VOL. XIII. October 1,
1930 No. 19
"But that which ye have hold fast
till I come." -- Rev. 2:25 HOW THESE and
similar words of the Lord Jesus have rejoiced and encouraged the hearts of His faithful
followers during the long centuries of this Gospel Age! No words of good cheer or of
encouragement found in the Word of God, have been more invigorating and potent in the
lives of watching saints, than the repeated promises establishing the certainty of our
Lord's return from heaven. Jesus Himself left on record, especially during the closing
days of His intimate intercourse with His disciples, many precious things-wonderful words
of life -- that made their hearts burn within them as they recalled them again and again
in after days. But no
assurance or promise He left with them produced so profound an impression upon them as His
comforting words, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:3.) Is it
any wonder that this promise re-echoes through all the Apostolic ministry? Well did these
faithful servants of the Church recognize the influence of this hope upon other devoted
hearts, comforting others as they themselves had been comforted. Thus their frequent
assurances that "the night is far spent, the day is at hand," or "the
coming of the Lord draweth nigh," were but the application of this balm to persecuted
and suffering saints, weary pilgrims of the Narrow Way. Throughout the
Age, how often these promises have saved the waiting Church from utter discouragement, as
time after time she was crushed by the waves of persecution, or wren nigh submerged by the
tides of worldliness, that have followed one another in successive reformations and
apostasies since Apostolic days. One has but to read some reliable history of
pre-Reformation days to experience a decided drawing on one's sympathetic emotions, as the
historian unfolds the hopes and fears, the joys of anticipation when the day seemed about
to come, and then the shattered dreams of those devoted watchers, as thus time and again
they looked for His glorious appearing, but instead of the Bridal festival, there came the
word, "Though it tarry wait for it"; "Hold fast till I come." Ah yes. "Thy spirit through the lonely
night, Patient in Tribulation We
know too little about those heroic souls, and of their patient waiting for Christ under
circumstances calculated to dampen the patience and devotion of many. They were students
of the prophetic Word, and were greatly encouraged in those perplexing days preceding and
during the Dark Ages, by what they saw through the aid of the Lamp of prophecy. As they
saw the insidious workings of the Mystery of Iniquity falling into line with the portrayal
given by the Apostle and Prophet, and raised their voice in protest, they soon began to
feel the fires that were kindled to silence their accusing voice. From the little that
history has preserved for us of the Huguenots, Waldenses, Albigenses and others of those
primitive people, we may gather evidences of a very lively hope filling their minds, as
they witnessed and experienced the growth and power of the Man of Sin. Devoted pastors in
those days were specially alert to encourage their brethren to hold fast through all their
tribulations. They pointed to those prophetic fulfillments, which God in His wisdom
permitted them to interpret ofttimes as conclusive evidence that ere long the Lord would
come, and by His bright-shining destroy this avalanche of error. But
He did not come. Instead of the sunrise, there came the darkest hour before the dawn. Wave
upon wave of darkness, bitter and relentless persecution, until it seemed that both
testimony and hope must die, crushed to the earth, never to rise again. But hope did not
die, nor the faithful watchers cease their vigil. What then gave strength to the faithful
martyrs, as the rack and stake depleted their ranks and seemed likely to destroy their
testimony? Was it not those same precious promises that had encouraged the .hunted,
imprisoned, and persecuted Apostles? "I will come again." "Yet a little
while and ye shall see Me," and then your sorrow shall be turned to joy. Was it not
also because their hearts thrilled to the inspirational power of His word, ''He that
endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved"; "hold fast till I come"?
Truly of such the Master has said, "They shall walk with Me in white, for they are
worthy." In
the more than a century that has now passed since the persecuting power of Papacy was
crushed by Napoleon's armies, a new chapter in Church history has been written. The
protesting Church has grown and prospered -- overcome by flatteries, and compromised by
concessions of course -- she has experienced little of the persecution of the, kind that
characterized the darker past. Thus there has seemed little cause for the martyr's cry,
"How long, O Lord?" Nevertheless there has been, and there still is a plaintive
prayer that has never ceased to ascend from devoted hearts -- "Even so, Come, Lord
Jesus" come quickly. Amidst the great mass of profession, steeped in worldliness, and
held by the law of attraction to earthly things, there has moved a pure virgin with
unspotted robes, immune to every inducement to forsake her first love and seek a companion
among the gay and thoughtless. Hers has been a lonely way, for in Vanity Fair such virgin
purity has seemed only worthy of jest and scorn. But betrothal vows are sacred things, and
she bears all for love of the One for whom she waits. While patience has her perfect work,
and faith and love are being tested, this espoused one continues her solitary way, albeit
with a yearning for the consummation, for she holds within her heart His cherished pledge,
"I will come again," and His command, "Hold fast till I come." Watchers See the Rays of Approaching Dawn The
lamp of prophecy "Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto alight that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn," writes the Apostle (2 Pet. 1:19), has been a
treasured thing in the hands of many devoted watchers during the past hundred or more
years. Perhaps there have been frequent futile attempts made by over-anxious, or curious
minds, to pry open God's time lock and wrest from the secret recesses of His inscrutable
wisdom, things relating to prophetic fulfillments- "rushing in where angels fear to
tread." But forgetting all such efforts, well intentioned or otherwise, we are
thinking now of the faithful ones who have watched with the eager expectation of meeting
Him, whom having not seen they have loved "with joy unspeakable and full of
glory," and whose earnest inquiries have been honored by the Lord, by the revealment
of all that they could ask, consistent with their walk of faith. We
are all familiar with several of the movements that had their beginning in the early years
of the past century. Among others we learn of a company of people, devout students,
searching to interpret current events in the light of fulfilling prophecy, who began
making inquiry as to the probable time of the Second Advent, and who .were permitted to
reach definite conclusions, setting the time as being in the early thirties. The hopes of
these dear ones were not realized. Once again it would seem as though God had spoken as in
the days of the Prophet, "Go thy way . . . the words are closed up and sealed."
Hope must be deferred,, faith must still endure the fire, and love "hold fast till I
come." Though It Tarry Wait for It Simultaneous
with this and similar movements, there developed what is generally described as the Miller
Movement. This, as we know, represented an unusual commotion among the various
denominations, but more particularly the Baptist. The sphere of influence of this movement
being much larger and accompanied by other movements elsewhere, gives it a special place
in the gradual unfolding of light on this most fascinating theme. That was a real
awakening and a focusing of attention on the prophecies relating to our Lord's Return. Is
it any wonder that such a cry engendered a careful searching of the Word of God by
consecrated hearts ? As we would expect to find, investigation brought conviction, and
receptive hearts became so thrilled with hope and joy, that money and talent were freely
given to pass the message on to others. What days of expectancy were those! Let us in mind
go back to mingle with them and enter into their joys, and later share their
disappointments. Skimming off the elements of fanaticism that must necessarily be expected
to accompany any such movement, we find a body of saintly men and women who for love of
the Lord are willing to bear disrepute, persecution, self-denial, loss-all things, if only
they may be meet, for His presence when He appears. Theirs is not the fear of those who
call upon rocks to fall and hide them from His face; it is not of a judgment day they
think; but of the fruition of all their longings for His coming, and of the end of the
long 'vigil faithfully kept for more than eighteen hundred years. With what joy they
passed the glad news along, and with increasing fervency as the day drew near: "He is
coming;' "The time is at hand." But
He did not come. The days of waiting were not yet over. The Bridegroom tarried, and the
watching must be taken up again. The disappointment once more gave voice to the needed
admonitions, "Though it tarry, wait for it"; "Hold fast till I
come." And how nobly they kept on, many of them at least, "purified, and made
white, and tried" -- examples to others who in later years carry on the vigil until
He does appear. Let us reproduce the outpouring of Brother Miller's heart as he resumes
the watch, and feel encouraged as we link ourselves to him in the bonds of our
"blessed impatience" for our Beloved's appearing: "We
thank God always on your behalf, when we hear, as we have already, that your and our late
disappointment has produced in you, and we hope in us also, a deep humiliation, and a
careful inspection of our hearts. And though we are humbled, and in a measure pained, by
the jeers of a wicked and perverse generation, we are not terrified nor cast down. You
can, all of you, when inquired of for the reasons of your hope, open your Bibles, and with
meekness and fear show the inquirer why you hope in the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Savior, Jesus Christ . . . . We exhort you, by all the love and fellowship of
the saints, to hold fast to this hope. It is warranted by every promise in the Word of
God. It is secured to you by the two immutable things -- the council and oath of God, in
which it is impossible for Him to lie. It is ratified and sealed by the death, blood, and
resurrection, and life of Jesus Christ . . . . Never fear, brethren; God has told you what
to say. Do as He bids you, and He will take care of the consequences. God says, Say unto
them, 'The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.'" God's Appointed Time is Best Beloved
fellow watchers, it is not just the voice of William Miller that we hear in the above. He
may be the faithful watcher who penned the words, but this is the answer back to heaven,
"By Thy grace we will," of a devoted betrothed one who has been asked to still
wait and watch indefinitely, when the auspicious hour had seemed so near. For such, the
Apostolic prayer has been abundantly answered: "The Lord direct your hearts into the
love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."\ (2 Thess. 3:5.) How precious
is such constancy and fidelity in the eyes of our beloved Bridegroom! Thus
we briefly review the years of long ago, and catch little momentary pictures of a faithful
class who have kept tryst while the centuries have rolled by, but only the Father who sent
the Holy Spirit on its mission, and the Bridegroom of her heart, can gather up and compute
the hours of watching, the thrills of joy when she thought Him near, and the
disappointments she has experienced 'when He did not come. God has treasured up these
precious tokens of fidelity, and waits to fill the Ages to come with rewards, when to her,
and through her, He "will show the exceeding, riches of His grace in His of former
days, think also of our own share in this blessed, favored class. During more recent years
we have known something of the joys and sorrows of high expectation, and of deferred
hopes, and have had plenty of opportunity to emulate the patience and devotion of the
faithful brethren who have preceded us. Perhaps we had thought that God would take us into
His confidence, and tell us just how many years or months we would have to wait. There may
have been times when the thought would come to us in those days of supposed chronological
accuracy, "Can it be that while others have had to walk by faith alone, and hear only
the one reply, 'It is not for you to know,' that our position can be so different in that
we can and do know?" If such misgivings occurred, no doubt they were often silenced
by the supposed assurance that in the end "the wise shall understand," and
harvest truth must embrace so important a matter as this. But
are we not glad today that the Lord so dealt with us, that we were left wholly under the
conditions to which we properly belong, the walk of faith, holding fast till He come?
Surely so; for we too would prove our fidelity through disappointment and patient waiting.
We too, would want to be numbered among the "faithful Pauls, ardent Peters, loving
Johns, devoted Stephens, gentle Marys, and tender and generous Marthas, a long line of
brave confessors of the truth at the risk of torture and death, and suffering martyrs, and
some of the faithful fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters in Israel, who humbly
walked with God in less stormy times, neither ashamed nor afraid to confess Christ and to
bear His reproach, nor to be the companions of those who were reproached for His truth's
sake" (Heb. 10:33)-these who, "after fighting the good fight of faith laid down
their armor to await their promised reward at the Master's appearing." It is because
we belong to this class that the word of admonition is still so important, "Hold fast
till I come." I say unto All, Watch But
might it not be said that chronologically this admonition belongs to the past. If the sign
of the Son of Man in heaven reveals His presence to a watching class, then why this
admonition now? But we need to remember that so long as there yet remains such a class on
earth, just so long do all these encouragements and warnings remain as forceful in their
significance. We walk by faith and not by sight. The allurements of the world and the
trials of this hour of temptation are still very real factors in our experience. All the
tests of fidelity and devotion are just as searching as if we had lived a thousand years
ago. We are just as much in need therefore of these encouragements, for still it is true "Ne'er think the victory won, Our
special need today is for a deeper appreciating of the wonderfulness of the day in which
we live. Thinking only of the period we have comprehended in the "Time of the
end," we are one hundred years nearer the Kingdom than those faithful watchers to
whom we have previously referred. We are today eighty-six years nearer than William
Miller, in 1844, fifty-six years nearer than those who looked for Him in 1874, and in this
day of rapid developments, sixteen years beyond the end of the allotted Gentile lease of
power, and in the very midst of the signs of the culmination. If hearts beat with
expectancy in those far off days, when it was thought the end was near, what a responsive
devotion there should be today! What a forgetfulness of earthly hopes and prizes! What a
quickening of our zeal, and adorning of our robes!. And in the little, while between, what
should inspire us more than His word of encouragement, "Hold fast till I come." "While
we stand, as it were on Pisgah's heights, and view the grand prospect before us, our
hearts rejoice in the Lord's great Plan, with an unspeakable joy; and though we realize
that the Church is still in the wilderness of her humiliation, and that the hour of her
actual triumph has not yet fully come, yet, seeing the indications of its rapid approach,
and by faith already discerning the Bridegroom's presence, we lift up our heads and
rejoice, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh. Oh, what fullness of blessing and cause
for joy and thanksgiving this truth contains! Truly, the Lord hath put a new song into our
mouths. "Yes,
dear Redeemer and Lord, we recognize Thy beloved presence, and rejoice in the evidences of
the establishment of Thy gracious Kingdom in this our day. Our hearts overflow with
gratitude as we see the converging rays of Divine testimony from the Law, the Prophets,
the Apostles, and Thine own hitherto dark sayings, and even from the long-hidden mysteries
of Egypt's wonderful 'Witness' -- now drawn to a glorious focus, showing Thy believing
followers that the glorious Day is soon to break, although clouds and thick darkness yet
obscure Thy glory from all eyes except the eyes of faith of Thy betrothed." Oh,
blessed Lord, sustain us by Thy grace until patience has had her perfect work. Still cheer
our hearts with Thy Word of promise, and to Thee we will be true. Let the time be short,
or long, we will yet answer back in words of love and adoration, By Thy grace we will keep
watch till we see Thee face to face. HALF HOUR MEDITATIONS No. 11 "See, 1 am placing on Mount Zion a
cornerstone, chosen, and held in honor, and he whose faith rests on Him shall never have
reason to feel ashamed." -- 1 Pet. 2:6, Weymouth. I
AM READY to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also." (Rom. 1:15.) With these
words the Apostle brought the introduction or preface of his Epistle to a close. As we
have meditated on these first fifteen verses, it has been impossible for us not to admire
the prudence and delicacy he manifests. Who can doubt that when his letter was read at
Rome, this introduction, so full of tact, would have given him access to many hearts
inclined at starting to be prejudiced against him? How evident it has been to us that the
real object of his proposed visit was not that he might have dominion over their faith,
but that he might be a helper of their joy. (2 Cor. 1:24.) Like a true pastor, instead of
seeking to lord it over the conscience of the flock he endeavored to associate it with his
own. An Unashamed Workman Now he is ready to expound "his" Gospel, but before doing so, he cannot forbear to tell them his feelings about it. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel,"* He affirms, as he looks towards Rome. "What is it about this Gospel of God and of His Son which gives occasion for such a word? Why do we find, not here only, but elsewhere in the New Testament, this contemplated possibility that the Christian may be ashamed of . . . [the Gospel], and of his Lord? 'Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me, and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed' (Luke 9:26) ; 'Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord'; 'Nevertheless I am not ashamed.' -- 2 Tim. 1 :8, 12." ______________ * The words "of Christ" are
not found in the old manuscripts. Had
the Apostle's mind been filled with the gospel (?) of Eternal Torment, we could understand
how that might have made him hesitant. Indeed, if instead of the gracious message
announced by the angels at the birth of Jesus: "Good tidings of great joy which shall
be unto all people," Paul's gospel had been the message of the Dark Ages: bad tidings
of great woe which shall be to most people; a message still retained in the creeds of most
of the sects of Christendom to this day, we would not have been the least surprised to
hear him say that he was to a very considerable degree Ashamed of "his" gospel,
that he always blushed when he mentioned it, and that the real reason of his long delay
which had prevented him from visiting Rome was a secret fear that he might not be able to
sustain such a message against the learned men in Rome who would be waiting to oppose it.
