^^ji^vSfcr^^ /^. BS 2410 .W53 1919 1 Wilson, Philip Whitwell, 1875- The church we forget THE CHURCH WE FORGET By P. Whitwell Wilson A companion •volume to "-"The Christ We Forget." The Church We Forget A Study of the Life and Words of the Early Chris- tians. 8vo, cloth net ;?2.oo A graphic, faithful picture of the early Christians, of what they aimed at, on what they relied. It shows what it was those peasants and fishermen had that the great Church of God throughout the world would appear to lack. A book one cannot afford to miss ! TENTH EDITION The Christ We Forget 8vo, cloth net ^2.00 Dr. y. Wilbur Chapman said : " I consider it one of the greatest books I have ever read." The British Weekly says: *« It has brought us as by a new road, to behold the moral beauty of our Lord." James Walter Lowrie, in The Chinese Recorder, writes : <' Would that every one of the 618 mission stations in China might get a copy and, gathering the group, read it together — slowly and by the lips of their best reader — then read it once or twice more, individually, alone, with prayer." Two A^icient Red Cross Tales i6mo, boards net 50c. ** Every page contains some surprise of thought and application, that enriches one's understanding of the Word." — Edgar Whitaker Work. By This Sign We Conquer A Note on the Strange Resurrection of John 3: 16. i6mo, boards net 50c. "Will prove effectual in the work of reconstruc- tion which must follow the ruin wrought by German unbelief and militarism." — The Christian. THE CHURCH WE FORGET A Study of the Life and Words of the Early Christians y0^iWmt riLB 19 BY ^ PHILIP WHITWELL WILSON jiuthor of *'Thi Christ We Forget,'' etc. New York. Chicago Fleming H. Revell Company London and Edinburgh Copyright, I9I9» by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 17 Uurth Wabash Ave. London: 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street To Mr SON, OLIVER PREFACE IN these pages will be found a character sketch of the disciples who tried to carry out Our Lord's plans for the world. Their story is also full of meaning for people of every time, and especially for us, living as we do amid change and upheaval. I write, not as a theologian, nor as a scholar, but as a layman who owes much to clergy and ministers, and is glad to return the debt. Possibly what I have found in the records will come as a surprise to those critics who consider that Paul lacked appre- ciation of woman, that John the apostle could not have been John the elder, and that the disciples ex- pected the end of the world next week. All I can say is, that I do not so read the narrative. More- over, what I have had to describe is the primitive simplicity of Christ's cause. It must not be as- sumed, therefore, that I am expressing harsh judg- ments on ministerial orders and ceremonies which have since developed. On these matters I am not competent, even as an amateur, to speak. The object has been, not controversy, but to show the devotion of the disciples to the one Lord, on which we are all, I am sure, fully agreed. For what we need to-day is, after all, a mission- ary ardour and efifort, a passion for the conquest of men's hearts and affections, an impulse towards 2 PREFACE comfort and rescue and healing and conciliation. Yet mere emotion is not enough. We ought to be ready to devote minds and will to the duty of find- ing out what Christ's cause really means. Every- thing other than this has failed. Here alone may Hope arise from her solitary seat and remove the bandage from her darkened eyes. For all the saints who from their labours rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be for ever blest. Alleluia! Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. Alleluia! So may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and hold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old. And win, with them, the victor's crown of gold. Alleluia! O blest commmiion! Fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! — W. W. How. CONTENTS I. The Simplicity of the Early Christians II. The One United Family III. The Modesty of the Saints . IV. The Happiness of the Faithful V. The Power of Their Inspiration VI. The Method of the First Missionaries VII. An Era of Revivals VIII The Gift of One Language . IX. Common Ownership of Property X. The Miracles of Healing . XI. Mutterings of Persecution . XII. The Judgments of the Spirit XIII. The Short Life of Stephen XIV. The Preachings of Philip XV. " Saul of Tarsus Dies " XVI. The Vision of Paul XVII. The Vision of Peter XVIII. The Old and the New Church XIX. The First Organized Mission XX. Old Conflicts with New XXI. The Call of Macedonia XXII. Rescue of Womanhood . XXIII. Prisoners and Captives 3 7 15 22 30 n 45 52 59 68 76 86 97 104 114 125 132 140 151 162 172 183 191 198 CONTENTS XXIV. Christ for the University . 206 XXV. The Challenge to Civilization . 214 XXVI. The First Scandal . . 221 XXVII. The Conquest of Mysticism . . 231 XXVIII. The Hope of His Coming . 242 XXIX. Paul's Path to the Cross . 252 XXX. Vindicating a Passport . . 262 XXXI. Paul Before the High Priest . 270 XXXII. The Struggle with Felix . 281 XXXIII. The Fight for Festus . 291 XXXIV. Paul Before Agrippa . 296 XXXV. The Voyage .... . 304 XXXVI. Paul Wins the Race . 319 XXXVII. The Triumph of Peter . . 331 XXXVIII. The Beatific Vision . 339 Index . . • . . 348 / THE CHURCH WE FORGET The Church's one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord: She is His new creation By water and the word; From heaven He came and sought heK To he His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died. Elect from every nation. Yet one o'er all the earth. Her charter of salvation One Lord, one faith, one birth. One holy name she blesses. Partakes one holy food, ^And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued. Though with a scornfid wonder Men see her sore oppressed. By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed. Yet saints their zvatch are keeping, Their cry goes up, " How longf " And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song. 'Mid toil and tribulation. And tumidt of her war. She waits the consummation Of peace for evermore, Till with the vision glorious Her longing eyes are blest. And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest. — S. J. Stone. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS IN the year of war, 1917, 1 wrote a book, in which, as a journalist, and not as a theologian, I pre- sented a character study of our Lord, as He ap- peared to me in the four Gospels which I read in our mother tongue. Despite limitations which were obvious, this book interested people, both in the United States and in Great Britain, and it is now suggested that, still writing confessedly as a journalist only, I should proceed — braving the pit- falls — with a companion picture of the earliest Church, — of the men and women like ourselves who first followed Christ and fought His battles. Here again my paint-box is the Bible and nothing else, — the Acts and the Epistles and the Apocalypse — and my canvas is a page which he who runs may read. I appeal to those who have neither time nor inclination to study commentaries — who cannot go to college to hear lectures by doctors of divinity. I will suppose that you carry in your pocket a New Testament, costing but a few cents, yet clearly printed, in which at odd moments you read a chap- ter. So let us proceed. At first sight, you would have said that our resources in men and money were many times 7 8 THE CHURCH WE FORGET' greater than those of the original disciples. We confront the world with hundreds of thousands of clergy and ministers, lay preachers, Sunday-school teachers and missionaries, elders and deaconesses, >vith organists, choirs and all the camp followers of a great religion. But at Jerusalem the little community which met in the upper room consisted only of one hundred and twenty men, with some women in addition. Of the multitudes who had heard Our Lord speak and received His