J. B. Chapman, D. D.Editor :

Volum e 9 . December, 1934 ‘ ' Numhek 12

A PROGRAM OF WORSHIP- . . v. ' I 'mic E d it o r

O N board a ship I complained to a .young-anil zralous Baptist preacher that the. Episcopal service was so formal tha t there was little profit in it. But he answered,: “Of course I am used to a freer plan, but

I find I can put heSrt and soul into this form* and I obser%re that more people take part than would do so .in a meeting where there is no ritual. And while

,it is mere form with many, yet. it does seem that some really worship God while going through the fonns, and in a place, where; it; is-possible to do so little planning for a service, I am not sure but this is better than a free non- ritualistic meeting.” . ,,

I remember also th a t’ fV , Bresee used to say there is a middle ground between the unplanned and the ritualistic service. He thought more people would be able to take part and get profit out of the worship if something of a regular prdgram were followed from time to tim e...

I t was extreme, of course, but I have known a preacher who was called upon to lead in,the Lord’s Prayer in a Sunday school service, and liis memory failed him a t a vital place, so that the service was broken and hindered.

Brother E, 0 , ChaKant was impressed by the fact that the bishops at the General Conference of the M ethodist Episcopal Church, South, spent considerable time before the devotional services in selecting the hymns and arranging for their-use in proper order.

, I f you have been an itinerant preacher you have no doubt often felt hindered because there was no sym pathy between the plan of (lie worship service and the sermon yod felt led to bring;. If either you could have had charge of the service, or .if the one in charge had consulted you, it Would, have been much better. But in the regular services of thechu rch it is better that the pastor should be in charge from the start. If there is a song leader, eVen then, especially in the Sunday morning, service, the pastor should select the hymn and songs and should do this before the service starts and should make the whole service a unit. . .

In our Nazarene meetings we seem to be almost enslaved to “$pecial

.. * . ‘ ^ ■. songs,” and often these are rendered in such a way as to be a menace to' the meeting. We are not thinking so much of .Sunday evening and evangelistic.services, where much tha t is irregular and unusual may be allowed, but of the Sunday, morning worship - service, where, according to my judgment, we-are weakest." '

Perhaps we operate on the supposition that those who attend the meetings will be glad to see Us enjby ourselves, or they arc there to be exhorted, or th^y will ap^ p reda te being entertained. But experience teaches that people will not come r e g u ­larly to see others do anything religious; They will come regularly only if they have some part themselves arid only if that part becomcs a means of grace to them. And this applies not only to the very devout, but to church goers in general. -

B ut I did not s tart out> to argue the case. Rather I thought of making a few suggestions. Chiefly I w an ted -td^ay tha t I believe it is worth any preacher's while ; to seek to improve his worship service. In doing 'th is,'! btOimThe should .build around the sermon, and th a t he should select the scripture readings, and the hymns, and pre- pare himself for the public prayer with this united service in mind. If he is suc> cessful, |he people will go away from the meeting with « deeper and clearer impres­

s io n of the message itself, and they will feel that they '‘have beeii to church." Per-- haps W neone will answer that a plan of this kind wiil become a "hindrance to the freedom of the Spirit. But I believe it will be a means of deepening the-sSpintual life, and when the Holy Spirit comes in special manifestation, surely, ail our preachers and people have the good sense to give Him free-right of way, no m atter wh:il the plans had been. _ ' -

Ju s t yesterday I looked through the. songbook used in one of our good churches and found it exceedingly wanting in hymns of worship, and f just wondered how the pastor managed to ’make h is service what I am sure he desires it to be.

I would not have any preacher give less attention to the sermon or to any other . p art of the service (unless it is to the announcements, which are the ban of a thousand

good meetings), but I would exhort for more attention to the worship “program,” and I mean just what is usually meant by “program.” ' I!mean this part of the service should be better planned; and planned so that more pcdp)e will take part. And to .do '- this, I. think there should be a goodly part of the service that is much the same every. . time. I have found it helpful, to specialize on certain old hymns and use them a t a certain part of the service until the people learn to expect them. Really, it is no trouble to diversify, and yet to hold sufficiently near the same plan, as to enable the people to follow. And it is >a wonderfully interesting and fascinating exercise,1 once you get started—just to m ake.your program of worship full and interesting and

' helpful to the larger proportion of your group.

354 ' \ T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE

Bishop Edwin Hughes of the M , E. Church, recently defended “heart religion” in a sermon in Trem ont Temple, Boston, and exhorted the people to “give their hearts a chance.” He said tha t in selecting one’s faith he m ust not depend solely upon the intellect, bu t should give equal place (o.mind, hefi r t and will. As he expressed it, each of these'is to be allowed one vote.

PublJabed m onth ly by tho N azarene Pub lish ing House. 2923 T ro o n Ave<# K aneas City, Mo,, m ain tained by and m the ln-tere*c oi the Church oi the N azarene. Subscrip tion price 41,00 b year. Entered aa second class m a tte r a t th e P o s to ff tc e a t K a m a i City. Mo. A cceptance for mall* jng a t special ra te of postage brovided for in Section M03, Act of O ctober 3, 1917, authorized December JO, 1925. j / •

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T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE 355

EDITORIAL NOTES■ Preachers’ letters are very interesting■ as indices to character and m anner of

thought. Here is one preacher who “could stay” where he is, but has decided to move, although he has. no opening, and has.a- family-and m any responsibilities; Now if he can stay, tha t is, if he has been legally asked to stay, it seems to me reasonable that he. should keep, even a poor .job lintil another opens up to him. I t is easy to get out of the active ministry, but it is not easy to get back in again. Here is another preach-, er who. has been “voted out,” but he thinks if he leaves,the church will split'. This is a strange idea. 17 he had much influence he should be able to tie his friends io the church, arid his opposers are pleased because he is leaving. I t is a pdor testimonial for him when the church splits over the preacher,. In this case, a man's friends are his real enemies, for ;it is practically, impossible for a church splitting preacher to get an­other location. Here is another preacher who must-move because'his church is unable or unwilling, to support, him, although it supported his predecessor and took care o f. him for a while. Now: what promise is there tha t he will not let the financial clock

.̂ run down in his next place? But here is the most unusual letter of. all: a preacher writes: th a t he-bas practically failed in his present, location, Ijut^he beljeves the people will unite and follow a. new man. He wants Io go somewhere else, although he has been called for the year. He wants to go to give-the church arid a new pastor a chance. Hut he says, "Since I lu(ve practically failed here, just any little place will be good enough for m e." I,p lan to help this preacher get a*-location. He will do better than he has ever done, Iind lie has been a good pastor.

EXPO SITO R Y MESSAGES FROM HEBREW S

Olive M. AVinchestkr

Chi-Ut, O ur H ig h P riett

.Being addressed by God as High Priest, a /trr the order a f X felchhedck <Heb. 5 :1 0 ),’

^W O lead in g .factors in the' conception of the jwrson of Christ slqnd.out in the mind of the w riter o f the Epistle to the H e ­

brews. One. lie has set before us in the early chapters, th a t is, th a t C hrist is the Son of G od; therein Is He superior to -th o an g e ls , first because of H is essential na tu re and second bccausc of His sta tus and position. M oreover also He is su ­perior to M oses in th a t H e who made the house is ttbpvo the hous<; which lias been made. Leav­ing thnt '.thought regarding the -person of Christ, tlie w riter turns to another equally im portant factor and. th a t is H is' H igh-pricsthaod, This

thought is prom inent throughout the rcrnainder of the epistle and constitutes the ruling thought

. of \he epistle, the preceding assertion regarding C hrist's person being m ore or Jess a foundation fact for this great tru th .

T jIL H lCJt-l’TilESTUOOD OF ClIRtST A DlVJNE AP­POINTMENT

T he honor of the. H igh Priesthood even C hrist did not take unto ■ H im self; this .the epistle spc- ■

. cifically states. . As the Aaronic priests were a p ­pointed so was Christ. 'Speaking of C hrist as one who ■ is■ able to be touched w ith the feeling- of our infirmities and can bear gently with the erring, the Scripture continues' by saying, “And no m an takcth the honor unto himself, b u t wlicti he is called of G od, even as <vas Aaron. • So Christ also glorified not himself to be made a high priest, b u t he th a t spake unto him, Thou a r t m y Son, this day have I begotten thee :‘ as

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356 • .T H E PR E A C H E R 'S M AGAZINE

lie saith also in another place, Thou a r t 'a p riest, fur ever a fte r the order of Melchizcdek’’ (5: 4-6, K.V.), '

The m ystery of th e .T rin ity is g re a t; we see' equality and also seeming subordination! The Son is equal will) Vhe Father in 'essential being; this the Scripture fully indicates, bu t in the w ork . of redem ption, there is thc subordination of the Son to -th c Father. This though t is expressed in (!;c Hif;h-priestl}' prayer of Jesus. “As thou hast ■ sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them irito-();e w orld” (Jo h n J7: IS ). The fact is th a t this verse only reiterates w hat,w as stated in tw o 'verses - preceiiinut “Awl this is life eternal, th a t thuy should know thee the only true God, and him -w hom thou didst send, even Jesus C hrist" (v. .3, R.V.)V “ For the -words which thou gavcst me I have given th e m ;.' an;l they received them , and k n ew 'o f a tru th th a t I c;imc forth from- thee, and they believed th a t thou

d id s t send m c” ‘ (v, 8, R .V .), O tl|cr verses Sri-the same chapter carry the same tru th . In -the work . of redem ption God sent his Son, We need only to turn . (o' o n e 'o f 'th e most beloved verses in Holy W rit to obtain this tru th (John 3; 16).

This sending of the Son for o u r redem ption is the supreme m anifestation of the love of God. . M arten sen speaking, o f this says, “D ivine love, th a t knew from eternity the possibility of (be fall, found also from eternity the way of Re­dem ption, In free grace and love the Father gives up the Son to hum iliation,, ohcciiencc and . suffering; and by His willing obedicncc the Son, as the sccond Adam, satisfies the demands of holy and righteous love, offers up tile sacrifice which o u r 's in fu l race should have offered, hut could n o t,, drank to its drops the cup of su f­fering for sin, which m ust needs be cmp(icd, th a t the grow th of sin m ight be retraced and de­stroyed, a n d ;th a t a new ,life m ight begin. This work of- C hrist’s is really G od’s w ork of love and grace tow ard thc race." '

T k e H ir ii-psiesthood in Opkiution Very fully arc wc told concerning- the func­

tioning of the w ork of the high-pricsthood, first relative to the Aaronic and then especially to the m inistrations of C hrist as H igh-priest. The priest is appointed “ for men in things p e r ta in in g 'to

.G o d " ’ ( 5 :1 ) , H e offers sacrifice (v, 1), bears gently with the ignorant and erring (v . 2). This 1 is true of both the priesthood of thc Lcvitical ■ tribe and also of Christ.

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Leaving thc characteristics which the different types of priesthood have in common, the w riter shows wherein they arc different. In casting back over th e , years during whiph tlje l.evitical priesthood was in.. vogue, t|iere’ was ^never an fnstanre of the perfecting of hum an nature by its offerings; if there had been, then, a cessation would ha\;e followed, and the ci'aseless 'stream of sacrifices would hayc desisted, and there would no t have been further need o f another priesthood, based upon a different order. Sincr this end was never accomplished tliere came a new priesthood which was dynamic in' its nature and in const-.' tiuencc the foregoing priesthood’ was disannutcd

,.because of its weakness ■ and unprofitableness. Thus the first point in differentiation .is that- the priesthood of Christ has within it the power of> transform ing hum an nature bringing it in to align­ment with its true goal and end; it is,dynam ic, carrying-thc powers of life, new life in its func­

tio n in g .Then another point O f differentiation lay in

this that w hile-the Aaronic, priests were m any in num ber "because that by death they are hindered from continuing,” yet Christ abideth forever an d ’ thus I lls priesthood is unchangeable; Accord­ingly He is able to save unto the utterm ost. He is "holy, guileless, urnlcfiled, separated frmp sin­ners,. and made , higher than,, the heavens,", who made offering .'for sin once .for' all.'

Jesus, in Thee our eyes behold .A thousand glories'more '

Than the rirlt gents and polished gold The sons of Aaron wore.

They first their own btirnl-Hflcrings brought,■ To .purge themselves from sin /

' Thy life was. pure w ithout a spot, ■A n d nil' T h y nature clean*

Fresh blood, «.j constant ni the day,Was' on their ultiir Spilt,

/Silt T h y one p ffcriii^ -takes m i 'ay Forever all our guilt, .

Their priesthood run Iftrott^h sev’ral hands. For mortal was their race; _

Thy never-changing office stands Eternal as T h y days.

Once', in the rircuil of a year,W ith blood, but not his own,

T H E PR E A C H E R 'S M A GAZINE 357

■ . A a to n w ith in th e ve il appearsJ ie jo r e the golden throne,. ;

B id C hrist b y His o i r t i p n w ’rjiil 'b lood A ire fids a b o ve t h e ' sk ies

■ A n d in th e presence o f our G od S h o w s / / i s o w n safrificc.

Jesus, the K in g o f G lory) reigns O n Z io n ’s h ea v 'n ly h ill;

Looks' l ite a Lam b that has befit slain, ..A n d wears his priesthood still.

l i e c v c r 'l iv r t to in tercede ,

■ B efore his F a th er’s fa ce : .■ G ive H im , m y soul, th y cause to plead,

S 'o r d oub t th e F at tier's grace,

- —^Is,\A C W a t t s .

Nut .only is the .H igh-priesthood of. C hrist-dy ­namic bringing lifr, and not only is it eternal

' and .'unchangeable, it -operates w ithin the heav­enly court. This epistle us no o ther stresses,the m inistry-of Christ a t llic ri^lit hand o fG o d . “Ha ever liveth to. make intercession." "ffe sat dotfn at the right hand of the throne of the M ajesty in the heavens, a minister of the.sanctuary ', and of the true tabernacle which the i'.ord pitched and not m an.” W escott specifies three distinct form* in, the work o f C h r is t ' in the heavenly

.Panctuary. ■

"1; C hrist- intercedes for men as their present ' representative before God (7: 25, 27.; 9: 24).

“2, Christ brings the prayers and praises of His people to God, '.embodying, their trLie sp ir­itual desires-, - so that a t each moment they be­come' articulate, through His Spirit and are brought thrmisj* Him to the Throne (13: IS ).

“3. C hrist' scciircs access for H is people in their present sta te to 'the holy place,’ where He himself is, in His blood—the virtue- of His earthly life lived >'im! offered . (4: 16; 10: 10-22),

“These three forms oI C hrist’s \vurk shew the conditions, of- hum an experience, wh.it He does for hum anity eternally. O ur fellowship with God will prow closer, m ore' perfect, more- conscious, bu t still our approach to God, our worship, our spiritual harm ony, must alw ays be ‘in -him’ in whom wc h av t been incorporated.”

Further the H igh-priesthood of C hrisi func­tions as a new m otivating power w ithin the heart. “I will pu t m y laws into their minds, and on

their hearts also w i l l I write them ” (8: 10b, R.V .). The fact of this new m otivating power is closely connected with the m inistry of Christ, the more excellent m inistry, in the heavenly sane* tu a ry ; because, our Redeemer has this more «ex-

‘cellent m inistry, he 'is accordingly m ediator of a better covenant. The old covenant affecting1 only the outer life, the conduct, and not touching the inner urges and drives creating new motives proved defective bu t the new covenant goes in to the springs of hum an life and conduct and there: establishes a .n f j i1 driving force which is impelled .l>v a new inner law; ■ *

' Stiil another factor in the function ing 'pow er hf the priesthood' of Christ is th a t therein m ay the conscience he putged from dead works. Our writer tells us, “ B ut. C hrist .having come a high -

■ priest .of the good things to come, through the greater and ' more perfect tabernacle, no t made

w i th hands, th a t is to say, no t of this creation, nor yet through tile bipod of goats and calves, but through Jiis own bloort, entered in once for all into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redem ption, for. if. the blood, of goats and hulisj and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them th a t have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the. eternal Spirit dffered himself w ithout blemish u n to God, cleanse your Conscience from dead works to serve the living G od” (9: 11-14, H .V .); The significance of con­science, here calends beyond w hat we ordinarily indicate by conscience and refers (o the whole inner n a tu re ; it is a case o f- th a t figure whereby a p a rt is used for a whole. H astings co m m en t­ing says, "Hence he' means by it not only the sense of right .an d w ro n g , bu t the whole .inner nature which Connects m an . w ith the heaVchly. The .'sense of the Infinite \vhich awakens in him a feeling of awe and wonder before the grandeur of God in earth and sky ; the emotions, of rev­erence th a t pour themselves forth in temple w or­ship before the felt presence of the F a th e r; the belief in the invisible world which makp^ us feel th a t 'th e re are regions near us whoa* beauty and glory ‘eye hath hot seen, nor ear heard,, nor heart conceived’; all in man from which his* re­ligion and worship rise are included in eonscicncc, and implies th a t the spiritual; heavenly, aspiring ■ nature 'needs purifying before1 we can serve the living God.” . •

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353 / . 'T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE ' ■. ! ■ ■ ■ ■ .■! - y - ' : •

T h e P r a c t i c a l H f.nf.fits o f C h r is t ’s H ig h - the Christian life which arc necessary if the bc-PRIE5THOOD , lievcr Is to advance in the Christian w ay. ̂He .The disctission of the practical benefits of the must take heed hot to give; up and not to be

H igh-priesthond of C hrist would .cover to some overwhelmed w ith the trials of; life on the oneextent the thoughts 'brought out' in the opera- hnnr) and on the other he mu^t draw near totion of the H igh-prlesthood, bu t we would, make throne :o f,p race and find the streng then ing 'tliis difference in our present study and leave the p o w e r 'th a t he needs. All these exhortations areform er top ic_to deal with the elements of sa l-.- based on the fact th a t we have such an H igh

. vation and this later one to deal with the build-. Priest as Christ.mg. of-C hristian character: The suprem e objective But there a re not only individual 'benefits, thereof t h e . High-prie?thood in its function, was to ' are social as well: we are to think of on e-an - ■bring unto, man redem ption in cleansing the con- o ther and set incentives before each other th a tscience from sin*and im parting a hew life, bu t ■ m ay follow'.good works and m anifest.love in allwhen once th a t life has entered there must be a our relationships, arid we should no t forsake the progressive factor which causes th a t life to per- ^public services of worship. Following these.ad--

.meate the being of man more and m ore and es- monitions with m any others that the w riter.givcstablisiies C h ris tian .habits organizing a Christian ' we will build not only indivjdtial lives stampedlife and integrating , all the powers of. m ihd and by Christian character, but' we wilt also btiffci asoul-about this pre.it central m otive, holy, brotherhood, a Christian comm unity, ThuS

In exhorting, the Hebrews the writer urges man wit! enter into' the fullness of Christian life 'them to hold fast their confession on the basis and being;, lie cannot build by himself alone, heth a t they have a great High Priest -\v.ho .has en- . m ust build in relationship : to. others and all istcred into the heavens and on the same basis he centered in1 the priestly work of C hrist.' -

■ admonishes th a t, they should draw near to the, When' we turn, to review the thought of the■ throne of gracc w ith boldness th a t they may . High-priestly work of Christ, we find th a t it is

receive mercy and find grace to help in every . supreme as expressing th e ' work of tlie M aster,i time of • need (4 :1 4 -1 6 ) . Again we ’find the He. came to redeem men, and it is suprem e*in,its

w riter exhorting th a t ' .inasmuch as they have a .. w orking-in the lives of men. T hrough C hrist wegreat Priest over the house of God they are to receive salvation and through Christ we developdraw near in fullness of fa ith and remain stead - '" (bat salvation in our own hearts.and in the bondsfast in hope. These a re-indiv idual activities of of Christian fellowship. ’ .

