The Present Truth for 1906

PRESENT . "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth"st, SO VOL. 22. LONDON, THURSDAY, JUNE 2S, 1906. 402 THE PRESENT TRUTH. No. 26 In the Fulness of Time. the Scriptures say, enmity towards Him. The UPON that silent night, Protestant symbols and theologians, therefore, in When he looked forth and viewed the starry host, defining sin, not merely as selfishness, or the love What held Imperial Cmsar's mind the most ? A conquered world at peace, what bold surmise of the creature, or the love of the world, which Stirred his ambition to untried emprise? are only modes of its manifestation, but as the Reeked he of that poor province in the East, Of all Rome's pomp and empery the least ? want of conformity of an act, habit, or state of a man with the divine law, which is the revelation Upon that solemn night, Hoary with age and wise with eldest lore, of the divine nature, have in their support both Flowed her mysterious river, as of yore, reason and conscience. This doctrine of the From secret founts, parched Egpyt's thirst to slake ; Nor did the Sphinx her bond of silence break. nature of sin is fully sustained by the authority of Was there no sound of high angelic strain Scripture. The apostle John says that all want of In Memmon's music on the Theban plain ? conformity to law is sin. It seems that some Upon that starlit night in the apostle's day were disposed to limit the de- Did hallowed radiance, bright with light divine, Crown with new glory fair Athena's shrine? mands of divine law, and regard certain things not Star of the East did not thy golden beam specifically forbidden as lawful. In opposition to Bring joy to Greek and beauty to his dream, Nor shed one ray of promised light to come this, the apostle tells them that everything evil is Where every fabled god had found a home? unlawful ; for the very nature of evil is want of Upon that awful night conformity to law ; he who commits sin commits Expectant earth in listening wonder lay : anomia, for all want of conformity to law is sin. Time had its fulness reached—its perfect day ; Nations and peoples centuries long had sought 1 John iii. 4. With this agree also all the repre Truth of Infinity, through finite thought. sentations of Scripture. The words there used for God looked in pity on a world forlorn, sin in all its forms, express the idea of non-con• And angels sang, "Lo, Christ, the Truth, is born ! " —Ziteila Corks. formity to a standard. And besides this, the Bible everywhere teaches that God is the source and Sin is Want of Conformity to the Law standard of all good. His favour is the life of the of God. soul. Congeniality with Him, conformity to His will and nature, is the ideal and perfection of all PROTESTANTS teach not only that sin is a excellence ; and the opposite state, the want of specific evil, that it has relation to law, that that this congeniality and conformity, is the sum and law is the nature and will of God, and that it takes essence of all evil.—Chris les Hodge, D.D. cognisance of and condemns all forms and degrees of moral evil or want of moral excellence, but also The that the formal nature of sin is the want of con- Right Use of the Scriptures. formity to the divine law or standard of excellence. WE are told that " all Scripture is given by in- This want of conformity is not a mere negation, spiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for such as may be predicated of a stone or of a brute, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- of whom it may be said they are not conformed to ness," but we are nowhere told that the Word of the image of God. The want of conformity to the God is profitable for argument. The purpose of divine law which constitutes sin is the want of the study of the Scriptures should be to learn the congeniality of one moral nature with another ; way of life, and not to find weapons of warfare. of the dependent and created nature with the The Gospel of the grace of God has been revealed infinitely holy nature, which of necessity is not to us in order that we may be prepared to dwell only the sum but the standard of all excellence. with Him throughout eternity, and not that we Herein is sin, that we ate not like God. As the may be prepared to maintain a theological dispute opposite of reason is unreason, the opposite of with men throughout time. We are to feed upon wisdom is folly, and the opposite of good is evil ; a living Word rather than to dissect or to embalm so the opposite of divine holiness is sin. It matters the dead form of the Word. not of what exercises or states in the nature of a When there is a sincere desire to understand the moral being this opposition may be predicated ; of Scriptures in order that the life may be in harmony deliberate acts, of merely impulsive acts, or of with them, the Spirit of God gives discernment dispositions or habits ; if opposed to the divine and the truth is made clear to the mind. It is the nature, it is sin, hateful in itself and worthy of spirit of rebellion which darkens the mind, and condemnation. There is a positive element, there- prevents even the talented reader from perceiving fore, in all sin. That is, it is not merely the pri- the beauty of holiness. vation of righteousness, but it is positive un- " Human theories and speculations will never righteousness. Because the absence of the one in lead to an understanding of God's Word. Those a moral nature is the other. The want of con- who suppose that they understand philosophy think geniality with God is alienation from God, and, as that their explanations are necessary to unlock the June 28 THE PRESENT TRUTH. 403 treasures of knowledge, and to prevent heresies ing a voice came from out the cloud which over- from coming into the church. But it is these ex- shadowed them, " This is My beloved Son, in whom planations that have brought in false theories and I am well pleased ; hear ye Him "—regard not the heresies. Men have made desperate efforts to ex- mere external glories of the scene, but let your plain what they thought to be intricate scriptures ; thoughts centre upon My Beloved. Chapter xvii. but too often their efforts have only darkened that To correct all misapprehension in the minds of which they tried to make clear. His disciples the Saviour had already said, "The "The Scriptures need not to be read by the dim Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father light of tradition or human speculation. As well with His angels ; and then He shall reward every might we try to give light to the sun with a torch man according to His works. Chapter xvi. 27, as to explain the Scriptures by human tradition or The Lord thus identified the last great day of re- imagination. God's holy Word needs not the ward with the day of salvation and prosperity longed torchlight glimmer of earth to make its glories dis- for by the Jews. But how selfish and mean the tinguishable. It is light in itself—the glory of God hopes then popular appear beside the Saviour's revealed ; and beside it every other light is dim. conception of the day of redemption. The Jews " But there must be earnest study and close in- looked for an age splendid with material success vestigation. Sharp, clear perceptions of truth will and glory. God's plan was to send His Son accom- never be the reward of indolence. No earthly panied by all His own glory, and by the holy angels, blessing can be obtained without earnest, patient, with power to award to every man who was worthy, persevering effort. If men attain success in busi- eternal life. ness, they must have a will to do, and a faith to And to show His disciples how infinitely the look for results. Ahd we cannot expect to gain power and glory of that day would transcend the spiritual knowledge without earnest toil. Those material splendour of their hopes, the transfigura- who desire to find the treasures of truth must dig tion scene was given to them in the mount. for them as the miner digs for the treasure hidden There, instead of a temporal Prince with all the in the earth. No half-hearted, indifferent work nations of the earth at His feet tributary and de- will avail. It is essential for old and young, not pendent, they beheld Christ glorified and attended only to read God's Word, but to study it with by Moses and Elijah, representatives of the trans- whole-hearted earnestness, praying and searching lated and resurrected faithful. for truth as for hidden treasure. Those who do this Bat if the disciples were too materialistic in will be rewarded ; for Christ will quicken the their interpretation of the prophecies pertaining to understanding."—Advent Review. the Messiah, the tendency to day among Christians is to the other extreme —to spiritualise and refine away the lesson which the Lord gave to correct The Resurrection. the wrong beliefs of His disciples.

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