But we know in the Gospel which Paul preached there is nothing of which he could be
legitimately ashamed. Why then does he not say here, as he does elsewhere, not merely that
he was not ashamed of it, but rather that he gloried in it? (Gal. 6:14.) "What is
there about this revelation of the heart of Eternal Love, this record of a Life [which is
the light of men], of a death as majestic as it is infinitely pathetic, and then of a
resurrection out of death, to occasion shame? Why in view of this, should man be shy to
avow his faith, and to let it be known that this is all in all to him, his life, his
peace, his strength, his surpassing interest, and occupation? Bought with a Price "More
than one analysis of the phenomenon, which we all know to be a fact, may be suggested. But
for our part we believe that the true solution lies near the words sin, pardon,
self-surrender. The Gospel reveals the Eternal Love, but under conditions which remind man
that he has done his best to forfeit it. It tells him of a peace and strength sublime and
heavenly; but it asks him, in order to receive them, to kneel down . . . and take them,
unmerited, for nothing. And it reminds him that he, thus delivered and endowed, is by the
same act the property of his Deliverer; that not only the highest benefit of his nature is
secured by his giving himself over to God, but the most inexorable obligation lies on him
to do so. He is not his own, but bought with a price. "Such
views of the actual relation between man and God, even when attended, as they are in the
Gospel, with such indications of man's true greatness as are found nowhere else, are
deeply repellent to the soul that has not yet seen itself and God in the light of truth.
And the human being who has got that sight, and has submitted himself indeed, yet, the
moment he looks outside the blessed shrine of his own union with his Lord, is tempted to
be reticent about a . . [belief] which he knows once repelled and angered him. Well did
Paul remember his old hatred and contempt; and he felt the temptations of that memory,
when he presented Christ either to the Pharisee or to the Stoic, and now particularly when
he thought of bearing witness at Rome (Acts 23:11), imperial, overwhelming Rome. But then
he looked again from them to Jesus Christ, and the temptation was beneath his feet, and
the Gospel, everywhere, was upon his lips." The Gospel is God's Saving Power to every One that Believeth And
why is it that the Apostle need not be ashamed of the Gospel? "Because," he
tells us, "it is the power of God unto salvation." To clear his vision "it
is the mighty arm of God rescuing the world from ruin, "and bringing it
salvation:" He sees mankind, as it were, "at the bottom of an abyss"; the
Gospel "as the power from above which raises out of it. No one need blush at being
the instrument of such a force." The
Gospel itself is more than an instrument in God's hands to effect man's, salvation. There
is a certain "inherent adaptedness" in it to be so used. "We shall not do
wrong if we think of the, Gospel as a 'force' in. the same kind of sense as that in which
science has revealed to us the great 'forces' of nature. It is a principle operating. on a
vast and continually enlarging scale, and taking effect in a countless, number of
individuals." For this reason the true ambassador of Christ rejoices when he hears
that the Gospel is being proclaimed; even though the motives of the individual proclaiming
same may be of a questionable character. ("Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and
strife . . . What then? . . . Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will
rejoice." -- Phil. 1 :15-18.* ___________ *
See this Scripture helpfully treated in connection with the subject of Church unity in
"Separation and how it was met," in our next issue. ___________ But
while recognizing the suitability of the Gospel to be employed in man's salvation, the
Apostle in the passage before us, is not so much drawing our attention to this fact, as to
the (great Personality back of the Gospel from whom it derives its power. The Apostle's
conception of "the power of the Gospel" only differs from the scientific
conception of a force like 'heat' 'or 'electricity' in that, whereas the man of science is
too apt to abstract his conception of force from its origin, St. Paul conceives of it as
essentially a made of personal activity:" Though, therefore, the Gospel might appear
to many to be anything but fitted to .the end in view, ("unto the Jews a stumbling
block, and unto the Greeks foolishness," 1 Cor. 1 :23), still he could not be ashamed
of it, for he knew it to be as a matter of fact not only powerful in itself but also the
instrument which had been selected and which was being owned and blessed by the omnipotent
God. History down to the present day has shown the power of God's Word to be "like as
fire . . . and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces." (Jer. 23:29.) Hearts
of adamant have melted under its influence, and the end is, not yet by any means. For
"in that day" a day now near at hand, we believe, the sweet message of the
"everlasting Gospel" (Rev. 14:6) will continue to prove its efficacy by
displacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. (Ezek. 11:19.) Ultimately, the whole
earth shall be filled with His glory and it shall be abundantly demonstrated that
"that which) the world deems foolish in God is wiser than men's wisdom, and that
which it deems feeble in God is mightier than men's might." -- 1 Cor. 1:25, Weymouth. The Gospel versus Moral Philosophy Only
those who have themselves experienced the saving power of the Gospel are fully able to
realize its superiority over all the various plans and devices of men for the uplift of
our race, Not that we would be understood as speaking against any of these. No doubt many,
if not all of them, are laudable, at least in their intention. But they are lacking in
power. Contrast, for example, the Gospel, with that which claims to be its chief
competitor, namely moral philosophy. "At the present day those who reject . . . [the
Gospel] commonly represent that in advanced civilization it gives place naturally to moral
philosophy. Their belief is that the true and only method of making men good is by
philosophy; and that the good influence of . . . [the Gospel] in past ages has been due to
the truths of moral philosophy which are blended in it with superstitions which the world
in its progress is leaving behind." My Son, give Me Thine Heart Now
ignoring the fundamental fact that moral philosophy makes no provision whatever for, and
indeed does not even recognize man's need of "salvation," but speaks only of his
"progress" and "development," the point we wish to emphasize is
"that philosophy hopes to cure the vices of human nature by working upon the head,
and . . . [the Gospel by educating the heart." While by no means ignoring the
intellect, the Gospel nevertheless makes its chief appeal, with all the attraction of a personal
love, to the heart, for out of the heart (the center of the will and affections) are the
issues of life. -- Prov. 4:23. "It is the heart and not the brain
This
difference may be expressed in another way, thus: "Both endeavor to lead men to do
what is right, but philosophy undertakes to explain what it is right to do, while . . .
[the Gospel] undertakes to make men disposed to do it." The Cross of Christ If
we would inquire further as to how the Gospel snakes this heart appeal, we have only to
study the life of Him who is the burden of its message. "Why did men gather round Him
at His call . . . and accept Him with unbounded devotion as their legislator and
judge?" Was it because of the miracles which attested His Messianic character? or was
it "because of the intrinsic beauty and divinity of the great law of love which He
propounded?" Undoubtedly that law of love "deserved that men should accept it
for its intrinsic worth, but men are not commonly so eager to receive the words of wise
men nor so unbounded in their gratitude to them. It was neither for His miracles nor for
the beauty of His doctrine that Christ was worshiped. Nor was it for His winning personal
character, nor for the persecutions He endured, nor for His martyrdom. It was for the
inimitable unity which all these things made when taken together. In other words, it was
for this, that He whose power and greatness as shown in His miracles were overwhelming,
denied Himself the use of His power, treated it as a slight thing, walked among men as
though He were one of them, relieved them in distress, taught them to love each other,
bore with undisturbed patience a perpetual hailstorm of calumny; and when His enemies grew
fiercer, continued still to endure their attacks in silence, until petrified and
bewildered with astonishment, men saw Him arrested and put to death with torture, refusing
steadfastly to use in His own behalf the power He conceived He held for the benefit of
others. It was the combination of greatness and self-sacrifice which won their hearts, the
mighty powers held under a mighty control, the unspeakable condescension, the Cross of
Christ. The Kindling of Enthusiastic Devotion "By
this, and by nothing else, the enthusiasm of a Paul was kindled. The statement rests on no
hypothesis or conjecture; his epistles bear testimony to it throughout. The trait of
Christ which filled his whole mind was His condescension. The charm of that condescension
lay in its being voluntary. The cross of Christ, of which Paul so often speaks as the only
thing he found worth glorying in, as that in comparison with which everything in the world
was as dung, was the voluntary submission to death of one who had the power to
escape death; this he says in express words. And what Paul constantly repeats in
impassioned language, the other Apostles echo. Christ's voluntary surrender of power is
their favorite subject, the humiliation implied in His whole life and crowned by His
death. This sacrifice, which they regard as made for them, demands in their opinion
to be requited by an absolute devotion on their part to Christ. Beyond controversy such
was their feeling, and this feeling was the ground of [their] obedience," and not
their obedience only, but their enthusiasm and devotion. If any Man will come after Me "He
laid men under an immense obligation. He convinced them that He was a person of altogether
transcendent greatness, one who needed nothing at their hands, one whom it was impossible
to benefit by conferring riches, or fame, or dominion upon Him, and that being so great,
He had devoted Himself of mere benevolence to their good. He showed them that for their
sakes He lived a hard and laborious life, and exposed Himself to the utmost malice of
powerful men. They saw Him hungry, though they believed Him able to turn stones into
bread; they saw His royal pretensions spurned, though they believed that He could in a
moment fake into His hand all the kingdoms of the world believed that, had He so willed
it, no danger could harm Him, and that had He thrown Himself from the topmost pinnacle of
the temple He would have been softly received in the arms of ministering angels.
Witnessing His sufferings, and convinced by the miracles they saw Him work that they were
voluntarily endured, men's hearts were touched, and pity for weakness blending strangely
with wondering admiration of unlimited power, an agitation of gratitude, Sympathy, and
astonishment, such as nothing else could ever excite, sprang up in them, and when, turning
from His deeds to His words, they found this very self-denial which had guided His own
life prescribed as the principle which should guide theirs, gratitude broke forth in
joyful obedience, self-denial produced self-denial, and the Law and the Law-Giver together
were enshrined in their inmost hearts for inseparable veneration." The Influence of Christ Such
was the effect on His contemporaries of the influence of Christ. "A few raw,
unspiritual, uninspiring men, were admitted to the inner circle of His friendship. The
change began at once. Day by day we can almost see the first disciples grow. First there
steals over them the faintest adumbration of His character, and occasionally, very
occasionally, they do a thing or say a thing that they could not have done or said had
they not been living there. Slowly the spell of His life deepens. Reach after reach of
their nature is overtaken, thawed, subjugated, sanctified. Their manners soften, their
words become more gentle, their conduct more unselfish. As swallows who have found a
summer, as frozen buds the spring, their starved humanity bursts into a fuller life. They
do not know how it is, but they are different men. One day they find themselves like their
Master, going about doing good. To themselves it is unaccountable, but they cannot do
otherwise. They were not told to do it, it came to them to do it. But the people who watch
them know well how to account for it -- 'They have been,' they whisper, 'with Jesus.'
Already even, the mark and seal of His character is upon them -- 'They have been with
Jesus.' Unparalleled phenomenon, that these poor fishermen should remind other men of
Christ! Stupendous victory and mystery of regeneration that mortal men should suggest to
the world, God! "There
is something almost melting in the way His contemporaries, and John especially, speak of
the influence of Christ. John lived himself in daily wonder at Him; he was overpowered,
overawed, entranced, transfigured. To his mind it was impossible for any one to come under
this influence and ever be the same again. 'Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not,'
he said. It was inconceivable that he should sin, as inconceivable as that ice should live
in a burning sun, or darkness co-exist with noon. . . . Sin was abashed in His presence.
Its roots withered. Its sway and victory were forever at an end. Confronting Men with the Living Christ "But
these were His contemporaries. It was easy for them to be influenced by Him, for
they were every day and all the day together." But how can we be influenced by Him
whom we have never seen? "How can this stupendous result be produced by a Memory, by
the scantiest of all Biographies, by One who lived . . . [and died nineteen hundred] years
ago." How
can modern men today secure for themselves the influence of Christ in their lives? The
answer is that He not only lived and died nineteen hundred years ago, but He was also
raised from the dead, a spirit being, and the purpose of the Gospel, and in this lies the
secret of its power, is not only to recount the story of the Savior's earthly life and
death, wondrous though it be, but through the power of the Holy Spirit to put men in
personal touch with the risen Christ, to confront men everywhere with their living Lord. Brethren,
Jesus hasn't changed; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Gospel has lost
none of its old-time power. The privilege of its service is as precious as ever. Shall we
not, each for himself, make an end of our guesses, our speculations, our fine-spun
theories, and our fanciful interpretations? "The prophet that hath a dream, let him
tell a dream"; but we who have God's Word, let us speak His word faithfully. Let us
not spend undue time, even, in refuting the dreamers' dreams, for "what is the chaff
to the wheat? saith the Lord." (Jer. 23:28.) Rather let us devote our lives to the
Gospel. To us it has been entrusted, in a day when it is comparatively easy to live in its
defense; when it is, strangely enough, comparatively easy to let it slip. Shall we not
keep it in all the simplicity of its Apostolic purity, not alone in doctrine, not in word
only, but in deed and in truth? So doing, we shall both save ourselves and them that hear
us. -- 1 Tim. 4:16. _____________ "I love to tell the, story! "I love to tell the story! Extract from the second edition of
"The Closing Days of Christendom," THERE
IS one phrase used by our Lord in the 13th chapter of Matthew of which we must have a
clear and lucid conception; if we would rightly understand the nature of the present
dispensation. That phrase is "the mysteries of the Kingdom," or the Kingdom in
mystery. He says to His disciples, "to you it is given to know the mysteries of the
Kingdom of the heavens, but to them [the bystanders, the multitude] it is not given."
Let the reader note that the true disciples of Christ alone -- those who have been
begotten by the Holy Spirit and have passed from death unto life -- will understand these
"mysteries." Let
us define the meaning of the phrase: It is used by our Lord in connection with the series
of parables recorded in the 13th chapter of Matthew, in which He is announcing to His
disciples certain aspects of His Kingdom which they had not foreseen, anticipated, or
desired, and in relation to which the Old Testament was silent -- there being no
intimation of these mysteries from Genesis to Malachi. The Glories of the Kingdom Foretold The
Prophets, in predicting the Advent of the Messiah, had always described in glowing
language the glories of His reign; how all kings should fall down before Him, all
nations should serve Him, and how the desert should rejoice and blossom as the rose. The
kings of Tarshish and of the isles of the sea were to bring presents, the kings of Sheba
and Seba were to offer gifts; the wolf to dwell with the lamb, the leopard to lie down
with the kid, the calf, the young lion, and the fading together, and the earth to be full
of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, and lastly, the Lord was to give
unto Him the throne of His father, David, and of His Kingdom there was to be no end. Such
was the language of the Prophets, and such were the expectations of the disciples.
