AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
81
That scraps half the books I have written. But we want the Truth, and the Truth is there in what you have
said.
I felt that here was indeed `grace'. Dr. Bullinger was a man of world repute, a scholar and an elder. I was a
young man of 28 years and unknown. We spent the remainder of our brief interview in considering the
dispensational implications that arise from observing the relation of Paul's epistles to the boundary line of Acts 28
thus:
Acts 28
Epistles Before
Epistles After
1)
Galatians
1)
Ephesians
2)
1 Thessalonians
2)
Philippians
3)
2 Thessalonians
3)
Colossians
4)
Hebrews
4)
Philemon
5)
1 Corinthians
5)
1 Timothy
6)
2 Corinthians
6)
Titus
7)
Romans
7)
2 Timothy
At the close of this most important interview, Dr. Bullinger said:
`I will now let you into a secret. I am just commencing what I feel sure will be my last work The
Companion Bible. I have prayed that someone be sent along to relieve me of some of the pages in
Things to Come. You're the man'.
At first I demurred. I felt that the standard set by the articles in Things to Come was above my attainment, and I
was also rather intimidated as I visulized the calibre of its readers. At the time when I was to all intents a pagan,
many of the readers of Things to Come were advanced Christians. However, the Doctor persuaded me that the call
was of the Lord, and so in March 1909 there appeared an article entitled `The Unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3). What is
it?' One passage in the article reads:
`All other scripture that had ever been written, had been written in connection with Israel. The epistle opens up
the "Mystery hidden away from the ages", the One Body, the One New Man - the subject of enquiry'.
This was written as an immediate response to the Doctor's invitation, but I felt that to be effective much spade
work was called for and so, in April, there commenced a series entitled `Dispensational Expositions' which
continued until the magazine came to an end. In the February of the same year (1909), The Berean Expositor was
first published, and any who possess the original issue, will know what a pathetically wee thing it looked, for it was
produced indeed in much weakness and while I was still struggling with the problem associated with daily living.
We must now go back a little in order to get the right approach to the publishing of The Berean Expositor. For a
period of about eighteen months, regular studies had been held in the home of Mr. Brininger, with increasing light
and conviction. One shackle after another fell from us and we began to appreciate what it was to be free. As the
number that attended these meetings remained small, and as we felt that we had a message to give that demanded a
wider circle of hearers, it was at length decided to put the subject into print, so toward the close of the year 1908,
and just before the interview with Dr. Bullinger, the first number was prepared. Among other things that had to be
settled was the title that we were going to give to the new publication. I wanted particularly to include the word
`Expositor' for it was the exposition of the Scriptures that had been laid upon my heart and conscience, but I could
not get any supplementary title that was satisfactory.
It was my custom in those days to attend the services at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and I remember discussing
this question of the title with the lady who subsequently became my wife and helpmeet, but we arrived at no
conclusion except that `Expositor' must form part of the name.
The preacher that evening was Archibald Brown, and his text `The nobility of the Bereans'. I had found my title.
The magazine must be called The Berean Expositor, and I wrote, and acquainted Archibald Brown with the outcome
of the sermon. In the early and happy days of the Bible Training College, concerning which we have already