Only a pilgrim

“The moment a man realizes that he is only a pilgrim in this world, that finally he has to die and to face God, and that there is all eternity before him, his whole outlook on life changes. Immediately the church is able to tell him that, although for so long he has been so wrong, he can be forgiven. The church’s central message is the doctrine of forgiveness, based upon the fact that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).”

David Martin Lloyd-Jones (Healing and the Scriptures, pp. 67-68)

Thy word is like...

“The Word of God” by Edwin Hodder.

Edwin Hodder was born December 13, 1837, at Staines, Middlesex, England, a son of Henry and Jane Elizabeth Hodder. 

Edwin’s occupation was civil servant. In 1856 he went to New Zealand. After returning to England, he joined the Civil Service, working from 1861-1897. Hodder was author of children’s hymns and a number of books – including a biography of George Fife Angas (George Fife Angas: Father and Founder of South Australia, 1891); Life in London; Or, the Pitfalls of a Great City (1890); and The Life of Samuel Morley (1887). His first book was Memories of New Zealand Life (1862) and his last was The Life of a Century (1900). His hymns were published in 1863 in his New Sunday School Hymn Book (London: Jackson, Walford, & Hodder). Hodder was the editor of this hymn book and the author about 20 hymns (6, 7, 24, 30, 33, 37, 41, 46, 56, 60, 69, 70, 73, 76, 88, 95, 96, 125, 128).

Edwin Hodder married Edith Seymour Bankart in 1869. She died in 1871 and was buried in the Kensel Green Cemetery. In 1876 he married Elizabeth Jones. Elizabeth outlived Edwin by 20 years. He died March 1, 1904. She died in 1934. They both are buried at St. Mary’s Churchyard at Willesden, London, England.

The hymn (No. 33) is first hymn under the heading “The Word of God.” It is written in Common Meter and credited to “E. Hodder.” The original hymn has seven stanzas of four lines. However, when combined with music the hymn is usually “doubled” into 3 stanzas of 8 lines. Since seven is an odd number, a stanza gets left out. For some reason they chose to abandon stanza 4. (I like it.)

1. Thy word is like a garden, Lord, 

With flowers bright and fair;
And every one who seeks may pluck
A lovely nosegay there [now changed to, a lovely cluster there].

2. Thy word is like a deep, deep mine,
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths, 
For ev’ry searcher there.

3. Thy word is like a starry host;
A thousand rays of light
Are seen, to guide the traveller
And make his pathway bright.

4. Thy word is like a glorious choir,
And loud its anthems ring;
Though many tongues and parts unite,
It is one song they sing.

5. Thy word is like an armoury,
Where soldiers may repair’
And find, for life’s long battle-day,
All needful weapons there.

6. Oh, may I love thy precious word,
May I explore the mine;
May I its fragrant flowers glean,
May light upon me shine!

7. Oh, may I find my armour there;—
Thy word my trusty sword,
I’ll learn to fight with every foe
The battle of the Lord!

This hymn has been paired with several tunes, including St Dionis by J. Goodwin, Ellacombe by William Henry Monk, and Seraph (aka Bethlehem) by Gottfried W. Fink.

Of Fink, Hymnary.org says:

“Rv Gottfried Wilhelm Fink PhD Germany 1783-1846. Born at Sulza, Thuringa, Germany, he was a German composer, music theorist, poet, and a Protestant clergyman. From 1804-1808 he studied at the University of Leipzig, where he joined the Corps Lusatia, where he made his first attempts at composition and poetry. In 1811 he was appointed Vicar in Leipzig for some years, where he also founded an educational institution, leading it until 1829. Around 1800 he worked for the ‘Allgemeine musikalische Zeitschrift’ (General musical magazine). In 1827 he became the magazine's editor-in-chief for 15 years. From 1838 he was a lecturer at the University of Leipzig. In 1841 he became a Privatdozent of musicology at the university. That year he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin, and a year later was appointed university Music Director. He was highly esteemed throughout his life as a music theorist and composer, receiving numerous honors and awards, both at home and abroad. The Faculty of Philosophy at Leipzig University awarded him an honorary doctorate. He wrote mostly songs and ballads, and collected songs as well. He authored important works on music theory and history, but was best known as editor of the ‘Musikalischer Hausschatz der Germans’, a collection of about 1000 songs and chants, as well as the ‘Deutsche Liedertafel’ (German song board), a collection of polyphonic songs sung by men. He died at Leipzig, Saxony.”

