Volume Two Ryman Auditorium-Nashville, TN (April1 to April 22, 1923) Bible HistoryLadies and gentlemen, brethren, and friends, I am very seriously impressed by the wonderful rapidity with which the weeks and the months of time roll by. To me it is but a short space since together here we met under circumstances so much akin to this, to study those things in which all seemed intensely interested; yet I recognize we are one year nearer our eternal destiny. Far more than I can express it do I appreciate the very kindly invitation to return to your capital city and to engage in this meeting. I could but congratulate myself, indeed, upon the confidence which those who have this meeting directly at heart have in me personally, and upon the splendid gathering of you, friends, who by your very presence lend encouragement to the services thus begun. I had hoped and really would have been delighted to have had with us to-day Brother Pullias as a fellow laborer in directing the part he had last year; but I rejoice to know that he will soon, if not already, be engaged in a series of meetings somewhat akin to this, and, therefore, perhaps wield a greater influence than he might here. In his absence, as has been stated, we are glad to have Brother John T. Smith, one of Israel's sweetest singers, with whom, I am sure, you will be glad to join in hymning praises to "Him from whom all blessings flow." I must acknowledge personally my genuine appreciation to the newspapers of the city of Nashville for their kindness in giving publicity to this meeting and publishing the sermons, and I do hope and trust that as the months and years go by there may be nothing done by your humble servant or those with whom he labors that will cause them ever to regret the extension of this splendid courtesy in helping to bear the messages that shall be announced to numbers and numbers of yearning hearts who cannot be present in body during this series of meetings. Political, social, and economic questions and issues are forever changing, but the things with which we shall have to do are perpetual and eternal. I have not come to you brethren to preach myself; for, in the language of Paul, "we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." Neither have I come to please men other than as an earnest, honest effort to present the truth as best I can may meet their approval, for I recognize that if I seek to please men I cannot be the servant of God. I have not come, therefore, simply as a matter of entertainment. I have not come to play upon your fancies or your emotional nature in any way, for I recognize full well that though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of; "for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe it, unto me, if I preach not the gospel" of the Son of God. I come to you "not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him' crucified." "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you" who are of Nashville, and who will from time to time, I hope, be glad to favor me with your presence, your prayers, and your interest in every way. There are two great books for the human family to study and by which to be governed and guided according to their respective needs along the pathway of life. I refer to the book of nature and the book of revelation. I think it safe to say that the object of the first has to do purely and solely with the things that are temporal and transient in their nature. My material success in life and relationship with reference to time and timely things are dependent upon my ability to harmonize with nature and nature's law. In that special held alone I do not need the Bible. But there is another—a higher and a nobler-characteristic of humanity which we call the "spiritual," that which differentiates man from the other animals of earth and links him to divinity. With reference to that part of our nature, God's book, the Bible, gives us a message from high heaven indicative of God's will and of heaven's desire that the human family may be happy in its journey from the cradle to the grave, from time to eternity, and ultimately blessed in that home of the soul across which the shadows never come. Since this meeting is going to continue for twenty and two days, representing as it shall forty-three sermons, I think it is not at all amiss for us to begin as if it were a great school with the Bible our text, at the close of which we expect to be better acquainted therewith and have a more thorough grasp of that wonderful book which has, indeed, been the anvil on which numbers and numbers of hammers of opposition have been worn out, a book which has withstood the ravages of time and stands to-day the most prominent book in all the history of the world. I think it necessary for us to have a general grasp of the entire field of Bible story and of Bible history, that it may be both chronologically and logically fixed concretely and definitely in mind, that we may be able to see the general trend of God's revelation to man from start to finish. I know the difficulty and the disadvantage of learning an abstract fact here and another there and a third somewhere else, these having no relation either logically or in point of time one with the other. All knowledge of any sort whatsoever, if it be practical and helpful, must be correlated in some kind of a definite and tangible manner. In the study, for instance, of the history of this, the greatest country under heaven, it is absolutely necessary, in order that it be remembered and appreciated, that it be divided into periods and the events connected therewith properly classified so that they may be grasped and related the one to the other. In this study there are five great periods. First, the aboriginal, which embraces that period in which three prominent characters appear—viz., the Norsemen, the mound-builders, and the Indians; second, the period of discovery, in which we learn of the different activities of the five leading nations that were sending out explorers and discoverers to gain information regarding the world that lay to their west; third, the period of settlement and development; fourth, the period of the Revolution, when the yoke of bondage was laid aside and a new nation was born upon the earth and assumed its rightful place among the sister nations of the world; last of all, from the inauguration of Washington down to the present, we have what we call the "national period." Now, to understand the history of this country, I need to know the facts and the particular period to which they belong; also, I must know the relation of each event to the others. The history of the Bible covers a period of forty-one hundred years—from 4004 B.C. to 96 A.D., according to Arch-bishop Usher's chronology. The dates found at the top of all our Bibles are generally accepted, and perhaps are as nearly correct as any one can determine. In these forty- one hundred years the history of God's dealings with humanity has been written in one volume complete. But it likewise is divided into periods. I want you, therefore, carefully and thoughtfully to be able to get a glance, a bird's- eye view, of all Bible story from first to last, a general outline, and in the remainder of this meeting to All in such things as may be discussed. According to others who have thus classified events better than I could have done, there are Ave great periods of Bible history. First, the period of early races, covering a stretch of time from 4004 B.C. to 1921 B.C.-two thousand and eighty-three years; second, the call of the chosen family, from 1921 B.C. on down four hundred and thirty years to 1491 B.C.; third, the Israelite people, from 1491 to 1095 B.C.;fourth, the Israelite kingdom, from 1095 B.C. to 587 B.C.; fifth and last, Jewish provinces, from 587 B.C. down to 70 A.D., the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. I trust that you may be able to follow now and to appreciate the details that shall be mentioned therein. Referring to the first period, the early races of mankind, are embraced the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis. That period has but one topic that subdivides it First of all, the races of mankind were united upon the earth. They were all of one accord, spoke the same language, were of one tongue, one tribe, one dialect, and one in every respect. But finally there was an incident that marred the continuation of that state of affairs, known as the building of the tower of Babel, 2234 B.C., from which time unity no longer prevailed ; but the people were dispersed and scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, and thus were in a state of division when that period closed, and God saw fit to lead out a family and offer promises through the blood line of the same. The events characteristic of the first period are very simple, and a Bible student needs only to recall what therein happened. Under that period comes the story of creation outlined in the first chapter of Genesis—the creation, fall, and expulsion of man, and the first sons born upon the earth, with their endeavor to worship God. After that we have an account of the ten generations from Adam to Noah. These are: Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. After that we have a development of wickedness as it begins to evidence itself upon the earth, brought about, seemingly at least, by marriage relationships of the sons of God with the daughters of men. The record tells us that when these sons of God looked upon the daughters of men they saw they were fair to behold. Attracted, enamored, and allured thereby, they took unto themselves wives; and the next statement that follows is that wickedness multiplied upon the face of the earth more and more, until finally "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." it appears that the world reached a state when almost total depravity was the condition of humanity. But such a condition was not allowed to continue, and immediately God issued a decree that there should come a great flood upon the earth and that everything in whose nostrils was the breath of life should be wiped out of existence. The command was given to Noah to make ready for the wonderful scene that was soon to transpire, and hence the direction and the instruction for the building of an ark. Noah began the preaching of righteousness to the world. Just how long he continued thus to proclaim, I do not know—perhaps one hundred and twenty years. This encouragement he gives to every man—viz., that while he absolutely failed to impress his neighbors and to convert the world to the truth, he succeeded in saving his own family; and if you and I and every other man could be equally successful, the angels would look out over the battlements of heaven and rejoice with joy unspeakable even this afternoon. I am not, therefore, friends, discouraged when on any occasion people refuse to accept what I conceive to be the truth or fail to acquiesce in the things proclaimed; but there is a solemn obligation resting upon every man and upon every soul, and that is, God expects of us a rendition of service and of duty according to the requirements and demands under which we live. At last the windows of heaven were opened, the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the rains descended, and for one hundred and fifty days the waters prevailed upon the face of the earth. Noah took his wife, his three sons and their wives, entered the ark, and launched out upon the bosom of an ocean without a shore, guided by the great Captain of that wonderful vessel, until by and by, in Jehovah's providence, having ridden the waves of the mighty flood, it rested upon the summit of Mount Ararat. At the voice of God, Noah and his family emerged into a new world, cleansed and purified and made ready for the beginning of a race of people of which he was the second representative Soon after that event the posterity of Noah drifted southward, attracted, perhaps, by the rich alluvial soil along the lower course of the Euphrates; and, as is characteristic of humanity, they became forgetful and unmindful of God's providence and grew conceited to the extent that they said: "We will build us a tower and make us a name, that no matter where we wander or where we go, we will never get outside the view of this splendid monument." According to profane history, they laid the foundation well—a square two hundred and seventy-two feet, then up, pyramid like, until at last one hundred and fifty-three feet of height was reached. Perhaps they fancied that by their own physical force and power they could build a tower that would pierce the vaulted canopy of the heavens and permit them to look in upon the throne of Jehovah. Then God saw fit to stop the vainglory of man and to demonstrate the futility of any efforts of his prompted purely by physical power. He visited their city, confounded their language, and scattered the people that had hitherto been one over the face of the earth. And this was the beginning of the division of the language of the people, which division has continued until a thousand tongues, dialects, and languages are found in the earth today. Next, the genealogy of Adam is traced on down to Abraham through Noah's sons: Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abraham—twenty generations, covering a period of two thousand years. The world was steeped again in sin. Idolatry was in the land. God saw fit to visit one special family, which dwelt down on the lower course of the Euphrates River, in the land of Shinar, and said to Abram: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." These promises mark the close of the first and the beginning of the second great period in Bible history, covering a space of time from 1921 to 1491 B.C. This period of the Bible is characterized by the study of three personages—namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At God's call Abraham left Ur of Chaldea, together with Sarah, his wife; Lot, his nephew; and Terah, his father. Up the valley they marched for a distance of possibly five hundred and fifty miles, until they came to old Haran, in the country of Mesopotamia. There they tarried, for how long I do not know, but sufficiently long for Abraham to secure a number of souls and to enrich his already increasing physical effects. There his father died at the age of two hundred and five years and was buried in a strange land. After Abraham, with the rest of his people, marched around the northern part of the Arabian Desert, he came into the land that was afterwards to be the land that flowed with milk and honey. When they reached Bethel, ten miles north of the city of Jerusalem, Abraham stopped, built an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord. Prompted by a famine in the land of Canaan, he moved on southward into the land of Egypt, and there trouble arose because of the beauty of his wife. Abraham, thinking that the exigencies of the hour demanded that a falsehood be perpetrated, almost brought destruction upon an innocent people and their king by deceiving them in the half-true statement concerning Sarah's being his "sister," when she was only a half sister and his legal wife. Let me stop to offer this suggestion: The very fact that the Bible account reveals this weakness on the part of Abraham carries with it a genuine conviction that a hand higher than that of man must have penned the story. it is characteristic of humanity to record the good things about our heroes and heroines and to leave the bad in the background and to the unknown. But in the Bible, without exception, God tells of the weakness of man as well as his superior traits of character. By the intervention of Jehovah, Abraham escaped out of the land of Egypt and came into the land of promise. Here trouble arose between his herdsmen and those of Lot. Knowing that they were in a strange land and that the enemy was on every hand, he said to Lot: "Let there be no strife between me and thee; for we be brethren." The whole land was before them, and Abraham made a generous offer relative to their separation. Lot's character of selfishness and greed is revealed in that he selected the best section and pitched his tent toward Sodom. This decision meant his ultimate ruin. Abraham turned to the left and made his home at old Hebron. He next pursues the Elamites and rescues Lot. On his return he meets Melchizedek and to him pays tithes. Soon Ishmael is born, and the cities of the plain are overthrown. He next moves to Beer-sheba; and Isaac having been born, he goes to the land of Moriah to offer him as a burnt offering unto God. Sarah died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven and was buried in the cave of Machpelah. Abraham continues on until his career closes at the age of one hundred and seventy-five, when his remains were placed beside the body of Sarah. The life of Isaac, though longer than the lives of Abraham and Jacob, was spent in a small range of territory and with but few events. After his marriage to Rebekah at the age of forty, his home was at (1) Beer-la-hai-roi, (2) Gerar, (3) Rehoboth, and (4) Beer-sheba, where he died at the age of one hundred and eighty years and was buried in the family sepulcher. The story of Jacob is related with more of detail than any other person in the Old Testament. His career is varied and presents many phases of life. After having gained the birthright over Esau and having secured the blessing from his deceived father, he left the old home, where he had spent about sixty years, and hastened to Haran, where he remained for the next forty years. Here he married Leah, then Rachel, and unto him eleven sons and a daughter were born. Being a fine trader, he soon grew rich in cattle, flocks, and herds. The time came for him to leave, and, with his possessions, he started back to the land of Canaan. At Mizpah he made a treaty with his father-in-law; at Peniel he wrestled with the angel and was reconciled to Esau; and at Shalem he rested once again in the land of Canaan. At Bethlehem, Benjamin was born and his beloved wife, Rachel, died. Joseph is sold into Egypt; a famine waxes sore in the land; and finally Jacob and his family, now numbering about seventy souls, come into Egypt to remain for about two hundred and fifteen years. At the age of one hundred and forty-seven Jacob died, and his body, being embalmed, was carried back to Hebron and laid to rest in the ancestral sepulcher. The Israelites fared well until a king rose up which knew not Joseph, and then their bondage became so severe that God heard their groanings and cries and sent Moses to deliver them. But Pharaoh refused to let them leave his control, and a series of plagues finally convinced him that God's hand was with them. Under the leadership of Moses, they crossed the Red Sea and sang the song of glad deliverance on the farther shore. Thus ended the second period in 1491, and introduced to us the next, known as the period of the Israelite people, lasting from 1491 to 1095. Having become free from Egypt, these people march along the eastern shore of the Red Sea and finally come to Mount Sinai, where they remain for one year. During this stay four important events came to pass— (1) the making and worship of the golden calf; (2) the giving of the Decalogue, the constitution of their great law, to be written by Moses and to last for the