Torrey - The Fundamentals - A Testamony To The Truth - Vol. 4

1 THE AGES DIGITAL LIBRARYREFERENCETHE Fundamentals -A TESTIMONY TO THETRUTHV olume 4 Edited by Torrey , Dixon and OthersTo the Students of the Words, Works and Ways of God:Welcome to the AGES Digital Library. We trust yourexperience with this and other volumes in the Library fulfillsour motto and vision which is our commitment to you:MAKING THE WORDS OF THE WISEAVAILABLE TO ALL Software Rio, WI USAV ersion 20002 THE FUNDAMENTALSA TESTIMONY TO THE Truth To the Law and to the Testimony <230820>Isaiah 8:20 EDITED BY R. A. Torrey , A. C. DIXON AND OTHERSVOLUME 43 CONTENTSC hapter 1. MODERN PHILOSOPHY By Philip Mauro, York 2. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD By David James Burrell, , D. Minister of the Marble Collegiate Church, New York 3. THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD By A. W. Pitzer, D. D., D., Salem, 4. THE SCIENCE OF CONVERSION H.

2 M. Sydenstricker, , West Point, 5. THE DECADENCE OF DARWINISM By Henry H. Beach,Grand Junction, 6. THE PASSING OF EVOLUTION By Professor GeorgeFrederick Wright, D. D., D., Oberlin College, Oberlin, 7. EVOLUTIONISM IN THE PULPIT By an Occupant of 8. THE CHURCH AND SOCIALISM By Professor Charles , D. D., Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, 9. MILLENIAL DAWN: A COUNTERFEIT OF CHRISTIANITY By Professor William G. Moorehead, D. D., United PresbyterianTheological Seminary, Xenia, 10. MORMONISM: ITS ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS ANDDOCTRINES By R. G. McNiece, D. D., for twenty years prior to1897, Pastor First Presbyterian Church, Salt Lake City, 11. EDDYISM, COMMONLY CALLED CHRISTIAN SCIENCE By Maurice E. Wilson, D. D., Dayton, 12. MODERN SPIRITUALISM BRIEFLY TESTED BY SCRIPTURE By Algernon J. Pollock. Weston-Super-Mare, 13.

3 SATAN AND HIS KINGDOM By Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis,Leicester, 14. WHY SAVE THE LORD S DAY? By Daniel HoffmanMartin. D. D., Glens Falls, New 15. APOLOGETIC VALUE OF PAUL S EPISTLES By E. Jr., B. A., S. T. 16. DIVINE EFFICACY OF PRAYER By Arthur T. Pierson, 17. THE PROOF OF THE LIVING GOD, AS FOUND IN THEPRAYER LIFE OF GEORGE MULLER, OF BRISTOL By ArthurT. Pierson. D. 18. OUR LORD S TEACHINGS ABOUT MONEY By Arthur , D. 19. THE SCRIPTURES By A. C. Dixon. D. D. PastorMetropolitan Tabernacle Church, London, 20. WHAT THE BIBLE CONTAINS FOR THE BELIEVER ByGeorge F. Pentecost, D. D., Darien, 21. THE HOPE OF THE CHURCH By John McNicol, B. A., , Principal of the Toronto Bible Training 22. THE COMING OF CHRIST By Professor Charles D. D., Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, 23. THE TESTIMONY OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE ByPresident E.

4 Y. Mullins. D. D., D. Louisville, Kentucky, 24. A PERSONAL TESTIMONY By Howard A. Kelly, 25. A PERSONAL TESTIMONY By H. W. Webb-Peploe. Vicarof St. Paul s. Onslow Square. London, and Prebendary of s 26. THE PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF CHARLES T. STUDD Charles T. 27. A PERSONAL TESTIMONY By Philip Mauro. Attorney-at-Law, New York 1909 God moved two Christian laymen to set aside a large sum ofmoney for issuing twelve volumes that would set forth the Fundamentals ofthe Christian faith, and which were to be sent free to ministers of thegospel, missionaries, Sunday School superintendents, and others engagedin aggressive Christian work throughout the English speaking world. Acommittee of men who were known to be sound in the faith was chosen tohave the oversight of the publication of these volumes. Revelation Dr. Dixon was the first Executive Secretary of the Committee, and upon hisdeparture for England Dr.

