The Bible Truth Review

Issue No. 17 (October/November, 1991)

In This Issue

"God The Father," by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today, Vol. 41, No. 3. Important reading for every father.

"Things Which Are Hidden #2" by B. Bagby in Bible Explorations, Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan. 1988. This installment -- Hidden in Him.

"The Parables No. 12, The Householder and the Vineyard. -- The call of the Labourers (Matt, xx.1-16)" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15.

"The Ministry of Paul. Its relation to dispensational truth. No. 1 -- His Conversion" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor, circa 1912-13.

"What then?" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15. A brief article on the title as it occurs in Phil. 1:18.

Subscription Information and Permission to Distribute by Leo Wierzbowski, editor of The Bible Truth Review.

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"God The Father," by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today, Vol. 41, No. 3.

The first person of the triune God is the one carrying the title, Father. And those who are curious about such things will at once ask why that God should first of all reveal Himself as a Father. Have you ever thought of it?

Of course we can have no idea of God in His essence. That is a realm strange to us. And that is why that He has come down to the level of our experiences to make Himself known. We can know God only relatively. We have to compare Him with the things we know.

Now it is true that under ordinary circumstances, the father in the family is the ruler of the family. He is also the provider. And he loves his family. So God has used this figure to make us understand that He is like the ideal loving father of an earthly family in His relation to us. What better illustration could He have chosen? Can you suggest one?

And this brings up another point that we should remember. Our concept of God is going to be limited to our concept of an earthy father. May I ask just how much one is going to think of God as a loving father if that one comes from a broken home in which there was strife and no respect for either father or mother? Just what is the concept carried by the average school child of today? Will it help that child to understand about God? Before God, a father has a great responsibility these days.

I understand that in some countries morality is so low that when a child is born it is often hard to identify the father. So the law is that the child must bear the maiden name of the mother. So there the children do not bear the name of the father, but of the mother. How is a missionary in such a country going to explain God as a father?

And so it goes in the so-called civilized countries of the world. The father has lost his place in the family, if there is a family.

And would it be to the advantage of the enemy if he could erase morality so that this aspect of God could not be learned?

Our Lord Himself emphasized the title of Father and used it in illustrations. He asked if a real father would give a child a stone if it was asking for bread.

We can understand a little more now why the apostle stressed the duties of a father in Ephesians and Colossians. Every father today who professes the faith has the responsibility of doing his very best in every duty so as to show forth the character of God. His actions are going to show a lot more than words ever can. And if he is going to bring up his family in the fear and admonition of the Lord, here is the place to start. Let the children know what the word father means by example.

God is pictured to us as a Father who knows the needs of His children, who rewards them, who has made promises and will keep them, who loves His Son, who gives gifts to His children, who is a merciful Father, and who pities His children. Consider this; Would God the Father cast off any of His children and not claim them?

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"Things Which Are Hidden #2" by B. Bagby in Bible Explorations, Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan. 1988.

"Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; Which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." (Ps 31:19,20)

The word trust in verse 19 is the same Hebrew word used in verse 1 of this same chapter. It means to flee for protection or refuge. The Lord is indeed a place of refuge to those who fear Him. He hides them and keeps them in His pavilion (place of protection). In this chapter, David calls Jehovah his strong rock, his house of defense, his fortress, his strength and His God. These titles express David's knowledge of the Lord as his protector.

Although written almost 3000 years ago, this same principal holds true today to those who are members of the church which is His body, to those who fear Him. Paul, writing to faithful saints at Colosse said, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Col 3:3). Those whom 'He has chosen' (Eph 1:4), who are 'His workmanship' (Eph 2:10) and are part of 'His purpose for the ages' (Eph 3:11), can, like Paul in his letter to the Philippians, be confident of this very thing, "that He Which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6).

There are many examples of those whom the Lord hid and protected throughout Scripture. In the first chapter of Exodus we read of Pharaoh's decree to cast all newborn Hebrew males into the river. In Ex 2:2, when Moses was born, His mother hid him three months because she saw he was a goodly child (well favored in the sight of God). This was more than the love of a mother who was concerned for the safety of her child. It was the hand of the Almighty God which protected this helpless little one who would someday lead Israel out of Egypt and receive and become the dispenser of the law.