healing, none save these clung to His cause. Mere words, even His words, which only reached the ear — mere miracles, even His miracles, which only cured the flesh — were not enough to stand the final test. Then as now, more was needed than preaching, however persuasive, and philanthropy, however effective. And we must find out what it was. Certainly not money ! Our churches are en- dowed with millions; they had scarcely a cent with which to organize a revival, while as for a political establishment, He had by His last words before the Ascension postponed that idea. He would not thus set up His eternal kingdom upon earth. In- deed if you had visited Jerusalem at this time, and had asked for the Christian Church, none would have known what you meant. The disciples, left to themselves, were only Nazarenes, — followers of an obscure Galilean who had been executed as a felon, and it was not until years later, and then at Antioch, many miles distant, that they used the name which hails Him Messiah. At the outset, the Church was not even recognized as a definite society. Outsiders noted those who belonged to .Christ merely because they lived in a certain SIMPLICITY OF EARLY CHRISTIANS 9 " way " which differed from the customs of the time. With us, worship is pubhc and conduct is sometimes private. With them it was the other way round — conduct was apparent and worship was concealed behind closed doors. There was an inner Ufe, which God alone watched. Sometimes we are misled by phrases. When we say that a man is " going into " the Church, we mean that he will be ordained as a clergyman or minister, and in many countries he will wear a special garb or " cloth." Those who were " added to " the early Church assumed no such special uni- form — in fact, Paul thought so little of his cloak that he left it behind him at Troas and Timothy had to bring it along to Rome. The brotherhood of saints belonged to laymen as much as to clergy and every one, whatever his ecclesiastical status, could wash his robe and make it white in the blood of the Lamb. In an era of caste, slavery, and bitter oppression, this spiritual citizenship was a model for democracy. I am one who is helped by symbols, including stained glass windows. But I am endeavouring on this occasion to read my Bible by plain daylight. As a matter of history, men like Peter and women like Dorcas did not wear elaborate vestments or adopt stately poses, or appear under richly carven canopies. On the contrary, Pkul was of mean ap- pearance, and his only known gesture was a cer- tain wonderful **' beckoning of the hand " which at Antioch in Pisidia captured a synagogue, while in Jerusalem it silenced a mob. James expressly warns us against the respect of persons which picks out the man with the gold ring and the rich 10 THE CHUECH WE FOEGET robe; while Timothy was told that the adornment of women should be, not broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety and good works. Church parade, as we call it, was thus discouraged and these people, living amid the luxury and the ostentation of the Roman Empire, avoided adver- tisement and anticipated by seventeen centuries the black coat with which the Republic of the United States encounters the gilded lace and ribands of European diplomacy. The Church had its Calendar. Christians ob- served the Passover and Pentecost. But, with them, every day was a Saint's day. Every day new converts were added to the cause. Every day was a day of salvation. What we call canon- ization is the reward of a few, a reward long post- poned and finally granted by the Vatican. In Jerusalem, an act of God, immediate and decisive, made the Saint, and every such Saint, however humble, must walk worthily of his high calling. I do not say that canonization is wrong — I am not here to decide that — I only state as a fact that it came later. Similarly, while church officers were to be held in high esteem, we do not find that they were greeted with a genuflection or obeisance. At Caesarea, Peter firmly declined the worship of Cornelius, while at Lystra, when the people would do sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, those evangelists rent their clothes. Such reverence for special leaders was thus another of the practices which, whatever may be our view of it, came later. At the outset, Christ was served by disciples or teach- able persons; by evangelists, or persons with news SIMPLICITY OF EARLY CHRISTIANS 11 to tell; by apostles or missionaries, for the word is the same, or selected persons, who were free to go abroad; and by prophets, or persons with insight. All had their appointed task but all reserved homage for the one Master. Avoiding titles themselves, these people used plain speech to others. Tertullus, the orator, talked in flattering terms about " most noble Felix." To Paul, Felix was simply a judge, as Agrippa was simply a king. Nor did they flatter the mob. It was not a case of " Ladies and Gentle- men " when they spoke, but, short and sharp, " Men of Israel," " Men of Athens," '' Men and Brethren." It was manhood that they valued — manhood that they displayed — without prefix or compliment. As God regards men and women, so did they. The vocabulary of the early Church was thus curiously simple. They talked in monosyllables like love, joy, peace, and were little worried by technical terms which encumber our theology. The creeds were still unwritten, save in the heart. There was as yet no catechism. The only sug- gestion of a liturgy that I can discover, and it is scarcely a suggestion, is the thanksgiving at Jeru- salem when persecution was threatened. Hymns and spiritual songs were sung, but the melody had to be first in the heart, — there were no printed words and music. Nor were there prayer books, only prayer, and no articles of religion had then been drafted, unless we regard as such the circular letter which dealt with various Jewish ordinances. Sometimes we are apt to apply a modern and nar- rowed meaning to the broad human expressions 12 THE CHURCH WE FORGET which we find in the New Testament. A bishop was not a peer of the realm or prelate, as we put it in England, but an overseer or shepherd, who, as every man ought, looked after the interests of others, rather than his own. When Paul went about ''confirming" the Churches, he strengthened them, as we all may do, with helpful words. It was service, rather than ceremony. And, finally, we must get out of our minds the idea that a church in those days consisted of bricks and mortar. What the apostles meant by a church was not an edifice, with a pulpit and chancel and reredos, but a congregation or society of men and women; built together like living stones; and they were quite content to meet in some upper room, or " a place," or a private dwelling like that of Mary, mother of John Mark, where a housemaid called Rhoda acted as doorkeeper. It was not until all these early Christians, and, indeed, their chil- dren after them, had been long dead, that money began to be spent on architecture. The world- wide mission was inaugurated with an open-air meeting at some street-corner in Jerusalem. Paul preached wherever he could get a hearing — in synagogues, by the riverside at Philippi, on the hill of the pagan god Mars at Athens, on the steps of the citadel in Jerusalem, in Herod's palace, and in a hired house under the shadow of Caesar's throne, where he was — as he puts it — an am- bassador in bonds. The energy that we devote to mortgages, debts, and bazaars was concentrated by these pioneers on the supreme task of winning men. For why should they waste their forces on material shrines? Anywhere and everywhere they SIMPLICITY OF EARLY CHRISTIANS 1:3 expected to meet God. The first vision came to Stephen when he was in the dock. The second came to Paul on a turnpike road. The third came to Peter in a tannery, of all places, and the last came to John in a salt-mine. Nor did they waste time or temper in wrangling over ordinances. The only altars that they knew of