given religious and supernatural light, is found in the history of the Ninevites and the Babylonians. The case of Jonah's being sent to Nineveh to warn her of her sins and departure from the light and truth she once had. Jonah did not relish the mission on which God sent him, as we well know; but he, attempting to run from duty, reconsidered the matter, and went and warned Nineveh unless she repented God would destroy her "in forty days." She repented. The king commanded a public fast to be kept throughout his whole kingdom. Where did she get a knowledge of a religious fast, but from her former religious observances, and from which she had fearfully backslidden? (See the account.)

Take the Babylonian captivity of the Jews for a period of seventy years. God in disciplining the Jews, who were the depository of religious knowledge in an eminent sense, were many of them, as in the cases of Daniel and his companions, loyal and faithful to their religious vows, and profoundly impressed themselves on the rulers by their adherence to the Hebrew religion, as we know. It is generally believed by eminent scholars, that the Ninevites and Babylonians are the descendants of Shem, and retained some of the light of their illustrious ancestor, though they had grievously departed from his true light. Thus we have another striking example of God's care to restore light that had been lost by culpable neglect and deliberate disobedience, by His providential chastisement of His professed people in their sore and long captivity. Let it also be remembered that many of the captives never returned to their own land, but remained in Babylon and Chaldea of choice, as a warning to Babylon of the dire consequences following a misuse of God-given light and truth. The dispersion of the Jewish people for two thousand years is a monumental warning to Christian nations against disloyalty to God's revelations of light and truth. They are without a national government even to this day, and like the bush of Moses, burning but not consumed. The doctrine of the true God is held unflinchingly to this day among the people with whom they live.

This brings us down to the days and teaching of Jesus Christ, who is God's highest supernatural revelation to our world, and whom Nicodemus declared to be "the Teacher come from God."

I select the parable of the Prodigal Son as an un answerable argument of my proposition of supernatural light being given to all nations at some time in their history, and their loss of it the result of their deliberate disobedience and neglect of said light.

I am warranted in saying that the purpose of Christ in the use of this beautiful and forcible parable, as voiced by nearly all commentators, was to enforce the truth that all nations have had all necessary moral and religious light given them. That is, the older son represents the Jewish nation, and the younger son the Gentile or heathen nations, as to God's supernatural revelation to the world. If this was Christ's primary purpose in its use, or its main purpose, it follows inevitably and logically that the younger son had all the religious light and benefit of that home that the older son had, and they started out in life with equal opportunities; but the younger son spent his substance in riotous living and profligacy till he reached the degradation and pitiable conditions of a voluptuous spendthrift. Then if this is what Christ meant by the younger son, that he represents the Gentile or heathen nations, then it absolutely teaches that God has given all nations sufficient light to have guided them, and if they are without it. now it is because they have lost it, and aside from this view the parable is meaningless.

Let us now turn to the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans, and see if his argument does not tally with the proposition laid down and elucidated by the foregoing facts of Sacred History.

Now let it be remembered that Paul is writing to a Church that had recently been converted from heathenism, and heathenism of the grossest kind of abominations, and vices scarcely to be mentioned in a promiscuous assembly. He was speaking to those who knew what he was writing about, and did not admit of debate. They were terrible

and notorious truths he mentioned. How great must have been the moral elevation they had fallen from, as great as that of the younger son in the parable. Now let us follow the steps of his argument link by link to its consummate close, and note his complete and triumphant vindication of God's goodness, faithfulness, and impartiality to the race of mankind in His revelations. The revelation here made to man is a double revelation by nature, and above nature. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness." (Verse 18.) "The displeasure of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." These two forms of wrong-doing of men comprehend all forms of sin known to men. Man was made in the image and likeness of God, and He gave a moral law of strict right and wrong, and revealed it to all men "from heaven" over and above what they might gather from the book of nature, "who hold the truth in unrighteousness." This revelation is here called "God's truth," and the implication is that this truth may be perverted or mixed with error or unrighteousness of men. "Who hold the truth in unrighteousness" is a strong putting of the case. Paul charges men with this crime when he says, "They changed the truth of God into a lie or idolatry." Men in power, in the past and the present, have been known to connive at sin and wrong-doing for some personal advantage. If the truth had not been revealed to the world, men could not have made a wrong use of it; they could not change what they had not.

Paul goes on to say (verse 19): "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them." A conscience or knowledge of right and wrong is inborn in man, as certainly as instinct is inborn in animals, "for God hath shown it unto them." Verse 20: "For the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." Since God gave man a moral or religious nature,

and then gave a law suited to that nature with all needed information concerning its use, if he goes wrong he "is without excuse," be he heathen or Christian. If God had not given the Gentiles equal opportunities with the Jews, they certainly would have been excusable had no such light been given, for he here affirms that the heathen "are without excuse."

It is clearly affirmed, too, by the apostle with such a nature and endowments, "man as a moral being, made in the image of God," and a Divine revelation added, that he is competent to apprehend in a large measure "the invisible things of God, His eternal power and Godhead," so that if he will not use these powers or endowments, or abuses them, he will be "without excuse." The eye matches the light no more certainly than that man was made to know God. If he holds the truth in unrighteousness, or changes the truth of God into a lie, he is accountable. Remember the younger son in the parable was not excusable, nor did he attempt to excuse himself for his wayward and sinful course; but met his father with the confession, "I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son;" so we find the heathen nations when coming to themselves, as it was, with the prodigal; so the heathen with the return of the abused light are glad to return to their Father's house, which they had deliberately left in the dark past.

Verses 21-23: "Because when they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like a corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things."

Here is a true history of idolatry. Here is its Genesis, revealed in the conduct of men; a religion perverted from what was originally pure and Godlike. It is important to keep in mind that Paul is speaking to a Church recently rescued from base idolatry. It was not a debatable question; all that was needed was to state the facts with

which they were familiar and conversant. Some of these converts were intelligent and cultured Romans; and had Paul not stated the palpable facts of history they would have confronted him. Nor did any of the philosophers of that day, so far as appears, undertake to refute his arraignment of idolatry as to its origin. It must be clearly apparent that the learned and logical apostle of the Gentile Church takes decisive ground against the Darwinian theory so much lauded by the materialistic philosophy of the present day. It looks a little as though he anticipated this philosophical heresy so dogmatically stated and urged on a very slender probability. It has the appearance not a little like a philosophical idolatry, in the light of the experience of at least the last six thousand years, in nature's uniform and invariable operation of law in the animal kingdom. You can see that Paul has no sympathy with the evolution theory that Christianity is the outcome after millions of ages from gross idolatry and from the senseless myth of paganism. He stands squarely on the Scriptural doctrine, that man was created in the image of God, and that he fell from that high estate deliberately and knowingly, and is now under scheme of redemption and recovery under Jesus Christ. This is the only system of evolution for the lapsed condition of the race that he stands on. The Bible declaration that man is a fallen being, is amply and demonstrably proved by the history of nations and individuals in the last sixty centuries; that is, from a state of innocence to a state of sin and vicious practices, is as true and certain as sunlight and darkness. We do not need a Bible to prove this selfevident truth. Profane history is in perfect accord with the Bible. The rise and fall of nations, and the most virtuous and cultured, are in evidence of the sorrowfu! truth. If only it were true of barbarous and uncivilized nations it might be questioned, but the foremost nations of the past for culture and wealth are no exception. Instance Egypt, Babylon, Carthage, Rome, and the classic Greece, after a proud golden age went down to ignominy and disgrace. In more modern times we have Spain, who three