Therefore we need not wonder at the question that the disciples, when collected together
after the resurrection of the Lord, asked of Him (Acts 1:6), which shows how tenaciously
this expectation clung to their minds. "Wilt Thou at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?" Nor, having due regard to the glowing and explicit language of the Prophets,
dare we say that this expectation was unwarranted. It is impossible to read their
predictions of Messiah's reign without being thrilled with their descriptions of the
coming glory. Their glowing and inspired imagery leaves nothing to he desired in the way
of super-added bliss, and no room for the exaggerations of fancy in the anticipation of
faith. Added
to this, we must remember that John the Baptist, the herald of the King, announced that
the Kingdom of the heavens was at hand -- close by -- in his days. After the death of
John, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom" of God, and
saying the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Mystery hid from Ages Now,
had the Kingdom, in its fullness, beauty, and power, as predicted by the Prophets, been
established on earth till all kings worshiped Him, and all nations served
Him, mystery, secrecy, there would have been none. All would have been public, patent,
palpable. But here begins the Kingdom in mystery, that is; in secret. The Kingdom
of God was "nigh at hand" in the days of John the Baptist, for the King
Himself was walking the streets. o£ Jerusalem and Judea. But he came unto His own, and
His own received Him not -- they crucified their King, they rejected Messiah, they
"put far from them the Kingdom of God." Speaking from an entirely human
standpoint, had the Jews then received the Messiah, all the sublime predictions of the
Prophets in relation to the glories of His Kingdom would have been fulfilled and realized;
but by rejecting Him they put far from them in point of time (for nearly two thousand
years) the Kingdom of God, and thus made way for the purpose of God-the granting to the
Gentiles repentance unto life. This
is the "mystery," the secret hidden from ages and generations, and which the
Apostle affirms was made known to him and the holy Apostles, that the Gentiles should
be fellow heirs. with the Jews. This was the fellowship -- the common possession of
the secret -- which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God. Thus the
rejection of the Messiah by the Jews made way for the bestowment of grace upon the
Gentiles. Riches of His Grace Exhibited It
is the "old, old story"-man's failure making way for God to exhibit afresh, and
in new fields, the riches of His grace. In the juxtaposition of these facts we see the
harmony of the seeming contradiction that the Kingdom of God was nigh at hand, and yet
that the Kingdom of God was afar off. Both statements are made by the Savior, and
therefore both statements must be true. In the 1st chapter of Mark He says, "the
.Kingdom of God is at hand." In, the 19th chapter of Luke, 11th verse, He utters. a
parable to remove from the minds of His hearer an impression that the Kingdom of God was
about to appear, that is to be manifested. In this parable the Lord represents
Himself as a nobleman going into a far country, a long journey and a distant goal,
to receive a kingdom to be invested with royalty and then to return, having received
the kingdom. (See Daniel 7:13, 14.) In Matthew 25, where this parable is recited with
one or two important variations, which we need not refer to here, it is added (v.19)
"after a long time, the Lord cometh." Two thousand years have almost
expired since He went into the far country; and faith now stands on tiptoe, expecting and
watching for His "return" as King. The
mysteries of the Kingdom, or the Kingdom in mystery, in "secret" was this: The
Kingdom was nigh at hand when the King was upon earth, and yet did not, was not to, appear
to be made manifest. It was "among" them, for the King was in their midst, but
it was to work in secret and not to be made manifest for about 2000 years -- close at hand
and yet at the remoteness of centuries. The secret work to be accomplished before the
Kingdom could be set up was the gathering out of those who would form the King's Bride,
from amongst Jews and Gentiles. It was in relation to this marvelous display of the Divine
grace and wisdom, the downfall of the unworthy Jews -- providing the opportunity of the
Gentiles; and the "fullness of the Gentiles" resulting in the restoration of the
Jews-that the Apostle exclaims, "O, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Mystery Proclaimed at Pentecost As
recorded in Matthew, 16th chapter, the Lord invests Peter with the keys of the Kingdom of
the heavens. On him was thus conferred the privilege of "opening" the heavenly
hope to Jew and Gentile -- to the Jews on the day of Pentecost when three thousand were
converted, and Peter was the preacher; and later to the Gentiles, in the house of
Cornelius, when the first sermon ever preached to the Gentiles was preached by Peter. Thus
it was on the day of Pentecost that the "Kingdom of mystery" began to develop.
In the first church council ever convened, held at Jerusalem, with the Apostle James as
president, we have the extension and nature of this new development thus described by
James himself. Peter having vindicated his conduct in having gone and preached the Gospel
to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, James says, "Men and brethren hearken unto
me: Simon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out
of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the Prophets, as it is
written, After this I will return, and build again the tabernacle of David, which
is fallen down; and I will. build again the ruins thereof; and I will set it up: that the
residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is
called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all His works from
the beginning of the world." Threefold Developments Now
the reader will observe that in the above passage there is a threefold gradation in
relation to this fresh development of God's Plan. (1) That the characteristic of it was,
God "visiting the Gentiles to take out of them a people for Himself"; that the
dispensation is elective; that it is not intended that under it the world should be
converted to God, but that He should gather out of the world a people for Himself.
(2) That when this purpose is accomplished, He, the Lord Jesus, will return and
build up the tabernacle of David, which is fallen and build it as in the days of old. And
in the 9th chapter of Amos, where the prophecy to which James refers is found, the Lord
says, "I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the
waste cities and inhabit them, and I will plant them upon their own land, and they shall
no more a be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy
God." (Amos 9:1-15.) A full accomplishment of this prophecy is to follow, in
immediate sequence, the close of the present dispensation. (3) That when this restoration
takes place, it is in order that the residue, the remainder of men, may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles upon whom His name is called, or "upon whom My name has been
invoked," that is, the nations of Christendom, who bear the name of Christ, and the
heathen generally. The precise language of Amos, from whom the Apostle quotes, is,
"In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of fallen, and close up the breaches
thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, that
they [the Jews] may possess the remnant of Edom [i.1 e. Christendom], and of all the
heathen which are called by My name, saith the Lord that doeth this." Thus
the gradation is this: (a) the present dispensation is elective, it is to gather a
people out of the world, but it is not intended for the conversion of the world itself.
Hence all such hopes, anticipations, or schemes will turn out as futile as all their
predecessors in the same field have done, and that the close of the present dispensation
is to be characterized by the restoration of the Jews. (b) That after that restoration,
and to a certain extent as resulting from it, the mass of mankind will be converted to
Christ; the restored Jews being, when converted, constituted a kingdom of missionaries
unto Jehovah, to carry His fame to the nations afar off that have not heard His name. The Suffering Christ We
now proceed briefly to indicate the characteristics of the Kingdom in a mystery: (1)
The disciples expected the Messiah, when He came, to step upon the scene with all the pomp
and regalia of royalty around Him earth's monarchs prostrate before Him, all nations
yielding Him willing obedience, Jerusalem His capital, and Israel the partner of His
throne. Instead of this what do we see? In the place of a glorious king, a lowly
agricultural worker. "A sower went forth to sow." Instead of a crown of glory, a
crown of thorns; Jerusalem instead of being His capital, becomes first His tomb, and then
an age-lasting desolation, the sepulcher of the nation's hopes, and the scorn and byword
of the nation's foes. Instead of the obedience of all nations, the hatred of all. Instead
of prostrate monarchs adoring at His feet, kings and emperors, the proud Caesars of Rome,
with their tributary kings and pliant prefects, seeking by fire and sword to extinguish
His Gospel, to bury in oblivion His name. And His "chosen people," instead of
being His courtiers, His attendants, and His friends, the dwellers in His palace,
scattered throughout the world, downtrodden and oppressed by the nations over which they
expected to rule and reign-for centuries without a teraphim, without an ephod, and without
a priest. "Tribes
of the wandering foot and weary breast!" Marius musing amid the ruins of Carthage,
is, to our mind, not half so touching a spectacle as the despondent Israelite sitting and
musing amid the wreck of city and temple --the ruin of splendid memories and of still more
splendid hopes -- fanned into glowing beauty by the predictions of inspired Prophets, the
songs of the Psalmist, and the visions of the Seer, and now all burnt to dead cold ashes!
O, harp of Judah, has some lying spirit swept thy strings? Prophets of Eld! has some
glamor of the Evil One dazzled your vision, leading you to paint prospects that cannot be
obtained? hopes which, like the mirage of the desert, ever recede before the longing eye!
No! Blessed be God, no! ye paint no vision that shall not be more than realized. The
golden age ye promised lies in the near future! Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and then to enter into His glories? 'Tis not the failure of God, but the
misapprehension of man. "After a Long Time the Lord Cometh" (2)
Another characteristic of the Kingdom in mystery is the absence of Christ during
its development and His return at its close. That
the Messiah whom the Jews expected to come and, according to the explicit statements of
their Prophets, to establish a permanent and glorious Kingdom, should only appear on the
scene for a few short years, and then disappear as far as the anticipated Kingdom was
concerned, as though He had never been, was to them an inscrutable mystery. To come, to
continue for a few brief years, and then to vanish from the scene, with no kingdom
inaugurated, no empire established! And was this all? Even the disciples could not
understand it, and yet the parable that we are now about to examine, a parable uttered by
our Lord Himself, expressly affirms this. In
the 4th chapter of Mark, the Lord says, "So is the Kingdom of God, as if a man should
cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should
spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of itself,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is
brought forth, [when the grain is ripe] immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the
harvest is come." In His Hand a Sharp Sickle Now
this parable is intended to describe the true invisible Church of Christ down to the
present time, the harvest of the Age. The figure used is lowly and unpretending. Not that
of a king establishing a kingdom, but a humble, unobtrusive agricultural operation, a sower
going forth to sow his field, and when the operation is finished and the seed sown, he is
seen leaving the field and returning to his home: but when the harvest is ripe (and
"the harvest is the end of the age") appearing again with his attendant reapers
to gather in the grain. Growth is an occult, hidden process, which the eye of man does not
see. The teaching of the parable here is this, that there is no visible action of
God taking place throughout the growing period, that is, since the days of the
Apostles right onward to the end of the present dispensation. In the sowing time we see
the farmer at work in his field, but when the operation of sowing is finished, we see him
leave the field and shut the gate behind him. We do not see him there throughout the whole
"growing" time, but at the harvest time he is seen once more. Here then we have
the Lord's own teaching in relation to His work, His first coming to sow the seed of the
Kingdom, His departure from the scene, during the whole of the growing or developing
period, and His return when the harvest of the Age is ripe. "On His head a
golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle." -- Rev. 14:14. We
now proceed in the next place, to fasten upon the event which brings the "Kingdom
in mystery" to a close, and makes way for the Kingdom in manifestation. We
need hardly say that there are more events than one to characterize the close of the
present dispensation, and to finish the mystery of the Kingdom; but the special event to
which we refer is one -- the time of the occurrence of which is known only to God.
That event is the completion of the "fullness of the Gentiles." To this the
Savior refers in Luke 21:24: "And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Connected with the fullness of the
times of the Gentiles the Apostle says (Romans 11 :25), "we would not have you be
ignorant of the mystery, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles be come in, and then all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
the Deliverer shall come out of Zion and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Completion of the Mystery Now,
from this passage we learn that there is a time and circumstance known unto and definitely
marked by God when the Kingdom in mystery will close. The event is the completion of the
number of His elect out of the Gentile world, in harmony with the announcement made by the
Apostle James in the council at Jerusalem when the dispensation had just begun, that it
was a dispensation in and during which God was about to visit the Gentiles to take out
of them a people for Himself. This work of God began in the household of Cornelius and
has been going on ever since; and when tine number which God intended to "take out of
the Gentiles" is sealed, the "Kingdom in mystery" will be completed, and
make way for the Kingdom in manifestation, when the Jews being restored, the Deliverer
will come out of Zion, and the splendid visions of the Prophets, as yet unfulfilled, will
be more than realized during the reign of the Messiah, in the glories of the Millennial
Age. But
while it is admitted that this event-the completion of the fullness of the Gentiles, with
which this dispensation is to close-is, in its very nature, secret, and known only to God,
we may be permitted to inquire whether or not there are any intimations on the prophetic
page which may help us to a right conclusion as to the remoteness or proximity of that
event? We think there are. We would remind the reader of the "parable of the hidden
treasure," a parable which teaches us that the true Church of Christ is and will
continue to be an invisible and hidden treasure, something unperceived and unrecognized by
man, overlooked by him in the "vast field of the world." True Church the "Hidden Treasure" Now
we ask the reader to. contrast the teaching of the parable of the hidden Church of Christ
with those ecclesiastical systems which, in the present days, assume the name, and the
existence, activities, numbers, and rivalries of which are emblazoned all over the world,
proclaimed in ten thousand periodicals, carefully chronicled in hundreds of denominational
"handbooks," and, recorded even in the columns of the secular press. To apply
the term "hidden" to this palpable and world known thing would be a
contradiction in terms, a willful misuse of language; but if this be so, then the name
"Church of Christ" belongs to none of those systems, and from the Apostate
Church of Rome and the Church of England, and all others, inclusive of all sects and
parties, there is no such thing as a collective corporate Church of Christ to be found. If
an epistle, a letter, were addressed to the Church of Christ, in Southwark, London, where
would it be delivered? Who would be the claimants? and how many would there be? Would not
the ecclesiastical authorities of St. George's Popish Cathedral be the first in the list,
and the Rector of St. George's Church next. And while these were fiercely disputing over
the document and their several claims to its possession, some one on behalf of the
Congregationalists, Baptists, Wesleyans, and Presbyterians, and a host of others, whose
name is "legion" would join in the dispute, increase the confusion, and prove by
their antagonistic claims that the letter was wrongly directed, had no legitimate
claimant, that a true corporate Church of Christ could not be found in the borough, and
that the letter must be returned to the "dead letter" office. Christian
communities there are many, and in alt sections and parties where Christ is honored He has
His individual followers, but a corporate Church of Christ on earth is not to be looked
for. No!
the Church of Christ is a hidden thing, a "treasure hid in the field" -- the
field of the world -- and not to be found or recognized in any of the ecclesiastical
systems of the day, where active service in some form, or the very "profession of
religion" as it is called, is supposed to do away with the necessity of vital
godliness. "As it was in the Days of Noah" We
now proceed to adduce, as another proof, that the completion of the fullness of the
Gentiles is drawing near, what we shall call the argument from historical analogy. (a)
When the Antediluvian world was hastening to its doom the number of the true worshipers of
Jehovah constantly diminished -- from the days of Seth and Enoch, down to the deluge --
till at last, when "the flood came and took them away," God said to Noah,
"Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous
before Me in this generation." We thus find that the true worshipers of God had
dwindled to a point when the hour that was to close that dispensation struck. (b)
There were thousands of believers in Jerusalem immediately subsequent to the day of
Pentecost, so that even the adversaries of the Gospel charged the disciples (Acts 5:28)
with filling the city with their doctrine, but when the hour of judgment and
destruction by the Roman armies drew near, Jerusalem -- that great ecclesiastical center
of religious formalism -- was destitute of true believers, for all the disciples,
forewarned of Christ; had escaped to Pella. Now
we are not left to mere inference in relation to the historical analogy suggested by the
era. of the deluge, as to how this dispensation shall close; but we have the direct
statement of the Lord, that "as it was in the clays of Noah so shall it be in
the days of the Son of Man." And He even fortifies and strengthens this statement by
another illustration or historical analogy, drawn from the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah. He says: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: they did eat, they
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot
went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed." "I Must Decrease" Thus
historical analogy not only suggests that as this dispensation draws to a close,
the number of the true disciples of Christ will rapidly diminish, dwindle as it were to a
point, till the last member of the "fullness of the Gentiles" is called out of
the world, as Lot .was out of Sodom, but the Lord Jesus affirms in the most explicit
language that this will be actually the case. Thus the religious aspects of the
closing days of Christendom have their typical analogies in the religious aspects of the
days that immediately preceded the destruction of the Antediluvian world -- the
destruction of Sodom, and the destruction of Jerusalem. But
the destruction of the world by the flood, was preceded by a warning -- the building of
the ark-which the Antediluvians scoffed at, or disregarded, and which Noah alone believed
in and was saved! The two angels who visited the house of Lot on the eve of the tempest of
fire were a warning to the men of Sodom, for they saw them and sought them; but the
warning was disregarded, and even to his own son-in-law Lot "seemed as one that
mocked," when he warned them; so Sodom perished and the one believer was saved!
