illEYRECEIVEDTHt
WOI?/)
WlTIIALLREAO/-
-NESS
OF
MINOA#O
SEARCIIEOTHESCRIP-
-iURESDAILYWHE77IEII
7710SETIIINGSWERE
SO
illEREFORE
MA#Y
OFTIIEM8ELlEVEO.•
"1A
_--=-._
ACr
wu'
No.3.
Vol.VI.
ONEPENNY.
ECEMBER,1882.
r•
EDITEDandPUBLISHEDbyCYRUSE.BROOKS,
MalvernLink,Worcestershire-onbehalfofthe
ConditionalImmortality
Association,
MONTHLYCONTRIBUTORS:
BIBLICALXEGESISRev.B.B.Wale,MalvernLink.
SACREDSONG:Rev.
G.
P.Mackay,Lincoln.
LIFE
NOTES.
IN
relationtoourdecisionconcerningthesub-
jectreferredtointhelastofourprevious
"notes:"a
Iife-member
atPortseawrites,-
"vVhenthefactsof'LifeonlyinChrist,'and
thePre.millennialAdventaregenerallyaccepted
astruths,willbesoonenoughtoexpendenergy
ineountervailingerrorswhichotherSocieties
withdifferentobjectsarealreadyfightingagainst."
Thisisthe
general
tenoroftheletterswhich
havereachedusonthesubject.Wethankall
ourcorrespondentsforthecourtesyoftheir
remarks,andtrusttheywillbelieveouraimtobe
aspure-andsingle,andourloveof
truth
asearnestastheirown,thoughwediffersomewhat
astoourmodeofshowingit.
Thesamefriendadds:-"Havebeenmuch
pleasedwith'Nature'sProtest'(lastissue),and
thinkthatsimilarresultsmustoftenhavebeen
observed,byothersaswellasthewriter,knowing
thattheyhavebeenbyme.Itisdifficultto
imagineanyotheroutcomeofordinaryteaching,
astoaneternityofsuffering."
ASalisburymember,writingforasupplyof
literaturesays,-"Iamgettingsomanyapplica-
tionsthatImusthaveastockavailable.Isend
bythisposttheS.T.Youwillseetheinterest
hasnotdiminished."-Ourreaderswillfindthe
letters,referredto,ina.notherpage.
"ItistruethatCharlesDarwinhad'no
know-ledge
ofthefuture,'butinthatrespecthewas
•
noworseoffthanallothermen.Otherwise,
therewouldbenoroomforhopeandfaithin
referencetotherevelationofafuturelife.
.Darwindoubtlessdiscovered,asmostother
scientificstudentsofhumanpsychologyhave,
thatthereisnoevidenceinmanhimselfof
man'simmortality.Ratherthereverse.But
itdoesnotfollow,inanydegree,thatheshould
bewithoutfaithorhopeinafuturelife.Itis
justherewheretheChristianrevelationmeets
ourneed.Haditbeenpossibleforman,by
scientificresearch,toobtainany
knowledge
ofthefuture,itdoubtlesswouldhavebeendone
longago;butatanyratethispossibility
wouldhaverenderedrevelationunnecessary.
Now,itismostsignificant,andespeciallyfor
menofCharlesDarwin'Sclassofmind,thatthe
Christianrevelationonthesubjecttakesitup
justatthepointwheresciencefailstoproceed.
TheapostlePaul'sgrandargumentforresur-
rection,in1
Cor.
xv.,mighthavebeenwritten
speciallyformodernscientificmaterialists.He
saysnothingaboutanimmortalsoulinman,of
whichthescientistsayshecanfindnotrace.
Paulabsolutelyignoresit,andwhatmorecould
Darwin,oreventhemostextremematerialist,
wishaChristianteachertodo?Paul,thus,
longago,anticipatedtheprecise'positionnow
occupied
by
theMaterialistschool,andstaked
allhishopeofafuturelife-stakedthecredi-
bilityoftheentireChristiansystem-uponthat
onegreatpointofrevelation-viz.,futureresnr-
rectionofthedeadandlifethereafter.Revela-
tiondoesnotaskmantobelieveinhisownim-
mortality;itisassilentonthatsubjectasis
science.Butitdoesaskustobelieveinour
futureresurrectionfromdeath,againstthe
possibilityofwhichsciencehasnotawordto
say.Andrevelationgivesusevidence,sum-
marisedbyPaulinthechaptermentioned,asa
basisforsuchbelief;andifthisevidenceisnot
reliable,thenPauldarestosayChristdiedin
vain,Christianfaithisvain,and,infact,the
Christianreligionworsethanamyth."-T.
KIRKMAN,
ChristianWorld.