next fifteen hundred years; (3) the building of the tabernacle, God's golden house, upon a foundation of silver; (4) the numbering and organization of the people preparatory to their onward journey. From Mount Sinai they marched on, and at the end of the second year they came to old Kadesh-barnea, at which time Moses thought best to send out the spies to view the land, and thus one from each tribe was selected. They went into the land of promise, viewed it over, and brought back evidences of the richness and of the fertility thereof. They were all agreed on a number of points respecting the same. They said with one accord that it is a fine land and a goodly country; it has its fruitage galore; and its wonderful harvests are, indeed, attractive to the eyes of men. They further agreed that there were giants dwelling in that land. Ten of the spies opposed the efforts to take the land and proposed to make them another captain and return to Egypt, but Caleb and Joshua rent their clothes and insisted that under the banner of Jehovah they could drive out the enemy and come into their own promised possessions. Because of the report made by the ten, God issued a decree that none of that generation above twenty years old, except Caleb and Joshua, should come into that goodly land, but that they should wander in the wilderness a year for every day spent in searching the country. Thus for forty years they roamed up and down the wady beds of a barren region until all had died. During all these years Moses bore their grievances and suffered their frequent condemnations, until at last they came to the plains of Moab, just east of the Dead Sea. Here occurred (1) the episode of Balaam's prophecy, his efforts to curse God's people being turned into a blessing; (2) the iniquity of Israel with the women of Moab, and the plague upon them as a result; (3) the numbering of Israel once more; (4) the campaign against the Moabites and the Midianites; (5) the allotment of the land east of the Jordan to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh; (6) the repetition of the law as found in the book of Deuteronomy; and (7) the ascent of Moses to the height of Nebo, his splendid view of the promised land, and his lonely death. I have tried, my friends, to think of Moses as thus he stood at the close of the most eventful career that any man had hitherto had—a man who had stood as the very confidant of God himself, who had been privileged to receive and give to the world that basis of law that has been the model and the standard for all nations of civilized peoples since that time, the man that led the greatest army the world has ever seen and directed them to victory. He stands, if you please, one hundred and twenty years young, with his physical force unabated, with the same eagle eye that gazed into the eye of old Pharaoh forty years before. Looking out to the right, Moses could view the entire land that glided away toward the great Arabian desert. Northward there was old Mount Hermon, veiled in misty clouds, towering above the surrounding country. Then as he cast a wishful eye beyond Jordan's stormy banks, he saw the rich fields of Canaan, the silvery streams, and the smiling valleys. When he thus beheld the sublimest sight ever viewed by mortal man, God laid his hand upon his heart, and, without a pain, an agony, or a sigh, Moses fell asleep. God buried him in some lonely spot, unmarked, unknown, that his tomb might never be desecrated, that his body might sleep in solemn silence until the trump of God shall sound and all the ransomed be gathered home. Upon the death of Moses, Joshua took the lead and conducted the people across the river Jordan, whose waters were parted as were those of the Red Sea. Then he remembered that a reproach had rested upon Israel for forty years, due to the fact that they had failed to circumcise their children, and hence were under the disfavor and disapproval of God. When the male children were circumcised, they called the place of their headquarters "Gilgal," which means their reproach had been taken away. Joshua then planned three campaigns to drive out the seven nations that occupied the western part. Each of these was a success, and then the land was allotted to the remaining nine and one-half tribes. Thus was the promise made by God to Abraham with reference to physical affairs literally fulfilled. Things went well for a time; but, as the further history will show, they soon became unmindful, forgot the part God had had in their delivery and that he had guided them thus far. To reprove them and bring them to the recognition of their sins, God allowed a series of oppressions to come upon them, seven in number, until by and by the people were humbled, dependent, and recognized their relationship to God. Judges were ordered to rule over them, according to the demands of the hour; and hence the period of the chosen family and of the Israelite people closes with the reign of the fifteen judges. At the close of Samuel's career the people demanded that a change of affairs be brought about; and hence a system was inaugurated unlike that which God had ordained, which did not meet with his approval, and that stands out an exceedingly prominent period in the subsequent history of God's dealings with humanity. But enough for this time. From this talk, ladies and gentlemen, I am perfectly aware that nobody could learn what to do to be saved. I am certain that from it you could not understand what God's will is to you personally and individually; but from your previous study of the Scriptures and from the preaching hitherto to which you have listened, if there should be those in this audience who understand what the will of the Lord Is and have a disposition to render obedience to him now, I am always glad, and shall evermore be, I hope, to extend to you the gospel call. Bible History ContinuedIt is very encouraging to be met by this goodly number again and to hear you join in the singing of these songs. I do hope that the services here to-night may be exceedingly pleasant and profitable to you. it is my earnest desire that good, and good alone, may result from our meetings, that the people may be brought nearer together, that the name of the Lord may be revered by the great masses of this city, and that numbers of souls may be led to the cross of Christ and be saved in the by and by. I tried to get before you this afternoon a part of the history covered by this book we call the "Bible." it embraces forty-one hundred years, from the creation of man to the close of revelation. In our study this afternoon we learned that all Bible history was divided into five periods-viz., the early races, the chosen family, the Israelite people, the Israelite kingdom, and the Jewish provinces. The first three of these have been presented, and I call your attention tonight to number four, the Israelite kingdom, which was established 1095 B.C. Humanity's disposition has always been about the same. After the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and passed through the wilderness of wandering, they were settled in the land promised by God to Abraham. They entered into houses which they never built; they came into possession of orchards which they never planted, of waving fields of grain which they never sowed, and of wells which they did not dig. As is generally true, riches and possessions obtained in this manner are never appreciated. These people came to think too much of themselves. They were puffed up and filled with pride. Then it was that God allowed the nations round about them to gain the ascendency over them until they might come to recognize their dependance and be conscious of the fact that God still reigns over the affairs of men. A system of government was, therefore, inaugurated to meet the demands of the hour. God ordained that judges should be raised up to throw off the oppression and fight their battles. When Samuel, the last of these, grew old and his sons began to rule over Israel, the record tells us that they perverted judgment and arrested justice. This was the occasion that a demand be made for a change in the entire system. Those who wanted to be like the nations round about them took advantage of the situation and insisted upon a different order of government. Let it be understood, however, that a failure on the part of individuals to do their duty is no just ground for a departure from God's established order. When the people demanded a king that they might be like the nations around them, Samuel was wonderfully grieved, and carried the matter to the Lord in prayer. The Lord answered him, saying: "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. Hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them." Samuel returned to the people and warned them regarding the step they were taking. He pictured clearly the nature of the kings who should reign over them—how that their own sons would be appointed for himself, for his chariots, and for his horsemen. He declared that the king would appoint captains over thousands and over fifties, and would set them to ear his ground and to reap his harvests and to make instruments of war and instruments of chariots. He further declared that their daughters would be taken for cooks, bakers, and confectioners. He said their fields, their vineyards, and their orchards would be given to his servants, and that the king would take a tenth of their seed and give to his officers, and that all of their menservants and maidservants would be given to his work. He further showed that these very people which demanded a king would one day cry out because of him, but the Lord would not hear. "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." When God saw that they were determined on their course and that they gave no heed to the earnest pleadings of his servant, Samuel, he overruled their own personal preference and caused Saul, the son of Fish, to be selected as their first king. This whole procedure, be it remembered, was never in harmony with God's will, nor did it ever meet with his approval. He allowed them to have their say until they should at last come to a recognition of the fact that his hand was in it all. Under the leadership of Saul, a number of battles were won over the enemies, and a territory of six thousand square miles became theirs. Because of Saul's disobedience in the destruction of the Amalekites he was rejected by Jehovah, and he finally died upon his own sword. David came to the throne 1055 B.C., and at once evidenced the fact of his superiority. He subdued the nations round about and increased the territory received from Saul tenfold. His kingdom reached from the Euphrates, on the northeast, to the river of Egypt, on the southwest. His last days, however, were filled with sorrow; and he died with his hands stained with blood and forbidden by Jehovah to build a house for the Lord. His son took the throne after a period of forty years, and made memorable his reign by the building of the temple. The grandeur, the glory, and the greatness of Israel were centered upon this magnificent structure. For wisdom, riches, and prominence, Solomon stood without a peer in all the history of the world. Strange to say, after God had so signally honored him and granted to him that which no one had previously enjoyed, he, the wisest of all the ages, was led away into idolatry and disobedience to God. Upon his death, 975 B.C., this government, which had stood together for one hundred and twenty years, was divided. Rehoboam took the throne at Jerusalem and reigned over two tribes, while Jeroboam went to Bethel, carrying with him the remaining ten tribes. The kingdom of the ten tribes was ruled over by a series of nineteen kings, from Jeroboam to Moses. These were unmindful of Jehovah, and in the course of time lost their individuality, their distinctiveness, and their identity. By the year 721 they had become so much like the idolatrous nations around them in practice, customs, and worship that they were absorbed by the Assyrians and passed out of history. From their blending with the Assyrians have come the Samaritans, hated and despised by every faithful Jew. The woman, therefore, at Jacob's well was right when she told the Savior that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. The two tribes under Rehoboam continued faithful to God for a period of three hundred and eighty-eight years, at which time Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, swept down the Jordan valley, destroyed the temple built by Solomon, and carried away the best of the people, together with the golden vessels and silver cups, to that city beyond the Euphrates. For seventy years the Jews were under Babylonian authority, and their country was in waste, their sacred temple in ruins. Thus was begun the fifth period in Bible history, known as the "Jewish provinces." As previously stated, they were under Babylonian rule from 606 to 586—nineteen years in subjection at Jerusalem and fifty-one years in Babylon. In the year 536 Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, was slain, and the Medo-Persian empire was established, to which the Jews were in subjection for a period of two hundred and six years. Under the decree of Cyrus, Zerubbabel led an army back to Jerusalem and laid the foundation for a second temple. He was followed by Ezra, and after much discouragement and a number of years, during which hope was deferred, the temple was finally rebuilt. In grandeur and glory it was incomparable to that built by Solomon. Some of the old men who had witnessed the first looked upon this one and wept because of its inferiority. The Solomonic temple, which stood for four hundred and twenty-four years, was the crowning glory of Mount Moriah. it was constructed at a time of profound peace, and by the aid of powerful allies, purchased by the freewill offerings of a proud, wealthy nation. No wonder it should assume such glorious proportions. This second temple was erected in the midwinter of Israel's sorrow and discontent. it was built by a mere remnant who returned from a long and rigorous captivity. They were without means, with enemies in the Persian court to obstruct the royal permit and foes lurking near their work to impede their labor; but to them it was a glorious house, and the prophet declared that its glory should exceed the former, because of the fed that one day the footfalls of the Prince of Peace should echo throughout its sacred walls. The Persian empire ceased to be, and in 330 Alexander the Great swept over the land like a comet's flash across the sky and subdued the nations of all the earth. For seven years he was the idol of all civilization. When but thirty-three years of age, he died, having conquered the world, but unable to conquer his own passions and lusts. His government was divided among his four generals, which soon blended into two rival governments-viz., the Egyptian and the Syrian. Of these two rival powers, the former was in the ascendancy from 301 to 174. Under the Egyptian rule the Jews enjoyed their liberty and were privileged to carry on their worship according to their own pleasure. In 174 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes, the Assyrian, gained the supremacy and crowded into the following eleven years such horrors as have seldom disgraced a sovereign or maddened a people. Antiochus was great, and even brilliant, but with these attributes he combined the worst qualities that dishonor manhood. One of the ruling passions of his disordered mind was a hatred of the Jewish people and of the religion of Jehovah. Cost what it might, he was determined to crush the Jews and wipe out their system of religion. Checked in his campaign by the threatened intervention of Rome, he wreaked his fury upon the Jews. Though allowed to enter the city of Jerusalem without resistance, his general slaughtered forty thousand of its inhabitants and sold as many more into slavery. He broke down the walls, burned the gates, ransacked the temple, seized the sacred utensils, erected a statute of Zeus in the temple court, and consummated the sacrilege by the offering of a sow upon the altar of burnt offerings. The seventy-ninth Psalm throbs with the passionate pain of that awful day. The nation gazed aghast at the desecration of the holy place while it lay prostrate at the tyrant's heel. Two years afterwards Antiochus issued an edict which combined the designs of Jezebel and Haman-the suppression of the religion and the extermination of the race. The carrying out of this edict was as relentless as its conception was atrocious. Worship of Jehovah was forbidden; the temple was transformed into an idolatrous sanctuary; the Holy Scriptures were everywhere sought out and destroyed. Many of the Jews died; some gladly apostatized and aided the oppressors against their own people. There was no armed resistance, and Antiochus boasted that the religion of Jehovah had ceased to be. The hearts of the Jews were burning, and the nation, relying upon its promises, stayed itself. Beneath the surface lay the smoldering fires. Only a hand was needed to stir them, and the whole land would be in flame. In a little town called "Modin," a few miles west of Jerusalem, a venerable priest, "Mattathias" by name, and his Ave stalwart sons, had taken temporary refuge from the storm. The officers of Antiochus came in their efforts to enforce the edict. They called upon Mattathias to set an example of obedience by sacrificing to the gods. Ready for death, but not for apostasy, he refused. One of those degenerate timeservers who disgrace every age and every cause, anxious for favor, stepped forward to show the way to faithfulness. "And Mattathias saw, and was grieved; and his wrath was kindled according to the judgment of the law." (1 Mace. 2: 24.) With one blow he laid the apostate dead. His five sons gathered round about him with the same zeal in every heart. The villagers responded, the guard was put to flight, and the altar was overthrown. The die was cast, and the war for country and creed was begun. Under the years and hardships the father soon sank; but all the Ave sons, worthy of their name and race, remained. In all the history of the world there is, perhaps, not a parallel to this family. One by one these boys took the lead, and each lives in history with some fond title after his name—"John the Holy," "Simon the Guide," "Judas the Hammer," "Eleazar the Beast Sticker," and "Jonathan the Cunning." The struggle for independence continued for a number of years, during which the greatest victories were won and the greatest sacrifices made by almost any people who have ever lived. The Ave sons of Mattathias, each in turn, lay prostrate upon the field; but their cause was won, and the Jews entered upon a state of independence from B.C. 160 to about 6 A.D. For the benefit of those who wish to study this line of thought more particularly I submit the following as leaders of their people: Judas Maccabaeus, Jonathan, Simon, John Hyrcanus, Alexander Jannaeus, Alexandra, Aristobulus, and Hyrcanus. This brings us to the year 39 B.C., at which time Herod the Great, an Idumean, occupied the throne. No man of greater duplicity has ever lived upon the earth. He was able to influence either Caesar or Pompey and use them for his own selfish end. Herod was of magnificent presence, lion-like strength