Knowing the Times

“Men that had an understanding of the times.” — ! Chronicles xiL 32.

THIS is the secret of greatness. Great warriors have been the men who have clearly understood when to move forward, when to halt and fight, and sometimes when to retreat. Great inventors have been the men who have sensed the need of the hour and whose genius has given to the world that which, at the proper time, has lightened labour and increased happiness and joy; and great leaders of men generally are those who have thoroughly understood their times and have appreciated the fact that there is a time to act and a time to refrain from action, a time to be aggressive and a time to be conservative, and they have been ready for every emergency. He who understands every time but his own can do no permanent good for society. If he lives in the past he becomes mystical, and if he lives in the future he is a fanatic. He must be the man for the hour or he will fail. He is like the man who knows every language but his own, and therefore is unable to talk to the one at his side. These are great times in which we are living. They are days of invention. The world is startled with the exhibition of the ingenuity of men which a year ago seemed to be remarkable and which now we have come to look upon as the natural result of the need of the hour. These are days of possibilities. Never before in

the history of the world has so much money been

poured out to those who are in need as at the present

time. These are days of special works of charity, for

this is the era of social service in the Church. It is

time to cease preaching a selfish salvation which has

its end in the salvation of the individual, and it is time

that we preached that when we are saved we are sup- j

posed to reach out after others. Jesus gave this in-

struction to St. Peter when he said,” When thou art

converted strengthen thy brethren.”

The nth and 12th chapters of I Chronicles are to the Old Testament what the i ith Chapter of Hebrews is to the New Testament. In Hebrews xi. 32-40 we read,” And what shall I say more, for the time would i

fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephtha; of David also, and Samuel and of the prophets; who through faith subdued kingdoms, j

wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again; and others were tortured, not accepting

deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. j

They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with sword; they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted and tormented; of whom the world was not worthy; they wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in

3ens an3 caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

And then if we turn to I Chronicles, the nth chapter, we have a similar story in the account of David’s mighty men. There is the story of the three who broke through the ranks of the Philistines that they might secure a drink of water for Him who had said, “Oh, that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate,” and we have in this one of the most pathetic incidents of the Scriptures, for as a matter of fact David was not so much desiring a drink to quench his thirst, as he longed for the return of the old days of peace and happiness when by the well of Bethlehem and in the valley below, he kept his sheep.

In the Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago years ago, when one of the first operations for appendicitis was performed, a young man who was operated upon, when he came out from under the influence of the ether kept saying over and over, “Oh, for a drink! Oh, for a drink!” And when they put the water to his lips he declined to take it, and then exclaimed, “Just for one drink from the old Vermont spring,” and in this cry of his for the experience of other happy days, he was akin in his spirit to David the King, who wanted a return of the days when he kept his flock at the well of Bethlehem.

Then there is the account of Benaiah who slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and the story of Eleazar whose hand clave unto the sword when the battle was over, and the account of that other mighty man of David’s who stood in the patch of lentils, and crying out in the name of the Lord and standing alone with God, turned back the host of the enemy as they would have overpowered Israel.

The 1 2th chapter is like a supplement to the nth. In the nth chapter we have an account of the more aggressive service of the king, while in the 12th chapter we have a picture of the men who made their way to Hebron to aid in his coronation. These men were distinguished for different reasons.

In the second verse we are told that they were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. Some of us scarcely know we have a left hand. We speak constantly of the right, but all the faculties of men are needed in the warfare in which we are called upon to engage. There is great danger that some men may count themselves great because they are being used in a fashion, because they read certain books and preach with certain forms, and therefore are not like other men. We have a great body in the ministry, and let us each encourage the other. The thinker, the teacher, the expositor, the orator, the evangelist, all these are helpful in their work, and we need the sympathy each of the other. There is no reason why we should not fight with both hands, and yet the man who uses only one is apt to be jealous of the one who uses two.

