The Breadth of Christian Literature

        On November 22nd, 1963, I was sitting in my home room class at Hillcrest High School in Port Arthur, when a classmate rushed into the  room and shouted, "Kennedy's been shot!" I've remembered that date and exactly where I was ever since. But two other men, whom I had never heard of at that time, died that same day—Aldous Huxley and C.S.Lewis. Huxley was a vocal agnostic, but Lewis was a renowned Christian thinker. Being raised in a fundamentalist Christian church, how could I not have known C.S.Lewis?

        Looking back now, I realize that I suffered a great loss, at least as far as C.S. Lewis is concerned, and I don’t want that to happen again to anyone. His book, The Lion, the

Witch and the Wardrobe is a wonderful picture of Christ’s substitution for us, and in a way that a child can see. Mere Christianity has led many to Christ. And the essays in God in the Dock lead on to some thrilling insights into theology.

        Another positive change for me was to hear the exact words of Scripture set to music—Handel’s Messiah—breath-taking and worship-making!

        The list of books goes on: Knowing God by J.I.Packer helped bring a friend back from a life of discontent and disillusionment. Basic Christianity by John R.W.Stott was so direct that I wondered how anyone could read it and not become a Christian on the spot! And his book on The Cross of Christ is a monumental classic.

        Moving into current times, take a look at some of Timothy Keller’s works: He names his books in apparently paradoxical ways, but their insights into evangelism and Christian growth are priceless: The Prodigal God, The Reason for God, and Generous Justice.

        If you’re looking for some clear, informed thinking on science, John Lennox delivers: Seven Days That Divide the World, and God’s Undertaker.  Alister McGrath is another writer on church history and science: Knowing Christ, and The Dawkins Delusion?.

        The list could go on and I’ve hardly even touched on fiction. I have to admit that my reading tastes aren’t very wide-ranging. Let me mention one final author whom I have very much enjoyed:  Lee Strobel and his books and videos: The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator.

        The upshot of all these lists is that there is wonderful spiritual blessing to be had from the great literature of many, if not most, Christian traditions. Praise God for everything that Augustine, Luther, Calvin, the Puritans, Bunyan, and many others have left for us to read.

“Apologetics…for discussion…”

        The January/February 2018 issue of this Newsletter carried the above article relating to the ages of the patriarchs. We were very pleased to receive from Arthur Dixon, a three-page commentary on its details. This is too long to include here but we have posted copies on the bulletin board and made it available at the following address:

http://thevergeofheaven.blogspot.com/2018/10/usshering-in-beginning-real-facts-of.html

        This subject is still “open for discussion”, but a brief summary of Arthur Dixon’s comments is as follows:—

        God created “the heavens and the earth” in six normal 24-hour days. The genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 are exact and accurate, and do not “skip” any generations. Noah lived contemporaneously with Abraham for 58 years.

        Creation dates calculated by some famous scientists (e.g., Newton, Kepler) and historians (e.g., Ussher) range from 3992 BC to 4114 BC. Finally, “the historicity of the physical lines of descent, from the first Adam to the last Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, is fundamental to redemptive history. Without it, we have no kinsman Redeemer, no substitutionary Atonement, no Saviour.”

The Florida Mangrove’s Yellow Leaf

        On a swamp boat tour in Florida, our guide introduced us to a wonder of God's creation. The marshes and swamps on the Florida coast are a unique ecosystem. Since the swamps are salt water, not many plants can survive in this environment. (Try dumping salt water on your house plants!)

        The red mangroves grow in the silt and salt water of the swamps. The roots, appropriately called "prop roots" help to bolster the land and protect it from erosion. The roots accumulate silt, fallen leaves and plant material that can shelter and allow for habitats for baby sharks, fish, sea stars and other marine wildlife. Because of their strong root structure this nurturing ecosystem protects the land from strong currents, hurricanes and erosion, slowly building higher ground.

        This unusual environment causes a unique problem— how to get rid of the salt?

        This is where God's plan comes into action. If you look at a mangrove tree, you will see that most of the leaves are green but there will always be at least one bright yellow leaf. All the salt and other impurities are being forced into these yellow "sacrificial" leaves. Taking the salt of the entire tree into themselves, they eventually turn yellow, die and fall off, so the rest of the tree can live!

        Jesus took all our sins and impurities upon Himself. The mangroves have to continually sacrifice these yellow leaves. But Jesus died “once for all” (Romans 6:10). No more sacrifice is needed because Christ, though He was sinless, paid the price for all our sins, once and forever. As Jesus said on the cross... "It is finished." (John 19:30) Nothing more is required.

Joanna Cousineau

How much bread might they get?

        Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”  John 6:7

        Early in September I found Wonder white bread on sale at Fortino’s for $1.99 per 675-gram loaf. I counted to find how many slices—19—expecting that we were talking a slice or two each. Then I guessed at an average salary of $40,000. This means that half a year’s wages would be $20,000 and, in Philip’s estimation, each of the 5000 men would get about two modern loaves.