In Jeremiah 36, The Lord told Jeremiah to write in a book the things which had been pronounced against Israel, Judah and all the nations (vs 2). When king Jehoiakim had heard the first three or four leaves of the book, "...he cut it with the penknife (a scribe's knife) and cast it into the fire..." (vs 23). Those who heard the words of the prophecy which would soon come to pass concerning the king of Babylon who would destroy the land, man and beast, "were not afraid" (vs 24). They had no reverence for God's word. When the king commanded Baruch and Jeremiah to be brought to him "the Lord hid them"(vs 26). The Lord's word could not be destroyed nor His servants. In vs 32 we read that soon thereafter they wrote all the words that were previously written "...and there were added besides unto them many like words".

The Apostle Paul on many occasions escaped the power of death (in deaths often, IICo 11:23) because his life was hid in Christ. For he was chosen to 'fulfill (complete) the word of God, the mystery' (Col 1:25,26) and to dispense this great and wonderful truth concerning Christ in His fullness.

God's word is sure. He is interested in His children today as He was in the past. We too can have this same confidence that our life is hid in Christ. We must be serious about the 'good works which He hath before ordained for us to walk in'. These good works are part of His purpose for the ages. They make known the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers and make men see what is the fellowship of the mystery. (Eph 3:9-11)

What a privilege to be hidden in Him. Like those who were called 'Thy hidden ones' in Ps 83:3, we need not fear any enemy. For we are seated with Him in heavenly places. It is there, at His side that we have our hope and place of refuge.

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"The Parables No. 12, The Householder and the Vineyard. -- The call of the Labourers (Matt, xx.1-16)" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15.

When considering the first parable of this series, the Unforgiving Servant, we noticed that it was particularly addressed to Peter in answer to his question regarding the extent of forgiveness. The parable of the Householder and Vineyard is also addressed to Peter in reference to his question concerning the reward of service. This is indicated by the word "For" with which the parable commences.

Looking back into chapter xix. we shall find the inspired introduction to the parable which it is essential to keep in mind. Chapter xix. records the fact that the Lord left Galilee and came to Judaea, and while there the Pharisees tempted Him with questions relating to divorce. The disciples were rather disconcerted by the Lord's answer to the Pharisees (verse 10), but the Lord told them that "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given .... He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" (verses 11, 12). The disciples evidence their misunderstanding of the words of verse 12 by the fact that they rebuked those who brought little children to the Lord. The Lord disposed of this false deduction, blessed the little children, and with them the ordinance of marriage which began to be questioned in the mind of the disciples, and then departed.

He was then met by a rich man who desired to know what good thing he must do to have eternal life. It is not our purpose to enter into this passage here, other than to lodge a protest against the idea often read into it that the Lord meant to teach the doctrine of the Epistles -- faith without works. The commandments are stated as the way to enter into life, and added to that He said, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me." Nothing but the assumption that the Gospel of Matthew speaks in the same terms as the Pauline Epistles could have made men teach from this passage the doctrine of justification by faith without works. However, we pass on. The test was too severe for the young man, and the Lord said to His disciples:-

"Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall enter with difficulty into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Matt. xix. 23, 24).

Again the disciples are amazed at His teaching. If such as the rich young man should find difficulty, amounting almost to an impossibility, then said they, "Who then can be saved?" The elective element is again introduced (as in verse 11) by the words, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Peter seems to have been turning the matter over in his mind. The young man had failed at the test of giving up all his possessions and following the Lord. It was a perfectly natural thing for Peter to think that at least he and his fellow disciples had the advantage here, for they had left all. He therefore turns to the Lord and says, "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed Thee; WHAT SHALL WE HAVE THEREFORE?" This question, the manifestation of its spirit, and the needed rebuke, is the one great feature of the parable, while the emphasis upon the sovereignty of grace as related to service and its reward is the other. The Lord is gracious in His reply. He fully recognizes what they had done and suffered, and He tells them of their reward first, adding afterwards words of warning, and illustrating His point by the parable under consideration:-

"Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

After having said this much in answer to Peter's question, the Lord continues:-

"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters or father, or mother, or wife, or children or lands, for My name's sake shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life."

