fatuity, "Will not the heathen
be saved, if they do as well as they can?”
The Holy Scriptures, the human eon
sciences and common sense teach, most
emphatically, that neither the heathen
nor others of the human family ever,
under any circumstances, do as well as
they can. A sinner who does as well
as he can is as self-contradictory as a
white black bird or a saintly devil. Be
sides all this, salvation, in any case, as
we know from God's Word, is not of
works, but of grace through faith,
and that faith is founded upon the
Word of Christ.
The fundamental assumption and
foremost purpose of Christ's great com
mission show that the heathen cannot
be saved without knowledge of Christ
and faith in him.
2. That the heathen cannot be saved
without the gospel appears from the
central doctrines of the gospel itself.
The gospel indorses the law in its de
mands for righteousness, in its denun
ciations of sin, in its reckoning and
condemning of all men as sinners. It
shows that gratuitous justification,
founded on the atonement of Christ, is
essential to salvation, and that it can be
attained only through knowledge of the
gospel and faith in the Saviour. The
gospel insists that, without a new birth
accomplished by the Word and Spirit
of God, there can be no holiness of
character and no entrance in the king
dom of God.
Those, therefore, who maintain that
the heathen can be saved without the
gospel mistake the perilous condition of
all men and sinners under the divine
law, and ignore God’s one and only way
of salvation through faith in Christ, and
they greatly dishonor God's Word; com
promise the gospel of Christ: frustrate
Christ's mission to evangelize the world;
put stumbling blocks in the way o
God's people; and leave the heathen
millions to perish in their sin. What
ever be their principle of action, wheth
er pride of intellect, subtle unbelief,
obduracy of heart, avariciousness of
spirit, or recklessness of disposition,
they are encouraging a fatal delusion,
fostering a deadly lie.
3. That the heathen cannot be saved
without the gospel is evident from di
rect declarations of Scripture. Solomon
says, “Where there is no vision [that is,
no divine revelation], the people per
ish.” (Prov. 29:18). Jesus says, “No
one cometh unto the Father but by
me.” (John 14:6). Peter says, “Neither
is there any other name under heaven
that is given among men wherein we
must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Paul
says. “We before laid to the charge
both of Jews and Greeks that they are all
under sin." "Be not deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolaters * * *
shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
(Rom 3:9; 1 Cor. 6:9,10). John says.
We know that we are of God, and that
the whole world lieth in the evil one."
(1 John 5:19).
Without the atoning blood of Christ
and the regenerating grace of the
Spirit, there can be no escape from the
dominion of sin or from the condemna
tion of the l»w. Without the gospel
heard and received by faith, there can
be no salvation for any rational hu
man being.
11l IN THE TEXT, IT IS IMPLIED
THAT DURING THE PRESENT LIFE
ONLY IS THE GOSPEL AVAILABLE
It was a saying ot Paul that “It
pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe,”
and the impl cations and drift of his
teaching, the urgency and warnings of
his messages, the diligence and devoted
ness of his life, indicate his belief that
the opportunity for preaching and hear
ing the gospel was for this life only.
Christ's order to his servants to preach
the gospel to every creature, to make,
baptize and instruct disciples, and his
promise to be present with them in car
rying on the work, are limited to “the
end of the world" or, as his words may
be otherwise rendered, to “the consum
mation of the age ”
1. There is no authority in the
Word of God for a probation after
death. Neither Old Testament nor
New Testament, neither prophet nor
apostle, neither Moses nor Christ ever
supports or even suggests such a view.
It is sheer wresting of Scripture to try
to wring such a doctrine out of any
part of it- It is daubing with untem
pered mortar, "divining lies,” healing
the hurt of the people slightly, saying,
“Peace, peace, when there is no peace,'
to suggest the hope of a future proba
tion, when future probation there is
none. The Scriptures do not, and from
the nature of the case could not, teach
a probation for men after the last judg
ment, for then it would not be the last
judgment, and its decisions would not
be final. Neither do the Scriptures give
hope of a second probation tooccur dur
ing the intermediate state, when the
body is in the grave and the soul is in
either Paradise or perdition.
2. The trend of Scripture is strongly
against a second probation. It repre
sents the state of the departed from this
life as fixed, whether it be bliss or woe.
