VOL. XIII. February 1, 1930 No. 3 ONE
MASTER OVER ALL THE CHURCH HEAVEN'S
HARMONY, UNITY AND LOVE HALF
HOUR MEDITATIONS ON ROMANS VOL. XIII. February 15, 1930 No. 4 WHAT
A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS ! A
SEASONABLE WORD CONCERNING THE MINISTRY VOL. XIII. February 1, 1930 No. 3 ONE
MASTER OVER ALL "One is our Master, even Christ;
and all ye are brethren." -- Matt. 23:8. THE TEACHINGS of the Scriptures are
most explicit that God purposed and called but one Church to be associated with His Son in
the heavenly realm -- one Body, the members of which are all called in one hope of their
calling. (1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:4.) It is not less definitely established: in the Divine
Word that this Church should have but one Head, one Guide, one spiritual Ruler, even Jesus
whom God gave "to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body." Moreover, we find it clearly set forth
also, that this assembly of called out ones throughout the Age is to have a definite order
or government in its midst: first of all; under our Master in the beginning of the Age
there were appointed twelve Apostles, under spiritual-guides, to serve the Church
throughout the Age, and these have been designated the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, the
twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, in view of their important positions as spiritual
teachers in the Church. (Rev. 21:14.) Thus in the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem,
the symbol of the new Millennial government, the Church, is shown as the bride united to
her Lord and glorified with Him; and in the picture the statement is distinctly made that
the twelve foundations of the City are precious, and that in the twelve foundations are
the names written of the "twelve Apostles of the Lamb" -- no more, no less. What
better proof could we have that there were never more than twelve who were specially
designated Apostles of the Lamb, and that their chief mission was that of being Christ's
witnesses. From what we gather of the conduct and ministry of these Apostles, their
position was that of under-shepherds of the flock, rather than that of lords or masters of
the Church. The beautiful figure which the Apostle
gives of the Church in its present condition, well illustrates the Divine order that was
to prevail. It is that of the human figure, the head representing the Lord, and the
various parts and members representing the Church. In 1 Cor. 12 the subject is grandly
elaborated, and with profound simplicity: "As the body is one, and hath many members,
and all the members of that one body being many; are one body; so also is Christ [one body
or company composed of many members]. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
Body." This Apostle continues and calls attention to the fact that as the well being
of a human body depends largely upon the unity and harmony and co-operation of all its
members, so also it is with the Church, the Body of Christ. If one member suffer, all
suffer, etc. He points out that as we seek to cover and hide the weaknesses, blemishes of
our natural bodies, and seek to relieve and help them, thus it should be with the Church,
the Body of Christ. If one member suffer, all suffer, etc. He thus points to the mantle of
charity, love. Shepherds Who Feed the Flock It was not in conflict with the
foregoing that the Apostles, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gave instructions
to the various companies of the Lord's people that they elect certain of their number as
elders and deacons to take the oversight and care of their .brethren in spiritual affairs
Neither did it mean that any company of the Lord's people in those clays were brought into
bondage to those thus elected to serve them in this way; for as a matter of fact, these
thus appointed as elders, pastors, etc., must necessarily themselves be subject to the
voice of the Church. No intimation whatever is given that any of these thus elected by
various of the congregations of the Lord's people were to consider themselves constituted
a kind of "authority" or "power" in the Church. To the contrary, the
Apostle Peter admonishes those acting in the Church as its servants, that they "feed
the flock of God which is among you, taking .the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, shut of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1 Pet. 5:2, 3.) The Master's words
given to His disciples just before He left them were to be remembered, and to constitute a
guide and a strength to His people all through the Age: "One is your Master; even
Christ; and all ye are brethren." It has been, therefore, in violation of
the Savior's words and in conflict with the simplicity and order given by the Apostles,
that there have arisen and developed from time to time "authorities" and
"powers" in the professed Church claiming the right to direct and control its
affairs; and claiming to have received from the Lord a kind of special unction
constituting them a Divine channel, or government, whose authority and dictates must not
be questioned or disobeyed The true Church has not needed any such authorities and powers
in its midst, for invariably when such have appeared the result has been an apostasy, a
departure from the primitive conditions which provided that each individual member of the
Church should be free to exercise his or her own personal liberty in deciding what should
be believed and accepted as truth. Regarding Successorship to Brother Russell Sometimes we have been inquired of as
to this ministry and association known as The Pastoral Bible Institute, and its
relationship to the various Ecclesias of the Lord's people. Explanations have frequently
appeared in these columns, setting forth the situation; yet, on account of many new
subscribers, some of whom have only of late withdrawn from their former association, we
are adding another word of explanation. For example, we are asked if the brethren
