What is the Christian’s rule of life? The answer is Christ. Christ is our life, rule, pattern, example,
and everything; the Spirit is our living quickener and power to follow Him; and the Word of God
is that in which we find Him revealed and His mind unfolded in detail. But while all Scripture,
rightly divided, is our light as the inspired Word of God, Christ and the Spirit are set before us
as the pattern, life, and guide, in contrast with law; and Christ is exclusively everything. Power
accompanies this, for we are "declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not
with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the
heart…. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:3,18). In this
chapter Christ is presented in contrast with the law. We are seen to be Christ’s epistle_His letter
of recommendation to the world. And verse 18 shows that there is power in looking at Christ to
produce such an epistle in us. Such power cannot be found in a law. So in Galatians 2:20 and
5:16, in contrast with law, the apostle shows the Spirit to be the power of godliness.

We have an Object governing the heart:One to whom we are promised to be conformed, and One
to whom we are earnestly desirous of being as conformed as possible now; One who absorbs our
attention to the exclusion of all else. We are predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29). My delight in Him is the
spring of action and motive which governs me. And my love to Him and the beauty 1 see in Him
are the springs of my delight in being like Him. It is not a rule written down, but a living
exhibition of One who, being my life, is to be reproduced in me and by me; always bearing about
in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may he manifested in my mortal
body (2 Cor. 4:10).

Christ is a source to me of all those things in which 1 long to be like Him. Beholding with open
face the glory of the Lord, 1 am changed into the same image. No rule of life can do this. "Of His
fulness we all have received, and grace upon grace (John 1:16 JND). A rule of life has no fulness
to communicate. Hence He says, "Sanctify them through thy truth:thy word is truth. . . . And
for their sakes 1 sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth" (John 17:17,
19). It is the Spirit taking the things of Christ and revealing them to us which thus forms us into
His image. What a blessed truth this is! How every affection of the heart is thus taken up with that
which is holiness when 1 see it in One who not only has loved me, but who is altogether lovely!
Hence 1 am called to "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing" (Col. 1:10), and to "grow up
into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15).

The Object 1 am now aiming at is not now on earth; it is Christ risen. This makes my
conversation to be heavenly. Hence he says, "If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not
on things on the earth" (Col. 3:1,2). It is by looking at Christ above that we get to be like Him
as He was on earth, and to walk worthy of Him. We get above the motives which would tie us to
earth. We are to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding
so as to walk worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:9,10). No mere rule can give this. The law has no
reference to this heavenly life. So we are to discern things that are excellent. Even Abraham did

not, in the most excellent part of his life, walk by rule. He looked for a city which hath
foundations and was a stranger and a pilgrim in the land of promise. If we are reduced to a mere
rule of life, we lose the spring of action.

The discernment of a Christian depends on his spiritual and moral state, and God means it to be
so. He will not be a mere director. He makes us dependent on spirituality even to know what His
will is. The perfection of Christ is set before us as attainment. The measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ is our measure, our model, our rule, our strength, and our help in grace, the
object of our delight, and our motive in walking. Happy is he who keeps by His side to learn how
he ought to walk, and who understands the riches that are in Christ and the beauty of His ways,
and who enjoys communion with Him, pleasing Him every day more and more!

Some of the Lord’s servants are called and specially qualified for edification. They therefore
occupy themselves with souls and with the assembly, laboring to build up themselves and others
on their most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, seeking to maintain the truth of the Church
among the saints, and caring for the holiness of the house of God. There are others who are called
to conflict, who are quick to discern the assaults of the enemy upon the truth of God, and wise in
the power of the Holy Spirit to meet them with the weapons of their warfare which "are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4,5).

The builders, the burden-bearers, and those that laded are also distinguished. Every one had his
appointed work, and all contributed to the same end. But whether builders, burden-bearers, or
those that laded, one feature characterized them all alike:"Every one with one of his hands
wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon" (Neh. 4:17). This in itself reveals
the character of the times in which they labored. They were in fact perilous times_times when
the power of Satan was increasingly manifested in opposition to the people of God. These times
were typical of that in which Jude labored, especially when he wrote his epistle, for we find the
same two things in him_the sword and the trowel. He found it necessary to contend earnestly for
the faith once delivered to the saints, and he also exhorted those to whom he wrote to build up
themselves on their most holy faith. And this is also the character of the present day_the perilous
times in which our lot is cast.

Therefore, we may well learn from Nehemiah’s builders that the divine way of being prepared for
the assaults of the enemy is, while we have our weapons of defense in one hand, or our swords
girded on our thigh, to be diligently occupied in building. When controversies arise through
Satan’s attacks upon the truth, there is a great danger of forgetting the need of souls_of ceasing
to build. We may be so occupied with the enemy that we overlook the necessity of diligent and
persistent ministrations of Christ to sustain and nourish souls, thus enabling them to repel the
enemy’s assaults. God’s people cannot be fed, built up, with controversies. This is a warning word
which cannot be too loudly sounded forth at the present moment. Our positive work, even when
expecting and on the outlook for the enemy, is building; and the more earnestly we build, the
more secure we shall be when the enemy delivers his assault. The weapons must be ready, but our
work is to go on with the wall.

(From An Exposition of Nehemiah.)

FRAGMENT
In the combination of the sword and the trowel, we see the symbols of our own calling. There is
that which we have to withstand, and there is that which we have to cultivate. We are to cherish
and advance, like builders, what is of the Spirit in us; we are to resist and mortify what is of the
flesh. We are builders and fighters.

The Lord Jesus is called "the Son of God" in different respects. He is so called as being born of
the virgin (Luke 1:35). He is such by divine decree (Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:33). He is the Son, and
yet has obtained the name of Son (Heb. i:i-5).

Matthew and Mark first notice His Sonship of God at His baptism. Luke goes farther back and
notices it at His birth. But John goes back farther still, even to the immeasurable, unspeakable
distance of eternity, and declares His Son-ship "in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18).

The bosom of the Father was an eternal habitation, enjoyed by the Son in the indescribable delight
of the Father. Another has called it "the hiding place of love"_inexpressible love which is beyond
glory, for glory may be revealed, but this cannot.

Can the love of God be understood according to Scripture if the Sonship of Jesus Christ be not
owned? Does not that love get its character from that very doctrine? Are not our hearts challenged
on the ground of it? "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16).
Again, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). Yet again, "We have seen and do testify that the Father
sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14).

Does not this love at once lose its unparalleled glory if this truth be questioned? How would our
souls answer the man who would tell us that it was not His own Son whom God spared not, but
gave Him up for us all? How would it wither the heart to hear that such a One was only His Son
as born of the virgin and that the words, "He that spared not His own Son" (Romans 8:32) refer
to Him as a human Son and not as a divine Son?

As we trace His wondrous path from the glory to the heirship of all things, what discoveries are
made of Him! Read of Him in Proverbs 8:22-31; John 1:1-3; Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:13-22;
Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John i:2; Revelation 3:14. Meditate on Him as presented to you in those
glorious Scriptures. Let them yield to you their several lights that you may view the One in whom
you trust, the One who gave up all for you, the One who has trod_and is treading_such a path;
and then tell me if you can possibly part with Him.

In the bosom of the Father He was. There lay the Eternal Life with the Father. He was God, and
yet with God. In counsel He was then set up before the highest part of the dust of the earth was
made (Prov. 8:26). Then, He was the Creator of all things in their first order and beauty;
afterwards, in their state of mischief and ruin, He was the Reconciler of all things; and by-and-by,
in their regathering, He will be the Heir of all things. By faith we see Him thus, and thus speak
of Him. He was in the everlasting counsels, in the virgin’s womb, in the sorrows of the world,
in the resurrection from the dead, in the honor and glory of a crown in heaven, and with all
authority and praise in the heirship and lordship of all things.

Deprive Him of the bosom of the Father from all eternity, and ask your soul if it has lost nothing
in its apprehension and joy of this precious mystery, thus unfolded from everlasting to everlasting.

1 cannot understand a saint pleading for such a thing. Nor can 1 consent to join in any confession
that tells my heavenly Father it was not His own Son He gave up for me.

The First Epistle of John deals particularly with the Person of the Son. It is the Son who is the
great object through the whole of it. The fathers, the young men, and the little children are
distinguished in this epistle, not on the basis of their general Christian character, but on the
measure of their souls’ apprehension of the truth concerning the Person of the Son. How divinely
and preciously consistent is all of this!

(From The Son of God.)