The hundred-fold seems to indicate the highest, as may be seen in the parable of the Sower (Matt. xiii. 23). There is no hint that a hundred-fold will be given for one amount of forsaking, and sixty-fold or thirty-fold for another, indeed the truth we all need to learn here is that reward for service and the opportunity to serve is as much an act of grace as salvation. Who among us will dare to say that we have "earned" the "far more exceeding age-long weight of glory"? We need to remember the words of Phil. i.29, "For unto you it is given in grace in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." The very word translated "given" in Phil. i.29 is translated "forgive" elsewhere. We want to remember that after all our service, whatever it may be, we may still truthfully say we are but "unprofitable servants."

The closing words of Matt. xix., "But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first," are the point of the parable following, recurring at its conclusion with added emphasis on an elective principle, "So the last shall be first and the first last; for many be called, but few chosen" (Matt. xx. 16). A comparison between the rich young man and the disciples who forsook all illustrates the difference between the "called" and the "chosen," the opportunity to serve being as much elective grace as salvation. Readers will notice that the parable of the Householder is balanced by the parable of the Marriage, and among other points for comparison is this statement, "many are called, but few chosen" (see structure page 43). The one parable has to do with labourers, the other with guests. The one has to do with servants, being particularly addressed to the apostles, and after them to "every one that hath forsaken," &c.; the other, addressed to the Pharisees, has to do with the nation of Israel, and the invitation to the marriage of the King's Son. Some have seen a reference to Acts ii. 15 in the "third hour," and to Acts x. 3, 9 in the "sixth" and "ninth" hours. If there is any allusion to these events it would certainly indicate that those of Israel called early (Acts ii.) would not receive more than such as Cornelius (Acts x.), or of those called at the eleventh hour, the overcomers of the seven churches of Rev. ii., iii. for example. Those who had worked all day would have been quite content with their penny had it not been for the graciousness displayed towards the last comers. The last to serve are also first to be paid, and this again would teach that grace, not debt, is here operating. The words, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" are echoed in Rom. ix. 18-21, where the natural mind raises the question concerning the fairness of God's dealings:-

"Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto no honour?"

The parable is a rebuke to the bargaining spirit so prevalent among us. In our investigation of the purposes of God we must ever leave a margin for the truth supplied by the above passage. He is God. He has surely as much power as the potter. He will give "unto this last" even as unto those who may seem by comparison to have merited more. It is only while we adopt the false system of "measuring ourselves by ourselves" that we can feel any pride or satisfaction in our puny efforts, or speak of future rewards as though they were debts.

After speaking of His death and resurrection, the theme of the parable is again revived by the coming of the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping and desiring a certain thing of Him. In response to the question, "What wilt thou?" she said unto Him, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom." The Lord's reply practically dismissed the request. They knew not what they asked. They may indeed suffer with Him, "but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but for whom it is prepared of My Father." If the reader will consider the parallel passages where this spirit is manifested, e.g, Luke xxii. 24-30, he will see how humility in service is emphasized rather than the idea of earning a reward. There are other passages (indeed one in this very set of parables definitely gives the other side of the question, namely, the parable of the Talents), where the one who has gained five talents and the one who has gained two receive precisely the same commendation. The servant not using his talent has it taken away and given to the one that had ten in accord with the words, "For unto every one that hath shall be given," which bring fresh lines of teaching before the mind. Again, in Luke xix., another principle is seen operating, he who had gained ten pounds received authority over ten cities; he that had gained five pounds received authority over five cities. The servant who had not used his money to profit is deprived of the pound, it being given to the one who had made ten pounds.

