every one who has become a disciple of the Messiah has thereby become his minister, his servant. Said Jesus-" If any man serve me let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." The word here rendered servant is elsewhere rendered minister. The idea is one in truth, but the officialism of the apostacy has destroyed the unity of the church by the raising in its midst of a ministerial caste, so that now when men talk of a minister of Christ, they do not mean in scriptural simplicity one of the faithful merely, but one who has by human law and rule been raised above the great body of believers, and so stands forth distinguished from them as "the minister." The result is not only the division of the once united church, but the burying of the talents of the many in favour of the ministrations of the one; and per consequence the non-conversion of the world and the non-edification of the church. It is notorious that Great Britain, with her thirty thousand hired, learned, ordained, and licensed ministers, is but very partially evangelised; only a mere moiety of the people are converted, and confessedly the masses are rather straying from than being gathered to the national and other similarly constituted churches. On the other hand, it is well known in church history that it was by ministerial usurpation that the apostacy was developed, and that it was when the brotherhood held and exercised their divine right of ministry, jointly and severally within and without the congregation, that the word of God spread, the number of the disciples was multiplied, and the churches grew in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus. All did not indeed serve in the same way or to the like extent, but each did what he or she could. They" addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints;" "all the brethren went everywhere preaching the word." "They did not wait for a college training or presbyterial license or episcopal ordination, but "the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great multitude believed and turned to the Lord." Thus the faith spread and uprooted the old pagan superstitions, and thus in modern times wherever there has occured any wide-spread awakening or revival, as it is called, the work has been pronounced a people's movement. Much ignorance and error have of course characterised these movements, arising from the darkness in which the clergy have kept the people, but only verifying the prediction that " with itching ears the professors of religion would heap up to themselves teachers, and so be turned from the truth to fables." It thus becomes imperative on every one who would share the honours the Messiah is preparing for his servants, to discard all human orders of pseudo-christian ministry and give himself to the service of the one Master according as he bas bestowed gifts and opportunities. No. 33. T. H. M. THE mystification of the public mind as to what the Bible means by faith justifies a word on a subject which otherwise had needed none. Theological attempts to make out thirty-two kinds of faith are bewildering enough, but when you come to the Scriptures the thing is plain as possible. It is there evident to any one that the faith that saves differs not in itself from the faith of which men commonly speak. Faith, in the Bible sense, is that of common sense; it is belief, trust, or confidence, and the reason why it is saving faith is simply that it lays hold on a saving object-the saving truth, the one Saviour of sinners. It is produced in the mind or heart just as faith is given generally. Faith implies testimony. No testimony no faith. But faith implies a witness. No witness no testimony. In the matter of salvation God has spoken by His Spirit, in the prophets, concerning His Son as given for the life of the world. In the inspired Scriptures, therefore, we have the Word of God, the Spirit's testimony, the Gospel of Salvation, and, therefore, it is in these writings we read that "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God;" that "These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name," and that "The Holy Scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." It is through the Scriptures men are led to repose their trust in Jesus the Messiah, as he is presented for their confidence, and so doing they obtain life or salvation through him. Nothing can be more simple or satisfactory than this. This simple method simply followed, at once leads the anxiously inquiring mind from out of the mazes of human doubts and speculations to the immovable Word of that God who cannot lie, and through the Word to the changeless Saviour, and through him to the immutable God. Thus a life of sin, doubt, and perplexity, terminates in one of faith, peace, and salvation. So it was with the first converts: so it is in every conversion effected after the New Testament examples. A single proclamation of the glad tidings was commonly enough to produce faith, and thereby to effect salvation. Faith was produced in three thousand by Peter's one oration on Pentecost. Philip's one preaching of Jesus produced faith to the salvation of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. One address by Peter produced in Cornelius and his friends the faith by which he and they were saved; and by the Apostles, one speaking of the word of the Lord to the Philippian jailer and his household, they all believed and were baptized, and thus were added to the saved. In this way God gives or produces