
"... reaching forth unto those things which are before ...
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus
"
(Philippians 3:13-14)
We
gratefully acknowledge the work which Paul Redin has done in
transcribing and offering these magazines to Austin-Sparks.Net. Unless
otherwise noted, words and phrases in square brackets [] were added by
him.
Introductory Notes
by Paul Redin
General comments:
Toward The Mark, a
bi-monthly magazine edited and published by Harry Foster, was a
continuation of the ministry begun by Mr. Austin-Sparks in A
Witness and A Testimony. Mr. W. E. (Bill) Thompson, who has the
responsibility and oversight of Mr. Foster's estate, has graciously
given his permission to publish on the Internet the articles in Toward
The Mark , of which he is the copyright owner, in the form they
appear here.
The first thing to note about the articles in Toward The Mark
is that they are "Christ-honoring". The second thing to note is that
they are intended to build up the body of Christ, to be 'spiritual
food' for believers, especially Christian workers. As such, they were
well received by their readers when originally published. It is my hope
that they will be equally well received by many believers today who
read them via the Internet.
The main thrust of these articles, a theme that appears over and over,
is to promote "a growing heart knowledge of the Lord". This knowledge
is not to stop at the heart, however, but is to be displayed in every
believer's outward behavior. A prime example of this emphasis is the
article, The Renewed Mind and the Transformed Life , by J. Alec Motyer (Vol.10, No.3, p.45).
Another good example is Absolute Priority , by Harry Foster (Vol.13, No.4, p.61). Also,
statements similar to the following by T. Austin-Sparks appear
repeatedly:
"If we are to be trained to
face and conquer the spiritual enemies of God's purposes, then we need
that Bible truths should be wrought into our own personal experience so
that we become embodiments of those truths. No teaching will ever be
true teaching if it is not worked out in experience. And it is in the
House of God, the related life together of believers, that such
experience is obtained." (Vol.10, No.6, p.120)
And, to hammer the
point home, here is Harry Foster on why he chose the name Toward
The Mark :
"When I had to choose a
title for this magazine I finally decided on the words 'Toward The
Mark' (Php. 3:14) because I felt that they helped to convey a sense
that those of us who contributed and those who read are all partners
together in the enterprise of progress towards the goal of likeness to
Christ. This is the atmosphere of this Epistle from which the words
were chosen. My beloved friend, Poul Madsen, already edited a Danish
magazine called Mod Molet which means just the same. I took the
phrase from him as well as from the apostle Paul because the idea
behind the words is to avoid any suggestion that we have arrived and
are now proposing to help others on their way also to perfection.
Rather I wanted to underline that we -- like the apostle himself -- are
seeking to practise together that fellowship of the Spirit which urges
us to press on together in pursuit of our on-high calling." (Vol.18,
No.5, p.90-91)
Publishing notes:
Toward The Mark was
published bi-monthly (six issues per year) and was distributed by mail
(or 'post') without cost to many appreciative readers. The articles
were printed in four columns of text on both sides of five sheets of 9
X 14-1/2 in. paper that, when folded double and fold-stapled together
with a folded cover, formed a magazine measuring 7-1/4 in. wide by 9
in. high containing 20 pages of two-column text. The pages were
numbered consecutively each year beginning with No. 1, page 1, and
ending with No. 6, page 120. The average number of words per issue was
about 16,500.
The table of contents was on the inside front cover. A title banner was
printed at the top of the first page of text in each issue of Vol. 1.
Beginning with Vol. 2, this banner was printed at the top of the inside
front cover. Also beginning with Vol. 2, a Scripture verse 'motto for
the year' was printed on the back cover. See below for images of the
front cover.
The following notice appeared on the inside front cover of Vol. 1:
"There is no subscription for this bi-monthly magazine, but its cost is
met by the gifts of appreciative readers." Beginning with Vol. 2 and
continuing through Vol. 16, this notice was changed to read: "This
bi-monthly magazine is devoted to expository messages from the Word of
God. It is sent freely, on request. All the costs are met by the gifts
of appreciative readers." This notice was omitted in Vols. 17 & 18.
Transcription notes:
This transcription of the
articles in Toward The Mark adheres to the original as closely
as practical with the following intended exceptions:
1. The
original two-column page format was replaced by a one-column format
with each paragraph delimited by a blank line rather than by first-line
indentation. Original pagination is indicated within square brackets
embedded in the text. For example, [21/22] indicates the end of page 21
and the beginning of page 22.
2. A short
centered line of 16 hyphens was inserted to indicate the end of each
article and to separate various other blocks of information.
3. Each
footnote was moved to its appropriate place within the text.
4. Each 'em
dash' was replaced with two hyphens.
5. Obvious
typographical errors were corrected; when doubtful, no change was made.
British spelling and punctuation were retained throughout.
Covers:
Cover of first issue
(Used for Vol. 1)
|
Cover of last issue
(Used for Vols. 2 - 18)
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