It must be noticed that these servants, even the one who lost all, are differentiated from "those mine enemies" of Luke xix. 27. I Cor. iii. 15, "he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire," and the parallels, should be noticed. It will be found that the "servants" and "enemies" brought together in the one parable of the Pounds in Luke xix. are treated separately in the two corresponding parables of Matthew -- the Labourers (xx.) and the Guests (xxii.). The parable of Matt. xx. requires practically no explanation, it is easily read in the light of the context which we have sought to indicate. Its parallel and connection with the last verse of chapter xix. are of great importance, and as an aid to further study we suggest the following points of comparison:-

A | xix.27. "We have forsaken all, what shall we have therefore?"

B | xix.28. "Ye shall sit on twelve thrones."

C | xix.29. "And every one that forsaketh .... shall receive a hundred-fold."

D | xix.30. "Many first shall be last, and the last first."

A | xx.1-8. Hire of labourers.

B | xx.1-8. Agreement to pay a penny, or that which is right.

C | xx.14. "I will give unto this last even as unto thee."

D | xx.16. "The last first, and first last. For many be called, but few chosen."

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"The Ministry of Paul. Its relation to dispensational truth. No. 1 -- His Conversion" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor, circa 1912-13.

"It pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me" (Gal. i. 15, 16).

It has been our endeavour during the last few years to emphasize the claims of the apostle Paul upon believers of the present time; not that Paul is anything of himself, but because to him was given the dispensation of the mystery (Eph. iii. 2-10).

In the endeavour rightly to divide the Word of truth we are sure to have difficulties, one great reason being that centuries of neglect and tradition have left us prejudiced in favour of a system foreign to the teaching of Paul, and further, the low spiritual state of the church as a whole has rendered it incapacitated for the reception of the mystery (I Cor. iii. 1-3).

Those who have had the eyes of their heart enlightened (Eph. i. 18), still find many difficulties and problems, which we must all expect while in the flesh, and among the many causes of difficulty is the fact that the ministry of Paul has a two-fold aspect; in one case he is seen severed from the teaching of the twelve, while in another he is found working in harmony with them. His epistles, covering a space of some sixteen years, are not confined to one period, some epistles being written while he worked in fellowship with Jerusalem, and some being written after Israel was set aside and Paul was a prisoner at Rome.

The book of the Acts records the conversion and early labours of the apostle Paul, so let us turn to that book to learn something more concerning this wonderful ministry. Three cities constitute the three turning points of dispensational interest in the Acts, viz., Jerusalem, Antioch and Rome. Two ministries occupy the bulk of the record, those of Peter and Paul. Peter's ministry commences at Jerusalem and ends (so far as the record is concerned) with imprisonment. Paul's definite ministry commences at Antioch and ends (so far as the record is concerned) with his imprisonment at Rome.

The Acts commences with "the Jew first" and closes with the Jew set aside. The opening and closing verses are worthy of careful study:-

A | i.1-11. | a | Christ teaching concerning the | kingdom of God. | | b | "Wilt thou restore the kingdom | to Israel?"

B | i.12-xii. Peter's ministry and imprisonment.

B | xiii. - xxviii. Paul's ministry and imprisonment.

A | xviii.25-31. | a | Paul preaching concerning | the kingdom of God. | | b | "Salvation of God sent | to the Gentiles."

It will be seen that the Acts opens with the Lord Jesus giving instructions to the apostles concerning the kingdom of God. In answer to their enquiry as to the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, He bids them tarry at Jerusalem until they be endued with power from on high. The closing section reveals Paul as a prisoner at Rome, the final witness to Israel being given, Isaiah vi. 10 quoted for the last time, the door of the kingdom shut to Israel, and the present dispensation of the mystery ushered in.

It is not our purpose in this article to consider the book of the Acts, so we will consider without further introduction the ministry of the apostle, and its bearing upon dispensational truth. The apostle Paul is first introduced upon the page of Scripture at the time of the death of Stephen. Stephen seems to have anticipated the teaching given to Paul. The accusation made against him was:-

This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us" (Acts vi. 14).

This same charge was preferred against Paul in after years:-

"They are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs" (Acts xxi. 21).