Man shall turn again into dust, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“‘Man shall turn again into dust,’ is the fiat of Jehovah.” -- from an old newspaper obituary

“One thing that modern version and critical text supporters are certain about? You can’t be certain about the text of the New Testament. They’re certain of that.” -- Kent Brandenburg

“Biblical Christianity is unpopular and popular Christianity is unbiblical.” -- Charlie Kennon

“The golden age of a country may be a ‘dark age’ in the estimate of a saint.” -- W. L. Watkinson, commenting on Psalm 12

“We cannot help it if the truth offends people, but we must always make sure that it is the truth that is offending them and not us.” -- Attributed to D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“We live in a time when intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won’t be offended.” -- Unknown

“The Bible is God’s history of heaven and earth,—the only authentic history of them in existence.” -- Horatius Bonar

“Thank God my salvation does not depend on my frail hold on him, but his mighty grasp on me.” -- Attributed to D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“I don’t cross my fingers and hope; I fold my hands and pray.” -- Unknown

“God’s glory shines in the ashes of the martyrs.” -- Thomas Watson

“Most modern Christians have formed their theology by people they’ve heard instead of by Scripture they’ve studied. Open your Bible.” -- attributed to Dale Partridge [Note: Partridge has been accused of often using the quotes of others as his own]

“Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society.” -- D. James Kennedy

“Beware of desperate steps. The darkest day,
“Live till to-morrow, will have pass’d away.” -- the moral of “The Needless Alarm, A Tale;” a poem by William Cowper

Exhortation to Discipleship

To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Hebrews 3:15). Join your response with the old hymn:

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad,
I found in him a resting-place,
And he has made me glad.

…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2 For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14. There is no promise of tomorrow. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

…as the days of Noe were…before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; Matthew 24:37-39

Hear the word of the Lord. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35

An idol, a riot, and a townclerk

Self-interest motivates both ancient men and modern man. The love of profit and property gets between man and God. Compare Acts 1:18; 5:1-11; 8:20-22; 16:16-18.

Verse 28: The speech of Demetrius filled his hearers with anger. They lifted up a coordinated raucous cry, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.”

 

Verse 29: The loud cry soon engulfed the city in confusion. Two disciples who traveled with Paul, Gaius and Aristarchus of Macedonia, were caught and swept along by a mob that rushed into the theatre. The theatres this period were places of public assemblies and deliberative meetings.[i] The Ephesus theatre was located on the slope of Mount Panayir, and had a capacity of about 25,000 seats. It is a quite well-preserved site and a popular tourist attraction.

 

Verse 32: The chaotic scene at the theatre indicates why the disciples and “certain of the chief of Asia” desired Paul to stay away.  The crowd shouted diverse and contradictory things, “cried one thing, and some another”. The assembly was so confused that the majority did not even understand why they were there.

 

Verses 33-34: Bock suggests that “Paul’s presence seems to have disturbed an uneasy civil tolerance between Jews and Greeks and their religious views.”[ii] While the Jews were philosophically and theologically opposed to idolatry, the Christians were making disciples in the Gentile community. Demetrius recognized that as a threat.

Alexander “beckoned with the hand” to get the attention of the audience. He intended to speak, making a defense to the crowd gathered in the theatre. When it was generally known to the crowd that Alexander was a Jew, they would not give him opportunity to speak, but they united in a two-hour chant (“about the space of two hours) crying out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” Over and over, loudly, in unison; nothing else could interrupt their frenzied cry.

Verse 35: They would not allow the Jew Alexander to speak, but eventually one of their own calmed the commotion enough to address the crowd. The townclerk (γραμματευς) might be thought of as something like a “city manager” in modern terms in the United States. He directly addresses the “men of Ephesus,” attempting to return calm thinking and good sense. He reminds them that Ephesus is specially known for its devotion to “the great goddess Diana.” It is not unusual that worshippers of Diana might perceive the image in the temple as fallen down from Jupiter in the heavens. There is no such surviving direct historical record concerning Ephesus. However, in a play Euripides writes similarly of Diana of Tauris: “And then Phoebus cried out a golden voice from the tripod, and sent me here, to get the image Zeus hurled down, and set it up in Athena’s land.”[iii] These kinds of superstitions were readily accepted by many.

 

Verse 36: The townclerk allowed that the facts concerning Diana were so universally accepted among the Roman people “that these things cannot be spoken against.” For the reasons he gives, the disorderly crowd must come to order, be quiet, and make no rash mistakes they will later regret.

 

Verse 37: The men brought into the theatre – Gaius and Aristarchus – the townclerk advised were not guilty of any assault against religion or blasphemy against Diana.

 

Verses 38-39: If there is any legitimate complaint, Demetrius and the silversmiths have legal recourse – according to the law (the law is open), before the proper authorities (there are deputies), and in the proper manner to bring charges (let them implead one another). If there are matters not covered by such legal recourse (any thing concerning other matters), a legal assembly of citizens to consider such matters can be called out.

 

Verses 40-41: However, this gathering clearly is not “a lawful assembly.” It is so irregular and disorderly that “we are in danger…of being reported at Rome as disturbers of the peace. It is a very hazardous thing to instigate a riot anywhere in the Roman Empire, for its power to punish extended as far as its eagles flew.”[iv] With the speech, the townclerk appeased the citizens of Ephesus and dismissed them to disperse from the theatre.