Jerusalem was warned most solemnly by our Lord Himself in the persons of scribe, and
priest, and Pharisee (Matthew 23:32-36), of her impending doom, but she in common with her
religious and priestly guides and rulers perished; the few took the warning and escaped. So
was it to be in the clays of the Son of Man -- there teas to be an utter lack of faith in
the approaching judgment denounced upon Christendom. and in the Second Advent of
the Son of Man. "When the Son of Man cometh will He find faith on the earth?"
The few will believe it, and be found watching for it; as Simeon and Anna were found
watching for the First Advent, while those who were then, and those who are now, the
religious guides of the people, treated, and treat the Advent of the Son of Man as a thing
of minor moment, or as an enthusiast's dream! and those who direct attention to it, as
visionaries whose vaticinations it is a proof of wisdom to disregard! The sad result is
that the nominal disciples of Christ, and we fear not a few of His actual disciples; are
found taking their stand in the ranks of His professed enemies, and asking in the language
of the scoffer, Where is the promise of His coming (parousia)? for since the Fathers fell
asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. But
on the other hand, Christendom will be in her glory when the hour of her doom approaches.
Like the Laodicean Church of old, she will be saying, I am rich and "increased with
goods, and have need of nothing," while the judge is at the door. Or like the Church
in Sardis, having a world-wide name to live, a universal celebrity for her religious
activities and benevolent associations and admirable organization; and yet amid this,
spiritually "dead," while her Lord utters the solemn warning, "behold I
come as a thief!" Rewarding the True and the False Such
will be the relative condition of the true and the false, the church of the world and the
church of Christ, when He closes the Kingdom in mystery, to replace it by the Kingdom in
manifestation. The false, the nominal, will shine forth in all its magnificence and glory
as the hour of its doom approaches. The true will be feeble, scattered, few, as its
deliverance draws near; the one will pass from its magnificence to judgment; the other
will be raised from its low estate to "inherit the throne of glory." So passed
Egypt, of old, from her proud mastery over Israel, and her insolent defiance of Jehovah to
the destruction of the Red Sea; while Israel, called from the brick-kilns, marched in
triumph through the wilderness to the promised land, beneath the guidance of the fiery
pillar and the manifest presence of God! So passed Haman from the pinnacle of power and
glory, from the banqueting room of the king to the gallows; while Israel, whom he
had doomed to destruction, were delivered, and destroyed those, who would have destroyed
them! So passed from its splendor to its doom the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency,
proud Babylon and her king Belshazzar, in the hour of his profane revelry; while captive
Israel was restored to their own land. In like manner the modern Babylon of Popery, of
Christendom, is seen in her glory sitting a queen, and knowing no sorrow in the very hour
that her judgment comes. . "At
evening time there shall be light." The evening time of the world will be streaked
with the light of a brighter day to the Christian who is found waiting and watching fir
his Lord. Nay! Blessed be God; whether we "watch or sleep we shall be found together
with Him." How softly sinks the lingering Sun, And all is simply sweet and calm And when at last my light shall fall, THE
SEVERAL conventions held in different parts of the country over Labor Day week-end seem to
have been occasions of rich blessing to the friends who were able to assemble at the
various places. For the encouragement of those who may be isolated, shut in, or otherwise
hindered from participation in these gatherings, we have pleasure in publishing the
reports thus far received from brethren who were personally present at the conferences
just held. The Cincinnati Convention "The
Convention at Cincinnati is now in the past, but the influence from that Convention is
still with those who were privileged to attend it. Speakers from Columbus, Dayton,
Pittsburgh and elsewhere seemed to unitedly stress the great importance of closely
adhering to God's Word, and equally they all emphasized the importance of guarding against
the human element for our instruction as to what we shall believe or do, and all rejoiced
in the true liberty of freedom in Christ. It was truly a season of rejoicing in the
Lord." Fellowship at Springfield, Mass. "As
on previous occasions, the Lord's blessing was again experienced by the friends who
gathered at Springfield for the three days of their convention. The various Classes within
a reasonable distance were represented by one or more of their number, bringing with them
a warm spirit of fellowship, and carrying away encouragements that will doubtless flow out
to others. Tolerance was the keynote of the Convention; hence the various speakers
directed the thoughts of the assembled friends to the Lord and His Word, as the great
source of real spiritual growth and fellowship. Certainly, if the many helpful admonitions
and encouragements suggested by the different speakers are remembered and faithfully
followed, the gathering at Springfield will not have been in vain. We are sure the 'Lord
hearkened and heard' and graciously blessed all according to their preparation of
heart." The Gathering at Buffalo, N. Y. "The
1930 Convention is now in the past and we can truly say it has been another instance in
which our dear Heavenly Father has fulfilled His promise to be with any assembly who have
come together to consider, His Word and to talk of His goodness. "Our
heartiest thanks to you, dear brethren, for sending us dear Brother Friese. His presence
was an inspiration and his message will remain with us the entire year. "While
we had not hoped for much of an attendance in response to our local efforts, we had a very
generous response from Toronto, Rochester, and other points around here. We feel sure all
went home last evening believing it blessed to have been here. "Once
more accept our sincere thanks for your loving co-operation." Refreshing Showers at Winnipeg, Man. "It
is with genuine gladness of heart that I am writing you in reference to the Winnipeg
Convention held on August 30, 31, and September 1. The average attendance was
approximately fifty. A praise, prayer and testimony meeting was held each day. There were
some who said that they had not testified for several months, and one or two that they had
not testified for more than two years. The
reason they gave was that in their former association, the testimony meetings were turned
into salesmanship meetings or reports of sales made. Now, however, they had been liberated
once more, and consequently they could and did testify with gladness of heart. The
brethren pronounced this as one of the very best conventions had attended; and the reason
for this was, of course, that the Lord's blessing was with His people. "The
brethren were unanimous that all the discourses were helpful and strengthening. No
speculations were indulged in -- simply the old, old story of the great redeeming love of
our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus. The association with the brethren was so blessed
that one brother remarked he had a feeling akin to that of the Apostle Peter on the Mount
of Transfiguration, when he said: 'Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make
three tabernacles: one for Thee, and one for Moses and one for Elias.' (Mark 9:5.) Another
brother said he was re-consecrating himself, and many of the brethren voiced the same
sentiment. "The
memory of this sweet convention will long linger in our minds, and the writer .again takes
occasion to thank the dear brethren at Winnipeg for all the love and kindness they
bestowed on us visiting brethren. The writer also wishes to thank the Pastoral Bible
Institute for sending our beloved Brother Zink, who so richly ministered to the
brethren:" Subsequent
to the various conventions held on these dates the Secretary of each gathering received
the following letter which we publish as an expressive evidence of the tie that binds all
the Lord's people in the bands of Christian love: "Dear Brother: "From
'The Herald' of August 1-15 we have seen that you have a convention August 30, 31 and
September 1. On account of that we will hereby send our hearty love and our very best
wishes for great blessings during the Convention. -- Psa. 46. "As
you know 'The Herald' is printed there in U. S. A. and has been sent to us over seas and
countries to the other side of the globe. This letter will take the same way back again to
U. S. A., and therefore it is clear that it cannot reach you on the days of the
Convention. But perhaps the dear brethren will get word in some way through you, dear
brother, that we here in a far corner of the North have been with you in spirit in your
Convention. This letter is a witness of it. "We
had here on the same time (August 31) a little home-gathering and there remembered you all
in our prayers. Ah, this is a blessed thought, that through prayer we can be
simultaneously in contact with our Father and our dear Lord, Jesus Christ -- you there on
your side of the globe and we here. Indeed, there is no distance between those who have
the unity of the Spirit. "Now,
living here far apart, we are rejoicing in the grace and love of God, but soon, very soon;
all His dear ones will be gathered in the Heavenly Home and there will be no distances, no
divisions, nevermore. "In
this blessed hope we send our hearty greetings to you all and will earnestly pray that the
Lord may bless your efforts to serve Him and His. 'If we suffer with Him, we shall reign
with Him.' May God bless you with His peace. "Yours in the same hope, "Brethren in
Helsinki, Finland." Dear
Brethren: Since
the question of Pilgrim service on the Pacific Coast was brought to our attention
recently, we (sister and I) have been considering in what manner we could help. Upon
reading the letter from the brethren at Seattle, and your recommendation of same in the
last issue of the "Herald" we think that we have found the solution to our
problem. We notice that one of the brethren is willing to contribute ten dollars a month.
That is more than we can give, but we would gladly send two dollars a month, starting with
September, to the "Herald" office, if agreeable to you, upon the same conditions
as prevail. with the "Good Hopes" fund, and as mentioned by the brother at
Seattle. Should
this meet with your approval, please inform us and we will cheerfully do our part. Your brother in His service, J. R. O --
Ohio. Dear
Brothers: I
have just finished reading a leaflet handed me by a, friend, entitled, "Inauguration
of God's Kingdom Preceded by Distress of Nations." I feel I have derived a great
blessing through the wonderful truths of the Bible you have made so plain, until a child
could thoroughly understand. I am prompted by the Spirit to ask you to send me the
additional copies, more exhaustive on the Bible prophecies, especially respecting our
Lord's Return. I faithfully promise to read and hand them on to some other hungry soul,
for food to the perishing of our time. Thanking
you in advance, and praying God's blessing on your good work, I am , Yours truly, a sister, Mrs. F. W. W. -- Fla. Dear
Brethren: Loving
greetings in and through our blessed Savior and Redeemer. We were delighted to recieve
your very ,encouraging and uplifting letter about four months ago; . . but since that
date it has pleased the dear Lord that we remove to the above address. We are therefore
giving you our change of address, asking that in future the "Herald" be mailed.
there. At the same time we are encroaching just a little with a view to encouraging you in
your labor of love, by notifying you how thankful we are to our loving Heavenly Father for
His many kind favors and blessings which He has so bounteously bestowed upon us since the
"Herald" commenced visiting our home. Except the Bible, which we learned to love
early above all others, we have become so engrossed in the "Herald," its many
beautiful articles all uplifting, and if adhered to assist, toward character development
and point directly to the one Head of the Body, the Church, Jesus Christ. -- Col. 1:18.. We
now enjoy greater Christian liberty than for many years past. Taking a retrospect of the
past we are surprised indeed to behold, the bondage in which we were held. We were
attempting to preach liberty to the captives while we ourselves were captives, and
sometimes wondered why they could not see eye to eye with us. But we were like Bunyan's
Pilgrim, we had gotten into Bypath Meadow and eventually we reached Doubting Castle. .
Giant Despair certainly tortured us in the extreme, but thank the Lord, He did not allow
him to destroy us, but sent His own Messenger to liberate us; and we are now free and
enjoying sweet liberty. Many of the kinks which had formed in our minds through wrong
study are now being straightened out, giving us a far better opportunity to look straight
to the one perfect Pattern, Jesus Christ the altogether lovely One. We
pray daily that you dear brethren may be ever guided by His Holy Spirit, that nothing but
that which shall be fully in accordance with His Divine will shall find its way into that
ministry to which He has entrusted you. Reviewing
the past we see what an easy prey indeed many of the Church have fallen to that one Great
deception of Satan -- either raising up a man, a building or some other material thing,
thus diverting their attention away from Christ. And since we see these things,, it
behooves us to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation, but the rather that we,
after having passed through these trials which are to test our loyalty to Him, may be
accounted worthy of being numbered among those overcomers who. will be given an abundant
entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We
were greatly favored by receiving over two and one-half years back numbers of the
"Herald" from a dear Brother in Alabama. We find an abundance of real good
matter or study in them -- thanks to our loving Heavenly Father. We reside 25 miles from.
any friends of like precious faith that we know of at Winnipeg,. Man. The dear friends
there keep us well supplied with literature for free distribution, but we have noted your
generous offer to send free an extra copy of the "Herald" each issue and are
prompted to accept this offer, that we may be enabled to do a little in the Master's
service by endeavoring to place it in the hands of those whom we trust will appreciate and
enjoy it, even as we do. Sister
S____ joins me in committing you into the care and keeping of our blessed Savior Jesus
Christ. We solicit an interest in your prayers on our behalf that we may prove faithful
even unto the end. The Heavenly Father's richest ;blessing and His abiding peace be with
you continually. With much Christian love from your
brother by His grace, W. H. S. -- Man. Dear
Brethren: Since
reading the May 1st "Herald" and your article on. "Reviews of the
Chronology," I have read the Chronology article in the August 1-15, 1925
"Herald" and am convinced that you have it lined up correctly according to the
Scripture. I would not read your Chronology five years ago, because I thought it
contradicted Pastor Russell's outline. I had not yet learned to "prove all
things." I believe it will prove a great blessing to any one who will study it. It
surely clears up the defects in our previous outline. Will you please send me 20 copies of
the "Herald" August, 1925.* Your brother in Christ, G. H. S. -- Ore. *
The chronology number is now. May, 16, 1926. VOL. XIII October 15, 1930 No. 20 THE
WALK of the Christian being one of faith, requires of course his readiness to emulate
Abraham, who did not hesitate to go out "not knowing whither he went." But God
very graciously gives us many things to strengthen our faith in His Word. Beyond the
testimony of our own personal experience of His faithfulness, we have the forecasts of His
prophetic Word, which rise like beacon lights on the shore toward which we sail, assuring
us that our voyage will soon be over. From
the scientific field, the research expeditions, and the present unparalleled economic
conditions throughout the world, we are hearing voices bearing testimony to the
inspiration of Scripture. Doubtless a number of the "Herald" readers have
observed the following news items in the Public Press, but for the benefit of others we
quote them here: "Talks to Oneself Around the World" "Nellie
Bly and other round-the-world travelers have been put to shame. C. D. Wagoner's voice has
circumnavigated the world in a fraction of a second, establishing two broadcast records --
the first round-the-world and the longest recorded . . . . "Says
Guy Bartlett of the General Electric Company's News Bureau, in a press bulletin: "'Since
it was possible to reach Australia in a westerly direction, it occurred to the engineers
that with the cooperation of the Phillips Radio in Holland and Java, it might be possible
to reach Australia in an easterly direction, and through the powerful Sydney short-wave
transmitter complete the circuit of the globe. "'A
test was arranged .on June 30, and unexpectedly the first was successful. Within two hours
after the test was instituted, Australia reported that it was getting Schenectady by way
of Java, and at the request of Schenectady put the signal through, completing the circuit. "'The
voice of Mr. Wagoner left Schenectady on W2XAD, on 19.58 meters, was received in Huizen,
Holland, where it was relayed by PHI on 16.88 meters, received by PLW at Bandoeng, Java,
and retransmitted on 36.5 meters to Sydney, where the engineers using 2ME, operating on
28.5 meters, sent it on to Schenectady. Mr. Wagoner talked to himself. His voice came back
as an echo, each syllable repeating itself an eighth of a second later, and the most
surprising feature was that, at times, the returning words were easily understood. "'To
describe the progress of the voice around the world in another way, the transmitters at
Huizen, Bandoeng, and Sydney might be likened to remount stations. The 20,000 horses of
W2XAD carried the voice to Huizen, where a like number of horses took up the burden.
