i8 74 ] THE OLD TESTAMENT IN TEACHING 291 



kingdom should be realised ; but the Old Testament 

 History had already shown that God had resolved to set 

 up a kingdom, and choose out a people upon earth. And 

 this being so, the life teaching and saving work of Christ 

 can never be fully understood, except as the climax of 

 the Old Testament History. 



In a word, the history of the Old Testament dispensa 

 tion must be taught 



1. As the history of the preparation for Christ, with 

 out which much of His teaching cannot be understood. 



2. As the visible illustration and proof of many things 

 which, though involved in Christ s work, did not in His 

 life on earth receive detailed manifestation. In the New 

 Testament, the King is manifested, but the kingdom, the 

 actual providential scheme by which the earth is being 

 conquered for and by Christ, is hidden and known by 

 faith only. But in the Old Testament the kingdom, not 

 in its highest spiritual form, but cased in earthly forms, 

 became really manifest. Thus there are many truths 

 about the kingdom, especially about the final victory of 

 the kingdom, of which the Old Testament alone gives us 

 clear illustrations by which to explain in our teaching the 

 spiritual things of the New Testament. For example, 

 the power to overthrow His enemies by angelic help, 

 which Jesus claims, but did not use, is the same power 

 which was manifested in the fall of Sennacherib s host. 



But, indeed, it is not needful to enlarge on the enormous 

 value of the Old Testament in every attempt to make 

 the spiritual, heavenly world appear real to those we 

 teach. To children, reality is very much limited to 

 things that can be seen and handled. Ideas abstract 

 doctrines are not suited for them. They cannot be 

 expected to look much it is not well they should look 

 much at a life beyond the grave. But they can and 

 should learn to recognise the supernatural, the saving 

 love and providential guidance of God in the present life. 

 Now this is just the strong point of the Old Testament. 



