VOL. VIII. January 15 & February 1, 1925 Nos. 2 & 3 THE PASSING OF OUR MUCH LOVED
BROTHER R. E. STREETER ALL THE WAY MY SAVIOR LEADS ME. BRIEF ADDRESSES OF OTHER
BRETHREN THE STORY OF HIS APPROACH TO GOD BROTHER STREETER'S LAST SERMON BROTHER STREETER'S PLACE IN THE
MINISTRY OUR BROTHER'S BLESSED HOPE --
"WE SHALL ALL B E CHANGED" VOL. VIII. January 15 & February 1, 1925 Nos. 2 & 3 THE PASSING OF OUR MUCH LOVED BROTHER R. E. STREETER
PERHAPS no feature of the
Christian faith is so precious to us as the grand bond of sympathy, of tenderness, and of
love that unites the members of the Body of Christ! Thus wrote the great Apostle Paul,
"If one member suffer, all suffer." The entrance of death and its laying hold
upon a fellow-member becomes occasion for us to recognize the priceless value oŁ this
feature of our faith. As brethren the world over are learning oŁ the death of our beloved
Brother R. E: Streeter, their hearts are deeply moved and they are recognizing as the
hours pass that they are truly bereft of a most worthy servant of God and teacher in the
Church; and that the departure of our dear Brother signifies the removal of a spiritual
light, a 'hallowed influence,' from amongst the Lord's people that can be replaced only by
the Lord Himself. And yet in the consciousness that the great God of heaven doeth all
things well, and with the splendid, evidence that our dear Brother's life has been crowned
with success, and that the conclusion of his race has been a victorious one, there is a
sense of blessed joy that triumphs over our sorrow. Truly, "we sorrow not as others
who have no hope." We are sure that this is the sentiment of the host of brethren the
world over, who had become acquainted with Brother Streeter through his lumi-nous writings
and faithful ministry. Enters Death's Dark
Vale
Brother Streeter was born
February 11; 1847, at North Smithfield, R. I. His parents moved to Providence in 1850.
Here he spent his youthful days and grew to manhood, entering the jewelry business. In
1877 he moved to Auburn where he lived the rest of his life. He was first married in 1868 to
Isabel Brown of Providence. After thirteen years death bereft him of his companion. Their
union was blessed with three children: Frank E., Arthur B., and Elizabeth Streeter. In
1882 he married Margaret E. Brown, sister of his first wife, who survives him. Four
children have blessed the second union: Mrs. Frank H. Thompson, Mrs. John L. Leonard,
Alice M., and Randolph H. Streeter. It was not until a few days
before his death that Brother Streeter's illness assumed grave aspects. He had been
suffering for some weeks from an attack of the grip, which had resulted in generally
weakening his system. This was followed by fever, which assumed the symptoms of typhoid,
and was declared to be such by his physician. Under the influence of this fever his
strength began to rapidly fail, and death came to him on the evening of December 20.
Though very weak and scarcely able to speak the last two days prior to his death, he was
conscious up to within a few hours of the end. All his family -- Sister Streeter, three
sons, and four daughters being present at the time. The Funeral
The remains of our Brother. were
retained in the home until the following Tuesday, December 23. At 11 o'clock of this, day
a brief service was held in the home; at which time there were present the members of the
family and a few friends and relatives. The service consisted merely of the reading of a
few comforting passages of Scripture followed by prayer. Arrangements had been made for
the funeral proper to beheld in the Stewart Street Baptist Church. In the vestry of this
Church brethren in Providence have been holding their meetings regularly for about two
years, the Pastor, H. B. Carpenter, having displayed a very friendly and brotherly feeling
toward Brother Streeter and the friends. At 12 o'clock the body was brought to the main
auditorium of the Church where a large number of brethren in the faith as well as friends
and acquaintances of Brother Streeter had assembled to pay their loving respects. A large and magnificent display
of flowers surrounded the casket in front of the rostrum. Of these there were beautiful
floral pieces from various congregations of other cities, and there were representatives
present from these Classes, such as Boston, Springfield, Brooklyn, etc. To our dear Brother A. N. Pierson
of Cromwell, Conn., is due a large measure of credit, for the floral display. He was
present and at great inconvenience had supervised the transportation of the flowers from
his immense gardens, and the placing of them, in the Church. While the body was being brought
into the auditorium, the pipe-organist rendered in a very impressive manner appropriate
hymns. The service was opened with prayer by Brother Rockwell, in which the Divine
blessing was earnestly implored on behalf of the bereaved family. Thankfulness and praise
were also expressed that we have so great a God and that He has promised in His infinite
mercy to ultimately turn away sorrow and death from the earth. This was followed by a
discourse' in which the life-work of Brother Streeter was carefully reviewed, and a number
of. items dealt with relating to his connection with the Lord and the Truth. A number of
brethren were asked to speak briefly -- brethren who were more or less acquainted with
Brother Streeter for many years. The report of the. addresses appears on another page. The
service was concluded with prayer. At the Grave -- Thy
Will be Done
In addition to the members of the
family and relatives, a number of friends followed our Brother's mortal remains to its
last resting place. Poor, tired-out and worn vessel! Through the long years it had labored
and, struggled and suffered; and so recently racked with the torture of fever and pain,
but now peaceful and at rest; all is quiet and repose. Now we are standing at the yawning
grave, and though our hearts are touched with deep sorrow that we shall not look upon our
Brother's face again, yet as we realize chat the eternal God is our refuge, and underneath
are the everlasting arms, our faith is firm, and strong. Brother Streeter, the new
creature, we believe has entered "the house not made with hands," and is clothed
with garments of light. At the grave we linger a brief space, and with bowed heads lift
our hearts in worship and in grateful resignation to the Father of mercies and to the God
of all comfort. Again committing the dear bereaved family to His love and to the word of
His grace; and again expressing our grateful thanksgiving to Him who is from everlasting
to ever lasting, because He hath declared to us His glorious and benevolent purpose to
make known in due time His majesty in all the earth, and to establish His dominion amongst
the sons of men whereby "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." ALL THE WAY MY SAVIOR LEADS ME.
REVIEW OF HIS LIFE
NO TWO of the Lord's people have
exactly the same experience in reaching a state of justification before God. and in
becoming His children; and no two have exactly the same experiences, through their
Christian lire. The difference in temperament makes necessary that God's providence shall
operate variously with His people. The method which the Lord used in originally calling
Brother Streeter to repentance and to consecration was the one no doubt best adapted to
his case. Our dear Brother tells his own story of how he first came to know the Lord and
of his laying hold upon the Christian life; additionally of his experience in association
with one Christian sect or another, and of his efforts and struggles to progress in the
knowledge of the Lord. Elsewhere in this issue is presented his own statement in detail,
bearing upon the matter of his early Christian life and of the subsequent experiences. He Became A Christian
It was while he was yet a
comparatively young man, about thirty years of age, that the Lord's providence operated in
his life so as to impress him with a sense of his need for Divine grace, and begot in him
the desire to become a Christian. His conversion thus took place late in the year 1877. He
immediately united with a Free Baptist congregation, in which association he continued for
about threes, enjoying pleasant and profitable fellowship, especially as in this stage of
his Christian experience he was becoming fixed upon the foundation, and learning primary
features and principles of the Christian faith. His ability and aptness as a teacher were
soon recognized and he was appointed to teach the adult Bible class, which only stimulated
his zeal in seeking the knowledge of the Lord. In this early period of his religious
experience, he seemed to catch the inspiration of the Divine message, that the Truth is
progressive, that the Christian life is progressive, and that there should be constantly a
going forward, advancing to a knowledge of still deeper things and richer experiences of
Divine truth and grace. It was not long, therefore, till our Brother recognized that the
association in which he found himself was one in which he was hampered and restrained; one
in which efforts to move forward were hindered and discouraged. A careful consideration of
the situation led him to see his duty and the Lord's leading to withdraw from this
association, and to look in another direction where larger opportunities and privileges in
Christian service and fellowship were tolerated. This, act of separation from the Baptist
denomination marked the first crisis in his Christian career. From Grace to Grace
His next step was to unite with
an Evangelical Advent Church, in an adjoining city. The creed of this association was very
much the same as the one from which he had withdrawn. Nevertheless he found here more of
the spirit of freedom and liberty to grow in knowledge and grace; and while his faith and
zeal were active in advocating and teaching lines of thought that were more or less
erroneous, he was in an attitude and atmosphere to make progress. Our Brother tells of how
he thus labored in this Church for some two years, and enjoyed much the privileges and
seasons of fellowship with God's people. Following this the circumstances
indicated that he should take steps with a number of other Advent brethren, to organize
another congregation in Auburn, his own home town, which was intended merely as another
branch of the same Church. This was done, and it prepared the way for him to let his light
shine more abundantly in his own immediate environment. It seems that the question of
launching out into Christian work upon a definitely fixed creed was not looked upon with
favor by this newly formed congregation, but rather the disposition was to maintain an
open Bible and the spirit of readiness to walk into further light than the Adventist creed
contained. This congregation developed to a considerable extent as an independent
association of Christians, and Brother Streeter was appointed its pastor, in which
position and association he earnestly labored in the work of the Gospel for the next
twenty years, not only addressing his own congregation regularly, but lecturing at various
other points. Walking in the Light
In 1896 the first volume of the
Millennial Dawn series fell into his hands. But he was not then ready for it. He rejected
it as false teaching, and burned the book. In 1897 he was sent by a Christian Mission on a
missionary and lecturing tour to South America and the West Indies; he visited Jamaica,
Martinique, St. Kitts, and Barbados, and was engaged in these parts for several months. in
evangelical work. His efforts were attended with marked success, thousands attending these
meetings and showing much interest. It was on this tour that the Divine Plan once more
came into his hands, and on his return journey he read the Volume. This time it found
ready reception; he accepted it fully. The receiving of present Truth cost him his
association with the Mission as well as with many in his own home congregation at Auburn.
Others there were of his associates who took this advanced step with him into further
light on the Plan of God. In fact this experience of receiving present Truth marked
another crisis in his Christian career and constituted a test of his faith in-and loyalty
to the Lord, inasmuch as the severing. of cherished relations and fellowship with brethren
always means severe trials and tests. In 1892 a little paper was
started in Auburn, called, "The Testimony of Jesus," announcing itself. boldly
as a "Pre-Millennial" journal. Brother Streeter was a regular contributor to
this paper, and finally became its sole editor. For some years subsequent to receiving
present Truth, in 1897, he continued publishing the paper and setting forth one and
another of the various truths received from Brother Russell's publications. Then, as he
realized that he could serve the cause of Truth more efficiently by uniting in larger, and
more intimate way. in the methods and arrangements employed by Brother Russell and his
association, the little paper "The Testimony of Jesus" was discon-tinued, and
Brother Streeter was invited by Brother Russell to enter the general pilgrim service.