were in the Jewish or Pagan temples and they broke their bread simply, going from house to house. There were no baptisteries; and Philip, when approached by the Ethiopian eunuch, there- fore used a well in the desert of Gaza, now familiar to the armed forces of the Allies. At Philippi, Paul and Silas administered the rite in a jailer's lodge. Indeed, so afraid was he of exalting the mere form, that in writing to the Corinthians, he actually thanked God that he had himself baptized none of them, save Crispus, Gains, and the house- hold of Stephanas. " Christ sent me not to bap- tize," said he, — and the very word "sent" indi- cates apostleship— '^ but to preach the gospel." There lay the thing to be done — not to elaborate systems but to liberate souls. If then I am asked to furnish a first glimpse of these few scattered Christians, I reply that they were simple folk. Unencumbered by machinery and traditions and caste and ritual, they moved freely over the whole realm of opportunity. Ste- phen and Philip might be appointed to serve tables while Peter and John preached. But if Stephen and Philip preached as helpfully as Peter and John, they were invited to do so. No Church can grow — no country can develop — unless there be this free- dom of opportunity, this simple aim, this one thing 14: THE CHURCH WE FOEGET for you and for me to do. The disciples knew what the one thing was, they did it, and therefore they turned the whole world upside down. These are days when every institution seeks to justify its usefulness by propaganda. The one Catholic and world-wide Church of Christ, as a spiritual body, has grown directly from the little societies of early Christians whose thought and life will be described in these pages. As they drew inspiration from their Bible, so shall we draw in- spiration from ours. As they brought ancient wis- dom to bear on modern problems, so shall we fol- low their example. What we read of old times bears upon what we do in the twentieth century. Our schools and colleges tell us that we learn much by fighting over again the battles of Greece and Rome. These Christians fought the biggest battle of all, and it continues unto this day. II THE ONE UNITED FAMILY LET us take the New Testament and read for ourselves the Acts of the Apostles, and then record our first and immediate impression. Does it not strike you at once that if these early Chris- tians revisited us to-day they w^ould need a diction- ary? It seems to me that they would have been utterly puzzled by our sectarian labels. Among the Jews, as among Moslems of our own times, there were, doubtless, parties — Pharisees, Sad- ducees and so on — but I hardly dare to think what Paul would have said about the schisms which now cleave asunder the Body of Christ. We do indeed hear of Nicolaitines at Ephesus but they were solemnly denounced by John the apostle. Paul was illustrious, Peter was venerable, Apollos was eloquent, but no denomination was named after any of them. Against terms like Lutheran, Wes- leyan, Franciscan, Dominican, Benedictine, it is not for me to utter one word, but I must point out that all these societies came later. Their especial tenets, however valuable, — the things in which they differ from the rest of us — were not among the essentials of the faith. Somehow or other, the one claim of Christ included all the rest. Believe me, I do not criticize — not at all — I 15 16 THE CHUECH WE FORGET merely dig deep to the fundamentals. Baptism was administered — that is clear — but I do not find that there were people called Baptists. Preachers went on circuit, but there were no Methodists. Elders were ordained, but there were no Presby- terians. Congregations were autonomous, but there were no Congregationalists or Independents. Galatia was a diocese, but there were no Episco- palians. Paul was probably unmarried, and he certainly bound himself by vows, but he was not a monk or a friar. The good and true in each group everywhere was shared by all. Many famous countries received the Gospel, but none of them was honoured by a national or geographical church. There was a Church of Rome, — indeed, several — but the Church was not bent upon dominion. Nor were there Anglican and Ar- menian and Greek and Russian Churches, assert- ing their nationalism. As the faith was proclaimed in many languages to Parthians and Medes and Elamites and dvvellers in Mesopotamia, so was there afterwards One Body of Christ, in Whom Jew and Greek, Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free were united. Every Christian was equally the elect or chosen child of the One Eternal Father and, as such, was brother or sister of every other Christian. In the early Church there was doubtless variety. Each little group that met for worship had its own problems, its own hopes and joys. Paul did not write to Corinth where the trouble was sensuality as he wrote to Galatia, where there was ritualism, or to Philippi, where he had no fault to find. He did not treat every church alike, he allowed for THE ONE UNITED FAMILY 17 individuality, but, on the other hand, he declared that all were one in Christ Jesus. The Corinthian and Galatian and Philippian must greet one an- other as brethren, not as rivals and parties. Even in the upper room at Jerusalem, the Church, though small in numbers, included all sorts and conditions of people. A v^ell-to-do woman like Mary of Magdala, doubtless accom- panied by Joanna and Susannah, who were ladies from Herod's court, associated intimately with Mary, the widow of a carpenter. Nicodemus and his friend, Joseph of Arimathea, though members of the Sanhedrin, accepted the leadership of fisher- men like Peter and John. Simon, the zealot, con- sorted with Matthew the publican. As the Church grew, so were these contrasts multiplied. Beggars who had been cripples worshipped side by side with landlords who had sold their estates. Onesi- mus, the runaway Phrygian slave, was pardoned by Philemon, the master whom he had defrauded. A jailer would bathe the wounds inflicted by him on his convicts. A tent-maker in chains would preach to Caesar's household, and to the courtiers of the Asmonean Prince, Aristobulus. The same message stirred Babylon, in decay; Galatia, in superstition; Ephesus, in idolatry; Athens, with her philosophy; Rome, with her poHtics; and Ethiopia, sunk in savagery. Somehow or other, the emissaries of peace were — then as now — often well received by soldiers. Peter got on excellently with Cornelius, the centurion of Caesarea. And Paul was kindly treated by the officer who escorted him, over sea and land, to Rome. In one small town, you may see to-day many 18 THE CHURCH WE FORGET churches and chapels, each separate from the other. But, in apostoHc times, the Christians, though scattered abroad by persecution, remained one family. Paul would travel a thousand miles gathering money from wealthy communities like Philippi, for distribution in Judea, where already the nemesis of the Crucifixion, culminating in the ruin of Jerusalem, was casting the shadow of poverty over the people. What drew that ever- widening circle together was not the pressure of creeds and rubrics on the circumference, but the attraction of Him Who was the Centre. Yet there was much variety of teaching. While Paul in- sisted upon justification by faith, James held that faith without works is dead. Both views were right, but clearly there was here every chance of a split. Again, Paul differed sharply from Barna- bas over John Mark, and every one knew it — there was no attempt to conceal the trouble — but the Church of Cyprus, where Barnabas laboured, re- mained none the less a normal Christian com- munion, without adjective or qualification; and it was Paul who, years later, begged that John Mark might relieve his loneliness with Luke in Rome because he was profitable in the ministry. Over questions like eating with Gentiles, Paul withstood Peter at Antioch, face to face, because he was to be blamed; yet Peter was the apostle who, in