The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-10-25 00:00:00

THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE

Lectures were delirerei at the Town-Hall, on Wed.
nestay and Thursday evening, by Hr. it, Robert., of Birming-
ham, the Editor of the "Ctuistedelphian. and author of
"'Twelve Lectures on tin teaching of the Bible and the Faiths
of Christendom." Some considerable interest was *soiled In
Dorchester with respect to the lectures, it being summed that
doctrines of a startling character would be promulgated,
There was • good attendance at the hall. and Mr. W. Vernon
prodded.
ceniacee saki he we* nes pissed to meet such an
audience on this occlusion—and more go on account of tbe
excitement (bet had been kept up in ths town. Why there
should have been such excitement on account of thee.
lecturae he could not MIL Hs understood that reepectable
gentlemen hsd been circulating reports derogatory to himself
and the lecturer, and he appealed to them whether in the many
years they ba 1 known him, as had ever don* anything to ths
Injury of the town —(applasse.) He wished times gentleman
who had been so anxious te 'pried reports were as willing to
meet him him and hear W. Roberta He (Mr. Vernon) felt
that his character had bees, and was, at stake in Dorchester,
for many of the poor poops believed that ho had no faith in
the Bible, nor in God, heaven, or bell; but be believed In the
Bible as much se any man In this town or county • and only
Lonsidered that his views of It. teaching' had become more
tHe believed In the God of the Bibie, in its Jesus Christ,
Its heaven, and its bell. Why was it then, that men wantabout
tne town of Dorchester and reported be was an laid& or part
of one? He was certainly corned to we No many
there that night cousidimiag the reports thatbad been saattered
abroad to prevent young Mel especially from coming then
stall llthlsl.ctisrecc"Th.Tseohlngeofthe Bible in
In reference to the Kingdom at God " was not in accordance
with the truths of the Bibb, Ist them reject he news.
Truth is above all prim, character may go to the
winds; but be had hold of truth that be never
ri W erore, and be nev before so seperienced the power
ofVtuth as be now felt. He believed It necessary NA
to give one word of advice, am be could not do better to the
y, to them oubide, and sepeolally to those who
present company,
be rehrred to, than to give them the
advice of Garnaliel "Take brie to yourselves what ye intend to
do as touching them men. . , . for if this counsel, or this
verk, be of Men. it will cocas to nought : But if It be of God,
ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight
against God." If any gentleman at the does of the lemurs had
• queetion he would like to sal, let him put it It writhes, and
hand it in and Mr. Roberts sould be happy to answer it—
(beer, hear).
' Mr. Rogers mid they would ill agree that the only source of
Infallible Instruction was the book they held in their hands,
the Bible—that there is no prophet upon earth now, no apostle,
it. man personally onnuniedonei to declare the Divine mint,
and only one way by which we may obtain the knowledge of
, that mind, by reading the witless wherein God ham calmed to
be recorded what He km alreadj amid an "able to make men
wise unto malystion"—(bear). People ere too prone to look up
' to men who aimed to be their prechers and teachers. If they
would look wound they would lee bow feJlacious that was. Are
there not many denominations • tad do not than dieUeoUons
and dillaremme show that thee; founders do not know moss
than others. Let Christians tern "10 the law and to the
, testimony; if they speak not according to thin
, woad, it is bocauae Won is no light in
them." He only wished to nisht to show what this word
teaches, with respect to the Kinglom cif God. The Ant thing,
perhaps, It was Important to develop was this conspicuoue
feature of the New Testament LeacWag—that the means o;
salvation that have been appointed to be in operation in the
world is the Gospel, reserving the question of what the Gospel
Is, and merely recognising a definite something in the term
"CiospeL" am not a.han.ad 4 the Compel of Christ. for it
is the powtr of God unto salvatios to every one that belleveth."