connected with this ministry consider themselves a kind of successor to Brother Russell
and his work, or if they consider that they are constituted to "finish" his
work, etc. Our reply is that to our understanding the thought of successorship to Brother
Russell is entirely out of order, and such a claim made by ourselves or others would be
utterly without foundation or warrant. We know of no reason for believing that Brother
Russell's ministry and work in the Church set aside the order established in the primitive
Church, nor did our dear Brother claim for himself any kind of special authority contrary
to, or different from that which has existed in the Church all down through the Age;
Therefore, in keeping with the New Testament order, we are to think of our dear Brother as
having been one of the "evangelists, pastors, teachers," etc., for the
perfecting of the saints. We know of no reason for believing that there was anything about
his ministry requiring a successorship; neither can we think of his work as having been
unfinished at the time of his decease. To the contrary, there is every reason to believe
that he himself finished all the work that he was given to do, the same as other teachers
in the Church have done through the Age; and he has and needs no successor. Therefore
there is no ground for claiming or teaching that there is some kind of special power or
authority descending from Brother Russell upon some one or some company of brethren since
his decease. But perceiving that there is a
considerable number of the members of the Church still in their earthly pilgrimage since
his departure, it is to !be recognized that there remains a ministry and a service to be
performed amongst the Lord's people. It is, therefore, for the various companies of the
Loral's people throughout the world to look for these more or less in their midst, and to
accept the direction of the Lord's Spirit in appointing such of their number as their
helps and teachers. "All Ye are Brethren" Again the question has been recently
asked if the brethren who have been appointed to have charge of this ministry, regard
themselves as in any special sense, custodians of the Truth to be dispensed to others;
further, if the Editorial Committee of the "Herald" consider their utterances in
the journal, their expositions, interpretations, etc., as final and the last word upon the
subject. In answering these questions we can only say that no thoughts are farther from
our minis than those suggested in the question; for it is just this very idea or claim
that certain brethren in the Church have been set over others, that we have been combating
ever since the publication of the "Herald" began more than eleven years ago. The
election of the brethren to serve in various positions in this association does not
justify them in assuming any prerogatives above others in the matter of teaching and
interpreting the Word of God. Other brethren have the same rights and authority to study
the Word of the Lord and to disperse the Truth. As we have repeatedly stated, other
brethren of the Lord have equal rights to their views and to promulgate them regardless of
how they may differ from those presented in our journal. It is well to remember always that it
is the anointing of the Spirit of the Lord that gives authority and power to handle the
holy things and to proclaim the Message of the Lord. We may be safe therefore in saying
that in proportion as any teacher in the Church is filled with the Spirit and is studying
and ministering in the power of that Spirit, his messages will be correspondingly
illuminating and edifying to the Church. It is the duty of the Ecclesias to look for and
seek out such brethren of their number as indicate that they have this filling and
illumination of the Spirit. The election of certain brethren in the Church to minister to
them in holy things does not constitute their anointing or their power to preach the Word;
they already have that from the Lord. But their election signifies that they have the
Church's approval and endorsement as teachers. Each Ecclessia Should be its Own Authority Such was the nature of the Apostolic
order in the beginning of the Age. To our understanding the order amongst the Lord's
people today should be as it was in the early Church. Their full individual liberty should
be exercised and none should be accepted as teachers whose teachings and service are not
found in full harmony with the Truth as given in the Bible. Each company of the Lord's
people guided by His Spirit, should be its own authority and should control its own
affairs. As for the relationship of this association here to the various Ecclesias of the
Lord's people, let it be distinctly understood that this arrangement exists merely by
virtue of the brethren of the various Classes themselves appointing certain of their
number to act in this capacity and to carry forward the ministry in which there may be a
general co-operation. This Institute is not authorized by any Class or by any individuals
in any Class to exercise any jurisdiction of any kind over any brother or company of
brethren whatsoever. We. cannot too earnestly urge upon the friends everywhere to maintain
their own separate and distinct individuality; to look after their own affairs in every
sense of the word apart from the interference that may be attempted to be exercised by any
kind of association apart from them. All such entanglements with outside forces, and all
such yielding to the power and authority set up by a man or a company of men, invariably
leads to a misuse of power and provides occasion for selfish ambition to creep in,
resulting in depriving the Lord's people of their liberty, to be followed by general
apostasy. So then the method of operation, of
service and ministry of this association is such only as is authorized by and entirely
subject to the brethren who have formed this arrangement, and is only such as conforms to