In the 8th verse we read,” And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto Pavid into the hold to the

Wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains/* These men were tested and tried. They had been in the battle and they could arouse enthusiasm. This is sorely needed to-day in the Church of Jesus Christ. How much we need the experience of the men who can pray and of those who know their Bible as well. It is one thing to have a shield and buckler, it is quite another thing to know how to use it, and the man who knows his Bible to-day and understands the secret of prayer will be victorious in his work for God.

In the 38th verse we read concerning these men as a company, “And these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David King over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David King.” They were men who were able to keep rank, which means that they were able to march in step, each moving with the other, each helping the other by his presence, and this is needed to-day in the Church. And then we are told that they were men of perfect heart, that is, they were not double-hearted, which is the spirit of St. Paul when he said,” This one thing I do.’* Then they were men who had an understanding of the times. It is said by someone that these men of Issachar were astrologers, and that they read the stars and therefore knew how to act; others said that they were men of political sagacity, which was revealed in their going up to David in this particular time in his history. It is useless, however, to speculate about them, yet we learn f rorti - them how important it is that men should know the times in which they live. It is a great mistake to put new cloth in an old garment, and new wine in old bottles. Men are not reverenced or great just because they are trying to make old methods meet new necesities. Conservatism is madness when it does not suit, the laws of the times and adapt itself to passing conditions. These are great days in which we are living, and possibly there never has been such an opportunity to work for God as at the present time, but God requires all there is of us, and each must do his part and each work in his own way, and everyone work without the spirit of criticism regarding his brother, whose methods may differ from his* but whose spirit IS the same. It may simply be that we have ability to throw with both hands or to wear the shield and buckler, or to keep rank as we march and so not cause confusion, or to labour with a perfect heart, but if we understand our times and do our best for God victory is certain.

Somewhere I have read the following: )

“‘What is in thine hand, Abel? ’

“* Nothing but one wee lamb, O God, taken from the flock. I purpose offering it to thee, a willing sacrifice.’ And so he did. And the sweet smell of the burning has been filling the air ever since, and constantly going up to God as a perpetual sacrifice of praise.

What is that thou hast in thine hand, Moses? ‘Nothing but a staff, O God, with which I tend my flocks.’::”*Take it and use it for me.’ And he did, and

a t

*
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it wrought more wondrous things than Egypt and her
proud king had seen before.”

Mary, what is that thou hast in thine hand? * Nothing but a pot of sweet-smelling ointment, O God, wherewith I would anoint thine only one called Jesus, And so she did; and not only did the perfume fill all the house in which they were, but the Bible-reading world has been fragrant with the memory of this blessed act of love, which has ever since been spoken of for a memorial of her.” “* Poor woman, what is it thou hast in thine hand? * “* Only two mites. Lord. It is very little, but then it is all I have, and I would put it into the treasury, And so she did; and the story of her generous giving has ever since wrought like a charm prompting others to give to the Lord.”

These times in which we live demand certain strong declarations regardings some great subjects and principles.

SIN

There must be a strong declaration regarding sin, for if we have lax ideas concerning this subject then our views of the Atonement will suffer and we shall not appreciate the sacrificial death of the Son of God. If sin is simply a mistake, or just counted as an error, then there is no sense of guilt and no cry for pardon.

The Bible declares sin as the transgression of the law. I John iii. 4. It further declares that all unrighteousness is sin. I John v. 17. And it likewise states that unbelief is sin. John xvi. 9. Indeed this is the chiefest of sins, for the one who is guilty of it is indifferent to the love of God, indifferent to the death of Christ, and indifferent to the pleadings of the spirit. It is unbelief which closes the door of hope. Sin separates us from God, separates us from each other, and makes us insensible to our helpless and undone condition. It is so sure in its work, so insidious in its influence, so certain in its punishment, that it is dangerous to trifle with it even for a moment. These are awful days in which we live; days of greed and graft, days of scandal in high life and of failure on the part of men in prominent positions. St. Paul’s description of sin in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is most realistic, but it would almost seem as if he could increase its intensity if he were here to-day to write by inspiration.

