In concluding his charge to the
children of Israel in the plains of Moab, Moses said, "The secret things
belong unto the Lord our God:but those things which are revealed belong unto
us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law"
(Deut. 29:29). The passage is often utterly misapplied and used by overcautious
souls to deter inquiring ones from delving into the deep things of God. It was
never so intended. When the great lawgiver spoke, the revealed things consisted
of what he had just rehearsed in their ears, together with the records he had
already made by the inspiration of God in the first four books of our Bibles.
"The secret things" were God’s purposes of grace which He was about
to unfold upon the manifestation of their utter failure and inability to claim
anything on the ground of the law, which they had broken from the first. All
rights were forfeited. But God had provisions of grace to be yet manifested. He
had infinite resources in Himself, to be declared when they were forced to own
that theirs were at an end.

 

God’s revelation of His purpose
has been gradual. In the Old Testament two objects were brought out—the woman’s
Seed, and the seed Of Abraham. Through the former, the latter were to be
blessed and to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. Beyond this, the
testimony of the prophets does not go.

 

As in Moses’ day, so in the days
of Malachi, the last of the prophetic line (before the coming of the preparer
of Messiah’s way), there were "secret things" which the time had not
yet come to make manifest.

 

The word so rendered in Deut.
29:29 is Sathar in the Hebrew, which scholars define as "absent" or
"hidden things." It does not refer to things too high for human
understanding, as it is generally supposed to mean, but things concealed, which
cannot be known unless divinely disclosed.

 

In the Septuagint Version,
rendering it into Greek, the translators chose the word krupta, the
plural form of kruptos, a word frequently used by our Lord in the
Gospels, and twice by the apostle Paul.  It is used in Luke 8:17, where Jesus
said, "Nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest.. “Paul uses it
in the same sense when writing of "the day when God shall judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ" (Rom. 2:16); as also in 1 Cor. 14:25, when
he writes of the unbeliever coming into the assembly of God, being convicted of
all and judged by all; so that he can add, "and thus are the secrets of
his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God,
and report that God is in you of a truth."

 

Man has his secret things—all to
be brought to light in due time. God too has His secret things, which could not
be known until He chose to reveal them.

 

Now the New Testament is not
only the answer to the Old (though it is that), but it is far more:it is the
unfolding of the secret things which God had purposed in His heart before the
worlds were made or the ages began to run their course.

 

Before entering upon an inquiry
as to the secret things thus made known in the New Testament, it will be well
to briefly notice the revealed things of the former revelation.

 

To man fallen, revelation came.
The first great promise was made and so accepted by Adam, in the curse
pronounced upon the serpent:"The Seed of the woman shall bruise the
serpent’s head." This is evidently "the promise of life in Christ Jesus"
made "before the age times began" (Titus 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:1,9).

 

To Abraham it was declared that
as the dust of the earth, the sand of the sea, and the stars of the heaven
should his seed be. He was separated from the nations to be the depository of
the promise:"In thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed."

 

Further revelation was made
through Moses of the Prophet to be raised up to whom all were to give heed or
perish. He outlined, too, the history of the nation. Settled in the land of Palestine by divine power, they should nevertheless be driven therefrom for
disobedience and be scattered among the Gentiles, to be a reproach and a byword
wherever they wandered. Upon repentance they would be re-established in the
land and made the head of the nations and not the tail.

 

The further prophets but
elaborate this, connecting the restoration with Messiah, now revealed as the
virgin’s Son, the One "whose goings forth were of old, from
everlasting," yet who was to suffer and die at the hands of men, to endure
the forsaking of God, to make reconciliation for iniquity, but to prolong His
days in resurrection and to be made the King of Israel, sitting on David’s
throne.

 

Through Him the believing part
of the nation would be settled in their land, and the apostate portion
destroyed. He should judge among the nations, rooting out the wicked from the
earth and bringing all the righteous into subjection to Israel.

 

These were the revealed things.
Their sphere of action is the earth. They have to do with an earthly people,
not a heavenly one. "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s:but the
earth hath He given to the children of men" (Ps. 115:16). This is the
invariable testimony of the Scriptures of the prophets.

