The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-27
BIBLE STUDIES
 OF BROOKLYN
 TABERNACLE
By PASTOR ssELL

"The Light of the World" Quarterly review.
 ',rhe people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up"-Matthew 416
 III the Bible symbols light stands as the representative of God, of Christ, of the church, of truth, which by and by as "the sun of righteousness shall arise with heal ing in it's beams for the cure of all the masses of the earth. It will scatter the darkness of sin, ignorance and supersti- tion-the works of the prince of darkness, who will then be bound for 1000 years that he may deceive the nations no more until the 1O(0 years are finished" Of the Heavenly Father we read, God is
 light, and in Him is no darkness at all"
 Of Jesus we read: T am the light of the world" Of the church in her pres ent condition we read, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Hide not your light under a bushel, but set it on a candestick that it may give light unto all that are in the house." Nevertheless, "The darkness hateth the light, neither cometh to the light" and ''the whole world lieth in the wicked one'-in darkness. Notwith- standing the faithfuness of Jesus and the few light bearers enlightened with the Holy Spirit of which they are begotten, still darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the heathen."
 
 "Thy Word Is Lamp to My Feet"
 This same thought pervades the scrip lures from first to last, namely, that for 5000 years from the time of the entrance of sin to the second coming of Jesus. the world will be subject to a reign of sin and death-it will be under pail of dark ness, Ignorance, superstitution. sin. The only ones who will see the path of right eousness distinctly will be those guided by the lantern" word. They are rep resented as saying, Thy word is a lamp to my feet and lantern to my footsteps" St Peter, writing to the church from the same standpoint, declares, We the church) have a more sure word of pro phecy wiiereunto ye do well that ye take
 heed, as unto light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn (Psa. exix, 105; II Peter i. 19.)
 1 The prince of darkness has been in com | mand for centuries. The lights of the | past were the noble prophets of the Jew | ish line whose lights affected few in their own nation, and were not discernible at all
 amongst the heather world. John the l Baptist, we are told, was burning and shining light, and Jesus was a still more ! brilliant light; and His faithful few dur 1 ing the past IS centuries have shned forth refectng their Masters light. But all | of these have had comparatively little | influence in the world. It still lies in the l wicked one-n darlSness--seeing not
 neither understanding divine things. A Better Day Coming
 | Our text tells of a better day sure tc come It is not sure to come because oi | the operation of the evolutionary law, for
 the natural law would seem to contradict such thought Darkness leads on tc darkness more intense; and while light be- gets light, darkness begets darkness. and | the masses are in the darkness. and ir | the wicked one, the prince of darkness Never. then, might we, hope for the abol- ishment of darkness except in the way in which God has foretold sit-through the establishment of Messiah's. kingdom through the shining forth of the sun of | righteousness-the church in glory.-Matt xiii. i3.
 Our text is quotation from tine Old