THE SAVIOUR

These times demand that there shall be no uncertain declaration regarding the Deity of Jesus and the meaning of His death upon the Cross. There must be no subtraction from His character nor from the efficacy of His death upon Calvary’s Cross. He only is able to save to the uttermost.

A friend of mine told me that when he attempted to climb the Matterhom he was besought on every side by guides who asked him to give them the privilege of taking him up. But he was shrewd enough to say to them, “Show me your papers first,’* and then the men who were not true fell back and approached him no more, while the real guides showed him papers which revealed the fact that they had taken other men up the Matterhorn and brought them down in safety, and the names of prominent Americans and distinguished Englishmen were signed to his paper. All I want to know about Jesus Christ in these days is this,” Can He save? “and I have but to ask the men who have helped to move the world, and Charles H. Spurgeon and D. L. Moody and S. H. Hadley and William McKinley and William E. Gladstone all respond,” He is able to save to the uttermost, for He is the chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely/*

His influence has ever been profound. One day when some noted sceptics were railing against Christ and the Christian religion, James Russell Lowell in a masterful way replied thus to their criticisms:

“When the microscopic search of scepticism which has hunted the heavens and sounded the seas to disprove the existence of the Creator, has turned its attention to human society and has found a place on this planet ten miles square where a decent man can live in decency, comfort, and security, supporting and educating his children, unspoiled and unpolluted; a place where age is reverenced, infancy respected, manhood respected, womanhood honoured, and human life held in due regard — when sceptics can find such a place ten miles square on this globe, where the Gospel of Christ has not gone first and cleared the way, and laid the foundations and made decency and security possible, it will then be in order for the sceptical literati to move thither and there ventilate their views.”

THE BIBLE

These are days when the strongest declaration should be made concerning the Bible as the word of God. The conflict in the past has been terrific, but the smoke of the battle seems to be lifting and no one needs to be afraid for this Book of God. That there is a reverent criticism of the Word of God which has to do with authorship and the dates of manuscript and correct translation all will allow, but that there is any criticism that can take from us the Bible as the iWord of God, we certainly deny. “Heaven and earth shall pass away but my Word shall never pass away.” To-day it seems truer and better and more helpful in Its influence than ever before. Let us cease to be afraid for our Bible; this is the Bible’s day and it cannot be Idestroyed. Somewhere I have read:

“If men should try to put it away from us they would be obliged first of all get rid of all the copies in all the languages — there are 160,000,000, say of the Old and New Testaments in one Book and in portions of the Book. You must have all these piled together in a pyramidal mass and reduced to ashes before you can say you have destroyed the Bible.

“Then go to the libraries of the world, and when you have selected every book that contains a reference to the Old and New Testaments, you must eliminate from each book all such passages; ahd until you have so treated every book of poetry and prose, excising all ideas of grandeur and purity and tenderness and beauty, for the knowledge of which the poets and prose writers were indebted to the Bible — until you have taken all these from between the bindings and turned them to ashes, leaving the emasculated fragments behind, not until then have you destroyed the Bible.

“You must then go to the galleries of art throughout the world, and you must slash and daub over and obliterate the achievements that the genius of the artist has produced. Not until then have you destroyed the Bible.

“Have you done it then? What next? You must visit every conservatory of music, and not until the world shall stand voiceless as to its masters — not until then have you destroyed the Bible.

“Have you done it then? No. There is one thing more you must perform. There is one copy of the Bible still living. It is the cemetery of the Christian. The cemeteries, while they exist, are Bibles, and to suppress the Book, to let not a trace of it be discovered, you must pass from gravestone to gravestone and with mallet and chisel cut out every name that is biblical and every inspiring passage of Scripture graven thereon. To destroy the Bible you must also blot from the memory of every Christian its promises and comforts. Not until you have done all this can you destroy the Bible.”

So I present the Bible to you as the Word of Grod and know that you will never be disappointed in it.