One of the most solemn of the parables
of our Lord, that of the rich man and
Lazarus, lays tremendous emphasis upon
the fixedness of the soul's state between
death and judgment. The rich man
having died is in torment; and his
brethren, being still upon the earth, the
resurrection of the body, and the gen
eral judgment have not come. The rich
man who sees Lazarus reclining in
Abraham’s bosom afar off in the heav
enly glory, asks that Lazarus might be
sent to him with even a drop of water
to cool his parched tongue. The request
is refused; and the significant statement
is made, ' ‘Between us and you there is
a great gulf fixed, that they which
would pass from hence to you may not
be able, and that none may cross over
from thence to us.” (Luke 16:23.)
Nothing could be more explicit or posi
tive upon the fixed character of the in
termediate state. The Scripture tells us
that “it is appointed unto men once to
die, and after this cometh judgment”—
not a second probation. Here and now,
if ever, and not in some far off age and
some distant world, are the time and
place of salvation The uniform teach
ing of the Scripture is that immediately
after death do men enter into reward or
punishment. The prest nt life is the only
period allowed us in which to secure our
own salvation or to induce others to se
cure
8 The of a second probation is
based upon utascriptural and false prin
ciples. It is founded upon the erroneous
alsguiptioA flat men in general.and the
JprwTtjcular canno| justly
perish wjnTliNiret having heard and
rejecteiTtlip gospel of Christ. But the
truth is. that all men are justly con
demned f< r transgression of a divine
law, which, apart from Scripture, all
men have in the book of eternal nature
and in the book of the human heart.
The Scriptures unquestionably h >ld all
men responsible for their character and
conduct, whether gospel or Scripture
comes to them,or not. Mercy offered in
the gospel and rejected by men does not
originate, but only enhances the guilt
and the doom.
Without a gospel to accept or reject,
the angels that sinned were condemned
by divine law and sent down to an eter
nal hell. Before ever a gospel was an
nounced, our first parents were con
demned for their breach of the divine
law. As to objecting to the condem
nation of the heathen for their horrible
breaches of the divine law as revealed in
nature, one might as well contend that
no criminal should be condemned and
punished unless the governor of the State
or the President of the nation had first
offered him a pardon and the criminal
had rejected it. This is the most pre
posterous of all objections, and yet it is
the most common and the most influen
tial. But all law, human and divine, con
demns. and must condemn, wrong do
ing, whether mercy be finally provided
for the transgressor or not.
The conclusion of the whole matter is
plain and inevitable. Without the gos
pel of Christ, the heathen are lost, for
ever lost. The three leading features of
the heathen religions and of heathen
character are sensuality, cruelty and
despair. Without the gospel, the eter
nal doom of the heathen is sealed.
Two powerful lessons are set forth
and emphasized by this subject.
First. If the heathen are divinely con
demned for their transgressions of God s
law as revealed in nature and in human
nature, without any opportunity of par
don and recovery, how tremendous must
be the guilt and doom of you who not
only break God s law,revealed in nature
and in Scripture, but also reject the gos
pel of the grace of God. spurn the Savior
and his atoning blood and repel the ap
proach and influence of the Spirit of
grace'. Dreadful as may be their con
demnation, it will be immeasurably
more tolerable in the day of judgment
than for you.
Secondly. If. among the heathen, hu
man souls, by the million, are perishing
in their sin, for lack of the gospel of
Christ, with the dissemination of which
Christians have been entrusted, how
tremendous must be the responsibility
of you, O, professed followers of Christ,
if you fail to send them the gospel! By
solemnity of manner, by explicitness of
terms, by repetition of injunctions and
by awe-inspiring authority, Christ em
phasizes his command to you.at all costs
and at all hazards, to give the gospel to
the world.
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stamps, which is only the actual cost of
the samples, postage, etc., to me.
FRANCIS CASEY,
St. Louis, Mo.
Our Home Talk.
by o. c p.
“Take heed unto thyself.” The
Christian religion is a personal
matter. It was Christianity that
first impressed the idea of indi
vidual responsibility to God. Ju
daism taught the absorbing of
the individual in the nation. But,
Jesus taught the truth that every
individual stands before God
upon his own personal responsi
bility. “Every man must give an
account of himself to God. ” The
Christian religion is embodied in
a personal Christ. As potent as
are the words of Jesus and as
wonderful as were his works,
nevertheless, his mighty power
is in his perfect life. Men have
criticised his words and ques
tioned the reality of his miracles,
but his life stands out unim
peached and unimpeachable.