their wishes and to what they believe to be spiritually profitable and in accordance with
the leading of the Lord's Spirit as they understand it. No claims are made for this
ministry except that it is our trust and hope that it is a service of love for one another
and an opportunity of laying down life in behalf of fellow-members of the Church. The
brethren highly esteem the privilege of rendering this service and rejoice with all fellow
members of the Body of Christ in the gifts, honors, and blessings that come as a result of
the anointing, which all have in Him; for all the Royal Priesthood is described by the
Prophet in the saying: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because He hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to
comfort all that mourn." -- Isa. 61:1, 2; Luke 4:17-20. "Thou wilt show me the path of
life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; WHEN we consider how much is said in
the Scriptures about joy and rejoicing among God's people, we are deeply impressed with
the thought that our Heavenly Father is very solicitous for the happiness of His children,
even in the present life. The worldly minded cannot see this, they look upon the lot of
God's children as a hard and joyless one, and upon God as a hard Master, without concern
for the happiness of His children. This, however, is only because the natural man cannot
receive the thing of the Spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned. But the
spiritually minded have meat to eat that the world knows not of; and their hearts rejoice,
and their joy no man taketh from them. How strange it seems! says the world.
Why, there was Paul, a man of great talent and opportunity who might have been somebody in
the world: he wasted his talents, was a poor man all his days, homeless, friendless,
knocked about and persecuted, a sort of religious fanatic. But Paul, viewing the matter
from the standpoint of his spiritual discernment, said, "I am exceeding joyful in all
our tribulations" (2 Cor. 7:4); for he was one of that anointed Body who, like his
Lord and Head, could say, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for He is on my
right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was
glad." -- Acts 2:25, 26. So the Psalmist bids all the anointed
Body rejoice saying, "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for
the up-right." (Psa. 33:1.) And Isaiah, speaking for the same class, says, "I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed
me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness as a
bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with
jewels." -- Isa. 61:10. The grand provision made for the
comfort and joy of the Lord's people clearly indicates a necessity for such blessings. Nor
is this necessity difficult to understand. The Lord's people are beset on every hand with
adverse conditions -- the world, the flesh, the Adversary -- seeking to intimidate or
discourage or entrap the new creature, so as to hinder its development in grace,
knowledge, and love, and ultimately to hinder it from the attainment of the perfection and
glory to follow, which God has promised to the faithful only. What we need, in order to
make us sons and daughters of consolation in the Church, is a larger measure of love and
sympathy in our hearts. In proportion as sympathy and love come in, they will crowd out
the spirit of strife and contention and judging and fault-finding; even as they crowded
out at first the spirit of the flesh -- anger, malice, hatred, strife, vain-glory. As a rule (there probably are
exceptions to all rules) those who have the spirit of helpfulness -- ability to impart joy
and comfort, and who are able to pour this balm into the wounded hearts of others most
liberally, are those who themselves have passed through severe trials, reverses,
disciplines, and who have thus been touched with a feeling of the infirmities of our race,
and, more than this, have been touched with a feeling of sympathy, for the weaknesses and
oppositions which assail the "brethren" in their endeavor to walk after the
Spirit -- not after the flesh. Those who have not "bowels of compassion," who
have little of sympathy, little of desire to lend a helping hand to the weak or the
stumbling or those who are out of the way, have much yet to learn respecting the real
meaning of the word love, in its higher senses-perfect love, love for the brethren, yea,
love that extends to all mankind, even to enemies, as it has opportunity, but
"especially to the household of faith." Earth's Joys Transitory and Unsatisfactory This blessed joy, which so wonderfully
lifts the soul above all the vicissitudes of the present life, is, as the Prophet
expresses it, joy in the Lord, not a joy in earthly possessions, or earthly hopes or
ambitions. These earthly things are all so transitory and so changeable that a single
blast of adversity may sweep them all from us; but not so is it with those whose hearts
are centered in God and to whom He has shown the path of life. These have learned to
estimate the things of this present life according to their true values ; they see that
all of its joys are (both transient and unsatisfactory and that the only real value in it
is in the opportunities it affords for experience and discipline and education in the
things of God and for hearing the call of God and making our calling and election sure. In
thus making the proper use of the present life -- walking in the path of life which God
shows us through His Word-we have the present joys of hope and faith in the things unseen,
but sure and eternal; knowing also that by and by in the immediate presence of God we
shall have fullness of joy, and pleasures for evermore at His right hand -- the chief
place of favor. But while the fullness of joy in its
widest sense is reserved for that blessed time when we shall be like the Lord and see Him
as He is (1 John 3:1, 2) and be in His presence at His right hand (in His chief favor),