Arriving at Java, 10,000 horses were dispatched to Sydney, and at that point fresh mounts
crossed the Pacific and the American continent. Electrical impulses travel at a speed of
186,000 miles per second. The distance covered was approximately 22,900 miles, and a very
small fractional part of a second was taken in remounting at the widely separated points. "'Mr.
Wagoner was confronted with the problem of what to talk to himself about, knowing that at
the same time his little chat with himself was available, via radio, to the whole world.
Because of the unexpected success of the first tests, the signal was put on the long wave
of WGY, and so Mr. Wagoner decided that he would tell every one as well as himself just
what was taking place. He described the route his voice was taking, the stations involved,
and the wave-lengths used.'"
"Suffolk,,
Eng. Sept. 20. -- David Lloyd George, speaking at a big liberal rally here today, said the
time had arrived for a bold fresh re-examination of the whole British industrial and
economic position. "'There
has been nothing comparable to the present position since the darkest hours of the war he
said. 'Unemployment is growing; not by battalions but by divisions, week by week, and I
cannot see the end of it. We are not, passing through, but passing into a crisis."' "Workless Reach New High Peaks" "London,
Aug. 10. -- Unemployed reached a new high record in the old world with the announcement
today by Germany that her total number of persons out of work is 2,757,000. "As
Great Britain's unemployed officially passed the 2,000,000 mark last month, it is
estimated that in six European countries there are today at least 5,949,287 persons listed
out of work. "In
Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, and France, the workers dependent for
their livelihood upon private charity or public doles now exceed the population of any
European capital except London. "Italy
with 322,287 officially reported jobless, 114,094 of them women; France with upwards of
100,000 on strike and 20,000 out of work involuntarily; Hungary with 400,000 mostly
agriculturists, idle today, accounted for about 5,949,287 officially tabulated, while
Australia added 450,000 to the roll. "Everywhere
throughout Europe determined efforts have been made to check the lengthening lists of
jobless, but the 'dole' or government insurance remittances to hundreds of thousands has
been necessary, costing the several governments far into the millions to meet the
emergency. "The
London Herald, on March 3, claimed that the total unemployed in the entire world was
16,000,000. "Drive All Jews out of Germany" "Louis
Lipsky, former president of the Zionist Organization of America, returned aboard the
Mauretania, reporting a growth and progress in anti-Semitism, with Zionism as the only
solution. "'During
my visit in Europe,' he said, 'I had occasion to note the remarkable growth of
anti-Semitism in most of the countries where I stayed. It is not novel for anti-Jewish
prejudice to be displayed in Europe -- but it has reached the stage of an imposing menace. "'The
amazing gains made by the National Socialistic Party in Germany in the recent elections
serve to indicate the sweep of the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe. It is an
ordinary sight in some sections to see large placards bearing the legend, 'Drive All the
Jews Out of Germany.'" SEPARATISM, AND "Some indeed preach Christ even of
envy and strife. . . What then? WRITING
FROM his prison at Rome to the friends of Jesus in Philippi, the Apostle, after his
gracious greeting, goes on to meet their loving anxieties as to himself, and the Gospel
which had been committed to his trust. A devotional writer from whom we have frequently
quoted in these pages has translated and interspersed an explanatory paraphrase of the
passage (Phil. 1:12-18), and written very helpful and instructive comments thereon, which
we take pleasure in submitting to the attentive consideration of our readers, as follows "Now
I wish you to know, brethren, that my position and circumstances have come out, have
resulted, rather for the progress of the Gospel message and enterprise than
otherwise; so that my bonds, my imprisonment . . . are become unmistakable
as being in Christ; as due to no social or political crime, but to the name and
cause of the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world. This is the case in the whole
Praetorium, in all ranks of the Imperial Guard, and among other people in general.
And another result is that the majority of the brethren in the Lord, the converts
of the Roman mission, feeling a new confidence in connection with my
bonds, animated by the fact of my imprisonment. realizing afresh the glory of the
cause which makes me happy to suffer, venture more abundantly, more frequently,
more openly, fearlessly to speak the Word, the message of Christ, of the Cross, of
Truth, of Life. There a is a drawback in this welcome phenomenon, some indeed actually
for envy and strife, while others as truly for goodwill are proclaiming the Christ. The
latter are at work thus from motives of love, love to the Lord and to me
His captive messenger, knowing that on purpose for the vindication of the Gospel
I am posted, (as a soldier fixed by his captain's order) here. The former from
motives of faction, partisanship in a self-interested propaganda of their own
opinions are announcing the Christ, not purely, thinking and meaning to raise up
tribulation for the in my bonds; as so easily they. can do, by detaching from
me many converts who would otherwise gather round me, and generally by the mortifying
thought of their freedom and activity in contrast to my enforced isolation. Shall I give
way to the trial, and lose patience and peace? Must I? Need I? Nay; what matters it?
Is not the fiery arrow quenched in Christ for me? Is it not thus nothing to me? Yes -- yet
not nothing after all; for it brings a gain ; it spreads the Gospel so much
further; so that to my 'What matters it?' I may add, Only in every way, fair or
foul, Christ is being announced; and in this I rejoice, aye, and Rejoice I shall;
the future can only bring me fresh reasons for a joy which lies wholly in the triumphs of
my Lord, and can only bring fresh blessings to me His vassal. "The
passage before us is interesting . . . because of the light it throws on the very early
rise of a separatist movement in the Roman mission-church, and on the principles on which.
St. Paul met it. Extremely painful and perplexing the phenomenon was; though by no means
new in its nature to St. Paul, as we well know. It was a trouble altogether from within
not from without. The men who 'preached Christ of envy and strife' bore evidently the
Christian name as openly as their sincerer brethren. They were . . . members of the
community of the Gospel. And their evangelization was such that St. Paul was able to say,
'Christ is preached'; though this does not mean, assuredly, that there were no doubtful
elements mingled in the preaching. Now for them, as for all the Roman Christians, he had
every reason to regard himself as the Lord's appointed center of labor and of order. There
he was, the divinely commissioned Apostle of Christ, at once the teacher and the leader of
the Gentile Churches; only a few short years before he had written to these very people,
in his inspired and commissioned character, the greatest of the Epistles. Yet now behold a
separation, a schism. That such the movement was we cannot doubt. These 'brethren,' he
tells us, carried on their missionary efforts in a way precisely intended to 'raise up
trouble' for him in his prison. The least that they would do with that object would be not
only to teach much that he would disapprove of, but to intercept intercourse between their
converts and him; to ignore him altogether as the central representative of the Church at
Rome; to arrange for assemblies, to administer Baptisms . . . wholly apart from the order
and cohesion which he would sanction, and which he had the fullest right to enjoin. All
this was a great evil, a sin, carrying consequences which might affect the Christian cause
far and wide. Is it not true that no deliberate schism has ever taken place in the Church
where there has not been grievous sin in the matter -- on one side, or on the other, or on
both? "Discerned Things That Differ" "Yet
how does the Apostle meet this distressing problem? With all the large tolerance and
self-forgetting patience .which come to the wise man who walks close to God in Christ. No
great leader, surely ever prized more the benefits of order and cohesion than did St.
Paul. And where a fundamental error was in view, as for example that about Justification
in Galatia, no one could meet it more energetically; and with a stronger sense of
authority, than:. he did. But he 'discerned things that differ.' And when; as here, he saw
around him men, however misguided, who were aiding in the 'announcement' of the Name and
salvation of Christ, he thought more of the evangelization than of the breach of
coherence, which yet most surely he deplored. He speaks with perfect candor of the unsound
spiritual state of the separatists, their envy, strife, and partisanship. But he has no
anathema for their methods. He is apparently quite unconscious of the thought that because
he is the one Apostle in Rome grace can be conveyed only through him; that his authority
and commission are necessary to authenticate teaching. . . . He would far rather have
order, and he knows that he is its lawful center. But 'the announcement of Christ' is a
thing even more momentous than order. He cannot stay to speak of that great but inferior
benefit, while he 'rejoices, aye, and is going to rejoice,' in the diffusion of the Name
and salvation of the Lord. Christ All in All "It
is an instructive lesson. Would that in all the after ages the Church had more watchfully
followed this noble precedent! The result would have been, so I venture to hold, a far
truer and stronger cohesion, in the long run, than we see, alas, around us now. "What
was the secret of this happy harmony of the love of order and; the capacity for tolerance
in the mind of St. Paul? It was a secret as deep but also as simple as possible; it was
the Lord Jesus Christ. Really and literally, Jesus Christ was the one ruling consideration
for St. Paul; not himself, his claims, position, influence, feelings; not even the Church.
To him the Church was inestimably precious, but the Lord was more. And all his thoughts
about work, authority, order, and the like, were accordingly conditioned and governed by
the thought, What will best promote the glory of the Lord who loved us and gave Himself
for us? If even a separatist propaganda will extend the knowledge of Him, His servant can
rejoice, not in the separatism, not in the unhappy spirit which prompted it, but in the
extension of the reign of Jesus Christ in the human hearts which need Him. Surely, even in
our own day; with its immemorial complications of the question of exterior order, it will
tend more than anything else to straighten the crooked places and level the rough places,
if we look, from every side; on the glory of the blessed Name as our supreme and ruling
interest." O! to be nothing, nothing, O! to be nothing, nothing, THE KING'S DAUGHTER "And there came unto me one of the
seven angels . . and talked with me, saying, Come hither, 1 will shew thee the Bride, the
Lamb's Wife . . . . Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." -- Rev. 21:9, 11. HOW
VERY fitting it is that we should find so elaborate a description of the suffering, and
finally glorified Church, presented to us in "the revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God gave unto Him," when as the Lamb slain He was found worthy to open and read the
scroll of the whole Divine Plan. Essentially that revelation must embrace the history of
the long vigil of His waiting, suffering Church. It must tell of her bitter persecutions,
of her martyrdoms, of her chastity midst all the defilemnts of repeated onslaughts by the
Adversary, who has ever sought to defile her garments. But this wonderful Book would have
been far from complete had it contained only the history of the struggles and sufferings
of the Church militant. Obviously it must end in a fitting climax, revealing a purified
Church, emerging triumphant in warfare against her triple foe -- the world, the flesh; and
the Devil. With
what joy the Spirit that has spoken to the Churches in this last message; now draws the
history to a close in such a climax. Dark has been the night; long and tedious the years
of patient waiting for the Bridegroom of her heart; bitter has been the cup of suffering;
persecution, and death; severe and insidious have been the tests upon her devotion; but
she has emerged triumphant, and may now be revealed by the recording angel in all the
glories of her bridal adornments. The jewel caskets of earth's precious gems are emptied
of their jasper, sapphire, emerald, and precious stones to illustrate and to do justice to
an adequate description of her beauties: The veil is lifted, and we see all the
quintessence of every known beauty personified in the vision before us, as the angel
leaves s to gaze in speechless admiration upon "the Bride; the Lamb's Wife." The Vision only for the Spiritual Surely
then the descriptive language of John in this record of his closing vision is full of
meaning: "He carried the away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed
me that great city, the holy Jerusalem," "prepared as a Bride adorned for her
husband." If John would see the Bride in her full beauty, he must ascend to the
highest plane of vision. Only as he stood on that lofty vantage ground would he realize
the full effect of the revealment to be made, and experience the, full inspiration of that
vision upon his own heart. To
us the same invitation has come. We too are even now invited to ascend to the highest
possible summit of spiritual vision in our contemplation of future glories, that we may
there behold, the character of the one who shall ere long be revealed in "clothing of
wrought gold" and "in raiment of needlework." Moses viewed the promised
land, Israel's future inheritance, from some high elevation. The three favored disciples
saw the Savior's glistening garments, and viewed in heavenly pantomime the coming Kingdom,
on the mountain top. John, the beloved, was taken to a point nearest the heavenly stage,
that he might behold the beauties of God's special creation,, "the Bride, the Lamb's
Wife." To a similar elevation of thought,, devotion, purity,, and spirituality, we
must therefore climb, if, we would fully comprehend the real glory of character possessed
by the Bride of Christ. Only those who in thought and earnest desire put the grandeurs of
a Divine character before all other things; can really see this vision which we are now
invited to behold. Pen Pictures of the Bride Many
and varied have been the means used by the Lord throughout the Age to keep this vision
before His saints. He has given apostles, pastors, and teachers, who have faithfully
stressed the perfecting of the Saints as the thing of greatest importance. Through such
spiritually minded servants the Lord has been continually extending the invitation we find
in our text; "Come hither, I will shew thee the Bride, the Lamb's Wife." But
today, how manifold our opportunities, for seeing and hearing what many righteous, men
have hitherto desired to see and hear, but were not permitted to view with the same
clearness of vision that we now enjoy. Yet with their limited vision, they became truly
saintly characters, demonstrating a devotion to and appreciation of the grandeurs of
character predestined for the Church, the New Creation. Are
we today as faithful? Are we in view of the clearer outline we have of the special call of
the Bride, making a correspondingly greater effort to excel in those qualities? Let us
stop and consider! As
a part of the wonderful unfolding and amplifying of truth that has come to us in this
favored time, we prize the ministry of the one who has given us so many illuminating pen
pictures of the Bride of Christ. These very concise, yet very life-size pictures of the
Bride, both as respects her character and her present experiences, we may well consider
here. To some of God's, people, today these have been of inestimable. value as they have
sought to maintain their chastity of character, and to comport themselves as becomes those
who would pass through the ante-chamber of inspection into the bridal privileges beyond.