About 1902 he gladly responded to this call, entering the ministry as one of the regular
pilgrims, and with the exception of certain periods of necessary rest he continued this
work until near the time of Brother Russell's death, in 1916. A Final Crisis in His
Life
It is to be seen that our dear
Brother's life was one of rigorous perseverance and continual progress in the path of
light and in the footsteps of his Divine Master, and that the blessing of God accom-panied
him all the way. But another crisis, another great test was to come to him. The passing of
Brother Russell in 1916, as is well known, became the occasion for a general crisis in the
work in which we were all engaged; many problems, questions, and issues of the most vital
importance, involving. the Truth and the liberty of. the people of God, carne before the
brethren the world over. As our dear Brother was brought face to face with these problems
and issues, we find him again earnestly seeking Divine guidance, that he might be led
aright. And again his zealous efforts, we believe, were rewarded, and his prayers
answered. He saw clearly the guidance of the Lord and recognized his privilege of once
more taking his stand in support of truth and righteousness, and in defense of the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free. Out of this crisis and upheaval
that immediately followed Brother Russell's death, in which brethren all over the world
were deeply affected, there came into existence this association, designated the
"Pastoral Bible Institute," one of whose chief activities has been the issuing
of this journal semi-monthly. As the voice of Brother Streeter had been heard amongst
others at this time, fearlessly pointing out the way and the will of the Lord in these
painful circumstances, and as he had exhibited marked qualities and ability as a teacher
in the Church, he was chosen as one of the Editorial Committee of five, to assist in
supplying and supervising the matter that should appear in this journal. In this position
he has served unceasingly and with untiring love and zeal, until stricken with his last
illness. In June, 1923, he was elected as a member of the Board of Directors, and
re-elected in June, 1924. Many of our readers will recall
that when an invitation came from brethren in Great Britain, in 1920, and again in 1922,
for a represen-tative from America to attend their annual conference in London and to
deliver lectures at various points, Brother Streeter was chosen as one of two brethren to
make this pilgrimage. And during these tours he addressed brethren in England, Ireland,
Scotland and Wales. The results of this ministry abroad clearly. showed that the Divine
blessing very richly attended his efforts. And a goodly number of the friends in those
countries have been much strengthened and blessed as a result of our Brother's sojourn in
their midst. Not Great in His Own
Eyes
Another has prudently remarked
that "there are some things that ought not to be spoken of the living man; but our
lips may perhaps be unsealed when God has taken him," Thus we are making mention of
some things in these pages that may now be more profitably made known. While appreciating very much his
privileges of ministering to the Lord's, people, and ever diligent in the performance of
his duty, yet his service and achievements .did not seem great in his own eyes. In one of
his letters he remarked, "Nothing in any sense or degree in connection with the
Lord's work or with individual saints depends upon Brother Streeter." It is worthy of our observation
that our Brother did not take to himself the credit for the knowledge of truth he had
derived. He freely acknowledged the source from which he received his help. He realized it
was his privilege to look into the writings of various teachers and expositors who gave
evidence that they were true men of God, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Thus in his
writings he is constantly referring to these and giving them credit for having illuminated
the pages of Divine revelation. An extract from his writings in
1901 after he had come clearly into the Truth, well represents his humble attitude, as
follows "God has made us so
dependent upon one another as members of Christ's Body that it is hard to make proper
acknowledgments of help received. (1 Cor. 12:13-28; Eph. 4;11-13.) God no doubt intended
it to be so to keep us all humble and to teach us to give Him the glory always. Every good
gift comes first from Him. -- James 1:17. "Yet God has placed teachers
in the Body, whom we do well to listen to attentively, and mention of them we hold not to
be an improper recognition of them, They are not inspired, and so we must examine
carefully the Scripture proofs they offer for their teachings. God evidently has not
intended that all the brethren should learn everything by independent research, or He
would have given each the time and ability to do so. "We deem it a pleasure to
mention at least three writers that have helped us very much in our study of the Word. Of
the near approach of the Millennial Kingdom, we first learned through a faithful pastor,
arid the writings of H. Grattan Guinness (in 'The Approaching End of the Age,' and 'Light
for the Last Days'). On the subject of the mortality of man, we were first settled through
the writings of T. H. Pettingell (in 'Life Everlasting'). For the distinction between the
earthly and the heavenly inheritance and a general harmony of the Scriptures, we are
greatly indebted to the writings of C. T. Russell ('Millennial. Dawn' series). Praise God
for the light that is shining in our day." Shared in the
Sufferings of Christ
That Brother Streeter bore his
share of the sufferings of Christ there is abundant evidence of the trials and tests of the Narrow Way, he was fully aware. His record
shows that he drank the cup which the Master offers to all His footstep followers; and he
knew full well the bitter as well as the sweet of the Christian life. Writing to one of
the brethren concerning one of his severe trials, he said: "I am fully assured, that if
it had not been for some wise purpose, or good to be accomplished in me, the Lord would
not have permitted these perplexing difficulties to come in my path. The trials,
themselves do not seem difficult to bear; it has been rather the strain of mind,
associated with getting the Lord's mind, just what to do under the circumstances. My firm
purpose all the time has, of course, been to act in that way that would be pleasing to the
Master." Like all those invited to suffer
with Christ, his trials were varied, and of such severity as to call into full exercise
all the wisdom and grace which he had received from God, and whatever lessons he had
previously learned in the school of experience became of use. Yet not only was his peace
undisturbed, but he bears witness that the conviction so rooted itself in his inmost being
that irk all this God's goodness was being shown, that he would have had nothing
different. The greatest trials bore fruit in the fullest blessings and sometimes in
clusters of blessings. He reflected that God was aware
of all this; he comforted himself with the consoling thought that he was seeking his
Master's glory; and that if 'in this way the greater glory would accrue to Him, for the
good of His people, it was no concern of the servant; nay, more than this, it behooved the
servant to be willing to go on in this path of trial, even unto the end of his course, if
so it should please his Master, who guided his affairs with Divine discretion. ____________ "The joy of loyal service to the King "Was it not indeed that the harvest-time, "And so the years flowed on, and only cast THE TRIBUTE TO HIS MEMORY
Address delivered at the funeral by Brother Hoskins. "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of
my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished 'my course I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid
up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at
that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." -- 2
Tim. 4:6-8. "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors; and their works do .follow, them." -- Rev. 14:13. MY friends, it is with the utmost
sense of unworthiness that I stand before you at the bier of this man. Mingled feelings of
grief and joy contribute to a storm of emotion in my soul, as attempt to express a message
of comfort concerning our dear Brother and his departure. The task before me seems beyond
my strength, and I should utterly shrink from it were it not for the fact that it was our
dear Brother himself who requested this service of me, almost with dying breath. I feel, friends, that we are
assembled at the bier of a great man of God, and that this is one of those supreme moments
that rarely come to us in life -- one of those occasions when our tears, our emotion, our
bowed heads speak with far greater eloquence than any words of human tongue. My feelings
are well represented in the language of another, who, standing at the bier of one he
greatly loved, said: "My brother, against this day of thy burying have kept this
alabaster flask, and come now beforehand to anoint thy body for the burial." I wonder if we are thinking and saying today that a great master in Israel has fallen. If so, let us reverse the matter and take the standpoint of faith, and say rather that a great master in Israel has risen. In gathering at this place today in deep and tender love of our Brother's memory, and to pay to him our loving respects, we realize that he needs nothing that we have to say; nor can we add anything to him or to his life by any word or act of ours; for he is indeed beyond all need and all danger; but it is for ourselves who are remaining awhile in the valley of shadows, that we sorrow; it is for our own edification that we tarry here, to consider some things pertaining to our Brother's life, hoping thus to gain some new impulse, some fresh inspiration, by which to press on faithfully in the path of duty and of service. A Burning and Shining
Light Removed
I am most confident, dear
friends, that we are at the bier of one whose departure now signifies that a brightly
shining spiritual light has been removed from our midst, for indeed the life and ministry
of our dear Brother Streeter was such. And, do we ask what it was about this man that
constituted him a light amongst the brethren? Our reply is, that our dear Brother was one
who knew God; he lead become well acquainted with His Divine Master; he had learned to
walk with God. Such a character and such a life always constitutes a burning and shining
light in the Church of God. Long years ago he came to know the Lord; and responding to His
call, to His voice of truth and grace, he experienced conversion. Then, following on to
know the Lord, he saw his privilege, he recognized as the will of the Lord that he should
dedicate his life and all his possessions to Him to be used in His service. As the years
have rolled by, consistent with his profession as a child of God, he walked in the path of
light, the pathway of truth and righteousness; learning more and more oŁ the Divine plans
and purposes, which qualified him to be a true minister of the Divine Word. His was indeed
a progressive life; his record shows that he was ever seeking to advance in the path of
light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Like all faithful children of God
he has let his light shine before others, and has sought to impart the knowledge of the
Lord's goodness and grace to all with whom he has come in contact down through the years. Our dear Brother had the courage
of his convictions; from time to time as he saw the Lord's leadings and recognized fresh
.truths, he was faithful and courageous in taking his stand on the side of the Lord and in
defense of the truth. He overcame the fear of man which bringeth a snare. I count myself most happy to have
enjoyed certain special privileges and blessings in association with Brother Streeter,
having traveled thousands of miles with him, on land and sea, both in this country and in
Great Britain. We have crossed the Atlantic Ocean together four times. During these weeks
and months of companionship and travel, we have had many precious moments together, and
our fellowship in the Lord has been very sweet. It has been a source of special strength
and comfort to me to realize that I had his confidence and his love: His large experience
as, he has passed through the various stages and departments of the Christian life and of
Christian development, has peculiarly qualified him to be a wise counselor. And as we have
talked over together the various features of the Truth that go to make up our faith, and
have considered many things pertaining to the victorious Christian life, I have felt, and
realize more abundantly now, that my privileges have been very great. Scenes At His Death
Bed
I feel that I may with propriety
and profit at this time, make mention of my last opportunity of contact and communion with
our dear Brother, for truly in some respects this experience is treasured more highly than
any other: It was only a few hours before his death. Having learned that our dear
Brother's condition was growing steadily worse, and that he was more seriously ill than I
had known, I went to his home with our dear Brother Margeson. After a few moments of
intercourse with members of the family, I was given opportunity to go to Brother
Streeter's bedside alone. He appeared to be asleep, but he seemed to recognize immediately
that some one had entered the room, and so opened his eyes. As our eyes met, I am sure
there was but the one thought in his mind and in mine. For I recognized at once that he
was a very sick man, that unless a miracle were performed, his sickness was unto death;
the one thought in my mind, therefore, was, the hour has at last come. We had often talked together of
the close of his earthly pilgrimage, and he had frequently remarked that he realized that
his journey in the Narrow Way must end in the not far distant future. He had expressed
solicitude that he might finish his course and receive the Lord's blessed approval.
Therefore as I now looked into his face and saw his life ebbing away, it seemed as if I
could hear him say, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of, my departure is
at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day." I am sure that he recognized from
my countenance that this was my conviction, for it was impossible for me to restrain my
emotion. There was a moment of silence, for neither of us could speak. I could only lift
my hand and point heavenward; and as I did this, he knew full well what was in my mind,
and nodded his head affirmatively. Then I said, "Brother Streeter, it is all right;
everything is all right with you; you have nothing to fear." He replied in a broken
whisper, "Yes it is all right; I can trust Him." Another silence. Then he
proceeded, saying, again in a faint whisper, "I cannot remember ever having had such
a severe sickness before, and it seems that my work in the Master's vineyard is about
over." I replied, "Yes, Brother Streeter, I realize the situation and know that
you must feel as you express." Then he proceeded further, and said, "It may be
that I will recover from this sickness, but if I should not recover I desire that you take
full charge of the services, and give the address, etc." I assured him that
everything would be carried out according to his instruction. Fearing that further conversation
would only intensify his suffering and aggravate the difficulty, I left his bedside. Then,
after a little time, I went back again. This time he put out his hand front under the
cover and moved it feebly back and forth, saying, "Goodbye, Goodbye." I replied,
saying, "Goodbye, Brother Streeter." Then he proceeded, saying, "Be
faithful." I replied, "Yes, my dear Brother, I want to be faithful. You have
been faithful, Brother Streeter, and all is well with you." Then he added, "You
have been faithful"; and I replied, "I desire to be more faithful in the future.