his letters to the faithful, expressly insisted that Paul's writings, though sometimes hard to be understood, were truly inspired. These men had to solve prob- lems of great delicacy, like the election of an apostle, or the apportionment of money between Grecian and Hebrew widows, or the admission of THE ONE UNITED FAMILY 19 Gentile converts with or without circumcision ; but, through it all, they managed to be " of one ac- cord " — " of one mind." They had not so much the same use or ceremonial as the " same love," working in the One Body, through one faith, to- wards one hope, by one baptism, towards one Lord and Father of all. This unity of the Spirit was the more wonderful because the believers were of our common clay — men of like passions with others. Peter had denied his Master thrice. Thomas had doubted. Nico- demus had come to the Lord by night. Seven devils had dwelt in Mary Magdalene. Only yes- terday, as it seemed, the disciples had intrigued for preeminence, had rebuffed the children, had shrunk from the Cross, had demanded the visible kingdom. Among them there were Ananias and Sapphira, who kept back part of the price; Simon Magus, who offered money for the grace of God ; Eutychus, who slept during a sermon; Rhoda, the excitable housemaid; Saul, with his bigotry; Peter, with his prejudices; Mark, with his irresolution; the Cor- inthian women with their gossip. There were Galatians, bewitched by Rabbis; Thessalonians who put a date to the Second Coming; and Ephe- sians who lost their first love. Judaizers from Jerusalem wanted to lay burdens on the Gentiles, which was too strict; while at Pergamos, the Christians ate things sacrificed to idols, which was too lax. At Thyatira, the unwary were seduced by a prophetess, Jezebel. And the Laodiceans were neither hot nor cold. Even in Sardis their works were not perfect; in Philadelphia they had but a little strength. Busybodies went about mak- 20 THE CHURCH WE FORGET ing trouble. Women — some of them widows — were ostentatious in dress. Rich men craved for special honour. And pious men struck straight at home-life by advocating celibacy. Yet amid these cross-currents, unity was still maintained. At Corinth, Paul might have to de- fend the Resurrection. To the elect lady, John might have to suggest that persons who wilfully deny the Christ cannot expect Christian hos- pitality. With fearful emphasis, Timothy would be warned against seducing spirits, and Jude, earnestly contending for the faith, would denounce the ungodly who creep in unawares — the dreamers who defile the flesh. But, however perilous the times, the freedom of the Gospel was preferred to an external uniformity. The only discipline was the constraining love of Christ, and it was suf- ficient. What they valued was " the glorious lib- erty of the children of God " — the liberty which is itself a law, as in a family, where the tie is af- fection. The Body of Christ was One; He was alone the Head, and the rest were members one of another. Some were like hands or feet, or even humbler organs of sense, but all were necessary, all were honourable, and a wound inflicted on one of them hurt the entire community. And so was it with the communities of saints. The Churches of Asia were seven. They shone severally, like lamps on a lampstand. For each there was an angel or mes- senger, bright and kindling as a star, held eternally in the hand of God. Each Church had done its own works, faced its own problems, recorded its own successes or failures, and the ear of each was THE OJSfE UNITED FAMILY 21 invited, severally, for an individual vi^arning or encouragement. But the Voice that spoke v^as one, the Eye that saw vv^as one, and one also was the sevenfold Spirit. To Ephesus, God was the Presence, walking amid the candlesticks. To Smyrna, He was the Resurrection that lives through death. To Pergamos, He was the sharp two-edged sword that smites the evil. To Thya- tira, He was our nature — feet and eyes — in glory. To Sardis, He was Light amid darkness. To Philadelphia, He was the Key of Destiny; and to Laodicea, He was Amen, Who keeps His promises. But amid this solemn variety of vision, there rose, solitary and tremendous, what may be called the Personality of Jehovah — the great I AM — ordain- ing His own rewards for him who overcomes — the tree of life, that satisfies — the hidden manna and white stone with a new name, known only to him who receives it — power over nations — clean rai- ment — safety in the second death — the pillar in the temple — the seat on the throne. What wonder if Christians, so taught, maintained their unity? Three thousand might be added to their numbers in a few days — men and women of every clime — but they had all things in common because fear came on every soul and a joy which all could share. Ill THE MODESTY OF THE SAINTS IN the Middle Ages, people were so grateful to the early Christians that, wherever the name of a disciple is mentioned in the New Testament, they put the word " saint " as prefix, and, in their pic- tures, surrounded the head with a halo. Among the apostles, no such practices prevailed. Great lamentation was made for Stephen, but he re- mained Stephen. Of him as of the Saviour, no relics were preserved. There were no pilgrimages to his tomb — no masses for the repose of his soul — no prayers associated with his memory. When James was martyred, he was mourned on the same condition, and when Paul wrote to Corinth and again to Salonica about those who had departed this life, he said not a word about the honours which, with a challengeable reverence, have been bestowed by later generations. In discussing his own approaching end, he never suggested that after death he would assist his friends by inter- cession. Be it life or death, Christ alone was to be magnified. His hand alone conferred the crown or halo of righteousness. The multitude in white robes, who came out of great tribulation, do not rival His preeminence, but serve Him day and night. To Him alone, the elders render that in- 22 THE MODESTY OF THE SAINTS 23 cense which is a symbol of the prayers of saints. And when in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we read of Abel and Abraham and David and the great crowd of witnesses, it is because every eye looks towards Him. In that upper room at Jerusalem, what made people wonder was not a halo, imposed from with- out by the art or authority of man, but a flame, kindling within, by the divine Spirit of God. On every one of them that fire burned. Every dis- ciple, without exception, was thus fully a saint, women as well as men, for, as it seems to me, neither sex is excluded by the narrative. I like to think that whereas each of them could see the flame over his neighbour's head, none could ad- mire it over his own. As Paul put it, years after- wards, each esteemed other better than himself. Indeed, of the actual apostles, one-half disappear at this point from the recorded history. The book which we call the Acts of the Apostles should be entitled more accurately the deeds of the Spirit. Not that these noble-hearted men were unfaithful in their service. They were like great artists who leave us pictures without a signature, as if to imply that their inspiration belongs wholly to the one eternal Author. They drove their mines far be- low ground, declining advertisement, and while you will not find their names on posters that meet the eye, those names are graven none the less, as John declared, on the foundations of the city of God. An exquisite illustration of how tender-hearted they were, how freely they forgave one another, is found in that opening scene, in the upper room. 24 THE CHURCH WE FORGET when Peter stood up to address them. All were conscious that they had forsaken the Lord and fled. Not one uttered a taunt against the comrade who had been found out. They distinguished at once between the unhallowed remorse of Judas, and Peter's repentance. What changed Peter's despair into a saving faith was the Lord's look, His