faith. It is his gift; it is the work of his Spirit doubtless; but in this way, not without but by the Word. To this end were the Scriptures written, and to this end was the Gospel promulgated. If, then, dear readers, you are not profited to salvation, it will be because the Word written and preached by the Apostles is not mixed with faith in the hearing you give it. T. H. M. *THE INVISIBLE CHURCH is an apocryphal creation. Novelists have given us "The Phantom Ship," and by like inventiveness we have the spectre church. Fancy a proselyte entering Jerusalem, and asking for the church of Christ being told of its invisibility! How curious that an association of visible men and women should form an invisible assembly! Believe it who can. Certain is it that the church of the living God is, in apostolic description, a visible convocation of visible tangible persons, so much so that its Author likens it to "a city set on an hill, which cannot be hid." Pity it is now-adays found so convenient to tell inquirers, after such an order of things as the second of Acts reports, that the church is invisible ! T. H. M. The following paragraphs have appeared in the "North British Advertiser," the most influential advertising medium in Scotland, the guaranteed number of copies printed each Saturday being above thirty thousand.-ED. THE GOSPEL is a simple statement of facts. Paul proclaimed it in these words: "Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and he was buried, and he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures." Thus the scriptures are not the gospel, but contain it. The gospel is the good news of God's love to men as sinners, the tidings that he "commends his love towards us, in that while yet sinners Christ died for us." It announces the sacrificial death of the Son of God, not for men as saints but as sinners. They are to believe it not that it may be true to them, but because it is true. It is by command of the Saviour himself to be proclaimed to every creature throughout the world, with the promise and warning, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but, he that believeth not shall be condemned." T. H. M. THE REFORMATION.-God spoke to ancient Israel as espoused to himself, and when the people forgot their allegiance and allied themselves to surrounding idolaters, God charged them as an adulterous generation. So it is written, Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her unto himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." But the Spirit of prophecy predicting the unfaithfulness of the once pure spouse of Christ, a woman, not only an harlot, but the mother of harlots, is the figure used. If, then, the apostate mother church be the mother of harlots, her offspring are harlots. The churches sprung from her stand charged with the like crime of infidelity to the husband-the head of the church, by unlawful and impure, immoral, unscriptural fellowship. For this crime of spiritual fornica tion, God suggests no remedy, but that those who have purified their souls in obeying the truth, come out and be separate, and touch not the unclean. T. H. M. TRICENTENARY OF THE REFORMATION.-The work to be done is not to praise the reformers, but to follow up what they began, to a Scriptural issue. Not reform but a return to apostolic faith and practice is needed. Man's faith may be oft reformed while God's requirements remain disregarded. God's work needs no re form: it is capable of none: it is perfect. The only remedy for an apostacy is a return. "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." T. H. M. REVIVALISTS should remember that never did the Saviour or his apostles tell the unconverted TO PRAY in order to obtain faith, or the Holy Spirit, or Salvation. On the contrary, they taught that faith is given or produced on God's part by testimony: "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." They taught that the Spirit was to be "given to those who believe," that "the world cannot receive" the Comforter. They taught that salvation and all its blessings were to be enjoyed through that faith which manifests itself in obedience to the Saviour's law of salvation: "He that believeth and is baptised SHALL BE SAVED." "Repent and be baptised every one of you on the name of Jesus Christ for the remis sion of sins, and YE SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT." Such is God's method, and we have yet to learn that he has altered it. T. H. M. EVANGELISATION.-To Evangelise is to herald or proclaim the Saviour. The apostles preached, i.e., heralded or proclaimed JESUS to the people. They did this so that when the people believed "they were baptized both men and women." By so acting the proclaimers carried out the Saviour's commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach (proclaim, evangelise) the gospel (i.e. the good news) to every creature." The good news was the distinct, unhesitating announcement that the Messiah had died for the sins of those personally addressed as indeed for those of "the whole world," and that God had raised him from the dead, and exalted him to his own right hand as Sovereign and Saviour; and when the people, hearing this, "believed upon" and were "baptized into Christ," they knew that they were saved, according to the promise-" He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." God has authorised no other method of evangelisation than this. Why then should those who profess to carry out his will deviate from it? What