 

Of the Church, the body of
Christ, there is no hint:the long history of Christendom is passed over in
silence. Of these things the Old Testament does not treat. Neither was it there
made known that man should be in heaven. The translations of Enoch and Elijah
were strange portents to the Jew, of which his Scriptures offered no
explanation. All these were among "the secret things" which would not
be revealed till the coming of the Just One, to be followed by His rejection
and ascension as Man to heaven.

 

Thus one looks in vain for the
distinctive truths of the Christian dispensation in the Old Testament. The
things there revealed refer to Israel and the nations as such, not to the
Church of which Christ is the glorified Head in heaven.

 

The
amazing thing is that in Christendom generally, despite the revelation of the
mysteries of God given in the last portion of our Bibles, the vast majority are
as ignorant of the once secret things as though they had not been made known.
Take the so-called Apostle’s Creed for a conclusive example. It will be found
that for almost every one of its statements the proof texts could be found in
the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. "He ascended into heaven" is
perhaps the only clause in it which the Old Testament did not make known; and
even that is more than hinted at in the 110th Psalm, and the last verse of the
5th of Hosea. True, as above noticed, it is not in these scriptures made clear
that He would be there as Man, but, connecting them with other passages in the
writings of the Prophets, there would be ground for the inference that so it
must be.

There is something peculiarly
touching in the manner in which the name of Epaphras is introduced to our
notice in the New Testament. The allusions to him are very brief, but very full
of meaning. He seems to have been the very stamp of man which is so much needed
at the present moment. His labors, so far as the inspired penman has recorded
them, do not seem to have been very showy or attractive. They were not calculated
to meet the human eye or elicit human praise. But oh, they were most precious
labors—peerless, priceless labors! They were the labors of the closet, labors
within the closed door, labors in the sanctuary, labors without which all
beside must prove barren and worthless. He is not placed before us by the
sacred biographer as a powerful preacher, a laborious writer, a great traveler,
which he may have been, and which are all truly valuable in their place. The
Holy Ghost, however, has not told us that Epaphras was any of the three; but
then, my reader, He has placed this singularly interesting character before us
in a manner calculated to stir the depths of our moral and spiritual being. He
has presented him to us as a man of prayer—earnest, fervent, agonizing
prayer; prayer not for himself, but for others. Let us hearken to the inspired
testimony:

 

"Epaphras, who is one of
you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently (agonizing)
for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of
God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that
are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis" (Col. 4:12, 13). Such was
Epaphras! Would there were hundreds like him in this our day! We are thankful
for preachers, thankful for writers, thankful for travelers in the cause of
Christ; but we want men of prayer, men of the closet, men like Epaphras. We are
happy to see men on their feet preaching Christ; happy to see them able to ply
the pen of a ready writer in the noble cause; happy to see them making their
way, in the true evangelistic spirit, into "the regions beyond";
happy to see them, in the true pastoral spirit, going again and again to visit
their brethren in every city. God forbid that we should undervalue or speak
disparagingly of such honorable services; yea, we prize them more highly than
words could convey. But then at the back of all, we want a spirit of
prayer—fervent, agonizing, persevering prayer. Without this, nothing can
prosper. A prayerless man is a sapless man. A prayerless preacher is a
profitless preacher. A prayerless writer will send forth barren pages. A
prayerless evangelist will do but little good. A prayerless pastor will have
but little food for the flock. We want men of prayer, men like Epaphras, men
whose closet walls witness their agonizing labors. These are, unquestionably,
the men for the present moment.

 

There are immense advantages
attending the labors of the closet, advantages quite peculiar, advantages for
those who engage in them, and advantages for those who are the subjects of
them. They are quiet, unobtrusive labors. They are carried on in retirement, in
the hallowed, soul-subduing solitude of the divine presence, outside the range
of mortal vision. How little would the Colossians have known of the loving,
earnest labors of Epaphras had the Holy Ghost not mentioned them! It is
possible that some of them might have deemed him deficient in zealous care on
their behalf; it is probable that there were persons then, as there are those
now, who would measure a man’s care or sympathy by his visits or letters. This
would be a false standard. They should see him on his knees to know the amount
of his care and sympathy. A love of travel might take me from London to Edinburgh to visit the brethren. A love of scribbling might lead me to write letters by
every mail. Nought save a love for souls, a love for Christ, could ever lead me
to agonize as Epaphras did on behalf of the people of God, "that [they]
may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."