message, His personal interview. And how dif- ferent would have been the drama if backbiting had occurred. In Paul's astonishing words to the Ephesians, the Holy Spirit would have been " grieved." Wind and fire are symbols of God — strong and terrible symbols — but how quickly sensitive to atmospheric conditions ! These men and women, who are to us so illus- trious, were, for the most part, rustic and un- lettered. They spoke the Galilean dialect — as in England we should say, Yorkshire or Somerset; and Paul, who could hold his own with kings and statesmen, tells us plainly that God chooses simple folk — not the wise and learned — to be His fellow- workers. If Peter wrote letters that are now im- mortal in literature, if John's vision revealed for all time the mysteries of Heaven and Hell and Destiny, it was because these men, with no discern- ible natural gifts, were educated in the Spirit. Their only books were the Old Testament, and, if limited, their reading was the more thorough. Their university was life — their college was ex- perience — their tutors were hardship and danger. Genius was only their final reward — a gift from Him in Whom they drew every breath. It was the reward of the Spirit in which they read and pondered. Where we are critical, they were THE MODESTY OF THE SAINTS 25 reverent. Where we look for mistakes, they sought for sustenance. And they were modest enough to admit that God has secrets which are not revealed: that the riches of Christ are un- searchable: and that — as Paul warned the Colos- sians — it is the fleshly mind, puffed up, which in- trudes. They accepted the fact that we only see through a glass darkly — we only know in part. And instead of adding to the Gospel, they thus en- deavoured to spread it. Where so many, like the Athenians, speculated on any new notion that pre- sented itself, humility made the Christians prac- tical and helpful. They did not take the view that one belief is as good as another. On the contrary, John told the elect lady that she should neither extend hos- pitality nor wish Godspeed to those who bring not the teaching of Christ. Paul told the Thessa- lonians to withdraw themselves from all who walk disorderly. Jude utters a fearful denunciation of dreamers who defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Timothy is urged to combat professors who creep into houses and lead captive silly women. Peter, remembering what our Lord said about false Christs, pronounces swift destruction against all who traffic in damnable heresies. It is for each of us to try the spirits and see how far they come within the true faith, once delivered to us. The mere fact that Theosophy and the Occult and Psychism and Astrology are taught among us, does not imply that Peter and Paul and Jude would have tolerated these beliefs. It was not that they objected to knowledge. As a historian, Luke is unsurpassed for accurate 26 THE CHURCH WE FORGET sequence, and his description of Paul's voyaige, with its numerous nautical terms, like south wind, Euroclydon, using helps, undergirding the ship, striking sail, sounding, casting anchor, loosing the rudder-bands, hoisting the mainsail, and so on, has been the admiration of expert sailors. And Luke was also a doctor, who could talk about " the ankle- bones " of a healed cripple : the precise injuries of Judas Iscariot when he fell : the exact malady which destroyed Herod the king. Paul, too, al- though he was town-bred, and lacked the exquisite appreciation of flowers and birds and the country- side, which we find elsewhere in Scripture, could discuss natural-religion, as we call it, with the men of Lystra, and comparative-religion with the men of Athens. The Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians, precisely because of this readi- ness of mind — this searching of the Bible — this refusal to accept as truth what was not so proved. But with sorcery, as of Elymas, or Simon Magus, or the poor slave-girl of Philippi, the apostles would make no terms. They saw, at once, that one of its motives was greed. The girl brought her masters much gain. Simon Magus regarded the Holy Ghost as an investment. And the talkers and deceivers, condemned in the letter to Titus, whose mouths must be stopped, subverted whole houses for filthy lucre's sake. The point of Jude's denunciation was that these ungodly men " ran greedily for reward," and of some modern cults this also may be suspected. Their pontiffs, also, as Peter says, would make merchandise of us. The other motive for these curious arts was pride — that deadliest sin which ruined Satan. THE MODESTY OF THE SAINTS 2T Paul, in his letter to Timothy, compared these men with Jannes and Jambres, who were, it is believed, the sorcerers in Egypt who chiefly withstood Moses. To Jude, they were as Korah, who re- volted against the ordinances of the Tabernacle; or Cain, who as John tells us, slew his brother out of religious jealousy. The story of Balaam, with its disclosures of avarice and obduracy, much in- fluenced the disciples, and is mentioned as a warn- ing, both in Jude and in the apocalyptic letter to Thyatira. And, most interesting of all, is the reference by Jude to Michael, the Archangel, who would not take it upon himself even to accuse Satan, but merely said, " The Lord rebuke thee." Even among archangels, therefore, the saving virtue was humility. Propagandists, without humility, were, in Jude's words — spots in the love-feast, clouds without water, trees without fruit, raging waves of the sea, wandering stars, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. In Paul's view, they were traitors, heavy, and " high-minded," or — to quote Alford's rendering — besotted with pride — " unruly and vain," are other of Paul's adjectives. And, coupled with such a mental atti- tude, thus condemned, was always the peril of moral disaster. Nameless vices are indicated, and Peter and Jude refer to the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the disciples, we thus see that humility waS: linked with strength and authority. Paul would declare that whoever preaches another Gospel was Anathema Maranatha. Yet when struck in the mouth, and so betrayed into a hasty word, he 28 THE CHUECH WE FORGET meekly apologized to a persecuting priest. He healed a man at Lystra, and a moment afterwards said that he and Barnabas were men of like pas- sions with pagans. Peter upraised the lame beggar, and instantly denied that the power was his. He saw a vision, and, at once, said to the kneeling Cornelius, " Stand up " — no more genu- flexions — " I also am a man." What may have saved Corinth from schism was the tactful with- drawal of Apollos from a too popular ministry. No man stood more firmly than Paul for the principle that the Gentiles need not be circumcised. In- deed, it was because he was accused of leading Trophimus, the Ephesian, past the wall of partition and into the Temple, that he was arrested and ultimately lost his life. Yet in the case of Timothy, whose father was a Greek, and his mother, a Jewess, Paul — to mitigate hostility — applied the rite, and Timothy humbly submitted. Indeed, in his desire to be all things to all men, Paul, in visit- ing Jerusalem, laid aside his controversies with the Judaizers, and, at the request of James, bound himself with four others, in a Nazarite vow, which was publicly ratified, shaved his head, and so was made of no reputation. It was the Master's mind that led these men. As a contrast what impressed them about Gamaliel's speech in the Sanhedrin was his allusion to Theudas, who boasted himself to be somebody, but was brought to nought; and Judas of Galilee — who revolted against the Roman census — in both of which cases the followers were dispersed or scattered. It was humility that reconciled Peter with Paul, and Paul with John Mark. When the THE MODESTY OF THE SAINTS 29 widows murmured, it was humility that led the apostles to institute deacons. And when the Chris- tians in the Balkans suggested that Paul derived