Even his enemies gave testimony
to his perfect life. Pilate gazed
into his face and said: “I find no
fault in him.” The Centurion at
the cross exclaimed: “Truly,this
was the Son of God.” And the
power and hope of Christianity
to-day is in the lives of the fol
lowers of Christ. It is the divine
plan that saving truth shall be
disseminated by the personal in
fluence of believers. We are liv
ing in a world of sin—in the
midst of fallen, decayed, dead
manhood —a world cursed by sin,
a world to be saved only by the
cleansing in the blood of Christ,
a world, if ever saved at all,to be
saved through human instrumen
tality. There is mighty respon
sibility resting on you. All that
the little world around you can
know of Jesus Christ it must see
set forth in your daily life. Your
influence is tending to lead souls
to Christ or to repel them from
him. “Take heed unto thyself.”
Be careful as to your influence.
Be sure, first of all, that your
own feet are on the rock. You
cannot reach out the helping, up
lifting hand to others unless your
own feet are on a solid base.
Seek assurance of your own ac
ceptance with God. You cannot
lead others to the cleansing foun
tain for sin unless you have your
self been washed. You cannot
tell others of the riches of God's
saving and sustaining grace un
less you have yourself had expe
rience. Be not content until God
gives you evidence of your own
birth from above, until the Holy
Spirit bears witness with your
inner and heart life that you are
a child of God. This is all im
portant. It is bold presumption,
yea,even base hypocrisy, for you
to attempt to leach tv others the
way of life unless you are your
self walkirg therein. And, be
sure your life is in accord with
your profession. Be not a mere
professor of religion, but a real
possessor of its joys. Something
is wrong about your light if oth
ers do not see its shining. Wher
ever you go you are carrying the
honor of the cause of the Master
with you. “Take heed unto thy
self ” that your life may tell to
ward the salvation of others.
Wartrace, Tenn.
Anj- publication mentioned in this de
partment may be obtained of the
American Baptist Publication So
ciety. 93 Whitehall St.. Atlanta, Ga.
When prices are named they include
postage.
The Editors of the Christian Index
desire to make this column of service
to their readers They will gladly
ans ver, or have answered, any ques
tions regarding books If you desire
books for certain lines of reading, or
desire to find out the worth or pub
lisher of any book, write to them.
A New Theological Work.—The in
telligent laymen of to-day (and : .t is
only to laymen that I can speak) do
much independent thinking along re
ligious lines.
Many of them are the best exponents
of religion, and many of them are its
ablest defenders. To such, Theology,
which is the Science of the Religion
they so beautifully live, and which
treats of such lofty transcending themes
as God—Man -Sin—Christ—Holy Spirit
—The Divine life in man—Things to
come—should be ever the Science of
sciences! They should find in its study
though it be profound pleasures
that are ever thrilling and sweet. A
Book of Theology which is so thorough
lj- modern and which omits all the
tiresomely contested and much disputed
Theological terms—a Book with a style
that does not smell of the dust and the
mould of old furrows —such a work
would be a delight to every studious
layman. Such a book is found, it seems
to me. in an “Outline of Christian The
ology," by Prof. William N. Clarke.
Hamilton, N. J. ($2.75 cts. postpaid di
rect from the Author). This book has
recently been adopted as a Text Book
in Hamilton Theological Seminary (in
which Prof. C. is a teacher), and by
other colleges. Here are a few senten
ces from his Introduction along the line
of inerrancy and verbal inspiration of
the Bible: “To repress criticism is to in
vite unbelief." "Primarily men are in
spired—not writings." "Revelation is
self-manifestation. God showed him
self in the life of men —the story of his
self-ihowing was afterward written."
“The theme of the Bible is the entrance
of God into the spiritual life of man.”
“Christianity is not a book religion, but
a life religion.” “If special inspiration
of the Bible were disproved, Christ
would still be the Savior of the world.”