"It bath pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to sive
them that believe." Ths meaning of this is made quite evident
we must get rid of the Idea theirs can be Christians by merely
lea.dinz exemplary lives for Goa has appointed a way—it has
o.
him to as a way the preaching of a certain
thing called the Gospel, There ha possibility of euperseding
one Gospel by another, the true site by • tales And Paul says
in the Ppletle to the Galatlens "Though I, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other Gospel than that ye have received,
let him be accursed." Our anxiety as profemed belleven in the
New Testament ought to be to And out what the Gospel Is
which Is preached by Paul. A fact we should remember is
that we are living WEI years alter the time when them
doctrines were proclaimed in their purity, and between that
time and this there ham transpired a very dark history. The
majority present would admit that tbe Roman Catholic church,
calling itself the true church, oppo.ed the circulation of the
Bible, and when against the eta of that church the Bible era.
circulated Ingres& le umber. Saxons.' abs people, the reformation
was effected. Supposing we should discover that that Refor-
mation wee only partial, which it was eery likely to be, an we
not justified in punning the men course eßich its noble
loaders adopted, end In vit, of great numbers and much learn-
ing against us, tattles the name itiltudepa they did, Uwe Bad
that truth Is not current sad not geneeaflj Lewitt I lilt
should be so, the fact of numbers and popularity big
oppoesd to us should weigh nothing at all—(hear, bean
Tbe subject-matter of the lecture has to do with the vi
question "What Is the gospel r The gospel preached by
issue while yet in the flesh, and by those whom Ile took se His
disciples, is repeatedly called the Kingdom of God, se in the fol-
lowing texts :—Luke Iv., 4.1 I must preach the Kinsale= of God
to other cities aim ;In Luke riiL, 1, He (Jesus) went through
'very city and village, preaching and sheering the glad tidings
qf the Kingdom of God • Luke Ix, He sent them to preach
the Kin/done of God, imd te heal the nick; and the MOO
chapter, 00th Terse Go thou and prevyb the Kingdom of God
and In Markt., It, It is called "The Gomel al the 41asPom 01
God;' betide. other texts which Ir. RoberM quoted.
Lest any one @Leonid think the tenobtes of Christ wee • little
special dispensation, be elbowed that e apostle. Memeelvm
continued preaching the thing. coacenting the Kingdom of
God. Therefore the gospel preached by the Ant apostles and
Paul is He main elements consisted of the things concern-
ing the Kingdom of God. In Luke gig., 11, was shown how
they regarded this kingdom As they 'Oka thine thirlga,
Jams added and spake a parable, bemuse they thought the
Kingdom of God shouki immediateiy appear." The Kingdom
of 0.4 to them was a matter of promise and not of ',anemias.
What then, is the Kingdom? It is the dominion of
a King._ • state in which (14', authority is administered
ea • King. JONAS recognised something in the hands
of the Pbanams which he acinowledged as the Kingdom of
God. God selected Abraham to commence this kingdom. and
afterwards, when ho brought the Israelites out of EgTpt, he
manias' the& slave nibble into a kingdom Pre ' laws,
and under Joshua brought than into the PrOutimlama d
Land.
Is stated in the parable to have planted a vineyard—the house
of leraeL That vat= of tamp Jesus calls the kinedout of
God, and be mys that shall be taken from them, and even to
• nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Has the Kingdom
that is to he any coarierallon with the Kingdom that was? It
Is evident the dielpies expected ruch, for in Acte L, I, we read,
To who., he showed himself aline alter hie Pmelon LP many
Infallible proofs, being seen of them forty 4hyv, and apsahing
o the thing. pertaining to the Kingdom of God." The result
was that they asked Him "Lard will Thou at this time restore
again the Kingdom to lerael r We might be told that was
• mistaken ides of the disciples, but where was the KW/ of it
In Luke Lx.,?, we And that the II disciples and the 70 went
not PrescitiNst J t Kingdom of God. Did they
the am"'
atlb*
? 01 course the;
did, hut we sre now told the disciples were wrong. Vet it --
altar their undentandings were opened and Christ had taught
them 40 days that they asked him, Wilt Thou at Wag um:
restore again the Kingdom to WNW and Christ did not tail
them their kiss of the filmdom was wrong. Therefore there
Is something yet to come, aniwaring to the
is "
ftaln the Itagdom to ward,. It l notrulta
Glide& coma that He dee on the throne of Ms glory
"He shall sit opal the throne of his father Daeid.'•
Did not David have a kingdom? Vex It was the kingdom o:
lamed. At Amos In., II it Is said I will buil,d_ litrin the
tabernacle of David which Is falba .0
," • • .110. e the
kingdom of David that ks to he restored is something now in
rt and lb could doe be semehreg Went Os algthile fog