ACheltenhamcorrespondentexpressespainful
surpriseatthelowviewsofChristianmotive-
power,cherishedandtaughtbymany.Onesuch
asked"Howwecouldpersuadesinnerstofleefrom
thewrathtocome,ifwedidnot
threaten
themwith
Hell-FireI"
Onbeingpointedtothegospel
messageof"lifeandimmortality,"thereplywas,
••Fewwouldcaretoaccepteternallifeunlessit
weretoescapeendlesstorments."Itissadthat
menshouldusealowermotiveforce,because
therearenaturessobaseandsensualthatthey
arenotaffectedbythehigher.Itisalsovain,
forthenaturethatrespondsonlytothe
whip,
isnotthenatureinwhichChristbyHisSpirit
isformingthenewlife.Thosewhovalue
"EternalLife"foritsownunutterablyprecious
sake,arethosewhomChristispreparingas
stonestobebuiltintoHislivingTemple,and
thosewhodespiseit-exceptasameansof
escapingtorture-areunfitrecipientsofsogrand
aboon.Divinewisdomsaid,"My
sheephear
Myvoice,
andIknowthem,andthey
follow
Me."
ThevoiceofChrististhatoflove,not
fear,ofwooingnotdriving.Thevoiceofthe
Bridegroomandnotofthe'I'ssk-master.Surely
15centuriesexperienceofthe
reiqn.ofterror,
ofthewhipandthefireinChristian
(?)
teaching,
oughttohaveopenedtheeyesofitsadvocates
toitspatentandunmistakeablefailure.Heaven
isfora
prepared.
people.Christseeksnotun-
38
THEBIBLE
STANDARD.
willingbutwillingdisciples.Notslavesbut
freemen,-orsuchasareservants'fromlove
only.Wefearthatthoseteachers,whoseonly
motive-forceisfearofhell,willhavenogarnered
sheavesthatwillabidethetestofHiscoming,
andthatthoseconverts(?)whosemotive-forceis
ofthesameteachingwillfindthemselvesoutside
thegate.Aclergymanwrites:-"Ihavebeenincapaci-
tatedfordutyformanyyears,sohavehadtime
forthoughtandopportunityforemancipation
fromagroovewhichhasbroughtmisery,
madness,andunbelieftosomany,andwhich,
afterall,hasbeenprovedbyyourexcellentAsso-
ciationtobesounsoriptural."
FromBangalore,India,comesawordofgreet-
ing:-"WewishyouGodspeed;andtrust
youmaybeusedtosetthegloriouslibertyofthe
childrenofGod,andthej~yfulnewsofa'new
creation,'freefromthetaintandthecurse,before
many.Idonotanticipateanyoverwhelming
successastonumbers.Thetruechurchisa
'littleflock,'andscattered.Butmostofthose
whoaretrulyunitedtoChristwillneedjustthese
truthstoenablethemtoavoidthesnareof
spiritualism;and,whentheneedispressing,
theirearswillbeopened."
Ourreaderswillrememberthatanextract
fromProfessorBirks'remarkson"Conditional
Immortality"-takenfromhis
Commentaruon
Isaiah,
appearedinourAugustissue.Wehave
nowpleasureincallingattentiontoanablereply,
whichappearsinourpresentissue,fromthepen
ofanewcontributortoourcolumns.Weregret
wehavebeenunabletoinsertthisearlier.
Ouresteemedhelperandfriend,JamesLesslie,
Esq.,ofToronto,Canada,thuswrites:-"I
hopetheseConferences,yearafteryear,will
resultindiffusingthelightoflifefarandwide
onbothsidesoftheAtlantic.Thehorrorsofa
hsathenisedtheologywithaChristianname,ALiverpoolfriendsendsusthe
Christian
isevidentlypassingaway,ifwemayjudgefrom
Heralti
forOctober25,containingasermonby
thecautioustoneoftheorthodoxpulpitinre-theRev.C.H.Spurgeon,on"TheAwfulDoom
lationtothefutureofman.As
Vinet
affirmed,ofSinners."Ourfriendsmindhas,evidently,
theChristianityofourdaybeginstobeashamedbeenpainfullyexercisedthereby,forthepageis
of'
thet7'emendouse7-ror'
ofthepast,chargingscoredandseamedwithlinesandmarks;and,
theeternityofsinandsufferingtobethefiatofindeed,wecannotwonderatit,foritisa
ourlovingFatherinheaven,God,whoislovestrangeandcontradictorymixture.Infact,we
andlight,andwhosetendermerciesareoverallcouldnotresisttheideathatitwasaveryold
Hisworks.Ibelievethatthegreatimpedimentsermonindeed,re-servedfortheoccasion.Itis
inthewayoftheprogressofDivineTruthistheoftheusualkindofliteraturewithwhichthe
authoritative
creedsofdenominations.FREE
Christian.Herald.
catersforits250,000weekly
BIBLICALINTERPRETATIONsasacredright,andreaders;andsadlyconfoundsthingsthatwidely
everyreligiousteacher,andallthemembersofdiffer.Thetext,forexample,hasnoconnection
churches,shouldclaimitsexerciseunfetteredbywhateverwiththesubjectmatterofthesermon,
theopinionsoffalliblemen,asgenerallyem-sinceitreferstothejudgmentofthe
Uving
bodiedinallcreeds,
01'
ConfessionsofFaith.
nations
atthecloseof
thisdispensation,
butthatThesimpleanswergivenbyanApostletothetothepersonaljudgmentofthe
genemldead
atJaileratPhilippiwasallthatwasrequiredtothecloseofthe
nextdispensation.