SERM ONS F O R DECEMBER herds, an d the Wise Men of the East, let usH. B. M ackoky ■ ; worship the Savior of men and present unto

The one . outstanding event o f December is Him our best gifts. ,Christmas. M any m erchants commercialize th e D ecem ber 2—-M orning Serm onseason and piake it an occasion for financial gain. T hf.m e : The Christian Sabbath.M any others th ink of it, for the most p a rt, as a- T ext: R em em ber the sabbath day to keep ittime for the exchanging o f gifts or for pleasure holy (Exodus 2 0 :8 ) .and feasting. W hat a tragedy it is when the I n tro d u ctio n :Yuletide means bu t little m ore than this to m en. W hile in California it was my pleasure one

To .the church and the people of God th is Sunday evening to address a group of boys a t theglad season presents an opportun ity for worship, Pasadena Preventorium , I spoke on the them e,Everything elie is bu t incidental. M ay the mes- “A Sure Foundation .” At . the close o f the mes- ...sage of glad tidings and gr£at joy , of Im m anuel, Sage one of the boys asked that wc sing "H ow ‘God with us, grip, every heart. L ike the shep- Firm, a Foundation," I shall never forget, the

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H O M I L K T T C A L -inmwhJ

'.1 T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE / 359

way they sang th a t grand old hym n. “ How firm , a foundation, ye saints of thc Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent W o rd !”

Thc W ord of C od is thc only sure foundation for both men and nations': to build upbn. The ■ history of m any, nations of the p ast is a silent testim ony' to this fact. W hat has become of ■ ancient Babylon, E gypt, Greece, Rome and o th ­ers? They are gone/ W hy? They failed to build upon a sure foundation.

In the reading room of the Congressional L i­brary , W ashington, D. C., is a statue, represent­ing re lig ion., Over it arc these words, “Fear God . and keep his com m andments, for this is thc Whole du ty of m an” (E cd . 12; 13), Wp have * before us today the Fourth Com m andm ent. Let us "Rem em ber the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

I. 'T h e Sabbath Day I s o r D ivine Oriois■ 1. It was instituted of God.

Genesis. 2: 2, 3 tell us. God rested On the seventh day from all i l is w ork. H e ■ ceased, from. H is ' labor. He separated the seventh day from the o ther days. He consecrated: it and set it apart. H e '

.'institu ted a day ' of rest. One day in seven. H e 'se t an e*an\ple fo r-m en ev­erywhere to follow. *

2. I t is comm anded of. God (Excidus 20: 8-11)

- 3. T h e com m andm ent has never been. aljro-■ gated.

Jesus said, “Think no t . th a t I am come ' to destroy the law, or the, prophets: ■ I

am not comc to destroy, bu t to fuftill. For verily v I say unto you,. Till heaven and earth pass, one jo t or one tittle shall in n o . wise pass from thc law, till all be. fulfilled.” ‘ .

II . T h e Sadhath Day Was I nstitutcd for aD e f in it e P u rpo se ••. ; ■■■1. It is a day of- rest. ■

• ■ The name Sabbath means rest. I t sig- nifics a cessation from labor. Alan is to

■ rest as God rested. Only two types of work are permissible. These arc set forth i n ‘the teachings of Jesus. They are works o f necessity and works of mercy.

2. I t is' a day of worship. ‘ . ,G od blessed the Sabbath day and ha l­lowed it. Israel wprshiped God. on the Sabbath Day. Jesus followed this cus­tom during H is public m inistry. T he • early Church adopted the. custom of worshiping on thc L ard 's D ay, I t is our Sabbath. The day o f the resurrection of J c s u l The day upon which Pentecost was ushered in, , '

3. I t is a “holy” day.t'N o t a holiday. N ot a day to be dese-

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'crated .. “ Remem ber the sabbath day to keep it holy.”

. T h e Sasbath D av Is to He K ep t t/jrmtoKE.Y1. M any commercialize the day.

M any cities a te wide open for business. M any railroads depend upon S u n d a y . excursions .fo r profit. M an y enterprises commercialize thc day. T hank God for Sunday blue laws ^enforced in sam e of our cities. '

2. M any m ake the day .one of worldly pleasure. - . M oving picture houses ‘a re crowded. Places of amusem ent and sin are Crowd­ed: In New York C ity on a certain Sun­day a gentleman looking fo r .a place of worship found upw ard of tw enty

; churches closed. He then took a street• car and rode to the. end of the line and

found there ' an aniuscment, p a r t w ith £0,W0 people u h o had paid ten cents each admission fee. In another ’ placc, in a larpe city, the pastor of !} large, church had on Sunday m orning less tlinrt a hundred people to p re jch • to while in thc afternoon ten thousand a tr tended a baseball gam e near Jiis.church.

3. M any arc inviting the w rath ' of God, •Bona Fleming ieJJs of an incident in the South. A bishop was .entertained for Sunday dinner a t the hom e of. a m an of considerable w ealth. After d inner the owner of the home spent tw o hours showing thc bishop through the m an­sion and -about thc grounds. H e .th en asked to be excused to go to ' the1 office

. to a ttend to sorrie .im portant 'business. The bishop embraced the opportun ity to inquire of. him regarding his soul. The gentleman thanked the b ish o p . b u t said he was too busy to be a Christian. W ithin a few weeks he was on .his death-bed. Physicians and nurses could not save him. He was too busy to be a Christian b u t . no t too busy to 'd ie . He went into eternity unprepared to

• meet God. "Rem em ber thc sabbath day■ to:'keep it holy.1’

D ecem ber 2 — E vening Serm onT h e m e : 'l'he Lost Christ.Sc r iptu r e L esso n : Luke 2: 41-52.'

I n tr o d u ctio n :Following the Incarnation of Christ and the

incidents im m ediately surrounding H is b irth there is, w ith one exception, a silcnce of about th irty years, Alt wc know concerning th a t long period of H is life is the incident of our lesion today.

360. T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE

A t the age of twelve years Jesus was taken by H is parents, Joseph and M ary, to Jerusalem to a ttend the' Feast of the Passover.’ According to the -Jewish law and custom all male children were required -to be registered a t the age of twelve years.

A fter a num ber of days Joseph and M ary left Jerusalem to re tu rn to N'azareth. .A fter a d ay ’s journey they found Jesus was no t in the1 com ­pany and turned back in search of Him .

I. Jksu.s Was L ost d v Joseph and M ary . 1. liy the last persons you would expect to

lose H im , His parents. Such a thing '.w o u ld seem impossible and inexcusable.

H ow often He is lost today by those of whom you would ’least" expert it I .-B y* ministers- of the gospel! liy Christian w orkers! Hy members of the church!

2. ,He was .lost because of presum ption.■ ■ They thought He M’a s .in tlie company.

Presum ption is a dangerous th ins. H ow m any th ink they are at! . right. They th ink they are saved and sanctified.

i . He was lost by M ary and Joseph in the. .temple. 1

. He was lo st, not only by the .last pe r­sons w h o m you would expect to lose H ‘m but also in the last place you Would expect it. I n 'th e temple. The house of God. M ultitudes lose. H im at the house, of C od today. M any fail to give a tte n ­tion to th e tru th . Many, fail to keep their vows. ' M any are: irreverent and frivolous and-, careless. . , ■

I I . . Jesus Christ' Is . Lost to M ui,tii*u i ;d M il- “ lions Today ■ . . .1. H e is iost to a thousand million' , in

heathen lands IA fter. 1900 years tw o -th ird s 'o f the world

; have never heard the gospel sto ry! Vet Jesus said, “Go .ye. into all the wqrld and preach the gospel to every creature.”

■ W hat is w rong? ■ We spend billions of dollars annually on luxuries and amuse­ments b u t only a few millions on mis-

. sions!2. He is 'lo st to millions in Christian lands.'

They have no time or p lac e 'fo r C hrist and the church. They are. too busy with other things. They fail to pu t first things first. Business or p leasure 'm ean more to them than Christ.

3. He is lost to millions w ithin the^church. H ow m any there are who have never , been saved or sanctified. W ho fail to walk in the light. How m any th ere are who are backslidden. They hav.c lost their first love. Lost their vision. They;

are depending upon church membership, baptism , tithing, or something else to take them through. ■ '

H I. W h a t a T racf.dy I t Is to L osf. C u b is t !1. M ary and Joseph sought H im sorrow ­

ing. ; •_ ,• .They understood -their loss. Their hearts \vere broken. Personally I had an ex-.- citing experience a fe $ years ago. Our

- youngest child, Naom i R uth , strayed away from me in. a dow ntow n store. The store was crowded. I th o u g h t.’she, was a t my side. A lady said she had seen her go Sutside'. M y heart pounded and m y "tem ples throbbed. I became

; sick. I ran in tine direction and came to .a crossing. The au tos anti, heavy traffic were .passing and I turned and ran in tfie.ofipositt? direction. At !ast I . found her walking along watching the crowds. W hat a joy was ’mine!

2. Have you lost C hrist from your h eart? H a v e you sought H im ? M ary and Joseph found Him in .th e temple. You may fiml H im here - tonight. W hat a joy will be yours!

'3 . ' Search for Him tonight.Tom orrow may lie too late, W c had a very sudden death in our family a few years ago. An uncle of M rs. M a c ro n ’s, apparently in perfect health, dropped dead! We do no t know w ho m ay be next to go> M any in my meetings across- the years have gone ou t in good health

. never to hear another se rm o n .: Ho you have Christ in your heart as your Savior

* and Sarictifier tonight? H ave you lostH im ? . • . . .

■ D ecem ber 9 — M orning Serm on

’ T iie m k ; A Successful Soul-winner,T e x t : He that goeth forth and H'Crpethj bear­

ing preriom seed, shall doubtless come . again- Kith, rejoicing, bringing, -his sheaves with him {Vy.il!!} 12b: &).: lNTiiODUcrios: '

T he text, as. given by the- psalmist; m ay be broken into fo u r.parts. ( I ) He that, goeth forth and weepeth.. (2) Bearing precious seed. (3) Shall doubtless come again w ith’ rejoicing. (4) Bringing his sheaves .W ith, him;

The picture is that of a successful soul-winner.I. A S[-ccf:s5f[,'i. Is O.ve W ho

G o e t ii F oktu and W e e pe th

1. This is illustrated in the life and m in­istry of Christ. Isaiah pictured Him as a M an of Sorrows (Isaiah 5 3 :3 -6 ) . He

- T H E PR E A C H E R 'S M A GAZINE ' 361

came to seek and to save that,-w hich was lost. H e was both a Savior and a soul-winner, He went forth .w eeping. A ctually ,1 literally, w eeping.1 Follow Him throughout H is public m inistry.

■See Him look upon the m ultitudes with compassion;- w ith love am i sym pathy. W atch Him as He wept over Jerusalem and as He agonized 'in Gethscmane. His . m inistry was one of. suffering^ l ie went forth' weeping. -

2. This is illustrated' . in 'th e life of every successful soul-winner. '.'■ . ' •“ As.soon as Zion travailed she brjiufjlit fo rth" (Isaiah GG: S). There is a spir- . itual law th a t operates in this field. W hyis it the ■church is barren ; today ? . 'B e - '. . causc m ultitudes arc a t gase-, in' Zion.They are unwilling to suffer and to weep.

H. W hat a. challenge it i s , to the church! When the United States entered the W orld W ar the governm ent com m an- deered everything: it had need; of. I t took over the railroads, power plants, steamships, m .m ufacluring plants, etc. I t ’ went farther and entered our homes and

. took our sons and daughters and or- ilercd them to France. Men were called

■v upon to lay down their lives.The Church of God is engaged in a ' great conflict against Satan and sin. Every

‘child of God is challenged to a life of- sacrifice and devotion. W hat is the

measure of your service?

■II. T h e Srccr.ssir'UL Sihjl- w i.s .ver I s' One WhoWeakeui -Precious Seed .1. The W ord of .God.

Men m ust know God. The W ord of- God brihtis to us a revelation of God.It w arns us o f-sin , the judgm ent and hell. I t poin ts out to us the way of sa l-

,vation , .■>’ " 2, I t is quick, .

I t is active, living, & life-giving W ord.3.' I t is powerful.

. 1 I t is the sword of the Spirit. I t is a ' discerner of the; thoughts and intents of

■ the heart. I t uncovers sin. I t defeats the devil and will carry salvation to e v ­ery honest heart,

I I I . A Successful Soul’-w in n er S iiall R eapw it h Jo y1. Shall reap I' ' v

W onderful promise of God.' “ M y, w ord shall no t re tu rn un to ' me void." “Fol-

- low me and-1 will m ak e 'y o u fishers of m en." . '

'2, Shall reap w ith joy . •

3.

a. T he joy of .harvest. 'b. A harvest of joy.Shall see thc travail of his soul and be satisfied. T h i writer o f Hebrews speak­ing of Jesus, said (Heb, 12: 2).

.W hat is the story of your life?

D e te m b e r 9r—E v en in g S e rm o nT h e m e : A M arvelous Salvation.- .Scripture L esson: Isaiah .15:1-10.,

Introduction: ■It is helpful to read the 34th. and the 55th

chapters pf Isaiah together. The 3-Jth chapter of Isa ia ^ d e a lsW ith the judgments of God. The reference was largely to the kingdom of Israel bu t carried a warning to Judah . Israel had fo r­saken God and God had forsaken Israel.. Judah

-.was'following in the footsteps of Israel and Isaiah^ was doing, his utm ost to tu rn Judah hack to God. . ; ■- Thg 35th chapter deals "w ith the mercies o f God. The prophet -rose to thc ' height' of his prophetical vision and prophesied the return of Ju d ah from her seventy years captiv ity . Then . looking beyond he saw tlie coining of Christ in His first advent and as he looked again he caught a vision of the ushering in of the millennial reign.

W hat a contrast we find in thc two chapters. How true to Christian experience. T hank God

.'/o r a way ou t of the ,1-Jth chapter in to the ,15th; for the highway and the w ay! W hat a m ar-

. velous plan of salvation. ' ■ ' s>-I, T h e .. H io u w a v of R egeneration .

1. Regeneration is a marvelous work of. . ^wce. ’

M en stood in womkff and amazem ent a t the miracles of Jesus. Regeneration is a fur greater miracle, ’ I t is a spiritual

, resurrection.2, I t is w rought instantaneously by faith

in the heart of the penitent sinner.■ One may. be days or w eeks'approaching ■it. Hihlc repentance is no t easy. But when the conditions‘ are m et the work is done in‘ a moment of t im e .-

J . I t provides a marvelous victory;Victory over the -world, the flesh and the devil. M any have lowered the stand­a rd of regeneration. -

.4. R egeneration’ produces ou tw ard holiness. The ou tw ard conduct of a regenerated m an i s . the same as the outw ard con- ■ duct of a sanctified m an. Regeneration takes us out of the sinning business (1 Jo h n 3 : 9 ). ■

II.' T h e Wav- of H o lin ess . ’ * ■1. Sanctification is a m arvelous w ork of . . grace. I t is equally as wonderful as

T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE

regeneration. But it is■ no more so. It . is the second half of G od’s plan of sal­

vation. Regeneration deals w ith our ac- ■ tual sins. Sanctificition deals with the

. sin. principle. '2. I t is wrought instantaneously by faith in ■

th e 'h e a r t of the believer. . •I t is the second crisis in Christian experi­ence.^ The approach may be a s 'g rad u al

. a* is regeneration hut when every' con­dition is met again the work is done in a m oment of time. •

.5; I t produces irnvard holiness.The regenerated m an while enjoying o u t­ward holiness has m any inw ard struggles. Sanctification destroys carnality within the heart.

