Bible harmony: a study of the Bible as a whole...

Front matter

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UNITED STATES OP AMERICA.

Preface to Second Edition iii

Introduction 1

CHAPTER

I. Interpretation 21

II. " All Things are of God." 52

III. The Worlds and the Ages 65

IV. God's Work and Plan 92

V. " What think ye of Christ ? " 125

VI. Christ's Divinity and Humanity 142

VII. The Atonement 167

VIII. " What is Man ? " 191

IX. Free Will 203

X. The Problem of Evil 221

XI. Probation and Judgment 236

XII. Life and Death .... 249

XIII. Resurrection 268

XIV. Retribution 277

XV. Creation 312

Preface To Second Edition

The present volume has grown out of two pamphlets published in 1882, respectively entitled " Bible Theology " and " Endless Torments not Scriptural." The substance of those two pamphlets is incorporated into the present volume, with much additional matter ; the whole rewritten and rearranged in such a manner, it is hoped, as will better conserve the end intended, viz. the presentation of suggestive thought in the way of truth. The author does not claim that in the following pages he has presented the absolute truth ; but he hopes that the reader will find much suggestive thought in the line of truth, which will prove a help in the way of life, — that life which is knowledge of God, and of him whom he has sent (John xvii. 3).

Two objects especially moved the author to this work. First, to show that the Bible is a book of glorious harmony throughout ; and second, to show the process of creation. The reader will judge whether these two objects have been accomplished.

In harmony with the first object the title of the book was changed from Bible Theology (the title of the first edition) to Bible Harmony. It was thought that the latter title would express more nearly the iv Preface to Second Edition.

scope and purpose of the book, and would be less liable to misapprehension. The word theology has a conventional meaning, and to many persons it conveys an idea of something dry, uninteresting, and repellent ; it is a grand word in itself, but in the minds of many it is associated by general usage with the above ideas. Furthermore, I did not wish to imply by the title of the book any reflection upon any work of a similar character ; to call it Bible Theology seems to insinuate that it stands alone in this respect. I wish to convey no such idea ; it is only with " all saints " (Eph. iii. 18) that we are able to apprehend all truth. I give in the volume a brief summary of my thought on Bible subjects, as it has come to me from various sources during the last twelve years. These views seem to me to harmonize the Bible in all its parts, better than any other views that have ever come to my knowledge ; hence the title, Bible Harmony.

I will add that the book is not written for scholars nor for theologians, but for those who have received " the love of the truth " (2 Thess. ii. 10), for the truth's sake, and prize it above all things else : it is written, as already intimated, not so much to Lay down positive doctrines, as to suggest fruitful lines of thought, and to start inquiry, that the Word may he more fully opened np to the reader.

One other remark, — and to this I ask the reader's strict attention. I have been especially careful in all Bible quotations, that they should he correct and tine to the original. Bu1 the Bible student will

Preface to Second Edition. v

notice variations in my quotations from the common version, and I have not always given the reference to chapter and verse. In regard to the variations I will say that none of them are made without the best authority, which the reader will usually find by referring to the margin of the old version, or to the text or margin of the new. I have omitted the references because the quotations are so numerous that the insertion of all the references would needlessly encumber the page. With the help of a concordance (which no one interested in the Bible should be without) every passage may be easily found, and by consulting the old and new versions, text and margin, the variations will be accounted for. In some very few cases I have quoted from the original, or from versions other than those indicated above ; such quotations, however, will be found to be fully verified in the context.

I would add that I make no claim of originality in the thoughts here presented. God, by his spirit, has made me rejoice many times in my meditations and study, by showing me " wonderful things out of his law." Dear saints, too, to whom I am glad to be indebted, have been the channels through whom " unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, has this grace been given." As another has said, " Wherever it can be shown that we are not original, so much the better ; our desire should be to enter the circle of the great dependence of all things, assured that there is no independence of heart or mind on any other terms." At least I may say for myself, vi Preface to Second Edition.

that I have spoken from the depths of a most profound conviction. " Having the same spirit of faith, I believed, therefore have I spoken" The great joy I have had in these precious truths is such that I desire to make others partakers with me ; hence this volume. I have drawn freely from every source available for fact and argument, my purpose being to give the reader the strongest evidence possible on points advanced; I would not sacrifice force, and strength, and clearness, for the sake of a strained originality ; it is the truth we want, no matter from what source it may come ; it is the truth that sanctifies (John xvii. 17) and makes us free (John viii. 32). May God give us this freedom — freedom of brain, and mind, and heart, that we may "grow in grace " and " go on unto perfection," untrammelled by traditions or superstitions. With Faber I exclaim, —

" Oh, for freedom ! for freedom ! in worshipping God, For the mountain-top feeling of generous souls, For the health, for the air, of the hearts deep and broad, Where grace, not in rills, but in cataracts rolls."

