What Saith the Scripture?
http://www.WhatSaithTheScripture.com/
The Church of Philadelphia Hall of Fame
Or, A Great Cloud of Witnesses
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let
us run with patience the race that is set before us"
(Hebrews 12:1).
by Tom Stewart
6-29-99
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Preface
THE PHILADELPHIA OF THE REVELATION-- the city of brotherly
love-- was the site of a 1st Century Asia Minor church that received the praise of
the LORD Jesus Christ. "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an
Open Door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept
My Word, and hast not denied My Name" (Revelation 3:8). Many have concluded
that the Seven Churches of Revelation-- found in chapters 2 and 3-- also represent
the History of the Church from its inception to the present. Accordingly, Philadelphia
is the sixth church named, and would represent a time frame from approximately 1700
to 1900 AD-- the Philadelphian Church Age. In comparison to the power of the primitive
1st Century Christians-- "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they
took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13)-- the Believers
of the Philadelphian Church Age have only a "little strength". But, we
should read of Philadelphia's exploits and only pray that we should be so blessed!
John Wesley: Turning England Back to God (1703-1791)
GOD'S MAN TO TURN ENGLAND BACK TO GOD, WAS JOHN WESLEY.
Providentially saved from a burning house at the age of six, Wesley described himself
as a "brand plucked from the burning". From a long line of English preachers,
John graduated from Oxford University, entered the ministry, traveled as a missionary
to the Georgia colony in America in 1735, and returned to England, while still unconverted.
Later, an admirer of Wesley said that "if John Wesley was not a good Christian
in Georgia, God help the millions who profess to call themselves Christians."
But, God met John Wesley one evening in a meeting of a religious society on Aldersgate
Street on May 14, 1738. When someone read Luther's preface to the Epistle to the
Romans, Wesley reflected that he felt his heart "strangely warmed". "Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ"
(Romans 5:1).
Armed with the knowledge of justification by faith, John Wesley set out like a lion
to preach the Gospel with the world as his parish. Not only did he preach to vast
crowds in open air meetings-- for the established church would not receive him--
but he carefully organized the fruit into what came to be known as the Methodist
Church. "Therefore whosoever heareth these Sayings of Mine, and doeth Them,
I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a Rock" (Matthew
7:24). Stressing the free will of man, he urged his hearers to repentance and faith.
In keeping with his deep sense of the necessity for personal holiness, he penned
the book, "A
Plain Account of Christian Perfection" -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Wesley.Christian.Perfectio.html
--, in which he urged the possibility and necessity
of complete consecration to God. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in Heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
John Wesley's great strength and blessing was his understanding that "man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"
(Matthew 4:4). He was homo unius libri-- a man of one book, the Bible. He
wrote, "I am a creature of a day, passing, through life as an arrow through
the air... I am a spirit from God, returning to God... God Himself condescended to
teach me the way... He hath written it down in a Book. Oh, give me that Book! At
any price give me the Book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let
me be homo unius libri. Here then I am far from the busy ways of men. I sit
down alone. Only God is here. In His presence I open, I read His Book."
Jonathan Edwards: Awakening the Sleeping New World
(1703-1758)
THOUGH JONATHAN EDWARDS WAS UNUSUALLY GIFTED INTELLECTUALLY--
graduating from Yale College and later invited to be the president of what would
become Princeton University-- God used the simple willingness of this man of God
to fan the flames of the Great Awakening in colonial America. "For the eyes
of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole Earth, to shew Himself strong in
the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him" (2Chronicles 16:9). Early
impressed with the absolute sovereignty of God, Edwards' preaching insisted upon
the awful offense that sinners have given to the Living God. In his sermon, "Sinners
in the Hands of an Angry God" -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Edwards.Sinners.Angry.God.html
-- (1741), Edwards solemnly urged that "natural
men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery
pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is
as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the
fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease
or abate that anger."
"A Faithful Narrative of the Surprizing Work of God" (1736) was Edwards
own account of his first revival at Northampton, Massachusetts. In 1740, George Whitefield,
in one of his many trips from England, aided in the spread of this Great Awakening
among the American colonies. Because Jonathan Edwards insisted that the members of
his church needed to have a clear foundation of conversion to Christ, the dissenting
church members removed him as their pastor in 1750. But, the "LORD is able to
give thee much more than this" (2Chronicles 25:9); and, Edwards proceeded to
Stockbridge, Massachusetts where he conducted missionary work with the remnant of
the Mohican Indians. Here, he composed many of the theological works for which he
is remembered. In the following century, Charles G. Finney often referred to "President
Edwards" with great respect for his opinion and revival example. "A good
name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver
and gold" (Proverbs 22:1). Edwards' Sovereign LORD conducted him Home in 1758,
when he succumbed to the adverse effects of a smallpox vaccination. "For to
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).
Charles G. Finney: Apostle of the Philadelphian Church
(1792-1875)
GOD'S MAN TO REVIVE THE CHURCH IN THE MIDST OF THE PHILADELPHIAN
AGE WAS CHARLES G. FINNEY. "O LORD, I have heard Thy speech, and was afraid:
O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make
known; in wrath remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). Born in Connecticut state of
the fledgling United States of America, and early raised in the wilderness frontier
of Oneida County, New York, Finney represented the pioneering American spirit of
his day. Trained as an attorney to the practice of law, he found himself hauled before
the bar of the Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25) and found wanting. He studied
the Scripture references in his legal texts, which were (most probably) Sir William
Blackstone's "Commentaries on the Laws of England" (1765)-- where Blackstone
contended that all civil law received its validity from its conformity to the law
of God.
Finney was powerfully converted to Christ in 1821 after long consideration of the
claims of Christ upon him. "Just at this point the whole question of Gospel
salvation opened to my mind in a manner most marvelous to me at the time. I think
I then saw, as clearly as I ever have in my life, the reality and fullness of the
atonement of Christ. I saw that His work was a finished work; and that instead of
having, or needing, any righteousness of my own to recommend me to God, I had to
submit myself to the righteousness of God through Christ. Gospel salvation seemed
to me to be an offer of something to be accepted; and that it was full and complete;
and that all that was necessary on my part, was to get my own consent to give up
my sins, and accept Christ. Salvation, it seemed to me, instead of being a thing
to be wrought out, by my own works, was a thing to be found entirely in the Lord
Jesus Christ, who presented Himself before me as my God and my Savior" (excerpted
from "An
Autobiography"
-- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Finneys.Autobiography.html -- by Charles G. Finney).