 

Again, the precious labors of
the closet demand no special gift, no peculiar talents, no pre-eminent mental
endowments. Every Christian can engage in them. A man may not have the ability
to preach, teach, write, or travel; but every man can pray. One sometimes hears
of a gift of prayer. It is not a pleasant expression. It falls gratingly on the
ear. It often means a mere fluent utterance of certain known truths which the
memory retains and the lips give forth. This is poor work to be at. This was
not the way with Epaphras. This is not what we want and long for. We want a
real spirit of prayer. We want a spirit that enters into the present need of
the Church and bears that need in persevering, fervent, believing intercession
before the throne of grace. This spirit may be exercised at all times, and
under all circumstances. Morning, noon, eventide or midnight will answer for
the closet laborer. The heart can spring upward to the throne in prayer and
supplication at any time. Our Father’s ear is ever open; His presence-chamber
is ever accessible. Come when or with what we may, He is always ready to hear,
ready to answer. He is the Hearer, the Answerer, and the Lover of importunate
prayer. He Himself has said,

 

"Ask . . . Seek . . .
Knock"; "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint"; "All
things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive";
"If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God." These words are of
universal application. They are intended for all God’s children. The feeblest
child of God can pray, can watch, can get an answer, and return thanks.

 

Furthermore, nothing is so
calculated to give one a deep interest in people as the habit of praying
constantly for them. Epaphras would be intensely interested in the Christians
at Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. His interest made him pray, and his
prayers made him interested. The more we are interested in any one, the more we
shall pray for him; the more we pray, the more interested we become. Whenever
we are drawn out in prayer for people, we are sure to rejoice in their growth
and prosperity. So, also, in reference to the unconverted. When we are led to
wait on God about them, their conversion is looked for with the deepest anxiety
and hailed, when it comes, with unfeigned thankfulness. The thought of this
should stir us up to imitate Epaphras, on whom the Holy Ghost has bestowed the
honorable epithet of "a servant of Christ," in connection with his
fervent prayers for the people of God.

 

Finally, the highest inducement
that can be presented to cultivate the spirit of Epaphras is the fact of its
being so directly in unison with the spirit of Christ. This is the most
elevated motive. Christ is engaged on behalf of His people. He desires that
they should "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God," and
those who are led forth in prayer in reference to this object are privileged to
enjoy high communion with the great Intercessor. How marvelous that poor,
feeble creatures down here should be permitted to pray about that which engages
the thoughts and interests of the Lord of glory! What a powerful link there was
between the heart of Epaphras and the heart of Christ when the former was
laboring for his brethren at Colosse!

 

Christian reader, let us ponder
the example of Epaphras. Let us imitate it. Let us fix our eyes on some Colosse
or other, and labor fervently in prayer for the Christians therein. The present
is a deeply solemn moment. Oh, for men like Epaphras — men who are willing to
labor on their knees for the cause of Christ, or to wear, if it should be so,
the noble bonds of the gospel. Such was Epaphras. We see him as a man of prayer
(Col. 4:12), and as a companion in bonds with the devoted apostle of the
Gentiles (Philemon 23).

 

May the Lord stir up among us a
spirit of earnest prayer and intercession. May He raise up many of those who
shall be cast in the same spiritual mold as Epaphras. These are the men for the
present need.

 

Amid the many rumblings of
Christendom there is much stir in many quarters over what is called "the
gift of tongues" and "the baptism of the Holy Ghost." We will
occupy ourselves largely with the former since it is supposed by many to be the
evidence or proof of the latter.

 

We are told by responsible
sources that "speaking in tongues" has found a sizeable entrance and
tolerance in many of the "main line" denominations. These include not
only the Pentecostals and such groups characterized by emotional fervor but
Southern Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and
others. Both clergy and laity are professing these new charismatic powers. So
far all may seem far afield from the fellowship and spiritual surroundings of
most of our readers, but these "tongues" enthusiasts are nearer than
we think.