Just think, Brother Streeter, of the gIorious meeting that is just ahead of you; of the
glorious change just at hand, and the heavenly greeting of all the loved ones on the other
side." "Yes," he said, nodding his head; and I continued, "We cannot
sorrow for you, Brother Streeter; it is for ourselves that we sorrow, for you are leaving
us behind; but we all expect to join you and all the other dear ones in the near future,
we trust. And as you meet them on the other side, take our greetings to them and tell them
that we are looking forward to the glorious gathering of all the faithful there
shortly." Then again he said, "Goodbye, Goodbye," and I took my departure. These last moments with our dear
Brother were most precious and inspiring to me, and I thank the Lord most earnestly that
He gave me this privilege. A Progressive
Christian
'There were various important and
outstanding features in Brother Streeter's life. One of these was that he had been so
exercised by Divine truth and the discipline of the Lord that he was truly a tolerant and
broad-minded Christian. He had come to recognize what many still do not properly
appreciate, namely the necessity for granting liberty to all the brethren to think and
decide for themselves matters of Christian doctrine, and he exercised that liberty
himself-studying the Divine Word and exercising his discretion and discernment as he saw
the Lord's leading. He was able to take by the hand in full Christian fellowship all those
who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ unto obedient faith, regardless of whether or not
they saw with him on other items and points of the faith. Thus the love of Christ, the
spirit of his Divine Master shrine out in his experience in such a way as to convince us
fully that he clearly appreciated the foundation of Christian brotherhood, and what it is
that constitutes us members of the Body of Christ. Like all great Christian leaders
he has lived in advance of his time. While many brethren have truly appreciated the
life-work of our Brother, yet we are sure that many others subsequent to his day will more
abundantly value his service. Like other leaders too he has spoken truths that have not
always met with ready reception; truths that have antagonized some, who, living much in
the present, and slow to believe, would throttle and bind the truth and hinder its
progress; for through all the, ages there have been those amongst the Lord's people who
have been dull of hearing and slow to discern the Divine Message and the progress of
Truth. Our dear Brother did not profess
perfection in the flesh, and I am sure that were he present today, he would resent any
disposition on our part to magnify his personal merit and worth. We realize that there
have been none perfect down through the ages except the One who is our glorious Redeemer,
and He is our example in every way. But we are sure that our dear Brother was constantly
seeking that higher life, and in heart and purpose was pure and holy, ever trusting,
however, in the merit of the precious blood, as all must do who would maintain their
standing in full fellowship with the Lord. Amongst Great
Prophetic Students
I feel that I can truthfully say
that our dear Brother has taken his place amongst the great prophetic students, for such
he was. Very early in his Christian experience he became a searcher and student of history
as well as prophecy, for truly he who would understand prophecy must become informed
respecting many details of history. Brother Streeter has devoted many long years to the
study of history and prophecy, and this has peculiarly qualified him to write and speak
along those lines to the people of God. Do we ask why was he especially
interested in prophecy, and why did he devote so much time to this study? The reply is
that like the holy ones of old, he was deeply interested in the Divine purpose for the
redemption of the world; the promise of God's Kingdom to be established here on this
earth, causing the Divine will to be done amongst men as is done in heaven, and the
promise that the time would therefore come when all in their graves should come forth, and
sorrow and sighing should be no more-these promises were of great import to our dear
Brother. And again, like the men of ancient time, he longed to know when the King of Glory
would comes in and establish His Kingdom, and When He would put an end to the reign of sin
and death Like the beloved Daniel of old, our Brother inquired, "How Gong shall be
the time?" The Lord did not rebuke Daniel for making this inquiry; nor has He
reprimanded other saintly ones who have made similar inquiries down the ages. Indeed the
Lord has indicated His hearty approval of the attitude and disposition on the part of His
faithful, trusting children, to know more distinctly their Father's plans and purposes,
that their faith might be stimulated and strengthened, and that they might thereby become
more efficient servants the Lord, in letting their light shine in this dark world. Illumination of
Daniel and Revelation
Thus this disposition was most
obvious in our beloved Brother. The book of Revelation in the New Testament and the
prophecy of Daniel in the Old seem to occupy places of greatest importance amongst all the
books of prophetic testimony. These two books of the Bible were given much study by
Brother Streeter -- study which was rewarded with deep insight into their many lessons and
visions. Like the great Apostle Paul it is probable that our dear Brother saw more deeply
into the meaning of prophetic testimony, and grasped more fully certain facts and truths
set forth in these prophecies, than he was able to express with either tongue or pen. We
recall how St. Paul tells us that he himself was caught away to the. third heaven and was
privileged of the Lord to see various things that were not possible for him to relate-so
stupendous and marvelous were they. And what were those things? Ah, they were those grand
and sublime things that appertain to the glorious consummation of the great Plan of God.
The third heavens or the third great dispensation of human experience is the one marked
out in God's purpose and providence for the redemption and deliverance of humanity from
sin and death; Therefore, this third great dispensation mentioned by St. Paul is the one
in which God's King-dom shall rule and bring in the recovery of the dead -- the
resurrection and restoration of all the willing and obedient to paradise and to
everlasting life. My friends, are we not all interested in these great and sublime things
that relate to the salvation of the Church and the world? His Labors Finished
In the course of time Brother
Streeter, we believe, was specially blessed of the Lord in being given an opportunity to
write down the things that had come to his mind, after long years of study of these
prophecies in connection with history. And so we feel specially favored today in that he
has performed an important part in supplying for the Lord's people a completed exposition
of the book of Revelation. But this is not all for our Brother has also greatly assisted
in illuminating the book of Daniel. He was engaged in finishing this exposition when his
last illness overtook him. Most deeply impressed was I with
others this morning when we were at Brother Streeter's home and visited his little
study-room upstairs. There lay on his table his books and papers just as he had left them
when he ceased his efforts a few days ago. There had appeared in "The Herald"
all but the last of the articles on the book of Daniel. And now here, lying on his table
was the manuscript for the last article completing the series, almost finished. This scene
was truly an inspiring one, as it seemed to speak to us eloquently of the fact that the
Lord's providence has been specially manifest in sparing and sustaining the life of our
dear Brother until he should finish this, his last work on earth. And we now thank God for
this evidence of His love and care. It has been my great privilege to
be in close association with Brother Streeter in preparing these matters for publication,
and I have noted unmistakably the evidence of the Lord's blessing upon the efforts put
forth to illuminate the pages of His holy prophecy. I have been partic-ularly impressed
more recently in following the exposition through the eleventh chapter of Daniel. As I
have done this carefully, I am convinced beyond .any doubt that what has been presented is
the true solution of that marvelous prophecy. He Saw The Time
Drawing Near
You will remember that Daniel had
been making earnest inquiry of the Lord as to the meaning of certain visions, and in the
eleventh chapter of this book there is the record of the angel's special message to
Daniel. It commences with a reference to the Kingdom of Persia. then existing,
approximately five hundred years before Christ's Advent. As we trace the angel's message
through this Entire chapter we find that we are brought right up to the time of the
establishing of Messiah's Kingdom, for the first verse of chapter twelve commences,
"At that time shall Michael stand up and many of them that sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake," etc. Throughout this chapter which covers the long sweep of human
history, approximately 2500 years, from the kingdom of Persia unto the Kingdom of God's
dear Son, the great outstanding features of history are dealt with; the terrible .strife,
the cruel wars that have been waged between certain great leading powers of the world seem
distinctly marked. The prominent and over-shadowing kingdoms and powers that have existed
from that day to this, such as have more or less bearing upon the development of the
Divine Plan, and that stand more or less related to the interests of the people of God
during all this long period of time, are distinctly referred to. Amongst these are the
Greek and Roman Empires; the great anti-Christian Apostasy, the Mohammedan. power, the
Ottoman Turkish power, etc. In fact, in the light of this marvelous prophecy we find
ourselves borne across the stormy ages of human strife, to this time when very little
remains to be fulfilled. The journey of the people of God toward the Heavenly Kingdom is
almost at an end, and it is to be seen that the Kingdom of God's dear Son and the
restitution of all things are amongst the grand and sublime features next in order. No wonder then that our dear
Brother, whose life-work and memory we honor today, has been deeply concerned in the study
of these things, and that he longed to impart to others the blessings of knowledge and
truth enjoyed by himself. What a blessing indeed these
expositions of the book of Revelation and that of Daniel have been to God's people in
these days! We are in a position to know definitely, for there are hundreds of letters
that come before our attention from all parts of the world, which give implicit confidence
that great blessings upon heart and head have been received by a goodly number of
fellow-travelers in the Narrow Way. Brother Streeter himself has read many of these
letters, and we are sure his own heart was cheered thereby. Gone Home to
Immortality
We behold now that our dear
Brother has laid down his cross, he has put off the armor of his Christian warfare, for he
no longer needs that; his fight is finished, and the crown of glory, we are confident, is
his. His hope was that he might be one of the faithful who would share the glory of the
Lord and be given the unspeakable privilege of reigning with Him in His coming Kingdom,
and of assisting in the blessing of all the world. As he was confident that we had reached
that point of time when the Second Presence of Christ was due, and when all the signs
about us indicate the fact _or His presence, his trust was that the moment of his death
would be the moment of his change; "changed in a moment, in the. twinkling of an
eye." He therefore believed that we were living in that time referred to by the
angel. in. Revelation 14:13: "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them." His expectation
was, that faithfulness unto death at the present time would therefore mean to share in
this unspeakable blessing of being changed in a moment, without entering into a period of
sleep in death, and not: needing to wait any longer, since the time of the gathering of
the Church to glory is at hand. What joy therefore we share today, in this confidence that
our dear Brother has -put on immortality and is forever with the Lord ! Oh, my brethren, what an
inspiration to those of us who are left behind in this dark vale, to press on in the life
of trust, of obedience, of service, faithfully unto death! What holy incentive and impulse
come to us as we thus by faith look beyond the stormy and troublous scenes of the present
time, and realize that there is awaiting all those who are faithful, a grand and glorious
greeting and reception in the Heavenly Courts! Let us think much of that glorious
gathering in the Holy City of God, wherein is no darkness at all, no pain, no sorrow, no
death; for it is indeed the City of life and of light. And may we resolve upon this solemn
occasion to bend all our energies toward the fulfillment of our sacred duty, that like our
dear Brother we may finish our course with joy and receive at last the "Well
done" of our Divine Master. Amen. NOW AND AFTERWARD
"Now, the sowing and the weeping, "Now, the
pruning, sharp, unsparing; "Now, the long and toilsome duty "Now, the spirit conflict-riven, "Now, the training, strange and lowly, BRIEF ADDRESSES OF OTHER BRETHREN
FINE EXAMPLE OF
CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
By Pastor H. B. Carpenter H. B. Carpenter, Pastor of the
Stewart Street Baptist Church, the church where Brother Streeter held his services Sunday
afternoons, and where he was highly esteemed, said in part: We liked Brother Streeter here at
Stewart Street, because he represented the type of Christian disciple who, in these days,
makes the 'strongest appeal to men. He was not a fundamentalist, for
he was never intolerant; always kindly, gracious, courteous, though his views may not have
always harmonized with the views of others. He was not a modernist, for he was never
destructive. He did not tear down what others cherished on the pretext that it was not the
truth. He was a constructive force in the Kingdom of God. He was a middle of the road
student of the Scriptures, searching and finding the pure milk of the Word. To such a fine
example of Christian discipleship, to such a man of vision and faith, we can not say
Goodbye, but, just Goodnight, until the morning breaks and the shadows flee away. FILLED WITH SPIRIT OF
CONSECRATION
By Brother Harvey A. Friese It is but a few short weeks since
we sat in the auditorium at Ulster Park, N. Y., on the border of lovely .Mirror Lake, and
listened to Brother Streeter's sermon on "Consecration," which was so clear and
comforting. It has been my privilege to know
dear Brother Streeter over a period of about twenty-five years, and I count it among my
richest blessings. I remember his first visit to us in Springfield, more than twenty years
ago, when he spoke twice to the little Class in the home of our dear Brother Kihlgren --
in the afternoon from the book of Ephesians, and in the evening from Revelation. Over
these intervening years we have heard him many times, and we feel we owe to him much in
the Lord. His last address in Springfield was given at our Convention there on Sunday,
August 31, last. It was indeed a most helpful discourse, filled with the spirit of
consecration to the Lord. I can never forget him in those
wonderful early morning prayer-meetings at the Ulster Park Convention last September, when
we gathered before the day's services to obtain help and strength for the speakers of the
day. And there, as we knelt around the throne of heavenly grace, beloved Brother
Streeter's earnest petitions seemed to draw us, in a special way, very close to the Lord.