And now unto the Lord of the harvest is this effort committed, trusting that there is hero some "good seed," that it will fall into "good ground," and bring forth fruit to the honor and glory of him

who alone can give the increase.

I'.i \ BEL! , M LBS., All-list, L890.

BIBLE HARMONY.

Introduction

It is a sad fact, widely noted and deeply deplored by every lover of humanity and of God, that the spectacle that the Christian church presents in the world to-clay is one of discord, inconsistency, and failure. By the Christian church I mean the nominal Christian church as an outward, visible organization of men and women, having for its ostensible object the inculcation and advancement of religion and morality.

I designate no particular branch of the church, as Protestant or Catholic ; I refer to no particular sect or denomination, but apply the above remark to the nominal Christian church as a whole. I say that this ecclesiastical organization presents, first, a spectacle of discordancy and variance, forasmuch as we see it broken up into numberless parties and clans, all calling themselves by the name of Christ, and yet for the most part entirely lacking in organic union, to a considerable extent opposed to one another, and in not a few instances aggressively and even bitterly antagonistic. This is simply a fact which no honest

l intelligent person will deny. "We will briefly note one or two illustrations.

A correspondent writing home from Japan informs us that fronting on a certain square in that country are the headquarters of tweh r e Christian missions, all working separately and some in opposition to one another. What a spectacle for the heathen mind to contemplate of the " one body " of the " one Lord " ! Is it any wonder, as the correspondent adds, that the Japanese people write to the mission authorities at London, " Don't send us any more different hinds of Christianity " ?

In the Magazine of Christian Literature for April is an article by Dr. James McCosh, ex-president of Princeton College, on " Federation of Churches to secure that the Gospel be preached to Every Creature." The learned writer first remarks on the importance of our Lord's command to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and greatly deplores the fact that " nearly nineteen centuries have run their course, and }~et this command has not been fulfilled." He attributes this failure to the lack of union among t ho various Christian sects, and continues thus: "I am pained and perplexed more than I can tell to find that in consequence, to a huge; extent, of the separation of the churches, the Lord's command lias not been carried out, and the gospel preached to every creature. I feel as il'al (he judgment day sonic one might stand up and plead against us on this account. So I have

been anxiously pondering the question whether, prior to our reaching a full union of the churches, there might not be a practical means of bringing them to such a union as to have our Lord's command obeyed. If we cannot yet have an Incorporation, let us have a Federation."

What a confession the above words imply ! How deplorable is that condition of the church it sets before us ! The Saviour's latest and most important command unfulfilled, because there is not sufficient agreement among his professed children to act together ! There are numbers enough ; there is wealth enough; there is abundance of every requisite and supply: what a power the whole Christian church would be, all consecrated and united ! What could they not do then ! But alas ! they are divided into numberless factions, and in many instances are wasting their energies against one another, instead of laboring together as one united family; and the consequence is that the dark portions of the continents must wait for the enlightenment that the Lord's disciples could give them, until differences of opinions and variations of creeds may be adjusted and agreed upon. Meantime hundreds of thousands of human beings for whom Christ died are perishing every year, thrust into eternity without even so much as ever having heard the name of the true God, or of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Now the brother above quoted, like some others of God's children, has become impatient at this neglect, and in shame thereof and fear of the consequences he casts about to see if something cannot be done.

He sees the difficulty that lies in the way, and, despairing of overcoming it, he proposes a compromise,

— not a union, but a federation, of the churches; that is, a loose association of the various sects for a given purpose, a coalition of convenience and expediency merely, while yet the elements of discord and variance are in full force and sway. How much, think you, would the Christian church accomplish by such a pseudo-union? Opposing political parties may thus join together sometimes in certain crises, and make common cause for the nonce, but the only union that is possible for the church of Christ is " the unity of the spirit" (Eph. iv. 3). Without this, it is helpless as an organization.