The infuriated Jews who stoned Stephen for his faithfulness found a champion for their traditions in the young man Saul of Tarsus:-

"The witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul, and they stoned Stephen .... and Saul was consenting unto his death" (Acts vii. 58 - viii. 1).

What sort of man was this who would consent to the death of such a saint? The secret of his blind, ignorant cruelty was "a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." Many of the Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Christ. They had said, "This is the heir, come, let us kill him." Paul, however, tells us that what he did, he did "ignorantly and in unbelief" (I Tim. i. 13).

To the English reader, separated by centuries from the period of the Gospels, the term "Pharisee" has taken upon itself a colouring more or less traditional. All Pharisees were not alike, however, even as all Scribes or all Priests were not alike in their zeal or character. The Talmud tells us of seven classes of Pharisees. It speaks of the Shechemite Pharisee who obeyed for self interest; the tumbling Pharisee (nifki), who paraded humility; the bleeding Pharisee (kinai), who, rather than risk outraging his modesty by seeing a woman, risked a broken skull by walking with his eyes shut; the mortar Pharisee (medukia), who covered his eyes, as with a mortar, for similar reasons; the timid Pharisee, who was actuated by motives of fear; the tell-me- another-duty-and-I-will-do-it Pharisee; and the seventh class, the Pharisee from love. Saul of Tarsus was of the sixth order enumerated above, for in Gal. i. 14 we read:-

"I was going ahead (a metaphor taken from a ship at sea), in Judaism above many of my co-temporaries in mine own nation, being more vehemently a zealot for the traditions handed down from my fathers."

The choice of the word zelotes confirms this. The Zelotai were a sect which professed great attachment to the Jewish institutions, and undertook to punish, without trial, those guilty of violating them. It was this bigoted or fanatical temper which moved the young man Saul to associate with the murderers of Stephen, and to personally conduct a campaign, with the idea of exterminating the heresy of the Nazarenes. Such was the character of the "chosen vessel" who was destined, by grace, to shake traditionalism and legalism to their fall, and to stand alone with God, preaching "the faith which once he destroyed" (Gal. i. 23).

To stay here, however, would be but to give a one-sided view of the character of Saul of Tarsus. Writing by inspiration of God, in the full light of his acceptance in the Beloved, he says concerning his past, "Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Phil. iii. 6).

According to the teaching of the rabbis, there were 248 commands and 365 prohibitions of the Mosaic law, which formed part of the "Hedge of the law." These laws and prohibitions, without exception, in letter as well as spirit, and with the almost infinite number of inferences which were deducted from such laws, were to be obeyed. This was the blameless righteousness of the law. The belief was current that if only one person could attain unto this perfection for but one day, the Messiah would come, and the glory of Israel be ensured. This hope then, together with a nature which must spend and be spent upon that to which for the time being the possessor is attached, was the force which actuated Saul of Tarsus, and through him breathed out threatenings and slaughter.

In eight separate passages does Scripture refer to the terrible persecutions with which Saul of Tarsus was prominently associated. It is written, "He made havoc of the church." The word used here is that used in the LXX. of Psalm lxxx. 13 of the uprooting by wild boars. He dragged men and women to judgment and prison; he devastated in Jerusalem those that called upon the name of Jesus. In the epistle to the Galatians the apostle tells us how he persecuted the early saints beyond measure. To the Corinthians (I Cor. xv. 9), and to the Philippians (Phil. iii. 6), he recounts with sorrow how he persecuted the church. To the day of his death he never forgot that grace which had changed a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an injurious bigot (I Tim. i. 13), the very chief of sinners, into the chiefest of the apostles. Truly, he "persecuted this way unto the death" (Acts xxii. 4).

How fully he was permitted to enter into the sufferings and afflictions of the faith the Scriptures amply testify. Alone, forsaken by all earthly friends, he was permitted to drain to the dregs the bitter cup of religious persecution. Stoned and left for dead, beaten with rods on five occasions by the order of some ruler of the synagogue, imprisoned betrayed, suffering the anguish of hunger, thirst, nakedness, shipwreck, and finally martyrdom, he fulfilled the opening words of his commission, "I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake" (Acts ix. 16).