The sweet savor of those prayers, unitedly, will ever abide. But dear Brother Streeter's own
words will be better than any I may utter, so I will just give two thoughts from his last
discourse at Ulster Park, as I jotted them that day in my notebook. He said: "The
great purpose of this Convention to us is, that we may be filled with the Spirit and power
of God, to the end we may be faithful to our consecration, even unto death. You have
received wonderful mercies and blessings from God. Are you sufficiently appreciative of
them?" CHRIST-LIKENESS IN
HIS WALK IN LIFE
By Brother A. N. Pierson About three weeks ago I expected
to have Brother Streeter come to make me a little visit at my home, but when we went to
meet him, we were told that he had been taken sick, and I felt much disappointed that he
could not be with us. I first met the dear brother
about twenty-two years ago, at the home of Brother David Kihlgren, in Springfield, Mass.,
and I was much interested in his clear way of presenting the Truth, and the humble,
Christian Spirit he exhibited. I met him many times after that at conventions, always
finding him the same. I have every reason to believe that he has made his calling and
election sure. Have we anything to do with the making of our election sure? Yes, indeed.
We read: "Whom He did foreknow He did predestinate to become copies of His dear
Son," and I think that he snowed that he was one of these predestinated ones, in his
humble Christ-like spirit which he manifested in his walk in life. Brother Morton Edgar of Glasgow,
Scotland, who, with his brother, John, wrote the book on the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, was
my guest for a couple of weeks, and I have become very much interested in the teachings of
the Bible "in stone," and its passages, pointing. out the different
dispensations of God's dealings with the human race. Referring to the Grand Gallery,
representing the whole of the Gospel Dispensation from Pentecost to 1914, taking a Pyramid
inch for each year, a three-foot slab standing at the top of this narrow way, brings us
exactly to 1914. What is there beyond this slab of stone? We have the Ante-chamber,
representing a school-room, and it seems to me that Brother Streeter in this School of
Christ, had taken up the writing of the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as his last
piece of work left for us to study and enjoy. And in this connection I am reminded of the
fifth chapter of Revelation, where we read about the scroll in the right hand of Him that
sat upon the throne, and that no one was found worthy to open that scroll (representing
God's great Plan) until our Lord Jesus had secured the ransom. Our dear Brother Streeter
was found not only worthy to look upon this scroll, but also to disseminate its truths. We shall miss him, very much,
both by his writings and his presence; so it has been said: "earth will seem the
poorer to the Lord's people, but heaven beyond, the richer." LONG YEARS OF
FAITHFUL SERVICE
By Brother Ingram
I. Margeson Just one month ago today, he to
whom we are paying the last earthly respects, addressed a congregation of the Lord's
people in Boston. His text was, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches." He died in active service in the Lord's vineyard, for them
he loved so much -- our Lord Jesus Christ and the dear Heavenly Father; and the service
rendered was always a loyal and loving one. Such an example to us all His faithful
ministry for more than twenty years has been blessed by God to me, but especially during
the last eight years, which has seemed like borrowed time from the Kingdom for a special
purpose here. Through his ministry I have been the recipient of much rich spiritual
blessing, and I am sure I have not been the only one so blessed. He has sown faithfully
for more than forty long years, and that faithful sowing has been a blessing to many. During these eight loaned or
extended years God gave to him an almost unhoped for privilege, namely that of writing an
exposition on the book of Revelation -- an exposition which has been published in two
volumes, containing more than 1200 pages. These books have gone already to various parts
of the earth, and many Christians are greatly rejoicing in the unfolding of the symbols in
the message of Jesus 'Christ to His Church. The letters of appreciation have come not only
from America, but also from distant points -- Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany,
England, Scotland, Ireland, as well as from other places. The. precious seed thus sown by
those who have written, and have entered into their reward, proves a wider blessing than
the writers could have hoped. A word here to the children:
Father has gone from you. He has entered into His eternal reward. Soon you will lay yonder
on the hillside all the remaining mortal. But bear, in mind that if father could speak to
you today, he would exhort you to seek Him whom he long ago sought and found to his great
joy and rejoicing. And this joy has been, with him during all these long years of faithful
service for the Lord Jesus Christ, the world's Redeemer. Permit me to mention a few words
which fell from his lips not long before his change came. They were spoken after his
recent illness had greatly weakened his mortal body, and they are so precious to me. Last
Tuesday as I stood by his bed, he said, "Brother Margeson, it has been a long day;
more than forty years in the vineyard of the Lord Blessed years of service! But they are
almost over now." Looking up, he continued: "The treasure is all right -- all
right up there. I can and I do trust it with Him." Then on last Thursday when I was
privileged again to see him, his last words to me were: "Over, there God shall wipe
away all tears. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain." A little later he added: "I am trusting, trusting in
Him, and it is all right. Brother Margeson, Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye." . Brother R. E. Streeter was a most
loving and in deed a most courageous Christian. As he lived so he died. "It is
finished!" When our Lord had uttered these words at Calvary, He had finished bearing
the cross and laid it down. But each of. His followers, each of His disciples must take up
his cross and bear it after Him. Our Brother had taken 'it up long, long years ago, and he
faithfully bore it. His cross-bearing ceased at 4.20 P.M., December 20, 1924, and the
crown-wearing, we believe, then began. The mortal was laid aside and our confidence is
that he was rewarded with immortality. What a Christmas present is his in 1924!
joint-heirship with Jesus Christ in the mansions of glory. Blessed consummation of his
hopes! ADDITIONAL TESTIMONIES
"HE WAS A GOOD
MAN, AND FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"
Slowly, gently, almost tenderly
the casket is sinking into the grave. Ferns and flowers now for a moment yield their place
to it, then, as it disappears from view, close their ranks again, in what might be taken
for a loving embrace. A brother is praying -- imploring our Father, the God of all
comfort, to comfort our hearts, to give special grace to the dear bereaved ones left
behind. Tears are held back by some with difficulty; with others they are flowing freely. Our party had traveled more than
twenty-four hours and had arrived just in time for the closing scene in the service of
December 23, a service, the memory of which brings feelings to the heart at once so
bitterly sweet, and yet so sweetly bitter. Bitter, as we contemplate the future and
reflect that we must engage in its cares and duties without his word of cheer, his smile
of welcome, his wise and loving and fatherly counsel; sweet, as our thoughts turn upward
and we remember that he has entered into the joys of our Lord. And now the privilege has been
extended to me of expressing through the pages of "The Herald" some of the
feelings which we are all experiencing at this time, which well up in our hearts in such
an uncontrollable way. How shall I find fitting words of tribute to and appreciation of
our dearly beloved Brother Streeter whom the Lord has just called home? Some one has said that
"Human life means tender teens teachable twenties, tireless thirties fiery forties,
forcible fifties, serious sixties, sacred seventies, aching eighties, shortening breath,
death, the ,sod, God." Except for the "aching eighties," these words seem
to find an appropriate fulfillment in the life of our dear. Brother. It was only in his "sacred
seventies" that it was my privilege to become intimately acquainted with him, and
though from his own lips I learned from time to time something of his earlier years, I
shall confine my remarks to those impressions gathered through the intimacy of those
"sacred seventies" which became each year more endearing. Of Barnabas it has been written
that 'He was a goodman, full oŁ the Holy Spirit", and perhaps these words will best
describe my impression of our dear departed Brother in Streeter. Indeed, this was the
impression he made upon all with whom he came in touch. As soon as people saw him, and
especially when they heard him speak, his quiet, unassuming, meek, Christ-like spirit won
their confidednce. Then, too, as was the case with Barnabas, what a ,comforter of the
brethren our Brother proved himself to be. When our dear Brother Russell rested from his
labors, now more than eight years ago, many of the dear friends were in sore need of
comfort. At that time our dear Brother Streeter was leaving his "serious
sixties". He had reached a time of life when no just criticism could have been made
had he disclosed a disposition to take things easy, to pass on to younger shoulders the
pastoral cares which pressed upon him. But his seventies will always be remembered by us
as sacred when we reflect upon the diligence and zeal with which he sought to comfort,
with the comforting words of Jesus, those in Zion that mourned. Truly he was a good man,
full of the Holy Spirit. While it is this trait in the
character of our dear Brother on which I love most to dwell-the meek and quiet spirit of
the Master, the gentle and lovable disposition of Christ's man, which will ever be an
inspiration to me, and I trust to us all as we each seek to finish our course here -- yet
there are two other phases of his character which I would briefly mention ere I close my
tribute of appreciation. The first is that of thoroughness in the study of God's Word, and
the second that of courageous loyalty thereto. By those who knew him, no words of mine are
needed to attest these. By those who had not this privilege, clear convincing proof may be
seen in the writings he left behind, especially in his exposition of our Lord's Revelation
and of the book of Daniel. Happy may we count ourselves that the Lord left him with us
long enough to unfold these visions. May it be with us as it was with Brother Streeter, as
it had been before with Daniel; when he listened to the voice of prophecy: "When he
had spoken unto me I was strengthened." May God's comforting strength be
given our Brother's dear partner, whom he loved so well, and to the other members of his
family. May the brethren with whom he was associated in the ministry be guided in their
future deliberations by the same clear counsel which he was wont to give. May the Lord
grant us all to follow him even as he followed Christ, for Jesus' sake, Amen. P. L. Read, Indianapolis, Ind. A SACRED MEMORY
The telegram announcing Brother
Streeter's "passing beyond" -- funeral arrangements -- our attendance and return
home -- all seem like a dream. Brother Streeter gone? Yes, to meet "face to
face" the One whose last message to the Church he had been so intent upon
interpreting. It is remarkable (yet we are
assured that "He safely leads His Church alone") that Brother Streeter should
have been spared us long enough to finish his exposition on Revelation before laying down
the pen that had so faithfully been used in his ministry to the saints -- "Immortal
until his work was done." And what labor bestowed upon that which embraces the 1900
years' career of the Church and comprehended in the two volumes on "The Revelation of
Jesus Christ"! What searching of Scripture, of history, and of the writings of
saintly men from Polycarp's day down to the present-noting the ever-increasing light upon
the "path of the just" "that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day." The work of a life time! "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends." Can we wonder at the sweet spirit that pervades
the writings of one that sat at Jesus' feet, pondering His message to the Church through
the beloved John! How sweet too the Preface to the First Volume of the Revelationas -- as
though from Brother Russell's pen. A brief visit to the Streeter
home was an added privilege. The "Study" -- a sacred memory -- open Bibles,
pencil notes, memoranda -- all silent, but potent evidences of a scholar in the School of
Christ having unexpectedly been called away. If the walls could speak -- What
communications with the Heavenly Father! What wrestlings with the Lord for guidance --
light, more light! How "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His
saints." What an incentive so inspiring a
life, to a "closer walk with God"! With
much Christian love, Your
brother in Christ. E. W. V. Kuehn, Toledo, Ohio. _________________ "My days are gliding swiftly by, "For O we stand on Jordan's strand, "Should coming days be cold and stark,
"Let sorrows rudest tempest blow, THE STORY OF HIS APPROACH TO GOD
SAVED BY GRACE ALONE
[This article was written by Brother Streeter in 1887, IN MY youthful days I was denied
the formative influence of a Christian home. I never heard the voice of prayer there; and
while there was a Bible in the house, it was never read or even opened. Of my. very
earliest years I have a dim recollection of attending Sunday School until I was eleven.