While examining these, we ask the reader to remember that at the time they were written,
it was generally supposed that the final testing. of the Church would be occasioned
largely by such violent opposition on the part of the nominal church as to effectively
silence the true testimony and to test severely the courage and strenghth of character of
the faithful. Prophecy, however, is rarely understood clearly before its actual
fulfillment. Discerning minds have for several years recognized that what had been
expected to develop through outside opposition has really and more effectively been
accomplished, by the leaven that has corrupted. from the inside. Had it come from the
outside, it would have been quite easily detected, but coming from the inside, how
deceptive] has been its gnawing at the vitals of truth and piety. Devotion to His Name and Principles first Requisite We
come now to our first pen picture or portrait of the Bride: "The
worthiness of the espoused virgin Church to be the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, consists not
merely in sinlessness, though she will be holy and 'without blemish' -- 'without spot or
wrinkle or any such thing' (Eph. 5 :27), made 'whiter than snow in the great fountain of
redeeming love, her Redeemer's merit. This much is necessary to all who will ever
be accounted worthy of lasting life on any plane. But to be the Bride of the Lamb, she
must not only be a virgin in purity; and in addition be free from sinful alliance and
coquetry with the world, but she must be more. much more than this, She must so
closely resemble her Lord, and so closely follow His footsteps and His counsel, that she
will on this account be a sufferer, a martyr, as He was, and for the sake of the same
principles of truth and righteousness. She must prove that she possesses a
consuming love for the Bridegroom, and an untiring devotion to His name and
principles." As
we look at this picture of the Bride can we find ourselves therein, or as approximating in
our present conduct this truly Scriptural standard? That the portrait is not overdrawn we
know for the "negative", from which it has been taken is found throughout the
teachings of the Holy Word. "Holiness unto the Lord" is put first and foremost
in the Christian's approach to the favor of God. Again and again Jesus emphasized the
impossibility of mixing the carnal affections with the spiritual. aspirations of those
whom He will own as His prospective Bride. Moreover, He has taught us that any lingering
desire for the pleasures and frivolities of the world, that may be found in our hearts
must surely unfit us for His presence. "No, man. having put his hand to the plow and
looking back is fit for the Kingdom of heaven." "Remember Lot's wife." In
these days when men in general are found to be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God,
it behooves us to very carefully, scrutinize ourselves to make sure that we have escaped
the universal drift of pleasure seeking. "Sinful alliance and coquetry with the world
has many forms -- insidious efforts of the Adversary to steal our time; and fill it with
the delights of the flesh; flirting with the world by substituting "worshipping God
in nature as we turn to the highways with others on pleasure bent instead of walking, in
holy converse to the louse of God, or tuning in on the entertainments provided by the
world, while the Spirit waits to connect our souls with the melodies of Heaven. Mistaken Expectations of Martyrdom "But
more, much more" -- she must be "a martyr, as He was, and for the sake of
the same principles of truth and righteousness." This is also a true picture,
"because as He is so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17.) But what fanciful
theories we lave had regarding the. possible martyrdom of some of the last members of the
Church. How frequent were the assurances that we would be hastened homeward by a firing
squad; if we were ready to meet the tests of loyalty that would eventually come. But it
has not developed into a test of bravado, or of a willingness to die a martyr for one's
opinion. Had that been the test of the Bride, what a heterogeneous company it would be
since a willingness to suffer imprisonment and death for opinion's sake is found just as
often among the ungodly. One
of the great tents of these days is that of one's establishment in the principles of truth
and righteousness. If these have been crystallized in the character, they will
automatically become the fortification that will successfully withstand the subtle
delusions of the hour. It would be inconceivable to imagine one who was rooted and
grounded in these principles, giving support to distortions of truth for the sake of
policy, or indulging in the degrading claim that the end is justified by the means.
"No lie is of the truth" and those who have been led "in the paths of
righteousness" will possess within themselves the spirit that will detect the
perversions of truth, and the insidious workings of unrighteousness, and keep themselves
separated therefrom, thus proving that they have "a consuming love for the
Bridegroom, and an untiring devotion to His name and principles. To Obey Better thin Sacrifice To
reinforce the lesson taught in the above, we call attention to another reminder that the
west of faithfulness to God is no superficial survey of the outward man, but a searching
analysis of the innermost character. We quote again: "The
parable of the Ten Virgins, while it shows the entire virgin or consecrated class being
separated from Babylon, marks distinctly a testing and separation to take place in this
class also -- a separation of wise virgins, full of faith and fervent love and the
spirit of prompt obedience, from foolish virgins, who allow their first love and
fervency of spirit to cool, and their faith and promptness of obedience consequently to
abate." It
is important that we observe the real point in this concise, descriptive paragraph, for it
also is undeniably Scriptural in its teaching. If it be proper to speak of a harvest of
the harvest, when the mixed multitude will be "tested and sifted, until only the
loyal, faithful, true-hearted, brave and valiant soldiers of the cross remain," then
these words are deeply significant. For Scriptural testimony that such a close; critical
examination must come, we need only think of a few illustrative passages: "A thousand
shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand." "And many false
prophets shall arise, and, will deceive many; and because vice will abound; the love of the
many will cool." "Who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a
refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap." By numerous texts and frequent analogisms,
the Bible most clearly teaches that but few of the called will finally gain the full
reward, and it behooves us to make sure .that we properly understand the real issues now
before us. All need the Keeping Power of God within the Heart "Full
of faith and fervent love and the spirit of prompt obedience" -- a trinity of
essential qualities composing true character. But it is only as these qualities are
directly related to the Lord Himself, that the really represent character. We are not
saved by truths about Christ, but by Himself, the truth. Thus it is that today a
canvass of the "mixed multitude" would reveal that this faith, fervent love, and
prompt obedience is understood to have more to do with reactions toward ministering
agencies, ways and means of service, and the hedging about of truth with human.
limitations, rather than a direct effectual union. with the Lord Himself, and the
possession of the controlling, keeping power of God within the heart. Would
we inquire why so many must fail of full approval and become castaways? For answer, let us
remember that the qualities required are growths of the Spirit, produced not by mechanical
repetition of orthodox book learning, but by beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, and being changed into His character likeness. It has helped little to fill
hours in the past by talking about the final test of the Church; and creating a feeling of
security for oneself by reiterations of a belief in things that at best are only a means
to an end. The tests that the great Refiner applies today, have more to do with what we
are, than what we may know, for our education is merely the means, not the end. That
individual who has made fellowship with the Lord the great attainment, is the one referred
to in the clause we are considering. When that desire and objective becomes the habit of
life, such need have no fear of falling in the evil day. The Spirit of God within will be
ample fortification, for, "then the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of
thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in union with Christ
Jesus." (Phil. 4:7, Weymouth.) That living union with the Lord will fix the character
in righteousness, and such will be led by the Spirit to do the right thing under all
circumstances. Herein is explained the amazing fact that very often some poor illiterate
brother, handicapped in various ways, is quick to discern departures from established
truth, evidences of carnal tendencies, etc., while his learned and talented associates,
stumble on into the snares laid for their feet. Prompt obedience, fervent love, and full
faith, if it be to God first, will number us with His Elect, His Bride. The Ministry of the Saints Service
being an important feature of our Christian life, perhaps no question is receiving more
consideration at the present time. For a sane and Scriptural view of the relative
importance of the Church's work on. herself or for others, we direct the reader's
attention to our next pen picture "The
robe and the invitation received and accepted, these guests spend the short time just
prior to the marriage feast (the harvest time) in adjusting their robes and giving to
themselves and to each other the finishing touches of preparation. And, while thus
engaged, they are together feasting already, by faith, on the prospect before them. The
Bridegroom, the grand future work, the glorious inheritance and the present work of
preparation are the constant themes of their thoughts and conversation." "For
God is not unjust so that He is unmindful of your labor and of the love which you have
manifested toward Himself in having rendered services to His people and in still rendering
them." (Heb. 6:10.) Thus writes the Apostle in commendation of faithful brethren of
long ago, to brethren who like himself, loved the Church, and counted the service of such,
a sacred trust. The text itself does slot specify the kind of service rendered, but we are
all familiar with the kind the Apostle would commend, and therefore know that it would be
in line with the paragraph we have just quoted. But
before examining this portrait of the prospective Bride's adornment, let us again inquire,
Is it a Scriptural picture? We note that the period is designated "the harvest
time" and that during this time the waiting Church would be thus engaged. To
establish the correctness of the picture we need only remember the definiteness of the
instruction, "Gather the wheat into My barn," and to recall the method of Jesus
as He conducted the work of harvesting the Jewish Age. As He then specially, sought out
the "Israelites indeed," separating the wheat from the chaff, so it is today.
The gathering of His Elect is the special purpose of the hour. Let all the failures
associated with human schemes and premature encroachments on the great work held in
reserve for the final overcomers (Rev. 2:26, 27) with which we are now so painfully
familiar, indelibly stamp the fact upon our mind, that it is a matter of gathering saints
today and not of the overthrowing political and ecclesiastical organizations, a task for
which we have neither the wisdom nor the ability. Unquestionably
such was the becoming of the gathered and waiting Bride in the years just passed. But if
such was her character and deportment several years ago, what then should we see today,
when to all appearances we stand literally on the very threshold of the Holy of Holies?
Would it not seem that there should be an unparalleled spirit of helpfulness abroad
amongst those who are waiting to enter in. Again, should there not be a very manifest
spirit of becoming meekness amongst those who are waiting to be assigned to their proper
place in the Temple of God, and an entire absence for any competition for highest place?
Such is surely the background needed to make this portrait stand out in its true
Scriptural beauty. Could
any time me more momentous to a prospective bride than that interval when, after having
put on her wedding gown, she enlists the aid of others to adjust the little details of
robe, and wreath, and train, so that she may appear at the wedding ceremony in flawless
adjustment? Surely not! then so much more so in respect to our present work of
preparation, for "That will be a marriage To
be in this picture will require a real devotion, not only to the Bridegroom, but also to
His Bride -- a spirit of helpfulness that will not be quiet, that cannot be isolated, nor
tempted into self-sufficiency. Well might we ask, where can we find a living enactment of
this picture? Where will we find a gathering of brethren in this ante-chamber time, who
live and fellowship, communicate and minister, wholly absorbed in "giving to
themselves and to each other the finishing touches of preparation," whose ministry
and conversation, oral or written, is steadfastly and permanent occupied with "the
Bridegroom, the grand future work, the glorious inheritance, and the present work of
preparation"? O that it could be said that such conditions obtained everywhere! But
alas this hallowed ante-chamber seems too crowded for some, and they must needs eject whom
they will, and the robe that might require a kindly touch to smooth out a wrinkle here and
there, must be torn from others who stand in need, nor of a judge, but of some true
Barnabas to speak a helpful word in season. With one accord it is confessed that
adjustments are necessary, but someone must copyright the only orthodox way of doing it,
and while other methods are good, bad, or different, his is the more excellent way. And while the Church with strife is
riven. And most suredly those taken will
answer in character to the pen pictures we have we have just looked upon. "Shall you,
shall I." Having done all, to Stand Many
are the questions being asked today regarding the nature of the Church's work before the
public. By common consent all have recognized that considerable publicity must necessarily
be associated with the work in the end of the Age, even as there was in the Jewish
harvest, when "the fame of Him went out into every place of the country round
about." (Luke 4:37.) As an incidental, and yet important feature of our Lord's
mission He must proclaim His Kingship, present Himself to His professed people as a
testimony against them. Likewise at the end of the Age a similar witness must be given,
hence considerable activity and service will be required of the faithful messenger of the
Lord. Had
all our theories worked out as they were supposed to do, according to our understanding of
prophecy, little or no difficulty would be experienced; but when our vivid pictures of
firing squads and bullets faded out, then the question began to be asked, How will the
faithful members of the Church be separated from the Great Company, and others? In those
days when our theories looked at least reasonable, we thought of a concerted opposition to
the spread of the Truth, as a result of an angered nominal Christianity. We imagined that
then the test would be on, and that immediately a great number would, through fear, hide
their light and make compromises that would automatically relegate them to the "live
goat" class, and the faithful, shut off from further service, would be forced to
remain inactive, or, persisting in their witnessing, suffer martyrdom and pass into glory.
We are not criticizing these expectations, but merely rehearsing them here in order to
appreciate more fully the possible, true prophetic fulfillment. But let us quote again: "How
long the Lord may be pleased to let His saints stand in enforced idleness so far has His
work [the witnessing work] is concerned we do not know, but probably only long enough to
let faith and patience have their perfect work. Here these virtues will be most fully
developed, tested, and manifested. This test of patience will be the final test of the
Church. It
is a well known fact that for forty long years the great Adversary carried on a tireless
effort to silence the voice of present Truth. As in the days of Jesus, Satan then enlisted
the religious leaders against the Truth, so he has done in these last days. Therefore the
combined forces of the religious world were seeking for ways and means to discredit
Brother Russell and banish his writings to oblivion. In this they failed. They "could
do nothing against the Truth, but for it." Must, then, the picture before us of a
Church shut off from the great witnessing work be turned to the wall? Ah, no. Well might
angels weep as history today records the fact that within ten short years, foes within our
walls have relegated messenger and message to obscurity -- truth wounded in the house of
its friends, after having weathered for years the attacks of its malignant foes without.
Thus what we expected from the outside; came from the inside, and, deprived of the
efficient leadership of the Lord's special servant whose influence permeated the Church
throughout the world,, and, shut off from the necessary and legitimate sources of revenue
for carrying on the larger work, a faithful band have in these days recognized themselves
in a condition of "enforced idleness" insofar as the greater witnessing work is
concerned. What then should be our special concern today? Must we permit our
"enforced idleness" to dampen our zeal and discourage our efforts to make known
the Plan of God? No indeed! It simply means that we readjust ourselves to the
circumstances that God has permitted to overtake us. It is still our privilege to "do
with our might what our hands find to do." Until the dark night has fully settled
down, we will find open doors here and there where our message will be welcomed, and we
should be alert to tell it out. Remembering also our former picture, we will always find
much to do in ministering to the household of faith, giving to ourselves and to each other
the finishing touches of preparation. Surely, when we realize that even among ourselves it
is true that "there is a famine in the land for the hearing of the Word of the
Lord" He would have us specially mindful of our ministry to one another, besides
which there could be no more exalted service. If we avoid fixed conclusions regarding
present conditions, the closing of the door, etc., and maintain a warm spirit of service,
we will have little real perplexity regarding the .present work of the Church: Without
doubt our present experiences prove the forecast true, that "This test of patience
will be the final trial of the Church." Nowhere in the Scriptures are we told that
the Church will pass out after destroying the present evil powers, but rather that like
her blessed Lord; she will yet realize, as respects the powers now subject to Satan, --
"This is your hour and the power of darkness," And that through death she will
Attain her victory. "The righteous perish from the earth, and no man layeth it to
heart. Unto Them that Look for Him We
now come to our last picture. Here we stand as it were taking our last look at the Bride
ere she disappears beyond the veil, and in this we are visualizing her heart throbs as she
stands qui vive to greet her Bridegroom. Are we, beloved, in this picture ? "Truly
wise will those of the consecrated prove to be who, neglecting worldly enchantments, and
earthly hopes and prizes, and with hearts yearning and waiting for the beloved, are
found ready and proved worthy of the great exaltation promised, as the Bride, the Lamb's
Wife." What
would we think of a prospective bride who displayed an indifferent reaction of mind toward
the return of an absent love? Suppose we should hear her say that she never thought more
about the possible time of his arrival, and of their union with him in marriage bonds.