Subsequent to his conversion, he gave up all attempts at a legal career, and endeavored
to preach the Gospel. His theological training was conducted by his pastor, Reverend
Gale, but he found much difficulty receiving the Old School Calvinism-- which Hyper-Calvinism
he rejected. After his ordination, he immersed himself in the evangelistic work for
which history best remembers him. Since the conversion of sinners must first be preceded
by the awakening of Backslidden Professing Christians, Finney stressed the need
for holiness in the Church, that would manifest itself in the powerful conversion
of the Lost. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of
God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
Gospel of God?" (1Peter 4:17). It would be difficult to estimate the number
of subsequent Saints-- Jonathan Goforth, Watchman Nee, etc.-- who pointed to Charles
G. Finney's "Revival
Lectures" --
http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Revival.Lectures.html --
as a model of how the Church should promote revivals and seek the conversion of the
Lost.
Keenly aware that sinners could not help but act in accord with their misunderstanding
of Scripture, he said, "I felt it my duty to expose all the hiding places of
sinners, and to hunt them out from under those peculiar views of orthodoxy, in which
I found them entrenched" (from Chapter 18 "Revivals at Wilmington and Philadelphia"
of his autobiography). "Is not My Word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like
a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29). Just as a farmer
understands the cause and effect relationship of his reaping and sowing, Finney carefully
demonstrated "what saith the Scripture" (Romans 4:3) to his hearers, that
the Spirit of Truth would produce the "faith which worketh by Love" (Galatians
5:6). Especially believing that the resulting obedience came from the willingness
of the hearer in conjunction with the effectual working of the Holy Spirit, Finney
methodically explained what he meant and did not mean. Charles Finney spoke
often of the Promised Spirit of the New Covenant in his articles published in the
"Oberlin Evangelist". [See Timothy L. Smith's compiled and edited works
of Charles G. Finney on holiness, "The Promise of the Spirit".] "I
will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and ye shall
keep My Judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27).
At one time, newly converted Finney received his pastor's permission to contradict
the pastor's Hyper-Calvinism, just so that a Universalist lecturer could be refuted
in public. And, to the relief and perplexity of Finney's pastor, the Universalist
was effectively routed, while gaining the conversion of a young woman, who had been
deceived by Universalism (from Chapter 4 "His Doctrinal Education" of his
autobiography). "For them that honour Me I will honour" (1Samuel 2:30).
About three miles outside of the western New York town of Antwerp, Finney preached
at a schoolhouse where he spontaneously chose the text, "Up, get you out of
this place; for the LORD will destroy this city" (Genesis 19:14). As he preached,
the people became visibly angry; but, Finney energetically pressed home that their
ungodliness was evidenced by their never having a religious meeting in that place.
Suddenly, an awful solemnity settled down on the people, when they began to fall
from their seats and cry for mercy. Finney began to circulate among the people preaching
Jesus into the ears of individuals, until each came to terms with Christ. Only later
did Finney learn that the place had been nicknamed Sodom, while the old gentlemen
that invited him to preach was derided with the name Lot (from Chapter 8 "Revival
at Antwerp" of his autobiography). "And thou shalt speak My Words unto
them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious"
(Ezekiel 2:7).
Though Finney disliked sensationalism in his preaching, he believed in an honestly
direct approach. "I always have pursued a different course. I have often said,
'Do not think I am talking about anybody else; but I mean you, and you, and you.'
Further, I have often said to people, when I saw that they looked offended, 'Now
you resent this and you will go away and say that you will not come again; but you
will. Your own convictions are on my side. You know that what I tell you is true;
and that I tell it for your own good; and that you cannot continue to resent it.'
And I have always found this to be true" (from Chapter 7 "Remarks Upon
Ministerial Education" of his autobiography). "But Wisdom is justified
of all Her children" (Luke 7:35). And, "The fruit of the righteous is a
Tree of Life; and he that winneth souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30).
His later years were dedicated to training ministers and Christian workers at Oberlin
College, and his "Systematic Theology" (1851) best reflects the foundation
of his revival thinking. "True Christian consistency does not consist in stereotyping
our opinions and views, and in refusing to make any improvement lest we should be
guilty of change, but it consists in holding our minds open to receive the rays of
truth from every quarter and in changing our views and language and practice as often
and as fast, as we can obtain further information" (excerpted from the preface
to Finney's "Systematic
Theology" --
http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Systematic.Theology.html --).
"And thine ears shall hear a Word behind thee, saying, This is The Way, walk
ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21). The "Memoirs of Charles G. Finney"-- now
entitled, "An Autobiography"-- were published after his death. The editors
affixed an epilogue to that 1876 publishing: "To set forth the results of his
life in these [other] respects, would require another volume, which will probably
never be written; but other generations will reap the benefits, without knowing the
source whence they have sprung." And, the "path of the Just is as the shining
Light, that shineth more and more unto the Perfect Day" (Proverbs 4:18).
George Mueller: Ambassador of the Prayer Hearing
God (1805-1898)
A MAN OF FAITH EMERGED OUT OF THE UR OF THE CHALDEES
to whom the LORD promised, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the Earth be blessed" (Genesis
12:3). Abraham was that man for that hour, but George Mueller was uniquely God's
man to call His Philadelphian Church to trust in the God "that hearest prayer"
(Psalm 65:2). A Prussian by birth, Mueller was not raised in the "nurture and
admonition of the LORD" (Ephesians 6:4), but lived a dissolute life of sin,
even while preparing at the University of Halle for a career as a clergyman. "I
thought no parish would choose me as their pastor... and without a considerable knowledge
of divinity I should never get a good living. But the moment I entered Halle... all
my resolutions came to nothing... I renewed my profligate life afresh, though now
a student of divinity... I had no sorrow of heart on account of offending God"
(from Basil Miller's "George Muller: Man of Faith and Miracles").
Mueller's conversion came about the middle of November 1825 through a backslidden
friend, Beta, who brought him to a cottage meeting-- to sing, to pray, and to read
the Word and a printed sermon-- conducted at the home of a simple, Christian tradesman,
a Mr. Wagner. Struck by the power and simplicity of these common people, George was
warmed to God. He was truly happy. He said, "If I had been asked why I was happy,
I could not have clearly explained it" (at the time). Our concept of what Gospel
Salvation appears like, was addressed by A. T. Pierson-- Mueller's biographer-- when
explaining the manner of George Mueller's conversion: "Our rigid theories of
conversion all fail in view of such facts. We have heard of a little child who so
simply trusted Christ for salvation that she could give no account of any 'law work.'