I have also said that the nominal Christian church presents to the world a spectacle of inconsistency. I do not think I need to give any extended proof of this proposition. Take the nominal Christian church as a whole all over the world, — Romish, Russian, Lutheran, English, the various sects in America, etc.,

— and try them by the precepts of Christ, — say the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, — and who will say that it will not be found radically and sadly wauling? Take the principles of self-denial, separateness from the world, non-resistance to evil, abandonment <»f worldly riches, quiet submission to wrong and injustice, almsgiving, lasting, humility, meekness, self-crucifixion, and such like, and what son of exemplification do we find o\' these virtues in the average church membership? In short, is it not a sad fact (hat inconsistency is a general characteristic of the nominal church, the standing reproach of Christians in the eyes of the world, and to such an extent that it can be truthfully said of the church of to-day, as of the Jewish church in the days of the apostle, that the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you ?

Again, I have said that the nominal Christian church stands before the world to-day as (to say the least) a partial failure. This is confessed on every hand; it is indicated in the quotation already presented from the article of Dr. McCosh that nearly nineteen centuries have passed, and yet the Saviour's command to preach the gospel to every creature has not been fulfilled. The fact is that nearly eighteen centuries had passed away, since the days of the apostles and their immediate successors, before the church began to obey that command ; for all of the great missionary organizations of to-day have come into existence within the last hundred years, and notwithstanding all that has been done thus far, yet still

" the nations sit beneath The darkness of o'erspreading death."

One of the most striking presentations of the above sad fact appears in a new book by Dr. Charles Augustus Briggs, of the Union Theological Seminary, — a book bearing the significant and suggestive title of " Whither ? " i.e. whither is the church drifting ? This is the great question which the writer proposes, and tries to answer. Speaking of the failure of the church in missionary work, the author expresses him-

G Bible Harmony.

self thus : " The work of foreign missions lias assumed vast dimensions in our times. The whole world has been opened to the preaching of the gospel. The Christian church has an opportunity of serving Christ such as it has never had before since the first advent of our Lord. Great progress in foreign missions has been made in the present century. But any one who looks at the vastness of the heathen world and the countless millions who have never heard of the glad tidings of redemption by Jesus Christ, and considers the wealth and power of Christian nations, will see that the Christian church has not grasped the situation, and that Christian people are incurring a dreadful guilt before God, if the doctrine of the lost condition of these heathen be a true one. It may well be asked which are the more guilty, those who need the gospel and have it not, or those who have the gospel and do not value it sufficiently to give it to those who cannot be saved without it? From this point of view it may be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Pekin, Calcutta, and Tokio than for London, New York, and Chicago."

In their mission work aearer home the church has even more signally failed. It would seem that the power of the church ought to be especially Eeli in the great centres where Christians are massed, in the great cities of the world, where there are hundreds and even thousands o\' churches and hundreds of thousands of nominal Christians; there if anywhere the church ought to be a mighty [tower to s\\a\ and control and mould ; and yet the truth is that in just such centres as these, of all other places, the weakness and inefficienc}- of the church is most glaringly manifested. In these great cities wickedness runs riot, corruption reigns, the rum power is most potent, and the masses are godless to the last degree, while the churches are very apt to be mere places of social resort for particular cliques of the respectable, having but little power or influence outside of its own narrow pale. In illustration of this point I will again quote from "Whither?": "One of the most distressing signs of the times is the failure of the church to evangelize the masses in the great cities. There is a chasm between the poorer classes and those who are comfortable and wealthy. The gospel is glad tidings to the poor, and yet the poor have not that interest in the gospel that we have a right to expect ; the churches do not make sufficient provision for them, and do not reach them in any adequate measure. The free churches of America have failed in providing the gospel for the poor by private benevolence, no less than the established churches of Europe by inadequate provision of the state."

Thus, and in many other ways, is the failure of the church apparent. I do not disparage what the church has done. God forbid. But I say that in comparison with what, according to her resources, she might have done and what there is to do, what she has done is as nothing, — simply making her failure, on the whole, all the more apparent by comparison.

It is certainly, then, no misstatement, or unwarranted assertion, to say that the Christian church to-day presents to the world a spectacle of discord, inconsistency, and failure ; and the consequences are a great loss of its power and influence, a lessening of its dignity and standing. The poor, who should be especially benefited by the preaching of the gospel, lose their confidence in the intentions and ability of the church ; and the irreligious in the so-called upper classes, the cultured and refined, treat her pretensions with quiet disdain or open contempt. Meanwhile, the church itself, instead of standing before the world stately and dignified, respecting herself and commanding respect, seems rather inclined to bow to the world in many things, yielding to its unholy demands and seeking its support, pandering in many ways to its taste and truckling for its approval, thus forcibly reminding us of that apostate organization so suggestively symbolized in the Apocalypse (chap, xvii.) as a harlot woman seated on a beast; i.e. the unfaithful church, which should be the spouse of Christ (2 Cor. xi.), supported by the beastly world, — since a woman in scripture is a symbol of an ecclesiastical organization, and a beasl is the symbol of the worldpower (Dan. vii.).