Would we not conclude that her love was questionable and might easily be displaced by
other loves? Surely so. Then, must it not witness against us if we are not consumed with a
desire to see our Beloved Bridegroom, and be forever with Him. As we sing, "How can,
I keep the longing back, and how suppress the groan," do we express the real cry of
our hearts when we pray; "Even so, come, Lord Jesus," would we be glad to have
Him answer, Immediately -- and then to gather us all in His presence? As we read the signs
all about us, do we lament the incidental sufferings by the depressions and upheavals that
must precede the end, or are we lifting. up our heads and rejoicing; "looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the Lord"? All of these are the secret tests that search
our hearts and reflect back to Him the warmth, or the indifference, of our attitude toward
this blessed hope. Solemn
days indeed are these! Full of the most blessed possibilities to those who are found ready
and proven worthy And it is a self-evident fact that the one who in soberness of mind is
"yearning" for the consummation in sincere devotion to the Lord, is walking
consistently with a calling so grand, and a change so unspeakably glorious; that he can in
rapture sing, "O hail, happy day!'' "Face to face with Christ my
Savior, O
faithful few, in whom the spirit of sanctification has done, its work, whose life of
consecration has been centered in Christ alone, who have passed from death unto life, as
witnessed by your love for the brethren, watch and, pray, keep your garments unspotted;
and your lamps trimmed and burning, for ere long, the heavenly hosts, clothed in all their
resplendent glory, will thrill with admiration as they gaze upon the transcendent beauties
of "the Bride, the Lamb's Wife." "The Lord will command His
loving-kindness in the daytime, SURELY
THE Psalmist has well said that praise is comely in the mouths of the Lord's people, and
that joy and gladness should characterize the upright in heart, for the testimony of all
such must surely be, "The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are
glad." To be ungrateful for the blessings, past and present, received from the open
hand of the Giver of every good and perfect gift, is unthinkable to such as David. God's
loving-kindness; commanding the forces that minister to our, joy in the daytime, and that
fill our nights with His song, forbids that we should keep silent. "Therefore will I
offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I wí11 sing praises unto the
Lord." -- Psa. 27:6. Ingratitude
and selfish greed never sing, for the mind held under their sway is self-centered, the
senses dwarfed and incapable of appreciating their own inherent unworthiness, or of
understanding the munificent character of their great Benefactor, who sends His rain upon
the just and the unjust. But gratitude and love must sing; and tell forth what the Lord
hath done. As the manifold evidences of God's faithfulness are recalled, and the
unexcelled qualities, of His character are revealed, the receptive, grateful heart will
open the lips in fervent song: "When all Thy mercies, O my God, The
angels who dwell in the presence of God, beholding His face ith unveiled eyes, and
watching with never ceasing wonderment the operations of His love and power, are revealed
to us in the Word of God as finding their adequate expression and reaction toward His
glories, in anthems of celestial praise. They sing their reverent, "Holy; Holy,
holy," before God, in admiration and joy, and chant the worthiness of the Lamb slain
"to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and
blessing:" But none should ever be able to sing redemption's song so
enthusiastically, so gratefully, as those who have been "redeemed from among then,
being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." -- Rev: 7:4. How We Rejoice in the Lord It
follows then that the redeemed soul that live near to the Lord, living "as seeing Him
who, is invisible," will have "the joy bells ringing in his heart," for
such will have learned how to "rejoice in the Lord" and His abounding grace, and
to rejoice always, whether in the daytime of undisturbed tranquility, or in the night of
perplexity, when darkness seems to veil His smiling face. To have learned to "rejoice
in the Lord" does not necessarily mean that there will 'be no more anguish of heart,
no more tears or disappointments in life; and that we must cease to sing, "My life
flows on in endless song, above earth's lamentation," unless we can actually smile at
misfortune, and meet all adversity with a song, and dismiss them with a stoic unconcern. To
rejoice wholly 'and always in the' 'Lord, has been beautifully expressed' by one who could
write from experience: "When all around my soul gives
way, But
he could no. have said this in the hours of approaching adversity and death, if in the
height of vigor and service his heart, had not been filled with the spirit of devotion to
God. When the life is a psalm of grateful praise, when all is serene and tranquil, there
can be little doubt but the "encircling gloom" of adversity, will be lighted by
reflections of the abiding faithfulness of the Lord. And greater than the power of the
disappointments that overtake us, and sweeter than the bitterness of the tears that we
cannot check, will be the assurance that He knows, and loves, and cares. So we carry a
perpetual song in our hearts, and for all things give thanks. The Lord will Comfort His People But
let us read our text again and note what it contains, or suggests to us. "The Lord
will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song
shall be with me." We quite readily grasp the idea of the appropriateness "of
God's creatures singing to Him in worship and praise, for more often this is the point
emphasized both in Scripture, and exhortation. However, as we accept our text as it reads,
it would not seem improper to say that the thought is not so much of a song that we sing
in the night; but of "'His song" that God sings to us in the darkness --
singing to us the comforting assurances of His watchful care over us throughout the entire
coarse of life. The God of Israel is our God. "The God of all comfort," is our
Father, and for our comfort He has said, "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will
I comfort you." (Isa. 66 :13.) The picture intended is that of a mother who soothes
and quiets her child with those attentions that are so effective iii producing melt and
confidence, singing meantime the, songs that can never be so sweet as when set to the
music of a mother's love. In
our gracious God are combined all the attributes of fatherhood and motherhood. "Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him:" "Can
a woman forget her sacking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? Yea, they may forget; yet will I not forget thee." (Psa. 103:13; Isa. 49:15.)
It is. therefore eminently proper for us to think of Him as singing those songs most
suitable to our present needs. Times without number God has filled our hearts with the
consoling assurance that His wisdom and love have anticipated our every need, and that
His power is equal to every emergency. Our names, engraven on the palms of His hands,
guarantees our being constantly remembered; and He, being for us, is greater than all that
be against us. Of a truth God does sing to us of His power. The attentive ear of the
Psalmist, alert in meditative mood, caught the majestic strains of God's song vibrating
through creative energy and eternal order, and he shows us how we may observe that "The music of the spheres should
tell and
that He who "upholdeth all things by the word of His power," thereby gives
witness of His ability to keep all who put their trust in Him. Surely this symphony of the
spheres consoles us with the confidence that the "eternal God is our refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms." God's Word, His Song of. Love But
the music of God's song comes to us not only in the worlds that tell of His power, but it
comes to us in even sweeter strains, for "Not alone do worlds of light, "And
the various testimonies of the Law and the Prophets are the several cords of that harp,
which, when tuned by the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, and swept by the fingers of
the devoted servants and searchers after Divine truth, yields the most enchanting strains
that ever fell on mortal .ears. Praise the Lord for the exquisite melody of the blessed
'song of Moses and the Lamb' which we learn through the testimony of His holy Apostles and
Prophets, of whom the Lord Jesus is chief!" Ah
,yes, this is God's song. No such story could ever have been conceived in the mind
of mortal man, or originate in the thought of angels. Truly it has been God's song in the
long night of sin and death, faintly heard in the days of Enoch and Abraham, but growing
in volume as dispensations passed and as Patriarchs and Prophets, the heavenly hosts over
Judea's field, faithful Apostles and the spiritual Church, have joined their voices in the
glad refrain. And faith rejoices in the day when every creature in heaven and earth will
lend their voices to sing together the song of redeeming love -- God's song of love. "There is an Eye that never Sleeps" And
so it is that our text is literally true, "The Lord will command His loving-kindness
in the daytime." He who controls all the influences for good, who lids unlimited
agencies at His command, is ready to marshal all these around our dwelling, if need be, to
express His loving-kindness in rich supplies of grace, or to protect us from the powers of
evil arrayed against us. He commands the forces of nature -- the warming sun, the showers
of rain and snow, the productive trees bearing fruit, the vegetation that gathers from the
earth the elements necessary to human life; He is the Author of all the elements of
beauty, tenderness and love necessary to the happiness of His creatures, and all of these,
under His command minister to our peace and joy. Likewise,
He who neither slumbers nor sleeps, does not cease His ministrations in the night. When
sorrow comes, or adversity overtakes us, He is near with His comfort to cheer, and His
grace to sustain. "He knows, how to steal the bitter from life's woes," to
"give beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning." -- Yea, He is able to
instill His song into our hearts so that we can "glory in tribulation,"
and count it all joy when beset by divers temptations, for His song reveals to us
that "through much tribulation we shall enter the Kingdom," and that
"looking back we will praise the way, He has led us day by day." Therefore as we
read His exceeding great and precious promises, as we ponder over the repeated assurances
of His never failing care through all the deep waters of unexpected trials as we pass
through the valley of the shadow of death, let us listen then to His song of love as He
consoles us with visions of eternal joy. His Song Sweetest in the Darkest Hours We
usually think of the Bible in terms of prose, but the Spirit of inspiration has given us
this better word, "the song of Moses and the Lamb," for music hath charms that
stir us more deeply than most other influences. And how God has sung to His people through
that Word in the critical hours of their experience! When the gloom has been deepest the
charm of His song has come: Ten years in the gloom of Bedford jail were lightened by a
vision of the pilgrim way, that has cheered many a Christian bound for the Celestial City.
Luther's translation of the Bible came as a result of his seclusion in Wartburg Castle.
The sweetest song the World has ever heard came in the night as shepherds kept watch. So
it has been. again and again. It is at midnight that the announcement comes,
"Behold the Bridegroom, go ye out to meet Him," just when deferred hope has
almost made the heart sick. All along the line of successive events in the history of the
Church, "Man's extremity has been God's opportunity," and history's most
touching memorials, and memory's most hallowed resting, places, are eternally linked with
those dark, critical hours when God intervened, sending His song in the night to
encourage His people, and to show Himself strong on behalf of all those who have learned
to tune in with the word of His grace. "For warm, sweet, tender, even yet "The healing of His seamless dress
[Contributed] I
AM BUSY these days building two houses; one is a faith house, the other a love dwelling.
They stand side by side, with a little walk between them. The faith house stands to the
east, the love structure toward the west, and just why, I will explain a little later. On
the walk between the two houses is a cross; I would not have it otherwise. As I go along
the way, from one house to the other, I always pass near the cross, for it stands so
definitely related to my two houses that its form and meaning cannot be lost for a single
moment. The
faith structure is, I trust, well along the way. I laid a good foundation, so that it
would endure to the end of time. All nature, and the works of creation, declare to any
intelligent mortal that there is a Supreme Being; and the Spirit of this Great Living God,
stealing into my heart, oh so gently, bore further witness that this is true. I used this
for the foundation. Then
I turned to the Bible, which is His own Word to us, and the very first thing I found was,
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Then I laid the first
corner-stone. I read about all the works of creation, to the creation of man -- "And
God created man in His own image." I laid another corner-stone. As for man, his
diversified nature is best expressed by the poet, in a frank admission that our knowledge
of him is still incomplete: "He, who through vast immensities
can pierce The Chief Corner-stone A
little further along in the Bible there's the story of man's fall and his death sentence.