And as one of the old examiners, who thought there could be no genuine conversion
without a period of deep conviction, asked her, 'But, my dear, how about the Slough
of Despond?' she dropped a courtsey and said, 'Please, sir, I didn't come that way!'"
(excerpted from A. T. Pierson's "George Muller of Bristol"). "I will
bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they
have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.
These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them" (Isaiah 42:16).
Relocating to England, Mueller began preaching. He was led to Bristol, where he founded
the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, in 1834. Only a year later,
he opened his first orphans house with the stated purpose: "1. That God may
be glorified, should He be pleased to furnish me with the means, in its being seen
that it is not a vain thing to trust in Him; and that thus the faith of His children
may be strengthened. 2. The spiritual welfare of fatherless and motherless children.
3. Their temporal welfare" (from "Reasons Which Led Mr. Muller to Establish
an Orphan House" of A. T. Pierson's "George Muller of Bristol"). Never
soliciting his needs to man, but only to the Living God through prayer, Mueller secured
from the LORD over $7.5 million during his lifetime for the support of thousands
of orphans, matriculating over 121,000 students from their schools, distributing
300,000 Bibles in different languages, dispersing more than 1.5 million New Testaments,
supporting more than 163 missionaries, and distributing over 111 million Gospel tracts.
"He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
George Mueller revealed that the secret to his faith in prayer was that he believed
what he read from the Word of God. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill
it" (Psalm 81:10). During the 63 years following his conversion, he read the
Bible through each year, half of that on his knees. Dying at the age of 93, he left
an estate of less than $1,000, but careful investigation revealed that he had given
back to the Institute more than $500,000, which he had received as personal gifts.
"Of whom the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:38).
James A. Wylie: Earnest Contender for the Faith (1808-1890)
JAMES AITKEN WYLIE WAS BORN IN SCOTLAND IN 1808. "The
steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD" (Psalm 37:23). His collegiate preparation
was at Marischal College, Aberdeen (a North Sea port city and industrial center of
northeastern Scotland) and at St. Andrews (Fife, East Scotland). "It is good
for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth" (Lamentations 3:27). Though we
could find no account of his conversion, he entered the Original Seccession Divinity
Hall, Edinburgh (Scotland, the land of John Knox) in 1827, and was ordained to the
Christian ministry in 1831; hence, the name "Rev. J. A. Wylie" is affixed
to most of his written works. "And that from a child thou hast known the Holy
Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus" (2Timothy 3:15).
His disposition to use the pen as a mighty "Sword of the LORD" (Judges
7:18) is evidenced by his assumption of the sub-editorship of the Edinburgh "Witness"
in 1846. "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (Psalm 45:1). In 1852,
after joining the Free Church of Scotland-- which was only inaugurated in 1843 (Dr.
Chalmers as moderator), insisting on the Crown Rights of King Jesus as the only
Head and King of the Church-- Wylie edited their "Free Church Record"
until 1860. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1).
The Protestant Institute appointed him Lecturer on Popery in 1860. He continued in
this role until his death in 1890. "Casting down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2Corinthians 10:5).
Aberdeen University awarded him an honorary doctorate (LL.D.) in 1856. "Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my LORD: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count
them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8). His travels took
him to many of the far-flung places, where the events of Protestant history transpired.
"So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at
Rome also" (Romans 1:15). As a prominent spokesman for Protestantism, Dr. Wylie's
writings included "The Papacy: Its History, Dogmas, Genius, and Prospects"--
which was awarded a prize by the Evangelical Alliance in 1851-- and, his best known
writing, "The
History of Protestantism"
-- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/James.A.Wylie.html -- (1878). "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you
of the Common Salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the
Saints" (Jude 3).
It is a solemn and sad reflection on the spiritual intelligence of our times that
J. A. Wylie's classic, "The History of Protestantism" went out of publication
in the 1920's. "Little children, it is the Last Time: and as ye have heard
that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know
that it is the Last Time" (1John 2:18). But-- "we are not of them who draw
back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews
10:39). And, we continue to "look for Him" (Hebrews 9:28) to come
for us to cause us to "escape all these things" (Luke 21:36) in a Pre-Tribulation
Rapture, while we intently "occupy" (19:13) for Him in the Gospel fields,
which are "white already to harvest" (John 4:35). "Even so, come [quickly],
LORD Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). Amen, and Amen.
Charles Chiniquy: The LORD's Faithful Witness to
the Harlotry of Rome (1809-1899)
A TESTIMONY OF THE LOVE OF GOD "to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by [Christ Jesus]" (Hebrews 7:25), and a faithful
warning to the Church of Jesus Christ concerning the treacheries of the Harlot Church
of Rome, is the life of Charles Chiniquy. As a French Canadian youth, Chiniquy was
given the gift of his love for the Word of God by his unconventionally Roman Catholic
parents, even though Scripture in the common tongue had been expressly forbidden
by the Council of Trent. Without his knowledge, the seeds of Protestantism had been
effectively sown in him, as desired by the blessed translating efforts of both John
Wycliffe and William Tyndale. "But he that received Seed into the good ground
is he that heareth the Word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and
bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23).
Why all the commotion about Protestants historically encouraging the reading of the
Word of God, when both Catholics and Protestants may freely read-- but generally
ignore-- the Scriptures today? "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Because the Word of God does not benefit anyone
unless it is believed. "For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto
them: but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it" (Hebrews 4:2). Worse, too many are oblivious to their false sense
of security in a Deceptive Faith that has not the works of Love. "For in Jesus
Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which
worketh by Love" (Galatians 5:6). [Please read our article, "Is
Faith the Only Condition for Eternal Salvation? Or, The Biblical Doctrine of Justification
by Faith" --
http://Whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Is.Faith.the.Only.Conditio.html --, for an important clarification of this often misinterpreted concept.]
Chiniquy aspired to the priesthood of Rome, but his joy of being ordained a priest
of Rome became "as if a thunderbolt had fallen upon me when I pronounced the
awful oath which is required from every priest: 'I will never interpret the Holy
Scriptures except according to the unanimous consent of the Holy Fathers' "
(excerpt from Chiniquy's "Fifty
Years in the Church of Rome" -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Fifty.Years.Church.Rome.html
--). How unlike Rome's oath is the Scripture,
"20 But ye have an Unction [Greek, chrisma] from the Holy One, and ye know all
things. 27 But the Anointing [Greek, chrisma, or unction] which ye have received
of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the
same Anointing teacheth you of all things, and is Truth, and is no lie, and even
as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him" (1John 2:20,27)!