and courage, and possessed of an energy that knew no fatigue and a will that acknowledged no defeat. He became the most prominent character on history's page, and by his ability to handle the Roman authorities he was known as the "king of the Jews." He married the beautiful Mariamne, of Maccabean ancestry, and was so devoted to her; and yet so selfish was he that twice, at the crisis of his affairs, he gave orders that, in the event of his death, she, too, was to die. Moved by the jealousy of his sister, Salome, he caused to be put to death the grandfather, father, brother, and uncle of his beloved wife, and in the end climaxed his crimes by her murder. He also had put to death his own sons, lest they might rise up and seek to dethrone him. In the midst of the most bitter remorse and with an anxiety to throw of the cares that had come upon him, he planned and carried out the greatest public enterprises with which his name is identified. He fortified cities, fostered industries, and threw the shield of his protection over the Jewish communities throughout the empire. To gain the affections of the Jews, he set about the rebuilding of the temple. This he did, not because of any religious conviction or zeal, but with the earnest desire to dazzle the religious imagination and to excite the pride of the people. His temple surpassed that of Solomon, as Solomon's surpassed that of Zerubbabel. He also Bought to build a palace that might eclipse that of the ease. But try as he might, he could never place himself wholly in sympathy with his subjects. His introduction of Roman names and symbols offended the sensibilities and evoked an indignation which all their national satisfaction failed to silence. Idolatry was in evidence on every hand, and so he gradually lost the respect of his subjects and began his rapid decline. His physical forces were abated. His mental ability likewise waned. The description of his last days given by Josephus cannot be read without disgust. He lay upon the couch a rotting mass. No foot came near to him save unwillingly, so offensive was he to both sight and smell. In all history there is probably not a more ghastly scene than that of Herod's deathbed. In perverted ingenuity he devised a scheme to compel a national mourning when he died. He summoned the chief men of all the nations to Jerusalem and shut them up in the Hippodrome. He then charged his sister, Salome, and her husband that the moment the breath left his body the soldiers should be let loose among them and all should be slaughtered. If ever evil was embodied in one man, it was in that corrupt mass that lay upon the royal bed and plotted death even when incarnate love was born into the world. From the couch of Herod pass for (I moment to the cradle of Christ. A peasant couple from the hills of Galilee trudged along to the historic Bethlehem, the woman worn with long travel and pinched with the pain of approaching maternity. The road was not far from the palace fortress, and, perhaps, they saw the lights and heard the strains of music with which Herod's servants sought to soothe his agony. it was late in the day ere they reached the "inn," and all the sleeping compartments were occupied. A place was found on the lower level used for the stabling of the cattle, and there on that night Jesus, the Christ, was born. Such a contrast between the village khan and the palace fortress the world had never seen and can never see again. The Prince of Peace was among the beasts, and the beast was among the princes. The real King was in the stable, while the usurper was clad in purple. Only a few miles, as men measure space, separated the two; but, as God measures moral distance, a whole universe intervenes. Herod and Christ are at opposite poles. Infinity interposes between the selfishness that lived to slay and the self-sacrifice that died to save. Upon the death of Herod the Great in B.C. 4, Archelaus took the throne, and reigned till 6 A.D., at which time the land of Palestine was ruled by a series of procurators, as follows: Coponius, Marcus Ambivius, Annius Rufus, Valerius Gratus, Pontius Pilate, Vitellius, and Marcellus. This brings us to the year 41, when King Agrippa I. was made ruler over the land. He continued for three years, and then procurators or governors continued, with Cuspius Fadus, Tiberius Alexander, Cumanus, Felix, Porcius Festus, Albinus, and Gessius Florius, thus closing the political rule over the Holy Land until the destruction of the temple. Ladies and gentlemen, I have gone into detail regarding the history embraced in the study of the Bible and during the four hundred years between the Old and the New Testaments. This has been done with the earnest hope that your interest in the book of God may be increased and that you may have a firmer grasp upon the affairs that then transpired. The church of Christ was established toward the closing years of this long history, and through the simple machinery characteristic of New Testament times the gospel was carried into all the world and proclaimed to every creature. That gospel we have to-night, and during this series of meetings I hope to unfold to you its principles and cause you to enlist under the banner of Him who died that we might live. If already you know the truth and have a disposition to obey it, the opportunity is now yours, and may the Lord help you to use it. Three Great ReligionsI have promised to talk to you to-night about the three great religions of the Bible, or what might be equally styled the three dispensations of God's government unto man. Notwithstanding the opinions of a number of learned men of the earth, I really believe that God created man out of the dust of the earth; that he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; that he stood there a living soul, bearing the impress of divinity upon his brow and the very stamp of God's image upon his heart. it was intended for him to exercise dominion over all the Ashes of the sea, the very animals of the earth, and the beasts of the field. He was then fit company for Divine association in that innocent, happy state that characterized his original condition; but after sin entered into the earth, in harmony with the dignity of the law and the majesty thereof, Jehovah saw At to drive him out, and thereby man forfeited that splendid association and heavenly companionship that had at first characterized his condition, and from then on was driven out and made to grope his way down the aisles of time. God loves him still, and seeks to bring about a restoration to his original condition, and hence, as a means to that end, establishes the first system of religion know to mankind, or the first general system of government under which man is thus placed. it is generally known in Bible language and by all students thereof by the name of the "Patriarchal Age," lasting for a period of twenty-five hundred years, from Adam to Moses. The word "patriarch" means a father, as the head or ruler of the family. The patriarchal age would be that system of Divine government executed and carried out by the father of every family. Hence, this is the only system of which we have a record for the first twenty-Ave hundred years of the world's history. It was God's custom and manner to deal with the father direct, and never with the members of the family, only through the father as the representative thereof. For instance, unto the sons and daughters of Adam, God regulated their lives through laws given unto the father, or the head of the family. To the sons of Noah, God directed them by laws given unto Noah, and the sons of Abraham were governed by laws given to Abraham, and so on down the line of each, according to generation and the family to which he belonged. There is one verse back in Gen. 18 that I think reflects the whole system, where, concerning Abraham, God said: "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah." And in that statement there is the explanation of the dispensation known as the patriarchal age or system of government. All laws were not revealed at one time; but, considering man's state and ability to make advancement, God gave laws as man was able to receive them and in perfect harmony with his progress. These laws were such as would finally fit him for the coming of the Messiah, the fullness of God's intention in the remedial system of mankind. Hence, in the early morning of time he gave unto Adam the law of animal sacrifice, with the victim and the altar, and made known to them, since all sacrifices back there were but typical of the coming Christ, that the Lord himself was to be approached only upon the presentation of blood or the slaughter of some victim in whose veins blood flowed. Later on God gave to Noah the commission to build an ark, in which alone he was to be transferred from the wicked antediluvian world to the new, purified and cleansed by water. Later on God gave to Abraham the law of circumcision, designating and differentiating his sons and posterity from the races of the world round about. There was a complete system of laws adapted to the ignorance, weakness, and slow development of the newly fallen race; but God expected them to live up to the full demands as made obligatory upon them in the simplicity of the few laws thus imposed upon them.​Their standard, therefore, was far inferior to that under which you and I now live; and all the declarations concerning these patriarchs are to be measured and determined in the light of the age in which they lived. For instance, it is said of Noah that he was a perfect man in his generation, and yet weak enough to become drunk after he emerged from the ark into the new world. Abraham, because of his righteousness, was called the "friend of God," and yet by the incident that occurred down in the land of Egypt he almost caused the destruction of an innocent people and their king by announcing to them the half-true statement regarding Sarah that she was a sister, when, as a matter of fact, she was only his half sister and his legal wife. Let me say, moreover, that the marriage which was then recognized and accepted by God would be considered in the light of the gospel age nothing short of incest—one of the most abominable crimes of which the human race can be guilty. Hence, when we study those characters of the long ago, we ought to bear in mind that the apostle said in Acts 17: 30 that at the time of their ignorance God "winked at" — passed it by, overlooked it—but now, under the gospel age, commands all men everywhere to repent. Incest and polygamy were tolerated by God Almighty under the patriarchal age, but never approved; and it would be but foolish, I think, to base an argument upon these examples to the intent that it would be right for me to do those things under this splendid age in which we now live. While the laws were few and absolutely simple, yet God expected obedience to the very letter and the very spirit thereof; for it is said in Holy Writ (Heb. 2: 2) that every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, and Paul recites that fact as an argument to show how you and I cannot expect to escape the wrath of God if we neglect so great salvation under which we are now privileged to live. This is further illustrated in the historic story of Cain and Abel, where God Almighty commanded that they offer a blood sacrifice unto the Lord. I learn from Paul's comment in Heb. Il: 4, where he said, "By faith [and be it remembered that faith comes from hearing God's word] Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain," that the sacrifice by him was accepted, while the one tendered by Cain was rejected. I do not know but that Cain fancied that something else would do just as well; and hence, being a farmer and a tiller of the soil, he brought forth from the earth the fruit thereof and offered that in all honesty and perfect sincerity as a substitute for the sacrifice which God commanded. But it was rejected, and early in the morning of God's dealings with humanity there was a principle demonstrated and carried out that God expects the strictest obedience unto his will, and no substitute will be accepted as an equivalent. Nothing short will meet with heaven's approval. This system of government was purely that pertaining to a family. it was suited to the age unto which it was given. There were very few people then upon the earth, who were nomadic in their nature, wandering about from place to place, and it was fitting that their system of religion was such that wherever they chose to go, the head of the family, acting as the patriarch and the priest, could build an altar and there offer a sacrifice, assured of the fed that it would meet with God's approval and secure his richest benedictions to rest upon them. This dispensation, system of government, or first religion by God established upon the earth lasted for twenty-five hundred years, until the establishment of a greater religion; and if it did not end at that time, it was applicable thereafter only unto that part of the world separate from the posterity of Abraham. But having led a tremendous host of perhaps something like three million souls out of the land of Egypt, fifty days thereafter God brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai and there inaugurated a system of government absolutely new, wholly separate, not dependent upon nor leaning upon any of the characteristic features of the patriarchy, destined, as it was, to last for the next fifteen hundred years. This is known in Bible story and in Bible history as the Jewish, or the Mosaic, dispensation. The change wrought was the emergence from a family system to a national one. No longer is it a family affair; no longer does the father, or the head of the family, officiate. God no longer is dealing with humanity simply as a family; but having led them, if you please, throughout the kindergarten department of his great school, they now become a nation, and into their hands God is ready to place the first textbook ever delivered unto mortal men. Hitherto all the teaching and information was given by direct word of mouth, just as we teach children in the kindergarten department; but after coming out of Egyptian bondage and receiving the basis of that law at Mount Sinai, the religion of the world, from that good hour unto this, has been what might be properly called a "book religion." God's will, demand, and word to the human race has been written upon the pages of truth Divine and confirmed by the approbation of God Almighty, sealed and dedicated by the blood of animals and at last by the blood of the spotless Son of Mary. By this word the sons and daughters of men have ever thereafter been directed in all of the affairs of life. This Jewish system of religion, as before stated, was not based upon the patriarchal, and, with the exception of just two principles, it was an entirely new feature unto the nationality descending from the seed of Abraham. Inasmuch, my friends, as all things back there had to be of necessity typical of the blood of Christ, and inasmuch as the blood of Christ had not been shed, it was necessary that animal sacrifices characteristic of the patriarchal age likewise be involved in the system of Judaism; and whereas the sons of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the Israelites, make up this great nationality, there was the doctrine of circumcision still in effect; but, with these exceptions, God gave to the Jews at Mount Sinai a new covenant and a new dispensation, wholly distinct in all of its phases and parts from that which had characterized the history of the world for the previous twenty-five hundred years. it is not amiss to suggest to you that the entire system of the Mosaic law was but typical or symbolic in its nature—scarcely any prominent feature connected therewith but that was typical of that which was to come when the fullness of time came upon the earth. The wanderings in the wilderness, the temple, and the tabernacle were typical of the church of God under the last dispensation. Moses, their matchless leader and lawgiver, the lamb sacrificed under the law, were but typical of the Christ who was afterwards to come. The common priests back there were typical of Christian people to-day, and the service through which they passed was largely but a picture painted upon the pages of God's word of the service in which you and I, too, are to engage, and from which all benedictions and the promises of God must forever come. But be it remembered that the law was exceedingly weak and only intended for a short time to fulfill the purposes that God had in mind. Hence, Paul, in commenting upon it in Rom. 8: 3, said: "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son," etc. The weakness of the law is demonstrated in various and sundry ways, one of which was that all those who had a part therein and rendered obedience thereto could never be rid of the consciousness that there was something lacking that was to be fulfilled in the golden by and by. All the worshipers never had their conscience thoroughly purged, but were ever mindful of the fact that there is to be a repetition of our acts time and again until by and by the fullness shall have come upon us in the earth. With all the sacrifices that characterized their affairs, there was no forgiveness, no blotting out, no wiping away of the sins and of the transgressions in the absolute, but only were those sacrifices typical of the Christ that was by and by to come, the shedding of whose blood was at last fully, wholly, and completely to rid the world of the sin under which it was then cursed. That statement is further and fully verified in Heb. 10, where Paul says: "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect, For then would they not have ceased to be offered?