 

We have learned that such
"speaking in tongues" sessions have been held by some professedly
gathered simply to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though these are among
those more liberal and open in their views, we are soberly reminded of that
holy caution that "of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things . . ." (Acts 20:30).

 

Let us briefly state that every
soul truly born anew and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, His atoning death,
burial, and resurrection has received the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). We know of
no scriptural requirement for a believer to demonstrate any charismatic powers
to prove he has the Holy Spirit. Yet, do we set aside such plain verses as
"forbid not to speak with tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39) and that our
heavenly Father will "give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him"
(Luke 11:13)? Other verses are given to support tongues activities and hence
merit our brief examination.

 

We are usually first referred to
Acts 2 and Peter’s messages on the day of Pentecost when, after the Holy Spirit
had baptized the believers (in answer to Lk. 11:13 above) they spoke "with
other tongues." No portion could better prove that the tongues-speaking by
the apostles was the clear repetition of Peter’s message in the various foreign
languages of the many Jews and proselytes from all over the world who had come
to Jerusalem for that great Jewish feast. (He did not speak only once, as some
suppose, and then each foreigner hears in his native dialect. That would be the
"gift of ears" in the hearers.)  It was the ignorant and unlearned
fishermen-apostles speaking in these languages they had never learned that
amazed the multitude that memorable day. Peter further declared that this is
what Joel prophesied would happen "in the last days." These
"last days" are the last days wherein Jewish prophecies would be
fulfilled in connection with the Messiah and His earthly millennial rule in
splendor, not this present day of grace. (Miraculous powers are termed
"the powers of the [age] to come" [Heb. 6:5]; and pertain to the
millennial kingdom, which God still offered to that nation if they would
receive the Lord Jesus, even though crucified and risen [Acts 3:20, 21].)  The
"last days" of this day of grace and "perilous times" of
which Paul wrote Timothy (2 Tim. 3:1) would be accompanied by apostasy and
perversion of all that is true and good, not by a renewal of the pentecostal gifts
and great blessing. In fact the present "tongues" perversion only
proves which "last days" we now witness.

Other examples in Acts, in which
the believers received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, give no cause to
think that they spoke any of the suggested mumbo-jumbo as do the "tongues
speakers" of today. In each case they simply gave testimony to all who
were there by speaking in the necessary foreign language to reach them.

 

This "glossolalia"
(speech without meaning uttered in a state of ecstasy) is further defended by
misunderstandings of 1 Corinthians. It is unfortunate that the Authorized
Version has added the word "unknown" preceding the word
"tongues" in several places in 1 Corinthians 14. There is absolutely
no such word corresponding to "unknown" in the Greek text.
Furthermore, the Greek word glossa translated tongues is not proceeded
by this word unknown in other verses of the same chapter, thus adding to
the confusion.

 

Those who give credence to
glossolalia today deduce that an "unknown tongue" is a language not
understood by any living man—an unearthly speech. To support this they cite the
one who speaks in these "unknown tongues" as "[speaking]
mysteries" (1 Cor. 14:2). To them these mysteries are mysterious things of
the unknown realm. But the truth is wonderfully different from such thoughts.
We quote the cited verse in full. "For he that speaketh in an unknown
tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God:for no man understandeth him;
howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries" (1 Cor. 14:2). The speaker of
the tongue is simply one speaking a language in the assembly where this
language is not understood by the listeners, hence the statement that he
"speaketh . . . unto God." But since edification of the hearers is
the subject of this chapter, the foreign language is out of place, unless
translated, even though the speaker talks of mysteries.

 

These "mysteries,"
better translated "secrets," do not refer to knowledge withheld as in
our ordinary every day sense. These mysteries or secrets refer to divine truths
newly revealed in the New Testament. Mysteries are not the unknowable, as the
answer to an unsolvable problem nor to the unfathomable, as in theological
circles, but refer to new truths, especially those revealed to and by the Apostle
Paul himself. These include, for example, the secret that believers, both Jew
and Gentile, are united in one body of which Christ is the living Head in
heaven. These secrets were unknown and unknowable in Old Testament times but
are brought out by revelations to Paul. We would paraphrase 1 Corinthians 14:2
to mean that if a man spoke even of these lofty heavenly secrets in a language
not understood by the hearers, he would be out of order since the hearers could
not be edified.