As a proponent of total abstinence from alcoholic beverages, he was vehemently opposed
by his drunken fellow priests. "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward
of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given
to filthy lucre" (Titus 1:7). He was horrified at the liberties taken by the
priests of Rome, especially with their female confessors, who were required to confess
their most intimate faults to the ears of a man, in the name of Auricular Confession.
"For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret"
(Ephesians 5:12). He led an effort to bring Catholicism to the United States by bringing
in a large colony of French Canadian Catholics to the state of Illinois. Attacked
by jealous priests, Chiniquy was compelled to require the services of Abraham Lincoln,
who ably defeated the Jesuits in open court battle; however, as Chiniquy warned,
the Jesuits would not forgive or forget their wound. Chiniquy later demonstrated
that Lincoln's assassination in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth was carefully orchestrated
by a conspiracy of Jesuit-Catholic accomplices. "Lest Satan should get an advantage
of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2Corinthians 2:11).
Suffice it to say that Chiniquy's breaking into the full freedom and liberty of the
Gospel was aided by the whale vomiting its unwanted meal. Rome ultimately excommunicated
Chiniquy, but not before he gave his resignation. The bishop "answered angrily:
'Mr. Chiniquy, I am your superior, I do not want to argue with you. You are inferior:
your business is to obey me. Give me at once an act of submission, in which you will
simply say that you and your people will submit yourselves to my authority, and promise
to do anything I will bid you.' I calmly answered: 'What you ask me is not an act
of submission, it is an act of adoration. I do absolutely refuse to give it.' 'If
it be so, sir,' he answered, 'you can no longer be a Roman Catholic priest.' I raised
my hands to heaven, and cried with a loud voice: 'May God Almighty be for ever blessed'"
(excerpt from Chiniquy's "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome"). "So
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth
mercy" (Romans 9:16).
Chiniquy returned to his room to contemplate the enormity of his situation. Taking
his New Testament, he glanced providentially at these words, "Ye are bought
with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (1Corinthians 7:23). Gospel
Salvation now became very plain to this former priest. "Strange to say! Those
words came to my mind, more as a light than an articulated sound. They suddenly but
most beautifully and powerfully gave me, as much as a man can know it, the knowledge
of the great mystery of a perfect salvation through Christ alone. They at once brought
a great and delightful calm to my soul. I said to myself: 'Jesus has bought me, then
I am His; for when I have bought a thing it is mine, absolutely mine! Jesus has bought
me! I, then, belong to Him! He alone has a right over me. I do not belong to the
bishops, to the popes, not even to the church, as I have been told till now. I belong
to Jesus and to Him alone! His Word must be my guide, and my light by day and by
night. Jesus has bought me,' I said again to myself; 'then He has saved me! and if
so, I am saved, perfectly saved, for ever saved! for Jesus cannot save me by half.
Jesus is my God; the works of God are perfect. My salvation must, then, be a perfect
salvation. But how has He saved me? What price has He paid for my poor guilty soul?'
The answer came as quickly as lightning: 'He bought you with His blood shed on the
cross! He saved you by dying on Calvary!'" (Chiniquy's emancipating thoughts
from his "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome").
.
READ TWO
INTERESTING EXCERPTS -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/W.S.t.S.Voice.html#EXCERPTS
--
Andrew Murray: Proving the Reality of Abiding
in Christ (1828-1917)
ANDREW MURRAY WAS POSSIBLY THE STRONGEST SPOKESMAN OF
THE PHILADELPHIAN AGE to expound the Body's necessity to abide in Christ,
like the Apostle John before him. "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except
ye abide in Me" (John 15:4). Murray was born into a family of four children
in the then remote Graaff-Reinet region (near the Cape) of South Africa. Educated
in Scotland, which was followed by theological studies in Holland, Andrew returned
to his native land to work as a missionary and minister. Given the daunting task
of ministering to Bloemfontein, a remote region of 50,000 square miles and 12,000
people beyond the Orange River, Murray already began to sense the need to for the
"deeper Christian life". "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of
God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption"
(1Corinthians 1:30). Oh, the wisdom of God to teach His servant that "without
[Christ Jesus] ye can do nothing" (John 15:5)! Though successful in preaching
and bringing many to Christ, Murray found many of his greatest lessons in the School
of Suffering, as will all who follow in the path of obedience. "Though He were
a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8).
Murray's daughter noted that following a time of sickness, her father emerged, beginning
to show "in all relationships that constant tenderness and unruffled lovingkindness
and unselfish thought for others which increasingly characterized his life from that
point." This was an expression of his full surrender and simple faith in Christ,
which God worked in Him "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians
2:13). And, what more than faith can please God? "But without faith it is impossible
to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is
a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). His authoring of
some 240 devotional and instructional works for Christians, drew him into a closer
walk with His LORD, because "he that watereth shall be watered also himself"
(Proverbs 11:25).
John the Baptist pursued the right idea about the LORD Jesus that "He must increase,
but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Andrew Murray was Philadelphia's epitome of
just such humility. Though Andrew and his wife, Emma, had a house bustling with the
activity of their nine children, he found the time and the love for all the Children
of God to compose the book, "The
True Vine" --
http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Murray.The.True.Vine.html --. He wrote in its preface, "I have felt drawn to try to write
what young Christians might easily apprehend, as a help to them to take up that position
in which the Christian life must be a success. It is as if there is not one of the
principal temptations and failures of the Christian life that is not met here. The
nearness, the all-sufficiency, the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus, the naturalness,
the fruitfulness of a life of faith, are so revealed, that it is as if one could
with confidence say, Let the parable enter into the heart, and all will be right.
May the blessed Lord give the blessing. May He teach us to study the mystery of
the Vine in the spirit of worship, waiting for God's own teaching." "1
I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Husbandman. 2 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" (John 15:1-2).