4. I t . k essential ' t o salvation.“This is the will o f God, your sanc titka: lion.” “Jesus suffered w ithout the gate

. that ho m ight sanctify the people with II .his oivn blood.” .

I I I . W hat a M arvelous"Salvation!1. W hat a wonderful plan!

The p l a n 'o f God. W orked ou t in the mind an d heart of God. " f ig hath chosen us in h im before th e fo u n d a tio n of the w o r ld th a t we should be* holy and W ith o u t b lam e before him in love,’.’

2. W hat a wonderful w ay!Isaiah c a l ls 'i t a highway and a way.T he- way of holiness. A safe way ; a clean w ay ; a happy way. '

3. W hat a wonderful consum mation.I t ends in eternal iife and filory (R om ..6: 22 ;..Isaiah 35: 10).

362

, , ' ' ■ ■=» ' D ecem ber 16— M orning Serm on

T h e m e : Laying a Sure Foundation.T ext: Acts 2: 38.

I n tr o d u ctio n : ;The text b rings before u s 'th a t wonderful scene

enacted on the D ay of Pentecost. The entire city was stirred with . excitement, M ultitudes gathered. Peter seized the oppoT tun ity and

. preached u n to them Christ, whom' th ey had crucified, bu t God had raised- up. Conviction settled down. They were pricked in their hearts and cried, “Men and brethren, w hat shall we d o ?” “Then Peter said unto them , Repent, an d be bap tized1 every one of you- in the name of. Jesus C hrist for the remission of sins, and ye shalf receive the gift of the H oly Ghostl” , About th ree , thousand were added to the church that day. .

I. Conviction Is th e F irst Step T owabd Sal­vation

. ,(1 0 )

!: Conviction is the w ork of the Holy t Ghost. '■

•, - .'P e te r.w as the messenger th a t ,day. In hiJnsetf, being classed as an illiterate fisherman, he could not have swayed the m ultitude. The secret was he preached in the power of' the Holy Ghost.

2. Conviction always works upon the heart. They were “pricked - in their hearts."

.The xvork of the Holy Ghost is never superficial. It is deep, m ighty, pungent.

3. Conviction will open-the way for tru th , i t will make one Jiumblc, leachable and . approachable. Will take all egotism out, and make the sou) hungry for God. .

4 . Conviction will lead to repentance.M any are confused a t this point. .They. Inke conviction for repentance. I t is a' tragedy to stop there. ■ ‘

R epentance Is t h e ' S econd Ste p T oward Salvation ; ■■1. Repentance is the work of man.

T oo much emphasis ■ cannot be placed ' upon .it. John the Baptist came preach­ing repeniance. Jesus never, failed to emphasize the same. Peter, in the text' said "R epent.” God has-com m anded all men everywhere to repent,

2~ Repentance will be accompanied by . a godly sorrow for -.sin. -

- W hen ■ Hickman com m itted his awful crijiie in California ' the world was shocked by the fact there was no sign >' .of.■sorrow, remorse n r feeling . when he

'w a s brought to trial, y ,. How m any there are who have broken

the heart of God b u t have no sorrow. They would like to escape hell and make heaVen theit home but their hearts are no t broken bccause o f their sins.

3. Repentance carries a num ber of unmis­takable evidences;a.. A confession of our sins. ■b. T he forsak ing Of our sins.c. M aking"restitution (M a tt, 3: 8 ).

4. Repentancc will pu t the devil tq flight.

111. R epen ta n c e W ill L av a S ure F o u n d atio n - for Salvation : '

1. It. will pu t you on believing ground.Faith cannot, operate w ithout it.

2. Repentance Is the ■ foundation of re-■ generation. ,\• I t is no trouble then to be Saved.

3. Regeneration is the foundation of sanc­tification, .

4. Are you laying a s u re . foundation ? (M att. 7: 24-27).,

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINEt

363

D ecem ber 16— Evening? Serm on

■ T h e m e ; A -S tartling Discovery.T e x t : F o llo w . peace w ith all turn and holi­

ness w ithout which no man shall see the Lord (Hell. 12: 14).I ntroduction: ■

Wc live in an ace of discovery an (I invention. Doubtless the grr^lest ,af,rt- of its kind in the his­tory of Ihe world. W onderful as the past tw enty-'

• five to fifty years have been, wc art; to ld I j jr next tw enty-five to fifty will lie even more so.

But we would call your attention today to one of the most outstanding discoveries of the spiritual w orld. One that is not new, yet one many are just Finding out. “W ithout holiness no man shall see the L ord !" W hat a startlinn 'ciis- covery to m any.

I. T h er e Are M any M ista k es -Regarding H o lin ess ,1. M any believe the doctrine to be one of

fanaticism.\ . Sometimes there is a reason for this.

W ith all the teaching of years m any■ still believe we teach (1) Absolute per­

fection. (2) Adamic perfection. (.1)■ Angelic perfection. - W hat wc do teach 'is C hristian perfection. We teach heartpurity, perfect love, sanctification. T hatholiness w ith6ut which no man shall sec the Lord. -, •

2. M any believe the doctrine to be one df ■sectarianism.

They , associate it w ith sonii;-particular denom ination or church. ■ They place a narrow and erroneous construction upon it. They nlake ■ it a' doctrine of man ra ther than of God.

'3 . . M any trea t the doctrine as one that is incidental.The-ignorance of m any is astounding.

II. H o lin ess I s a B w le D octrine

1. I t is taugh t in the W ord of God*• N o teaching is set forth with greater

■ . clearness, and em phasis.. >2. It- is provided for us (H eb .. 13; 12;

1 Jo h n 1: 7; 1 Thtss. 5: 23, 24), '3. I t is commanded.

• Je$us said, "Ye arc, my disciples if yc . do whatsoever L comm and y o u " ' (1

; I*et. 1 :1 6 ).III . H o h n e s s Is E ssen tia l to S alvation* *

1. I t is. essential now'.Wc must have it to retain regeneration; to grow in grace, and to plcaso God.

2., I t will be essential hereafter."W ithout holiness no m an shall see

■. G od.” 13. W hat a startling discovery it is to m any.

The wife of a minister of a certain do-■ nom ination took very sick and the doc­

tors said she was dying. She arid her husband believed one could be sanctified

.in the hour of death.. She prayed and God sanctified her. B ut to their su r­prise she rallied and lived) Both she ntid her husband were a t.a loss to know . ■ what to do. As they discussed it, con­viction seined his heart and he cried to C od and God sanctified him:W hat a startling discovery they made!

. 'Yes,-.one irfay be sanctified and live a holy life now—in this w orld! ' Praise

: God 1 ,

• -D ecem ber 23-—M orning Serm on

T h e m e : Emmanuel,ScRrrruKE L rsso s: Luke 2: 1-20: M a tt. .1: 23r -

■ • Is’TRonitrTioN:Wc celebrate today the happiest event of

h istory—the birth , the Incarnation; o f -Jesus . Christ. For 4,000 years men had waited for His

coming. They had waited for the fulfillment of. the promise of Eden, They had. waited for the fulfillment of prophecy repeated again and again. For. centuries men had cried, “ How long, O Lord, how long?” F o r .4,000 years hell had conducted a: carnival of jubilee. Darkness, -pross darkne

\ n i settled down upon Ihc earth . M orally Uie" nations had reached the lowest depths. Spiritu­ally the churcfc, the Jewish church, had forsaken God, The world had passed through the l/eriod uf. Greek supremacy to the period of the K om ah ' rule. W ith a universal, language and Rome the mistress of the nations everything was in readi­ness for till’ “ fulness of tim e.” At' last it cam el W hat an hour. it was I

I. J’jioj'ifKcv E nded and H istory Began1. Augustus Crcsar, the, R om an em peror,

: had issued a decree that all the w orldshould be taxed. According to Jewish

. custom at such a tinte. ih e people, m ust" gather a t their, native city to be regis­tered. Among those, who responded to :

. th e 'ca ll were two humble Galilean peas­ants— M ary and Joseph of N aza re th .,

.W hile they were bu t hum ble peasants yet th e 'b lo o d of kings flowed through their veins.

2. I t was the m onth of December..The weather was doubtless cold and bleak.. A fter a journey of alm ost 100 miles from N azareth to Bethlehem they reached the city. M ary was nearly dead w ith fatigue and Joseph terrified with anxiety. '. .

’ 3, W hat a historic n ight St was!

( I D

364 T H E PR EA C H ER■ " '• i-

Every available lodging had teen taken; N o room was in the inn. Only shelter' J o sep h . could find %vas a stable w ith a vacant manner. -There'' during* the hours o f .'t l ie ni^ht, while men slept, Jesus Christ*, the Son of God, the Savior of

• ' men, was .horn !

I I . it m m Ax I'M. H m> Co m e ! G od. w it h U s !1. H ad com ivto the poor.

Announcement of H is coming-was. made first to a com pany of h um ble shepherds..

. Luke , te lls* 'u s’. "While; shepherds," etc. They made haste and wept into tlie city and - found M ary-arid : the Babe! They . returned glorifying and 'praising Cud. The shepherds Here poor men and often7 despised in their, day. B ut. the 'first, an ­nouncem ent was- -to them . Poverty! should discourage no man. I t is hot our > circumstances nor our surroundings that . count but, the plan of God for our lives/ This is dem onstrated again aii}l again. T ake the case of M oses.. He was born in the slave huts. <sf-Egypt Init lie became one of the greatest men of history. Take

•. th e ’.apostles. ' Take. Christ'-him self.2. He had conic to the rich.

Wise men from afar had seen His star.. For days and . weeks they traveled.

W hen they found Him. they presented unto Him gilts. T rad ition says- they

.were three oriental k in g s/ They were.. men of wealth and culture. .They rep* '

resen ted . the opposite end..of the . .social scale from the shepherds.’ Rut bo th found a place a t the feet of. the Christ child.He ii.id come to ;ili men everywhere. .He- is the desire of all nations—both Jew" and Gentile, rich and poor. M en of

■ , every race and nationality and station , in life h a v e 'th e same problem s of life to meet. T hank God all men every­where may find a place a t His feet.

f i r . KMHA.VLfll,! v i'irn L’s. W .jm t a M is - . sack!

■ 1. One of glad tidings of g reat-joy , :. '.. Novem ber 11, 1918, A rm isticeD ay , is a day one will never forget who Jived to witness it. The world was wild an d in-7 toxicated w ith joy, M en had never

. t-known such a day- before, C hristm as should be such a day. I t should be a day of joy unspeakable,- of glad tidings,-, of great joy, of joy ahiding-and eternal.

. 2., Of great joy because it is a message of.. salvation., “ Unto you is 'b o rn this day a Saviour.”

(12)

j ,The angel o f the L o rd , sa id -to Joseph, “ Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.” He w a s m anifested for this purpose. Hlesscd Incarnation!

J. Of great joy because it is a message o( re incarnation ,.

, He came not only tn lit* Emm anuel, to j live, amfing men,' and to offer Himself the Lam b of God, hilt to find His w ay.

■ into e v e ry hum an , heart.. L iterally ' lie came . to. re incarna te 'J lim ^elf that men. may say,';is. the .Apostle Paul, “It is no longer I b u t 'C h r is t.”

• JL ls.JJe come to live, to reign, "to abide-in your heart? God grant He ; may have such .a place .in every heart today.

’S M A GAZINE

D ecem b er 2 3 —-E ven ing S e r m o n .^ - T hi:m e ; Exchanging Gifts. • •SCbu'TURE ’L essI.in : M att. 2:. 1-12.-

InTKOHUCTIOS:M any wonderful incidents are connected 'with

the birth of Christ. One does not think iof Bethlehem and [!»■ m iiivity alone. We deligh t.to th ink of the Lam b of God' slain from the foun­dation of (he w orld; the promise of E d e n ; 'th e preparation o f the nations: the coming of John

' the 'Baptist ;• the journey to Hethlefiem; the n w - sage o f the. angels; the visit of Ihe Wise M en; ' the fulfillment o f -p ro p h e c y th e fullness of tim e; the annunciation; th e 'B ab e wrapped in swaddling clothes; the p resen ta tion ' in the temple and the

'’adoration of Anna in d Sim eon,. We have before us for our lesson the Visit of ihe .Wise M en .-.it is an incident that climaxes in the exchanging of gifts.- ,. * .

I. Tu t: IVtse .Mm 'C a M to 'Shi: /m i; flti-r o r Goo . . ’U The gift of; Jesus-C hrist (Jo h n J ; 16),

W hat m anner of love is this th a t God should so' love the World! T hat H e

. should ipvc His. only begotten Son for• ... men who had lifted themselves up in re*.

’ hellion against Him. W hen God would t e s t1 Abraham a s 'to his love He called upon him Io offer liis only , son Isaac. But He provided a substitute. But when

. He offered His oivn Son there was no v substitute.

2. The gift of-C hrist was a voluntary act.John 1; l t 2, 3, 14,. .

: He came voluntarily .. His entire life and m inistry was one of self-sacrifice, Pau l tolls-us He loved the Church and g a v e . Himself, etc. W h o can understand (1)

. the Babe of .Bethlehem; (2) the m an of Galilee; (3) the C hrist of Calvary,

T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE 365

3. Thc gift of Christ carried yet another G ift— thc G ift o f-th e . Holy Ghost. , J e ­sus said, ,‘T will pray the Father and he .

. shall give you!" ctc. I t is the G ift of God fo (his d ispensation,1 But liou- few recognize H im ! W liat a tragedy!" The tragedy, in the. days of C hrist was that light shincth in darkness, etc. M en failed

. to recognize. Him. Men .fa ir today to recognize thc Holy Ghost. W hat a won-' derful G ift-is tin- Gift of God!

II . T h e W ise M en Came to Pkesk .st unto Him G if ts .1. Came to worship Him. ,

■ . The visit was no t one of curiosity, TJ»ey had seen His star; For days and weeks Ihev followed. When they found Him, they fell (town and worshiped Ifinj. ,

’ They d id 'n o t worship M ary. Their en­tire a ttention was given to Him . Too m any are looking upon men.

' 2. Presented unto Him gifts. . ' .■ Presented gold, frankincense nnd m yrrh.

.T h ey w ere.costly gifts. They emptied ' ., their treasures unto Him. I t was not a .

■ hardship, but a n .a c t of w orship. Trite . worship is alw ays giving '-and not- re­

ceiving.3, W hat is the measure o! y o u r gifts?

The- fflwt has said, “ Were the whole ' realm of nature mine th a t .were a pres­

ent far. too small. Love so am azing,-so divine demands' mv . souV, my life, my * all."Huw m any tail a t this po in t! M any

. unite w ith the church, a ttend services, support the w ork, h u t it i$ mechanical, em pty, and ptcaninglcss. ‘

III . T h e Wise. M es K ktu iw ed A n o t h e r W a y■ . I. Were warned of God in a dream.

I t is an interesting story (rela te).2. Men who come to C hrist alw ays re tu rn .

another.; way.Thu man of .Gadara came cutting him - self, etc., bu t he retu rned in his right mind. Saul of Tarsus came breathing out . thrcatenings, etc., b u t he returned prais­ing God, .

3. Will you come to H im ton igh t? .I read some time ago o f a lad selling neswpapcrs in one of q u r large Eastern

■ cities, l ie sta rted to cross thc street and was run over. He was fatally in r ' jured. As they picked up -h is m angled body he held out a few pennies and

• said, “Give them to M other. They are L her C h ris tm a s 'g if t. I d id the best I

' could.’’ -<13)

W hat is your gift to God tohiglit? Will you give Him your best ? - Yourself ?

D e ce m b er 30— M o rn in g S e rm o nT h e m e : Three Things Concerning Christ.

,T ex t : I am the w a y ,'a n d ' the tru th , and the lift? (Jo h n ' 14: 6 ), '"Ix tn D p u cT ig s:.. C hristianity is built about a : Personality. T h at Personality is Jesus Christ. W ithout Christ Christianity falls to the ground. Thc W ord of God is built about H im . H e "was the subject of ■ prophets, priests, and kings, T h e 'N ew Testam ent was built' entirely about Him. He is the one out- siamJing TVreohnlity from Genesis to Revelation.

•He is the greatest .Personality th a t ever lived. Even unbelievers recognize H im . as such. Men say He was . the w orld’s greatest ethical Teacher nnd thc M aster p ro d u c t. o f ' evolution, bu t we know Him to be. the Christ, the' Son of thc living God!- Speaking of Himself in the words o f our text, He s a id ,,“ I am the way, and the ^ru th , and the life.” , '

I . I A m t h e W av v ’1. Jesus employs here a very beautiful

m etaphor. It, was readily understood by H is hearers. The m inistry of Jesus, was during the period of the R om an rule. Rome ■ had conquered the world and

■ built great highways; ctc. H oads were spojtcn of as ways. A ll'th e ways led to

, Rome. • Jesus said, “I arp the w ay.”2, I t was a w onderful'claim and statem ent

th a t Jesus made.M any today say He is the W ay-shower. Hut Jesus said, “ I am the w ay,” He is the only m ediator between God and maii. He is thc only W ay from earth to thc.skies;- N o m an can come unto God

'* ■ bu t by H im ., . ■ ;- J .. The statem ent is a declaration of Ilis

deity... We love to 'th in k of Him in His "hu­

m anity. Brine of our, bone, etc. A m an! As you and. I, Cut also G od! E m ­m anuel! God with us! U niting Deity and hum anity. M aking a Wi}y back to

. God for every W ayw orn traveler.4. He is the W ay to God, ,

A bandon yourself to Him and you will find your way back to God. Love Him and tru st H im and obey H im . L et us

\ walk w ith Him and ta lk with Him . .I I . I A m t h e T R t r n t

.1. He promised to guide, us into all tru th .- He was a wonderful teacher. Nlcodeim/s

said, “Wc know ihou art a teacher comc■ from God." He was m ore than a teach-

.166 T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE'

er of tru th . He is the T ru th of God. All tru tli is to be found in Him . He if , the fountain {if wisdom, knowledge.' and •. tru th . ..