This, together with about a year's attendance, at the age of fifteen, was all the
religious privileges I ever had, or at least availed myself of, until my conversion at the
age of thirty. I do not think I ever heard more than half a dozen sermons in my life until
this time. Neither do I remember of a single person ever speaking to me about my need of
Christ. I did not have the faintest idea of what it meant to be a Christian, and of course
never felt the slightest drawing in that direction. At the age of seventeen I got
into the society of those who despised all religious things; and from this time, up to my
marriage at twenty-two, and on to the age of thirty, I grew more and more skeptical
concerning the Christian religion, and this, without any examination of its evidences. I even became bitter and
outspoken in my opposition to Christians, and would frequently speak disparagingly of
them. In fact I became an agnostic, and seemingly almost confirmed in infidelity. In all
these years my foolish heart was indeed enmity against God; and yet .He was patient with
me, and ever had me in His mind, and when the proper time came, He arrested my steps, and
revealed Himself to me as the God of love. I can look back now, and see how
even in my unbelief and hardness, He was, unconscious to myself, preparing me to face the
great question, "What will you do with Christ?" I am satisfied that God uses
those agencies to arrest the footsteps of the unregenerate and willful which are best
suited to the condition and circumstances of each. Arid it was so in my case. I was
ignorantly prejudiced against the Church, and could not be influenced to attend any of its
services. I would not have listened to a personal, appeal from a Christian, because of my
blind suspicion of them. And so God took another way to remove what seemed to me to be,
the sincere distrust I had for His professed followers. I had nearly all my life been
studious in my habits, and had acquired quite an extensive knowledge of many things, and
particularly of history. I loved the study of the latter, and spent much of my leisure
time acquainting myself with its general outlines. My knowledge of the Bible was limited
wholly to that which had been acquired through the writings and sayings of infidels. I had
never thought of examining it for myself. But in the wise Providence of God something
transpired which awakened .within me what was at first only a curiosity to examine its
contents for myself. In the shop where I was employed,
I sat beside a man about sixty years of age, who was a professing Christian. This man was
far above the average in mental capability and was well informed on many topics, and had
been a very thoughtful student. In fact I wondered that one of so much knowledge was not
engaged in a different profession in life. He knew of my distaste for religious things,
and would rarely mention the subject. However he would converse on other matters, and as
he was so well informed, I enjoyed much our conversations together. On discovering my love for the
study of history, this subject would be very frequently discussed, and I soon learned that
his knowledge in this direction was much superior to my own. Quite frequently, while
talking on this subject, would he refer to the Bible as containing the best information
about the earlier history of man. At other times, when referring to the general unfolding
of history up to our own time, he would remark that God's Prophets had foretold this,
thousands of years before it came to pass. At first I would pay little attention to this,
being skeptical, but after a while I would find myself thinking that a man so well
informed about other matters, whom I had come to believe was strictly honest, might after
all not be mistaken about it. I soon had awakened within me a
desire to find out for myself whether it was so. And on one occasion, when the subject had
been concerning the rise of the Roman Catholic Church and some of its distinguishing
features, I carefully noted some of the places in the Bible which he said contained these
predictions. And when in my home, all alone, I would get the Bible, and after long
searching, find these Scriptures, and read them over and over. Among these references was,
the seventeenth chapter of Revelation. I would read it carefully, and it was not long
before I began to see, although dimly, that there was, to say the least, a strong
correspondence between the history of the Papal Church and these predictions. This was the beginning of what
came gradually to be a regular habit. It soon became a custom with me to read the Bible
every day. At first it was simply with a desire to get familiar with its contents. After a
while I became strangely fascinated with it, and would read the book of Daniel quite
frequently. It was not long before I became sufficiently familiar with some of the
prophecies of this book to see their corres-pondence to history, although at first not
very clearly. Up to this time I had not attended any church, neither had any person ever
spoken to me about God's claims upon me. I grew more and more interested
in my new found study, and this was a subject of comment by different members of my
household. I began to read the New Testament (the. Gospels) and it became to, me more
interesting than my other books. It began gradually to have a certain influence in my
life. This, at first, was noticeable in my being restrained from the use of profane
language. At first it seemed impossible for me to believe the miracles to have been actual
occurrences. The more I read, however, the more my doubts seemed to vanish, and the story
of Jesus, became intensely fascinating. My life, up to this time, had
been like that of the average man of the world. I had sought pleasure in different
directions. I had a lucrative employment, and while not extravagant, I used my means in
one way and another in seeking happiness. God had given me a good and true wife, and three
children; the oldest about nine. My wife in her earlier, days had been brought up to have
reverence for the Christian religion, and through these influences was a believer in the
Bible, though not a professing Christian. She was early taught to pray, however, and
during our eight years of married life, she had continued to keep up this practice. At the time of which I write I
had taken up my residence in a quiet place, about three miles from the center of the city
of Providence. I had for about a year previous been exerting all my energies to obtain a
little home of my own -- had succeeded, and was now living in it. As I look back at this
time and remember all my experiences in getting this, my desire, gratified, I can see the
overruling hand of God, and the strange drawings of His Spirit. Quite frequently would I
find myself during the erection of this home, thinking that there must be a higher power,
outside of myself, that was mysteriously leading me on; and quite often I would try to
think it must be God, and I would endeavor to pray to Him, at the same time, I would be
filled with doubts concerning His interest in me. I had looked forward with much pleasure
to the time when I should be able to occupy my new home, expecting, somehow, that this
would bring to me my highest ideal of happiness. But now that I had obtained my desire, I
found that it did not give me what I sought. One evening, while sitting in my
home, with the old Bible in my lap (which had now become a familiar book to me), and my
children gathered close by my side, and my companion busy nearby with the household
duties, a strange impression took possession of my mind. It seemed to me as if the
happiness which I had been seeking, and which thus far had eluded me, lay somehow hidden
between the lids of that old Book. I mentioned it to my companion, and as my eyes rested
upon my children, so happy in their young innocence, the tears flowed freely, and it
seemed to me at that moment God was very near me. As 1 have already said, up to
this time no one had ever spoken to me about my need of God, and of Christ's claims. I do
not know that it would have done any good before this time. But God had a message for me,
and a messenger to deliver it; and one day while conversing with a man in the shop where I
was employed, I was asked a very pointed question, one which afterwards would frequently
intrude itself upon my mind. "Mr. Streeter," he
said, "if you should ever come to see that it was your duty to become a Christian,
would you become one?" With scarcely a moment's thought,
little thinking at the time that I would have occasion very soon to test the sincerity of
my reply, I said, "Yes, certainly, if
Christianity is true I surely would become a Chris-tian." A day or two following this
incident, I was invited by this same person to go and hear a certain preacher who was to
be at the church in the village where I resided. Although I had not been inside a church
for many years, I had such a desire to learn more about the Bible that I readily accepted
the invitation. I attended the service: the
sermon made little impression on my mind, but at the close, the speaker gave out an
invitation which brought me face to face with my statement of a few days before. "If
there are any here tonight," he said, "who are inquiring about the truth of
these things, who would like to know whether Christianity is Divine, I will assure such,
if they will publicly express such a desire, God will surely meet them, and give them a
knowledge not to be gainsaid." I sat like one stunned, and
thoughts came into my mind, which seemed as real as though a voice was speaking to me, and
saying, "That means you; you know that already you have become convinced that the
Bible is true, and you ought to rise." I endeavored to rise to my feet, but it seemed
as if a heavy weight was holding me down. Then conflicting thoughts would flit through my
mind, and what seemed like another voice would say, "Don't be foolish, what will.
your friends say?" And then my pride asserted itself, and as the speaker lingered,
waiting for a response, it seemed as if every one in the room knew it was I, he was
waiting for. Then what seemed like another voice, would say, "You said you would be a
Christian if you were convinced you ought to be"; and I felt that if I was honest I
would respond. But the meeting closed without my doing so, and I rushed out into the
night, avoiding conversation with any one, and it slowly dawned upon my mind that I had
come face to face with God. A brother who was not a
Christian, and who had sat by my side in the meeting, walked with me to my home. I said to
him, "W_____ , I ought to have responded to that invitation." He immediately
answered, "R______ , I felt I ought to, too." And then he told me that he had
frequently when attending meetings in another place, felt it his duty to become a
Christian. I turned and said, "W_____ , I never had such feelings as these
before," and with great earnestness, I repeated, "W______, if Christianity is
true I want to be a Christian, and I am determined to be one; but," I added, as all
my old prejudices against a church arose in my mind, "I do not think it is needful to
get it in a church, but believe it can be obtained at home." On reaching my home that night,
after all the members of the household had retired, I instinctively took up the Bible, and
without any thought of reading any particular portion, I opened it. Who can doubt but that
the unerring hand of the Almighty guided me that night. My eye rested upon the
twenty-first of Matthew, and I began to read It was the parable of the householder, and
the wicked servants to whole he let out his vineyard I had never read it before; but
supernatural light seemed given to me. I knew that Jesus Christ was giving a parabolic
picture of the Jewish nation I read of the householder sending his servants to gather the
fruit of the vineyard -- of the evil treatment they received; I read on, until I came to
the thirty-seventh verse, I read, "And last of all He sent His Son." I stopped reading, and to my
inner consciousness there seemed to come a voice, "He came for you! He died for
you!" And then I felt myself a poor unworthy sinner, undeserving of God's love; and I
could no longer contain my pent up emotions, and I sobbed aloud, and the tears flowed
freely down my cheeks. I was convinced of the Divinity of Jesus Christ's mission to this
world. But as yet I had no peace. I retired to my bed, but sleep refused to come to my
eyelids. I tried to pray, but did not know how. I requested my wife, who seemed to be
conscious of what I was passing through, to pray for me. But although she had observed the
form of prayer for years, she could not grant me my request. Morning came. I arose and
mechanically went to my work. All day long, I could think of nothing else than that I
wanted to be a Christian, but did not know how. Tears would be continually filling my
eyes, and I longed to know God. Toward the close of the day I thought of the meeting which
I knew would be held in the church that evening Conflicting emotions stirred my mind.