        This means that Philip was slightly exaggerating the amount each would get as “a bite”. But it also means that food, in particular, bread, cost a much higher percentage of a person’s income then than it now does.    

Hymn of the Month: “I have been at the altar”

I have been at the altar and witnessed the Lamb

    Burnt wholly to ashes for me;

And watched its sweet savour ascending on high,

    Accepted, O Father, by Thee.

2 And lo, while I gazed at the glorious sight,

   A voice from above reached mine ears;

“By this thine iniquity’s taken away,

    And no trace of it on thee appears.

3 “An end of thy sin has been made for thee here

    By Him who its penalty bore;

With blood it is blotted eternally out,

    And I will not remember it more.”

4 O, Lord, I believe it with wonder and joy;

    Confirm, Thou, this precious belief;

While daily I learn that I am, in myself,

    Of sinners the vilest and chief.

BHB #88

     This hymn, by Amelia Matilda Hull, is a stated favourite of many. We might almost say that it draws our own worship up to the Father, even as “the sweet savour” ascends to Him from the sacrifice.

     Something that I’ve noticed personally is that as we talk about the “lamb” of the sacrifice, we imperceptibly find our discussion switching to the “Lamb” of the Sacrifice. The Old Testament picture streams naturally into the New Testament fulfillment.

     The same is true of the shepherd. Abel was a shepherd, Rachel was a shepherd, David was a shepherd. But, especially, the LORD is our Shepherd. The New Testament follows through to Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

     We might wonder what or where the altar is in this hymn. The imagery is transcendent. The capital on “Lamb” proves that it isn’t the bronze altar in the temple. It has to be the cross. Verse three confirms this—“With blood it is blotted eternally out”—no little lamb on any altar ever accomplished that! Only Jesus.

     Through the centuries, faithful believers have, in spirit, returned to that cross at every Lord’s Supper, at every Breaking of Bread.

      The story of Amelia Matilda Hull’s conversion is striking. According to Jack Strahan (Hymns and Their Writers), she was born September 30^th, 1812, the youngest of eleven children, at Marpool Hall, Exmouth, England. “When Amelia was about twenty years of age, she heard the gospel of Christ for the first time. A visiting evangelist had pitched his tent near to their family home and invited the neighbouring people to come and hear the gospel. One night Amelia ventured to go. She slipped in at the back of the tent and listened intently to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her heart was troubled. When she returned home and told her father where she had been, he was furious. He told her that association with such “ranters” and their meetings was not becoming to anyone in her station in life, and he forbade her to go back…She felt she must go back and…she returned the following evening… Amelia looked by faith to the Christ of Calvary and was saved for eternity.

     “On her arrival home, she met with her father’s fury. He was beside himself with rage. Taking her to the library he…ordered that she appear there again next morning at 9 o’clock to be horse-whipped. With mixed feelings, Amelia retired for the night…she jotted down her heart’s musings upon a piece of paper. When 9 o’clock arrived, she made her way to the library with the piece of paper in her hand. There stood her father; his riding-whip lay upon the table. She entered, handed him the piece of paper and waited. Captain William Thomas Hull stood there that morning and read the words of Amelia’s composition, thus:

There is life for a look at the Crucified One,

     There is life at this moment for thee;

Then look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved,

     Unto Him who was nailed to the tree.

Oh, why was He there as the Bearer of sin,

     If on Jesus thy guilt was not laid?

Oh, why from His side flowed the sin-cleansing Blood,

     If His dying thy debt has not paid?

        Three more verses followed, praising the finished work of Christ. “As he read, a change came over him. He sat down and buried his face in his hands…Captain Hull sought and found his daughter Amelia’s Saviour.”

        Very little seems to be known of Amelia’s later life. The first poem quoted here was a contribution to H.W.Soltau’s studies of the tabernacle. In 1860 she contributed to a book of hymns for children, then, in 1864 she published a book of poems, Heart melodies and life lights.  In 1873, she contributed further of her poetry to The Enlarged London Hymn Book. She worked in the East End of London at the Rowley Home for young women in business. Amelia Matilda Hull passed away in 1882.

Hymn of the Month: “Was it for me?”

This hymn was recently quoted at the Lord’s Supper, and it brought back memories of the old red Redemption Songs hymnbook. These words were a favourite many years ago and it piqued our interest in the author. It turns out he was a Canadian, John Marchant Whyte, born in Paris, Ontario, in 1850. (Called Canada West, in those days.)

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, he studied at the University of Toronto, then later “devoted himself to evangelistic and temperance work.” He is listed as evangelist, hymn writer and singer. Whyte has several hundred songs to his credit, some being patriotic, such as “Canada Shall Yet Be Free” and “Toronto the Good”, but the vast majority were spiritual songs and hymns. “With his brother David Albert Whyte he edited Sing Out the Glad News (Briggs 1885) and Songs of Calvary (Briggs 1889)”, as well as at least three other hymnals. Whyte was the author of both the words and the music of the two hymns quoted here.

Was it for me?

(RS #81 and CHF #194)

      1 Was it for me, for me alone,

        The Saviour left His glorious throne;

        The dazzling splendours of the sky,

        Was it for me He came to die?