2. M any arc satisfied to know about the tru th .

. Tliey are interested in C hrist as a his­torical chfl racier. ; As M oham medans th ink of M oham m edf etc.

.. .1. Jesus wants to reveal Himself to 'us, i He w ants to lead us down into the deep

things of G od; to open.up to us heights nnd depths and, lengths -and breadths of tru th such as wc have never known.

.-(. W hat a disappointm ent ’m any ' are to ' • H im ! ... ' - . •

Wc are so superficial, so shallow. We . have no real; abiding interest in .spiritual

things. Let Him guide you into- all tru th . '

I I I , I Am th e L ive ■ ‘ v *■ 1. C hristianity is a religion of life.- Life is

Christ. . ■ •Church membership will n o t do, M orr.

•; ality will not do. You m ust have C hrist".—the W ay and the T ru th and the Life!

2. Does He live in your heart?■ Have you left the world and its ways?,

Have you found C hrist? He th a t hath the Son hath life. Have you life? Spir-

* itual life?1' Arc .you bearing fru it?.V, “I am come th a t ye-m ight have life,” ,

Men are dead in trespasses and .sins. W ithout life even the church is a valley of dry bones. ■

4. W hat is your experience this m orning? Can you say with Paul, "I live, yet notI, bu t C hrist” ?

D e c e m b e r 3 0 — E v e n in g S e r m o n •

T h e m e : Christ Our E x am p le!,;Sc r iptu r e L esso n : John 13:,1-20.T e st :-V e rse .IS .- .

I n t r o d u c t io n :■ W h at a traffic hour is presented in the 'lesson in the life and m inistry :of Christ. Jesus and .the ■twelve had gathered in an upper room in J e ­rusalem to eat the Passover. I t was the night ,of His betrayal. I t was the night b e fo re 'I l ls tr ia l and crucifixion. ■ I t was the night on wluch He . institu ted the Lord 's Supper. The disciples had been quarreling and contending' am ong - them- selves for the place of honor; Jesus seized upon an opportunity to teach them a great lesson. It was custom ary in the East when one who had been traveling entered the house to have a serv­an t wash the /c c t 'o f the traveler. The courtcsy for some reason1 was om itted th a t night when

■; ' ( w

Jesus and H is'd iscip les came in from Hethanyv After supper Jesus laid-aside His garm ents and bc^an to wash the feet of His disciples. “ I. have given you an example that yc should (Ip as I have done to. you." W hat a wonderful example

-wiT have in Christ! tin d er the Old Dispensation men looked to a code of law s-fo r.th e ir standard of life, tin d e r -the New Dispensation men look to a Personality-—Jesus Christ— for their exam ­ple. We shall speak this evening on' three A','ays in w h id i H e.is our example. ■"

I . Ck’ii E xam ple in [1 '.'M i in y . ' T h e O u.t - sTANnjiccs L esson o r Own T ext1. Entire life ,an example of true hum ility.

• His incarnation wajj an example. His hom e life was. an example. His public-

' ''m in istry was an example. - His passion ' , and death were, examples.

■2. Hum ility is a vdry wonderful gracc;It is tfie si^n of nobility, of greatness.. W hen God w ants a great man He "looks for a hu m b le . man. M oses., Jo h n the Baptist. Apostle Paul.

■S. Christ lias set for us an example' of hu- : m ility. .

Do We possess this wonderful grace.?- A re 'our lives patterned afte r H is? W hat is your lift? •

II. O ur KiAMi't.E in .L ove1. W hat a wonderful example lie has set.

D em onstrated in His coming to earth. M a n 'h a d sinned. He had lifted himself

, in rebellion against God. The -carnal m ind is enm ity against God. Jesus, saw us in ,ou r.d is tress doomed, dam ned, lost, w ithout God .and w ithout hope. He laid aside H is royal robes and came to our rescue. Praise H is 'n a m e!His example was dem onstrated in m ak­ing atonem ent for s in .-H e becamc our substitute and carried our sins to the cross. He suffered, bled, and ' died. W hy? W hy did H e come? W h y .d id

. He die? flecause He loved us-so.2. Love must always find expression.

U is never dorm ant. Always- active. T hat is true of hum an love'as well as of divine love.

3. Our love 16 C hrist must be active, ,. More than a com placent love. M ore

. ■ than the love of adm iration. I t must be. a benevolent love. Active. Paul said, “The . love of C hrist constraincth ■ lis,” T h a t : is, it‘ urges, drives, forccs, com ­pels one to act. I t reaches, "fires, stirs the' soul to action.

I I I . O ur E x a m ple I N 'H eroism .1. He came to lay down H is life.

T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE*J • - 367

He fam e as the Lamb of Cod to suffer, T e»U t h a t In d ica te .R eality‘ bleed, and die— to face the ignominy - (Jo h n 8)an d shame of the cross for you and me. in this chapter thc Lord sets forth a num ber

1 2, He' came to set us an example. of tests which indicate and determ ine reality.’The early disables caught it. The m ar- Ifyart a ttitu d e toward, the Lord is the. most- im-

. tyrs of a!) aces caught if. M illions arc p o r ta n t 'th in g of all. These tests tear awayM hestanding true today. In this day of falsie, the superficial, thc sham and thc unreal,modernism they arc willing arid ready to and ,1 hey. shed their light on th a t which alone

• A suffer reproach. determines reality..1. H ave ytui the hero ism of C h ris t? 1. T h e T est ok D jsc ifj.e s h jp ( v. 31)

Would you suffer for H im ? Will you 1 . 'A disciple is m are than a believer in' . yield your life in a life' of separation? ' Christ, he is a follower as well. .

In a life of. regeneration ?• • In a life o f . 2. .It is perm anent continuance in thc W ordholiness? ; . o f tha Lord th a t is. evidence of real

— ;— :------ -f-------------- ^ . diseipleship (1 John 2:19; 2 Peter 2:20-PR A Y E R M E ET IN G SU G G ESTIO N S F O R 22),

DECEM BER 4 ' H . T t s r ov R o l Fb£Koom '{v, 36)L e w is ' T.

• B e n titu d c i !□ th e(Tin: four divisions » t r e . | | ^ j U i ^ H M m

jivople, who used the points suggested■ th e ir 'o w n , comments. The meeting was very helpful.) . . •

T . , Blessed are the readers, hearers and keepers (R ev. 1:3; 22:7). ' ' , '

Happiness comes to the ones who listen, o))Cy and do the comm ands of God;

2. Blessed a r c thc dead (Rev. 14:13),“W ho die in th e L o rd ,"They rest from their labors.Their works continue after they are pone from

this world.3. Blessed are those who go to the M arriage

_ Supper (R ev. 19:9).A' wonderful wedding,

■ A. glorious company of guests,AH have the’ same kind of garments.

' 4 .' . Blessed arc thc ones who have pa rt in the first resurrection (R ev. 20:6).

Upon such the sccond death has no power. They have tiVc privilege of reigning with

Christ. ■ ‘ ■ 'Have the assurance th a t their names arc in• I he Book of Life. ■

T h re e Q ualitie* of C h r i i t ia n * .■ T rue .Christians, it seems to me, arc of three qualities, uh ich arc revealed by the different ways iri which tribulations are bornp^ ;

The first seem made of lead; they muj’m ur and ‘repine, and find fault w ith God in trial, even if they do n o t lose their tru st in Him altogether.

The second arc as silver: in tr ib u la tio n 'th ey show patience and resignation, giving no u tte r­ance to im patient or rebellious thoughts, though often sorely tried and tem pted to do so,

Thc th ird come Torlli a s 'g o ld : they rejoicc so truly and unaffcctcdly ih their tr ib u la tio n . th a t friends w ho come to pity stay to [earn their secret.—Selected.

y - . l . Freedom ,^from the condem nation and [lower o f .sin can be obtained only in

th to w li Christ.M | f F r e e d o m S 'm ain ta in ed by. His indwelling .

in flic person of "the H oly Spirit (Rom .1 Cor, 1:30; R o m ."8:32-34; Gal.

, 2:20). ■ 'I I I . T h K .T e st o f SoN Sm r (vs. .42, 74) »

. 1. Sons of God are born o f God and thus' possess H is nature (Jo h n 1:12, 13; 2, I’cter 1:4 ) . ' '

' . 2. Sons of God love C hrist and hear God's Word.' T he hearkening ear and the obedi­ent heart arc evidences of spiritual regen­eration (John 10:27). .

IV. Tr.sTS o f Co.vf-mtEB A ss ijm n lt, (v . SI)1, To "keep” C hrist’s saying as to really be- .

lieve it, to bow to it and to tru st iU .2. To hear the w ord of C hrist; th a t is, to

believe it and to tru st i t brings the con­firmed assurance of never dying (Jo h n S:2 4 ; 6 :4 0 , 47, S I) .— Selected.

C om ing Joy*' For thc joy that was set before him (H eb re w s 12:2). ■ ' -' ■ ■.

There was a joy set before Christ as H e carried out H is ‘purpose in the plan of salvation ai)d there are m any joys which are set before th e children of G o d . ■ ,1.. The Joy of Sight. “ We shall see, him os he is"

(1 Jo h n 3: 2 ). N ot as He was* bu t as He i s . .2. Thc Jo y of 'Meeting, Believers will be caught

Up to “ m eet" the L ord (1 Thcjs. 4 : l7 ) i3. T he Jo y of Reception. H is promise is, “ I will

. . . receive you unto m yself" (John 14:3). .4. Thc Joy of Correspondence. "W e shall be

like h im " (1 -Jo b n 3 :2 ),5. The Jo y of Presence. Wc shall be “with h im "

(1 Tlicss. 4: i 7).6. The Jo y of Rew ard. N ot only rewarded by

by Him , bu t we shall en ter into the joy of the Lord (M att. 2S:23). ,

( is ) 1

368 • T H E PR E A C H E R ’:

7. The Jo y of Glory. Christ has willed th a t w e-■ shall behold and be w ith Him in tlie. glory . {John 17:24).—Selected.

T he T rue W ay to P rom otion1. David inquired o f the Lord (I S'am, 23,:2-4),2. David encouraged himself in the Lord (1

Samuel 30:6-8).3. David enthroned by the Lord (2 Kings 8 :1 4 ,-

'< . IS);—Selected.

h c q u itite i of Prayer(Jam es 4:3). '

1. .A ttention and fervency.2.' Perseverance.3. H u m ility and submission. ■4. T rust and confidence. ' ■ \5. Integrity of heart. .

H indrances to P rayer(Jam es 4:3)

1. W hen our aims and goals arc not right. . Absorbed in things instead of persons.

2. W hen wc pray for thrftgs to use selfishly,3. W hen we are fretful and complaining.4. W h e n we are too indefinite.5. W hen we are insincere,.6. W hen wc arc-indifferent to the needs of hu ­

m anity. . ■ v.7.' W h e n w e ' arc heartless and cold tow ard our ■

fellowman.

R evival P reparation ,(John 1) .

I . E v er y th in g i n F avoh o f teie .C h ristia n1. The L ord is on our side—̂ aH to gain,

, nothing to lose. . .2. We ah: on the L ord’s side.

II , A PERSONAL PREPARATION1. Success dependent upon individual spir­

itual victory.2. Dependent upon individual praying. .

I I I . T h e D iv in e P r o m ises Sh o u ld B e K ept in

.- M ind1. Never forget th a t th is is God’s battle,' Christians sim ply His soldiers, ’

2, H e 'tu rriish es th e equipm ent, the power and the victory.

IV i B e I nterested in t h e O th er I ndividual1. ‘T he interest of th e C hristians in the lost

regulates the m easure of success to the revival.

2. M any are waiting for someone to awaken them w ith a personal touch.

T he G race of God ; .: (T itus 2:11) .

I . C ontrast I t w it h t h e L a w o f M oses (Jo h n■ 1:17). ■ V .' -I I . S ource o f G race. “ G race o f G od"- ;

1. The divine favor o f God to m an. .2. T he presence of the L ord , w ith m an;

3 M AGAZINE. . . ' *

I I I . T h e A c t iv i ty o f : G ra c e ' :1. M anifested in bringing salvation. '

■ 2. I ts scope i3 to all men. 'IV. T h e -T ea c h in g ok G race ' ■

' 1. Negatively—“ Denying.'*2. Positively—“ Live soberly, righteously and

• godly in -this present- w orld.’*V. T h e H ock ( if G race— “l.ouKt.'Jt;"

A t. J c iu t’ Feet1.. Place of Pardon (L u k e -7:38).2. Place of Healing (M ark 7:24-30).3. Tlie Place of Instruction .(Luke 10:38-42).4. The Place of W orship (M att. 28:4).5. The Place of Thanksgiving (Luke 17:15-19),.0. The Place of Com fort (John 11:32).

,7 . The Place of Anticipation (John 12:3).t —Selrclcd.

T he B elicvcrY Life. (Pliilippians 3)

1. Position—Found in C hrist (v . 9).;2. Privilege— Fellowship w ith Christ (v ,: 10),3. Purpose—Following afte r C hrist (v. 12).4. -Prospect^-Fashioni'd like C hrist (v, 21). .

' —Selected.----------f------------ --

SPECIAL SERMONS FOR SPECIAL O CCASIO NS B ash . M illeh

Bible Sunday! T h e G lo ry o r G oo's W ord

. T e x t: ' 7'hrse words which I cannnaiul Ihce this day . ... (D eut. 5:22; 6:G.-I3)Vi,

Intm ouuction '—-God is. giving com m andm ents to Israel concerning entering' C anaan—a land of blessedness, which is typical of the 'rest of the soul. We arc on ou r journey to th a t eternal haven, and the com m andm ents of God which He gave con­cerning His words are our guide also. T he Bible is His taw—and to enter this heavenly Canaan we m ust use God’s W ord. t .' I . B ind t h e W ord O n t h e H e a r t (See Jer.

31:33)— God promises to p u t His law in the inner m an, and to write it on the heart. Wc arc to ( I ) know the 'W ord ; ■ (2) treasure it in the soul; (3) m editate upon i t ; -(4) and live by it.-

II . T each I t T o t h e C h ild r en—In the pas­sage used as the text we are comm anded to Icach the words of the Almighty to the children.. (1 ). Im portance of childhood,. (2) Necessary to store the m ind a t this plastic age w ith th e best, and especially the Bible. (3 ) W hat we pu t in to child- hqod remains throughout the entire life as guid­ing principles. (4) The W ord m ust be taugh t a t home, in- the church, and in ou r spare tim e through reading it to the children, .

I I I . T a l k of t h e W o rd— In verse 7 we are commanded to ta lk of these w ords of God to Is ra e l, , The theme of the Christian should find

\

T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE 369

its source in tlie Bible, as God's W ord, W hen lie arc in church ni^ke it the main topic of study and discussion. At home it should rule the conver­sation, W hen in conversation w ith others may

■ ou r ta lk bristle w ith quotations from the W ord.' In our testimonies nothin!* so reaches others, asquotations from, the Bible. ‘ '

IV; T iie - M o tto es ;' fob . t h e - L and And th e H o u se o r God—In. verses R and 9 the m ottoes o f the land and the home arc to be these words which God nave to Israel. Nothing better reaches*. the needs of the nation and the Church than the W ord of God as the m otto, .the code (if ethics, the standard of morals. In the founding of America the Bilile was dom inant— the Pilgrim fathers fought for i t ; the talks of the early lead­ers were based upon the Word» (lie orations o f • W ebstcry Clay, etc., abounded in references to the Bible. M ay w e'again make it the “m otto" lo r the nation, and for the C hurch of God;

Conclusion—G reat promises are given to those■ who- will follow the W ord of God thus (see verses

10-I.t). These arc: ( i ) We will be guided hofne;. (2): cities will be given to us;. (3) .homes which we hav e .n o t builded shall be burs; (4) satisfac­tion unsought will flow to us; and (S) the land

, shall sw ear by the name, of the L ord.