It is important to know that Christ is the source of all the gifts that the Church possesses. In
Ephesians 4:7 and 8 we read:"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure
of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When He ascended up oh high, He led captivity captive,
and gave gifts unto men." Christ is seen here in His resurrection glory. He has conquered death,
and consequently has delivered His people from the power of death. And as the risen Man, He
qualifies them for His service in giving them gifts through His grace.

In 1 Corinthians 12 we see. how these gifts are controlled and used. In verses 4-7 we read:"Now
there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but
the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all
in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." The Holy Spirit
is the prominent One here as the power of the gifts. We see many different gifts put into service
by "the same Spirit." This results in various services or ministries under the authority of "the same
Lord" accomplishing God’s work in the souls of men, for "it is the same God which worketh all
in all." Control, then, is by the Spirit, whose power brings benefit to every man as the gifts are
used. We see further in verse 11 how all the gifts work in the unity of the Spirit according to His
sovereign will. "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will." This should impress upon us the necessity of seeking the Lord’s will in our
service for Him. It is in this way that the greatest blessing for souls will be realized.

Let us look at some examples from Scripture which show us the Holy Spirit directing the servants
of Christ. This will instruct us further in God’s order so that we may intelligently follow His will
in serving Him.

In Acts 13:2-4 we read:"The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul [also called Paul]
for the work where-unto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their
hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost," etc. The Spirit
is prominent here; He called and sent them into the work for which they had been fitted by Christ.
They were especially qualified for this work by the gifts given them of Christ. The part those at
Antioch had in this work was to give them the right hand of fellowship. The fellowship of their
brethren was a very important thing to Barnabas and Saul. It gave them support and
encouragement. This is the simple meaning of the laying on of hands. Then in Acts 16:6 we read:
"They . . . were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia." And in verse 7:"They
assayed to go into Bithynia:but the Spirit suffered them not." Here they are directed into a special
place by the Spirit, who again is prominent. Even though they thought of laboring in other places,
they willingly submitted to go just where the Lord wanted them, as directed by His Spirit. His will
was sovereign to them. This resulted in a great work of God in Macedonia. So, in the early
Church, the Lord controlled by His Spirit the use of gifts.

If we follow the life and ministry of the apostle Paul a little further, we find that he was called of
Christ as apostle to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-9) and minister to the Church (Col. 1:25), a "chosen
vessel" of the Lord. In this capacity, he established churches or assemblies. This included all the
teaching and order pertaining to them. But he NEVER controlled or attempted to control any of

Christ’s gifts. Paul knew this authority was Christ’s alone; he never presumed to trespass here,
though he was an apostle.

Let us consider briefly the commonly accepted practices in the use of gifts among Christians
today. Authority vested in men is what is generally found. We see the establishment of a special
class of men, with a higher status than that of the many, called "the clergy." The many are "the
laity." In some cases, control lies with "the clergy." Conferences are convened for the purpose
of assigning "pastorates." In other cases, a fair degree of control lies with "the laity." They may
"elect" or "choose" a pastor or a minister. But gift among the laity lies largely dormant by reason
of these controls. These abuses, and others not mentioned, are a result of men presumptuously
taking to themselves the authority of Christ. For all practical purposes, Christ, as the Head of His
Church, has been displaced; men have established themselves in His place instead. Let us be true
to the Lord by upholding His authority and refusing that of men.

There remains one point which requires our attention. It is that the gifts of Christ can never be
disciplined. To whatever degree discipline may be necessary, even to the extreme of having to
"put away from among yourselves that wicked person" (1 Cor. 5:13), it is sin that is judged and
not gift. In such a case, one’s service for the Lord is suspended by the Lord until that person is
restored to Him. The Lord will not use His gift in that person until the sin is judged. When this
has been done, the Lord will restore him to communion and service. Then follows his restoration
to fellowship by the assembly. But it is not gift that is restored; it is the person. Since gift was not
disciplined, it need not be restored. Since the person has been restored, the Lord will resume His
use of that gift, if He so pleases. How gracious He is:"The gifts and calling of God are without
repentance" (Rom. 11:29). God never recalls that which He has given in grace through Christ,
whether it is gift or any other possession.

In summary, Christ has given gifts unto men and it is God’s order that these gifts be controlled
by the Holy Spirit and not by men. May we each allow the Spirit to work in us more freely, that
the gifts which Christ has given us might be developed and used to His honor and glory. May we
be quick to judge every uprising of the flesh within us and every entanglement with the world, that
we might be in a fit condition for our gift to be used of the Lord. Oh, let us live in the fear of the
Lord so that we may be His faithful and fruitful servants!

FRAGMENT It is a healthy sign when saints are zealous of good works, but I believe there is
nothing so likely to sap the soul as the satisfaction one derives from feeling that one is useful.
When you have been much in active service you need to go to the desert to rest awhile with the
Lord (Mark 6:31). The soul who does not seek this, and long for it, is the soul that needs it most.

(Ed. note:The incident described below by one of our readers took place in the spring of 1971.
We think it illustrates the fact that God understands and is willing to help us with problems
peculiar to modern life.)

The engine of my car began to "miss" while driving home from the midweek meeting. The next
morning I had a babysitting engagement, so I drove to the home where I was to work. The car
got worse as I drove along. After the mother returned home, I told her of the trouble I was
having with the car. She recommended a mechanic in a certain place about twenty miles from her
home. She asked me if I wanted her to drive along behind me in case the car stopped completely.
I thanked her, but said it would be too much for her to bundle her three children into the car and
drive all the way there and back.

Now, I always ask God to take me safely to my destination whenever I drive the car. This time,
of course, I made special mention in my prayer of the car trouble and asked God to get me to the
repair shop without trouble. The car continued to "miss" and "jump" all down the highway, but
finally I arrived at the repair shop.

The mechanic drove the car into the garage. He lifted the hood of the car and picked up the
distributor cap. There was nothing holding it on! A large piece had broken off.

"How did you get this car here?" the mechanic asked.

"I drove it about twenty miles in order to get here," I replied.

"No car could run with a distributor cap like this," he said. "It was a miracle if you came twenty
miles in this car."

No doubt it was a miracle. God performs miracles every day – we just need the faith to see them.

"Vatican City (AP)_Pope Paul VI will interrupt his flight to Manila Friday for a one-hour visit
to East Pakistan to express his sympathy for the victims of the storm disaster 2 days ago, the
Vatican announced today. The announcement said the pontiff would spend an hour in Dacca, the
capital of East Pakistan. It is 100 miles north of the Ganges delta area where hundreds of
thousands died in the winds and floods and some two million survivors are homeless and
desperately in need of food and clothing" (Baltimore Evening Sun, November 24, 1970).

Of all his stops on his recent tour of the Far East, the pope’s brief visit to Pakistan commanded
the least amount of attention in the press. But this one brief news item made a deep impression
upon me. My first thought when reading it was one of incredulity. I could scarcely believe that
one with such means at his disposal could bring himself to come before those millions of bereaved
and suffering souls merely to offer his sympathy. But then I got to thinking that perhaps many of
us_myself in particular_behave a little bit like that. It may well be true that we have no lack of
sympathy towards those who are needy and passing through trials and difficulties. But do we not
sometimes come short in demonstrating our sympathy in practical ways?

There are many areas in which we might apply the example given by the pope in Pakistan to
ourselves. Four such areas are considered below.

1. Suffering Saints

We may be very liberal in sending get well cards and sympathy cards to the ill and bereaved; It
is hoped that we are equally liberal in our prayers for them also. But how often do we attempt to
find out whether we can be of any practical help to the suffering soul? We make the assumption
that every one has insurance, and thus we hinder the Lord from putting it in our hearts to offer
financial assistance to His tried saint. We likewise assume that somehow, by someone, the
children will be cared for, the house and business attended to, etc., during this period of trouble,
and so we do not bother to ask if we can help.

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart
in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are
needful to the body; what doth it profit?" (James 2:15,16).

2. Strangers in Need

Who of us has not had the experience while driving along in our cars of seeing a motorist whose
car is stalled or stuck in a snow drift or with a flat tire? We have seen it many times, have we not?
And how many times have we driven right on by, with the honest hope in our heart that one of
the drivers behind us won’t be quite so busy and hurried as we are and will be kind enough to
help? It is true that we are often warned these days against helping strangers, as it can sometimes
be dangerous. But let us be more before the Lord, asking Him to help us to be alert to the needs
of others, and to give us wisdom and discernment as to when to step in and offer assistance.
Helping others in this way provides a good opportunity to give the needy individual a gospel tract

and to tell him of the One who has given His life that He might help and save each one of us.