​But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin." But these animals being all they had, evidenced the fact that the sacrifices must be repeated year after year in the regular order. For instance, when under the Mosaic dispensation faithful, loyal Jews brought their sacrifices unto the altar, sought out a priest of the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron, and the sacrifice was offered, they were conscious of the fact that the sacrifice that was offered only rolled forward their sins, pushed them on in front, for just one year at a time, at the expiration of which there came that great load of sin back upon them, and hence another sacrifice had to be offered. And thus it was on down the line for a period of fifteen hundred years, until by and by the Christ ultimately came. There was nothing made perfect, as Paul emphatically declared in Heb. 7: 19, under the law of Moses. The law made nothing perfect, but it remained for a better covenant thus to do. Let me suggest again that under the law there was a man-made tabernacle, with all the apartments purely pertaining to earth, to time, and to timely things, which was destined to last through their wandering in the wilderness, on until Solomon's temple should be built; and that likewise was transient in its nature, fitting type though it was of the final culmination and the ultimate development of the church of God. Finally, my friends, the law was intended only as our pedagogue, or schoolmaster, to bring us unto the Christ— unto that faith, unto that final system, which was to be world-wide, ecumenical, unlimited, unrestricted by any nationality, country, tribe, tongue, or people upon the earth. Perhaps a series of questions with reference thereto might develop and bring out in full plainness some of the primary, elementary principles found therein; and so I ask, therefore: For what purpose did God Almighty ever inaugurate the law given by him to Moses in the summit of Mount Sinai? But for the fact that Paul has answered, it would be largely speculative and imaginary on the part of humanity; but in Gal. 3: 19, Paul, in arguing that question, has this to say: "Wherefore then serveth the law? it was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." Be it remembered, my friends, that four hundred and thirty years previously God had called out Abraham and had announced unto him a world- wide promise—namely, that "in thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Four hundred and thirty years rapidly sped by, at the end of which time God led them out and brought them to Sinai and there gave them a law, and Paul said it was added because of transgressions. it stepped out upon the stage, if you please, as an actor emerging from the background, played its part as was intended, and then made its exit, giving place to another greater and grander. What sin had been committed, what law had been transgressed? May I suggest to you that the inference is not wanting nor the suspicion lacking that direct reference was made to the fact that the sons of Abraham were marrying daughters of the Gentile world, thereby corrupting and defiling the blood stream through which and from which the Christ was by and by to come? Hence, something must be done in order that the family of Abraham be kept pure, in order that through his seed, and that alone, the Christ should by and by come. God, therefore, built a wall separating the Jews from the rest of humanity, forbidding them to mix and mingle and associate or intermarry with the rest of the world, until by and by the great promise made to Abraham should ultimately be fulfilled. Hence, Paul said: "Because of transgressions God gave this law." But the next question: For how long did Heaven intend the same to last? Notwithstanding the conflict in theories and doctrines of men, I submit to you the plain declaration of God's word in reply thereto, and this same verse absolutely and positively answers the question that is propounded: "Wherefore then serveth the law' it was added because of transgressions" until a certain thing should come to pass. Now, you stop and ask what that means. The record says: Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made." God's word being true, therefore, the law of Moses wars never intended to last for all time nor to be applicable to all people in its every announcement. In the very beginning God said it was added because of transgression until the promised seed should come. And in the same chapter, verse 16, I do not have to guess as to what Paul meant by the promised seed of Abraham, for he said: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Hence, verse 19 might well be read after this fashion: "Wherefore, brethren, then serve the law, which was added because of transgression, until the Christ should come, and it was ordained in the hands of a mediator." Jesus Christ occupied and sustained a relationship to that law that is admirable in all of its phases. He was to be the end or fulfillment of all things connected therewith. Hence, he is the end of the law, no doubt of that; and during his entire career he lived in perfect harmony and with direct deference and due regard to all of the principles therein found; and to set aside a prevalent opinion that perhaps prevailed when he was born upon the earth he announced in the memorable Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 17, 18): "My friends, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy. I have come as a fulfiller, and until heaven and earth shall pass away one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law until all be fulfilled." Not only did Christ himself teach the observance of the law, but he practiced it and commanded his disciples to observe the things taught by those who sat in Moses' seat; and until finally when he expired on the tree of the cross there was never a time but that Jesus recognized the dignity of the law of Moses, the fed that God was its giver, and it was his purpose not to destroy it, not to violate it, but to live in perfect obedience and ultimately be the fulfillment thereof. It served its purpose to bring us down the line until the Christ should come. Paul styles it our "schoolmaster," or our pedagogue, whose business was not to teach the classes, but to go to the home of the children in the early morning, have general oversight and care thereof, accompany them from their home down to the schoolroom, and turn them over to the real teacher thereof. Thus the law of Moses began just as they marched from Egyptian bondage in their state of progress or development, led them down and educated them for fifteen hundred years, and finally brought them unto Christ, their great Teacher, Leader, Lawgiver, Prophet, Priest, and King. You ask finally, friends, what was the end thereof? In discussing this point, Paul said in Col. 2: 14: "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." The Bible does not declare that God's Son simply took away the ceremonial part or the judicial part; but in discussing the law Paul said that he blotted it out, took it out of the way, and nailed it (the law) unto the cross. And, again, in Eph. 2, discussing the very same thing, commencing with verse 13, he has this to say: "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity [what was the "enmity?"], even the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Well, why that? "That he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Equivalent to the expression that he might make in himself of the twain one new man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both Jew and Gentile unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. The only thing under the shining stars that ever alienated or separated the Jew and the Gentile was the law, known as the Mosaic dispensation, or Jewish age; and thus when that was blotted out, it was equivalent to the tearing down of the middle wall of partition; and no longer national lines, race distinction, or any kind of relationship other than that of a mutual one was thereafter to prevail. Hence, Paul spoke in Gal. 3:28, 29 after this fashion: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." And this, my friends, was the final culmination characteristic thereof. But, passing from the law as being accepted and Fulfilled and finished by Christ, there was to be inaugurated a better covenant, founded upon better promises. That dispensation, beginning as it did on the memorable Pentecost, continuing until time's knell shall be sounded and all the ransomed of earth are gathered home, we are under now—the reign of Christ as our Priest and great King. But be it remembered that Christ was not a priest while upon the earth he remained. Paul declared in Heb. 8: 4: "If he [Christ] were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law." The priesthood upon this earth was provided under the law of Moses. The priesthood of Christ and the reign thereof is one to be higher than the earth; it was to be higher than the heavens themselves. Hence, it is declared in Eph. 4: 8 that "he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men"—this indicative of the beginning of his reign. In that very simple text, friends, Jesus, the Christ, is represented as a victorious monarch, coming forth from battle with the victories won, and at the head of the great procession of the vanquished foe. Governments in days gone by were characterized by the king's bestowal of princely gifts upon the parties and individuals of his government; and so, in perfect accord therewith, Paul said that he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. When Christ at last ascended the throne and was seated at the right hand of God as "King of kings, and Lord of Lords," entering into his priestly relationship, he commenced by the giving of gifts unto the apostles and the disciples, evidencing the fact that the new reign is now to be inaugurated—a world-wide system, not bounded by national ties or racial distinctions, but for every man and to all the sons and daughters of men. The Son of God is now occupying David's throne, having ascended into the heaven and become "head over all thing! to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all;" and hence there is the inauguration of that system of religion under which you and I are to gladly live and willingly respond tonight. Be it remembered that this new dispensation could not have begun prior to the death and triumphant resurrection of the Son of God. That is stated in such a simple, easy way, in language that you and I can appreciate and understand, embodying all the principles as found in Heb. 9: 16, 17. Paul said this: "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." I am sure that this audience understands and appreciates the simplicity of that statement. When men in Nashville make their wills, write out a disposition of their effects, that will is not operative nor effective while the maker thereof is alive. He can destroy it, write another wholly different, dispose of his property in any way that seemeth good to him. But if a man die slid among his effects his will or testament is found, it becomes effective when a certain legal procedure is carried out; but it is of no effect until after the man is dead. So Paul pictured the Christ se the maker of the great will, in which it is possible for every man on the face of the earth to become a beneficiary, and emphatically declares that where the will is and where the testament is, there must not may, but must-always be the death of the testator; for a testament is of force after men are dead, "otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." You and I tonight, therefore, are not living under the patriarchal dispensation, not living subject to the law of Moses, and we will search in vain if we try from the teachings of Christ in his personal ministry or the work of John the Baptist to read our titles clear to mansions over there. I grant you that Christ taught many things that were afterwards to be incorporated in his will. For instance, when he gave the great commission, authorized the apostles to preach the gospel unto every creature and offer salvation and remission of sins upon obedience thereunto, that is followed by the statement that they were to go to Jerusalem and there tarry until they be clothed upon with power from on high. When Christ made the splendid promise to Peter at the foot of Mount Hermon (Matt. 16: 19), "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," it is said (mark the next statement—verse 20): "Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Why, friends? On the principle that the time is not come, the testament is not of force until it shall be sealed and dedicated and consecrated for evermore by the blood of the maker thereof. In that wonderful scene of the transfiguration, in the next chapter in the book of Matthew, there are presented Moses and Elias and Christ—three of the earth's greatest characters. Peter, James, and John, as witnesses thereof, are enraptured by the grandeur and sublimity of the scene; and hence they suggest: "Let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.)) Then there was a bright cloud that overshadowed them, they having fallen to the earth because of fear; and when they rose up and opened their eyes, behold, all had passed sway save Jesus, the Christ. The purport of all this, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is this idea: "Time was when you should have heard the voice of Elijah; the time has been when you should have lent an attentive ear unto the direction of Moses, Israel's great lawgiver; but now the time has come when they have both been eclipsed by the supreme glory, the superlative grandeur of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and he stands here a physical demonstration that we should listen unto him." And there came from the skies the sublime declaration: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." No longer listen to those gone by; they have served their purpose, fulfilled their mission, and faded away, giving rise to a greater and grander, in which successive stage Christ alone is left, and hence hear him. But just before the Lord bade them goodby, mark this significant statement made to the disciples: "Tell no man that Jesus is the Christ until the Son of man be risen again from the dead." "I have incorporated the principles, indeed; but the time has not come for them to be operative, as yet they are of no force; and hence you wait until you be endued with power from on high. Wait until the appointed time in God's providence for this will to be probated by the court of high heaven; wait until God sends acknowledgment, letters testamentary, unto you as executors thereof, and then, with the will and the testament having been sealed, commencing at Jerusalem, go throughout Judea, then Samaria, then Galilee, and then finally speed across the continents and bear the glad tidings unto earth's uttermost bounds." The apostles, therefore, became the executors, the ambassadors, of God's will; and hence I can understand what Paul meant when he said: "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." "His affairs have been turned over to us. We bear evidence of the fed that he selected us, he authorized us, and clothed us with power; he clothed us, if you please, with authority from on high, and bade us, as executors of his will, to carry the glad tidings over the rivers unto the ends of the earth." It behooves you and me to-night that we investigate the gospel age, that we learn what God would have us do in this last will and testament under—not the patriarchal age nor the Jewish age, but the gospel age. We are not under the starlight nor the moonlight, but under the full strength of the sunlight age of God's revelation to man; not under a family religion, not under a national religion, but under an ecumenical religion, absolutely unbounded; not during the time when God appeared in vision, not during the time when he appeared wholly in words, but in that dispensation when he appeared manifest in the flesh and evidenced his very person by the gift of his matchless Son to mortal men. Under this dispensation, friends, we are no longer commanded nor authorized to offer animal sacrifice; no longer do we have to go to Jerusalem and there find a priest of the tribe of Levi and of the house of Aaron-no longer are we thus to do; but beside Calvary's bleeding brow we should gladly come and say: "Lord, speak, command; we will hear." I bid you stop and reflect: What does the gospel age demand? That it demands faith in the Son of God, I think no sober-minded soul would question; that the same gospel age and Christian dispensation requires of you and me that from our sins we turn away and in absolute and genuine penitence resolve to forsake the evil of out, way, the unrighteousness of our thoughts, and turn unto God with all our hearts; that, in addition to that, the Christian dispensation demands and commands that you and I confess with the mouth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, which amounts to the acceptance of God's full and complete revelation, which amounts to the placing of our hands in the wounded palm of our Savior and at one hundred per cent believe what he says, do what he requires, submit to his authority, render the obedience demanded by this great King and High Priest, and lovingly trust him for the promise. We should understand that he demands of us to obey from the heart that form of doctrine which has been delivered unto us under the ceremony, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as a result of which, salvation, forgiveness of sins, deliverance, translation from the kingdom of darkness unto the kingdom of God's dear Son, certainly is the promise of God's everlasting truth. Faith and obedience to the law of Moses in all of its forms and phases produces a certain product as the natural and the logical result. Will you stop and think just a moment what was the effect of believing and obeying in all of its phases the law that emanated from Sinai? As a matter of fact, faith and obedience to that law made Jews, and Jews alone. it made no peculiar types nor varied kinds nor diverse sorts; but they were simply Jews, without addition, without subtraction, because the law of Moses, when faithfully carried out and loyally obeyed, produces but the one thing everywhere. Every one stood on the same plane, the same level, believed the same thing, practiced the same thing, and enjoyed the same benedictions from the hand of God Divine. Faith and obedience to the gospel of Christ under the Christian age will produce but one thing, and that is a Christian—not various types nor shades nor kinds nor phases, not with addition, not with subtraction, but simply a Christian under the banner of Christ Jesus, our Lord. And now I must conclude. Wheresoever I chance to go, and the people, like you, so kindly lend their presence and their encouragement by their polite and patient attention, it is a pleasure to ask them openly and frankly and with a conscience void of offense on that line at least to accept the gospel of the Son of God Divine. My friends, if I had it absolutely in my power to-night and all the authority unto me granted, I would not have any man in all this splendid capital city of ours become and be anything under the shining heavens above except simply a child of God—a Christian. I would have you become identified and related to no body except the body of Christ, the church of God, of which I read in the New Testament Scriptures. I would give to him no creed, no confession of faith, no church manual, no church directory, other than God's book, and bid him to believe what he is required to believe in obedience to his will, and, having done that, to trust him lovingly for the promise that when life's fitful dream shall have passed, God will send a company of angels to gather round about him and as pallbearers conduct his spirit home to glory to nestle in the bosom of a Father's love while Eternity rolls her endless ages on. May I ask tonight that if there are those who understand what the will of the Lord is and have the purpose of heart and mind to render obedience to it, as we sing the gospel song, will you press your way down the aisles and give me your hand? Believing A LieA company of people like this, gathering together from time to time, can but serve as quite an inspiration and an encouragement to any one who attempts to address public assemblies. I want you to know, ladies and gentlemen, that I appreciate your presence and hope all things may be pleasant and helpful. I have promised to speak to you to-night on the subject, "Believing a Lie." In speaking of certain characters, Paul said (2 These. 