" T h e N ature of ih e BibleT exh : Sctirclt the scriptures . . , (Jo h n 5:39).I ntroduction— T hrough the centuries the pow ­

er of the Bible has been outstanding. In search-, ing th e .Scriptures man bus discovered his strength. The Bible is:

I. A M jhror^ - to R eveal— “H e is like u n to .a , man beholding his natural face in a glass ; . .. whoso looketb in to the perfcct law of liberty . , . :

. this man;' shall -be blessed in his "deed” ’ (Jam es 1 :2.i-25)j; T he Bible is a book to reveal the n a ­ture of m an’s' needs, and the source of his sup-

; p ly ; it reveals th e 'face of God aa friend in tim e . of, distress, a judge for the sinner, and a com ­panion for the n tedy. I t reveals m an's origin, his Savior, and his eternal home. I t reveals m an's inner nature, his soul sickness, and the divine remedy for his sins. I t reveals the blazing path of glory th .it leads to an eternal home. I t shows a hell to be escaped and a heaven to enter,

I I , A L a m p— to Il l u m in a t e— “T hy w ord is a lam p unto my feet (Psa. 119:105). The Bible illum inates m an’s patl)w ay— it, is the guidepost to the eternal heaven. I t shows m an’s d u ty to ­w ard his neighbor—to love him —and to w ard bis God— to worship Him, I t illum inates the prob­lems of m an's origin and destiny— throw s light upon the scheme of providence and makes glori­ous the tender care of God for H is children:

JH , ■ Honey.—To D elight the Soul—T he B i­ble is "sweeter than honey" (Psa. 19:10). The soul o f m an finds m ore delight in the com pan-’

• , " (17)

tibnship of. the saints, prophets, kings, and the Redeemer through the Bible than anywhere else. Look into the Bible to .find jo y ; search it to discover peace; marvel in its 'd e lig h ts to satisfy the soul; luxuriate in its promises to be blessed; live it to be’ h ap p y ; m aster it to w ard off tem p­ta tio n ; and cast your alf^upcin it to 'g a in an en­trance into heaven.,

' ChrUtma* Serm on* ■T h e Staiu.it P ath w a y

■ T e x t: • H '/in t they saw'- the star, they rejoiced (M att. 2 :10); . . .

■ Introduction— The radiance of the heavenly star-,.the first diam ond-stud of light th a t made glorious the pathw ay to the. Babe, led wise men to the M aster. There, a re -to d ay stars th a t rad i­ate a g low ‘which- brings one to. the Sayibr. W hen we walk iliis starlit p a thw ay :

I, Wr,. B ow and WoKSUU’ (M a tt. 2 :10)— When this glory of the sta rlit pathw ay, brings us to the cradle of the- Savior, wc as wise men and ^shepherds bow in- w orsh ip and adoration. No one can long remain in contact with Jesus and not worship H im , ■ ■ -v ;• *

. n . We R eceive a ' 'M essage of G la d '.T id in g s (.Luke 2 :10)—The glory of th a l pointing Star brings tidings of joy and gladness. A t this C hrist­m as season wc should rejoice hccausc of the star, its light, and ihc . a ttendan t messages of glory which the angel hosts brought. These arc for nil people; let us sing it loud and sound it a fa r—tlie Savior is born .and whosoever will may come to Him. H appier tidings.w ere never carricd .by any messenger than those which Totle down starbeam s th a t night when the angels sang the glory anthem , “ C hrist is born ." ‘ ’ .

I I I . W e A re Sen t . Aw ay R e jo ic in g —The shepherds were sent aw ay glorifying and praising God (Luke 2 :2 0 ); and so will be the re turn from the end of th a t starlit pathw ay, th a t leads to t h e . cradle of the Savior. Christm as brings a song of glory—rit raises an anthem of praise in the heart — for the Savior is born.. . ■

C o n clu sio n— N ear you, my friend, is a p a th ­way made rad ian t with the glorious light from the; Christ th a t, will bring you to the source of nil life and glory. Find i t—w,ilk' wit): Hie shep­herds to the cradle o f-th e Savior, and w ith the Wise M en open the treasures of y o u r h eart unto H im .- ".

T uning the Soul to the H eavenly ChoirT ex t: T h e n was w ith the ousel a multitude, of

the heavenly host praising C od . . . (L u k c 2 :1 3 ) .I nthoduction— The first C hristm as anthem

came upon the m idnight air, clear, jo y o u s 'a n d vibrant. Shepherds caught the strains, a ttuned themselves to receive the gracious message, arid hastened to the cradle of the newborn King. As

370 T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE

musicians wc m ust func pu r spirits to the an ­them s of the ^C hristm as message, receive tlio

, m elody of the nciv born Redeemer and join in* w ith the great chbir'( praising God and singing.

I. Tt/NE Sou/. TO TilE M uilC OF THES k ie s—The very stars arc etinntitip an. anthem ; the heavenly, hosts a re rejoicing! all nature is- a voice w ith (iie g lo ry 'o f God. The B ih h is the greatest .spiritual oratorio -ever w ritten. Let us tunc o u rsp ir i ts to Catch its heavenly music. Wc tune ourselves through prayer to catch its ' strains. Through m editation and a constant l i w . ini; With the W ord we bring, ourse lves 'in to , ah adjustm ent- w ith things spiritual until heavenly messages of glory and praise' will ln^ bcrn withifi

r our souls. 'I I . T u n e O u t t h e L ow —Some said it .thun­

dered when tiie. angel voice from heaven spoke a t the baptism of Jesus. T hey were tuned too low—tuned to receive only the earthly messages

. and notes. As far a? we can discover only the shepherds were tuned tliat first C hristm as night to receive the heavenly message—all others missed its melody, and failed to catch its glory. So our souls arc ou t o f luric with heaven, and God, and the Christchild—because they arc tuned to receive the w orld ; its music becomes our melody, its tid ­ings become our praise. This m ust be tuned out before the glory, of the heavenly choir can. b rin g : •in the praise of God.

H I. J oin W ith th e H eavenly C nnm —Let y o u r v o te s , then unite w ith th a t heavenly choir which sang on-the first C hristm as night. T hruugh-

• ou t tw o thousand years men have lifted their praise to the Almighty— for Christ the Savior is born. As children the world Jisps this message— a n d th e (Win;; note from the lips of the saint re­echoes the melody of childhood—the Savior is born. No m an lives Well un til-lie tunes his soul to sing— from deep experience, from, the wells of his sp iritual nature— in- this heavenly anthem , praising God. and saying, "C hrist the Savior is

. born .”■ Conclusion—L isten—can your soul catch the m elody of th a t heavenly, choir singing? If no t let the Almighty comc in, and tune your spirit to things 'sp iritual, and th en ' you will enjoy the C hristm as anthem .

T h e T h re e W i»o M en, T e x t: T itty opened their treasures (M att. 2 :11). ■ . ■ ••

Introduction ~ The three W ise M en' were am ong the first to come to the m anger-cradle. T hey rccognized first the glory of the newborn King, A t Christm as time there is no m ore touch­ing story than theirs. In its retelling it becomes - dearer lo IhC ihum an heart. M ay we then walk w ith them .

I . T h e y W er e S tar F ollow ers— T hey saw

the sta r and followed it—and lo, it brought them to jesus. There arc today stars th a t will, bring

. one to the M aster. The Bible is a s ta r—conse­crated livps a re .s ta rs— the glorious gospel hym ns are stars—the call of the gospel are Stars—all

’ pointing lo the Christ, the Redeemer born in the little tow n of Bethlehem. M ay we then follow

; I best* a s Ikty! po in t lo C h r is t . '* II: T h ey W ere T reasure-' Offnv.ks— W hen

they came to the cradle-marigcr they opened th e ir , treasures to the Babe. So must we open the trea su re s .o f our lives, our talents, abilities, and dedicate them , open them to the use and scrvicc of the Lord of lords; Only opened treasures— cnnsecrated lives—can be used by the M aster. ■’

I I I . T h ey W j ■.he S e n t B ack An other1 W ay-^- Walking under the glowing rays of the starlight they came to Bethlehem, over the desert route,' by th e way of Herod—b u t when they found the Christchild, they had their outlook altered, and they returned- by another way. Everyone who has been w ith the Babe of Bethlehem returns

■changed, altered in prospect, transform ed in spirit, and returns to life by an entirely different ro u te ... H e comes groveling in sin; he returns

; walking in the light w ith a glory in his soul. He comes darkened by sin, lie re tu rns illum inat­ed by the light o f fieaven. He comes lost, and . returns as ii reclaimed, a found prodigal. In rags com ing^going he is clad in the robe of righteous- . ness. ■'. ■ . ..•

Co n clu sio n— W alk the 'd e se r t path- with ' t h e . wise m en ,-friend ; go to Bethlehem with them ; corisccratc your life with them at the cradle- rnangcr; re tu rn lo the broad field of the world chqngcd, altered in outlook and in soul.

L a it Sunday o f th e Y ear“ G od H as Br o u g h t Us O h O ur W av”

T e x t : A nd the- Lard went before them (E x ; ■ ' 13:21, 2?). « •. V

I ntro d u ctio n—A t this the last Sunday al the old year, wc are m ore w ont to Kc th lnk-

_ in}; of the New Y ear, than of the past one. B ut we can well afford to sing John Newton's song thus:

“Safely through another year,God has brought.us on our w a y "

For .it is His gentle hand th a t has led us. We recognize His leadership and give thanks for His providence.

I . I l l s P r o m ise D i Ij N ot F ail— He promised■ to he w ith us "alw ays even un to the end of tftc

w orld .” He w ent w ith David Livingstone, as the missionary tells us . in his biography , when things -

. seemed impossible, and death was im m inent. He stayed by the side of. Pa ton when cannibals aiir* rounded. In the m idst of the try ing circumstances pf the past-year this promise o f the gentle pres­ence of C hrist has held true. He. did no t forsake

. ' . I

T H E PR E A C H E R 'S M A GAZINE 371

i us when sickness drew near; anti even, for those

I who stood by the side ol the open grave, he was there also, • , ■.

II. D ivine Strength for th e D ay W as N ot LACKiNR-r-God promised ,tis th a t as our days so should our strength be. He m atched every bur-

.den with gilded strength. ''Every higher hill wc were forced to climb, lie-save us a little more o f the buoyancy of the spirit. For every tria l, he saw to it th a t the sp irit was undergirded with sufficient ..power, to stand. 'W h en wc became fain t the strength of' thc Almighty became o l ir ' re­pose.

I I I .; Sapely H e Has Ufiour.HT Us—Tim e has slipped hy an o th er.y ear; .the’New Year, ju st tu 'o days aw ay, stands calling for our attention . The God of our yesterdays) our yesteryears, will stand a s o u r Guide for (lie unknow n 'fu tu re . Thc p ro v i­dence of this year, safely guiding us on .o u r way, will- be. Our, resting place f b r jh e coming one.

C o n c lu s io n — O nly to G od .can ofic^safcly rest th c b a rq u e of h is life— in tim e, in e te rn ity , i n ,

c ' . life an d d e a th , He w ill go before ' us. •

-— — -------- ;SOM E SUBJECTS AND T E X T S

Lo.v ft, W oqurum i1. T in: (Mi'AftriAr. <?(>;> 1 .T ex t: VIIc m aketh his sun to rise on the evil

and on the. good, and sendeth 'rain on the just ant! on the u n just" (M att. 5 :45).

2, H earsay R eljoio.vT ext: ' “ Y e"have heard th a t it hath heen said

(M att. 5 :33).' ■ i .- T hk M an in B etw een

T es t: ' “ God rcincmbe.rcd Abraham , and sent Lot ou t" (Gen, 19:29). ' t ?

■>.. .. 4 . M ock U e i m h o n * , .T est:. “ They bowed the. knee before him , and

mocked him " (M a tt. 27:20). *5. D rying I!rooks' . .T ext: “The brook dried lip" (J Kings 17:7).

’ 6. G if t s ' for G oi>‘ Text; "T hey presented unto him gifts1' (M att, 2:11). , . ' • > ■ . ...

7. T h e H um an in SaintsT ext: “ Elijah was a m an" (Jam es 5:17).

8, I n th e H ands of thk R eceiver. Text: "T his m an received) sinners" . (Luke 15:2).

; 9. H ome MISSIONS.T e x t: “Let us go into the next tow ns" (M ark

■ 1:33),.10. A Goon T urn-

T ext: “ T urn .ye , . and I wilt tu rn ” (Zech.■ 1:3). .. • '

11. T h e R e v o lu tio n o f - t iu : Foot 'T ext: “He stretcheth ou t his hand against

God I” (Jo b 15:25).■ 12. T h e I ncom parable P eo ple

‘ ■ : ■ (10)

T ext: “ W/to is like unto thee, O people saved . by the L o rd ?” (D cut. 33: 29),

. 13. Af/ss/.vc th e K ikcpo m ' ,Text: “ Be ye sure of this, th a t the kingdom

of God is come nigh un to you" (Luke 10:11). r •14. R ei.hiion I ndifferent : ,

■ Text! “ He passed by" (Luke 1,0:31).15, T in : 1’ovekty of Sin

Text: “ Y our sin s 'have w ithholdcn good things from you” (Jei;c 5:25).16. D e .s t h i.'i t jv e 'Uci.in.iON

'. T ext: “ They -were thc ruin of him , and of all Israel" (2 Chron. 28v2J). . . ■ v

' 17. R l ca i' tltke

T ext: “Again entangled .■ . a n d ; overcome" . (2 Peter 2:20). . ■ . . 'IS. A Cai.l to Arms •

i Text: “ Let us pu t on the a rm our of light" (R om . 13:12). ■

' 19. E xtras

T ext; “ 1. have also given thee that which thou -hast not asked" (1 Kings 3 :13), . •'2 0 .- E m Vt y .H o u s e s

T ext: "H e findeth it sw ept and garnished" (Luke 11:25). • • ...2 1 . ’ T i n : C o l l e g e o f T i m e 1

T ext: “ D ays-should speak, and the m ultitude of years should te.tch wisdom " (Jo b 32:7),22. S atan, t h e T rapper

. Text:- "T he.snare of thc devil" (2 Tim'. 2 :2 6 ) /.23. I n a P o sit io k to L ive , *

T ex t; “At his feet" (L uke 7:38),24.- M oral Illiteracy . ' '

Text: “ They, arc wise to do evil, bu t to do good they have no knowledge” (Je r , 4 :22).

« ------ ------- +----- ----- —PRAYER

' M rs . H , H . B o le n d e s ., ■

Scripture Lesson: 1 Kings 18:41:46.Text: Jam es 5:17, 18,' ,•Definition of prayer: P rayer is tlie h eart’s sin­

cere desire, u ttered or unexpressed.T t ^ object of . prayer is the filory of God,

\ ■' W h y W e S h ould P ray-

1, God commands it- a. W atch and prayh. Pray w ithout ceasing

2, Promises arc to those, w ho praya., Ask and ye shall receiveb. P ray in secret, Father will reward openly

3, Jesus set (he example . ■. ■a. M orning devotions (M ark !:J5 )b . Evening prayer (M ark 6:46, 47)c. Solitary communion (Luke 5:15, 16)'d. All night prayer (Luke 6:12)e. . W ith thc disciples’ (Luke 9: IS)f. In the garden (Luke 22:41; 42)

372 T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE

PSYCHO LO GY FO R W ORKERS W ITH ADO LESCENTS

Jl.isir. M n.i.o i ■’

Num ber. V . Individual D ifference* in A d o lc ic c n ti

'T X 7 T T //.1 7’ is thr physical irmininfi o] in- V Y / dividual differences?. After thirty .years

' o f experimenting with mental. rcacTl tions, psychology awoke to the fact th a t 'in d i­viduals differed ' radically in mental capacities,'in power of sustained attention , em otional responses and in all o ther activities of the m ind.' From this discovery came the science or study of individual differences. Form erly we tried to fit a unified system, of law s.and principles to .a ll,persons. But when scicnce .-learned • Ihrbtigh the use of intelli­gence tests th a t some , students had a m ental ability m easuring as low as 70 (technically known as tile inirlligcttce quotient, or I . ().)’, which in ­d icated definite feeblc-mmdcdncss, and others as high as IfiO and 170,. indicating getm isncss,then educators became, alert to the necessity of a

■ varied program to -su it the-m en ta l capacities of all m diyiditsls. 11 was then discovered th a t some students -reacted" to m otor stim ulations,-others to visual), -and some others to -tac tile , and a result w as 'n n altered program of training to fit these different capacities. From this,C atnc our trade schools. , .

Some pupils were found unable to karri from books, bu t capable of, being trained in trade, and handw ork, which resulted in the establishing of our opportun ity schools. W hen geniuses were found among o u r's tu d en ts , special schools w ith a curriculum to meet their needs were organized.

From the psychological standpoin t individual differences are (hose - variations m capacities,' abilities and m ental functions, which i n . any m anner affect the mental, physical n r 'm o ra l re­actions of individuals,

iMFOKT.uece o f ’ In d iv id u a l d W e r e n c e s ' H’Vint is ihe 'importance..oj- th t .study' oj iniii-

vidiuil differences fo r rtUgious' n lucation? In secular education individual differences arc cre-

■ ating a' demand for a varied program fo r groups of pupils7 whose mental abilities are similar, and <»i»e which is suited" to meet tlie-needs 6! each , pupil.- This need also m ust be faced by religious instructors in dealing willy, life' iinftutrlal soul.

I.,-' Individual,'differences form ;) point of con­tact with the. pupil.' W ithout tlie knowledge of such variations of ability and. interests the teach­er will he unable to create the necessary contacts with the pupil. The successful teacher in the church school is.lie or she who knows tlie differ­ent interests,, a b il i t ie s 'a n d ‘capacities of the p u - ' pils -anti* uses these in . presenting the religious iru th . W hen these various differences are found, the fluty of the'.instructor is to suit the teaching and m e th o d s 'o f approach to such. ■

2. Individual differences make necessary in the instruction a varied approach, a program varied for each person, iii order to a tta in the greatest am ount of spiritual benefit .and religious know l­edge. One adolescent m ay be m orally, deficient in (lie ability to 'accept au thority and to obey, and thus lie calls for special a ttention aiid in­terest. An of her may kick a balance in his 'ab ility to react correctly . t o the opposite sex. ’ T h u s wc see the necessity of the instructor knowing how

■ to discover-^'ind . to employ the variances of . abilities and. capacities of the pupils.