Moreover, the church is greatly agitated over certain doctrina] questions, especially in regard to future retribution. Many in the churches arc becoming disaffected and are diverging widely from the old orthodoxy. I speak advisedly when I Bay old orthodox} ; for the disaffected ones are so numerous, and many of them stand so high in the church, that the conservative branch hardly dare call them heterodox, and so their position is designated as the " new orthodoxy." Thus we have existing in the church this paradoxical condition of things : viz. two systems of doctrine opposed the one to the other, and yet both " orthodox " ! Such a state of things, implying as it does that things that are unequal to each other are equal to the same thing, contradicts axiomatic truth, and is a fair illustration of the confusion and disorder that prevails in modern theological circles. Of course, the term " orthodoxy " in the above phrases has lost entirely its broad, strict sense, and is simply used as a narrow technical term to indicate the dominant belief, whether right or wrong. The term that ought to be used is Orthodoxism ; for orthodoxy in these modern times has degenerated to a mere ism. Upon this point I will quote again from Dr. Briggs.

" It is necessary to distinguish," he says, " between true orthodoxy and false orthodoxy — between orthodoxy and orthodoxzsm. Orthodoxism assumes to know the truth, and is unwilling to learn; it is haughty and arrogant, assuming the divine prerogatives of infallibility and inerrancy ; it hates all truth that is unfamiliar to it and persecutes it to the uttermost. But orthodoxy loves the truth; it is ever anxious to learn, for it knows how greatly the truth of God transcends human knowledge ; it follows the truth, as Ruth did Naomi, wherever it leads ; it is meek, lowly, and reverent ; it is full of charity and love ; it does not recognize an infallible pope ; it docs not bow to an infallible theologian ; it has only one teacher and master, — the enthroned Saviour, Jesus Christ, — and expects to be guided by his spirit into all truth." A few paragraphs further the author continues thus : " That man or church whose orthodoxy does not make progress ceases thereby to be orthodox, and from the necessities of the case becomes heterodox ; he refuses to accept the truth that is offered him by the advances in science, philosophy, history, and the more exact study of the sacred scriptures ; he is heterodox in that he falls short of the revealed truth that the truly orthodox have already accepted ; he is also heterodox in all that he does accept and teach ; for he keeps his thinking and teaching in the shadow of stereotyped forms of thought ; he declines to bring his knowledge into the full light of the truth, which like the sun has risen higher toward its zenith ; he prefers his darkness to the light of God ; he fears to look the truth in the eyes, lest he should be convicted of error, and be compelled to change his position, his convictions and statements. Intellectual timidity and cowardice are not consistent with Christian orthodoxy. True orthodoxy is brave, manly, and aggressive; it marches forward. Truth i^ so connected and interwoven in an organism, that an advance in any department exerts an important Influence Upon (lie whole system. Any man or ehnrch that refuses to accept the discoveries of science, or the truths of philosophy, or the facts o( history, or

the new light that breaks forth from the word o(

God to the devoted student, iui the pretence thai it conflicts with his orthodoxy or the orthodoxy of the standards of his church, prefers the traditions of men to the truth of God, has become unfaithful to the calling and aims of the Christian disciple, has left the companionship of Jesus and his apostles, and has joined the Pharisees, the enemies of the truth. 4 He that is born of God heareth God's words.' The man who has within him the spirit of truth, and is following the guidance of the divine spirit of truth, will hail the truth and embrace it, whether he has seen it before or not; and he will not be stayed by the changes that he fears may be necessary in his preconceptions or prejudices, or his civil, social, or ecclesiastical position. A traditional attitude of mind is one of the worst foes to orthodoxy. We have an infallible standard of orthodoxy in the sacred scriptures. God himself, speaking in his holy word to the believer, is the infallible guide in all questions of religion, doctrine, and morals."