there is a fullness of joy in the presence and favor of God which is the privilege of
every Christian now. Our capacity for joy now is not what it will be by and by, but it is
possible now to have our little earthen vessels as full as they can hold of the joy of the
Lord. And day by day it is our privilege to realize the presence and favor of God, if, by
walking in the path of life, the path of obedience and loving service, we draw near to
God. "If a man love Me," said our Lord Jesus, "he will keep My words; and
My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with him." --
John 14:23. In such company as this, can any
Christian fail utterly to realize some measure of joy in the Lord? No, if his faith grasps
the promise and holds it, the realization of joy in the Lord is sure to follow, and the
more firmly his faith lays hold upon the promise the more will he realize its fulfillment,
and the more fully will his joys 'abound; for in the presence of the Lord is fullness of
joy, no matter what may be the conditions and circumstances. In the blessed realization of this
experience and the assurance of faith which it gave, in the midst of all his labors, Paul
exclaimed, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? . . . Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Rom. 8:33-39. Cultivate the Lord's Acquaintance It was this strong persuasion, this
confident faith, of the Apostle that gave him such joy in the midst of all his
tribulations. His faith laid hold upon the promises of God with a strong and. steady
grasp, and love and gratitude impelled him to prompt obedience to the will of God and
ardent zeal in His service; and evidently the Lord's promise was fulfilled to him in the
abiding ;presence of the Father and the Son with him at all times and under all
circumstances. This blessed privilege is ours also, if
by faith we enter fully into the Lord's will and favor. And with a blessed realization of
the abiding presence of our Heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus at all imes, and of their
love and favor, and a faith that lays hold of all the exceeding great and precious
promises of God, what soul may not rejoice and be glad, even in the midst of deep sorrow
or great tribulation? In the Lord's presence, no matter where we are, is fullness of joy.
Let us cultivate the Lord's acquaintance more, drawing near to Him in prayer, in the study
of His precious Word, in meditation upon all His goodness; His providential care, the
marked manifestations of His grace in our own individual experiences, and His precious
promises which are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Thus "draw nigh to God, and He
will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8); He will manifest Himself to you and take up His
abode with you. It is indeed the will of God that all
His children should be happy in Him, that they should be always rejoicing; and if any one
lacks this blessing, he is living below his privileges. Beloved, let us not be contented
to live beneath our privileges. Let us appreciate the favor of God to the extent of
seeking for it more and more diligently, remembering the exhortation, "Seek and ye
shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." All the riches of Divine favor
are ours if in faith and humility we claim them and place ourselves in position to receive
them as directed through the Word of God. "Ask and receive, that your joy may be
full." And your joy can no man take from you, so long as you abide in Him who is bur
life, our joy, our rest, our hope. HEAVEN'S
HARMONY, "Behold, how good and how pleasant
it is when brethren THE UNIVERSAL desire for fellowship is
heaven-born, and heaven itself the grandest illustration of its desirability. God
Himself delights in fellowship. From the beginning of creative time He has delighted in
the fellowship of the Son, and He has delighted also in the association of all His angelic
sons on their respective planes. He even delights in having that intimate fellowship of
fatherhood that His grace has made possible with the children of men -- those whom He has
redeemed and sanctified. This being true of God as Creator, it is not surprising to find
all of His creatures seeking for the companionship of kindred beings. Indeed so general
and universal is this desire, even among all the lower orders of creation, that long ago
some one put this generally recognized fact into the familiar phrase, "Birds of a
feather flock together." The great Creator of all, having planted this desire so
deeply that all creation, either by law, or choice, or by instinct, finds its most
desirable environment in association with its own kind. If one desired to do so, it would not
be difficult to trace this same law on and on through all the otter unnumbered, inanimate,
visible and invisible objects, forces, and laws of attraction that control an almost
unlimited universe. Are, not all of these so inseparably associated and attracted that
their perpetuation depends entirely upon this law of affinity that binds them one to the
other. Break that law in regard to a single planet and it becomes at once, a wandering
star destined to extinction. Continuance in existence requires that every atom shall keep
within the united movement of the whole. There may be an absence amongst these of any
intelligent knowledge of this law, but all obey it, and thus in unison with intelligent
creations bear testimony to the perfect design and character of God, who, in their
creation and ordering, wrote on every page of His creative a unfolding, the eternal
beauties, desirability, and necessity of unity -- companionship. Manifestly then, it is no cause for
wonderment that the Holy Spirit, inditing the Word of God, should so constantly direct our
minds to this great desideratum -- teaching us that the love and unity that had its
beginning in God, and receives its grandest expression among His perfect creatures in
heaven, will, in proportion as it may be experienced by us, bring corresponding happiness.