3. The discovery o t tlie. diverse abilities among ihdividuals is a t the basis of tlie graded program s for the church schools.. Tlie ideal of the graded

' lessons is 'to -furnish th a t, type of material w h ic h w ill. lie .best suited to the several age groups' of adolescents. In the public school there is a g radation-of-the lesson -iii.-dei'ial m id of the dnssi-

; -fic^tion of the adolescents, and even an a ttem pt to give, individual instruction w ithout class fo r- ' million. This may not lie possible in the church school, stilf it is an indication of a lictter m anner lo u s e individual differences so as to obtain the highest benefit from our instruction.

W hat ' is-th e tin hire oj individual differences? Individual differences are so num erous that. it would he impossible to name them all. \Vc shall

( 20)

m ention only a few; 1. Physically individuals differ.- In size) in am ount of energy and vitality; :nu! nerve supply this difference is seen. Jn (Jic p n w a m of the church, the church school and the school, activities, outside study, and week-day programs, the physical mechanism of the pupils must he taken into consideration. 'T he teacher

.m ust:.know ’ tlie physical .ability , the capacity to stand iwpressional w tiv itie s ,. and Id -suit the amount o f outside church w ork and week-day study to such. ’ 1 . ■ ,

2, M entally there is a wide, divergence in the abilities of "adolescents, .There is a diversification of m ental capacities ranging from . feeble-mimled- ness, up through dullness, on to the norm al in ­telligence, to superior intelligence, and to the stago of gcniusness; Some ptlpits are quick to c’nm prehend tru th ; white others are m entally (lull; and some cannot grasp the- teaching of the lessons in the church school: In the church, school it is impossible to classify the pupils according to their m ental standilij;, . is - in the public school.' Hut the* dullard sh o u ld ’receive the same a tten ­tion as th e 'b rig h t person. ,The bright pupil like­wise requires special a ttention in' order th a t the ■ lessons m ay |)e-interesting to keep him or her in' constant attendance. - .-.

I t is thus the du ty of the C hristian instructor to understand the mental characteristics of each

■person..of the class and to be able t o ’ suit the. instruction to- -tliesc" distinctive variations. ■ Ado­lescence a s -a n age- of m entai awakening must

■ ' . '* have an . alert in structo r; while adolescence‘ inwhich dullness appears calls for patience nml simplicity from the. teacher. For some m ental m aturity is readied early ; while o thers 'con tinue to 'm a tu re until they conic to the end of. the period. The intelligence tests are so arranged as to discover the m ental ag e 'o f the pupils,

-.1. Adolescents differ emotionally. Some are quick to feel an in jury , while .cithers seem to have ' this capacity atrophied. One will react readily to sym pathy while another seems to be' unm oved by-such . They differ , in the intensity

'o f their feelings or emotional states, such as auger, love, rage, tenderness, etc. A knowledge of this emotional variability will assist the pastor, par- • ent o r religious instructor in dealing with ado- Icsccncc. ’ . .

' 4. Socially individuals of this age arc diversi­fied. Sonic are morose in their a ltitudes tow ard

■ cacti o th e r ; while the opposite may be true in

■ ' 9 l)

T H E 'P R E A C Hi

another case. One may be individualistic, .asso­ciating with no others; w hile-another adolescent may Iw contiiiKously seeking comradeship. Some make friends easily, while for others th is . is a 1

. difficult art.

5. The religions nature of adolescents differ, This m ay be due to the religious background,

. former training, present'associations, and all that goes to m ak e 'u p . the. religious heredity and en­vironm ent of the >Vmtli. These religious tra its of the ptipfl should .be 'analyzed, 'th e weaknesses and oddities know n, and on these the wise in ­structor will build his approach to. the life. T h e elements of faith and doubts, acceptance of creeds of the church ,'w ill be found in different degrees among adolescents.

IfAdl is the range o f this .varia tion , in human ' •c.alHiriUesf U was commonly assumed tfi.it the

m ind .was a divine gift, each person receiving "the ijiiim: am ount and quality. . Children were supposed to grow, up as- m iniature adults, with (lie same m ental interests, m anners and capacities as their parents. Hut this we have found lo he untrue. F o r yo u th th e 're ad in g -lim e between re­ceiv ing ;! stimulus and responding, the sensitive­ness of. the .sense organs, th e ' types of imagery, which persons use, all vary , greatly. Some are w h it are called’ ear-m inded, ftthers, eye-minded, anti still others a rc motor-minded.-

According to the am ount of ability, yuulft is classified iiito groups. One classification is: genius, very' superior, superior, above average, average;' beUnv. average, inferior, border-lines, and feeble-, minded. This last class is composed of morons, imbeciles and idiots. The strictly, feeble-minded group .seldom progress beyond tlie prim ary prides'. The border-line group have, difficulty in going beyond the fourth grade. Tlijisc of average ability ' complete the regular secondary school course; and the college and university students represent the more selective types.

T h is’ variation is ofttim es represented by the average pupil possessing from two to twenty-five times more ability than the poorest. Such variar tions hold true; no t only for memory, reasoning ability , but also for m ental, muscular and re-, ligious capacities not included in the above. Ap­proximately tw o-th irds of all persons form the average, one-sixth the superior and another sixth the in ferio r classes. T his is the wide range in hum an capacities. Each adolescent is u d istinct, type, with peculiar capacities for. learning, emo-

ER’S M A GAZINE . . 373

m T H E PR E A C H E R 'S M A GAZINE

tionnl response, and receptivity to Christian in ­struction nnd character form ation.

Adolescents likewise vary a t different ages. As has 'been socii in -those chapters. dealing with the phases of adolescent-growl)), thc individual is an expanding organisms. Thc abilities, interests and. activities differ from year to year for thc same person. This m ust be taken into account by tju' teacher-of religion. Personality is growing."

H'/uit tlitlert'iices exist between the sexes of adolescence?'- There are differences among thc sexes- of adolescence. lly. investigation it has. been found th a t boys arc more athletic than girls; th a t ttie pirl is less sliv; that pirls are ' more popular; hoys m ore’ quick tem pered; £trls more intelligent, than boys. The girl is more impulsive, more - a'ctivc, m ore '.emotional,-' more unselfish, more fickle, more Rifled in music, act-

Tng, conversation, the invention of stories and is more easily reconciled to enemies than i|ie boy.

The boy is reported to be m ore critical, given to am bitious plans, sensible, decisive, .pitted in mathematics-, literature, memories, easy going, widely read, and punctual than pirls. In the in ­stinctive acts thc boys' are pitted with the tight- mg instinct, jind pirls w ith thc m aternal and nursing instinct. In the men this is seen in the d esire ’to win. One w riter has found th a t women arc three aud a ha lt time.:;, m ote interested In day dream s in which they think of themselves with pleasure than the m m .

lienson writes, “Investigation shows an appar­ent superiority of pirls in language achievements and a som ewhat butter stand ing .of boys in lo g i- :. Ciil processes and mechanical pursuits. I i has no t ■ heed 'established that these ■ differences a re due entirely to native tendencies, M any m ental dif-

" ference* may be a ttribu tab le ■ to the social de­m ands nnd ideals for the sexes. The differences are so -sm a lla s to be negligible in the education of boys and pirls, and as fa r as native abilities . are concerned they , can. b o th . pursue the .same • course of instruction. The intelligence, of the sexes npproximales the sam e norm al curve of. distribution.” On the same score Thorndike says, “Sex is the cause of only a small fraction Of thc differences between individuals.”

, fly if hat means is the intellinencc o f adolescents Measured? The differences of intelligence in in -, dividlials arc of. am ount ra ther tliatr of kind. Everyone possesses some degree o f . ability to perceive, remember, think, reason and under­

:rv: ; (22)

stand. It» is the possibility to profit by training ivhiefi is lim iled by (he am ount of one’s intelli­gence, As Belt's, of the N orthw estern University, expresses it, “There arc some who are ■ ‘born sh o rt’ in inielligence, and whose skill is limited thereby; for education never creates intelligence, blit only helps develop what ,is already present- by. na ture .” * , .

•In the past we h a v e ' .been accustomed lo measure intelligence in the schoolroom by per­centage grades, such as IS per cent, 90 per ccnt',

- etc. Hut such .s ta n d a rd s are uncertain) for teach­ers are no‘t infallible judges. Hut during the last few years a series of standard measurements of intelligence, have been 'developed! I t was found that one-tenth of the teaching time in the school­room was spent, on those who were repeaters, and (hose unable to keep up with their grades, Even the subnorm al person was discovered in ' the schoolroom, 'F rom 'these facts a series of m easure-’ m a ils camc about,'.w hich arc now extensively used in the public school system.

The Binrt-SiiiU m-Tfriiiiui Intelligence Test is possibly the outstanding one in use by 'public school workers. .This consists o f a scries of tests of various, kinds, which from experimentation have heeh fo\md to represent the average mental ability of each ape! A person is given these tests tor. .each age' up as fa r as he is able to- pass. Then the I. Q. or intelligence quotient is found by dividing thc last year's test the person was able to pass, by thc chronological , age! If- a youth -was '13, ami-passed the 16th year test, .theI. Q. would he l?.l. '■ ■

The A rm y Intelligence Tests : consist of lists of problem s1 to' be solved, questions to' lie a n ­swered atid exercises to be perform ed, The pos­sible scores run from 0 to 212, W ith these have been formed school achievem ent tests, based on a standard of achievem ent for each . subject of the curriculum , which a te too num erous to he- mentioned.

In the field of morals and religious'knowledge' similar' tests arc being prepared. There arc tcJts which are formed to measure one's moral reac­tion to concrete situations. Biblical knowledge tests.of the true-false type, wherein a number- of true answers and false ones arc given following each question which the pupil is to check as correct; are being produced rapidly. This makes it easier to grade the am ount of inform ation re-

T H E PR E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE 375

ceived from t h e . teaching of the Bible in the church sehpol,

According to the Hinet-Sim on-Term an Test the following classification of pupils is given:

l 7 Q, . ( ClassificationA bove-140 Near genius, g e n iu s /

120-140 V ery superior110-120 Superior intelligence00-110 . Norm al or average intelligence . 80- 90 Dullness70- 80 Horder-tine dcfirirncy, feeble­

mindednessB e lo w .'70 Definite fceble-mimlcdness

Such m easurements arc. not perfect, b u t1 since they arc su comm only used in the educational world, it is necessary fqr the Christian teacher lo kn o w som ething of the possibilities and mcth-., mis o f ' m easuring'intelligence, A knowledge of- such methods may assist the..Christian, instructor to be able in a, better m anner to train the ado­lescent’. .■ W hat art so m t characteristics of p flc d atfo-

■Itsrfncr? Of nil the-stud ies' of"“gifted c h il- : dren or geniuses those of Gallon, an Englishman, and Tertnan, of S tin fb rd University, are o u t­standing, Certain conclusions were reached,'which should be known by the. teacher in the church

. school. Jl was Concluded th a t only a very few a tta in tlie position rtf the “illustrious" ill a given generation, And these come from families With a large num ber of eminent relatives. All these studies concluded th a t the gifted children Came > from the professional classes, whose parents be­fore them were intellectual workers;

i 2. Tcrm an found that more boys—in his study of gifted children in -California—than girls ap ­peared arming the geniuses,

i . On- the race score it has been discovered th a t the negro shows a very low m ental quo- . ticnt. In New Y ork City there is a m arked ex­cess o f Jewish children among the gifted. T cr­man found in California the m arked excess of gifted children were English, Scotch and Jewish. T he selection of Italians received in this coun: try has yielded b u t few gifted children.

4. The gifted child is fou n d -~ co n tra ry . to popular conception—to ’be of- strong .physique, broad shoulders, and well developed muscles and lungs.

5. The gifted child is above the average. in intelligence, general inform ation, language usage and reading.- He is thus of n higher type m entally and morally.

\ - ' ' <«>

Of what importance is this' knowledge to w o rk­ers w ith adolescents? I. There is a distinct re­lation existing between psychology and religious tr;iimn;i, A knowledge of the traits and mental variances of individuals conditions a proper m ethod of instruction .. Our cumbersome teach­ing, vmr unscientific approach .'to tra in in g ,. arc ofttim es the result of a. lack of a knowledge of how the adolescents differ one from the other. •

2. The psychology/■of individual differences is an offspring of the psychological study .of adolescence.' Since adolescents differ from chil­dren and m ature people, it. naturally follow^ that they1 vary from each other in their characteristics.

-H en ce 'a program of Christian instruction, to de­rive the most good .from its training, must be based upon a knowledge of how adolescents are diverse from one another.

.V. Keiipious instruction has for its subject a - mintl, a character which shall be im m ortal in its relationships, and ihe more inform ation con­cerning the .life,, .'qualities of the individual, the greater will be the results. Ofttimes" o u r eyes arc blinded lo the fact th a t -basic 'to th a t which we achieve in. the realm of character form ation is the application, of a knowledge of how to w ork w ith eaclu individual. Our system is liable to degenerate into a m ovem ent o f mass production ;h ch arac te r. form ation.

■1. One duty of th e -w o rk e r in the church school is. to discover and classify the individual

^differences of .the pupils and on such inform a­tion base the program o f; instruction and ex- pressional and service' activities. . These form Jjoints of co n tac t,'an d afford us w ith clues as to lunv best , to procecd ivith our teaching.

S'.' Knowledge concerning individual differences make possible w hat is known .in the sociological field as “case studies." T his is the complete study of the life of one individual, a charting of his environm ent, his physical, m ental and em otional traits. Wc are discovering tlm t these case studies are the key to m&ny of our p ro b ­lems in dealing with delinquent and immoral adolescents. The case m ethod is bu t an appli­cation of the principlef of personal w ork to the instruction of adolescents.

6. Adolescents are m olded no t as groups, but as /individuals. N o successful teacher of you th cut! afTord to fail in applying C hrist's m ethod to winning his or her pupils. Jesus won men per-

-sonally to ;th e cause He represented, and n o t .b y companies.

376 T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE i

Do individuM differences apply Itj the moral and ■religions Ih iils 'nj adolcsccnts? One of I hi- great failures of workers in lliti cliurrh school lias been that we have been slow to apply our knowledge of scientific instruction in 't in ; realm o l . morals and ri-li^inn. Y ouths v:iry one from the otiier in their m oral and religious natures. Some are naturally devout; while others, seem ' .indifferent tii tlie claims of religion ami morals -. upon them . ■ Some arc- naturally believing, while others cnimnt help theJr doubting. This variance

■is al.sK seen "in tin.' case' with which some are won . to Christ,' and tlie difficulty itt reaching others. . Until we realize , th a t each adolescent presents a

■specifi'c study in psychology, ,'«ui; program in - reaching (hem will he filled with m any prob­lems and. vexations.

The true program o f religious instruction, with, its tin! the form ation t>f a Christian character, takes cognizance of these principles of ind i­viduals, studies each adolescent liv tlie "case m ethod,". and fits a program lo each one. The

■wise leacher has long ago discovered what will reach one- pupil will- not win the rest of those in the class, .

PROBLEMS CfF A DISTRICT SUPERIN­TE N D E N T ■

•. liy u D is t ii ic t -Stiw:KiSTKxiiKST

HIS m onth I have decided to come to yuu from -a close-up an g le .o f Ihe. bisfricl. Su­perintendent and his problem s as pe rta in ­

ing t o 'h is actions and reac tions,dec isions and■ conclusions, and how lie is continually forced to arrive a t same. ■ , ■

I t is best presented by giving to th e 'read ers a ' review of a week's activity gathered from the d iary ' of a Superintendent. A week, I .mean, taken a t random and a fair sample of w hat any week m ight b e . . .

Tii s ta rt w ith, the Matter- of mail is a source of great conccrn to , the Sujjcrinicndent, and the question of w h en and how lo receive it is im por- , tan t. In some cases lie can have it forw arded, bu t on the one n i g h t slo p plan; much is lost o r returned, thus causing delay and question. He m ay leave it to 'a c cu m u la te a n d 'h a v e - a targe am ount lo read and answ er when he gets home. This plan seems best iS- l>c is granted th e privilege of. being home. about once a week. Superintend­ents of districts th a t are com pact can follow this plan a ini supplement it will) a phone call home

twice a week, and thus keep a pre tty close tab on ■the work. .

M onday si, «v . : T i m • awww l «JrVvI o'clock.. ’1‘he District Superintendent arises a fte r a three aervkc Sunday, ami a night drive o f one hundred m iles.' He- prepares his" toilet and is seated a t the lireakfa1! table when the p h o n e ' linns. A pastor lias a new d m rd t site iri mind and (he deal must lie pushed through w ith all possible haste, and an

.approval is desired over the wire. The location is new t(s the Superintendent, and he w ants m ore, lim e tor consideration; so he arranges a date to visit the pastor and meet, the building committee. It must be in the early afternoon as the Irip will call for a hundred.m iles ex tra-dm 'ing in order to*

■malic1 his regular slate th a t ,night. lireakfast is resum ed, bu t before it, is; over, the telegraph boy come*, w-uli a message-saying (h a t .3 certain evan­gelist has had a date canceled, and asks for a rec­om m endation by return wire.