scriptural warrant of confidence in his personal salvation can he have who refuses to submit to the Saviour's commission? T. H. M. EVERY CONVERSION recorded in the Acts of the Apostles terminated in baptism. That belief alone does not constitute conversion is evident from the statements that "a great multitude believed and turned to the Lord," and that "a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith;" as also from the commands," Repent and turn, that your sins may be blotted out;" "Repent and be baptized every one of you, on the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." On Pentecost, "those who gladly received the Apostle's word were baptized, and the same day were added to the saved three thousand souls." It was only those who had thus been "baptized into Christ" who "continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of the loaf, and in prayers." Nothing can be plainer. Just as no unmarried woman is spoken of as a wife, so none save such as had "put on Christ" in baptism are spoken of by the Apostles as converted, or disciples, or Christians. As on Pentecost, so afterwards. When the Samaritans "believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.” The Ethiopian statesman heard, believed, confessed, was immersed, and went on his way rejoicing. Cornelius and his house heard, believed, magnified God, and were baptized forthwith into the name of the Lord. Lydia and her house (afterwards designated "the Brethren") attended (practically) to the things that were spoken by Paul, and so were baptized. The jailor and his house heard the word of the Lord, believed, were baptized, and rejoiced the same hour of the night. Paul preached to the inhabitants of Corinth the gospel that the Messiah had "died for their sins, according to the Scriptures," and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized." Paul himself was no exception, for on seeing the Saviour in the heavens, and asking, "Lord what wilt thou have me to do?" the answer given by Ananias was, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord." Had he or any of these others refused, who will say they would, could, or should have been recognized as converted, as disciples, or as Christians ?" T. H. M. 1, THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT was that miraculous immersion of the Apostles on Pentecost, by which they were inspired or "endowed with power from on high," and so qualified as the Ambassadors cf the Messiah. Immediately on the Spirit filling the place were they sat, they were each enabled to speak all the truth in every language under heaven, as well as to work the most stupendous miracles in attestation of the word they spoke. Christ thus "wrought by them to make the nations obedient by word and deed through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God." They thus " preached the gospel with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven." Their gospel thus "came not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit." Thus "truly were the signs of an Apostle wrought by them in signs and wonders and mighty deeds." Thus was their "preaching not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." And thus did "God bear them witness with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit." To pray for "a Pentecostal shower," or for "the baptism of the Spirit," is to pray for miraculous powers. Those who so pray do not "pray with the understanding." They ask for what they do not expect, and what, if given, would only confound them. God, by baptizing the first and authorised preachers of the Gospel in the Spirit, confirmed the Gospel once for all. Thus demonstrated as the truth of God, it remains to the end of time without need of further proof. This baptism and its miraculous powers, therefore ceased with the Apostolic age; and for men now to pretend to it is simply to show that they do not understand the Scriptures. When the Spirit fell upon the believing household of Cornelius (the first converts from among the Gentiles, in confirmation of their acceptance equally with the Jews), it was evident, "for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God," but now men pretend to this baptism without one shred of attesting miracle. When these converts were thus attested by God, the Apostle's challenge was-"Who can forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we ?" but now, forsooth, those who suppose they have the baptism of the Spirit urge it as warrant for refusal to be baptized into Christ!!! Strange argument," I have received the Spirit of Christ, therefore I refuse obedience to his command!" How differently the Apostle put it when he said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you on the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Be it then understood that "the baptism of the Spirit" was the plenary endowment of the first witnesses to the Messiahship, and that "the gift of the Spirit," as the spirit of sonship or adoption, was, and is, the promise of the Saviour, not to the unbelieving or disobedient, but to "those who believe on him”—“THOSE WHO OBEY HIM." Cloud of Tutitnesses. T. H. M. NOT VERY LIKE.-The idea of a number of persons meeting together sitting in something like private boxes, listening Sunday after Sunday to the same individual, who for years and years, with little variation, goes through the customary service, this is not, I should think, very much like what a christian assembly was in apostolic times.-Thos. Binney. |