Sometimes I would think I would go to it, and then I would determine to keep away.
Finally, however, I decided to go and publicly make known my determination to become a
Christian. This decision I knew was a wise one, because it gave relief to my mind. I went
home. I told my wife of my purpose, and each time I made known my determination I would
feel that I was doing that which was right. I attended the meeting, this time
accompanied by my wife. At the close of the meeting when a request was made for all who
were seeking Christ to rise, I responded. I was almost a stranger in the church, but I
afterwards learned that my rising was only the beginning of quite a general seeking after
God in the village of Auburn. I went home! I struggled! I
wrestled! I prayed! yet no peace came. Another almost sleepless night. Again I went to the
shop. As yet I had spoken to no Christian about my condition, neither had any spoken to
me. I sat beside the old man who had first caused me to read the Bible. I overcame my
pride; I spoke to him; I told him my feelings; I said to him, "Mr. L_____, I want to
be a Christian, and I am willing to do anything to become one." And as if he had been
the mouthpiece of God (and he surely was to me that day), he said, "You have nothing
to do yourself; Jesus Christ has done it all." Immediately I saw it all in an
instant, and the heavy burden was lifted, the joy and peace filled my soul; I knew that I
had been accepted and made a child of God, and I believed the record of God concerning His
Son, and confessed Him as mine. This was years ago, and the way
has become brighter, and Christ has become dearer, and as I have had the Spirit unfold the
wonders of His great Plan of the Ages, and as I realize the wonderful destiny of the
called out ones of this Age, I can but ascribe "glory, and honor, and might, and
power, unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever." STEPS INTO AND OUT OF BABYLON
A RELIGIOUS
AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY THE EDITOR
[This article was written by Brother Streeter in 1901, and
published at that time in "The Testimony of Jesus," of which he was editor] THROUGH a reading of the Bible
with a sincere desire to know the truth, the writer was first awakened to a sense of his
accountability to God. This was at the age of thirty, at the close of 1877, it being the
first time that a desire was begotten in us to become a servant of God. We did not have to
seek long before we obtained a consciousness of favor with God through a hearty acceptance
of Christ as our Savior. Joined to Babylon
Being at the time very earnest
and zealous in our desire to serve God, we did that which seemed to us the best thing at
the time -- accepted an invitation to join a Free Baptist Church after symbolizing our
consecration to the Lord in the true manner by immersion. For a little over two years our
association with this people was very pleasant as well as helpful in our establishment in
the precious foundation truth of Christ's death for sinners. Very soon after becoming a
Christian, we were appointed a teacher of an adult Bible class, which had the effect of
increasing our desire and efforts. to acquire a true knowledge of God's Word. And,
doubtless, had we not cultivated that desire, we would have been satisfied to remain in
this precinct of Babylon until the present time. We sought in every way, however, to
cultivate this desire, and on account of this, encountered very soon the first crisis of
our Christian life, for our eyes began soon to open to the fact that it would be utterly
impossible for us to advance in our knowledge of God's Word, and be faithful in our
service for Him, if we continued to remain in this one of Babylon's many sects. This first crisis was brought
about by a discovery, through searching the Scriptures, that our Lord was coming back to
earth to establish a righteous kingdom over all the world. This truth, while only very
meagerly understood by us at the time, was very precious. Greatly desiring to learn more
about these solemn. matters, we quite frequently attended a church in an adjoining city,
whose pastor made very prominent in his preaching these most interesting themes. In our
conscientious desire to do our duty, however, we would not allow these pleasant seasons of
refreshing to interfere with the duties which we had assumed when joining the Free Baptist
sect. The First Step Out of
Babylon
Being a young Christian and
therefore unacquainted with the sectarian prejudices existing in the churches, we very
earnestly began to give testimony in our own church concerning these matters which were so
precious to us. We very soon, however, were made aware that we would either have to
refrain from mentioning these things in the church or be compelled to withdraw from the
organization. We soon found that the former would be impossible if we were to continue in
our growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so after much prayer, we were
led, after a public statement to the Church of our reasons, to request a letter of
withdrawal from the Church, to unite with an Evangelical Advent Church in an adjoining
city. We did not do this without many
regrets, for we had learned to love our Free Baptist brethren, as well as to prize the
little gatherings which in many respects had been so helpful to us in our progress in the
earlier and necessary experiences of Christian life. Arid thus because of our desire for
liberty to study and testify to God's truth, we were led, three years after our
conversion, to remove from one precinct of Babylon to another. The step cost us at the time much
misrepresentation and some persecution, but we were encouraged not a little by the fact
that it was for the truth's sake, and have since come to understand clearly that it was
the voice from heaven calling, "Come out of her My people," etc. - -Rev. 18-:4. The Evangelical
Advent Precinct of Babylon and Its Creed
We now found ourself housed in
the Evangelical Advent precinct of Babylon. Our new creed was in many respects similar to
our old one. We tried hard to contend earnestly for what at the time we. supposed to be
the truth of God -- the heathen Papal dogmas of natural immortality and eternal torment --
and hugged with superstitious reverence the erroneous and mystical doctrine of the
trinity. We rightly believed that no one could be saved without repentance and faith in
Christ, and while aware of the fact that nine-tenths of the human family had never heard
of the Savior, yet we believed that the heathen were dying at the rate of a hundred
thousand souls a day and passing to the awful doom of eternal torment, and that the
churches of Christendom, so-called, were responsible for this awful calamitous state of
affairs. These things we had succeeded in
making ourself think we believed, because we supposed that they were all taught in the
Bible. It would not have done for us, therefore; to consider for a moment the
unreasonableness and injustice of our creed, because we thought it would be exhibiting
disloyalty to God. In joining this sect of Babylon,
we were privileged to enjoy as much as we could our belief in these things, even as we
were in our previous quarter of Babylon. We had, however, in addition to these, a few more
articles of faith, which, with the others mentioned, seemed to us at the time to contain
about the whole Plan of God in a nutshell. We also believed our Lord was soon coming, and
in, as far as that coming was to effect us who were prepared for it, we had occasion to,
and did rejoice in it greatly. But the other features which our creed declared was the
object of His coming, were not to us occasion for rejoicing. We believed when He would
make His Advent, the great Plan of Redemption would be immediately finished, the great
judgment Day (a literal day of twenty-four hours) would be inaugurated, and the destiny of
the human family (notwithstanding that we believed that each individual's destiny was
decided at death) would be decided on that day: We believed the spirits of the righteous
world come from their happy abode, where some of them had for thousands of years been in
the enjoyment of heavenly bliss, and uniting with their bodies again, be taken up into the
clouds with their Lord. The earth would be then set on fire and all the human beings, as
well as other creatures which had life, would be immediately destroyed. We further
believed that while this fire would end the sufferings of the animals, it would not end
those of human beings, as their souls would go down into hell torment to join the other
numerous host there. The fire would be so fierce that it would literally dissolve the
earth into a liquid mass, and after the traces of sin were thoroughly burned out of it, it
would cool off and be immediately made over new again. We further believed that after this
work would be finished, which would occupy but a few, days or weeks at the most, the
comparatively few righteous who were all this time up, in the air with their Lord, would
descend to the earth and begin to build and plan it, etc. After the saints had enjoyed a
thousand years of perfect happiness on earth, the souls of the wicked would be brought out
of hell torment, and uniting with their bodies again, would stand, a mighty host (sonic
forty or fifty billions), on the earth. Satan would be let loose and would assume the
leadership of this host. After organizing them, he would lead them in an attempt to
capture the New Jerusalem (which according to our creed was a literal city which came down
out of heaven at the beginning of the thousand years), where the saints had entrenched
themselves. Just when it seemed as though this myriad host was about to overwhelm God's
immortal saints, fire would come down from God out of heaven and devour them all. But this
would not be the end of this wicked host, for our creed further taught that 'their
immortal spirits would again be embodied and they would then be cast into a lake of
literal fire where they would be preserved and tortured forever and ever. This, according
to our creed, would end sin on the earth, and in so far as this comparatively small
company of saved ones was concerned, there would be no more death, neither sorrow nor
crying, neither would there be any more pain. But in this other abode of sin and sorrow,
all these things excepting literal death, would exist without end. Another Step Out of
Babylon
After remaining a year (from 1881
to 1882) in this precinct of Baby-lon, and (notwithstanding that we had some misgivings
that some parts of our creed might not be just right) enjoying many precious seasons of
fellowship with God's people there, we then took steps, which had the hearty co-operation
of our fellow Christians in this sect, which finally resulted in the organization of a
branch church of this (to our mind) model church, in our own native town. The Lord, who knew all things
from the beginning, permitted this, for He saw how it could be overruled to our
advancement in a knowledge of His Truth and Plan, as we still held very tenaciously to the
true Protestant tenet, that the Bible itself must ever be the final test of creeds. After
the organization of a church of twelve members, the question of adopting the above creed
came up for consideration. It was, however, providentially postponed from time to time,
until at last we found that our prayerful study of the Scriptures had resulted in the
discovery that our creed bed was altogether too short to stretch ourself out upon, and its
covering too narrow to wrap us up in comfortably. In other words, we found many things in
the Bible that holy men of old had spoken of that we were unable to fit into our creed at
all. We began also for the same reason to have many misgivings that it might be possible
that some things stated in the creed light be incorrect, if not indeed gross
misrepresentations of the God we so loved to serve and honor. Outgrown Our Creed
We therefore ceased to press the
matter of adopting the creed of the Evangelical Advent precinct of Babylon, and continued
to study our Bible, until we very shortly discovered that we had outgrown our creed
entirely, and finally concluded that the Bible itself was the best and safest creed to
adopt, as that was fixed and unchangeable and we were always finding new revelations; and
beside all this it was a creed that would never need to be revised. It would occupy too much space in
this brief sketch to describe how, through Bible study and trials of various kinds, we
were led to reject one after another of the false Babylonian dogmas in the creeds, and
progress slowly but surely out into the clear light of God's great Plan of Redemption. The
defiling of the true sanctuary class was foretold by both Daniel and John. The process by
which this 'class was to be cleansed from these false doctrines we have since learned was
foretold in one of the visions of Revelation. HOW HE BORE TESTIMONY
TO THE
In
another. extract from the paper, "The Testimony of Jesus" As the writer was thus brought
face to face with these inevitable conclusions, so momentous, and fraught with such
eternal conse-quences as affecting the destiny of the greater majority of the human
family, a conviction of the Truth began to take possession of his mind. This conviction
grew deeper and deeper as in a prayerful, meditative frame of mind he began to consider
other Scriptures which now began to have a new and fuller meaning concerning the
far-reaching effects of the sacrifice of Christ. Once having settled conclusively the
meaning of John 3:16 as it related to the two points mentioned above, hundreds of passages
were found all harmonizing the same blessed teaching. The crisis was passed, and while
there were many things yet that needed further light before he could be clear in his mind
to give out that light to others, it began to dawn upon his mind the effect of an open
frank avowal of his new found light. He understood full well that this
fuller knowledge of God's great Plan meant a complete revolution of some of his
theological views, and that an open avowal of them would cause a separation from him of
some of his fellow Christian workers, as well as possibly affecting his future ministry in
some quarters. He therefore spent many hours at different times in prayer and study that
he might make no mistake, but go on with God whatever might be the consequences. The first thing the writer was
led of God to do was to make known privately to some of his fellow-workers in the church
of which he was pastor, and afterwards to speak publicly on the truth of one opportunity
of salvation for all the race. It was not, however, until December 1898, that he was led
to give out the Truth in "The Testimony." It was in a series of articles under
the heading of False Views of Election. From that time up to the present the writer has
spent much time in prayer, waiting on God to obtain the special matter for each issue of
"The Testimony," as also in giving it out to his Church. The Truth has met with
opposition; but has been a great blessing to the writer in giving it out, and has resulted
in some subscribers discontinuing their subscriptions, but new ones have filled their
places. As regards the church of which
the writer is pastor, the Truth has had a wonderful reviving effect upon its members. It
is a harvest truth, and like no other causes siftings and separating. "He that
goeth forth and weepeth, seed of grace in sorrow bringing, BROTHER STREETER'S LAST SERMON
"HE THAT HATH AN
EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH UNTO THE CHURCHES." -- REV. 2:7.