 

The burden and message of 1 Cor.
14 is that the hearers be edified by Spirit-led participation that they can
understand. Yet, those who run to this chapter to support their insensible
gibberish, conduct meetings where no one understands the uttered glossolalia—no,
not even the fraudulent interpreters who sometimes attempt to translate some of
it into English.

 

The Apostle insists that he
would rather speak "five words with [his] understanding . . . than ten
thousand words in an unknown tongue" (1 Cor. 14:19). Yet the current
tongues movement seems to greatly prefer the ten thousand words—and these not
even of a human language, which the apostle obviously meant.

 

When the apostle asked the
simple question, "Do all speak with tongues?" his implied answer was
an emphatic "NO!" (1 Cor. 12:30). But those sorrowfully ensnared in
these errors suggest that we cannot truly have the Holy Spirit without the
experience of speaking hi tongues. They answer "YES!"

 

We have observed that with rare
exception, people taken up with "speaking in tongues" and
"asking for the Holy Spirit" do not have settled peace with God. They
are usually in error as to the sinless humanity of Christ, deny the eternal
security of the believer based on the finished work of our Lord on the cross, and
confuse Old Testament prophecies with the Church. Although they claim to be
subject to Scripture, we find that women are greatly involved in these
movements, have a prominent place in their meetings, and participate boldly
with uncovered heads!

 

The sin of man at Babel’s tower was the cause of God confusing the speech of man. That confusion seemed an
insurmountable barrier to spreading the gospel by those given the great
commission. How could fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John ever reach
beyond the borders of Israel or preach intelligently to returned Jews from
among the dispersion without the gift of tongues? Where sin abounds since Babel’s tower, grace over abounds at Pentecost and in apostolic days by the gift of tongues
to get the message out.

 

Thus the Apostle Paul could say,
"I speak with tongues more than ye all" (1 Cor. 14:18) since he more
than any other was used of God to spread the good news of divine love to every
nation—and that in their own language! As the result of his preaching at
Thessalonica, the word of the Lord "sounded out . . . not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place . . ." (1 Thess. 1:8). From Corinth, in Achaia, he wrote to the Romans that since the word had been so widely spread
there, he had "no more place in these parts" (Rom. 15:23). One result
of his two years at Ephesus was "that all they which dwelt in Asia [Minor] heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). The
gift of languages was a real asset in those early days, but we observe that it
ceased with the apostles, its purpose being accomplished.

 

Since the miraculous gifts are
not with us today, one asks then if all such glossolalia is of the devil?
Perhaps not all of it is Satan-inspired, for man has the capability of imitating
what he hears and thus contributes to the confusion.

 

Let none construe us to
"forbid … to speak with tongues." (1 Cor. 14:39). We have heard
messages in a tongue (German) by an immigrant, translated into English in
accordance with scriptural decency and order. This is in sharp contrast to what
is being pawned on the credulous as spirituality and power in these last days
by those who "chirp and mutter" (Isa. 8:19, J.N.D. trans.).

 

"God
is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the
saints" (1 Cor. 14:33).

Awhile in the earthen vessel

The treasures of glory gleam;

in Heaven the fount eternal,

In the desert the living stream.

 

And looking on Christ in glory,

That glory so still, so fair,

There passes a change upon me,

Till I am as He who is there.

 

Then no more in the earthen
vessel

The treasure of God shall be,

But in full and unclouded
beauty,

O Lord, wilt Thou shine through
me.

 

Afar through the golden vessel

Will the glory of God shine
bright;

There shall be no need for the
sunshine,

For the Lamb shall be the light.

 

Undimmed in that wondrous
vessel,

That light of surpassing love

Shall illumine the earth in its
gladness,

And shall fill the heavens
above.

 

All, all in His new creation,

The glory of God shall see;

And the lamp for that light
eternal

The Lamb for the Bride shall be.

 

A golden lamp in the heavens,

That all may see and adore

The Lamb who was slain and who
liveth,

Who
liveth for evermore.