As Saul of Tarsus, or Paul the apostle, this man was not content to do things half-heartedly. His zeal had for the time stamped out the activity at least of the heresy of the Nazarenes in Jerusalem, but from other cities news arrived that this pernicious weed had taken root. Unsated by the blood of the saints shed in Jerusalem, he desired to vindicate his Pharisaic claims by uprooting the Christian faith in the distant city of Damascus. Armed with the necessary warrant from the high priest, the persecutor started upon his journey of 150 miles in a frame of mind expressed in the unparalleled term, "breathing out threatenings and slaughter." How long the journey took we do not know; but taking the nature of the roads, the climate, and the eastern method of traveling, authorities have estimated that it occupied the better part of a week.

What were the thoughts of this man during this week's travel? Nothing is recorded in the Scriptures to tell us, except the words of the Searcher of hearts, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (or ox goads). Saul, during that fateful journey, had been "kicking against the goads," as the rebellious oxen do in the plough. The whirl of the city, the excitement of the persecutions and scourgings gave place to the isolated meditation of the Damascus journey. The ox goads against which Saul had kicked were of a similar nature, though perhaps of much deeper intensity, to those which many believers and readers of this little witness have had.

Could it be possible that such men as Peter and Stephen were right, and he with the whole Sanhedrim were wrong? Pride rose against such a thought; those who spoke against the law and the temple must certainly be accursed. Thus would he reason; he could not give expression to these thoughts to those with him, for that would be suicidal. Did the angel face of Stephen haunt his steps along that road? We know not. Was Gamaliel, his teacher, right in even suggesting that such action as his might prove to be fighting against God? We cannot tell. What we do know is this. Spurred on by the goads of an uneasy conscience, Saul urged his followers to abandon the wonted noon-day rest and press on to the City of their desires.

Then, suddenly, the persecutor was changed into the preacher, the infuriated bigot into the apostle of grace. A light, which eclipsed the Syrian noon-day sun as the gospel did the traditions so tenacious]y held by Saul, shone about them. He was struck to the earth; something awful had happened. One man alone knew its solemn meaning and intelligently heard the words from heaven; into the darkened heart of Saul of Tarsus had entered "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." God had revealed His Son in him. That was the turning-point of his life, for he had seen the Lord.

After the blinding flash of heavenly light there came a voice from heaven speaking in the Hebrew tongue, saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me, it is hard for thee to kick against the goads?" In answer to the trembling cry "Who art Thou Lord?" the voice replied, "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest." Oh wondrous revelation! Had the voice said "I am Israel's Messiah," or "I am the Son of God," the apostle would have denied the charge, but in the revelation from the heavenly glory that he was persecuting Jesus of Nazareth, and that He indeed was the Lord, the Messiah of Israel, all his hopes, his pride, his tenacious hold upon the traditions of the elders, his self-righteousness and meritorious zeal, all vanished and left him naked and destitute.

What are the few words which Saul as a believer shall utter? They form a key note to his after life, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" From henceforth he served the Lord Christ; from this time onward for him to live was Christ. He had fallen to the earth a proud, persecuting fanatic; he rose a humble and gracious follower of Christ. How different to what he had dreamed was his actual entry into Damascus and departure therefrom. No longer breathing threatenings and slaughter, but breathing prayers and supplications, for it is written, "Behold, he prayeth!" Not leaving the city with the trophies of his inquisition and the applause of the orthodox, but let out of the city by stealth, in a basket from the wall! After the darkness and the visit of Ananias came the light, for "there fell from his eyes as it had been scales."

The importance of this man's conversion and commission cannot be under- estimated without imperiling the truth committed to him. In our next article we hope to take up the varying commissions of this apostle to the Gentiles, and to show how the right appreciation of his ministry illuminates the Word of truth. Till then, may we all realize in ourselves increasingly the grace that super-abounds.

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"What then?" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15.

"What then? notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein rejoice, yea and will rejoice" (Phil. i. 18).