J. Hudson Taylor: Demonstrating God's Love for China
(1832-1905)
EVEN AS A CHILD OF FOUR, JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR seemed
to be groomed by God for China. "When I am a man I will be a missionary and
go to China," were the brave words of this son of an English Methodist minister,
who himself was physically disqualified from the same missionary endeavor. "Before
I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb
I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jeremiah
1:5). At the age of 17, young Hudson Taylor had yet to commit his life to Christ,
but found himself at that unexpected crossroad when he whiled away the unoccupied
hours of his holiday, reading in his father's library. He wrote, "I turned over
a little basket of pamphlets, and selected from amongst them a Gospel tract which
looked interesting..."
"I sat down to read the little book in an utterly unconcerned state of mind...
seventy or eighty miles away. [His mother] rose from the dinner table that afternoon
with the intense yearning for the conversion of her boy... She went to her room and
turned the key in the door, resolved not to leave that spot until her prayers were
answered... in the meantime... while reading [the tract] was struck with the sentence,
'The finished work of Christ.'... 'Why does the author use this expression?'...
Immediately the words 'It is finished' suggested themselves to my mind... 'If the
whole work was finished and the whole debt paid, what is left for me to do?' And
with this dawned the joyful conviction, as light was flashed into my soul by the
Holy Spirit that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall on one's knees,
and accepting this Saviour and His salvation, to praise Him for evermore. Thus while
my dear mother was praising God on her knees in her chamber, I was praising Him in
the old warehouse to which I had gone alone to read at my leisure this little book."
"I will not let thee go, except Thou bless me" (Genesis 32:26).
Taylor studied both medicine and theology. In 1854, he went to China to work in a
hospital through the auspices of the China Evangelization Society. Marrying the daughter
of another missionary, two years later, they returned to England. There he translated
the Bible into the Ningpo dialect for five years; but, his ability to share his vision
of God's work in China, caused him to establish the China Inland Mission (CIM) in
1866. "I have set before thee an Open Door, and no man can shut it" (Revelation
3:8), but "there are many adversaries" (1Corinthians 16:9). Like George
Mueller's orphan houses, Taylor's China Inland Mission was a faith work. Before his
death in 1905, J. Hudson Taylor was used of God to establish 205 mission stations
with some 849 English missionaries. But, all of this was only an impetus to which
the Chinese Christians responded in producing their own mighty men of Christian faith,
such as Watchman Nee. "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase"
(1Corinthians 3:6).
Taylor's only book was "Union
and Communion"
-- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Union.and.Communion.html --, dedicated to teaching the Body of Christ, its intimacy with the
Heavenly Bridegroom, as set forth in the Song of Solomon. "Make haste, my Beloved,
and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices" (Song
of Solomon 8:14) has often been employed by those who long for the appearing of their
LORD at the Pre-Tribulational Rapture-- as did J. Hudson Taylor. He described
the "daughters of Jerusalem" (Song of Solomon 2:7) as... "not clearly
the bride... we never find them occupied with the person of the Bridegroom; He is
not all in all to them; they mind outward and earthly things... They may form part
of that great company spoken of in Revelation 7:9-17, who come out of the great tribulation,
but they will not form part of the 144,000, 'the firstfruits unto God and to the
Lamb' (Rev. 14:1-5)."
"They have forgotten the warning in Luke 21:34-36, and hence they are not 'accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of Man.' They have not, with Paul, counted 'all things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the LORD [Philippians 3:8].' We wish to place on
record our solemn conviction that not all who are called Christians, or think themselves
to be such, will attain to that resurrection of which St. Paul speaks in Philippians
3:11, or will thus meet the Lord in the air. Unto those who by lives of consecration
manifest that they are not of the world, but are looking for Him, He will appear
without sin unto salvation" (excerpt from "Appendix: The Daughters of Jerusalem"
of J. Hudson Taylor's "Union and Communion").
Charles H. Spurgeon: Philadelphia's Great-Heart (1834-1892)
JOHN BUNYAN'S ALLEGORICAL CHARACTER'S NAME, GREAT-HEART--
from "The
Pilgrim's Progress" (Part 2) -- http://Whatsaiththescripture.com/Stories/Bunyan.Pilgrims.Progr.2.1.html
--, where Christiana followed her husband to the Celestial
City-- is a most appropriate description of Charles H. Spurgeon. As the pastor of
the Metropolitan Tabernacle of London, England, and as the author of the "Morning
By Morning", "Evening By Evening", and "Faith's
Checkbook" --
http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Spurgeon/Faith.Checkbook/Faiths.Checkbook.Preface.html
-- devotionals, he has shepherded multitudes of Philadelphia's
sheep. "2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4
And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away" (1Peter 5:2-4).
Born on June 19, 1834, in Kelvedon, Essex, England, Charles became one of England's
best known Baptist ministers; but, his spiritual beginnings were at a small Methodist
chapel in 1850, where he providentially sheltered himself during a snow storm, while
on his way to an appointment. "The preacher was reading from Isaiah 45:22. 'Look
unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none
else.' There was nothing needed-- by me, at any rate-- except his text. Then, stopping,
he pointed to where I was sitting under the gallery, and he said, 'That young man
there looks very miserable'... and he shouted, 'Look! Look, young man! Look now!'
I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I
also understood what it was to believe... As the snow fell on my road home from the
little house of prayer, I thought every snowflake talked with me and told of the
pardon I had found, for I was white as the driven snow through the grace of God."
And so, Spurgeon testified that Gospel Salvation is as simple as "looking unto
Jesus the Author and Finisher of Our Faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
Spurgeon prepared himself for the ministry, and preached his first of many sermons,
in 1851. And presently, some have estimated that no other Christian author-- living
or dead-- has more material in print than C. H. Spurgeon. God has truly been merciful
to His Church to give to His people such a faithful minister. "For He said,
Surely they are My people, children that will not lie: so He was their Saviour"
(Isaiah 63:8). Charles Spurgeon became a mighty preacher, and it ought to rejoice
us that he is on our side. "For he that is not against us is on our part"
(Mark 9:40).
More than an eloquent speaker, Spurgeon had the Great-Heart of a Pastor-Shepherd.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not Charity,
I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (1Corinthians 13:1). Take
the following devotional comments on "Dwelling Safely Apart" as a sample
of Spurgeon's shepherding of the Church of Philadelphia: "'Israel then shall
dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine;
also his heavens shall drop down dew' (Deuteronomy 33:28). The more we dwell alone,
the more safe shall we be. God would have His people separate from sinners, His call
to them is, 'Come ye out from among them.' A worldly Christian is spiritually diseased.
Those who compromise with Christ's enemies may be reckoned with them. Our safety
lies, not in making terms with the enemy, but in dwelling alone with our Best Friend.