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men" (Gal. 6:10).

3. Souls to be Saved

Many of us, doubtless, pray regularly on behalf of the unsaved, that they might hear the gospel,
repent of their sins, and put their trust in the One who died for sinners. How good it is to have
a concern for the lost souls around us. But are not many of us_the writer as much as any
one_content with merely praying about the matter, and not really concerned enough to go out and
do something about it? How often do we excuse ourselves by thinking we are too busy, or not
sufficiently gifted to do this service for the Lord.

Oh, Lord! Give us more and yet more compassion for lost, needy, hell-bound souls! Then help
us to turn this compassion into a practical witness of Thy love and grace to these souls!

"Do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim. 4:5). "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil"
(Eph. 5:16).

4. Work in the Assembly

Perhaps we are going somewhat far afield in applying the lesson of the pope in Pakistan, but there
is one more area in which we all recognize a great need, but in which we all too often take the
attitude of "let ______ do it; he is more able or has more time." I refer to work among the people
of God, work in the Assembly. Has not God given each of His own a gift, a special ability? And
are we not exhorted to use our gift as enabled of God? Each member of the Body of Christ has
a specific function (1 Cor. 12). One may be a hand, another a foot, a third one an ear. All are
necessary and the whole cannot function well without the proper functioning of each of the various
members. May we each determine wherein our particular gift lies, and then ask the Lord for help
in using it to His honor and glory.

In addition to the work of winning souls which has been briefly treated in the previous section,
there is much work to be done among the Lord’s people in teaching, shepherding, counseling,
visiting, helping, exhorting, and governing (see Romans 12 and 1 Cor. 12). Next time, instead
of saying, "Let _______ do it," try, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"(Acts 9:6).

5. Postscript

After writing this article, I learned something that I had not found in the local newspaper:It turns
out that when the pope visited Pakistan, he offered not only his sympathy but also a check for
$10,000 to the Pakistan government for relief of the victims of the disaster. So perhaps the pope
is exonerated in this matter; but it remains for us to examine ourselves before the Lord whether
we "love in deed and in truth" as well as in word and in tongue (1 John 3:18).

FRAGMENT

Christ’s heart was moved when He saw sorrow. He would not have us cold and indifferent to it,
but full of tenderness and compassion toward those who are suffering. He has set us an example
that we should follow His steps (1 Peter 2:21).

It is a comfort to get man’s sympathy, but he often cannot help us. How blessed it is to get God’s
sympathy, which has power in it.

Early Manuscripts

While we often hear and speak of the "original manuscripts" of the Bible, it is a remarkable fact
that there is not one original manuscript_either of the Old or New Testament_ now in existence,
so far as is known. In some cases, when these precious documents became old, they were
reverently buried by the Jews, who used reliable copies in their stead; others have been lost during
the wars and persecutions by which God’s ancient people have been recurringly oppressed.

But while the actual original documents have all been lost, there is, happily, no need for alarm as
to the basis of our faith. There are in existence today many thousands of Hebrew and Greek
manuscripts which have been copied from earlier manuscripts by Jewish scribes from time to time.
These are the documents generally referred to when the "originals" are now spoken of. These
existing manuscripts may be divided into the following classes:

1. Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament which date back to the eighth century, A.D.

2. Greek manuscripts of the Old Testament (known as the Septuagint), translated from the Hebrew
about 277 B.C., which date back to the fourth century, A.D.

3. Greek manuscripts of the New Testament which date back to the fourth century, A.D.

In making copies of Hebrew manuscripts which are the precious heritage of the Church today, the
Jewish scribes exercised the greatest possible care, even to the point of superstition_counting, not
only the words, but every letter, noting how many times each particular letter occurred, and
destroying at once the sheet on which a mistake was detected in their anxiety to avoid the
introduction of the least error into the sacred Scriptures which they prized so highly and held in
such reverence.

The highest authorities assure us that in spite of the countless number of times the Scriptures have
been copied through the centuries, the variations of any importance introduced by copyists into
the Greek documents of the New Testament amount to less than one thousandth of the entire text,
and the Hebrew documents of the Old Testament show even less variation!

Since there are, in the good providence of God, so many ancient manuscripts available, a mistake
in one is, as a rule, detected by the accumulated evidence of the correct reading of the same
passage in many of the other documents. So it may be safely said that with the possession of these
thousands of manuscripts, we are practically able to arrive at the exact words of the Scriptures as
they originally came from God through His prophets and apostles.

Translations of the Bible

The following is a concise chronology of the more important translations of the Holy Scriptures
made from the aforementioned "original manuscripts." Second Century, A.D. The Latin Vulgate

Version.

This was a Latin translation made from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament and the
original Greek of the New. This appears to have been England’s first Bible, having been brought
to that then pagan land by early Christian missionaries. In the fourth century, this version was
revised by Jerome who had access to ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament.

1250 A.D. Division into Chapters.

A certain man named Cardinal Hugo was the first to divide the Bible into chapters. He did this
while preparing a concordance for the Vulgate. The divisions, while very convenient for
reference, are sometimes far from happily arranged. However, they have been followed in every
future translation to the present day.

1382 A.D. First English Bible.

The first translation of the whole Bible into the English language was made by John Wycliffe. It
was made from the Latin Vulgate and took him about 22 years to complete.

1450 A.D. Division of the Old Testament into Verses.

A learned Italian Jew named Mordecai Nathan published a concordance of the Hebrew Bible, and
for convenience, added verses to the chapters arranged by Hugo two centuries earlier. This
arrangement of verses remains to the present day.

1525 A.D. First Printed English Testament.

Following the invention of the printing press in Europe by Gutenberg about 1450, William
Tyndale published the first printed New Testament in English. He translated much of the Bible
out of the Hebrew and Greek rather than the Vulgate.

1551 A.D. Division of the New Testament into Verses.

Robert Stephens published a Greek New Testament in which he divided the chapters into verses.
Nine years later an edition of the English Bible was prepared in Geneva, Switzerland by reformers
who had fled from England during the persecutions under Queen Mary. This was the first whole
Bible which was divided into verses.

1611 A.D. The "Authorized Version" or "King James Version."

This is a translation based on the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. It was commissioned by King
James 1 and prepared, in five years of careful labor, by some fifty Church of England and Puritan
scholars. It has been revised several times since then, so that a modern copy of the Authorized
Version is quite changed from the original 1611 edition. In this version, the marginal references
from one passage to another, so useful to Bible students, were adopted.

1881 A.D. The New Translation by John Nelson Darby.

God was pleased to enable this man of God to translate His Holy Word most faithfully from the
best Hebrew and Greek sources into English, French, and German. This translation is unexcelled
in its close adherence to the most authoritative manuscripts, many of which were unknown to the
King James translators. It is remarkably superior to the King James Version in many respects,
including its much narrower and consistent selection of English words to express the same Greek
or Hebrew word. To the serious Bible student who desires an English translation which most
accurately renders the inspired Word of God, this translation by J. N. Darby is highly
recommended.

(Adapted by the editor from the following sources:All About the Bible, and Forty-four
Translations of the English Bible.)

God has revealed Himself to us as the "God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10), and He has set us in the
position of "having tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:3). How hard it is for us to believe
that the Lord is gracious I The natural feeling of our hearts is, "I know that thou art an austere
man" (see Luke 19:21). There is in all of us naturally a lack of understanding of the grace of God.

There is sometimes the thought that grace implies God’s passing over sin. To the contrary! The
thought of grace sup-poses sin to be such a horribly bad thing that God cannot tolerate it. If it
were in the power of unrighteous, evil man to patch up his ways and mend himself so that he
could stand before God, there would be no need of grace. The very fact that the Lord is gracious
shows man’s state as a sinner so utterly ruined and hopeless that nothing but free grace can meet
his need. The moment I understand that I am a sinful man, and that the Lord came to me because
He knew the full extent and hatefulness of my sin, I understand what grace is. Faith makes me see
that God is greater than my sin, and not that my sin is greater than God.

Now it is good to realize that the Lord who lay down His life for me is the same Lord with whom
I have to do every day of my life. All His dealings with me are on the same principles of grace.
The great secret of growth is the looking up to the Lord as gracious. How precious, how
strengthening it is to know that Jesus is at this moment feeling and exercising the same love
toward me as when He died on the cross for me.