The words "what then," taken alone, have little or no meaning, but read in the light of the context in which they occur in Phil. i., a very precious lesson may be learned. Possibly the day had been when the apostle would have been roused by the miserable pettiness of those who refrained not from making the sacred proclamation of Christ a means of adding affliction to his imprisonment, and of seeking to make a party in opposition to the blessed unity which the apostle so loved. But now he had learned that the wrath of man even in the cause of truth hindered but never helped. He had learned to find his cause of rejoicing in "things above," and to seek to know "the fellowship of His sufferings" as something far more precious than the peace and quietness of earth. The grand yet difficult lesson of this passage is the complete subjection of everything personal. This is seen very clearly in the structure of the passage which is as follows:-

Phil. i. 12-26.

A | 12,13. What Paul would have them know. Bonds were for furtherance of gospel.

B | 14-18-. "Christ is preached." Personal consideration, such as "envy and strife," lost sight of.

C | -18. Paul rejoicing in result of bonds. C | 19-20-. Paul expecting deliverance from bonds.

B | -20-24. "Christ shall be magnified." Personal consideration, such as "life and death," lost sight of.

A | 25,26. What Paul knew. His continuance was for their furtherance of faith.

The two members "B" ("Christ is preached") and "B" ("Christ shall be magnified") are the two foci around which the other passages are arranged. Some were preaching Christ even of envy and strife. Each of the words "envy," "strife," and "goodwill" occur nine times in the New Testament. Envy moved the leaders of Israel to deliver the Lord Jesus to death (Matt. xxvii. 18). It is found in the midst of abominations (Rom. i. 29), and is the work of the flesh (Gal. v. 21). So also strife is found in Rom. i, 29 and Gal. v. 20. It was prevalent among the carnal Corinthians ( I Cor. i. 11; iii. 3; 2 Cor. xii. 20).

Goodwill, on the other hand, is a fitting frame for heralding Christ and His gospel (Luke ii. 14). The heart's desire of the apostle to those who were moved with envy and malice against himself was for their salvation (Rom. x. 1). Goodwill (good pleasure A.V.) is the grand setting of the glorious purposes of God according to Eph. i. 5 and 9. Those who preached out of goodwill were actuated by love. True, in Phil. i., love is linked with knowledge. First, in the prayer of verse 9, the apostle who desired that they may have knowledge and discernment and ability to "try the things which differed" asks that "their love may abound." Knowledge without love would have given an acid tongue and a pharisaic spirit. In the passage immediately before us love is linked with knowledge. Some regarded the imprisonment of the apostle as a judgment from God, but others knew that he had been "set" for the defence of the gospel. In his noble endurance they loved him the more, and, moved by love out of goodwill, carried on the work he loved so well.

There is a solemn note struck here to which we should all give heed. The matter of the preaching was excellent. All preached Christ. The motive, however, was diverse. Those who preached Christ of envy and strife, of contention and pretense, did so "not sincerely." The word for sincere is rendered "chaste" in 2 Cor. xi. 2, and "pure" in Phil. iv. 8, while the noun "pureness" occurs in 2 Cor. vi. 6 (see parallel though different word in. 2 Cor. ii. 17). This reference leads us to see how the apostle ever sought to make his "doctrine, purpose, manner of life" agree. "Whatsoever things are honest ... *if* there be any virtue, and *if* there be any praise (logizesthe) think, reckon, impute these things" (Phil. iv. 8). He knew that Christ was preached of envy and strife, of contention and hatred, but he meets it with the glorious "WHAT THEN? *Christ is preached.*" Stop there! he seems to say. Go no further. The Lord alone has the right to judge men and motives; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, I will reckon these things, I will think on these things. WHAT THEN? Christ is preached, and I rejoice.

The readers of this magazine may at times find themselves the objects of hatred, malice, misrepresentation. Meet it beloved readers with Paul's "What then." If reviled, revile not again, if suffering, threaten not; you are in good hands. The perfect One Himself never attempted selfvindication; how much less His failing followers. If these few words are of any consolation, it is only in fulfilment of the passage, "the God of all comfort, Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Cor. 1:3,4).

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