2: 10-12) : "And with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a He: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." There is a very, very popular idea extant that if a man believes a thing to be right, honestly follows out his convictions and his sincere purposes along that line, such a platform will ultimately land him safely home in glory. The principle here involved is not accepted by anybody on any other item except in matters of religion. To use some illustrations which I have heard, let me suggest that there might be a bank in the city of Nashville on the verge of destruction and ready to be closed. I do not know that, and, believing it to be a sound financial institution, I gather up the last dollar I have and deposit it with the cashier. Now, I want to ask, does the fact that I believe that bank to be sound guarantee me against the loss of the money I put therein? Such a question carries its own answer. If some designing man were to seek and finally gain the hand and heart of a young woman, I want to ask you, does the fact that she loves him, believes in him, and has confidence in him secure her against the misery, the woe, and the wretchedness that is certain to come from one of that designing nature and character? Again, to ask such is but to answer. In all the affairs of life the belief of a proposition does not guarantee the safety thereof. That does not work in our State government. it does not apply in the realm of science or of warfare. Many a battle has been lost because the commanders believed a lie. Many a ship has gone down to the bottom of the mighty ocean because of the fact that those who had it in charge believed a lie. I recall just now the great Titanic on her wonderful maiden trip, characterized by the very elite passengers of the land, and in the midst of revelry and joyful festivities they believed that the mighty ship was unsinkable; and, notwithstanding the fact that the news was flashed by wireless suggesting that icebergs were coming from the North, they turned a deaf ear, passed it by, and continued in the belief of a lie. The result was that more than twelve hundred went to the bottom of the sea. I signed a man's note once for a sum of money at the bank. I verily thought that when it became due the man would pay it. I believed a lie. Ladies and gentlemen, Paul did not subscribe to the doctrine that the belief of a thing is a guarantee thereof; and so it is said in our text that because certain ones received not the love of the truth (he did not say because they did not receive the truth, but because they did not receive the love of the truth), God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that all those might be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. There is something or other connected with the belief of a lie. Paul, what is it? Not salvation, but damnation. In this splendid, goodly land of ours every man and every woman has access to the truth of God, but the very fact that a person has the truth is not a guarantee of his eternal salvation. it is not enough simply to have the truth, but a man must have the love of it in his heart, or else God will send him a strong delusion. I do not think that by any direct communication God would send that delusion; but he would allow the man who does not love truth to be worked upon by error until he becomes satisfied, lulled to sleep, and his conscience eased. Then, drifting upon the bosom of time, prompted by opinion and personal preference, the man rests in the belief of a lie, which, if not arrested and if not in some manner changed, will result in his damnation. In the Bible there is a fine story told expressly to demonstrate the principle herein involved. The record of it is found in 1 Kings 13; and now I want you to follow and to study with me as best we can the story related and then see if the application be legitimate and worthy of our most serious concern. After Jeroboam had established himself as king of the ten tribes, he decided that if the people continued to go to Jerusalem for to worship, by and by they would renounce their faith in him and their allegiance to the government he sought to maintain and would seek to go back under the rule of David's descendant; and so he said: "Let us build us two calves of gold. Let us set one of them up at Dan, and the other at Bethel." And then he went to the people and said: "it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. I am too much interested in your taking such a long journey when it is wholly unnecessary. it is much more convenient otherwise. Look upon your gods, O Israel, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt." In the course of time Jeroboam, assuming the place of a priest, planned to burn incense upon the new altar thus erected at Bethel. In the meantime God appeared unto a young man, a prophet that dwelt in Judah, and ordered him to go down to Bethel and cry against that altar, and told him what to say: "O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out." Now, that is the command of God thus far unto the young prophet. "And when you go, young prophet, eat no bread, drink no water, nor come again by the way that you went." The young man understood perfectly well what God declared. He never even raised the question as to whether or not the declaration was clear; but, understanding thoroughly just what God wanted him to do, he made ready, responded to duty's call, and went down to Bethel. As Jeroboam's people were gathered round about to witness the burning of the incense, this young man broke through the crowd close up to the altar and thus proclaimed the prophetic declaration as announced by God. Upon hearing this, Jeroboam's anger was kindled, his wrath was great, and he said to those round about him: "Lay hold on that young man, that we may kill him." But as he stretched out his arm to carry into effect that kind of an order, the God of heaven interfered and wrested the same, made his arm stiff, so that he could not draw it back again to his body. Jeroboam was not unacquainted with Jehovah, and understood quite well that God's hand was in it all; and immediately the king changed his tune and said to the young prophet that stood by: "Entreat the Lord thy God for me, and ask his favor upon me, that my hand may be restored." And the young prophet, glad to accept the suggestion, took the matter unto the Lord in prayer, and Jeroboam's arm was made like it was at the beginning. Then what? Instead now of the king's despising and having murder in his heart, all the wrath was changed to admiration; and so he said: "Young man, I want you to come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward." A wonderful, wonderful temptation, such a strange trend of affairs, such an unexpected reply from what the young man had right and reason to look for! Instead now of the king's wanting to curse and to kill, he takes the side of the young man and says: "Sir, I want you to come unto my house, into the royal palace. I want you to have a royal dinner and be my guest, and I will give you out of the overflowing treasures a splendid reward." I want to ask you: Had you been in that young man's position, how would you have treated an invitation of that sort? Were you ever invited by a king to come and dine with him? If so, did you have a disposition to turn it down? Were you ever asked to come into the home of royalty and there be laden with riches galore and with rewards supreme? Immediately the young man spurned the invitation and said to the king: "If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place." Well, why? "For it was commanded me by God not to do that." I submit to you, my friends, that there never has been pictured to mortal man a finer type of humanity thus far — a young man who is not afraid of the wrath of the king, a young man so mindful and so respectful of God's commandment that he is not moved by flattery, a young character so reverent for the word of Jehovah that even the glittering shekels of gold and of silver have no attraction for him. And so he said to Jeroboam: "I could not go, not if you were to give me half of thy house." Well, why not? Was there any reason especially for not doing it? From a human point of view, absolutely none. Well might he have accepted the doctrine of expediency and reasoned after this fashion: "Perhaps if I go home with old Jeroboam, I may have a splendid influence over him and may cause him to return to the fold of God. Therefore, I will feast in the royal palace myself; I will have my name to go abroad that I was a special guest; I will receive the rich reward, and, at the same time, I will gain a soul for God." But had he done that, as you well know, he would have been in violation of the will of the Lord. Now, there is another side presented. Down at Bethel there was an old prophet of the Lord—a man who knew quite well that Jeroboam, in the offering at Bethel on his new altar, was doing the wrong thing; but this old prophet of God, while his heart was against the act, lacked the courage of his convictions. Propriety and expediency suggested that he had better keep quiet and to hold his tongue against the doings of the king. And so this old prophet at Bethel did not attend Jeroboam's inaugural offering of incense.​But the old man had some boys, and one of them was down at Jeroboam's meeting. Let me say to you, fathers and mothers, that you and I may be too religious to go to certain places, we may be too good to be defiled by contact and association with things that are unscriptural and ungodly; but bear it in mind that, unless we are exceedingly particular, our boys will be there and our girls not far away. So when this young lad, the son of the prophet, had witnessed all that transpired, he went back home to tell his father of the things that had come to pass down at Bethel— how that a young man stood there and cried against the altar, how they beheld that the altar was rent and the ashes thereof poured out. The old prophet was exceedingly anxious to meet the man who had the courage to speak the truth and to condemn the wrong, even if he himself had been lacking and cowardly in the affair; and so he said to his son: "Saddle the ass. Let me go out after that young man, that I may fetch him back home with me." The boys saddled the ass, the old prophet rode thereon, and hastened down the road toward which the young prophet had gone. He soon found the young man dismounted and sitting under the spreading branches of a mighty oak. When this old man approached him sitting under the oak, he said: "Young man, I want you to come back to my house. I want you to share my hospitality and enjoy my feast. Come and eat with me and refresh yourself." The young prophet told him just what he did Jeroboam. "Why," he said, "I can't do that." "Why can't you? Why not?" "Simply because God told me not to. That is sufficient; that is enough. God said for me to eat no bread, drink no water, nor return the way that I came. I cannot do it." The old prophet was so anxious and so determined to carry his point that he framed up a lie—not a story, not a falsehood. it does not take that many letters to spell it. The Bible says that he told him a lie. Well, here is what it was. "Young man, I also am a prophet of the Lord, as thou art. We belong in the same class. And an angel of God hath appeared unto me, and told me to come down and fetch you back, and refresh you by giving you something to eat and water to drink." Friends, the man that had been able to withstand the invitation of the king, the man who had had strength of character and resolution enough to resist the temptation of flattery, the man who had been so unselfish as to overcome the desire and greed for gold, fell upon the plausibility of a lie. Mark you, he wasn't a bad man, but a brave character and a true soul, and hitherto a loyal one; and when he could not be trapped by fear of the king's wrath nor by the flattery of being invited as a guest at the palace, when he could not be bought with money, he yet failed and was overcome by the plausibility of a He that was told. So the record says that the old prophet carried him back, during which time the wife of the old gentleman was seeing to it that a bounteous feast was being prepared. And as thus they sat around the table richly laden, even in the midst of their enjoyment the word of the Lord came to the old prophet and caused him to say: "Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers." That solemn announcement was well understood by the old prophet, who was conscious all the while that he had lied to the young man and was the cause of his wreck and of his ruin. He was then just as anxious to get rid of his guest as he was to have him in the first place; so once more he said to his boys: "Saddle the ass; let the young prophet ride thereon and hasten away." As the young prophet, conscious now of being deceived by the He, starts on his way home, a lion meets him face to face. I have tried to feel as he must have felt when the lion comes and gets hold of him with his terrible claws, when he sees the glare in the eye of that ferocious beast and is dragged from the ass. As the lion pulls the man to him and his life is being crushed out, I wonder what is uppermost in the mind of the young prophet. Is it the fact that he sees the lion's glare or feels the terrible paws? Is the​ predominant idea with him now that his life work is ended and he must die? I think there is a weightier matter than all that. Friends, it was not the fact that he was dying, but it was the terrible idea that he was passing out in open disobedience to the voice of God. Some men came along where this wonderfully strange scene was enacted, and went into the city where the old prophet lived and told the sad story. They said that there was a man lying in the road, a lion standing by, which had not devoured the body, and also an ass gazing upon the seen" " wonderful testimony to passers-by that every transgression and disobedience receives a just recompense of reward. When the news thus came to the old prophet, he said: "it is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord." He bade his sons: "Saddle me the ass." The old prophet went and found the carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by. So he "took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother !" After the burial, he said: "Sons, when I am dead, I want you to bury me beside this young prophet. Let my bones He side by side with his." That was the best atonement he could make, and yet it was wholly inadequate and not to be compared with the wrong and the wreck that he had wrought by causing the young man to believe a He. You doubtless say and reason now, just as I am disposed to do, that the old prophet was guilty of the greater sin. Sometimes we reason about it after that fashion. Let me ask you: Why didn't God kill the old man, who told the He, rather than the young prophet, who believed the He? I think the answer lies here. There are other passages in the Bible that have to deal with the teller of the He. There are plenty of other scriptures and examples that deal out the punishment and portray the destiny of those who misrepresent and who are guilty of lying. But the special reason for this story's being written is to impress upon you and me the danger of believing a lie, and I don't doubt but that in due time that old gentleman received his share of condemnation for having told the He. I want to ask this just now: Is every He that a man believes detrimental? Does damnation follow the belief of all lies? If so, my friends, we are upon exceedingly dangerous ground, for deception and delusion are abroad on every hand. I am frank to say to you, because I firmly believe it, that there are lies which a man may believe and not be condemned. I can think just here if that old prophet had told this young man sitting under the oak almost anything else, it might not have resulted in the young man's death. Suppose the old gentleman had come to him while he was sitting under the oak and said: "Sir, a cyclone is coming, the storm is raging. This tree will be uprooted. Flee for your life, and stop not until you reach your home at last." 0, the young man might have been scared wonderfully; he might have run until he was almost out of breath; but the chances are that he would not have met a lion in the way; and while that would have been a lie, it was not of that type the belief of which brought damnation unto the soul. To make the matter short and without extending the lesson to-night, let me suggest to you this, which I think is in harmony with God's word and teaching in general: Any kind of a lie on earth which would cause me to sin or to fall short of doing God's will or to go beyond that which God demands is the type of a lie that will condemn the soul and rob it of a blissful crown. There are certain things religiously that I can believe, which may be a lie and yet not subject me to condemnation. There are many problems and questions about matters pertaining to Christian duty and things in general about which there are conflicting beliefs. Some think the Holy Spirit in person dwells in the heart of a Christian; others think that the Spirit is in the Christian only through his teaching and his word. One or the other of these theories is a lie, but I think that the belief of either of these theories would not damn a man. Why not? Because neither would cause him to sin; neither would hinder his obedience to the will of God. There is but one thing, my friends, that will keep you and me outside of heaven's splendid mansions, and that one thing is sin. Whatever might cause me to commit sin, either in thought or in deed, if not forgiven, will result in my condemnation rather than my salvation. There is one lie, ladies and gentlemen, that is the most popular and most prominent and that has to-night more victims than all others of which I can think. That lie is expressed in these terms: that in our pathway along through life there are duties to be performed, there are obligations to be met and problems to be solved; but for all of these there is time enough yet. This idea has brought condemnation to more people than all things else. Thousands of souls have been led into failure to do God's will and submit to his authority on the belief of this lie. Believing this He causes men to be guilty of a sin—not of commission, perhaps, but of omission, in that they fail to respond to duty's demand. On every hand and in the realm of religious discussion we are told that penitent believers ought to be baptized. All people so agree, and so much so that outside of the Quakers there is not a church in America of which you can become a member without some form of baptism; but it is said to be a mere external rite, a mere ordinance; that there is nothing specially obligatory about it; and, therefore, there is plenty of time, and, in reality, it is nonessential. Forgetting that the Savior said the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, in that they refused to be baptized at the hands of John, many are thereby deceived. Then, again, when I encourage you and others who favor me with their presence to respond to duty's call and obey God, and remind you of what Peter said when a vast multitude cried out and asked, "What shall we do?" there are some people who will discourage obedience by saying: "That is water salvation." Why, friends, who said: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins ?" Peter. What did he