In view of this, we can readily understand why Jesus gave it a place of :greatest
importance, when in His one, new commandment, He made such close friendship the pivotal
center around which His Church would gather, indeed, the test of membership in that Body.
Apostles, true to their responsibilities, were emphatic in their teachings on this point,
urging upon the Church the all important matter of their relationship one to the other: In
every epistle, a spirit of oneness, sympathy, service for one another, patience,
brotherhood,, was stressed as being the spirit of the Master. And for all the Church
throughout the entire Age they set the standard of a united, frictionless, unctuous
co-operation of heart with heart, and hand with hand within the ranks of their brotherhood
in Christ. The pity of it all is that this grand and glorious law of God, so universally
taught, and so implicitly obeyed by inanimate creation, and, so laden with heaven's
blessings of peace and concord, should have been so persistently disregarded, or so
imperfectly obeyed, by so many of the special subjects of His grace -- His professing
people. Truly, "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel
doth not know, My people doth not consider." -- Isa. 1:3. God's Glory in the Heavens The Psalmist David gave utterance to a
profound truth in those sublime words of his nineteenth Psalm: "The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech, there are no words, their
voice is, not heard; but their melody extendeth through all the earth, and to the end of
the world their words." (Leeser.) What a volume of suggestion and instruction is
contained in such a summary of God's creative work! What multiplied lessons have been
literally written in the heavens to teach us the beauties of order and unity, of harmony
with diversity, as these are exhibited in the wisdom of God, who created and related
myriads of extremes and opposites in such marvelous settings, that all are needed to
complete the operations and the grandeur of the whole. What a perpetual rebuke to the
foolishness of earth, environed as it is in ceaseless strife and discord. Yea, what a
daily and nightly voice from heaven, proclaiming the desirability of a diversity that
destroys monotony, and makes possible the most pleasing and perfect variety. As for the unregenerated, it is to be
expected that these great lessons will go unheeded, since they have no desire to retain
God in their knowledge. But what a powerful influence these things should have on the
enlightened believer. His reaction thereto should be a feeling of reverent desire to
humble himself before God, and in his own sphere to honor and glorify His name. As David
has again so well expressed: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful of
him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him?" (Psa. 8:3, 4.) This magnificent
pageantry of the heavens should indeed elicit praise and admiration. Such noiseless
activity and perfect obedience to Divine law should impress the most wholesome lessons
upon our minds, and stir within us the most ardent desire to emulate them in reflecting
the wisdom, love, and power of our Creator. To Glorify God our Special Privilege If God is glorified thus in mundane
spheres of His creative work by the order, harmony, and co-operation of the separated, yet
united worlds comprising His universe, how much more gloriously true this should .be in
respect to His last and greatest display of creative love and power -- His New Creation.