[We publish below the last sermon delivered
by Brother Streeter, about four weeks prior to his death. The notes of this discourse have
been copied just as they were found in his note book, that the reader may thereby gain all
the more accurate impression as to the delivery, nature, substance, etc., of the sermon.
In consideration of all the circumstances and conditions existing among the Lords people,
it is recognized that the lessons herein presented are of peculiar and solemn significance
to the Church of Christ.] "Unto the angel of the
Church of Ephesus write These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right
hand, who walketh in the midst of the seen golden candlesticks." The Lord alone makes His
ministers. A church can neither make them or remove them. A church may remove one by its
votes from serving it; but if that one is one that the Lord has made, He will find other
service for him. "I know thy works, and thy
labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast
tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars "And hast borne, and hast
patience, and for My name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. "Nevertheless I have
somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. "Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen ; and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. "But this thou hast, that
thou hatest the .deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. "He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: to him that overcometh will I give to
eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." - Rev. 2:1-7. I. The importance of these
Epistles. II. The individuality of the
application of text. III. The peculiar significance of
the expression "what the Spirit- saith," etc. IV. An examination of the meaning
of "the churches." V. A few of the commendable
characteristics possessed by this Church. VI. The one great evil that
overshadowed these characteristics. "Let any one who has an ear,
listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches." -- Rev. 2:7. I. To any one who professes to be
a follower of Christ, it would seem almost unnecessary to emphasize the importance of
these epistles of our Savior. And yet, as we look around us and see how little they are
read and studied, we are compelled to believe that it is necessary. In calling attention
to a few things that prove them of more than special importance, we note 1. They
are among the very last words of Christ, given by Him to St. John sixty years after His
disciples saw Him ascend to heaven. 2. The
very searching exhortation of the text is repeated seven times. 3.
Another thing that shows their importance is their wide application a. To
pastors or elders, the two words being synonymous. (It would seem to be one of the special
duties of this class to read, to study, expound, and make forceful the lessons contained
in these messages.) b. To
the Church of Christ in all generations. c. To
individuals especially. 4.
Furthermore, when rightly understood, it is discovered that they depict the various stages
of decline in both individual and church life. 5. And
last, but not the least important, they make known those things which must be overcome in
order to at last inherit the Kingdom honors. II. Let us pause to note briefly
the individuality of this exhortation. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches." 1. Most
naturally the inquiry is, Do not all have ears If we
view the words from the natural standpoint, our answer would be, Yes; that is to say,
those whose physical hearing has not entirely gone. But all
of us know that the words are not to be understood in this way. It is not the physical ear
that is referred to by the Savior. People
might hear these messages of Christ over and over again a hundred times and not hear in
the sense that Christ means. 2. The
Savior is addressing those who have come into possession of a peculiar condition of mind
and heart: a.
Those who have come to recognize, acknowledge, that Christ is God's representative; who
have heard and believed the Heavenly Father's words, "This is My beloved Son, hear ye
Him." b.
Those who have in some way had implanted in them a great longing desire to hear all that
Christ has to say to them. c.
Those who have come to realize that God has appointed His Son Jesus to be the great judge
of all men. d.
Those who have come to fully realize, and keep it ever before their minds that we who are
true Christians are to appear without disguise before the tribunal of Christ, each to be
requited for what he has done with his body, well or ill." We know
that all through this earthly pilgrimage there is a sense in which if is true that we are
standing at the bar of our Lord's judgment; He is testing us, proving us, to see whether
or not we love Him above all others, as well as whether we love the things which make for
righteousness. He marks the degree of our love by the measure of our selfdenials, and
self-sacrifices for His sake. 3.
However, while all this is true, the Apostle is not referring to this. He is rather
referring to the final inspection. The
words are addressed to saints only, and the appearance at this seat of judgment is pressed
upon . all believers as the most urgent stimulus to fidelity and diligence in service for
the glory of God. All who
appear at this tribunal will not come into judgment with the world. --Rom. 8:1; John 5:24. a.
There will undoubtedly be those who make profession of Christ, and who seem to be doing
wonderful works who will not appear before this judgment at all "Not every one that
saith unto Me Lord, .Lord," etc. b.
There will be others there who will not be able to stand this most searching inspection;
they will lose altogether their reward -- "be saved as it were, so as by fire." c. In
1 Cor. 9:27 St. Paul urges the control and subjection of the body to the new mind,
"lest that by any means I myself should be a castaway." The literal meaning of
this Greek term is, "unable to stand the test,"
and the reference is to this test of his deeds at the judgment seat of Christ. This
judgment of the saints is not only an inspection of deeds, whether good or ill, but an
inspection of the motives and intentions that influence us in our service and decisions
here below. The one referred to in the text is the one who endeavors to keep before his or
her mind these words of St: Paul in 2 Cor. 5:10. Concerning
himself the Apostle says,: "I am prepared for this change by God, who has given me
the Spirit, as its pledge and installment. Come what may, then, I am confident I know that
while I reside in the body, I am away from the Lord, (for I have to lead my life in faith,
without seeing Him) and in this confidence I would fain get away from the body and reside
with the Lord. Hence also I am eager to satisfy Him, whether in the body or, away from it;
for we have to appear without disguise before the tribunal of Christ, each to be requited
for what he has done with his body, well or ill." III. A thing about this
exhortation that seems strange until closely examined is that while the words are those of
Christ Himself, the exhortation is for the one who has an ear, to hear what the Spirit
says to the Churches. 1. There
must be something peculiarly significant in this. We would naturally think that Christ's
own words would be all sufficient. However, this exhortation is in perfect harmony with
His own teaching contained in the promise, that He would send the Holy Spirit and that it
would be a teacher, a guide, a counselor, and in this place He exhorts-may we not
say-commands us to listen to this teacher. 2. How
shall we explain this peculiar matter? a.
Not by thinking of the Holy Spirit as a person. b.
Neither by going to the other extreme and thinking of the Holy Spirit as simply any
influence that may be exerted for good. c. On
the contrary this is a spirit that the world does not in any sense or degree possess. It is
called the Spirit of God; the Spirit of truth; the Spirit of holiness; the Spirit of
wisdom, of counsel, of might. Referring
to the Holy Spirit as being given to Christ, the Prophet said: "It shall make Him of
quick understanding in the sight of the Lord." 3. It
certainly is a very pertinent. inquiry to ask: In what manner does the Spirit speak? Of
one thing we are quite sure, that the Holy Spirit does not speak today in audible words;
i. e., to the physical ear. Rather is it that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Word;
gives life to that Word. He
unfolds to one who has the "hearing ear" the great principles of justice and
righteousness. He
speaks to the conscience, and shows how these principles are to be applied in the
every-day affairs of life. He
reveals to those who have the ear, how to act in the various matters that come up for our
decision; matters of which the Word of God does not speak, directly. The Holy Spirit
reveals to us how to deal with our fellow-men. The
Holy Spirit speaks often through the preacher. However, it must be understood that it is
the preacher who does not depend "upon the plausible arguments of human wisdom, but
on the proof supplied by the Spirit and its power."-1 Cor. 2:6-16. Under
such preaching the hearer often thinks that the preacher is singling him out, when he may
have no such intent. . The
Spirit moves upon the hearer, and points out some existing evil, perhaps, before
forgotten; something in the life that is not right; some action towards another that was
not right; some unrepented of sin; some sin that has not been confessed and of course is
unforgiven. It will depend on the measure of the tenderness of the conscience-how firm is
the determination to please, to obey the Master's words, no matter how humiliating it may
be, or what may be the cost-as to the measure the Spirit's voice is heard. The
Spirit may be grieved, the Spirit may be quenched, the Spirit may be resisted. We. may say
as did Felix, "Go thou thy way," etc. This subject of the Holy Spirit
and its place in the Church of God is one of such great importance that it cannot be
emphasized, unfolded, and enforced too much. May it not be that we have given
so much attention and time in proving that the Holy Spirit is not a person that we have
failed to see and unintentionally failed to recognize the Holy Spirit's place in the
Church of God. The best treatise that is in
existence in proving the impersonality of the spirit is "Scripture to Studies,"
Vol. V; but the great object of that treatise
is not so much to show the importance of the
Spirit's work as it is to prove that the Holy Spirit is not a person. Some of the best unfoldings we
have ever seen of the divinely appointed work of the Holy Spirit, in the administration,
in the affairs of the Church of God, have come from the pens of some of those who were not
seeking in any measure or sense to prove or
disprove the personality of the Spirit. However, we do not need any human
being to show us the great importance of this subject. The Scriptures themselves reveal to
us the measure of emphasis that should be given to every truth. We find ourself in perfect
agreement with the words of another on this subject: "God's Word, in God's order,
with God's emphasis should be the watchword of every diligent student of its inspired
pages. The Bible is not a book of hobbies. It never emphasizes one truth at the expense of
another. Neither does it deal in fragmentary truth. The book is a grand mosaic, divinely
perfect in all its parts, and perfect in its Divine completeness. The various truths
contained in this wonderful book are set forth in the measure of their importance, and it
behooves every careful student not only to study God's truth in God's order, but to
observe closely the emphasis He places thereon." Leaving out of our consideration
the entirely different operation of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times, and even those
predictions that foretell a most remarkable outpouring of the same to come in the then
future, we confine ourself to the New Testament. John the Baptist first mentions
it as coming upon Christ. He bore this testimony: "I saw the Spirit descend like a
dove. and rest on Him. I myself did not recognize Him; but He who sent me to baptize with
water told me. He on whom you see the Spirit descending and resting, that is He who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit." The life of our blessed Master,
in all its varied manifestations, was simply an exhibition of the almighty, power of God,
which He received at this Divine anointing. It was by the mighty power of God, imparted to
Him at His baptism, that He performed all His mighty works. It was by the power conferred
upon Him, at this time, that alone enabled Him to carry out His vow of consecration unto
death. The Scripture states that "it was through the power of the eternal Spirit,
that He offered Himself without spot to God." He speaks of it as the indwelling
of the Father, and says: "I can do nothing of Myself but the Father who dwelleth in
Me, He doeth the works." At different times in His
ministry He spoke of this Holy Spirit, and of a time to come when His disciples would
become recipients of this same Divine power. In His closing words to the disciples just
before His death He told them of the coming of this Holy Spirit upon them and in them "If ye love Me keep My
commandments. And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter [Helper]
that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot
receive, "These things have I spoken
unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter which is the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things," etc. "But now I go My way to Him
that sent Me. . . . But because I have said these, things unto you, sorrow bath filled
your heart. "Nevertheless, I tell you
the truth. It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will
send Him unto you." "I have yet many things to
say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come,
He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He
shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me;
for He shall take of Mine and show it unto you." And just before His ascension to
heaven, forty days after His resur-rection, we have Him instructing His disciples to
"tarry in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on High." When Christ entered upon His
ministry on High, we are told over and over again-that He sat down at the right hand of
God. It was when He thus assumed His
official work in heaven that these many promises met their fulfillment, and the paracletos came down from on High and took Christ's
place in the Church, the Temple of God, to rule and control in all the affairs of the
Church. It is difficult to realize that
to the Holy Spirit the entire administration of all the Church's affairs is committed. And
it is over and over again taught in the Scriptures and exemplified in the life of the
early, primitive Church that the oversight of the Holy Spirit in the Church extends and
comprehends even the slightest details connected with order in God's house, holding every
believer responsible to be subject to the great Head, and directing in all the Church's
affairs in harmony with the Divine purpose. How clearly is this taught in St.