know about it? Guided by the Spirit, he knew all about it. Who says to the contrary? Some uninspired men, who by their utterances seem to advertise how little they know regarding the teachings of God's word. Any declaration that you and I to-night might make, which would cause a man to hesitate in responding to the call that God makes binding upon him, would lead such a one to believe a lie, be guilty of the sin of omission, and be damned at the last great day. And now there comes to us a very practical question: How can we be sure that we are not blindly guided? How can you, my friends, who are engaged in various activities of life, be certain that you are walking in the light? There lives not a man upon the earth but that might be a blind guide, and so it is said: "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." I submit to you that there is but one set of men who have ever lived on the face of the earth whom you and I can afford to follow. I refer, of course, to the apostles of Christ. Hence, I bid you listen to no man per se, nor to accept anything from any uninspired man which you cannot turn to the book of God and read for yourself. Otherwise you might honestly be led to the belief of a lie, and thereby lose your own soul. The young prophet made this terrible mistake. God had told him exactly what to do, but instead of heeding it he listened to the old prophet. He ought to have respected and continued in obedience to God's command. He should have said to the old prophet: "You claim to be of like profession with me. You say that an angel has come and told you to bring me back; but I have direct authority and commandment from God, and I will allow neither prophets of earth nor angels in heaven to countermand God's order; and if the Lord wants me to come back, he must tell me himself." Hence, Paul, in commenting on a line parallel with that, says (Gal. 1: 8, 9): "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man ["I care not from whence he comes; I care not," says Paul, "regarding the attitude or the bearing that he assumes; if any man"] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." There is but one safe course, therefore, for you and me to pursue, and that is, individually and personally, to go to God's word, there turn and investigate for ourselves. And when God says a thing, let all men be liars, but let God's word be true. Let us accept it, believe it, obey it, rely upon it, trust God for the fulfillment of the promises made therein, for it is right and cannot be wrong. If I yield to the philosophies of men, if I acquiesce in the vain fancied theory drawn by some uninspired man, I am treading on dangerous ground and may forfeit my right to the tree of life transplanted in the paradise of God beyond. I beg of you, my friends, to believe the truth. That alone will make us free. I bid you become and be just what God requires, live as he has directed, and then earnestly, patiently, and lovingly trust him the remnant of your days for the fulfillment of his precious promises. If there are, therefore, any of this company now who believe the truth as revealed in the Bible, who will repent genuinely and thoroughly of all your sins, publicly confess the Christ, be buried in baptism, and rise to walk in newness of life, I beg you to respond to the call to-night. NOTE.—This sermon is based upon one preached by Brother J. W. McGarvey, and is largely a duplicate of the same. Man's AccontabilityI must thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for the very great pleasure I have because of your presence and the interest manifested in our noonday services. I trust that they may be pleasant and profitable to all. The very fact that man is man carries with it the idea of responsibility; but those unfortunates of earth in whose mind reason has been dethroned and judgment has fled away, we think not of responsibility connected therewith. A machine, if turned loose upon the streets of the city of Nashville, would not be accountable for any detriment or damage that might result therefrom. But the very fact that you and I are individuals and not simple machines implies upon its face that we are amenable and responsible. Our accountability implies also the recognition of a power supreme unto whom I owe allegiance and to whom I must render a report at the last great day. Any doctrine or theory whatsoever that tends toward the elimination of the idea of a Power divine; any doctrine that smacks of atheism, agnosticism, or any of the various phases of infidelity, is destructive of the idea of responsibility; and the consequence of said doctrine would necessarily be a rule of anarchy—a state of lawlessness on the part of humanity. Throughout all God's teaching, in every age gone by, he has sought to impress the human family with the fact that it stands above the animals of the earth; that there is something about man that links him to divinity, that gives him dominion over all things created. God has given to him a sacred charge and trust. He has left him free to think and to act, and at the close of his earthly career the Lord expected him to bring a full report and receive according to the things done while here upon the earth he dwells. Throughout the various ages and dispensations there has been no exception to that general principle. In the very starlight age of man's existence God held him responsible, personally and individually, for the deeds by him done. When that was merged into the moonlight age, the age known as Judaism, the same demand and the same requisite on the part of Jehovah was made. Christianity but enlarges our opportunity, widens the doors before us, and with that comes an increased responsibility which you and I must bear and share. One of the finest characteristics of any man's nature is to be fully alive and consciously aware of the responsibility that is intrusted to him that he may be enabled to measure up to the fullness of all the obligations and all the demands that duty imposes in his journey from time to eternity. In Rom. 2:6, Paul makes the statement that in the final round-up of human affairs God will render to every man according to his deeds. I am not, therefore, personally and directly responsible for you, for those who have gone before, or for those who are to follow after; but standing as I do, demanding the privileges and the benedictions that come my way, I must assume life's obligations and responsibilities and recognize that at the final close of human affairs I will stand or fall upon my own record and upon my own relationship to the demands that are made upon me by Him who has the right to speak, by Him who has the right to command. In Gal. 6: 1-5, Paul has this to say: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden." I think that in verse 2 Paul must have observed life from the viewpoint of its sorrows, of its shadows, and of its troubles and sighs, and from that point of observation he said: "Brethren, bear ye one another's burdens. Weep with those who weep, rejoice with those that do rejoice."​Then in verse 5 I think he observed life from a viewpoint of our individual acceptance of duty's demand. When it comes to the rendition of that service that God makes obligatory upon me, there is no man on earth that can step in and substitute himself and meet with the approval of God Almighty in my behalf. I cannot possibly believe the gospel for you, I cannot possibly repent of your sins, I cannot acknowledge the Christ in your behalf, I cannot render that obedience demanded by the God of heaven for you, neither can I live the Christian life in your stead. My hands are full; the obligation rests upon me to measure up to Heaven's demand to the extent of my ability; and hence from that viewpoint every man must bear his own burdens, assume his own obligations, and stand upon his own deeds. But perhaps the most serious thought in all of the Bible is the fact that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." A few times in life I have been summoned to appear in the courts of our land. There is something about such that, to me, is a little bit embarrassing, something that makes me feel like I would rather be somewhere else. But there is one occasion from which there is no escape. There is one summons that must be answered. No excuse will relieve us. We must answer to the roll call of the great Judge of the universe and render our account according to the deeds done in this body, regardless of whether they be good or bad. My friends, if you and I would really believe that statement, if it could strike in and go home to our hearts and to our conscience, I think perhaps we would halt in our sinful course and thoughtless career. We would reflect more seriously and perchance correct our way while time and opportunity are afforded. There has always been a disposition on the part of humanity to shirk its obligations and its responsibilities. We endeavor to shift the burdens on to others, with the expectancy that we may ride into places of prominence and into pastures green upon the goodness and activities of our kindred and special friends. There are plenty of young men and young women all over this land to-day conscious of their own lack of intrinsic worth and merit, and yet they are looking for preferment, for prestige, and for prominence. On what ground? Not upon the ground of their own individual value, not because of any merit per se, but on the ground that father was a prominent man, mother was well connected, and uncle was Governor of the State or a great benefactor to humanity; and out of regard for what these have done they expect the world to tip its hat and to bid them come up higher. But that is a false conception of life; and just so long as that idea prevails, there will not be at the head of the various departments of this government that type of men best fitted to render service to their fellows and to add honors to their country. Time was in certain countries when it was impossible for a boy to rise above the caste or estate in which he was born. Regardless of his ability or lack, his station was fixed by birth. I thank God that in America no such principle prevails. We never stop to ask: "Who was your father? Where were you born? Under what kind of circumstances were you reared?" The questions in America are: "What can you do? Can you solve the problems and the perplexities that are bearing down upon the people to-day?" It is a matter of individual service and personal responsibility. The Bible has warned us against the idea of relying upon the other fellow. In the parable of the virgins, ten in number, five were wise and five were otherwise. Those who were wise took their lamps, and also vessels with oil therein, while the others simply took their lamps and left the oil behind. At midnight, while they all slumbered and slept, the bridegroom came, and the cry was made: "Go ye out to meet him." The virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, but the foolish said to the wise: "Lend us of your oil; our lamps are going out. We want to go in now upon the preparation that you have made. We have not done that ourselves, we have not assumed our own responsibilities; but we want to pass in to the marriage feast and share its joys upon the preparation others have made." Then the wise said to them: "Not so. You cannot do a thing of that sort. Go to them that sell and buy for yourselves." And while they went out to further their preparation, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. The foolish came later and knocked for entrance, but they were too late. Then the Savior added another parable, in which he said: "The kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability." It was a personal, individual distribution of his goods to his servants. The five-talent man went individually, traded therewith, and gained other five. The two-talent man, likewise. The one-talent man, of his own individual matter, went and digged in the earth and hid his talent. In the course of time the master returns and demands of them a rendition of their report. They do not come up Collectively and say: "Now, Lord, here is what we have done." You have all heard persons who talked that way. "We killed a bear." But the Lord will have none of that. He says: "Mr. Five-talent man, let me hear from you." "Well, wife and I have done so and so." God never asked about the man's wife. "Well," he said, "mother was a splendid, fine woman." Never mind about your mother. The question is: "Sir, what have you done? I want to hear from you individually and personally." So the man rendered his own account. Likewise the two-talent man. To them the master said: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee [individually, personally] ruler over many things." But the one-talent man was consigned to the region of outer darkness, where there was weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Why? On the ground that he personally failed to measure up to duty, to appreciate the responsibility obligatory upon him. He was weighed and found wanting, and hence was cast into outer darkness. Ladies and gentlemen, there is not a parable, there is not an illustration, there is not a reference in all of God's Bible but that teaches individual, personal responsibility. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." At the judgment it will never be asked of N. B. Hardeman: "What did the church do of which you were a member?" That is not it. But the question is: "What did you dol" I must stand or fall in the presence of God Almighty at the last great day upon my own record, my own obedience to the will of God, disregarding what the good people of ages gone by and forgotten have done. I am the only human being in this world to meet my own obligations. I must meet the issues of life and death day by day. Hence, if I believe the gospel of the Son of God, if from the depths of my heart I repent of all my sins, if I publicly and before men confess my Savior, obey him in every phase, follow all his demands, and live faithful unto death, I will be saved, though every other person on the face of the earth might be sent to hell. On the other hand, if every other man, woman, boy, and girl on God's green earth were ultimately to be saved, that doesn't argue that I would be included in that company. it all depends upon whether or not I personally and individually accept the obligation resting upon me, meet duty's demand, respond to the call, and walk faithfully in his footsteps until my work on earth is done. I appeal to you, my friends, to assume your own responsibility, discharge your own duty, and stand approved in Heaven's sight. Why not do so now while we stand and sing? The GospelI can but be encouraged from day to day by the presence of so many people interested in that which may be said. I am especially impressed with the very simplicity of our services, and it is my chief desire to present to you what I believe to be the truth, and to do it in the most simple manner that I can possibly command. I realize the fact that I am not dealing with trivial affairs, but that a responsibility rests upon me to declare unto you God's counsel as I verily believe it to be recorded in his book. I have no disposition whatever to think less of any of you who may see fit to believe contrary to me. I just want to express my appreciation of your willingness to hear what may be said, and then bid you to accept or reject it, according as you find it to be in harmony with the teaching of God's word. I want to talk to you to-day about the gospel. In the short time allotted, only a few things can be said, but possibly enough to get some elementary ideas before you. All preachers talk about the gospel and preach things connected therewith, but it is positively certain that all do not proclaim it as the Lord requires. Let me ask: What is the gospel? First of all, I want to call your attention to the fact that it is something God wants preached to every creature upon the earth; and when heaven is interested in a message being told to the people, it is sure evidence that there is something wonderfully worth while in it for us. After the Savior had taught the disciples for about three years and had done many, many wonderful things in their midst to demonstrate his superiority, he died on the tree of the cross. He was raised the third day from the dead, and before his ascension he bade the apostles: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." So much was dependent upon this that he was unwilling for them to go unaccompanied. He, therefore, said: "Tarry at Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." Wait until the Holy Spirit comes. This is no child's play upon which you are entering. it does not have to do with the ephemeral issues of life, but the eternal destiny of the world is suspended upon the acceptance or rejection of that which I bid you proclaim. So go to Jerusalem and wait till the proper time—until humanity's frailties are provided for by the unerring guidance of the Holy Spirit—and then, commencing at Jerusalem, go throughout Judea, thence to Samaria, thence to Galilee, and finally to the uttermost parts of the world. Later on Paul was converted and became one of the apostles. He said (1 Cor. 9: 16): "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" Now, every man that rises in the pulpit to-day ought to feel that responsibility. I have no fight to make against those of modern times who preach about matters that are purely social, secular, and governmental in their nature, who spend the time in playing upon the emotions and passions of humanity; but I am impressed with the fact that such is not my business in life. Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel of God's Son. I might entertain you splendidly and possibly appeal to a great majority by some kind of a series of LECTURES, but that would not be the gospel of the Son of God. When I speak in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it ought to be such as will stand the test of the everlasting judgment of God Almighty. Now, the gospel is something that God wants men to preach, and it seems that woe is unto every preacher who does not proclaim it. There is another side to it. The gospel, ladies and gentlemen, is something that God wants men to obey. It comes to you and to me with its attractive promises, and likewise with its solemn, sacred warnings. I want you to listen to Paul in 2 These. 