This is a truth that should be applied by us in the most common everyday circumstances of life.
Suppose, for instance, I have a bad temper which I find difficult to overcome. If I bring it to Jesus
as my Friend, virtue goes out of Him for my need. My faith should thus be ever in exercise
against temptations, and not simply my own effort. My own effort will never be sufficient. The
source of real strength is in the sense of the Lord’s being gracious.

The natural man in us always disbelieves Christ as the only source of strength and of every
blessing. Suppose my soul is out of communion and the natural heart says, "I must correct the
cause of this before I can come to Christ." But He is gracious! And knowing this, we should
return to Him at once, just as we are, and then humble ourselves deeply before Him. It is only in
Him and from Him that we shall find that which will restore our souls. Humbleness in His
presence is the only real humbleness. If we own ourselves in His presence to be just what we are,
we shall find that He will show us nothing but grace.

It is Jesus who gives abiding rest to our souls, and not what our thoughts about ourselves may be.
Faith never thinks about that which is in ourselves as its ground of rest. Rather, it receives and
loves what God has revealed, and what are God’s thoughts about Jesus, in whom is His rest. In
knowing Jesus to be precious to our souls, and having our eyes and our hearts occupied with Him,
we will be effectually prevented from being taken up with the vanity and sin around. And this,
too, will be our strength against the sin and corruption of our own hearts.

WHATEVER I SEE IN MYSELF THAT IS NOT IN HIM, IS SIN. But it is not thinking of my
own sins and my own vileness that will humble me, but thinking of the Lord Jesus_dwelling upon

the excellency in Him. It is well to be done with ourselves, and to be taken up with Jesus. We are
entitled to forget ourselves; we are entitled to forget our sins; we are entitled to forget all but
Jesus.

There is nothing so hard for our hearts as to abide in the sense of grace, to continue practically
conscious that we are not under law, but under grace. There is nothing more difficult for us to
comprehend than the fulness of that "grace of God wherein [we] stand," and to walk in the power
and consciousness of it. It is only in the presence of God that we can know it. The moment we get
away from the presence of God there will always be certain workings of our own thoughts within
us, and our own thoughts can never reach up to the thoughts of God about us, to the "grace of
God."

The having very simple thoughts of grace is the source of our strength as Christians. The abiding
in the sense of grace, in the presence of God, is the secret of all holiness, peace, and quietness of
spirit.

In Romans 7 we find a description of a person born again, but whose whole set of reasonings
centers in himself. He stops short of grace. He stops short of the simple fact that, however bad
he may be, God is love, and only love towards him. Instead of looking at God, it is all /, I, I.
Faith looks at God as He has revealed Himself in grace.

Grace has reference to what God is, and not to what we are, except indeed that the very greatness
of our sins magnifies the extent of the "grace of God." At the same time we must remember that
the object of grace is to bring our souls into communion with God_to sanctify us by bringing our
souls to know God and to love Him. Therefore the knowledge of grace is the true source of
sanctification.

It is better to be thinking of what God is than of what we are. The looking at ourselves is really
pride, a want of the thorough consciousness that we are good for nothing. Until we see this we
never quite look away from self to God. In looking to Christ, it is our privilege to forget
ourselves. True humility does not so much consist in thinking badly of ourselves, as in not
thinking of ourselves at all. I am too bad to be worth thinking about. What I want is to forget
myself and look to God, who is indeed worth all my thoughts.

Beloved, if we can say as in Romans 7, "In me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing," we
have thought quite long enough about ourselves. Let us then think about Him who thought about
us with thoughts of good and not of evil, long before we had thought of ourselves at all. Let us
see what His thoughts of grace about us are, and take up the words of faith, "If God be for us,
who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

(Ed. note:The following are some brief excerpts from a 269 page book of the same title by
Samuel Ridout. It is obviously impossible to begin to do justice to such a large subject in the few
pages we have available in this magazine. The reader who is concerned about starting a more
regular, thorough, systematic study of the Bible is urged to obtain a copy of this book and read
it in its entirety.)

Preliminary Remarks

To many, an exposition on such a subject as "How to Study the Bible" may seem needless, and
an intrusion into what must ever be, left to the individual alone as guided by the Spirit of God.
Others, already diligent workers in this field, will find, perhaps, little to help; but it is hoped that
large numbers of the Lord’s people who have a longing to become better acquainted with the
contents of His Word may find useful suggestions in the following pages.

A few preliminary remarks may not be amiss.

First. No method of Bible study, however useful in itself, can do away with the absolute necessity
for repentance and new birth. The natural mind is "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18),
and no amount of education, even in the word of truth itself, can change the character of that
which is "enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). Without doubt, the rise and growth of higher criticism
may largely be due to the handling of the Scriptures by unconverted men in a coldly intellectual
manner. Likewise, much of the mixture in established churches is probably due to the
indiscriminate participation, by converted and unconverted alike, in truths which can only really
be spiritually learned.

Second. No method of Bible study, even for the children of God, can be substituted for the
inestimable blessedness and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the believer. "He will guide you into
all truth" (John 16:13) is a promise not only for the apostles but for all believers. The Spirit is an
enlightener of the minds of the saints, leading them into that which is needed for their upbuilding
on their most holy faith.

The most complete and logical methods of Bible study, pursued in the most diligent manner, with
approved helps of every variety, are all worthless apart from the special and controlling guidance
of Him who delights to take of the things of Christ and to show them unto us. How precious a
privilege it is to have the Author of the perfect and infinite Word of God present with us, to point
out its manifold beauties and perfections, to give us the key to its arrangement, and to lead us on
step by step in a knowledge of the vast plan contained in it. And not only this, but we have this
divine Person dwelling in us! Our hearts through grace are capable of appreciating what He makes
known, and of assimilating the truths of those deep things which the Spirit searches, and of
carrying them out in obedient lives.

Third. In line with what has already been said, it is well to remember that all our study of the
Bible must be in a reverent spirit in which all self-sufficiency and dependence upon carnal wisdom

are refused, and we realize that if we are to know anything aright it must be from God alone. "The
Word of God and prayer" are put together as the sanctifying power in the enjoyment of all the
natural gifts of God (1 Tim. 4:5). Thus the Scripture will always, if rightly apprehended, reveal
our ignorance and shortcomings to us, leading us to a spirit of prayer; and in like manner our very
ignorance of God’s Word will turn us to Him who is so ready to fulfill His Word:"If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall
be given him" (James 1:5).

Daily Bible Reading

First of all in importance we place the daily, regular reading of the Scriptures from Genesis to
Revelation, repeatedly and throughout life. No words of ours can express too strongly the absolute
importance of having the mind and heart thoroughly saturated with the knowledge of the letter of
Scripture from beginning to end. Nothing in the way of Bible knowledge can take the place of this.
It is the broad foundation upon which the superstructure of subsequent detail must rest; and if this
foundation is not broad and deep, the superstructure, no matter how high and intricate, will lack
in stability.

Let us be very simple and explicit. In every Christian home there should be the reading of the
Word of God and prayer at least once a day. No matter how strenuous the life and busy, let
nothing rob the family of this simple and most precious privilege. Let some hour be selected in
the morning or evening when the family can be gathered for a few minutes and a chapter read
carefully and attentively. The time consumed in this way is well spent and will in itself help to
keep fresh in our mind, from early childhood, the great outstanding facts and truths of the precious
Word of God. It is probably better to begin with the Gospels and to go through the New
Testament, and then to take up the Old Testament.

In addition to the family reading, we speak next of the private reading by each one of at least a
chapter every day. Here, too, it is well to follow the order suggested above and begin with the
New Testament, and having finished that, to go to the Old. If but one chapter a day can be read,
the entire Scriptures will have been gone over in the course of three years.

Regularity and system are most important here. One can carefully study the duties and
responsibilities of the day and devote a certain time to this reading. We are creatures of habit, and
when once it is a settled fact that our daily chapter or two is to be read, little difficulty will be
found in carrying out the plan.

On days in which a little more time is available, it is useful occasionally to try rapid survey
reading, as we may call it. This is the practice of reading a whole book through at a sitting. For
instance, the Gospel of Mark can be read as we would an article in a magazine, and in as short
a time. In this way we get a good general idea of the contents of the book which might be missed
through reading a chapter at a time. This is of much value as an introduction to the study of any
book:we first read it through at a sitting, and then take it up more in detail, a chapter or a few
verses at a time.

Let it be settled before God, of course not in a legal way, but in the liberty of true love, that we
must and shall read our Bibles regularly and systematically. Let us give this the first place_if
possible, a few minutes in the morning when the mind is fresh, and it will probably help in giving
tone to the mental system for the entire day.