If we do this, we shall dwell in safety despite the sarcasms, the slanders, and the
sneers of the world. We shall be safe from the baleful influence of its unbelief,
its pride, its vanity, its filthiness. God also will make us dwell in safety alone
in that day when sin shall be visited on the nations by wars and famines. The LORD
brought Abram from Ur of the Chaldees, but Abram stopped halfway. He had no blessing
till, having set out to go to the land of Canaan, to the land of Canaan he came,
He was safe alone even in the midst of foes. Lot was not safe in Sodom though in
a circle of friends. Our safety is in dwelling apart with God" (from June 12th's
"Dwelling Safely Apart" entry to "Faith's Checkbook").
And, how did God equip His elegant mouthpiece to minister to His sheep? Through
suffering; or, as one scholar observed, "Spurgeon had everything-- except good
health." As the LORD Jesus learned "obedience by the things which He suffered"
(Hebrews 5:8), Spurgeon learned patience and compassion for his flock through his
own suffering. "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
stablish, strengthen, settle you" (1Peter 5:10). It is a mistake for us to youthfully
conclude that only other people suffer. "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered
for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath
suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin" (4:1). Charles Spurgeon carried
the burden of various ailments-- including the rheumatic gout from which he died--
as well as the shepherding of the sheep. "For ye were as sheep going astray;
but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (2:25). Neither
Spurgeon nor ourselves need to pursue suffering as a monk in a monastery, because
we have access enough to it through "our vile body" (Philippians 3:21)
to "fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in [our] flesh"
(Colossians 1:24)!
Spurgeon's life was short-- dying at the age of 57-- but intensely useful
to His LORD and the Philadelphian Church. Like John the Baptist, C. H. Spurgeon was
a "burning and a shining light" (John 5:35); and, we can still rejoice
in the shepherding the Holy Spirit gives us through his writings. "He being
dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4). May the God of All Grace, use the gifts of
Philadelphia's Great-Heart to encourage and complete that work of grace in us. "Being
confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
[Read about Mr. Spurgeon's life in "Life and Works of Charles H. Spurgeon" -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Life.and.Works.of.Spurgeon/Life.and.Works.1.html
-- by Henry Davenport Northrop]
E. M. Bounds: Teaching Philadelphia to Pray (1835-1913)
IF YOU HAVE ANY FAMILIARITY WITH THE NAME OF EDWARD
MCKENDREE BOUNDS, you already know that Bounds was zealous that the Church of
Jesus Christ would pray. "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout
the whole Earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect
toward Him" (2Chronicles 16:9). The famous quotation from E. M. Bounds' "Power Through
Prayer" -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Power.Through.Prayer.html
-- is, "What the Church needs today is not more
machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom
the Holy Ghost can use-- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer." "Elias was
a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not
rain: and it rained not on the Earth by the space of three years and six months"
(James 5:17).
Then, who was E. M. Bounds? He was an American prophet of prayer, born on
August 15th 1835 and died on August 24th 1913-- at the age of 78. He briefly practiced
law, and was later ordained a Methodist minister in 1859. "Have not I commanded
thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for
the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:9). During
the Civil War, he served as a Confederate Army Chaplain, where he was captured and
held for a short time. "And we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans
8:28). The ravages of the war had taken their toil upon the Church, and Bounds saw
the need for a revival that would only come from prayer. "Call unto Me, and
I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not"
(Jeremiah 33:3).
Though Bounds wrote eight books on prayer, only two were published before he died.
He lived the Scripture, "Pray without ceasing" (1Thessalonians 5:17). E.
M. Bounds cried out for a holiness in the Church that would set the Body to praying;
but, it would especially unsettle the ministry that was "at ease in Zion"
(Amos 6:1). Those who have read his books, will recognize the familiar quotations
from noted Christians at the beginning of each chapter. It would only be appropriate
to include one such quotation. J. Hudson Taylor: "A young man had been called
to the foreign field. He had not been in the habit of preaching, but he knew one
thing, how to prevail with God; and going one day to a friend he said: 'I don't see
how God can use me on the field. I have no special talent.' His friend said: 'My
brother, God wants men on the field who can pray. There are too many preachers now
and too few pray-ers.' He went in his own room. In the early dawn a voice was heard
weeping and pleading for souls. All through the day, the shut door and the hush that
prevailed made you feel like walking softly, for a soul was wrestling with God. Yet
to this home, hungry souls would flock, drawn by some irresistible power. Ah, the
mystery was unlocked. In the secret chamber lost souls were pleaded for and claimed.
The Holy Ghost knew just where they were and sent them along" (from Chapter
12 "Answered Prayer (Continued)" of E. M. Bounds' "The Possibilities
of Prayer"). "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much" (James 5:16).
Dwight L. Moody: An Uncomplicated Man of Divine Power
(1837-1899)
THE LIFE OF D. L. MOODY teaches us what God can do to
empower a man wholly submitted to Him. "Humble yourselves in the sight
of the LORD, and He shall lift you up" (James 4:10). Dwight L. Moody was the
sixth of seven children born to Edwin and Betsy Moody on February 5th 1837 in Northfield,
Massachusetts. The death of his father, when Moody was four, left his mother with
practically no means of support. And, later in life, Dwight understood with peculiar
sympathy the plight of others in want. "Pure religion and undefiled before God
and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction"
(James 1:27).
Working in his uncle's shoe store in Boston, Moody agreed to attend church. And,
at the age of 17, Mr. Edward Kimball, Moody's Sunday School teacher, led him to the
LORD. "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall
eat the fruit of their doings" (Isaiah 3:10). Moving to Chicago in 1856, D.
L. Moody prospered as a traveling salesman for a wholesale shoe firm; but, he did
not forget his committment to Christ. Recruiting Chicago street urchins into a Sunday
School class-- proclaimed as "Moody's Body Guard"-- with himself as their
Bible teacher, Moody whetted his taste for Christian work. "It is good to be
zealously affected always in a good thing" (Galatians 4:18).
A turning point in Moody's life occurred when he assisted a dying teacher who visited
each of his unruly class of young girls-- none of whom had yet to accept Christ--
to tell them of their teacher's terminal condition and to implore them to come to
Christ. "Be ye reconciled to God" (2Corinthians 5:20). Unaccustomed to
praying and expecting someone to be converted there and then-- he did, and they were
converted! "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Moody commented
about the farewell meeting with the teacher, "The height of my ambition had
been to be a successful merchant, and if I had known that meeting was going to take
that ambition out of me, I might not have gone. But how many times have I thanked
God since for that meeting!" (from Chapter 6 "Giving Up Business"
of "The Life of D. L. Moody" by his son.) "The steps of a good man
are ordered by the LORD" (Psalm 37:23).