1:7, 8, where he said: "And to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus." Now, ladies, gentlemen, and friends, who becomes a subject of God's wrath and of God's vengeance? it is the man who obeys not, who sits passively and idly by, who may be a splendid hearer and may give mental assent to the correctness thereof, but who does not move in obedience to the gospel. That class shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of God and the glory of his power. Friends, do you believe that? Can a sensible, sane soberminded man, knowing the wonderful affaire of life and how brittle is that thread granted to us here, and knowing the certainty of death, refuse obedience to the gospel of the Son of God and thereby invite to himself everlasting punishment from the presence of God and the glory of his power? Such seems almost impossible, and yet there are thousands who still refuse to heed his call. The gospel is not only something that God wants preached unto all men, not only something that you and I must obey; but, to be definite regarding it, I want to tell you what the gospel is, and I might preface that part of it by suggesting this: The word "gospel" simply means "good news." it does not make any difference as to the character of the good news; it would be gospel to us. For instance, if some of us had an exceedingly wealthy relative and in his will we are incorporated as beneficiaries, when the news is dashed over the wire and we receive the telegram that he is dead, there might be some phase of gospel connected therewith, but it is not the gospel of Christ. If I could go to a great rally and make a big Democratic speech, a thing I could not do, numbers and numbers in the old Volunteer State would receive it with gladness. They would clap their hands and rejoice. And then, if, on the other hand, I should lambaste Democracy and uphold the banner of Republicanism, to another class that would be gospel. I am not talking about simply good news. I am asking: What is the gospel of Christ? What is the glad story connected with him? In 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Paul makes this statement: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I. delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." Now, Paul's word for it, these are the fundamental, basic facts of the gospel of God's Son; and in that declaration he declares that this is "the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved." Now, if a man is saved by the gospel, then what would be implied as a negative proposition? That without the gospel there can be no salvation. That follows as certainly as the light follows the darkness. Ever since Christ raised aloft the banner and swayed the scepter of authority as our High Priest and our King it has been announced to the world that salvation is based upon obedience to the gospel, which is the thing by which they are saved. Now, I can do many things for my fellows to help them and to relieve them. I could, if I had the ability and the financial bearing, go through the city of Nashville, visit the tenements, administer to the needy, and help humanity wonderfully. I could give articles of wearing apparel to those who are almost nude, to the hungry I could give food, and to those in sorrow I might be able to lift them up and help them. This is my duty to do as far as possible. But I would be but rendering to them temporal service, but giving to them that which benefits the body; and though I were to give all of my goods to feed the poor, and though I were to lend every possible assistance, if I did not carry to those souls the gospel of Christ, they would die and go to hell at last, though they be clothed in silks and satins and dwell in palaces magnificent. The gospel is God's power to save. So Paul said to the city of Corinth, with its 400,000 population: "Brethren, I preach unto you the gospel, wherein you stand and by which you are saved." Let me say to you good people of Nashville: it matters not about your political or social standing, nor your financial prominence, nor your prestige as a business man; you may live in a palace and exercise authority over your fellows; but if you do not hear the gospel, believe it, and obey it, you will never sweep through the gates of pearl nor walk the streets of gold in that blissful home beyond. God does not have class legislation; there are no distinctions; and every man, if saved at last, according to God's word, must be saved by obedience to the gospel of God's Son. When I render obedience to the gospel of Christ, I stand saved in this sense. Past sins are blotted out. I am a newborn babe, clothed upon with a garment spotless, laundered in that fountain filled with the precious blood of the Son of God. Then what? As a child in the service of God, I must take up my line of march and live faithful unto death. I must keep my garments spotless by continually repenting of the wrongs, praying God to forgive whatever sin I may be guilty of; and if I continue faithful in obedience to the gospel of God's Son, by and by I will be privileged to enter the gates that stand ajar and to hear it said: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." So the gospel as to facts represents and suggests the death of Christ for our sins, and therein is the element of the glad tidings. I do not rejoice this morning simply because Christ died. I never heard of a burial in my life that brought especial joy. Wherein is the element of good news? If you were to leave out of that just three words, you would rob it of the very essence of gospel fact namely: Christ died (now watch the glad tidings) for our sins. Therein is the occasion for rejoicing. I do not rejoice, therefore, simply because the spotless Son of Mary tasted death; but when I remember that humanity was lost and ruined and consigned to eternal death, that Christ Jesus died a felon's death on the tree of the cross in order that you and I might have life, be rid of all the condemnation hitherto characteristic, and have a pathway opened up by which we could pass through the gates at last into God's paradise, I rejoice with joy unspeakable. The gospel, therefore, as to facts, represents the great pillars, three in number, upon which the bridge from time to eternity is suspended and upon which it must forever stand. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried in a borrowed tomb, and on the third day burst the bars and came forth in glad triumph. But let me say to you, friends, that the gospel not only is made up of facts, but in connection therewith there are commandments based upon the same; and then, following those commandments, there are the splendid promises. So I suggest to you that the gospel is made up, first, of facts; second, of commands; third, of promises. Three facts-the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ; three commandments—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, genuine repentance of all of our sins, and burial with him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit upon a confession of our faith. Following these, there are three splendid promises—namely, the forgiveness of all of our sins, the reception of the Holy Spirit, the hope of everlasting bliss and of a glittering crown. Did you ever stop to think how splendidly and how fittingly that analysis and that outline corresponds to our nature? Here I am, a human being, made up of certain characteristics. Suppose Christ did die and was buried and did rise the third day, what can I do with that? Can I obey that thing or those things? I cannot. Well, can I rejoice and enjoy those facts? O, no; there is a misfit. What may I do with the gospel? Let me suggest that there is about it every department suited to my need. Humanity has a threefold character—viz., the power to think, the power to reason, the power to believe. Then, in addition to that, there is what we call the "will power," the executive department of our nature, that which takes hold of a thing and makes it go, that which walks out and forces the decision, and caps the climax of the issue in doing it. it is the power to obey, or to execute. Furthermore, we have something or other about us that is called the "sensibility," or the affection, or our emotional nature. Now, to what part of my nature do the facts of the gospel appeal? Without question, they come as a challenge to my intellect. I can think about them, reason concerning them, and at last accept them as facts. I can believe that Christ died; I can believe that he was buried; I can believe, and I rejoice that I do believe, that he was raised from the dead. Hence, the facts of the gospel appeal to my intellect. Now, the commandments of the gospel come as a direct challenge to my will power. They beg of me to yield to their demand, to respond in harmony with my intelligence, and thus be able to stand upon his promises. Last are the exceeding great and precious promises of the gospel, which appeal to my sentiments and my emotions. There is not a man on the earth who with all of his heart believes the gospel, repents of his sine, acknowledges the Christ, and obeys him in all of his commandments, but that feels good and rejoices because of the fact that he is now able to read his title clear to mansions over there. He feels assured of the fact that God's word is true, that his sine are forgiven; and hence he rejoices in the hope of everlasting bliss. If a man or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which Paul has preached, let the very curses of heaven rest upon him. I come to ask of you again today: Are there those in this company who believe the facts of the gospel? Are you convinced thoroughly that Christ died for our sine, was buried, and rose again? Are you willing to render obedience to his commandments? Are you willing then to spend the remnant of your days in the enjoyment of that religion that is pure and undefiled, in the relationship of a branch clinging to the vine? If you will follow in his footsteps here below, he will at last take you home to glory and give you a crown that is incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away. While truth instructs, mercy pleads, and heaven waits, won't you come? Evolution of the GospelAfter the strenuous day of yesterday, followed by the sweet repose during the passing of the shadows, all of us have so many things for which to be grateful, not the least among which is the opportunity granted for further study and recognition of the Power Divine and of the destiny toward which we are rapidly and surely passing. I am so glad that you are interested in the study of the very simplest lessons that I can possibly get up, based upon what I believe to be the genuine facts and the real truth of God's word. I want to present to you this morning a lesson that is the very embodiment of simplicity regarding things that are sometimes considered wonderfully mysterious and hard to understand. I presume a fitting subject for it would be "The Evolution of the Gospel." Sometimes people are scared at the mention of that first term; but, rightly applied, it is not dangerous, but really expressive in many respects of a great truth with which all ought to be acquainted. As a basis of this morning's study, I call your attention to Mark 4: 26-29. Just after the Savior had taught the lesson regarding the parable of the sower he said: "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." It was a peculiar phase of Christ's teaching to base the lesson upon things with which people were acquainted; and unless you and I can talk about the gospel in terms familiar to us, it is a matter simply of speculation, and even declarations without much profit.​Now, Christ presumed that all of his hearers and subsequent readers would understand about the nature of vegetable life, and he said, "So is the kingdom of God"—that is, it is like this. Now, look what it is. You have a man who took seed and cast them into the ground. Well, I think I understand that much of it. After having cast the seed into the ground, then he sleeps and rises night and day. While thus he is doing, the seed springs up and grows, he doesn't know how; and that is also a fact, for the earth bringeth fruit of herself. Well, what is the order? First, the blade; second, the ear; after that, the full corn in the ear. When the fruit is brought forth, immediately we put in the sickle, because the harvest is ripe unto gathering. That illustration was given for the express purpose of teaching the truth regarding the development and unfolding or the evolving of the gospel plan of salvation. We are, just about this time of the year, ready to pitch our crops; and I want you to note the different stages in which a crop of con, for instance, exists. Every good farmer, and those that look after matters as they should, last fall, at gathering time, selected their seed corn. How came them to do it? They had in purpose the 1923 crop, and the seed selected has been kept in a state of purpose and preserved all during the winter months, sheltered and protected and guarded. But along about now, at least in a few more days, there is going to be a second state of the 1923 crop of corn. The seed will be taken out of the granary and put into the ground, committed to the kindly bosom of Mother Earth. And when the farmer does that, casts his seed into the ground, he does not sit up all night and watch it, but, just like the Savior says, he goes ahead, sleeping and rising, night after night, day after day; and while he is going ahead with his ordinary routine of life, that seed germinates, springs and grows up, and he does not understand exactly why it does it; neither does Professor Morgen up at the University of Tennessee; but it will do it all right enough, and then the earth brings forth fruit of herself. Now, what is the first thing that is evidenced? Why, after that corn has been committed to the ground and there slumbers for a time, during the second stage, when about ten days or two weeks have passed, you go out, as some farmers do and some careless brethren on Sunday morning, and sight down the corn row and begin to prophesy regarding the kind of crops we are going to have. Why, there are blades coming up; the corn is a fine color; the leaves are broad; it is the finest prospect that we have had, at least during this year. Well, after that, what? There is the blade. Well, time rolls on. it begins to develop, gradually unfold; and away after a while it begins to silk and tassel, and the first thing you know the ear is beginning to form. Then laying-by time comes, and the farmer starts out and takes in all the big meetings of the country during July, August, and September. After a while, Jack Frost comes along and makes it brittle; and he decides again from examination some Sunday morning that the corn is just about ripe. He opens the shuck, and finds it filled out to the end of the cob. The next thing then is to gear up the mules, hook them to the wagon, and start out to gather in the crop. The process continues year after year along that line. Now, the Savior said there is something in it that represents the kingdom of God. Well, in what way is an ear of corn, for instance, like the kingdom? An ear of corn has a shuck around it, but I do not expect the kingdom of God to be thus clothed. Well, there is another thing. Every ear of corn has either an even number of rows or an odd number. I have forgotten which, but it is a fact that it has one or the other. You can just put that down. I don't expect, my friends, for the kingdom of God to be like it in that respect. And so, passing many phases, I submit to you this: The point of comparison is in the progress made, in the development of the crop. Now, first, that crop existed in purpose when the grain was back yonder in the crib, garnered up; and, second, it was committed to the soil, and there was a state when the crop was in promise—when the blade came up. Then there is the stage at which point we begin to predict, to forecast, and to prophesy. Then, when it begins to form the ear, there is the state called the "preparatory;" and after that has passed and all things have been conducive to its full fruition, the corn is full grown, fully ripe. Then is the time to go out and gather the harvest. There never was a crop of corn but that existed in five different stages; and, based upon that, all things else are similar thereto. In West Tennessee, leading from Jackson down to Mobile, Ale., through the western part of the county in which I live, there is now a railroad. I want you to study its history with me just a moment, since I happen to know some things about it by virtue of close touch with the various stages in which that road has existed. First of all, there was one man, or a company of men, that began to think respecting the building of this road. Weighing all matters connected therewith in their mind, considering the feasibility and the practicability of the proposition, by and by there was firmly fixed with them a definite purpose for a railroad to be built. Now, there is the first state of it. We had at that particular time a railroad, but only in purpose, in the mind of those who were to project the same. Well, after they had fully settled upon that, they gave announcement regarding it, and they promised that district of country, rich in natural resources, that there would be a new trunk line connecting the North and the South; and hence the promise is that there will be a railroad. Now, that is the second state of it. it is no longer in purpose nor hidden from the people of our land, but now that purpose has been transmitted into a promise. The folks are promised a railroad. Well, you know what happened next. The very minute that the promise came, prophecies began to be heard on every hand. They talked about the wonderful development of the country—chat wonderful and superior advantages it will give us, how it will enhance our section of the country, and promote the interests of this part of the country in every economical and industrial way. So there were prophets galore and on every hand. Now, there is a railroad that existed, first, in purpose; second, in promise; and now in prophecy. But there wasn't a lick of work done on it. Finally the engineer came along and blazed out the way; then teams of men and machinery came, and the work was actually begun, clearing the right of way, digging down the hills, filling up the valleys, hauling in the crossties, bringing the rails, and driving the spikes. Now, there is a road in existence; but in what state? In a state of preparation. Why, there is not a train upon it. I could not send anything over it nor get anywhere, except by the two-cylinder machinery which all of us have been given. Now, there is a railroad that existed, first, in purpose; second, in promise; third, in prophecy; fourth, in preparation. And after the preparatory state of it, the last spike was driven. I happened to be close by when the first engine ran over it. When the firing was completed in the Are box of the engine, steam gotten up, and the train of care hooked on behind, and when the great iron horse began to move down the track, breathing out pure fire, there was a railroad completed and perfected for business. Then they said: "Come ahead now; put in the sickle; all things are ready; make a trip with us." This railroad existed in all of these five states; and there is not an institution in the city of Nashville, nor a manufacturing establishment, but that passes through all of these five processes. My friends, to that process of development the gospel is not an exception. Now, just as briefly as I can—because I talked too long respecting the first part-let me suggest to you that the time never was when the gospel of the Son of God was not in existence. Long, long ago, in the very morning of time and of creation, God purposed a great gospel scheme for humanity, and that is what Paul had in mind in Eph. 3:11, 12 : "According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." Verses 9, 10: "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and​ powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." Note: "According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Long, long ago the gospel which we preach to-day