---

[i] “...the theatre at Antioch, where the people regularly hold their public assemblies...” Cornelius Tacitus, The Histories of Tacitus, Book II, Chapter 80 (Translated by Clifford H. Moore. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925) | https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/Histories/2b*.html Accessed 24 April 2024 8:50 pm. See also Josephus, “De Bello Judaico” (“Wars of the Jews”) Book VII 3:3 in Complete Works, Whiston, p. 591.
[ii] Bock, Acts, p. 611.
[iii] Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris, Robert Potter, Editor. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0112%3Acard%3D939 Accessed 5 May 2024 10:35 pm.
[iv] Brief Notes on the New Testament, J. M. Pendleton, p. 359.

Name that ministry

Not to be too critical of folks who may be doing a good work; some of them seem to be accomplishing much more than I.[i] BUT what is up with the modern impulse of needing a “cool” name in order to serve the Lord? Like cattle, churches and parachurch ministries need branding (but apparently not for the same reason).[ii] “Tame That Wave Surfing Ministry,” “Fire It Up Revival Ministry,” “Deep Down Scuba Ministry,” “High As a Kite Medical Marijuana Ministry,” “This Ministry,” “That Ministry,” on and on, ad nauseum.[iii]

Did Peter & Andrew, James & John start “Fishers of Men Not Fish Ministry”? Seems not. Paul did not have “Preach the Synagogue Ministry,” “Get Stoned and Live Ministry,” “Down by the Riverside Ministry,” “Singing Praises in Jail Ministry,” “One Tyrannus School Ministry,” “Broken Boards Shipwreck Ministry,” or such like (Acts 9:20; 14:19-20; 16:13; 16:25; 19:9; 27:44). Rather, these called men of God just did ministry as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are these official cool ministry names now necessary in our society today in order for ministries to be able to collect enough money to do the ministry? Are they in some way needed to satisfy the taxman when he comes calling? Or maybe there is something else going on?

---

[i] Disclaimer: No missionaries or ministries were harmed in the making of this post.
[ii] One website claims, “In today’s world, building a strong brand is crucial for churches to effectively communicate their message and reach more people for Christ.” Another states, “…we help you define your brand’s personality. What it looks like, smells like, feels like, and sounds like.”
[iii] Disclaimer: Any ministry names depicted in this post are fictitious, made up by the author. Any similarity to real names is entirely coincidental. However, these names are now copyrighted, just so you can’t use them.

Recommended, with reservations

Historic Churches of Texas: The Land and The People, Frank A. Driskill and Noel Grisham. Burnet, TX: Eakin Press, 1980

This is a book about churches in Texas, and their church buildings. I was excited when I found I could borrow this book at Archive.Org. The excitement quickly dissipated, and overall I was sadly disappointed. The work contains many mistakes, some perhaps of only a typographical nature, but others are errors in fact. For example:

• On page 1, Driskill and Grisham introduce the famous Baptist preacher Z. N. Morrel (sic). When they refer to him again on page 3, he becomes J. N. Morrell. On the same page (3), the real Isaac Reed becomes “Isaac Read,” J. S. Milstead is “J. M. Milstead,” and M. Melton becomes “W. Melton.” If there are this many typographical errors in the first three pages, no doubt the book is filled with them. 
• The name Union Church is claimed to be so because the house was used by Baptists, Methodists, and Primitive Baptists (a sort of “union,” I suppose). On the other hand, the house itself already had name – Liberty School House – and there is no evidence of any Methodists or Primitive Baptists meeting there in 1838 when the Union Baptist Church was formed. Union is the name of the church – the congregation – not the building.
• The constitution of this church, the first of its kind in East Texas, was a “union” of Baptist believers in covenant, organized by a presbytery of ordained Baptist ministers. It took that name at its very beginning, in the conference conducted after the church was constituted – “Church met for business – chose bro. Green moderator, -- named the church Union…” The church, not the building. No other explanation need be devised.
• At the bottom of page 3 we “learn” that the “earlier migrant Pilgrim Baptist Church was organized near Nacogdoches in 1824.” Actually the “migrant Pilgrim Baptist Church” was organized in Illinois in 1833, and moved as a congregation to Texas, arriving in January 1834.

I have some questions about which churches were chosen, and which were left out, and why, but I suppose that is a matter of an author’s purpose and perspective. There is some interesting stuff in this book, all collected in one place. Nevertheless, the reader should be keenly aware that, because of the nature of some of the mistakes, that details must be verified by more reliable sources. Read with caution, and check the work.

ArchiveOrg

On this blog I have a lot of posts with links to the Internet Archive. If you try to use those link now you will find them not working. They have suffered a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Hopefully they and their books will be back online soon.

Using texts the wrong way

“...it is always appropriate to understand personal application is not the ultimate goal. There is a real sense in which texts that glorify God for His grand plan of world redemption are worth studying for their own right...how we read the Word of God matters. We have no right to make God’s Word mean whatever we want it to mean...We ought to be careful in how we use God’s Word, because we don’t want to put a meaning in God’s Word that He did not intend! We are under obligation to apply Scripture, but that does not always mean inserting ourselves into the ancient audience. There are other ways Scripture must be applied...”

Peter Goeman