While I hated to do it, it seemed best to use this as a corner-stone also. Having gotten
this far I looked my foundation over for a while, and liked it all but that one stone. If
man were doomed to death, it hardly seemed worth while to go on; but I turned to the Bible
again and there I found this beautiful promise: "The seed of the woman shall bruise
the serpent's head." This was used for the fourth corner-stone, and was placed in the
northwest corner. It's the chief cornerstone. Then
the building began. There are stones (I could not possibly tell you about them) collected
from the Word, from Genesis to Revelation. Personally, I like the construction of the
house better when the stones are laid in consecutive order. From
time to time I pass over to my love dwelling. The foundation of the faith, house is laid
square. It's to be built up this way to the top. There has never been any doubt or
hesitancy about its construction at all. But with the love dwelling it was a little
different; I thought of this way, and that; decided upon one thing, then another; then,
finally, with many glances at the structure upon the walk, I decided to lay the
foundation, something in the shape of a cross. There are many precious stones hidden in
the Word which are used for this building. On the chief corner-stone is engraved these
words, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved
you." When I had finished this work, it was rather disappointing. The chisel wasn't
as sharp, nor the engraving as deep as I would have liked to have it, and I'm trying to do
it over without spoiling the original, for the outline is beautiful. So
I build, passing from one structure to the other, ever placing the stones in their
respective order. Sometimes I pause at the cross and rest awhile, to gaze at my two
buildings to see how they are coming alone, and to look up at the cross. 'Twas there the
Seed of the woman bruised the serpent's head in His triumph over death; I'm glad the chief
corner-stone of my faith building looks toward the cross. Here, I also cast an inward
glance, that the Spirit may show me my weaknesses, and the way to go on. There's peace and
rest here, too; my strength is renewed, my hope revived. This is the place of meditation
-- here, at the foot of the cross. Not by Faith nor by Love Alone But
it is not always thus. Once a very heavy stone lay in my pathway. I placed it in my faith
building, but it did not fit; in fact, it bulged way out, then fell, and in falling
displaced a number of other stones beneath it. In haste I carried it over to the love
dwelling, and its weight rather bore me down. It didn't fit there either. Then I became
confused, for I knew it must go somewhere. I rushed back over to the faith building, back
again to the love dwelling, and in my haste and confusion passed each time unthinking
before the cross --0 a thing I never meant to do. Again, half-way back on the journey, I
could bear, the weight no longer and sank exhausted at the cross. In despair I thought
over the situation. Neither building was completed. The faith house was sadly damaged. My
work was all in vain. My hopes were shattered too -- hopes that had reached beyond this
Age to a glorious future, that perchance in the completion of these houses I might have
been found worthy of still greater workmanship. Mine eyes had grown too dim with tears to
see either building, but the cross was there, and I looked up to it. Yes, there was One on
it, and "I see Divine compassion I
had almost forgotten. Then I heard, as I had so often heard before, a sweet voice
speaking, "Peace, be still." "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail
not." Fresh
courage filled my heart, as in loving tones a few more words of encouragement and
instruction were given. I looked down at the stone at my feet, and saw what had passed
unnoticed before. There were two stones bound together, instead of one; following the
words of instruction it was so easy to cleave them in twain. I carried one portion over to
my faith building, and put it in its place. How beautifully it fit, and there is no danger
of its falling and carrying other stones with it. I took the other stone over to my love
dwelling and found a place for it. Before placing it; I looked it all over carefully, and
on one side I found this beautiful inscription: "Love, lift me up upon thy golden
wings, Lessons Learned at the Foot of the Cross After
that I sat down near the cross to think: If I had only had a little keener vision, and
seen that the stones could be cut in two, how easy each burden might have been. The
faith-stone was not a load in itself, and as I had carried the love-stone to its place,
these words were ringing in my ears, "Faith without works is dead," and
"Love is the fulfilling of the law." I had failed to remember that my building
material must be composed of both the work of faith and labor of love. Regret filled my
heart; but from the cross there came once more words of comfort and encouragement. My
faith building was not damaged beyond repair; and it was far better to have had this
happen and the lesson learned before the structure was any further along, so that the
breach in the wall was not beyond mending. I
will look each stone over more carefully after this, while I go on each day with the
building; nor will I forget to pause many times at the cross, for encouragement,
instruction, comfort, and rest. Now,
as before, I do not hurry; I try not to become confused, and to remember always to pass
each time near the cross. Shadows of the Evening Fall Once
more I am resting on the walk; this time my glance is not toward either building, nor yet
toward the cross, but toward the sky. The sun is going down in the west. It's further down
than I had thought it was. Its rays are filling all the western sky, and they fall too,
upon my faith house. The building is almost completed. There is a great deal of joy and
satisfaction in this -- just a few more stones need to be placed, so I go earnestly to
work. The light is turning to twilight, and there is still a little more to be done. As I
climb to the heights and lay the top-most stone, there's a prayer in my heart, too: "Lead kindly light amid the
encircling gloom, It's
good to get back to the walk again, and I stand at the foot of the cross and wait. There's
just a little light left, enough to look upward and see one beam of the cross pointing to
the east, toward my, building. There, toward the east, toward the sun-rising, with stones
provided from the very beginning of time, stands my faith building, built up a little at a
time, and upon a sure foundation. One long last ray from the setting sun seems to fall
upon the top-stone. I had engraved upon it these words.: "And this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith." I remember now, I cut those words out in
the very beginning, but never found a place for the stone until the end. While I still
stand and gaze, spell-bound at that topmost stone, the twilight fades, the darkness
gathers round, the night comes on; the wind is coming up too, and all the signs that point
to a terrible storm are evident. I will look now with confidence toward my faith house,
for now all that can be shaken will be shaken. The tempest is being felt more and more; a
dense blackness fills all space, and is only intensified by the fierce flashes of
lightning from time to time. "The thunder of His power, who can understand?" I
am glad to lay hold of the cross; it's the only thing that saves me now; 'but the memory
of that faith building is still with me. I think of its foundation, its cornerstones, all
its walls, with their many inscriptions, the top-stone with its precious promise. I
remember, too, there was just time enough to set up a standard on the house. 'Twas a bold
declaration indeed; but I unfurled it, and flung it wide to the breezes, to be whipped and
torn by the wind, and drenched by the torrents of water. If I had not written the words in
my heart too, it would have been useless to have set it on the house. The
storm is raging .all about me. The wind would like to beat me down; but I am still holding
to the cross, and over and over again I keep saying the words that I had written upon my
banner: "I will trust and not be afraid." Above the sound of shrieking winds,
above the din of storm and battle, like the sweet tones of a harbor bell, there comes a
response from the cross: "According to your faith, be it unto you." I seem to be
losing my senses; almost like a dream, words, vague and mystic, float through my mind;
"He that believeth on Me has passed from condemnation into life." Faith Lost in Sight -- Love Endures Forever The
storm has passed and there is a great calm. Returning consciousness causes me to look
around once more. I turn to the west, out there where the sun went down. Lo, I see the
dawning of a new day. The first tints of "another Sun" are being seen in the
sky. I look at those things which are nearest to my view. There's my faith house, on the
east. I am so glad it was completed, for it would not look well in an unfinished condition
where it now stands. It is changed somewhat too, for -- it has become a reality -- faith
lost in sight. There, too, close beside it, is the cross - there's a crown on it now. And
my love dwelling -- it's. only just begun, but the foundation was good and withstood the
storm and wind. The light is growing (brighter, and it's possible to see out beyond my
love house. Before my enraptured vision, there stretches countless ages, out toward the
west, that symbol of a new Age. I move closer to my unfinished dwelling-upon the posts of
the door a hand that was not mine has engraved these words: "When faith and hope have
passed away, love will endure unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills." It
matters not, now, that the structure was not finished; it was better to have completed the
faith house first. I
look again toward the west -- toward my love dwelling -- it's too small; out of all
proportion. I would not want to tear it down, and spoil the beautiful stones and
inscriptions, but I will enlarge the building to suit the need. With
my face now set toward the west, with the countless ages rolling far away from my vision,
out to a horizon I cannot conceive of, I turn once more to my work; I will build on my
love house -- forever. ________ "Abide with me! Fast falls the
eventide, "I need Thy presence every passing
hour; "Hold Thou Thy cross before my
closing eyes; THE CONVENTION AT AS
THE time for the general assembly of the Church of the Firstborns draws near, the desire
of Gods consecrated children to meet together to build one another up in the most holy
faith should be growing stronger. And we rejoice to observe from the reports which have
been reaching us of gatherings held in various parts of the country during the year thus
far, that in a special manner these have been striking evidences of the Lord's approval of
convention assemblies. Without exception the reports have told of fresh encouragement
received, of questioning minds relieved of doubt, and of a wholesome feast of spiritual
food that gave renewed strength to those who met thus in the name of the one great Head of
the Church. It
is then with a confidence in the Lord's benediction on such conferences, that we take
pleasure in again drawing attention to the coming Convention at Pittsburgh, October 31,
November 1 and 2. Information recently received from the brethren in charge of
arrangements for the Convention, assures us that every reasonable effort is being made to
provide a program that will be a guarantee of rich blessing and spiritual refreshment. We
are further informed that inquiries have been received from points throughout the Middle
West and along the Atlantic Coast, all of which give evidence that the friends scattered
over a large territory are thinking of this gathering, and many of them hoping to be
personally present. In
addition to the general program a baptismal service is being arranged for. Several friends
have expressed a desire to symbolize their consecration at this time, and the brethren
have made all necessary arrangements for such a service. We suggest that the dear friends
keep this in mind, and that all who may wish to avail themselves of the opportunity,
kindly notify the Convention Secretary beforehand, so that full provision may be assured. As
the time draws near, let us remember that if the Lord go not up with us our gathering
together will be of no benefit or profit. Let us therefore pray that His blessing may
.attend all the arrangements in such a way that His own glorious name may be. honored and
His people edified and comforted. The Lord delights to bless all those who hunger and
thirst after righteousness, and Ha has assured us that He is able to do. more abundantly
for us than we are to ask or think. Let us then come before Him in reverent worship and
with a soul hunger for righteousness, and then with confidence we may say that another
convention, will gm on record as a hallowed memory that will come buck again and again to
cheer us on our pilgrim way. As
previously announced the general meetings will be held in the O. of I. A. Temple, (The old
Bible House Chapel), 610 Arch Street, Pittsburgh, N. S. Any desiring information may
address the Class Secretary, Mr. James C. Jordan, 247 Greenwood Ave., Emsworth,
Pittsburgh, Pa. The
following report of the feast of good things enjoyed by the friends gathered at Seattle,
Wash., over Labor Day, reached us too late for our last issue. Believing that it will be
of encouragement to the friends everywhere, we take pleasure in publishing it now: "No
doubt you and many of the readers of our precious paper, 'The Herald,' will be glad to
learn something about the convention that was held in Seattle, August 30, 31 and September
1. We did so wish that you and all the dear saints everywhere could have been with us to
share all the good things that the Giver of every good and perfect gift sent us. It was
surely good to be there, and it was a season of blessing :and sweet fellowship that wìll
long be remembered. "Many
who were at the Convention have been privileged to attend many and larger conventions in
the past, but they have not been at one for a long time that was more calculated to draw
away from the things of earth and the flesh and raise us up to things above -- the things
that are spiritual, the things that are eternal, the things that are worth while, the
things that have to do with our peace and our progress in the Divine life. "Our
dear brethren all over the world have been having trying and bitter experiences during the
last few years, especially since dear Brother Russell went to his reward, but the brethren
on the Pacific Coast, and especially those in the Northwest, have been the most tried of
all, because of movements, and divisions, and doctrines that did not spread elsewhere. The
brethren here have been in the furnace, but the Lord has been with them as promised, and
they have come out more refined, and loving, and gentle, so that when they come together,
whether at a convention or any other meeting, it would be strange indeed if such a
gathering would not be a foretaste of what the great Convention beyond the veil will be.
The shining, peaceful, happy faces, the testimonies, and almost every word and act give
abounding proof that the dear brethren are becoming more spiritual, more Christlike. "We
would like to mention the act of a dear brother and sister, and this is only one of many
such, which proves that the spirit of loving sacrifice was very much manifested. This dear
brother and sister have four children and only a small daily wage to depend upon, yet they
made provision to entertain eight of the brethren during the Convention, and I don't think
they or their children missed one of the meetings. Surely this was love indeed, sacrifice
indeed, something that must have been well pleasing to the Lord, and that will not go
unrewarded for He never forgets the work and labor of love that is done unto His own. "There
was a long list of speakers on the program, all of whom seemed to have sensed what was the
mind of the Spirit and the need of the brethren in this hour of trial that is upon the
Church, as she nears the end of her pilgrimage, and all in their own way spoke very freely
and fluently on subjects that are very vital and that have to do with our liberty, growth,
and responsibility as children of light. As the different speakers were listened to, and
the spirit of their message was caught, all seemed to feel that by the grace of God they
could and would live the Christ life, and have Christ formed in them. The Convention
closed by singing, 'Blest be the tie that binds,' and we are confident that all left
feeling that " 'Heaven is nearer, and Christ is
dearer, Dear
Brethren: I
feel it my duty as well as a pleasure to write and tell you of my appreciation of the
"Herald" and of your labor of love for the Lord's sheep. I
thank my dear Heavenly Father for sending me this paper. I was so much confused and
troubled and knew not what to do, or which .way to turn. Then Brother George Kendall sent
me the "Herald." I sent you a dollar to pay for it not knowing it was paid. I
hope you put the dollar in the Tract Fund. Please
send me some tracts. I think I could distribute one hundred each week for a while. Do you
think it best to see each person and give him a tract, or just leave them at the door! I
will do just as you think best. I do not like to think of the papers being thrown away
unread. I will not trespass further on your time. May the Lord's blessing be with you,
dear brethren, and keep you humble, that He may use you richly in His service. Your sister in Christ, A. B. W. -- Pa. Dear
Brethren in Christ: I
feel led to write you a little note of appreciation for all the help we derive from the
reading of "The Herald of Christ's Kingdom," which you send, us bi-monthly. We,
my husband and I, are only babes in present Truth, as it is only two years last February
that God graciously put into our hands the book, "The Divine Plan of the Ages,"
and opened the. eyes of our understanding to see all the wondrous things in that Plan, or
rather some of the wondrous things; as we are continually seeing more, and more as He sees
us able to bear them. Our hearts are full of joy and gratitude for all His wondrous love,
in calling such as we and giving us this wonderful privilege of becoming by His grace sons
of God and heirs, of the Kingdom. In
reading the article "Concerning Improvement in the Ministry," I am so glad of
the decision you have come to abide in the simplicity of the Apostle's teachings. As one
who has only so lately left the systems I see so clearly the dangers of organization, and
I am so glad to he free of all that bondage and to know of the oneness of spirit in this
matter. How precious is this oneness with the brethren. We
were privileged to attend our first convention. meeting at London during the August Bank
Holiday, season. To us the fellowship was most wonderful. We came away refreshed and
strengthened with the rich, food our Father graciously supplied through the dear brethren
there. So,
dear brethren, please accept this little note of gratitude, and although we have never in
met in the flesh and may never meet this side the veil, yet our hearts go out, in love to
you all and we send greetings in His dear name, knowing, and being encouraged by that
knowledge, that you are praying for us as we are for you; and indeed we need to be much in
communion with our dear Father and Head in these very difficult days. The Adversary is
very, very busy, is he not -- that there is great need to hold each other up. May God
richly bless you and al1 of like precious faith, and may His Kingdom soon come, is the
prayer of, Your brother and sister by His great
favor, Mr. and Mrs. C. -- Eng. Dear
Friends: I
am writing to say I shall be renewing my "Herald" subscription through the
Letchworth branch next month . . . . The Lord knows how precious the "Herald" is
to me. I
read with interest always in the Daily Press of any special happenings in America and
elsewhere. I do not know what is coming to England. I have never seen or experienced such
confusion as is creeping in on all points, and whether it is the spiritual or political,
or business side, every one realizes they are up against something they cannot grapple
with. I often have a chat with my employer, and, although he is a man of the world, yet he
acknowledges he and his directors are unable to rise above the great invisible something
that is bringing such a depression over Eastbourne. I get round as the representative of
our firm and come in contact with all classes, and all tell the same tale -- nerves,
financial difficulty, and all sorts of things -- and if I try to cheer them with a
witness, they cannot seem to grip the heart of it at all. I find a marked difference in
the people, now from that of two years ago. Witnessing seemed to interest quite a few, but
today it seems as though we have reached that time when the night -com eth and no man
can work. But
we still have the joy of serving one another and, we realize Jesus is at the door now,
knocking and asking to come in and sup with the individual child. And, what a feast we are
having! How sweet His dear presence is! I can say with all my heart no one else but Jesus
can satisfy me today. I have walked the Narrow. Way about 25 years, and never was the walk
with Him so sweet as now, and never His tender care and love so real. I
would like to say again too how helpful the Heralds are. I noticed in the July number a
favorite hymn of mine, "We would see Jesus, ere the shadows lengthen," etc. Í
learned this little hymn when quite young; before I had been tested and tried in the
service of God, and before I had passed through the refining furnace. It brought up so
many memories when I saw the lines in the "Herald." I just bowed my head and
wept, but it also recalled the love of my Heavenly Father and Jesus all through the years,
and I thank Him that -- as the night of trouble draws nigh -- He has opened the eyes of my
understanding and I have His peace, and fear no man or circumstance, I have had, a
wonderful experience as I look back . . . . He makes up for all I have parted with and I
just plod on doing His will; loving the brethren and having sweet communion with my Father
and Jesus, waiting till I shall by His grace, in the twinkling of an eye, look up and see
His dear face, whom I have loved for many a year. I realize with the poet, that "So long Thy power hath blest me,
sure it still And
in the morn when His dear face I see; I shall forever rest and happy be. God
bless you richly for all your toil and labor of love in preparing such a paper to feed His
little ones living in these perilous times. Sincerely yours, M. . G. -- Eng, |