was in existence in the mind of God, in a state of purpose; but as yet no mortal man knew one single thing about it. There was the purpose, and then there was, perhaps, a faint promise when the first pair had sinned in Eden, when the Master said that he would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head and the serpent should bite the heel of the seed of the woman. Then God gave to Abraham (Gen. 12) the promise regarding the literal seed and a land inheritance; and finally, transcending things temporal, he made the declaration that in Abraham's seed all the nations of the earth are to be blessed. Now, there is the gospel, if you please, not only in purpose, but now in promise. Hence, Paul, commenting upon that (Gal. 3: 8), said this: "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." What kind of a gospel, what stage of the gospel, was preached in Abraham's day? A gospel of promise, not in completeness or perfection, but in promise, saying: "In thee shall all nations be blessed." After that from the hilltops of Israel prophets stood with the index finger pointing down the line to Him and made numerous, divers, and sundry predictions regarding the coming of the Christ and the glorious gospel which shall by and by burst in its fullness and grandeur upon the earth. Isaiah (40: 3) predicted the coming of the Christ, preceded by John the Baptist, when there should be the cry, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God"-make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Hence, in due time, after the third or prophetic phase, there came John the Baptist, Jesus in his personal ministry, the twelve and the seventy, laying the rails, putting down the ties, driving the spikes, getting all things ready and in shape, until at last the Christ died on the tree of the cross, arose triumphant from the dead, the Spirit came to fire up the machinery; and then, with Jesus Christ set upon the throne of God, the Father, the steam, so to speak, was turned on, all things having transpired, and there came the glad gospel of the Son of God in perfection, in completeness, as announced unto us on the day of Pentecost. So, then, the gospel of God's Son, or the church of God, if you please, has existed in all ages, but in different phases; and the contention that exists among so many people is due to the fact that they fail to appreciate, perhaps, the respective stages or conditions in which a thing may exist. Before the morning of time began God had the gospel in mind, in purpose. To Abraham he committed it in promise, hence the blade; then came the time when the prophets made predictions regarding the final fruitage. After that, in the days of John, there came the formation of the ear upon the stalk; and by and by, in the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, under the law, that he might consummate the great objective of God's everlasting purpose. When the Savior thus bowed his head upon an aching heart and said on the tree of the cross, "It is finished," there was the sealing of the glad purpose of God, of the splendid promises, and of the prophecies and of the preparatory stage by the blood of Christ in his death. It was only after he came forth from the tomb that he said to Peter, James, John, and all the apostles: "Harness up the teams; the fruit is ready to be gathered in; put in the old Jerusalem sickle; and go out from Jerusalem throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, unto the uttermost parts of the earth, and gather in the grain, because the fullness thereof is come." The gospel, friends, as we have learned, in a state of purpose might embrace the death of Christ for our sins, his burial and his triumphant resurrection, all according to the scriptures; the gospel in its fullness could not have existed, therefore, previous to the facts therein having transpired.​After Christ arose, after the Spirit descended, there has been no new fact added, there has been no new commandment given, there has been no new promise of facts. It was in all of its fullness, its grandeur and glory; and hence after the sad scenes in Calvary—glad to us, however-Peter stood oil Pentecost and proclaimed for the first time in all the ages salvation—absolute and genuine remission and forgiveness of sine in the blood of Christ; a completed, perfected, and finished product, developed in God's own good time and "according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." In harmony, therefore, with these splendid commandments, appealing, trying to allure and attract human beings, God wants you and me, friends, to believe that gospel that is developed. He wants us from all of our sins to turn away. He would have us stand before our fellows and acknowledge the Christ as our Leader, Prophet, Priest, and King. Then, throughout the remnant of our days, he would have us to trust him for the promise, lean upon his everlasting arms, assured of the fact that though we pass through the valley of the shadow and the charnel house of death itself, he will initiate us on the other shore, into scenes sublime, incorruptible, and glorious, which shall burst upon our vision over there. Is there one, are there two, are there any in this company this morning who have the consent of sour minds that you no longer desire to travel in rejection of God's will, but have the courage and that magnanimity of purpose, that fixedness of resolution that will rise in the strength of Israel's God and flee to the outstretched arms of the Son of God Divine, relying and resting upon him, trusting him for the fulfilling of every promise, until by and by he sees fit to call you home? The Gospel In Earthen VesselsI am firmly convinced, my friends, that the great mass of humanity constitute an honest, earnest body of people, and that numbers and numbers there are upon the earth who really want to do God's will; but we are in a rather sad state of affairs, due to the fact that so many theories are extant. Too often we fail to appreciate the proper division of God's word, the various covenants and dispensations under which people have lived, and the result is that many honest souls are confused. it is my ambition and chief purpose to try to deal with lessons that are elementary, with principles that are primary in their nature, to help you who I have right and reason to believe are interested to see the simplicity of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. I want to read to you the first seven verses of 2 Cor. 4: "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." That last verse expresses a great truth that would help so much to relieve us of a state of confusion and vain expectancy, in which state numbers and numbers of human beings are still lingering. it is a very popular idea that in the matter of conversion one must wait until supernatural agencies move and powers Divine separate and apart from things of earth be brought to pass. Hence, the great mysticism, the miraculous conception, and the "better-felt-than-told" ideas that so many good people have. Now, if you and I could just study this statement as we would any business proposition, I believe the scales would fall from our eyes and the clearness of God's manner of dealing with the people would dawn upon us. Let me hope that such efforts shall be ours. Paul has in mind something or other which he styles a treasure, a thing of great value, of wonderful price, and he says that we have that treasure in earthen vessels. Now, I believe that statement, rely upon that in tote, and want to do my very best to understand just what is signified thereby. A treasure, my friends, is something to be appreciated, greatly prized, and that toward which the hearts of men are ever directed. In Matt. 13:44-46, Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Why? He wants the treasure in it. Or: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." He is ready to sacrifice, give up, sell, and part with all that he has that he may buy just that one pearl of great price. Now, that is what the word "treasure" signifies, and Paul said that we have just such a treasure. I wonder what it is. it is not a gold mine; it is not a great oil field; nor is it any of the precious minerals and the natural resources hidden away in the bosom of Mother Earth. But the context of this very declaration is exceedingly clear as to what Paul had in mind when he said we have this treasure. Listen at 2 Cor. 4: 3, 4: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." We have this treasure, this gospel, this scheme of human redemption, in obedience to which men are saved, washed and cleansed and made even whiter than the snow. Now, that is what Paul is talking about when he styles the gospel a great treasure, and he would have us get the idea that if necessary we ought to be willing to Bell all that we have, make any sacrifice necessary in the way of financial affairs, earthly ties, or human relationships, that we might come into possession of this great treasure, this wonderful gospel, by which, and by which alone, men and women can be saved. But Paul said that we have that treasure not in heavenly vessels, but in earthen vessels. Now, what did he mean by earthen vessels? The word "vessel" is a container. it might be a bucket; it might be, by the way, a little brown jug; anything that is capable of containing something and by which it may be carried from place to place. Now, that settles the question of what a vessel is. Well, what does the word "earthen" mean? it simply means pertaining to this earth, abiding upon or connected therewith; not heaven; terrestrial rather than celestial. So, then, we have this treasure, we have this gospel, in earthen vessels. But I do not think Paul meant that it was to be carried around in buckets, jars, etc. The word "vessel" is used figuratively; and so I want to point out just what he meant, and so clear is that presented there can be no doubt respecting it. In Acts 9, when the Lord God Almighty appeared unto Ananias, having first appeared to Saul and directed him to the city, he said to Ananias: "I want you to go into the city of Damascus, into a street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one Saul of Tarsus; and here is how you may know him: Behold, he is praying." Ananias said: "Why, Lord, I cannot do that. I have heard of that man — how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem; and I understand that now he has letters of authority to bind men and women and carry them back to Jerusalem that they might be executed." Then the Lord, reproving Ananias, said: "Go thy way: for be is a chosen vessel." I understand now, when he said "in earthen vessels," he meant in the hands of men, chief of whom was Saul of Tarsus, a "chosen vessel." Well, for what? To bear. That is what a vessel is for—to carry things in, to bear it about. Now, Saul is a "chosen vessel" to bear my name, to carry the glad tidings, to carry this great treasure, this gospel, unto the earth's remotest parts. And so, my friends, when the text said we have this treasure, be it remembered that it is the gospel. When he said we have it in earthen vessels, appreciate the fact that it has been delegated into the hands of men—to those who dwell upon the face of God's earth. The time was when God communicated with the people direct—by visions, shadows, and signs. But when the Christ appeared upon the scene, he said (John 9: 5): "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." "Bring all your troubles and all your problems; I am the light of the world." But having stayed with them for quite a while and having taught the disciples respecting the future status of affairs, he finally said, by way of anticipation, in the wonderful Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 14) : "Ye are the light of the world." When by and by he was crucified and rose from the dead, he led them out to the heights of a mountain in Galilee and said to them: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations." Let me tell you: From that very moment until this hour the gospel plan of salvation, being transferred from the Ring and from the Prince Immanuel, has been in the hands of men. The apostles were guided into all truth. We are now commanded to follow in their steps, preach the same thing, and thus, as earthen vessels, carry on this priceless treasure. Now, that explains and makes it easily understood why it is that in every single case of conversion under that commission the gospel is preached previous to the promise enjoyed by those who would become heirs of salvation. Now, then, if God Almighty under the gospel age carries on his work in bringing conviction and conversion to men separate and apart from human agencies or from the Bible, which is itself an earthen vessel, why is it that men cannot find just one case, just one, in all the Bible where some man was converted in the absence of God's power, the gospel? Friends, there is not a case. Now, I am about to make to you what would be considered by thousands some very radical statements; but here they come, without any hesitancy and without any fear whatsoever of any living man's being able to contradict the principle therein involved. Listen: If an angel fresh from the courts of glory were to visit the city of Nashville to-day and a sinner upon the public thoroughfare or street of your city were to suggest to the angel, "What must I do to be saved?" that angel would not and could not give the answer thereto. There are people that would not believe that if they knew it were true, I am sorry to say. Well, now, why not? I appreciate the radical statement therein made; but upon what ground do we thus announce it? First, the angel is a heavenly being. Paul said we have this treasure in earthen vessels; and, therefore, the angel could not bear the glad tidings, or else that would upset, thwart, and turn topsy-turvy the entire philosophy of the scheme of redemption. But that isn't the only reason. There are examples that clearly demonstrate the correctness of the principle announced. The angel of the Lord once saw an honest man who wanted to be converted to the truth and become interested in that man's salvation. But instead of going direct to the man to be converted, I want you to watch just what the angel did. Now, here was the man to be converted. He started from Jerusalem, went southwest down toward Gaze, and the angel, interested in that man, went thirty-six miles away to Samaria and said: "Philip." But who is Philip. An earthen vessel. "Philip, arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaze, which is desert." That earthen vessel arose and went, and the angel at Samaria bade him good-by. What is the point? The angel understood the principle of the text—that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. His purpose was to get Philip, a gospel preacher, in direct touch with the man to be converted. And when the messenger of the Lord, a man of earth, came in direct touch with the man to be converted, the gospel was preached, obedience was rendered, and a soul was saved. Again, in Caesarea there was a man called "Cornelius," a splendid, good man, sailing on a sinking ship known as the "patriarchal dispensation;" and the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said: "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: * * * he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do." But wait a minute, angel. You are right here now. it is thirty miles to Joppa, and, according to our mode of travel, it will take me four days to send and to get that man up here. Angel, why don't you tell me and not defer my salvation? The angel said: "The time was when I might have revealed this to you; but when Christ, as the great Maker of the will, sealed it with his blood and turned it over to the hands of his executors, we have this treasure from that time until now in earthen vessels. So I bid you good-by. Send for Peter, a man of earth; and when he comes, he will tell you." Thus is the principle demonstrated. Well, if the Holy Spirit in person were right on the spot, the same results would follow; for when the angel bade Philip go from Samaria to the road leading toward Gaze, and Philip went, the angel's command had been obeyed. But the Holy Spirit was interested in that conversion; and instead of the Spirit's going to the sinner, the Spirit went to a preacher, an earthen vessel, and said: "Philip, go near and join thyself to the chariot." And so -the Spirit worked upon the preacher rather than upon the man to be converted. His purpose was identical with that of the angel. Now, in order for a man to be converted, an earthen vessel must be present and the gospel, God's power to save, proclaimed. Saul of Tarsus, on the way to Damascus, was arrested by Christ Jesus, our Lord. Of all men on earth that ever needed conversion, Saul was that character. When Jesus said to him, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest," without delay Saul cried out and said: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Was there ever a finer time for Christ to have given an answer? No preacher anywhere round about, out upon the public highway, a man whose hands had already been stained in the blood of Christian people and now on a death mission clothed with letters of authority, in direct contact with Christ Jesus, and the sinner put the straight question: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to dol" I want to ask you, friends, why didn't the Lord tell him s Let some man who believes in direct contact, in separate-and-apart conversion from the gospel—let some man in Nashville answer why. But the reason is evident. "Time was when I would have told, but I have given the power and the authority and the commission into the hands of men. Therefore, Saul, instead of my telling you direct, I bid you arise and go into the city, and there—not here, but there—it shall be told you of all things that are appointed." Led by the hand, Saul went on; and then the Spirit took part in bringing about his conversion. But where did the Spirit go? He went to Ananias, an earthen vessel, and said: "Ananias, I want to get you in contact with Saul. There is a man to be converted. The gospel is in earthen vessels, and hence go and tell him what he must do." When Saul was found by Ananias, he was a prayerful, penitent believer. So Ananias said: "Saul, why do you tarry? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sine, calling on the name of the Lord." Paul said he was buried in baptism and rose to walk in newness of life; and instead now of being Saul, the persecutor, he became Paul, the persecuted, the remnant of his days. What about it? We have this treasure in earthen vessels. My friends, you and I need not hesitate to-day and wait for God to manifest some supernatural power. The glorious gospel by which men and women are saved has been delegated to us. it is in the hands of faithful men. it is God's word, a vessel or a bearer of this treasure. The word of reconciliation has been committed to men of earth, and in Christ's stead, I pray, be ye reconciled unto God. ​If there be any, therefore, in this company who believe the gospel, who are willing to repent of all wrong, publicly acknowledge the Christ, and further that obedience in the name of the Trinity, to you we gladly extend the gospel cell while once again we together stand.