            It was for me, yes, all for me,

            O love of God, so great so free!

            O wondrous love, I'll shout and sing,

            He died for me, my Lord and King!

   

  2 Was it for me sweet angel strains

        Came floating o'er Judea's plains?

        That starlight night so long ago,

        Was it for me God planned it so?

      3 Was it for me the Saviour said,

        'Pillow thy weary, aching head,

        Trustingly on thy Saviour's breast?'

        Was it for me? Can I thus rest?

      4 Was it for me He wept and prayed,

        My load of sin before Him laid;

        That night within Gethsemane,

        Was it for me that agony?

      5 Was it for me He bowed His head

        Upon the Cross, and freely shed

        His precious blood—that crimson tide,

        Was it for me the Saviour died?

     One other hymn by Whyte is outstanding, and I remember the first verse and chorus well:

Come, Sinner, Behold

(RS#83 and CHF #214)

      1 Come, sinner, behold what Jesus hath done,
        Behold how he suffered for thee;
        They crucified him, God’s innocent Son,
        Forsaken, He died on the tree!

            They crucified him, they crucified him,
            They nailed him to the tree,
            And so there he died,
            A King crucified
            To save a poor sinner like me.

      2 From heaven he came, he loved you—he died;
        Such love as his never was known;
        Behold; on the cross your King crucified,
        To make you an heir to his throne!

      3 No pitying eye, a saving arm, none,
        He saw us and pitied us then;
        Alone, in the fight, the vict’ry he won;
        O praise him, ye children of men.

      4 They crucified him, and yet he forgave,
        “My Father, forgive them,” he cried,
        What must he have borne, the sinner to save,
        When under the burden he died!

      5 So what will you do with Jesus your King?
        Say, how will you meet him at last?
        What plea in the day of wrath will you bring,
        When offers of mercy are past?

      Whyte and his wife, Alice Maude Jane Beckett had two children, a son Marchant, and a daughter Ruby. His wife passed away on January 5^th, 1927 and he followed on March 17^th, 1927. They were laid to rest in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, with the epitaph, “Until the day break.”

The fruit of the Spirit is…peace

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, 23.

        Rivers, in fact oceans, of words have flowed on the subject of peace. The Great War (what we now call only World War 1) was thought to be “the war to end all wars.” It was hoped that a remembrance on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, would be a permanent memorial. We know how briefly that lasted.

        But our focus here is on Scripture. The two words in the Bible are Hebrew, “shalom”, in the OT; and Greek, “eirene”, in the NT. I did a computer search of the NIV and found that “peace” occurs 232 times. That’s a lot of references to analyze! Let’s start with the word itself—Merriam-Webster’s number one definition is a “state of tranquillity or quiet” relative to personal, inter-personal, civil, national, or international life.

        As always, we want to relate this fruit to the life of our Lord so we start with a big prophecy: Isaiah said, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given…and he will be called…Prince of Peace.” (9:6.) Then he said later, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (26:3.) Isaiah loved the subject of peace—in 32:15-17, he says, “till the Spirit is poured on us from on high…The fruit of that righteousness will be peace.” And his great salvation verse always amazes us: “The punishment that brought us peace was on him!” (53:5.)

        Let’s move into the gospels. Remember Christmas, and the angels: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” (Lk.2:14.) Just a few days later old Simeon said, “Now dismiss your servant in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” (lk.2:29.) Remember the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears? In the end, Jesus said to her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Lk.7:50.) Then, as Jesus came down the side of Olivet, into Jerusalem, the whole crowd began to praise God, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” After the cross some of the Lord’s very last words, to the disciples and the two who returned from Emmaus, were, “Peace be with you.” (Lk.24:36.)

        So far, we’ve looked mostly at the fact of peace, and how it comes through the Messiah. As we turn to the Acts, and the Letters, the Holy Spirit starts to fill out the details of what that peace is. For instance, in Acts we learn (what we already knew of course) that peace is good news (10:36), and a blessing (15:33). It comes freely from God and from Jesus (Rom.1:7), it is a reward for doing good (Rom.2:10), it is a way to walk in (Rom.3:17), it is a relationship with God (Rom.5:1), it is governed by the Spirit (Rom.8:6), it is a component of   the kingdom of God (Rom.14:17), it is to be our target and aim (Rom.14:19), it will fill us as we trust in God (Rom.15:13), it is a characteristic of God Himself (Rom.15:33).      More— Christ is our peace (Eph.2:14), he reconciles Jew and Gentile (Eph.2:16), peace can create a good bond (Eph.4:3), we must let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (Col.3:15), after discipline, it is part of the harvest (Heb.12:11), and Peter tells us to make every effort to be at peace with Christ. (2 Pet.3:14.)

        How can we summarize the ultimate peace of the believer? It is first of all a right relationship with God, then with all fellow believers. In this life, sin still interferes. “Righteousness and peace” often don’t “kiss each other.” (Psa.85:10.) Our great hope is what Jesus promised in the Sermon on the Mount— “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Mat.5:6.)