Now for w orship; .and he reads -from th e Old liook and prays w ith the family. T he Rood wife ■has. fought aliftjc fo r weeks, and n o w -m \is th a v e some assistance with the affairs»oi the home. The insurance on the house is due: shall it be renewed- or taken out w ith another company ? Certain changes m ust be made in the children’s school work,' and ' she has not felt like taking the .re­sponsibility nlanc.- One of the children has th ro at trouble :ind tlje dyctor has advised an operation. W hat does the father think, and how should they proceed? The phone rings, and it is a -preacher who will be . calling in a .few m inutes-~just for a word. ■

The preacher calls and presents his re itu cs t^an - address he could not find in the minutes, and the Superintendent knows th a t he w an ts 'm o re than th a t. Ile-is one who lives a dyinsj life for lack of fellowship, and an hotir is devoted ,to' this m an .in an effort lo cheer him lip and help him on life's ruad .1’ l ie does not.w nrit advice nor does he w ant to hear from the District Superintendent. He ivants- to .pour, out his (.roubles and tell 'oC bis trials, and an hour of listening is the best tonic and advice th a t can be given.

Won' n ine-th irty has arrived and the m ail is yet .untouched, exccpt for one or two letters, and a whole stack of about sixty o r one hundred are to .be read and answered. The “Old C u rio sity . Shop” had no th ing on a stack ol unread mail. H e re 'is a letter just to sla te the appreciation of ■ a pastor for his District Superintendent, and it ■ truly brings its rew ard in cheer and. courage to

the 'tired Superintendent this M onday morning. The next is ;i/request (or a tra n s fe r . of. a good brother, and m ust lie noted for tht- consideration of the Advisory Hoard.

Now Ciimes a request fur a ■ pastorate,'iilid the Superintendent looks through. (lie m orning .mail and finds st.v such requests. .Now for a survey as tils mind travels the d is tr ic t checks on changes, and present pastors available, and then, a:-silent pi’iv e r that all of these nteti m iv find work in the field that ' I loti has prepared for (hem and (hat His will might lie done in the 'placing of each one of them . Ah answer -to each is right, nnd so-a I me is penned and o ther mail is opened.

Here is a sad letter from a pastor who is heart* brifkeii. O n eo f his members lias .tone astray,, the fa d s are before him and (lie violations <rf the M am ia l',m - ,d ra r nnd definite. B u t 'a certain jiroup are opposed to the use of the law, even though they adm it that, it has been broken, -‘There is no sign «f repentance on the pa rt o f the ac­cused, bu t rather a ,defiant a ttitude is taken,' The pastor nsks-adviie-; -.a thing easier- askwl -than g iven.' Here is a -le tte r from a church 'secretary s ta ting that they, called a certain pastor and were satisfied until they received a letter from him re­garding the m oving, and in it they found sevcn- tccn ordinary words out of place, an d nr> capital : letters o r punctuation, They are fearful for the m an th a t he will lead the church -in the. same

.. careless m anner. An answer .stales" th.-w grace, is ■ not tied 'iip in gra 'm m ar'and th a t the hope is th a t the blessing of God will outshine everythin!!'else anti m ake (be n u n a success'.

\ Te.\t conies a letter from a business m an s la t- ■ inn that with confidence in the preacher and the ■ church they have sold the pastor'm erchandise for which 'l ie Iras refused to pay, and lie ignores all . letters th a t Uiey Write to him . T his serious m at­ter. calls for' a. letter both to. th e .business house, and to the preacher. Here is a Ir,t!er from a n ­other pastor telling of the revival that has just closed, expressing appreciation to j 'lh c evangelist

: an d 'h o p in g th a t he may he Used on {he district more. He states th a t the evangelist was loyal to the pastorj thc people an d .th e church as.a w hole; aided in 'g e ttin g his converts into the church— and m any o ther nicc things. This Li a fine letter to be found in the m idst o f a Superintendent’s

'mail'. The joy of the road makes the weight of the load lighter.

The mail is not yet UH lead, .but.&-new joy has■ come as thc children have returned for-lunch, and

’ , T H E PliliA C H

the love they have for Daddy, and the hugs and kisses are a reslfid relaxation from Die. grind pf the m orning. ' .

A fter lunch o ther things must be laid aside and a few hours given to the business of the home.A trip to . town must be made will: the wife. Some n e w d o th in g for t]ie children, a new dress for the wife, and other things m ust be bought; ■ thus taking the afternoon. '

Supper wi(ii the family, an h o u r’s visit w ith I he .local pastor, which is always a jo y ; and then a filial- hour w ith the. kiddies and the remaining mail must lie answered. A t ahout midnight a tired but happy District Superintendent retires

. after the first day of work of thc week. V

Tuesday a. m .‘. U p early arid fill the old grip with clean clothes, get the morning mail, and oil for a rhu rrh meeting in a hall) where our people have been struggling for a year to. get their feet., down and now are about to buy atid build. The trip is uneventful save for o n e ■ tiling. On thc way a "friend hails the Superintendent -and Sug­gests that a 1 sister, travel.inp in the same direction of the Superintendent, be taken along. The Sit- jierintendent denies the -request, and is criticized for doing's«; 11 lit a wreck and a newspaper story naming thc parties would th row a shadow on his m inistry for the T e s t 'of his life,

■- The. parsonage is reached about 2' p. m „ and arrangem ents, are made to look a t the location picked o u l . ' ft is a 40 by 60 lot in between two buildings. It is hard to tu rn dow n Hie rherished

'dream of these good people, b u t to approve it would cripple them for all time. So an o th er lo­cation must be sought. The search begins, and after a wiiile the reward of effort is {'ound in a nice corner lot to he had a t a sntaller figure than the other poorer one. Thus God uses and blesses the District Superintendent ill the afternoon.

The night service.is one of great joy and bless­ing as the news of the new location encourages (hem so M ia!'the privilege of m eeting the board and planning for advancem ent has e rased 'a ll the trials of th e 'd a y . An evening of happy conversa­tion-closes the day- and retirem ent comes a t m id­night.

W ed n e sd a y ^ , m .: Arise here a t seven, read- and pray and prepare-for breakfast. Then family prayer, and off for the long, ou t-of-the-w ay drive to meet the pastor and building comm ittee re­garding another .location. The lot is ideal, thc price is rig h t,,b u t the term s are prohibitive. The

KR'S M A GAZINE 377

378 . ■ T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE

committee is so sure, 'bu t a survey of our forces, and ability shows wc will (ail if ,vc enter such an undertaking. They question the faith and w is­dom of the D istrict Superintendent, bu t he m ust stand fasL :ind help them find a better plan. No 'approval .is given, so the brethren fee! w ounded; bu t plans arc launched to make a counter offer which in due time is accepted. And eventually the committee comm end the D istrict Superintend- : ent for his ri^itl stand. The work over, the old car bum s on' so th a t the night appointm ent may be made.

There is no time for sup|)er, and no chancc to stop for sandwiches by the way, The w a itin g ' crowd hear with pleasure the message .of the Su­perintendent. respond to his appeal for 'our school; and his. a lta r call results in five seekers, two to be saved and three for heart cleansing ." The altar service is lone, bu t fruitful, and all fuid victory. Thus another day has closed with joy and bless- bigs from heaven, This night, however, the Su-. ■pcintendent-is to be entertained, not in the par-

. soilage, bu t in an outside homo, and they know ' nothing of his long, hard day, so he retires w ith . a w eary ,'hungry body.

, Thursday av .m :: “ Up at. seven-thirty — while washing, a , telegram comes,1 A -pastor has re­signed, and he Wants to see the Superintendent this very n igh t.if .possible. Answer delayed until a fte r breakfast arfW Worship. Some w riting must be attended to, and then in addition, t a liis Bible, (Jii; Superintendent m ust find tim e to read other books. So a f te r 'a few chapters in a good book, he wires the pastor arranging to see him in the afternoon. . After attending' to a few incidental tasks, he is off on a long side trip in order to Fee the ‘ resigning pastor; A fter reaching the tow n, the Superintendent finds th a t n o . one in the church, has expressed serious dissatisfaction w ith the .pastor, no call ha& to m e to him, no field has w fd becrt suggested; bu t he feels tlfiit possibly he. has stayed Jong enough in th a t tow n. P rayer and conferences with the pastor a n d . leaders, of the. church reveal th a t it is bu t a trick of the en­emy, to run a g O o d m an off; - And finally the preacher derides t o remain, if that is satisfactory with the people and the D istrict Superintendent. Y ears of useful service in th a t field will prove the wisdom of liis staying. Now for the m ain line and regular schedule.

Arrive d t the parsonage a t five p, m. Supper is ■almost, ready and. an enjoyable tim e is spcnt with the pastor and his iamily,' The night service is to

be in the form of a budget raising campaign. The people are all enthused and expect to underw rite the whole year's budget. The pastor is Iight’as a' schoolboy a t a ball game. An hour of needed rc-

’l;i,\alii.n is taken and then the District Superin­tendent. enters the service, preaches a gospel m es­sage, talks' of our w o rk . a t home and on the foreign field, speaks of the s ic rilk e of our great general church and then of home missions. In a

•short and joyous service the church oversubscribes the whole of its District and General Budgets. :The pastor weeps and shouts and the District Su­perintendent gives, an a lta r call and a goodly num ber seek and find God, At twelve midnight the District Superintendent closes one more day of regu lar'w ork and the joy in his soul makes him weep in the night. ' .

' Friday a. m .: Up at eight with the joy of yes­terday still lingering and the load of the day con- sduu.Oy ahead. ' W orship and breakfast are sqon over and several - letter.1) must be w ritten, as a re-‘ Asu it, of (lie long distance call iiomc- last night; Now for a few hours rest anil then a drive to-the meeting of the evening. The contrast from last night ’ is terrible. Here is a church disturbed which had m et'w ith either real o r imaginary d if­ficulties.1 I t proves to be one of those peculiar situations th a t cannot be handled in a committee and the church as a whole are in conference. Tenseness prevails bu t .no one seems, free to talk. A t last someone calls a ttention to the condition of. the churtli and charges it to light and friv ­olous action of the pastor w’hen attending a gath­ering of young folks. Thus th e ; pastor proceeds to explain, taking full'b lam e for-the occasion and asking forgiveness. One by one th in g s 'th a t seem im portant and in the way a re . brought ou t and explained. Several prayers have t o n offered and a tender spirit seems ta prevail, A t about eleven- th irty the Superintendent asks if all is cleared up and if the folks can now w ork together and have

■confidence in one another. Silence seems to an ­sw er yes and the congregation stands to be dis­missed when a brother 5, iy s , ,’If you dismiss this crowd the same condition w ill, prevail for things arc. not all out,”

,^he folks arc seated and more searching is started. Finally the pastor’s.w ife states th a t she believes she senses the trouble and by w ay of. confession, adm its th a t she has talked to a sc lec t. ftw ahdtit her husband, says she is backslidden and asks forgiveness. Holy joy ,takes the place of abated suspense, and the whole crowd, shouts,

1

T H E PR E A C H ER 'S M A GAZINE 379

laughs and cries and thus ends a lucky Friday and the clock strikes midnight. Rest is a joy this . nigfit but Saturday comes too soon and w ith it a

■ hard trip a n d ,th e added preparation for Sunday. T he parsonage is reached about two o’clock

and a bit of much needed rest is secured before supper* Saturday night sees a small bu t loyal church and what a service it is.: Glory seem s to ■be.in-every song, shouts arc heard through the preaching and a good a ltar service closes S aturday

■ night. : •Sunday: Up at seven, breakfast and worship,

(hen o ff for a s ix ty mile .drive for the morning., service. A sermon to preach and five hundred dollars to raise on the church debt. . The crowd is • small, the parlo r discouraged hu t God still lives a n d 'v ic to ry comes to the service. D inner is has-

- lily completed and o ff/to a small t,own where a home mission worker has dug out a church and . has it ready to organize, i The ten t is full, ihe people are, anxious .'but the comm unity hostile. ■ and thc message m ust do much to sell the church

v to ' the com m unity, cheer ihe folks; separate any that m ight not be proper m aterial, money m ust be raised for the workers, pledges tow ard a pcr-

. m anent location taken, the -actual organization . ■ |)crfectcd,' the board organized, a pastor secured

am i all this miist be done in xtwo and a half hours.Supper is over and he rushes on to the evening .

place of meeting. F ifty miles, is not far when one lias.had no more to do than the D istrict Superin­tendent uf the Church of the Nazarcne so he. goes on to meet a fine crowd, preach an evangelistic sermon and get as m any folks to God as possible. The, a lta r call is given and a t ten-tliirly . the Su-

- . perjntendent decides th a t, being too tired to sleep,he will drivivthc hundred miles on home and at one o ’clock his car rolls in to the garage as he

' completes a week's w ork.T his is the regular order as outlined and taken 1

from the diary of a busy Superintendent. There m ay be weeks th a t are not so strenuous b u t,if s o ,: there are others that rush in added burdens so that this w ould-be a fa ir sample. ■

- —----:------ 4*---- ------ - ■" In the kingdom .o f love, prayer is the vital

bond between thc child and his Father, the nu\-\ns of com m unication, the channel by which the whole being of the. believer lies open to the in-

; flow of the-d iv ine will and energy. From the hum an side it is the very law. of progress, \vha< We m ight ca ll. the sou l of procedure, an indis­pensable clement and condition nf the renewed life." . • ' - -. :'■ . '.

. ' (27)

niarfce

THE BUILDING O F T H E CH UR CH, . (Charles E : Jefferson) '.

Erw in G. Benson

(A book report in eight parts)■llltF. browsing in a 'C alifornia sec- un 1-haml bcok store I picked up a bock by (he above title. It had been

I flown from one. dollar and a half to seventy-five cents and then down to fifty cents.' It was w ritten by Charles E .. Jefferson, pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City, ,nnd published by the Macmillan Com pany. L ater,I discovered that it was a series of Jecturcs de­livered before thc Divinity School of Vale U ni­versity in 1910 on the Lyman iieccher. F ounda­tion. Nut having sufficient time to thoroughly investigate the contents of the book, I took a chance-on 'buying 'it. W hen once I began to read It, 1 found that 1 had made no mistake. - I could, nbt lay it dowri until 1 had finished it. I fairly drank a t a neiv fountain of refreshing ideas,

I had rcatl m any books on preaching, making sermons and building churches bu t this o n e seemed to be full of different ideas. For Instance, .. I have alw ays been taught th a t a preacher ought to form what is called thc homiletic .habit. Some­w hat to my astonishm ent 1 read, “J l is no t well to1 cultivate .Ihe homiletic, habit, .the habit b f de­m anding a paund of sermonic flesh from every Antonio you chance to meet.” And again, “The homiletic habit is a leech." . T hen, again,' i t ' has been urged, upon m e th a t a 'preacher could hardly spciid too njurh tim e upon a sermon. I was struck with, " I t is possible to w o rk too . long upon a sermon . . . He spends J im c upon his sermon whicfy ought to be spent upon himself.” Thc a u t h o r also said that— well, all th is is from the" last 'lec tu re and I guess . I ought to report the o ther lectures first. I shall use no quotation . m arks as it ail belongs to thc au tho r. Som e o f , the ideas will be direct quotations while others ■ will be condensed in ipy own words; ■ . L e c tu r e I— T h e C iju k c ii BuH.niNG Id e a in ’t h e

N ew T e s t a m e n t ■The traditional m ethod-of approach to a d is­

cussion ■ of preaching has been through the pul- p 'l, I t discusses the messige, subject m atter, m an­ner d l treatm ent or the messenger and his per­sonality and style. T his approach is dircct but has the,lim itation of centering the w ork of preach­ing on one individual—the man in the pulpit.

Preaching does not involve only one m an but a society of men. T he preacher is an organ func-

I5

■ turning in an organism. His endow m ents ••and ;a t- ' tainm ents are - only™ one factor working with the no-less im portant a ttainm ents and endowm ents offi I } 1fisc Christian .society o r the church. The sermon ' itself is not the yoice r>f one individual nor does it come ou t of tfi.e. preacher .'but- belongs to tlie church. The preacher is made,, shaped and m old­ed hv the body of believers to which lie belongs.In lecturcs .of th is .p a tu n y i t has. lieen custom ary to reach the confjrcKatioir.aml’ the church through : tlie preacher b u t it may prove advantageous to come to, the serm on. t brutish 'the .'congregation. .

This m ethod of approach is just now -opportune since the church is in m any quarters-th row n into the shadow. Organizations engaged in ethical atid philanthropic work have, som ewhat lessened . the chimrh in. the public eye. A w w w orld 'view -has' - also th row n the church into judgm ent. T h e 'fa m ­ily,1 th e-s ta te anri ( l ie church are In'ingi tried tiy fire...To m any people.the church is.only the sur- .

•vival- 'of \vaning. superstition or a curse to . p ro ­gress. X lany believe that it had its day bu.l that

i nojv its creeds, are outgrow n, its m sthods an ti­quated, its pow er.is dwindling and (lie-wisdom i>f perpftua tinc .it in its present form; is.questionable; :

. Criticism o f '.p u r day is not' so .much directed, against the person or teaching-of Jestis b u t against ; the • instiiihion which bears Ilia name. 'It is. good for al! preachers to (hink: about the, tlturcli.

Alanv preachers think Ijttle about the'-church and iithers’ think' abou t - it:m istakenly. The-favor-- itr theme -j»f ."many i s 't h e "kingdom of G o d " .

■ instead of the church. O thers' take a. wrong a t­titude. to w a r d 'i t . . They look upon it as a neces­sary evil or," an inherited encum brance to the

- m ovements of the preacher. They , are eager to. get gl ivhat Uiey call the world; They desire to reconstruct the social order on a b r o a d scale. T heir pulpit is only a place to stand, anti th u n ­der, forth their message. They would rather-w ork alone and are so rry that vi.hcy m ust stay in a church building.. To them , the only use of the church is to pay their salary, T h is m an believes in p rin te r's ink and scatters advertising all over . tow n to reach tlie masses.' He fails to realize th a t a living church can Ho more to- help him than all his advertising.