‘THE FUTURE

That these are trying and troublesome days in which we are living all thoughtful men will agree, but so far as the future is concerned I am myself an optimist. God’s Word shall not return unto Him void. The Church will yet arise in her might and assert her authority in the name of Jesus Christ, her risen Head. For years we have been praying for an awakening, and God has given us the Welsh revival just when men had declared that revival days had passed, and

He sent Torrey and Alexander around the world with such a message and such a hearing as no two men have ever before received, which shows that the Grospel has not lost its power. He has given us mighty works of grace in our own land just to show what can be done in every part of the United States and the world, if men would but take Him at His word. The tide is rising, the skies are brightening, the clouds are rolling back, and if we understand the times and move in the line of God’s providence, we shall win the victory. Somebody has said that every battle of Israel was settled before it was begun because the people took counsel with God. We may fall short of our faith but we shall never go beyond it.

Not a great while ago in New York City a mighty task was accomplished. In its way it was most unique. The huge draw of the old Kingsbridge bridge, 272 feet long and weighing eleven hundred tons, was successfully floated down the Harlem River and placed as the middle span of the new Fordham bridge at 207th street. The bridge was floated down on pontoons.

Operations began at low tide, when four pontoons were towed up the river and moored under the middle span. On each of the pontoons heavy timbers had been built up twenty-five feet. By partially filling the boats with water they had been lowered two feet below their normal water line. As soon as the pontoons were in position the water was pumped out. Then the engineers waited for the tide. At 12.30 p. M. the span began to rise, and two hours later it was clear of its fastenings by ten inches. Four tugboats, two in front and two behind, then tied up to the pontoons, and, amid a shriek of whistles and the cheers of the crowd on either bank, the span began its journey. The distance to the Fordham bridge was a mile and a half, and it took the span a few minutes over an hour to reach it. You will notice that the engineers simply waited for the tide, and it is believed by many thoughtful Christians to-day that the tide is coming in and that we ought to be prepared to take advantage of it. So let there be no uncertain sound in our teaching or in our confession of faith, and certainly no uncertain note in our testimonial concerning Him who is able to save. Let our lives b right and our purposes strong. I present to you Augustine’s prayer when he said, “A whole Christ for my Saviour, a whole Bible for my counsel, a whole Church for my fellowship, a whole world for my field.” This is God’s time, when such a faith and such a hope would go far towards moving the world. So I present to you Jesus Christ. Lay hold upon Him and there is victory, but if you reject Him and act indifferent to the direction of God and have trifled away your time and have squandered your talents, and then you should go unprepared into the future yours would be the cry:

‘’Missed, missed, missed,
For all Eternity!
The chance to suffer and bear the cross,
To count all earthly gain but loss,
Missed! missed! missed!

“Lost, lost, lost.

For all Eternity!
The joy of wearing a victor’s crown,
The Master’s voice with His glad ‘Well done!’
Lost! lost! lost!”

I wish, oh, I wish that I might sound a new note of victory, infuse new hope into some soul, give new visions to some who have been bHnd, and if with this you should walk in the way which He has outlined, then for Eternity your cry would be:

‘’Gained, gained, gained;

Through sorrow, and toil, and loss,
Through treading the way of nail and thorn.
The way of loneliness, shame, and scorn.

The way that leads to the cross.

“Gained I gained 1 gained!

The reign with the King, the crown.
The glorious lifting up, the rest;
The joy of the soul who stood the test

Of the bitter going down.

“Gained! gained! gained!

What joy for the man who died!
‘Fruit of my sorrow I now have seen
In thee, O soul — thou hast faithful been.
And my heart is satisfied!’”

Yet when all this has been said, and I feel that I have been faithful to Christ and the truth as I hold it and as it holds me, and as many other men to-day and in the past have held it, yet I must in no uncertain way declare that these times in which we live certainly demand that after one is saved, there is a service he must render to those in need in the name and spirit of Jesus, and failing in this, he will be called to a strict account at the Judgment Seat of Christ.