The Scofield Reference Bible
definitely recognizes the divided state of Christendom; it tacitly, but
unquestionably, endorses the continuation thereof; in so many words it exalts
the leadership that keeps up such a condition; it so presents matters in the
various "helps" that the practical effect is to read Scripture
promises and provisions into the various human systems and thus perpetuate
their domination of the sadly divided children of God. It recognizes
"declension," "apostasy," etc., but fails to promote
exercise that would lead souls out of unscriptural associations and into those
that please God.

 

Mr. John Nelson Darby left the
Church of England (Episcopal) because "it was not the church of God" (I quote from memory). He had discovered, from the Word of God, that it did
not represent "the primitive church order" (to use the Scofield
Edition language). This was some 80 years prior to the appearance of the volume
we are considering. We would naturally expect that one who had done so would
wish to be associated with that which answered to the requirements of
Scripture; and so he sought to walk thereafter; and so he ministered.

 

For a time, Mr. Scofield was
contemporary with Mr. Darby, more largely with William Kelly, C. H. Mackintosh,
and F. W. Grant, not to speak of those who wrote less voluminously. The printed
ministries of these just mentioned and of others who testified to the same
effect were completed prior to the issuance of the Scofield Bible. The
existence of these writings, as well as of the assemblies formed by the
"recovered truths" expounded therein, must have been known to Mr.
Scofield. The recognition (in the "Introduction") of "Mr. Walter
Scott, the eminent Bible teacher," proves that Mr. Scofield was aware of
these facts. (That Mr. Scott eventually — I do not know the date — left the
path and spent his last years in independency, does not alter the force of the
above).

 

The omission (from his
"helps") of this testimony, while he owns the period was one of
unprecedented Bible study, is most solemn. The irresistible conclusion is that
it was deliberate. The path to which special attention was just then called by
a sustained activity of the Holy Spirit unparalleled in the history of the
church — this path is rejected for themselves, by these Editors; and that which
would give the readers knowledge of it is omitted.

 

If this is not so, let it be
shown where it is presented and then how it is exemplified by the men whose
labors we are reviewing herein as touching this matter.

 

No one would claim that the
omission is through ignorance; we are dealing with what was produced by able,
informed men. Nor is it that this matter lies outside the sphere contemplated
in the volume. Rather, the omission represents what these men desired to
do—their will. It was done, too with mutual understanding. They united, thus,
to keep God’s people divided.

 

The "Introduction"
observes that the "vast literature" on Bible study is generally
"inaccessible." The Editor has summarized, arranged, condensed it.
Alas! in the process, that with which the Spirit began (whether initially at
Pentecost, or early in the past century as a revived testimony—namely, the
unity of the saints in the assembly) has disappeared!

 

I am able to bear witness to the
effect of this. First I learned dispensational truths. As time went on, I
passed through exercises regarding objectionable things with which I found
myself identified in human systems. Only at the last did I come to what God
began with—the unity of His people, the place where "brethren" began.
I then had to extricate myself from the confusion involved in the human
principles which had been recommended to me by their being connected with
various good doctrines. This in turn was linked with the matter of attachment
to personalities—some of them the very men responsible for the Scofield Bible
"helps." But for the delivering grace of God, I do not see that I could
ever have become separate from the men and the realm with which my joys and
progress in Christian experience were so connected.

 

Oh, that these men had acted
upon the truth (assembly truth) for themselves and taught it fearlessly,
faithfully, fully, lovingly, even though reproach was attached thereto! Then
the Scofield Bible could never have become so popular. Oh, that their
condensing had not turned into dispensing with assembly truth in practice!

 

What a blessing they might have
been in this respect! What a responsibility is theirs for presenting so
laborious a work with the claim that it is complete, and then omitting that
which was so distinctly the Spirit’s special activity during the preceding eighty
years! When the Lord acts to bring a line of truth out into marked prominence,
it is because it is needed. There are souls that want it and are ready for it.
They have a right to it. How sad that many, confessedly unable to investigate
the details of these things for themselves, should be deprived of them by the
very men whom they trust to give them all they need, and who ask to be trusted
to do that!

 

Yes, there are many precious
truths in the "helps"; no question is raised as to that. But, a work
must be estimated according to what it fails to say which ought to be said, as
well as according to what it does say. (To be continued.)