Other preachers th ink of the church as a lum p ■ of pu lly o r a piece of woo'd to be shaped a t.th e ir will. They begin a t once to reorganise it . E very ­thing is on a wrong -basis. 'E very th ing m ust have a new constitution and a neie set of by-law s and th a t imm ediately. They fail l o ’re a liz e 'th a t; the .

380 ■ ' T H E PR E A C H E R '

(28)

church has rc.tcberl i t s ’present sta ins through lhc efforts-uf m en who have gone’ before. This kind uf a preacher Mu mid study his (h u tch , strive to unrlc.mlahrl it, cunje info sym p.ilby with it, plan f o r . i t , render himself .useful (o it and make himself a part 'o f it. ’ .-■

.AH'ither man may cohsidi-r Ids m inisterial lib­erty before the church. ■ He proclaims everything lie thinks and reads.’ He-considers himself to 1/e the* last work in the faith delivered to the saints. Me asserts his freedom and rubs others o f the liberties’ which belong to them as C h ris tian m en . Or, on. the o ther hand, a man may degenerate into a flatterer or. demagogue for th e 'sak e of his support. If a man has any kind of a-con tem pt­uous View of his church, be will be certain to be afraid of it. ISitt love casts out fear and enables the-preacher to be a real shepherd to the church.

A. .phenomenon of our age is the shortening of pastorates and lljjs is due in pa rt to the preach-, er's hazy conception of Ids supreme w ork.' I f .his mission is- (he delivering of. sermons, lie will pass ftom parish to parish and will stay on ly-long enotteh to exhaust 'h is sermonic stock. .He is a

-perm oniier and not a church builder. It does not nccyr to him that the niosl difficult part of his work is wilh people after they have joined thec,hurcli. We need the work of evangelism bu t the crucial w o rk 'o f (lie- m inistry ’ is. to ' make (he-con­vert .a p a r t ’ o f . the church, M uch d is c o n te n t’ am ong 'pasto rs, is due to the fact th a t they have never\vet gotten close to th e people, A preacher who d o e s .n o t love' his church, a n d ’ whom his church dues not love, is. to lie pitied. lie sh o u ld ’ come to his pulpit by way of h is .in trc h

The Apostle l’aut a t one time looked upon the church w ith■'contempt and was amazed one day ■to hear jesu s say, “ W hy persecutest thou me?'! In th is question i ’auf discovered (hat Jesus was not only liviriu bu t th a t He is identified, .with His church and that -it is impossible to slight, despise, or-oppose the dm rcli w ithout wounding the Son of God Himself. From th a t lim e on Paul ever thinks of (lie church. Sometimes he-th in k s-o f it as the household, of faith. A t o ther times it is-the temple o f : God. Then, it is the body of Christ. It is also; the bride o f Christ, l i e writes to and about -the church. His favorite figure’ o f the church is (he temple. Jesus C hrist’ is the founda­tion stone and Christian ministers all build on him. The temple js to be built and the - p’reacticr is a builder, "And he gave some to be apostles; and some,, p ro p h e )s ;, and some, evangelists; and

S M AC A/. INK

T H E T R E A C H E R ’S M A GAZINE

some, pastors and leiichers, for the |>crfccting of the saints tmHi the work of ministering unto the ItHthiiitc, up i>f the boity o f’ Christ.’’ ’

The l;isk of building belongs- to 1̂1 believers'. The minister is a builder and is. riot lo do Ihe.

which he lias an abstract right to 't l a Iftit' the tliint* which will build up the cfuirch.-.If nrte

hi1 s.-uTi/iivfJ, il. should ]>e the preacher,- A inan who tears his church to pieces instead of ' building it deserves lo lie cast out iv ith . th e - publicans anil heathen. Laymen are-'also ' to lie church builder#'.' A good dfcfinilion o f a Ciiristin'n U'«ii!d be, ";i buitder of the church of- Jesus Christ.” “ Iluild one another up," writes the-M as­ter Rtiifder. • .

“ Let everything be done w ith a view of build­ing.'! This is Ihe counsel of Paul unci'should be ihe ■ m ntlo i'n f every preacher mid laym an. The . preacher who brandishes an axe in Ih e ' eyifs:,of his congregation, hewing dinvi! w ith glee discred­ited dogmas and outgrow n interpretations, need

■ not be surprised if. the church -is shaken and' liis* p u lp it is rendered insecure. -It is not courage, b u t '' a lack of sense, which gets preachers into trouble when I hey Tear down instead of build, Let the rhur>'b lie lifted :tip’and strengthened. L et not the men. who are dead be pufled dow n but tin: men who are alive built up, - ■ :■ Some contend th a t the church was a m atter iif iiiditYi'retiri: to Jesus ami only Ihe afterthought of His followers. This they say is .tru e because He tiientiuiis it nnjy a few 'tim es. However, some;! of Ihe most im portant themes were not mentioned by Jesus but .were-taken for. granted. Jesus said,“I wilt build Wy church,"- His th o u g h tw a s -e n ­tirety of building.. He gave His disciples the com*' mission to “ Go" and then gave them Ihe Holy ,

■Spirit.-to enable them to build the church.---- •{— -------

M INISTERIAL O RATO RY P aul S. Him. '

R EC EN TLY we had the' o p p o rtu n ity .. to hoar three well learned, and gifted preach- e ra 'preach (he gospel. One of them seemed

alm ost unable to hold the a tten tion of his con­gregation, though of the three he was possibly the best educated and possessed the w ider range of things th a t preachers usually consider valuable. H is voice was excellent, his words well chosen,' his gestures easy and his whole m anner showed train ing and polish, bu t he was no t gripping the1 hearts of the men who were listening to him. Some of them evidently had hard w ork keeping interested. Each of the o ther preachers was .in­teresting all the tim e. From the tim e they began

. (29)

to speak there was an intensity about them th a t kept every eye upon them . As I heard them preach I. wontiered :it their power with, the peo- pie. W hat was it that m a d e 'th em such' guoil preachers? W hy could they hold the crowd su well? W hy did they seem to lie such o rators?' After listening about five ..m inutes w ith the

purpose in m ind of finding, if possible, the source of their power, wc were convinced th a t each of

1 these two men w a s . possessed by something th a t gripped him trem endously. Of. coupe- they ivere preaching under the unction of the Spirit,' bu t ' aside fro m l h:it 1 hey seemed to be actually filled w ith something that so greatly impressed them th a t as they preached they ivere carried along in. their thinking and feeling m uch further than they w ere carrying the congregation, though the congregation was enthused and frequently shouted

.o u t their happiness.and gladness. As n'c think back to. those soul gripping sermons w o 'a rc per­suaded that', the source of their o ra to ry was (he Bible, T hey knew their Bible. T h ey had studied it m uch arid it had gripped them with its eternal tru ths. It had possessed them m ind and soul. They saw Calvary no t only as. a historic fact bu t as a ' great ren ter around which was gathered all the gracc\of God for it fallen World, and which was beaming ivilh the radiance of salvation' for all .who would believe. The entire Bible was in their-, thinking to support their faith in th e cross. N o t merely an isolated verse here anti there bu t . the whole sto ry oif 'redemption ns-loid by the law and the prophets had gripped their souls anti thinking

. un til .like a reservoir of boundless dimensions it spilled out to the people. T h ey cared little for gestures though they w e re not aw kw ard. They bad no notes arid seemed not to .care ,.about ser­m on outline, though their sermons were well a r­ranged homilelically. They seemed to he desirous of only one thing and th a t was to tell the .dyin^ w orld of the Sifvior from all sin, and they, were filled w ith so mucli of the story ofi the, cross th a t their failh. and hope seemed not self-containable, bu t carried ou t to the [>eople, anti b lessed 'them with a ^;nse of eternal realities.

I have m any -tim^s heard preaching that was under the anointing of .the Spirit, bu t it seemed , to me th a t day th a t even w ith the anointing of the Spirit on the preacher sue It preaching .is those two men 'did would have been' impossible w ithout the storehouse being filled with, knowledge of the Bible. N ot only had th e Spirit gripped: them but the Bible had gripped them . They were full ' of the Spirit and the Bible. I t semed th a t there w as.su ch a fund o f B ib le . knowledge, such an unbreakable bank of resources, such a m ighty sup­ply th a t the very bigness of it was pushing the sermon ou t to Ihe people, .

I t was o ratory . Sublime, majestic', gripping, trem endous. It.lingers with m e yet.

38'S T H E P R E A C H E R ’S M AGAZINE

Such knowledge of the Bible was not gained gel them a churcli could be profitably employed in a day . N either was it gained by reading books in a little while if they would only stop thinkingabout th e Bible. N or was it gained- by a care- alonj,' thc lints u i being a leader and try honestlyless reading of ihe Bible over a period of years. , to help this old sin-sick world back-to God andIt was the result o f careful, prayerful and con- holiness. , , 'Stunt.study. I do not know the particular m eth- W ith atl there is to .d o th a t men may (re-savedod of either of these- ministers, bu t I do know and sanctified, with all there is that is .bad thatth a t they had lived \vith the Bible in their needs to be done aw ay with, w ith all the sor-hcarts for years and that it had a trem endous row and suffering .'sin and shame "(hat is. in theprfp .o n llieir .thinking and feeling. ! t was their land, is there no t a place for the ■. minister ofsource- of preaching material. I t was the source je s i is ? Then why are so m any ministers, out of

.of their oratory. ’ a' job? . ' ■The condition of the able-bodied m inister who Sonic time ago heard a very successful

can find nothing to do is so th s t u c can- minister tell how he was called to dedicate anot understand it. I t is assuredly so that the church in thc outskirts of his city th a t was start -call to . preach, to m inister to the spiritual needs ed. arid nourished along from its beginning by aof hu m an ity ,'sh o u ld and tjoes precede any and 1'Mc wom an who had the spirit of m inistration,every heaven ordered m inisterial fa rcer. Unless She just w an ted to help somewhere and starteda man. has a .divine call upon him and a passion ■ a Sunday school and after a w h ile hud an cvari-for souls he cannot be an .ab le minister. This ro cs ' gefisfic serv ice ,'s ta rted je /(U lfr "'services ■ am i ■ fiot ,regardless of thc am ount of education or tra in - a crowd together am i called a pastor and latering he may have. A minister m ust have: a minis- built a church building. There were ministers in

. tcrial soul, and th a t ministerial soul 'w ill seek th a t p asto r’s congregation who nitild not find-'• .for- expression in proclaim ing the gosprl of Jesus' anything to do. T hey would have been glad, to

and m inistering to, those who are in need of have beg n . the pastor of the church, or take' aspiritual help. Ju s t how an able bodied ‘m an m eeting somewhere, bu t when it came to servicewith this divinely equipped soul can live arid for the sake of others they couldn 't find any place -find nothing to do Ih e * ' ddys b 'a .mystery. . Of .to serve, and consequently %verc ou t of w ork, .course it is custom ary th a t a m inister has a Sometimes it seems th a t we need a revival o fchurch to preach to, and a well organized work those tilings which are included in a call to preach,to oversee, bu t -that 15 not a t all necessary to the Wo- need to get aw ay from the money side ofpreaching business,. A man with a m e s s a g e can the m inistry, a n d ‘from the leadership-of-a-churchpreach to people outside of a church, and a .m an side, and even from the public meeting side ofwho w ants to..minister'.'to the needs o f tin; people lh<-‘ m utter and . get closer to those fundam ental

.can find .many in. need of help all around liipi. thiti.gs which count for more, cVert the things ofThe g r e a t w ave-of jntemperancc, that is sweep- bum ble service in the name of Jesus.

ing our country calls for ministers who will speak ' ~ r~ !f ---- ;— ~ • .out against thc liquor interests!-i The m en.-who T H E P A S T O R ’S SC R A P B O O Ka r e u n e m p lo y e d c r e a t e a p r o b le m f o r t h e m i n i s t e r .Tv L. F i .y n n ,and 'challenge his m inistry. Thc sad condition of F aith I . ^youth in the first stages of crime dem and a My D efinitionhelping hand to tu rn young men and women in to My. definition:- , ’the ways of right living and thinking. Thc m any . W hen y o u . receive, a promise of God as beingin thc hospitals and asylums need, the m inistry of, .a b so lu te ly t r u e ; th a t it is for you-; and you make •the gospel. The great mass of unchurched 'people it y o u r own, by an act of acceplancc rjf your•need to be reached and led to Jesus. T h a t there whole Ijelng; and you have ho more doiiht orare plenty of places to minister and carry on a anxiety about its fulfillm ent; arid your m ind.is athelpful program is very evident. T o begin a t complete rest on -that m atter, th a t is -faith! ToJerusalem is a dem and th a t has a big placc to explain:practice. Indeed Jerusalem is 11 great field to You owe a hundred dollars. It m ust be paidpractice in! If a man cannot m ake an impression a t a certain date, or it w ill-involve a great losson anybody in his home tow n it is probable th a t on your part. A fter solicitation, a friend hears ■he will not succecd much be tte r farther aw ay. your plea. He tells you th a t he will go and

Ju s t now there is a dem and for leaders in re- imm ediately m ake the deposit in your name andligtous w o rk .- M any private citizens are rallying . you can check i t ou t and pay your obligation a tto the aid o f the distressed. W hy no t the m inis- any lijne. I f you know him to he trustw orthy ,Fers lead the w ay? Surely there is a place for ■ you have no fu rth er doubt about th a t m atter,, service such as ministers have to renderr and \v e . I t is settled so far as you and, your friend arebelieve. th a t m any who now are w ithou t work concerned. T ake it irom Qod th a t way. Theand waiting for some D istrict Superintendent to ' assurance.then is th a t you have m et all conditions

■ . (30) ■:

T H E PR E A C H E R 'S M AGAZINE 383

• ■ ) . • ,required 'of ytm, ,:miL your cause is w orthy , a n d 'you :cun hold: up a promise fto your- heavenly Father, then it is yours.

Som e G ood A dviceMaluitrlia Gandhi:K- “ You Christians live'm ore like Jesus C hrist."7., ' ‘Practice your religion w ithout adulterating,

.nr lam ing it dow n.” ' 1.i. “ Pu t y o tir 'em p h asis on love, {or love is

the. center and soul of C hristianity ."-

' W hat I . M an?“Analyze him. You will, find enough w ater to

wash a pair of. blankets, enough grease for seven bars of soap, enough, iron Inr a six-penny nail,

, enough phosphorus to tip 2,000 m atches, enough su lp h u r’.In kill the -fleas-on a small dog, enough calcium (or one small dose! Altogether iboU t 08 cents a t the . corner . (frtig store"-—if you are a materialist.

“ Hut from G od’s viewpoint, 'T hou hast made him a little lower than angels, crowned him with glory and honor.’ ” He has an im m ortal soul, and Jesus died fa r him.

T he U n b u rn n b le P ro rrtlie ,Aijjoflj; lhc curiosities of the Bank: of Kngland

may be sden some, a,shcs, the remains o f some bank notes th a t were burned jn the .g rea t, fire of Chicago. A fter the fire they were found and carcfully brought to the bank. A fter applying chemical tests, the num bers and value were as­certained, and the Dank of- England paid the . m oney fo the owners, I f a hum an promise can be w orth so much, how much m ore is the p rom ­ise,of G od?—Sri. . ■

‘'Follow w ith reverent steps the great exam ple1Of Him whose holy w ork was ‘doing good’;

So shall the wide earth' seem our F ather's temple, ■■ Each loving life a psalm of g ratitude." V

‘'T o say th a t in receiving Christ we necessarily received in the same act- the gift of the Spirit, seems to confound w hat the Scriptures make dis­tinct. F o r it is as sinners th a t wc accept Christ for our justification, bu t it - is as sons th a t wc accept the Spirit for our sanctification."—A . 'J , G okdon.

■ “ Where cross the crowded w ays oi life, Where sound th<* cries of race and clan

. Abovn the noise of selfish strife,Wo hear th y voice, O Son of Mari:”

It is .'said th a t when /fo rtunes, the ancient. Greek orator, spoke before the assembly, the peo­ple would shout, "T h a t is b e a u t i f u l b u t when Demosthenes, his opponent, delivered an. oration, the people would say, "L et us go fight Philip," their m orta l'enem y. I t seems th a t some preach­ers preach th a t w ay, never stir anyone to ac­tiv ity . - • ■ . . . . . . . •

“ The Holy Spirit not only dwells in the church as H is habitation, but also uses her as -the living organism whereby he moves and dwells anii.walks-

.forth in the world, and speaks to the world and a c ts -u p o n the world. He is the soUl o f - th e Church which is C hrist's body.”-^-Uisuop W ebb .

Men arc ’.born with two eyes, but with one tongue, th a t they may sec twicc as much as they say,— Cotton ,

r

R eputation ,R eputa tion is seem ing;.character is being. \

. R eputation is m anufactured; character is grown."R eputation Is your p h o tograph ; character is

yo u r facc. -Reputation is what men say you are; charac­

ter is w hat God knows you are.Reputation is 'w h a t you need to get a jo b ;

character is w hat you need to keep it.R eputation is w hat comes , over you -from

w ithou t; character is w hat rises up from within.R efu ta tio n is w hat you h a v e when you come

to tow n; character is w hat you have when you ' go aw ay. . ■

R eputation is w hat is chiseled on y o u F .tom b­stone; character is w hat the angels say about you before the throne of God;—E, A. S to w .

. ' ( 3 1 )

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