I am glad to give my readers this quotation, lengthy though it be ; for in the first place, it says just what I wish to say myself, and, coming from one of reputation and acknowledged standing in the church, it will have more weight with some who are not willing to take truth for authority, but must have authority for the truth. Moreover, the above clearly defined distinction between orthodoxy and orthodoxism serves us two good turns : it rescues a good word from bad company. I have always felt somewhat loth to use the word " orthodoxy " in its conventional sense, as simply expressing the prevailing belief for the time being, without any regard to its truth or falsity ; the word in its strict sense is positive and grand, and I have always felt it to be a shame to degrade it to the vague and narrow limits of the popular usage ; nevertheless it seemed needful so to use it. But Dr. Briggs gives us just the word we need for this popular idea, — orthodoxism, — that just expresses it; and henceforth we may use the word " orthodoxy " only in its legitimate significance. He is orthodox who has received — not the whole truth, none are so endowed as yet, for " that which is perfect " has not yet come, — but he who has received " the love of the truth " (2 Thess. ii. 10) ; this is the straight way to " the perfect man." Thus we have an ill-used word rescued and a suitable word supplied ; and I would ask the reader to bear in mind that it is in the foregoing significance that these two words are used in the following pages of this volume.

Now, what is the drift in the churches of these unfavorable elements that we have noted ? Whither do they tend? I answer, to confusion ; to perplexity, vagueness, and disintegration ; this is the condition into which the church has drifted; a restless condition of doubt, uncertainty, and vacillation, stirred up, unsettled, drifting. On this point again we are supported by Dr. Briggs. The suggestive name of his book — " Whither ? " — indicates this, as already intimated. The headings of the Ion chapters of his book indicate il still more significantly, they are as follows: Drifting, Orthodoxy, Changes, Shifting, Excesses, Failures, Departures, Perplexities, Barriers,

Thither. Take these suggestive chapter-headings in connection with the title of the book itself — "Whither?" — and the terms will fairly express the true condition of the Christian church to-day ; they constitute a perfect word-picture of its internal status.

One short sentence from the book will still further illustrate this. Speaking of a particular branch of the church, he says : " The Presbyterian church is not orthodox, judged by its own standards. It has neither the old orthodoxy, nor the new orthodoxy. It is in perplexity ; it is drifting toward an unknown and a mysterious future." What is true of this particular sect is no less true of the entire church ; as a whole, it is most decidedly unsettled, perplexed, and drifting. Witness the so-called " Andover controversy " and the " new departure " movement ; witness the widespread discussion on future retribution and general eschatology, especially the much-belabored doctrine of posthumous probation ; witness also the serious disturbances and complications, amounting almost, if not quite, to a schism, even in the conservative, fixed, and professedly never-changing Romish church, led on by an ever-increasing number of disaffected priests, nuns, and other ecclesiastical officials. The whole Christian church is rent and torn, dismembered and distracted by these conflicting forces ; in consequence of which it is shorn of its strength, like Samson bereft of his locks, and it stands to-day almost helpless before the giant evils that curse mankind, and ruthlessly trample on their rights, crushing alike body and mind and heart.

Millions of hands are stretched out to the church in this our day for help ; not alone in so-called heathen lands, but in Christendom, — in the very centres of church work, right where it is (or ought to be) the strongest in numbers, in wealth, and in social status ; millions of pairs of eyes wait upon her with longing expectation ; millions of overburdened hearts yearn toward her, knocking at her windows, beating at her doors, calling to her in accents of the deepest entreaty from the wide sea of life, asking for the bread of life, for body and mind, and in many cases receiving a stone, if not a scorpion. Verily the church does not reach the masses. Let the church then beware of the masses. It has been the history of the world that every institution, political, social, or religious, that wrongs or ignores the masses, is generally set aside and abolished by the masses ; and so will it be to the world's end. The masses belong to God ; He is the Father of the spirits of all flesh, — the One Universal Father. The man is more than the church (using the latter term in its general acceptation) ; or, in other words, it is more important to consider the worshipper than the form o( worship : or still broader, the masses are of more importance than any one class.

" God, who counts by souls, not stations, Loves and prospers you and me ; For to him all Earned distinctions Arc as pebbles in the sea."

Thus the church fco-daj is tried at humanity's bar

by its own standards, ami found seriously warning.

It does not fill the breach ; it is not equal to the exigencies of the case ; it is not adequate to the demand ; in doctrine and practice it fails us. Why ? How do we account for this sad declension? The church has wandered away from the fountain-head, from its base of supplies ; it has " wandered out of the way of understanding " ; it has, in a measure, " rejected the word of the Lord ; and what wisdom is there in it?" (Jer. viii. 9). "For my people have committed two evils, saith the Lord ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Here is the cause of the failure, and cause enough it is, too ; and until this cause is removed failure will continue and increase, and disaster and ruin will follow. The church has lapsed from orthodoxy into mere orthodoxism; its traditional belief has become a serious stumbling-stone, blocking the way of progress and generally demoralizing both pulpit and pew.