5 Louis Meyer was appointed to take his the death of Dr. Meyer the work of the Executive Secretarydevolved upon me. We were able to bring out these twelve volumesaccording to the original plan. Some of the volumes were sent to 300,000ministers and missionaries and other workers in different parts of theworld, On the completion of the twelve volumes as originally planned thework was continued through The King s Business, published at 536 SouthHope St., Los Angeles, California. Although a larger number of volumeswere issued than there were names on our mailing list, at last the stockbecame exhausted, but appeals for them kept coming in from differentparts of the world. As the fund was no longer available for this purpose,the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, to whom the plates were turned overwhen the Committee closed its work, have decided to bring out the variousarticles that appeared in The Fundamentals in four volumes at the cheapestprice possible.

6 All the articles that appeared in The Fundamentals , with theexception of a very few that did not seem to be in exact keeping with theoriginal purpose of The Fundamentals , will be published in this series. R. A. TorreyDEDICATIONTo the two laymen whose generosity made it possible to send severalmillions of volumes of The Fundamentals to ministers and missionaries inall parts of the world, for their confirmation and upbuilding in the faith,these volumes are 1 MODERN PHILOSOPHYBY PHILIP MAURO, COUNSELOR-AT-LAW, NEW YORK CITY Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceitafter (according to) the tradition of men, after the rudiments of theworld, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness ofthe Godhead bodily; and ye are complete in Him, who is the Headof all principality and power. <510208>Colossians 2 the foregoing passage occurs the only mention which the Scripturesmake of philosophy.

7 Nothing is more highly esteemed among men thanphilosophy. It is on all hands regarded as the supreme exercise andoccupation of the human mind, and is indeed an occupation for which butvery few men have the requisite intellectual equipment. As far back as thetradition of men goes, philosophy has held this high place in humanestimation; and it is, therefore, a fact of much significance that, in all theBible, philosophy is but once in our day the deference paid to philosophy is such that there are notmany teachers of the Bible who would venture to warn their fellow-men ofits dangers; for philosophers have managed to maintain in Christendom thesame eminence which they occupied in heathendom. Indeed, a course inphilosophy is now, and for some generations has been, considered anessential part of the education of a man who is preparing for the Christianministry; and this is not the only one of the rudiments of the world whichhas found its way into our theological seminaries.

8 It is, therefore, notsurprising that, in the teaching imparted by these seminary graduates,philosophy holds a very different place from that assigned to it by A HUMAN UTTERANCEWe may be very sure, then, that the passage quoted above is not a humanutterance. It does not express man s estimate of philosophy far from pronouncing that warning Paul is not repeating what he learned whilepursuing his course in philosophy at the school of Gamaliel. No man wouldever have coupled philosophy with vain deceit, or characterized it as adangerous process against which God s people should be cautioned, lestthereby they should be despoiled of their possessions. No man ever definedphilosophy as being according to human tradition and the basic principlesof this evil world, and not according to Christ. This warning is from GodHimself; but, alas, like many other of His solemn warnings, it has beendespised and utterly disregarded.

9 The thing against which this earnestwarning was spoken has been welcomed with open arms, and incorporatedinto the theological machinery of our ecclesiastical systems. Theconsequences of this contemptuous disregard of God s warning are such asmight have been word beware (sometimes rendered take heed in our version) doesnot occur very often in the New Testament. There are not many thingswhereof believers are bidden to beware. Some of these are the scribes, dogs, evil-workers, the concision, and an evil heart of unbelief (<411238>Mark 12:38; <500302>Philippians 3:2; <441340>Acts 13:40; <580312>Hebrews 3:12).The warning of our text is addressed to believers who have been instructedas to their oneness with Christ in His death (at the hands of the world), Hisburial, and His resurrection. Additional emphasis is given to the warning bythe connection in which it occurs.

10 The word rendered spoil signifiesliterally to make a prey of, as when one falls into the hands of robbers andis stripped by violence of his goods, or into the hands of smooth-tonguedand plausible swindlers who gain his confidence, and by means of their artsfleece him of his valuables. It is heavenly treasure that is in contemplationhere, even the believer s portion of the unsearchable riches of empty deceit is contrasted with the fulness of the Godhead whichdwells in Christ; and the despoiled condition of one who has beenvictimized through philosophy is contrasted with the enrichment of thosewho have apprehended by faith their completeness in Him who is the Headof all principality and why, we may profitably inquire, is philosophy described as aninstrument of spoliation in the hands of artful men? And why is itcharacterized as being after ( , according to) the rudiments, or basicprinciples, of the world?