“The annihilation of the Scriptures
would not abolish the saving power of
Christ.’’ And here are a few extracts
from the book proper (subject, Man):
“The eternal life of the New Testament
is not mere continuance of being. It is
enriched and elevated being, as worthy
and glorious as it is endless. ” (Subject
Christ): “Thus in every way Christ is a
Teacher of all ages. No teacher has
ever uttered so little that was temporary
and so much that was eternal ana abid-
ing." (Subject, Divine Life in Man-
Election): “Instead of holding that the
elect are the only ones who can be
saved, it is more in accordance with
Scripture to hold that the elect are elect
for the sake of the non-elect—that is,
they are chosen by God to serve for the
saving of others who have not yet lieen
brought to God as they have been." My
limited space forbids me. with a 400
page book, to do more than simply call
attention to it. This able work is mod
ern and up to date: and even as such
we cannot afford not to read it; for, as
he says; “Theology ean never stand still
while the divine life of the church is
moving forward. The forward move
ment of theology which we can so easily
trace through past ages hasnot reached
its end, for the Spirit abides with the
church still to guide it into truth ’
N. L. Willet.
Through the Eternal Spirit, a
Biblical study on the Holy Ghost,
Tames. E. Cumming, D. D. Flem
ing H. Revell Co. New York and
Chicago. Price f 1.50.
We confess to taking up this book
with a feeling that it was to be another
imperfect and one-sided treatment of
this subject. Dr. Gordon's Ministry of
the Spirit Jattained such a high plane
that it has dwarfed other attempts to
reach the great theme. Dr. Cumming's
book is however ■>worthy to be used
of Dr. Gordons, and in some
cases it surpasses it in clearness of con
ception ana statement. This is true of
the chapter on The Secret of Sanctifi
cation. Dr. Cumming believes in cri
sis of growth, rather than the gradual,
or second blessing ideas. Believing in
a gradual growth to great crisis in
which we take great strides forward.
In the periods of growth we go for
ward as he says “by new discoveries
through the Holy Ghost of things to be
surrendered to God, and of things to be
a -cepted from him. ” Ot equal merit is
his chapter on The Guidance of the
Spirit. A new theme is the Love of the
Holy Ghost. We do not suppose any
book on this great subject will every
where satisfy. We are still but search
ers for the complete truth about the
Holy Spirit. This volume is worth
every one’s study, and those who have
already read Gordon’s Ministry of the
Spirit should get it to give him another
view of equal clearness of much the
same conclusions reached by Gordon.
The author is a Scottish preacher.
History of Christian Doctrine
George P. Fisher, D.D., LL.D. Chas.
Scribner's Sons, New York. Price,
$2.50 net.
Dr. Fisher has long held a high place
as theological and philosophical writer
and as a church historian. In this volume
these are all combined He treats the
subject in hand in a somewhat different
manner from that ordinarily followed.
It is not merely a summary of dogmatic
teachings, but a live history of the rise
and fall of heresies as well as the form
ulatii nos truth. It deals as much with
current beliefs as with authoritative
statements. It is thus possible to take
anj- given period and study the varia
tions of opinion and see from these the
gradual elimination of error and clear
perception of the truth. Dr. Fisher has
a style of unusual clearness and beauty.
He is no sense an advocate, but is al
ways the historian, stating fairly the
positions held by others. A good sense
of the important and unimportant as nec
essary to a medium sized volume, is
shown. It is really surprising how
much can be said in a short paragraph
By a division into poriods any given age
can be studied, while a well compiled
index enables ono<to tra'-e any doctrtAe,
or error in its historical sequence. Few
books could give more genuine profit to
studious minds. As a companion to a
modern compendium of theology it will
be invaluable, enabling one to quickly
get in his mind the various past state
ment< of truth as well as the latest. A
A SKEPTIC
CONVINCED
8Y....
The following b iters show the conviction which mnst be foretd upon the
faithful user of the Eleclropoise.
(Before using.)
Wilmington, N. C„ April 9. 1891
Gentlemen.—The Electropoise received. As I look at this apparent! .- harmless cylinder with a
cord attached and think of the price I can hardly refrain from Puck’s soliloquy—- What fools these
mortals be.” The instrument is what you claim for it—a “ Curative agent of wonderful power
or should take its place in history as the most stupendous collosal fraud of the nineteenth century
I shall use it faithfully and without prejudice in my family. If no results follow then look out for
I shall attack it in the public prim with all the energy at my command. For the sake of the sick I
hope to demonstrate your claim. (Rev.) R C Heamas
(After using.) Dirham, N. C Jail 31 1893 -
Gentlemen.— * * <■ <■ I find the Electropoise in great favor in this place I have used'it in
my own family with marked benefit 1 prize it very highly and would not be without it for many
times its cost. Respectfully, r c Beaman 1
Shall we send you circulars telling what it cures, how it cures, and all about It? They cost
nothing but will interest you. Write for them. 1
Gri'aham. & I>u 13ols,
Electric Building, ATLANTA, CA.