Prayer in Connection with Bible Study

Let us look a little more in detail at the subject of prayer in connection with Bible study. Our
studies are to be conducted in a prayerful way, and here we cannot be too simple. Whenever we
open our Bibles, whether for reading our daily chapter or for any particular course of study, there
should be a sense of incompetence and self-distrust. We should realize our special tendency to
having our own thoughts instead of having a mind open to the thoughts of God. We should
therefore be as specific as possible in our prayers.

If we have only five minutes for our study, let us ask the Lord to fix our attention on what is
before us. If some difficult point meets us at the very outset, let us ask Him to explain it to us.
And so on, throughout the period of our Bible study, let prayer be mingled with our study. We
will be astonished and delighted to find how often we will receive direct answers to the simplest
kinds of requests.

Of course, we shall not always at once get our answer. If we did, it would make us careless and
we would lose that sense of reverence which must ever become us. Doubtless there will often be
exercises and a sense of failure, but let us not be discouraged; only "continue in prayer, and watch
in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2). This will keep our study from being formal or merely
intellectual. We will find our very prayers becoming more intelligent and direct; and if we really
have desires, we will find them granted far oftener than we had thought possible.

Notebooks on Bible Study

It is always well to read and study pen in hand. Lord Bacon said:"Reading maketh a full man;
writing, an exact man." The practice of putting down the results of our reading and study is most
important. The writer, in his own experience, has found it useful to have a small notebook which
can be conveniently carried in the pocket so that notes can be jotted down on every occasion of
gleaning in the field of divine truth. These may be disconnected thoughts, outlines of verses or of
chapters, or questions which occur to us_hundreds of matters which will escape our memories
if we let them go, but which are fastened definitely by being thus recorded.

If we use the notebook as freely as has been suggested, we would probably fill a small-sized one
every two or three months. These should be numbered and kept for further reference. (It might
be of interest to the reader to mention that it was the practice of the late J. N. Darby to fill such
notebooks, and from these, after his death, seven volumes of "Notes and Comments on Scripture"
were published.)

Final Remarks

We know God through His Word, not merely intellectually, but as born, cleansed, and nourished
by that Word. We know Christ in this way also; and thus, in a special and real way, the written
Word is the mind of the living, the divine Word. May something of that longing which filled the
heart of the apostle possess us also. As we press forward to see our Lord on high, may we also
seek Him in His Word, forgetting our past attainments which are behind, reaching forth to those
that are before, and pressing forward ever for the prize which, while it is on high, awaits our
reverent, diligent, persistent search in the precious Word of God. Not that we shall ever be
satisfied this side of heaven. Indeed, God’s Word is so perfect that we can never grasp all its
fulness here, but we shall go on to know Him and the power of His resurrection, yea, and the
fellowship of His sufferings too, in that measure in which His Word fills mind and heart and
possesses and controls our lives.

Courage, then, dear fellow Christian, in this noble work! The few minutes you are putting on
some little study morning by morning may seem a trifle; but, oh, the knowledge of Christ is not
a trifle; the knowledge of the Word of God is not a trifle. Let us then be diligent, simple,
obedient, and hopeful, and continue in this precious work!

FRAGMENT
"How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm
119:103.)

The year was about 455 B.C. The place was Shushan in the land of Persia. Some eighty years
previously, the first company of Jews had returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon.
But some of the Jews still remained in the land of their captivity. One of these was a man by the
name of Nehemiah who was a servant of Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. Now in spite of
Nehemiah’s position, the Lord was working to open the way for him to return to Jerusalem so that
he might provide leadership in rebuilding the walls of the Jews’ beloved city. The story of how
Nehemiah found favor in the sight of the king is an interesting one and gives some good
illustrations of how God answers prayer. Let us read Nehemiah’s own account:

It came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that
Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the
Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said
unto me, "The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and
reproach:the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire."

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain
days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, . . . "O Lord, I beseech thee,
let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who
desire to fear thy name:and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the
sight of this man." For I was the king’s cupbearer.

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine
was before him:and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime
sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou
art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart."

Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, "Let the king live for ever:why should not
my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchers, lieth waste, and the
gates thereof are consumed with fire?"

Then the king said unto me, "For what dost thou make request?"

So I prayed to the God of heaven.

And I said unto the king, "If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight,
that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchers, that I may build
it."

And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him), "For how long shall thy journey be?
And when wilt thou re-turn?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

Moreover I said unto the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors
beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; and a letter unto Asaph
the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the
palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the bouse that I shall
enter into." And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me (Nehemiah
1:1-4; 1:11-2:8).

It is very interesting to observe the way in which God brought about the accomplishment of
Nehemiah’s desire. Four months had passed since he had offered the prayer recorded in chapter
1. He is careful to give us the dates. In the month Chisleu (answering to our November) he had
prayed; and in the month Nisan (answering to our March) the answer came. During this period,
this man of faith must have waited in daily expectation upon God. He could not foresee how the
answer would come, but he knew that God could intervene when and how He would. It is in this
way God both tries and strengthens the faith of His people. He waits while they wait. But if He
waits, it is only to work out in His people more entire dependence upon Himself, and thus to
prepare their hearts more fully for the blessing He is about to bestow. And when He steps in, it
is often, as in this case, in such a quiet and unseen way_unseen by all but the eye of faith_that
it needs the exercise of faith to detect His presence. How natural, on the surface, is the way in
which Artaxerxes was induced to give Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem. But it must
be remembered that Nehemiah had prayed that God would grant him mercy in the sight of the
king. Let us examine this scene in detail.

At the beginning of chapter 2 we find Nehemiah occupied with the duties of his office as the
king’s cupbearer. He took up the wine and gave it unto the king; but his heart was occupied with
other things, for he was burdened with the unutterable sorrow of his people’s condition. But wine
and sadness are incongruous, and it was intolerable to the king that his cupbearer should wear a
sorrowful face at such a time. It destroyed his own pleasure. The king became angry and asked
Nehemiah why he looked sad. This made Nehemiah very much afraid. And well might he have
been afraid, for in such a mood, Artaxerxes, as a true oriental despot, could have had him
immediately executed. But although Nehemiah was afraid, God gave him presence of mind, and
led him to tell simply and truly the cause of his sorrow.

The king was well acquainted with the subject of Nehemiah’s sorrow, for it was he who had
permitted Ezra to go up to build the temple, and had himself given gold and silver to aid Ezra in
that work. So God used Nehemiah’s simple words to interest the king once more in the condition
of Jerusalem. The king then asked Nehemiah if he could help him out in any way. What an
opportunity! What an answer to prayer! Surely most men would have hastened to answer the king.
But note what Nehemiah did. First he prayed to God, and then he presented his petition. Are we
to conclude that he kept the king waiting while he prayed? By no means. But the point to be
observed is that before he answered his master he cast himself upon his God. He thus
acknowledged his dependence for wisdom to say the right thing. How we should seek to be like
Nehemiah in this way! Surely it is blessed to be so walking in dependence on God that when we
face difficulties, perplexities and dangers, we naturally look to the Lord for the needed wisdom,
direction and help. When this is the case, the presence of God will be more real to us than the
presence of men. It is wonderful to notice the boldness which God gave to Nehemiah as he stood

before the king. He did not stop with asking permission to return to Judah. He further requested
letters from the king to assure him of a safe journey to Jerusalem and also to provide him with
building materials which would be needed once he got to Jerusalem. And the king granted him all
that he requested, according to the good hand of God. Nehemiah had poured out before God the
desires of his heart (desires which God Himself had produced); then he had looked to God for
guidance and strength when in the presence of the king; and God now showed that He had
undertaken for His servant by inclining the king to grant all that was necessary for the
accomplishment of the work. And Nehemiah acknowledged this, saying that it was "according to
the good hand of my God upon me."

It is well for us to mark this principle in the ways of God with His people. If He puts within our
hearts a desire for any service_a service for His glory_He will surely open out before us the way
to it. If it be really His work on which our minds are set, He will enable us to do it in His own
way and time. The door may seem to be closed and barred; but if we wait on Him who "openeth,
and no man shutteth" (Rev. 3:7), we shall find that it will suddenly open to us, so that we may
enter in without hindrance. There could be no more difficult position than that in which Nehemiah
found himself. But the Lord who had touched his heart with the affliction of His people removed
all obstacles and set him free for his labor of love in Jerusalem. "Wait on the Lord:be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart:wait, I say, on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).