advantage from the collections for the poor in Judea, it was humility that enabled him to appoint trustees for the money, separate from himself. Yet there was no sacrifice of dignity. Timothy might be circumcised, but let no one despise his youth. Paul might be tormented by disease, but let him tremble who sneered at his mean appear- ance or denied his Roman citizenship. Peter and John might be wholly dependent on the power of the Spirit, but woe to Ananias and Sapphira, who in their presence trifled with the truth. / IV THE HAPPINESS OF THE FAITHFUL THE Church to-day is puzzled because the number of her children does not increase. We ask why it was that disciples, though few at the outset, multiplied so rapidly? In one day at Jerusalem about three thousand converts were won, and, later, we read of live thousand, with multitudes of men and women, added daily. For a time the movement was thus popular. It found favour with the people, some of whom swam with the stream. But persecution, when it arose, did not hinder it. By their efforts to stamp out the fire in Jerusalem, the priests scattered sparks throughout the Roman Empire. Faith was kindled in the least likely places — at Ephesus, where Diana-worship was a vested interest; at Corinth, with its race-course; at Csesarea, where Herod patronized the brutalities of the amphitheatre; in Samaria, reeking with prejudice; and even in Lycaonia, where the ignorant villagers believed in Jupiter and Mercury. Sometimes a preacher, like Philip, who is now recognized as illustrious, spread the cause, but not always. Churches often sprang into existence, as it were by spontaneous combustion. At Damascus, and in the desert, there were Christians waiting to 30 THE HAPPINESS OF THE FAITHFUL 31 receive the converted Saul. To Antioch faith came, not only direct from Jerusalem, but from Cyrene in North Africa and from Cyprus; al- though, at the time, this island had not .yet been visited by Paul and Barnabas. There is not a hint that Peter founded the Church of Rome, and Paul's great Epistle to the Christians in that city is, by its omissions, almost proof to the contrary. Years before the Apostle of the Gentiles v^^as taken under escort to Cesar's courts, there were communities of Christians, organized vs^ith elders, unordained by any known apostle, and meeting in residences, like that of Priscilla and Aquila. From the first, the converts had — in a work- man's phrase — to pay their footing. Even at the best of times, it always cost something to become a Christian. They were baptized, and every one knew it. To the apostles they went daily for in- struction. They prayed. Revising their friend- ships, they broke bread with one another. They shared what we call real property — that is, their lands and houses, which were sold, and the money paid to those who were in need. They endured hardship, imprisonment, flogging, and violent death. Many of them — like Timothy — sur- rendered the amenities of home life, and sallied forth as missionaries. And the question for us is : What made it worth while? The churches grew because the Christians were happier than other people. The Temple gleamed with marble and gold, but it was rent l3y sectarian controversy. Athens was full of idols, but Athens was frivolous. The first Agrippa dazzled the populace with his robes, but was eaten of worms. 32 THE CHURCH WE FORGET The second Agrippa, despite all his pomp, was almost persuaded to be a Christian. Saul was a rising politician, yet his career hurt him like kick- ing against the goad. Gallio, who governed Achaia, had wisdom, but it was only the wisdom of the cynic. At mention of righteousness and judg- ment to come, Festus, the viceroy, trembled. Nero was — as Paul put it — fierce as a lion, but his only realm was misery. Amid the pomp of circum- stance — and the unhappiness — of a great military despotism, the disciples with their praises of God, shed abroad a sudden gladness, and this radiance of joy was infectious. Some large meetings were held; but, in the main, the glow of happiness was manifest, not in the excitement of revivals, but in individuals, and often under the most discouraging circumstances. The cripple, whose ankle-bones received strength, leaped like an hart. At Philip's preaching there was great joy, even in Samaria. The Ethiopian eunuch, on accepting the Gospel, went on his way rejoicing. Flogged, by order of the Sanhedrin, the apostles also praised the Saviour; and when tried for his life, Stephen confronted the court with a face like an angel's. Thrust into the inner dun- geon of a prison, their bodies bleeding from many stripes and their limbs stiff in the stocks, Paul and Silas sang hymns through a sleepless night. In the earthquake that followed, as in the shipwreck off Malta, Paul's preeminence lay simply in this, that he was the happiest person amid the tumult. When the Philippian jailer joined the Christians, he also and his family were infected with the same joy. How he bathed his prisoners' wounds, and THE HAPPINESS OF THE FAITHFUL 33 gave them breakfast at his own table, is a story so dehghtful in its cheeriness that it Hves on, a favourite with us all. The long, grave face, which is our idea of religious etiquette, does not appear in these records, except among the Pagans. Yet these Christians did not live in a Golden Age. The Jews had lost their freedom and were ruled by foreign tyrants. The grim handmaidens of justice were the scourge, or knout, the rod, the chain and the cross, and from all of these the dis- ciples suffered their full share. The " powers- that-be " patronized idolatry, which lay like a brand upon the sports and pastimes and even on the food of the nations. The sick and wounded were left to their fate and the poor begged for bread. Commerce and vice were upheld by sla- very and black arts abounded. The apostles did not ignore these things. At Samaria, at Paphos, at Philippi, and at Ephesus, they fought relent- lessly against the sorcerers. To them, as to our missionaries, idolatry was not a historical phase to be studied, but an active foe to be conquered; and their attitude was not that of Naaman, who bowed in the house of Rimmon, but of Daniel, who would touch no dainties consecrated to the gods. It was the Gospel, and only the Gospel, that changed Onesimus, the slave, with his master, Philemon, into " brothers beloved." Against immorality, the disciples spoke with uncompromising bluntness, and James gives us a terrible picture of corrupt wealth, derived from the sweating system. It was in no garden of Eden that these men cultivated happiness. All day and every day, they were in the world, but they were not of it. They felt 34 THE CHURCH WE FORGET themselves to be a peculiar or separate people; and as pilgrims and sojourners, they had no abiding city. Yet, unlike the exiles by the waters of Babylon, they did not refuse to sing the songs of Zion in a strange land. Instead of hanging their harps on the willow-tree, they joined together in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in their hearts, as a contrast to discords beyond. No wonder that they yearned for God*s King- dom to be set up on earth, here and now. They were Utopians before Sir Thomas More — Social- ists before Estlin Carpenter — Internationalists be- fore President Wilson. John tells us that this world, with its lusts, or desires, passeth away — it cannot last — and he saw in his vision a perfect City, holy, in which God reigns. But in the meantime, each of us must, as he puts it, overcome the world that now is — there must be wars and tumults, vials of wrath. It was amid darkness that Christ's altruists shone as lights. Slavery should be sup- pressed; but, as a slave. Uncle Tom must be com- forted. War must end; but, in the dug-out, the soldier needs the peace that passeth understand- ing. Slums should be rebuilt; but, even an un- sanitary tenement has been transformed by what the Rescue Missioner, in his old-fashioned way, calls, and rightly calls, solvation — the " salving " of men and women, who are on the rocks. When Paul asked the Philippians to rejoice always, they — remembering what had been his shameful treat- ment in their town — had to acknowledge that he knew what he was talking about. No one has ever had to combat with a more THE HAPPINESS OF THE FAITHFUL 35 difficult temperament than Paul's. Some scholars are convinced that he suffered from epilepsy. As- suredly he was high-strung and so sensitive that it cost him tears to write a stiff letter, like his first epistle to the Corinthians. Yet he was not morose — he was no pessimist. He believed in/ victory. Like James, he counted it joy even tO; fall into temptations, because trial worked pa- tience and patience, the capacity to suffer, was worth while, because there is such patience in God. According to Peter, this patience is more precious than fine gold, because suffering meant to him something more than a service or a sacrifice for Christ's sake. Suffering helped him to understand Christ — as if to say, " He and I have felt one pain — have been crucified together — will share one glory." To men and women who had once for- saken Him and fled, or actually persecuted Him in His followers, this supreme chance of risking things with Him and paying the ultimate penalty evoked the same rapture with which young sol- diers go forth to die in their country's cause. Christianity was not so much attending Church as volunteering for the draft, embarking on a trans- port, creeping forward, one by one over No-Man's- Land. They wished to win territory — a little here — a little there — and their zeal released them from the destroying cares, the sordid rivalries, the wretched lusts which war against the soul. I am told that in Britain, during the war, the people have had no time to be ill, and that, as labour increased, so did insanity decline. The early Christians had no time to be miserable. The sur- plus of energy which, in others, developed sin, in 36 THE CHURCH WE FORGET them, was consecrated to service — to worship — to prayer. Their joy was thus the scientific product of a Hfe well balanced. It was the song of the wheel that turns evenly on its axis — held to a Centre, like the planets which live in the light of the sun. Hence their fondness for the word, heaven. The Father to Whom they prayed was a Father in Heaven. The Kingdom to which they owed alle- giance was a Kingdom of Heaven. The seats where they sat near Christ were heavenly places. Heaven was to them an actual and realized happiness. Heaven was within them. It was Paul's happiness or " heavenly " disposition that broke out in the astonishing exuberance of his literary style which in an epistle like his to the Ephesians gushes forth in veritable cascades of joyous eloquence, — exult- ant adjectives and triumphant nouns overleaping all the customary restraints of grammar and syntax. Other classical authors wrote better Greek. Some scholars have tried to put Paul's unruly and re- sistless pen into such harness. But the Christians who first read his words had no inclination to parse and analyze his parentheses. They were swept along the current of that surging stream which had its source on Mount Calvary and an ocean for its destination. THE POWER OF THEIR INSPIRATION RELIGION to-day has to hold her own amid Governments, and Armies, and Navies, and Universities, and huge industries v^here capital and labour are organized on a world-v^ide scale. Mere sentiment, tradition, respectability, music, elo- quence, are not enough for a situation so exacting; and if churches — indeed, if Parliaments — are to survive, they must display v^hat Ruskin has called the lamp of pov^er. The most hostile witnesses agree that among the early Christians such power was manifest. '' We cannot deny it," said the priests, when an impotent cripple was healed. " These men," complained the Philippians, '* do exceedingly trouble our city." " They turn the world upside down," protested the Thessalonians. It was revolution, not by blows, but by ideas; and Danton himself was not more audacious than Peter and John, when — unlearned though they were — they faced the Sanhedrin. About Stephen's preaching there was that which could not be re- sisted. And as for Paul, when he was a prisoner at Rome, chained and penniless, he faced the Emperor with an air of quiet mastery which Na- poleon would have envied. '' Conquests ! " wrote he to Corinth — " we are more than conquerors." 37 38 THE CHUECH WE FORGET Why he did not blush for the Gospel, or apologize, was just this — that, addressing Romans when Rome was mistress of civilization, he could boast that his was a greater power — the power, not of Empire, but of God; the power, not to subjugate all men by outward force, but to save all men by inward grace. It was no mere bravado. This Gospel that Paul declared was not pretty, or fantastic, or novel. On the contrary, as he told the Galatians, he was in matters of theology what we should call a rigid conservative, who only put his trust in what he had tested. Nor was this power a superstition. The disciples were clear in their minds whence it came. The considered judgment of the world was that Jesus of Nazareth died a convicted felon, and was buried in the usual way. In the bazaars of Jeru- salem they talked, not of His Resurrection, but of the Iscariot's suicide; not of His Ascension, but of that traitor's headlong downfall; not of a Heart broken by love, but of a heart shattered by despair; not of an Empty Tomb, but of Aceldama, a field of blood; not of Glad Tidings of great joy for stran- gers of every nation, but of a graveyard to bury them in. Then, as now, tragedies of soul made better copy for what corresponded to Sunday newspapers than mere rescues or conversions; and it was against the whole array of public opinion that Peter declared Jesus to be a Person approved of God. In view of His Divinity this was a modest claim — it might have been said of many good men; but in his first sermon, the apostle, step by step, proceeded to announce that this Jesus — the same Jesus — was raised from the dead to an Eternal THE POWER OF THEIR INSPIRATION 39 Throne, where He sits as God's Right-Hand Man- to adapt our phrase, human, Hke unto ourselves, yet Divine and Supreme. Scholars tell us that the first v^ritten of all Christian documents were Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. In both of them the opening verse couples together " God the Father " with '* Our Lord Jesus Christ." To the Galatians, also, Paul wrote of '' Jesus Christ and God the Father," thus actually giving precedence on this occasion to the Son ; while, to Timothy, the ascription was, '' God Our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ." So absolutely did these, His followers, believe that all power had been given to Him, in heaven and earth; so fully did they accept His Word for it, that they preached, not only Christ the Re- deemer, but Christ the Creator and Upholder of the Universe. In their earliest anthem there was, perhaps, a distinction drawn between the Almighty and the Holy Child Jesus; and, in Paul's addresses, both to the people of Lystra and to the people of Athens, there was not, in set terms, a reference to the creative work of the Messiah. But, in his epistles — for instance, to the Colossians — he tells us explicitly that " God's dear Son " made " all things that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible;" indeed, "He is before all things and by Him all things consist." In the hour of death, Stephen so saw Him, standing in the plenitude of His active authority. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, like John in his vision, also reveals these surpassing glimpses of Christ in glory. And, so impressed were the disciples with His omnipotent majesty, that they were in danger 40 THE CHURCH WE FORGET -I of forgetting Him as the One Whom they actually heard — saw with their eyes — looked upon and handled. The first heresy to be denounced was not a denial of His Divinity — that aspect shone forth unmistakable — but of His actual, personal hu- manity. Under the stress of such reverence, the disciples looked to Him, at the outset, to do everything for them. He and He alone w^as to set up the King- dom and He was to do it at once. They would have crowned Him a Czar — a Despot. He welded them into a Duma. *' Ye shall receive power " was what He willed — as if He would only reign a constitutional monarch, not by compulsion, but by consent. Creation was a sole act. In Redemption, we are, as Paul explains it. His partners. He gives us salvation, and we work it out, with fear and trembling. He provides the armour of light, but we wear it. He announces the Good News, but we are His ambassadors. He died on the Cross, once for all men, but we are crucified with Him. We are fellow-workers, joint-heirs, brethren — everything except fellow-Saviours; there He stands alone. The speed of a navy is its slowest ship. The strength of a chain is its weakest link. Autocrats act more quickly than ill-organized democracy. And undoubtedly His triumph is long- delayed because in love and patience He is deter- mined that we shall share it. Indeed, this does not fully state the case. Our idea is that the big days of power were when Jesus visibly walked in Palestine, working His miracles. But His promise was that the disciples — and He sets no time-limit — would do greater things than THE POWEH OF THEIR INSPIRATION 41 these. So completely did He humble Himself, that He would speak like a modest pioneer who leaves to others the fruits of his discovery. Every or- ganizer knows that success depends, not on doing things oneself, but on inspiring others to do them. Our Saviour is the Author of capability. The ' greater things that He desired are on record. He rebuked a fig-tree and it withered. Peter rebuked Ananias and Sapphira and they died. Jesus mastered storms on a lake. The storms that He enabled Paul to master were oceanic. He spoke to the Jews in one country. He sent His disciples to all nations in every land. He escaped wild beasts in the desert. Paul survived an actual snakebite. The Baptist died in a dungeon, but no dungeon could hold Peter and Paul when the work of Christ Risen had to be done. A woman touched the hem of His garment and was healed. But in the very shadow of Peter there was the same power, and Paul's garments were laid on the sick, who were made whole. If He cast out devils, so did they. If He raised the dead, so again did they. If He preached the Gospel in one place at one time and in one language, they were scattered abroad, preaching in many places, in many lan- guages, with His signs following. The greater things were, thus, a fact. Those who trusted Him were not left " comfortless." But there were conditions. " Without Me," He had said, " ye can do nothing," and in the plenitude of their authority, the disciples never forgot this. Peter and Paul, and James and John, and Jude, wrote epistles. In those letters you will find many personal reminiscences, but I do not remember 42 THE CHURCH WE FOKGET one mention of a miracle of which the writers were the instruments. So instinctive is their reticence, that they seemed to be themselves unconscious of it. And it is just here that the Faith is at a dis- advantage, compared with activities more loudly advertised. The man enabled to work a real mir- acle is, for this very reason, incapable of boasting about it. It was Luke, Paul's intimate friend, who made it clear, not that Paul's clothes healed people, but that the Lord wrought special mira- cles through Paul. The critics, who tell us that miracles are disproved by silence about them, fail to appreciate the very elements of the Christian mystery, which they think they have studied. As Our Lord's opening of the blind man's eyes was investigated by the Sanhedrin, so was Peter's word of help to the lame man similarly investigated by the same body; both events stood the test of scrutiny. But neither Our Saviour nor His apostle aimed at such publicity. It came un- sought. What concerned Master and servant was simply the day's work. Yet does any one imagine that when these dis- ciples wrote about weakness made strong, dark- ness flooded with light, misery turned into joy, old men changed into new men, and so on, they meant nothing except a pious phrase? These words were used, not by raw recruits, but by veterans, who had seen years of active service. The wealth, thus indicated, was not an estimate; it was realized revenue. Peter's earliest addresses were simple testimonies to Our Lord's life, death, resurrection, and ascension. They were clear and true as the first basic propositions in Euclid. But his Epistles THE POWER OF THEIR INSPIRATION 43 — composed years later — how rich the glory that shines from their glowing and majestic witness ! The life lived by Peter and Paul led to a good hope, an end to harassing uncertainties, a ripe and noble love for fellow-men. And the supreme problem for us is this : In w^hat, in Whom lay their power? How and when and whence re- ceived they this Spirit? This is what we must investigate. It was not eloquence. The only preacher whose eloquence is particularly men- tioned is ApoUos, and not one word of his remains on record. It was not sensationalism. Gamaliel, the Pharisee leader, drew an instructive distinction between the apostles and men like Theudas, who boasted himself to be somebody, and Judas of Galilee, who led a revolt. In addressing the Salonicans, Paul expressly avoided " flattering words." And the Corinthians were warned that words of wisdom might have actually made the Cross of Christ of none effect. The '' power " de- pended on no such aids. It was the privilege of men who were not their own, but bought with a price. In a sentence, it was the power of " the Spirit." Throughout the entire narrative power and Spirit are linked together in one phase. In the power of the Spirit Jesus began His public ministry. Asked by what power he healed the lame man, Peter, in his answer, was filled with the Holy Spirit. Sap- phira fell dead because she tempted this all-power- ful Spirit. Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, was also endued with wisdom, faith, and power. Even Simon Magus knew that the secret of the apostle's power was this Spirit. Filled with the Spirit, the i4 THE CHURCH WE FOEGET converted Saul increased in strength. Wherever these men of the Spirit w^ent there v^^as clear, courageous speech, wise and far-sighted poUcy, righteous and terrible rebuke, patient and sympa- thetic teaching. In the Spirit they became states- men, physicians, orators, theologians, organizers, -and good citizens and neighbours. And that same Spirit is eternal, available for every age, every climate, every circumstance. VI THE Me!tH0D of THE FIRST MISSIONARIES WARM as was the zeal of the disciples, their proceedings never lapsed into anarchy. The Gospel was not preached at random, but in orderly sequence — first, at Jerusalem, then in Samaria, and so on to the ends of the earth. Paul told the Corinthians that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace; and, like Jude, he rebuked those who despise dominion and speak evil of dig- nities. And among the first acts of the Church was the election of an apostle. This event de- serves our close study, because it occurred before the gift of the Spirit, for which the disciples had been told to wait. As I read the story, it is clear that Our Saviour, in His wisdom, put the Spirit be- fore all questions of organization, whereas the dis- ciples, though prayerful, patient and united, were a little inclined to modify this plan. Roman CathoHcs would say that the Church, assembled as it was in General Council — small in numbers but universal in its mission, with Peter standing in the midst — must have been infallible, and that the supreme necessity was an Apostolic Succession. I suggest that the lesson is rather that Churches, unless they be guided by the Spirit, are not thus