The American Civil War was God's judgment upon America for tolerating the evils of
slavery; and, God's cleansing of the nation from the practice of forced human bondage
was accomplished through the warfare of 1861-1865. "Is not this the fast that
I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to
let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6). Disliking
the idea of taking a gun to "shoot down a fellow-being", D. L. Moody enlisted
his services with the United States Christian Commission, ministering to troops on
both sides. Finding himself at the fronts at Pittsburgh Landing, Shiloh, and Murfreesboro,
he attended to both the physical and spiritual needs of the wounded. "And whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward"
(Matthew 10:42).
At Pittsburgh Landing, Moody noticed a dying young man, named William Clark. "I
said to myself that I could not let him die without getting a message for [his] mother.
Presently he opened his eyes, and I said: 'William. do you know where you are?' He
looked around a little dazed, and then said: 'Oh, yes! I am on my way home to mother.'
'Yes, you are on your way home,' I said; 'but the doctor says you won't reach your
earthly home. I thought I'd like to ask you if you had any message for your mother.'
His face lighted up with an unearthly glow as he said: 'Oh, yes, tell my mother that
I died trusting in Jesus!' 'It was one of the sweetest messages I ever heard in my
life!'" (from Chapter 8 "The Civil War and the Christian Commission"
of "The Life of D. L. Moody"). "And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation
21:4).
Moody's life after the Civil War was filled with greater and greater usefulness.
"Every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit" (John 15:2). "Henry Varley, a very intimate friend of Mr. Moody
in the earlier days of his work, loved to tell how he once said to him: 'It remains
to be seen what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to Him.' I am
told that when Mr. Henry Varley said that, Mr. Moody said to himself: 'Well, I
will be that man'" (from R. A Torrey's "Why God Used D. L. Moody").
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"
(Romans 12:1).
His Sunday School work turned into organizing the Illinois Street Church of Chicago
(1863) with himself as a deacon. "Thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21). By the time of the
Chicago Fire (1871), Moody was actively preaching. Both Moody and Ira Sankey-- Moody's
song leading evangelistic partner-- traveled to England in 1873 to conduct a series
of quite successful revival meetings. Leaving America as relative unknowns, Moody
and Sankey returned to America to national acclaim. "Go ye into all the world,
and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The Moody Bible Institute
(1889) was subsequently established to train Christian workers for service throughout
the world, in keeping with D. L. Moody's desire to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Moody died on December 22nd 1899. "'Earth recedes; Heaven opens before me'...
'No, this is no dream'... 'It is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death,
it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go'... Turning
to his wife, he exclaimed, 'Mamma, you have been a good wife to me!'" (from
Chapter 45 "Within the Gates" of "The Life of D. L. Moody").
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the LORD" (2Corinthians 5:8).
A. T. Pierson: Spiritual Warrior of the Philadelphian
Church (1837-1911)
THE EPITOME OF THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH AGE was A. T.
Pierson. Born on March 6th 1837 in apartments above Charles G. Finney's church in
the former Chatham street theatre in New York City, Pierson's Christian parents were
influenced by both Finney and Arthur Tappan, the Christian philanthropist, silk merchant,
and employer of Arthur's father. "And all thy children shall be taught of the
LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children" (Isaiah
54:13). Like Spurgeon, Pierson did not surrender his
heart to Christ until he was a young man and under the influence of preaching in
a Methodist church (1850);
and, he demonstrated the reality of his profession by his willingness that the Bible
be his "only guide" when making his choice of fraternities at Hamilton
College (1853).
"This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success" (Joshua 1:8).
Going on to and graduating from seminary training (1860), Pierson embarked upon several decades of pastoring churches across
America-- including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-- and finally, in London, England
to preach for C. H. Spurgeon, whom he succeeded upon Spurgeon's death (1892). "Feed the flock
of God which is among you" (1Peter 5:2). During this time, Pierson was best known through his many books
and speaking at Bible conferences, especially at D. L. Moody's Northfield Bible Conference.
Modern readers may have heard the name of A. T. Pierson in connection with his Spirit
filled chronicling of the life of the man of faith and prayer, "George Mueller
of Bristol". Also, of interest, Pierson was a consulting editor of the original
Scofield Reference Bible (1909). But, since the Philadelphian Church Era was particularly the age
of modern missions, i.e., "I have set before thee an Open Door" (Revelation 3:8), it is instructive
that Pierson was one of its foremost voices for missions through his editorship of
"The Missionary Review of the World", beginning in 1887 and continuing
for thirteen years. "Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, Whom shall
I send, and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8).
Though Pierson may be remembered for helping to inaugurate the Student Volunteer
Movement for the Evangelization of the World-- which sent out 5,000 volunteers as
foreign missionaries from America alone by 1911-- and promoting the goal of evangelizing
the world by 1900, his presence as a speaker at the Keswick Convention (Keswick,
England), where the deeper life in Christ was emphasized, in 1896, demonstrated the
continuing spiritual growth of this man of God. Most notably, the publication of
"In
Christ Jesus"
-- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/In.Christ.Jesus.html --
(1898) marked
a capstone in his understanding of the need for sanctification in the lives of Christians.
He portrayed the Believer's relationship to Christ to be supremely affected by our
understanding of the multitude of instances in the New Testament that we are related
to Christ Jesus, i.e., "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans
3:24), "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus,
Who of God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption"
(1Corinthians 1:30),
"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all Wisdom; that
we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (Colossians 1:28), etc. Fittingly, Pierson
was allowed by the LORD to visit the foreign mission fields for the first time, in
particular, Japan and Korea-- only months before his death-- encouraging those who
were sacrificing themselves in foreign lands, and hastening the LORD's coming. "Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God" (2Peter
3:12). And, "this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall The End
come" (Matthew 24:14).
Arthur Pierson died at home in Brooklyn, New York on June 3rd 1911, with the words,
"that we might be partakers of His holiness" (Hebrews
12:10), most frequently on his lips.