Though the word "inspiration" occurs in the Bible but once in reference to the Scriptures, yet the
one statement in which it is found is important and full of deep meaning:"Every Scripture is
divinely inspired [literally, ‘God-breathed’], and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to
every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16,17 JND). This places all Scripture on one basis as to inspiration,
whether it be historical, doctrinal, or prophetic. We learn by this passage that not simply the
persons who wrote were inspired, but the writings themselves are divinely inspired (see 2 Peter
1:21).

All writings are composed of words, and if these writings are inspired, the words are inspired.
This is what is commonly called "verbal inspiration." Other passages speak of the importance of
words:Peter said, "To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68), and
we find those words in the Gospels. When it was a question of Gentiles being brought into
blessing without being circumcised, James in his address appealed to the words of the prophets
(Acts 15:15). Paul in writing to the Corinthian saints said, "Which things also we speak, not in
the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13). The
Holy Spirit taught Paul what words to use. The whole of Scripture forms the Word of God, and
both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament we read of "the words of God" (1 Chron.
25:5; Ezra 9:4; Psalm 107:11; John 3:34 and 8:47; Rev. 17:17). Neither must His word be added
to, or taken from (Deut. 4:2 and 12:32; Rev. 22:18,19).

The above passages should carry conviction to simple souls that every Scripture is God-inspired.
As nothing less than this is worthy of God, so nothing less than this would meet the need of man.
Amid the many uncertain things around him he needs words upon which his faith can be based,
and in the inspired Scriptures he has them. The Lord Jesus said, "The words that 1 speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). He had the words of eternal life; and, through
the grace of God, many a soul has found them to be such, and has no more doubt of the complete
inspiration of Scripture than of the existence of God Himself.

It may be noted that Scripture records the sayings of wicked men, and of Satan himself. It need
scarcely be said that it is not the sayings but the records of them that are inspired. Paul also, when
writing on the question of marriage, makes a distinction between what he wrote as his judgment,
and what he wrote as commandments of the Lord. "1 speak this by permission," he says; and
again, "1 give my judgment" (1 Cor. 7:6,10,12,25). He was inspired to record his spiritual
judgment and to point out that it was not a command.

Some have a difficulty as to what has been called the human element in inspiration. If the words
of Scripture are inspired, it has been asked, how is it that the style of the writer is so manifest?
John’s style, for instance, is clearly distinguishable from that of Paul. The simple answer is that
it is as if one used, so to speak, different kinds of pens to write with. God made the mind of man
as well as his body, and was surely able to use the mind of each of the writers He employed, and
yet cause him to write exactly what He wished. God took possession of the mind of man to declare
His own purposes with regard to man.

Further, it has been asserted that the doctrine of verbal inspiration is valueless, because of
diversities in the Greek manuscripts, which in some places prevent any one from determining what
are the words God caused to be written. But this does not in any way touch the question of
inspiration, which is that the words written were inspired by God. Whether we have an absolutely
correct copy is quite another question. The variations in the Greek manuscripts do not affect any
one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and only in a few places are the words doubtful.

Nothing can exceed the importance of having true thoughts of the inspiration of Scripture. As no
human author would allow his secretary to write what he did not mean, so surely what is called
the Word of God is God’s own production, though given through the instrumentality of man.
Though there were many writers, separated by thousands of years, there is a divine unity in the
whole, showing plainly that one and only one could have been its Author. That One can only have
been He who is now revealed to the Christian as his Father as well as his God.

(From Morrish’s New and Concise Bible Dictionary)

FRAGMENT
"Thy Word is true from the beginning:and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for
ever" (Psalm 119:160).

The principles of truth laid down in Luke 12 are of the most solemn and searching character.
Their practical bearing is such as to render them of the deepest importance. Worldly-mindedness
and carnality cannot live in the light of the truth here set forth. This section of the Scriptures might
be entitled "Time in the Light of Eternity." The Lord evidently wanted to set His disciples in the
light of that world where everything is the opposite of this present world_to bring their hearts
under the influence of unseen things, and their lives under the power and authority of heavenly
principles.

While the Lord Jesus was in the act of showing forth these heavenly principles, a true child of
earth intruded upon Him with a question about property. "And one of the company said unto Him,
Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me" (Luke 12:13). How little did
he know of the true character of that heavenly Man who stood before him! He knew nothing of
the profound mystery of His being or the object of His heavenly mission. He certainly had not
come from the bosom of the Father to settle lawsuits or to arbitrate between two covetous men.
It was not a question of who was right or who was wrong as to the property. According to Christ’s
pure and heavenly doctrine they were both wrong.

In the light of eternity a few acres of land were of little worth; and as to Christ Himself, He was
not only teaching principles entirely hostile to all questions of earthly possession, but in His own
Person and character He set an example of the very opposite. He did not go to law about the
inheritance. He was "Heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2). The land of Israel, the throne of David, and
all creation belonged to Him, but man would not own Him or give Him the inheritance. To this
the Heir submitted in perfect patience, but by submitting unto death He crushed the enemy’s
power and brought "many sons unto glory" (Heb. 2:10).

Thus we see in the doctrine and practice of the Heavenly Man the true exhibition of the principles
of the kingdom of God. He would not arbitrate, but He taught truth which would entirely do away
with the need of arbitration. If the principles of the kingdom of God were dominant, there would
be no need for courts of law; for inasmuch as people would not be wronged of their rights, they
would have no wrongs to be righted. This would be admitted by all. But then the Christian, being
in the kingdom, is bound to be governed by the principles of the kingdom and to carry them out
at all cost. In the exact proportion that he fails to exhibit these principles, he is robbing his own
soul of blessing and marring his testimony.

Hence, a person going to law is not governed by the principles of the kingdom of God, but by the
principles of the kingdom of Satan, who is the prince of this world. It is not a question as to his
being a Christian, but simply a question as to the principle by which he is governed in the act of
going to law under any circumstances. I say nothing of the moral instincts of the divine nature
which would surely lead one to apprehend the gross inconsistency of a man who professes to be
saved by grace going to law with a fellow-man. Do we not realize that if we had our right_what
we deserve_from the hand of God, we would be burning in the lake of fire? How then can we
insist upon exacting our rights from our fellow-man?

If it be true that in the kingdom of God there is no need for courts of law, then I press it solemnly
upon my reader’s conscience that he, as a subject of that kingdom, is totally wrong in going to
law. True, it will lead to loss and suffering; but who is "worthy of the kingdom of God" who is
not pre-pared to "suffer for it"? Let those who are governed by the things of time go to law; but
the Christian is, or ought to be, governed by the things of eternity. People go to law now, but it
will not be so then; and the Christian is to act now as if it were then. He belongs to the kingdom;
and it is just because the kingdom of God is not dominant, but the King rejected, that the subjects
of the kingdom are called to suffer. Righteousness "suffers" now; it will "reign" in the
millennium; and it will "dwell" in the new heavens and the new earth. Now in going to law, the
Christian anticipates the millennial age. He is preceding his Master in the assertion of his rights.
But the Christian is called to suffer patiently all sorts of wrongs and injuries and injustices. To
resent them is to deny the truth of that kingdom to which he professes to belong. Let this truth
have its full weight upon the reader’s conscience. There is nothing which tends so to hinder the
freshness and power, growth and prosperity, of the kingdom of God in the heart as the refusal to
carry out the principles of that kingdom in the conduct.

It is not so much principles we want, as the grace, the energy, the holy decision, that will carry
them out, cost what it may. We admit the truth of principles which most plainly cut at the very
things which we ourselves are either directly or indirectly doing. We admit the principle of grace,
and yet we live by the strict maintenance of righteousness. Thus at the present day, eloquent
sermons and lectures are delivered and elaborate treatises are written about the principles of grace,
and yet the courts of law are frequented and lawyers are called upon to act in order to assert our
rights. Need we wonder, therefore, that true practical Christianity is at a low ebb among us? What
else could be expected when the principles of the kingdom of God are openly violated?

But is it unrighteous to seek to get our own, and to make use of the means within our reach in
order to do so? Surely not. What is here maintained is that no matter how well defined and clearly
established the right may be, the assertion of that right is diametrically opposed to the kingdom
of God.

FRAGMENT
"Take heed, and beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15). If love of the world or covetousness slips
into the heart, it checks the power of Christ over the soul and conscience and eats out the practical
life of the Christian so that the soul is withered. This covetous care about earthly things is so
subtle that while there is nothing on which to lay the hand, the practical power of Christian life
in the soul is gone.