Paul's words in 1 Cor. 12: "But I want you to
understand about spiritual gifts brothers. There are varieties of talents, but the same
Spirit; varieties of service, but the same Lord; varieties of effects, but the same God
who affects everything in every one. Each receives his manifestation of the Spirit for the
common good. One man is granted words of wisdom by the Spirit, another words of knowledge
by the same Spirit; one man in the same Spirit has the gift of faith; another in the one
Spirit has gifts of healing; one has prophecy, another the gifts of distinguishing
spirits, another the gift of tongues in their variety; another the gift of interpreting
tongues. But all these effects are produced by one and the same Spirit, apportioning them
severally to each individual as He [the Holy Spirit] pleases." Mr. Fenton's translation of these
words is unique. His translation is called the Bible in Modern English: "And to each man is given
the manifestation of the Spirit for mutual benefit. For to this man through the Spirit is
given philosophic reason; but to another by means of the same Spirit, comprehension of
thought; and to a different person, faith by the same Spirit; while to another, gifts of
healing by the same Spirit; and to another, genius for government; while to another,
eloquence; to another, discernment of character; and to another, a genius for languages;
and to another talent for translating languages. But the same Spirit energizes all
these in the individual, distributing to each person as He considers best." A noted Christian writer of the
last century who usually has the habit of expressing cutting truths mildly, has 'said "Whether the authority of
this one ruling sovereign, the Holy Spirit, be recognized or ignored determines whether
the Church shall be an anarchy or a unity, a synagogue of lawless ones or the temple of
the living God." What was the cause of the great
Apostasy that came in the early centuries, and which at the present time covers the
greater part of Christendom? Was it not because of at first
ignoring the Holy Spirit and then substituting a man to rule and exercise authority in
place of the Holy Spirit? Was it not in the servants in the
Church assuming control, encroaching little by little on the were given prerogatives of
the Head, till at last one man sets himself up as the administrator, and daringly usurps
the name Vicar of Christ? Who is the Vicar of Christ? Is it
not the Holy Spirit that was appointed by Christ to fill His place? The Apostle Paul pictures the
culmination of rejecting. the Holy Spirit. He pictures the culmination of usurpation, when
writing by the Spirit of God he describes the one who has -sat for long centuries in the
city of Rome.: "So that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that
he is a God." Do we ask, What is the temple of
God, and who presides there? "Ye are the temple of God,
and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." "Ye are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
corner-stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple
in the Lord; in whom ye also are budded for an
habitation of God through the Spirit." How plain are these Scriptures
that the Holy Spirit represents Christ in the Church; and a failure to recognize that Holy
Spirit is the cause of all departures pinto backsliding and apostasy! We may never be tempted by
Papacy's pompous claims. We have had it demonstrated time and time again that the claims
of that man who sits at Rome are false and absurd beyond degree. We may say we can never be
deceived by clericals -- an order of ecclesiastics -- archbishops or cardinals intruding
into the sacred place, but, as the writer just quoted has said: "Let us remember that a
religious democracy maybe guilty of the same sin as a hierarchy, in settling solemn issues
by a 'show of hands,' instead of prayerfully awaiting for the guidance o the Holy Spirit
-- in substituting the voice of a majority for the voice of the Spirit. "Of course, in speaking thus
we concede that the Holy Spirit makes known His will to the voice of believers, as also in
the voice of Scripture. Only there must be such prayerful sanctifying of the one and such
prayerful search of the other, that in reaching decisions in the Church there be the same
declaration as in the first Christian council: 'It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to
us. --Acts 15 :28. To each of the seven churches the
voice of Christ is heard, saying: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches." IV. Let us hear more particularly
what the Word says concerning the Holy Spirit in its ministry and government of the Church
of God. In St. Paul's exhortation to the
elders of the Church at Ephesus, he says "Take heed unto yourselves,
and to all the flock in the which the Holy Spirit bath made you bishops to feed the Church
of God." Nothing can be more plainly
taught in the Scriptures than that in the beginning, biships or pastors were given by the
Spirit of God, not by the suffrages of the people. The office itself as well as the
one who filled it were alike divinely- appointed. This is in perfect harmony with St.
Paul's teaching in his letter to the Ephesians "When He ascended up on
High, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And He gave some to be apostles,
and some, pastors and teachers and some to be prophets; and some to be evangelists; for
the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the
Body of Christ." The object of the ascent of the
Lord and the descent of the Holy Spirit, are here shown in their necessary relation in the
office each is to fill throughout the Gospel Age. May it not be truthfully said
that in the one event Christ assumed his position in heaven as "Head over all things
to His Church," and in the other the Holy Spirit came down to begin the great work of
building up the Body of Christ. Is it not true, then, that all
the various offices to be used in carrying on this work are appointed by Christ; and those
selected to fill them are chosen by the Holy Spirit. Men have invented offices that
are not mentioned in the inspired list, and by so doing have introduced confusion into the
Church of God. However, the history of the
Church in every age has shown that it is possible to sacredly continue and maintain these
ministering offices, which without question were established for the building up of the
Body of Christ, and yet for men to take it upon themselves to fill these according to
their own. preference and will. This is not, we feel sure,
pleasing to Christ, and is one way of grieving the Holy Spirit. Even the Apostles and disciples
of our Lord once made such a' mistake and it doubtless was recorded for our instruction
and admonition. Such an admonition, indeed may we not say, warning, we find recorded in the first chapter of
Acts. We know that because of Judas' deflection a vacancy existed in the apostolic office. Standing up in that upper room
where the hundred and twenty were gathered, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit,
Peter, after rehearsing the apostasy of Judas, boldly affirmed that this vacancy must be
filled, and filled by one of those who had been with them all the time until the day
Christ was taken from them. Of this number Peter said, "one must be ordained to be a
witness with us of His resurrection." But Peter and the rest of the disciples had
evidently forgotten that up to that time they had had no voice in choosing apostles. Our
Lord Jesus has done this of His own sovereign will. "Have I not chosen you
twelve?" At this time our Lord had gone
away from them into heaven; the Holy Spirit which was to be His Administrator had not yet
arrived to enter upon His office work. The Divine arrangement was that
when Christ ascended on High. He was "to give some apostles." "But in spite of this we
have it stated that they brought forward two men, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias;
and they prayed, "O Lord,. who readest the hearts of all; single out from these two
men him whom Thou bast chosen, to fill in this apostolic ministry . . . . Then they cast
lots for them, and the lot fell. upon Matthias who was assigned his position with the
eleven Apostles." There is not the slightest
intimation anywhere that this choice was ever ratified by our Lord. On the contrary we
hear no more of Matthias; his name passing into obscurity. Some two years after this,
however, the Lord called Saul of Tarsus; he is sealed with His Spirit, and he certified by
such evident credentials of Divine appointment that he boldly introduces his letters
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, not of man, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ
and God the Father." -- Gal. 1:1. V. We believe that the apostolic
office, in so far as its being filled by any living man, has passed away. The original
Twelve are still apostles in their testimony preserved to us; a witness of the Lord's
resurrection being a thing impossible since the last witness died. However, let it be impressed
deeply on our minds that the office of pastor, elder, bishop, or teacher of the flock
still remains. And we cannot find anywhere in
the Scriptures taught that the Divine Plan has changed. As it was back there, so has it
been always, and is at the present time, that the words of St. Paul are true "Take
heed unto yourselves and to all the flock of God, in the which the Holy Spirit bath made
you bishops to feed the Church of God." How instructive then and solemn
is the beautiful symbol of the one like a Son of Man, moving among the candlesticks. How
wonderfully impressive is the symbol of His "holding the seven stars in His right
hand." While He holds them whom He. has
chosen by His Spirit in His right hand, does He not require that we ask of Him alone for
their bestowal? Surely He does. "Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He
should send forth laborers into the harvest." If when He ascended on High, He
gave some pastors and teachers, surely we should all show our appreciation oŁ this
promise, that we may have pastors and teachers of His choosing The Apostle Paul, years before
our Lord addressed this epistle to Ephesus, had predicted that after his departure from
them there would grievous wolves enter in among them not sparing the flock, and that of
their own selves should men arisen speaking perverse things to draw away disciples, after
them. And now our Lord, speaking to
this same Church. of Ephesus, this Church of which Paul said the elders had been chosen
of. the holy Spirit, reveals Himself as the Chief Shepherd and Bishop, still the Appointer
of elders, as seen in His holding the seven stars in His hand. However, with all their good
qualities, sad change had taken place. For some cause not stated He tells them that they
had left. their first love. When this is lost, the peril
becomes imminent that the candlestick may be moved out of its. place; and so He sounds the
solemn warning: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit with to the
churches." The Spirit not allowed to rule,
to control, in the Church, the candle-stick can shed no light, and the Church loses its
place of testimony. Churches of this character, whose
witness has been silenced, even though the lifeless form remains, are seen all about us. And the only safeguard against
such a condition is to "Quench not the spirit." Our Lord's voice must be heard in
the Church, and, as we have seen, to the Holy Spirit alone has been committed the
prerogative of communicating that voice. In the language of a most noted
Pastor, who years ago "fed the Church of God, over which the Holy Spirit had made him
a bishop, not far from where I am now standing: "Majorities are no more to
be depended upon than minorities, if there is in both cases a neglect of patient and
prolonged waiting upon the Lord to know His will. "Of what value is a show of
hands, unless His are stretched forth who holdeth the seven stars in His right hand? "Of what use is a unanimous
choice, except the living voice of Christ is heard by His Spirit? "The Spirit is the breath of
God in the Church, the Body of Christ. While the Divine body survives and it must,
multitudes of churches have so shut out the Spirit from rule and authority and supremacy
in the midst of them that the ascended Lord can only say to them: "Thou hast a name to live
and art dead. "Some trust in creeds; and
some in ordinances; some suppose that the Church's security lies in a sound theology; and
others locate it in a primitive simplicity of government and worship. "However, so
vital and indispensable is the ministry of the Spirit that without it, nothing else will
avail." "He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." PERPETUAL ZENITH THINE!
"At last the gentle tons was heard, that falls "'Friend, go up higher!' So he took that night "What then? Eye hath not seen, ear bath not heard! BROTHER STREETER'S PLACE
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