Sir Robert Anderson: A Stalwart for Bible Prophecy
(1841-1918)
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SIR ROBERT ANDERSON'S BOOK, "THE COMING PRINCE" (1895) -- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/The.Coming.Prince.html
--, should not be underestimated by modern students
of Bible prophecy, in that Anderson not only ably defended Daniel's authorship of
the Book of Daniel from the "scholarship" of unbelief of the Higher Criticism
of his day, but he clearly established the historical accuracy of the fulfillment
of the time oriented prophecy for the First Advent of the LORD Jesus Christ.
Born into the Christian home of Irish Presbyterians of Dublin, Ireland in 1841, Robert
Anderson did not come into "full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22) until
he was nineteen years old, during the Irish Revival (1859-1860). Though he was enrolled
at Trinity College (Dublin)-- from which he graduated in 1862-- he became active
as a lay-preacher, bringing many to Christ. "He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing Precious Seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him" (Psalm 126:6). Becoming a member of the Irish Bar in 1863, Anderson
was introduced to police work, when he prepared legal briefs and interrogated prisoners
that had attempted to overthrow British rule in Ireland. Serving with Scotland Yard
until his retirement in 1896, he was knighted by Queen Victoria. His many friends
included Handley G. Moule, Henry Drummond, James M. Gray, and C. I. Scofield. "I
am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts"
(Psalm 119:63). It was Horatius Bonar who first taught Anderson the precious truths
concerning the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. "So Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second
time without sin unto Salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). As a Christian writer, he authored
seventeen major books, among them his "Human Destiny" was accounted by
C. H. Spurgeon as the "most valuable contribution on the subject" that
he had ever seen. Sir Robert Anderson remained active and useful to his LORD until
his death in 1918. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I
have kept the faith" (2Timothy 4:7).
R. A. Torrey: Teaching the Church How to Work for
Christ (1856-1928)
REUBEN ARCHER TORREY WAS BORN INTO A FAMILY OF WEALTH
on January 28th 1856 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Possessing an athletic build, a keen
mind, and strong determination, Torrey had the circumstances to do or be whatever
he wanted. "Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not" (Jeremiah
45:5). One day he read that a "Christian must be willing to do exactly what
God wanted him to do. At this point he closed the book abruptly and cast it aside.
'If I say 'yes' to that, God will just as likely call me to preach the Gospel, and
I have determined to be a lawyer. I will not become a Christian" (from Chapter
1 "A Determined Young Man" of Roger Martin's "R. A. Torrey: Apostle
of Certainty"). Little did he know that his mother had been praying for him
to become a minister. Torrey had a recurring dream for years that his mother would
appear to him as an angel, securing his promise to become a minister of the Gospel.
"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia,
and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (Acts 16:9).
After entering Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, all was well with his plans
to be a success until the end of his junior year. A series of disappointments brought
young Torrey to great despondency, but he finally prayed, "God, if You will
take away this awful burden, I will preach." Peace immediately settled over
him. As he later recounted, "And though I had gotten over sermons and arguments
and churches, and everything else, I could not get over my mother's prayers"
(from Chapter 2 "Lux et Veritas" of Martin's "R. A. Torrey: Apostle
of Certainty"). "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His
Commandments" (1John 2:3).
Torrey completed his undergraduate work, and went on to complete his seminary studies
at Yale Divinity School, fighting off a tendency to skepticism, "philosophy
and vain deceit" (Colossians 2:8) through the aid of a cherished verse-- "If
any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or
whether I speak of Myself" (John 7:17). Following his ordination as a Congregational
minister, he held various pastorates and studied abroad; but, he continued to grow
in his understanding of the Word of God and Its practical impact on his life. "But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2Peter
3:18). And, in 1889, R. A. Torrey was asked by D. L. Moody to organize and direct
a proposed Bible Institute in Chicago-- Moody Bible Institute. Torrey's books and
sermons all have a tone of certainty to guide, instruct, and put the Church to work,
i.e., "What the Bible Teaches", "The Holy Spirit: Who He Is, and What
He Does", "Why I Believe the Bible to Be the Word of God", "How
to Work for Christ", etc., because his certainty came from Him whose "Name
is called the Word of God" (Revelation 19:13).
Following in the steps of D. L. Moody, Torrey conducted a worldwide preaching tour--
with Charles M. Alexander as his song leader-- bringing multitudes into the Kingdom
of God. "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already
to harvest" (John 4:35). In Australia, Torrey became known as "the man
with God a'back of him". After completing, more than one worldwide evangelistic
tour, Torrey turned his attention to assisting the Bible Institute of Los Angeles
(Biola). Here, he also pastored the Church of the Open Door. "7 And to the angel
of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He
that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth;
and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before
thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and
hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My name" (Revelation 3:7-8).
Conclusion
EVERY NAME MENTIONED ABOVE, calls to mind many more.
"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and
of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets"
(Hebrews 11:32). Since we should not serve God for notoriety, but out of love, then,
if God is pleased, we should have our highest satisfaction. "No man that warreth
entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath
chosen him to be a soldier" (2Timothy 2:4). What man does not note or see, God
has carefully recorded. "Thou God seest me" (Genesis 16:13). But, what
we have noted of the accomplishments of the Church of Philadelphia, should cause
us to aspire to also be found faithful. "Moreover it is required in stewards,
that a man be found faithful" (1Corinthians 4:2).
In comparison to the Professed Christianity of this present Laodicean Church Age,
the Philadelphians are Spiritual giants. "Men that had understanding of the
times, to know what Israel ought to do" (1Chronicles 12:32). It is the belief
of this writer that any who keep the LORD's Word, i.e., possess a "faith which
worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6), are numbered with Philadelphia-- even in this
Laodicean Church Age. And, thus, may partake of Philadelphia's Promise, which is
the Promise of a Pre-Tribulational Rapture. "Because thou hast kept the Word
of My patience, I also will keep thee from the Hour of Temptation, which shall come
upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the Earth" (Revelation 3:10).
May these Philadelphian Church Age Saints inspire us to keep the Word of the LORD's
patience, that we may be "accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).
Amen, and Amen.
.
To read some of the writings from these servants of the LORD--
"Voices
From the Church of Philadelphia"
-- http://whatsaiththescripture.com/W.S.t.S.Voice.html --
C. G. Finney
C. H. Spurgeon
Andrew Murray
Hudson Taylor
D. L. Moody
R. A. Torrey
Jonathan Edwards
John Wesley
E. M. Bounds
Charles Chiniquy
J. A. Wylie
Sir Robert Anderson
A. T. Pierson
.
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