I have a profound, unfeigned(I believe divinely-given) faith in the Bible. I have, through grace,
been by it converted, enlightened, quickened, saved. I have received the knowledge of GOD by
it, to adore His perfections; and of JESUS, the Saviour, joy, strength, and comfort of my soul.
Many have been indebted to others as the means of their being brought to God_to ministers of
that gospel which the Bible contains, or to friends who delight in it. This was not my case. That
work, which is ever God’s, was wrought in me by means of the written Word. He who knows
what the value of Jesus is will know what the Bible will be to such a one. If I have, alas! failed
in thirty years’ arduous and varied life and labor, I have never found the Word to fail me. If it has
not failed for the poor and needy circumstances of time through which we feebly pass, I am
assured it never will for eternity. "The Word of the Lord endure for ever" (1 Peter 1:25). As it
reaches down even to my low estate, it reaches up to’ God’s height, because it is from God. As
Jesus came from God and went to God, so does the Book that divinely reveals Him come from-
and elevate to Him. Where the Word has been received, it has brought the soul to God, for He
has revealed Himself in it. Its positive proofs are all in itself:the sun provides its own light.

1 avow, in the fullest, clearest, and most distinct manner here, my deep, divinely-taught
conviction of the inspiration of the Scriptures. While of course allowing, if need be, for defect in
the translation and the like, when 1 read the Bible, 1 read it as having absolute authority for my
soul as God’s Word. There is no higher privilege than to have communications direct from God
Himself.

My joy, my comfort, my food, my strength, for nearly thirty years have been the Scriptures
received implicitly as the Word of God. 1 do not doubt that the grace of the Holy Spirit is needed
to make the Word profitable and to give it real authority to our souls because of what we are; but
that does not change what it is in itself. To be true when it is received, it must have been true
before.

And here I will add that although it requires the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit to
give it quickening power, yet divine truth, God’s Word, has a hold on the natural conscience from
which it cannot escape. The light detects the wrongdoer though he may hate it. And so the Word
of God is adapted to man though he be hostile to it_adapted in grace (blessed be God!) as well
as in truth. This is exactly what shows the wickedness of man’s will in rejecting it. And it has
power thus in the conscience, even if the will be unchanged. This may increase the dislike of it,
but it is disliked because conscience feels it cannot deny the truth. Men resist it, because it is true.
Did it not reach their conscience, they would not need to take so much pains to get rid of and
disprove it. Men do not arm themselves against straws, but against a sword whose keen edge is
felt and feared.

Reader, it speaks of grace as well as truth. It speaks of God’s grace and love, who gave His only-
begotten Son that sinners like you and me might be with Him and know Him, deeply and
intimately_truly know Him and enjoy Him now and forever. Thus the conscience, perfectly
purged, may have joy in His presence, without a cloud, without a reproach, without fear. The
Word will tell you the truth concerning yourself; but it will also tell you the truth of a God of

love, while unfolding the wisdom of His counsels.

Let me add to my reader that by far the best means of assuring himself of the truth and authority
of the Word is to read the Word itself.

The title of this paper may possibly present a theme which some of our readers have not thought
much about; yet few themes are more important. Indeed, we believe that the difficulty felt in
explaining many passages of Scripture, and in interpreting many acts of divine providence, can
be traced to a lack of understanding as to the vast difference between God in grace and in
government. It is our purpose in this paper to unfold a few of the leading passages of Scripture
in which the distinction between grace and government is fully and clearly presented.

Adam

In the third chapter of the Book of Genesis we find our first illustration_the first exhibition of
divine grace and divine government. Here we find man a sinner_a ruined, guilty, naked sinner.
But here we also find God in grace, ready and able to remedy the ruin, to cleanse the guilt, and
to clothe the nakedness. All this He does in His own way. He silences the serpent and consigns
him to eternal ignominy. He establishes His own eternal glory and provides both life and
righteousness for the sinner_all through the bruised Seed of the woman.

Now this is grace_unqualified, free, unconditional, perfect grace_the grace of God. The Lord
God gives His Son to be bruised for man’s redemption_to be slain to furnish a robe of divine
righteousness for a naked sinner. But let it be carefully noted, that in immediate connection with
this first grand display of grace, we have the first solemn act of divine government. It was grace
that clothed the man. It was government that drove him out of Eden. "Unto Adam also and to his
wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and dotted them." Here we have an act of purest
grace. But then we read:"So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of
Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of
life." Here we have a solemn, soul-subduing act of government. Adam was the subject of both the
grace and the government. When he looked at the coat, he could think of divine grace_how God
provided a robe to cover his nakedness; when he looked at the sword, he was reminded of divine,
unflinching government.

The reader may perhaps feel disposed to ask, "How was it that the Lord God drove out the man
if He had previously forgiven him?" The same question may be asked in connection with every
scene, throughout the entire Book of God and throughout the entire history of the people of God,
in which the combined action of grace and government is exemplified. Grace forgives; but the
wheels of government roll on in all their terrible majesty. Adam was perfectly forgiven, but his
sin produced its own results. The guilt of his conscience was removed, but not the "sweat of his
brow." He went out pardoned and clothed; but it was into the midst of "thorns and thistles" he
went. He could feed in secret on the precious fruits of grace, while he recognized in public the
solemn and unavoidable enactments of government.

Jacob

We shall consider another case from the Book of Genesis_ a deeply practical one_one in which
the combined action of grace and government is seen in a very solemn and impressive way. This

is the case of the patriarch Jacob. The entire history of this man presents a series of events which
illustrate our theme. I shall merely refer to the one case of his deceiving his father for the purpose
of supplanting his brother. Long before Jacob was born, the sovereign grace of God had secured
to him a pre-eminence of which no man could ever deprive him; but not satisfied to wait for God’s
time and way, he set about managing matters for himself. What was the result? His entire after-life
furnishes the reply:exile from his father’s house; twenty years of hard servitude; his wages
changed ten times; never permitted to see his mother again; fear of being murdered by his injured
brother; dishonor cast upon his family; terror of his life from the Shechemites; deceived by his
ten sons; plunged into deep sorrow by the supposed death of his favorite Joseph; apprehension of
death by famine; and finally, death in a strange land.

Reader, what a lesson is here! Jacob was a subject of sovereign, changeless, eternal grace. This
is a settled point. But he was likewise a subject of government; and let it be well remembered that
no exercise of grace can ever interfere with the onward movement of the wheels of government.

All this is deeply solemn. Grace pardons, yes, freely, fully, and eternally pardons; but what is
sown must be reaped. A man may be sent by his master to sow a field with wheat, and through
ignorance, dullness, or carelessness, he sows some harmful weed. His master hears of the
mistake, and, in the exercise of his grace, he pardons it freely and fully. What then? Will the
gracious pardon change the nature of the crop? Assuredly not; and hence, in due time, when the
field ought to be covered with the golden ears of wheat, the servant sees it covered with weeds.
Does the sight of the weeds make him doubt his master’s grace? By no means. As the master’s
grace did not alter the nature of the crop, neither does the nature of the crop alter the master’s
grace and the pardon flowing there-from.

This will illustrate, in a feeble way, the difference between grace and government. There is a
verse in the New Testament which is a brief but most comprehensive statement of the great
government principle:"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). It matters
not who he is:as is the sowing, so will be the reaping. Grace pardons; in fact, it may make you
higher and happier than ever. But if you sow weeds in the spring, you will not reap wheat in the
harvest. This is as plain as it is practical. It is illustrated and enforced both by Scripture and
experience.

Moses

Look at the case of Moses. He spoke unadvisedly with his lips at the waters of Meribah (Num.
20). What was the result? Jehovah’s governmental decree prohibited his entrance into the
promised land. But let it be noted that while the decree of the Throne kept him out of Canaan, the
boundless grace of God brought him up to Pisgah (Deut. 34) where he saw the land, not as it was
taken by the hand of Israel, but as it had been given by the covenant of Jehovah. And what then?
Jehovah buried His dear servant! What grace shines in this! Jehovah’s government kept Moses out
of Canaan. Jehovah’s grace dug a grave for Moses in the plains of Moab. Was there ever such a
burial? May we not say that the grace that dug the grave of Moses is only outshone by the grace
that occupied the grave of Christ? Yes; Jehovah can dig a grave or make a coat; and, moreover,
the grace that shines in these marvelous acts is only enhanced by being looked at in connection

"with the solemn enactments of the throne of government.