BAPTIST PERIODICALS
THE BEST TEST OF POPULARITY IS CIRCULATION
The following substantial increase in circulation was
made in our Quarterlies for the second quarter of this year:
Senior, 20,000 ; Advanced, 70,000 ; Intermediate. 25,000;
Primary, 30,000; Picture Lessons, 47,000. Total increase,
192,000 in one quarter. ~
It is evident that the best is regarded as none too good
for Baptists.
The sale of Periodicals helps the Society to send mis
sionaries to establish Sunday-schools.
ORDER NOW FOR THIRD QUARTER
lEMHIX HELPS Club price, of n,e or more eopie. to one addre»
Price per quarter. p r j fe „er year.
JaptiM Superintendent 6)4 cents 25cents
Senior Quarterly 5 " •< / ' „ Q „
Advanced Quarterly 2’4 “ 9 ..
Intermediate Quarterly 2*4 “
Primary Quarterly “
Picture Lessons 3 .. ,
Bible Lessons : j .. „
ILLUSTRATED PAPERS
Our Young People ce , lts
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“ Fortnightly 5 .. ' ...
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Bible Lesson Pictures j lO0 4
Sunday-school Requisites of every kind at low prices.
AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBUCATION SOCIETY
PHILADELPHIA, BOSTON. NEW YORK. CHICAGO. ST. LOUIS
DALLAS. ATLANTA
BSL The
Bane
ißr ! °'
Beauty.
the fading or falling of
the hair. Luxuriant
tresses are far more to the
matron than to the maid whose casket
of charms is yet unrifled by time.
Beautiful women will be glad to be
reminded that falling or fading hair
is unknown to those who use
Ayer’s Hair Vigor.
good course of winter s study might be
arranged with this as a center.
The Forum. The Forum Publishing
Co.. New York. 25 cents. $3.00 a
year.
It might be sufficient to say up to
standard to quicken the appetite for the
Forum. Special subjects may be men
tioned. Election of Senators by popular
vote. The Promisee of Democracy, have
they been Fulfilled? Armenia's Impend
ing Doom; The Democratization of
England: Ego. et Rex Mens, a Study of
Royalty; The True Aim of Charity Or
ganization Societies; The Isolation of
Music. It is hard to discriminate among
these. It becomes mainly a question of
personal interest. We do not see how
men who desire to keep up with the
times can do without a Review like
this We suggest to the masculine
readers of the Index an experiment in
this direction.
The Arena. June. The Arena Pub
lishing Co., Boston, Mass. 25 cents.
$3.00 a year.
The first article to attract attention
will be S. J. Burrows' "Celsus, the first
pagan critic of Christianity. ” Barring
a tendency to admire Celsus rather than
the truth, it is able and useful. A sub
ject of much importane is Mr. Pomeroy’s
‘ The direct legislation movement and
its leader." This subject calls for
t .ought. The silver question has va
nous discussions, and the Telegraph
Monopoly is faced with some rather
startling facts. Two Serial Stories are
running, both dealing with absurd mod
ern vagaries as to occultism and social
ism The tendency to extravagance is
noteworthy. The Arena, however, is
given to speaking out in meeting. This
shocks us sometimes but it delights us
at others Read with care; the Arena
i stimulating and stirring.
The Atlantic Monthly. June.
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston,
Mass. 35 cents. $4 00 a year.
The Atlantic is publishing a series of
invaluable articles on our public schools.
These are based on research covering
the whole country. In the present is
sue The Politicians and the Public
Schools come in for discussion. The
heart of the evil is located. It ought to
be read by ever yone interested in good
schools The Restriction of Immigra
tion. Orestes Brownson, and Lord
Howe's Commission to pacify the Col
onies, add to the number of solid arti
cles. In addition there are poems, stM
ries and book reviews. For genuine ale
round worth a family cannot surpass
the Atlantic.
whollhelTaberger ?
He’s the U ire Fence Man, of Atlanta, Ga., and
sells the best and cheapest fencing In existence
tor %il purposes. Catalogue free. Write tor it.