Wehave
constitutehimaChristian,andentitledtoallgreatrespectforthewriterasaChristianman
theprivilegesoftheChristianChurch,
if
his
I
andminister,butwego-totheBibleforour
lifecorrespondedwithhisfaith.Thediversity
ofviewsonotherreligiousquestionsseemsto
metoformnogroundfortheviolencemani-
festedby,ChurchCourts'inexpulsionsfornon-
adherencetothecreedofthecommunity.
Christiansshouldlabourandprayforthe
abolitionofallsuchfalsetestsofreligious
character."
R.F.,Lincoln,sendsusanearnestarticle,
butwehaveonly.spaceforanextracttherefrom,
owingtothepressureonourcolumns:-"The
doctrineof'LifeonlyinChrist'wasbeing
preachedinourcity,somedearfriendslistened
andbelieved,one,verydeartome,joinedthe
Churchwereitwastaught.Thatwasaheavy
trialtome.Wasitnotsettingasidethebelief
ofmydearparents?Hadtheynotdiedinthe
hopeofanimmediateentranceintoheaven?
HadInotfelt',asIstoodbythedearspotthat
containedtheirbodies,thattheirsoulswerein
heaven?-forgetting,inmyselfishness,that,
therefore,othersmustbeinhell.Atlast,re-
solvedtofindthetruth,Itook
theBook
andstudieditwithprayer,butnolightcame,theold
belief,thatweallhaveanimmortalsoul,clungto
me,andthatweallmustthereforegotoheaven
orhellimmediatelyafterdeath.Sogreatlywas
Iembitteredagainstthedoctrineof'Lifeiu
Christ'only,thatIalmostclasseditwithin-
fidelity.Atlengthagreatblackcloudcame
overourhome,crushingeveryhope.OhGod
I
thedesolationofthatdarktimenonecantell,
nonecanknowbutThou.Friends,triedand
true,allofferedconsolation,butthedarkness
onlythickened,welovedsomuch.Atlength,
asifavoicefromheavenhadspoken,camethe
word-'RESTING.'Godwasmerciful:Thespell
wasbroken.Thedarkcloudwhichhadhidthe
truthfrommefadedaway,andIbeheldlightin
Hislight,and-Life
onlyinChrist,"
theology,whichflatlycontradictssomeofthe
teachingofthisjustly-popularbut,still,mortal
andfalliblepreacher.
It
says,"Thereisno
work,nordevice,norknowledge,norwisdomin
thegrave"
CEcc.
ix.10).
He
says,"Deathis
agreatrevealerofsecrets."
It
says,"Fornow
shouldIhavelainstillandbeenquiet,Ishould
haveslept:thenhadIbeenatrest.Therethe
wickedceasefromtroubling;andtherethe
wearybeatrest"
(Job
iii.13,17).
He
says,"Themomentthatamandieshisspiritgoes
beforeGod.IfwithoutChristthatspirit
then
begins
tofeeltheangerandthewrathofGod."
(Itmustberememberedthatspirit,soul,and
personaresynonomoustermswithsuch
speakers).
It
says,"IfHesetHisheartupon
mau,ifHegatheruntoHimselfHisspiritand
Hisbreath:Allfleshshallperishtogether,and
manshallturnagainuntodust"
(Job
xxxiv.
14,15.)ThistestimonyofElihuisalsoborne
outby
Job
x.9,"Thouhastmademeasthe
clay:andwiltThoubring
me
into
dust
again."
He
says,
'<Thereisaplaceofwaitingf01'lost
spirite,
whichisinScripturecalled'Hell.'''We
havewrittenenoughtoshowthatitisnotsafe
to.gotoeven
popular
teachersforone'stheology,
foritdoesnotagreewith"theLawandTesti-
mony."IfMr.Spurgeon,insteadofcondemning
(as.hehasthroughoutdone)thosewhoteach
"LifeonlyinOhrist,"willcondescendtodebate
thematteronapublicplatform,forthegoodof
thegeneralChristiancommunityofthisrealm,the
Associationwill,probably,beabletoproducean
advocateforTruthagainstTradition.Surely
theoccasionisworthyeventhePastorofthe
MetropolitanTabernacle'searnestandreverent
attention.ThemembersoftheAssoc