David

But again, look at David "in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." Here we have a most striking
exhibition of grace and government. In an evil hour David fell from his holy elevation. Under the
blinding power of lust, he rushed into a deep and horrible pit of moral pollution. There, in that
deep pit, the arrow of conviction reached his conscience, and drew forth from his broken heart
the confession, "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. 12:3). How was this confession met? By
the clear and ready response of that free grace in which our God ever delights:"The Lord also
hath put away thy sin." This was absolute grace. David’s sin was perfectly forgiven. There can
be no question as to this. But while the soothing words of grace fell on David’s ears upon the
confession of his guilt, the solemn movement of the wheels of government was heard in the
distance. No sooner had mercy’s tender hand removed the guilt, than the sword was drawn from
the sheath to execute the necessary judgment. This is very solemn. David was fully pardoned, but
Absalom rose in rebellion. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The sin of sowing
weeds may be forgiven, but the reaping must be according to the sowing. The former is grace,
the latter is government. Each acts in its own sphere, and neither interferes with the other. The
luster of the grace and the dignity of the government are both divine. David was permitted to tread
the courts of the sanctuary as a subject of grace (2 Sam. 12:20) before he was called to climb the
rugged sides of Mount Olivet as a subject of government (2 Sam. 15:30). We may safely assert
that David’s heart never had a deeper sense of divine grace than at the very time in which he was
experiencing the righteous action of divine government.

Sufficient has now been said to open to the reader a subject which he can easily pursue for
himself. The Scriptures are full of it, and human life illustrates it every day. How often do we see
men in the fullest enjoyment of grace, knowing the pardon of all their sins, walking in unclouded
communion with God, and all the while suffering in body or estate the consequences of past follies
and excesses. Here again you have grace and government. This is a deeply important and practical
subject; it will be found to aid the soul very effectively in its study, not only of the page of
inspiration, but also of the page of human biography.

There are experiences which all servants of God go through that seem almost too personal and too
sacred to reveal to the public, and yet some of these incidents might be used of the Lord to
strengthen the faith of others passing through seasons of special trial. And so I have decided to
share such an episode with my readers.

It was in the summer of the year 1900 that my wife and I went to what is now known as East
Bakersfield, but was then called Kern City, in California, for a tent campaign. At the conclusion
of our two month stay, we went to the railroad station to get tickets for our return to Oakland. Just
before purchasing them, a very distinct impression came to me that I should not go through to
Oakland, but should stop at Fresno.

Now I know that it is a very dangerous thing to be guided by impressions, but this one was of such
a definite character that I could not throw it off. I told my wife how I felt, and said to her, "You
stay here and pray while I go outside and talk to the Lord about it." I walked up and down the
station platform, asking God to make clear to me whether this was His mind. The more I prayed,
the less I could shake it off, so I went to the window and bought a ticket for my wife to Oakland,
but a ticket to Fresno for myself.

As we got on the train, I said, "If when we reach Fresno I am clear about going on, I will simply
step out and purchase another ticket; otherwise I will get off at Fresno." However, when that
station was reached, I simply could not get the consent of my own mind to go on to Oakland, so
I handed my wife all the money I had with the exception of a solitary dollar, not telling her, of
course, the low state of my finances, and bidding her good-bye, I stepped off the train, not
knowing what was before me.

I took my suitcase and went and found a palatial lodging at a cost of twenty-five cents a night! The
little money that I had would not carry me very far even in so inexpensive a place, so I was very
careful not to spend any more for food than was absolutely necessary.

Toward evening, I was on my knees asking God to show me if I had made a mistake, or on the
other hand to give me some indication if He had a service for me in this city. I then went outside
and found, a block away, a street-meeting in progress. There was a good ring to the word being
preached, so I decided to go on to the Mission Hall for the later meeting. I waited until a large
crowd had gathered inside, and then slipped in quietly and sat down by the door. A man and his
wife were in charge of the meeting. I had hardly taken my seat when I became conscious of the
fact that both of them were looking in my direction and whispering together, evidently about me.
It was a little embarrassing, to say the least. The next moment, the gentleman walked down the
aisle, and coming directly to where I sat, inquired, "Are you the one who is to preach here
tonight?" Surprised, I answered, "I do not know."

He looked at me peculiarly, I thought, and then said, "Well, are you not a preacher Of the
gospel?" I told him that I was, or tried to be. "And have you not a message for us tonight?" I
replied, "I am not sure. Why do you ask?" He answered that his wife and he, who had charge of

the Mission, had been praying about the message for the evening, and it had seemed as though a
voice distinctly said to both of them, "I will send My own messenger tonight. You will know him
when you see him." And he added, "So we were watching everyone who came in the door, and
when you entered, we both were sure that you were the person."

This was more surprising than ever, but it fitted in with my own experience, and I told him how
I happened to be in the city that night. He immediately said, "You must be the Lord’s messenger.
Please come right to the platform."

Accepting it as an opening of God, I obeyed, and proceeded to preach the gospel to the assembled
throng. I was immediately asked if I would not remain for at least a two-weeks’ campaign, which
I agreed to do.

This, I should explain, was on Thursday night. I preached the next two evenings, looking to the
Lord daily in prayer that He would supply my temporal needs, of which I could not, of course,
speak to anyone else. But in His inscrutable wisdom He allowed Saturday night to come, leaving
me absolutely penniless. I did not even have the required twenty-five cents to pay for my room,
so I left the room and took my suitcase into a drug store, asking permission to leave it there until
called for.

I will never forget how utterly alone I felt as I stepped out into the street. It was getting quite late
in the evening, and I had had only five cents worth of food all day, and I had no place to go for
the night. Yet somehow I felt strangely lifted up as I remembered the One who had said, "The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His
head."

I had a large supply of gospel tracts with me in a number of different languages, so I walked into
what was then the very worst section of the city, and I spent my time until two o’clock in the
morning visiting the vile saloons and! filthy dance halls of the district, until I had distributed about
three thousand of these little gospel messages.

But now even the saloons were closing up. My supply of tracts was exhausted, and still I was left
without any place to go. So following the streetcar track, I walked out to the end of the suburban
line, and there found an empty car into which I crept, and tried to sleep on the benches. The night
had turned very cold, and I could not be comfortable. I tried to pray, but I regret to confess that
I was not in the spirit of prayer. In fact, by this time I was inwardly complaining, not without
bitterness, to God. The Scripture came to me, "My God shall supply all your need according to
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus," and my rebellious spirit exclaimed, "Then why does He not
do this? He has promised and He is not fulfilling His Word."

I became very much perplexed and distressed. But about four o’clock in the morning I decided
that I would find more comfort in walking than in the car, so I went back to the city. In the
grounds surrounding the court house was a large weeping willow tree, the branches of which hung
very low on all sides. I crawled in under them and managed to get about two hours’ sleep where
no one could see me.

When I awoke, God was speaking to me in regard to certain things in my life concerning which
I had allowed myself to become very careless, and I knelt beneath the tree and poured out my
heart to Him regarding my lack of faith and my self-will. The more I confessed, the more things
came to my mind which required self-judgment, until I no longer wondered why God had not
undertaken for me, but I was amazed to think how very good He had been to me in spite of my
many failures.

That afternoon an interested crowd filled the Mission Hall, and at the close of the service a young
doctor came up to me and asked, "Could you come and stay with me? I am lonely for Christian
fellowship, and I would be delighted to have your company."

Well, what could I do but accept? I felt that it was the Lord’s wondrous provision. I hurried off
to the drug store where I had left my bag, and having obtained it, I hastened to the doctor’s
apartment. He noticed that I was rather weary, and suggested that while supper was being
prepared I should have a little nap. To this I very gladly consented.

After supper we went down to the evening meeting. God wrought in power, and quite a number
of precious souls professed to accept the Lord Jesus that evening. Then, without the least
intimation on my part of a need of any kind, one and another of the Christian friends crowded
around me, slipping money into my hands, until when I went back to my room I counted it out
and found I had twenty-seven dollars.

How I thanked God for His mercy! On the morrow I sent my wife a good portion of the money,
knowing it would be needed at home, but I prudently retained enough to pay my railroad fare if
nothing more was received.

A little later I went out to the post office to look for mail, and found a letter from my stepfather.
At the end of the letter I read the following postscript:"God spoke to me through Philippians 4:19
today. He has promised to supply all our need. Some day He may see that I need a starving! If
He does, He will supply that."

Oh, how real it all seemed to me then! I saw that God had been putting me through the test in
order to bring me closer to Himself, and to bring me face to face with things that I had been
neglecting. And so I pass this little incident on to others, hoping it may have a message for some
troubled worker who may be going through a time of similar need and perplexity.