Are not these above all others destined to be "to the praise of the glory of His
grace"? (Eph. 1:6.) Aid is this not the thought of all Scripture, namely that all
created beings should, in their respective spheres, be constantly contributing to the
glory of God. "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord." "All Thy
works shall praise Thee, O Lord." (Psa. 150:6; 145:10. See also Psa. 148.) Certainly
the chief end of the New Creation class is, primarily, to glorify God and, as His
children, to reflect His revealed character, that He may shine through them also upon
every beholder. Looking unto Jesus the Head of the New
Creation, and noting His main objective in life, we observe that His chief purpose was to
thus glorify God on earth, to finish the work the Father had given Him to do whereby He
could best reveal and honor God. His great fear was that He might misrepresent the Father
by acting contrary to His will. With Him the desire was that "like Father, like
Son," should be a reality. This He accomplished so fully that those whose eyes
beheld, whose ears heard, and whose hands touched Him, knew that it was also conversely
true, "like Son, like Father." As He finished His earthly ministry and looked
with desire into the future, the glory of God was still His chief consideration; for thus
He prays, "Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may also glorify
Thee; I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to
do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with
Thee before the world was." -- John 17:1, 4, 5. Ye Shall be My Witnesses It is only as we have God first in all
our thoughts and aims, as did our Lord, that we can really appreciate the underlying
principles involved in our spiritual sonship. Only the truly spiritual catch the
Master's meaning, as by His example He so clearly says, As the Father sent Me into the
world to glorify Him, a work which I have
accomplished by My complete oneness with Him, in love, inspirit, and purpose, so I now
send you out among men to glorify your Father, and
to honor Me. Therefore let your light so shine before .men that they may glorify your
Father in heaven. Let His glory be the first thought in your ministry, your conduct, and
your associations, and men will then glorify God in the day of visitation, and they will
know also that He sent Me. Would we inquire of Him how so great a witness could be given
by us -- how we could cause an unbelieving world to acknowledge our testimony, and
identify us as Christians, what would His answer be? "By this shall all men know that ye are My
disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35.) Beautiful, simple,
sublime criterion by which a correct judgment would be formed! But after all it is but a
repetition of that universal message, prepared and written in shining stars before the
foundation of the world, revealing to us the deep lesson of how best we may glorify Him. Let us, as devout students, lift our
eyes once again to those brilliant orbs of light, where God's existence, power and love
are constantly proved, and observing how, in their varied sizes, orbits, separateness,
varieties, and co-operation, "their melody extendeth through all the earth, and to
the end of the world their words," and we will have no difficulty in understanding
this simple, but profound statement of Jesus. The witness is not so much in preaching, as
in unity, peace, order, and a frictionless cooperation that represents love and
attraction. The reason why men will know, by our spirit of lave for one another, that we
are followers of His, is clear enough. The average man has sufficient knowledge of the
purport of Jesus' teaching to know that peace, unity and close sympathetic brotherhood are
its legitimate manifestations. He likewise .knows that discord, friction, divisions, sects
and factions, are all contrary thereto. Men may fail to understand our speech, and
certainly so, if controversial definitions of terms, shades of meaning, human inventions,
etc., are permitted to .obscure the simple Gospel. They will be turned to scoffers by our
jargon of sect and party, and fling the taunt, "Behold how these Christians love one
another," to our shame. But all men, sincere observing men, will. understand us, and
as Jesus taught, acknowledge us as belonging to Him, when we speak and act the language of
love. They will apprize us correctly when our doctrines have all distilled upon our own hearts "as the small rain upon
the tender herb, and 'as the showers upon the grass." -- Deut. 32:2. Bride of the Lamb Thy Charms, O Seek to Wear Being then, His Epistles, known ands
read of all, bearing His name and message, it follows that we must, in our conduct, our
ministry, and our co-operative fellowship, bear testimony to the effectiveness of His
Gospel, and thus discharge .our responsibility of glorifying God, just as the star-studded
sky must always witness to Him. And as others to whom we should witness read us, this will
be their test. "The wise men say, 'What
language did Christ speak?' Favored Church of Christ, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works! Could there be a more laudable work filling our lives than
this, to be one with the symphonies of angelic choirs, and the chorus of myriad worlds and
created things, as in their sweet accord they glorify the name, wisdom, and power of God.
"Behold, how good and how 'pleasant" is such a favor as ours! How exalted and
worthy an aim to enlist our fervent zeal to accomplish by dwelling together in unity and
love! If anything more were needed to
reinforce our effort toward this goal, surely it would be sufficient to remember that such
blessed unity was the subject of our Master's special prayer -- the prayer that
particularly represents His earnest desire for us, and its fulfillment in us intended by
Him to be the burden of proof to the world that He had not come in vain: "That they
all may be one; as Thou Father art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." Does some one say -- An
impossible prayer." We answer, No. This prayer was answered !by the "good and
pleasant" harmony and oneness of Apostolic associations as witnessed by the Jewish
"world." "They acknowledged that they had been with Jesus and learned of
Him." It remains for us, who have believed on Him through their word, to exhibit the
same evidences of vital association with Him. The United Church of Christ Another important reason why it is good
and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity, is that God has designed that by
such association together their own best interests will be served. Assistance that is
indispensable will in this way be received; qualities of mind and heart, essential to a
place amongst the saints in future glory, can be cultivated and crystallized only in this,
way. This is plainly illustrated in the natural earthly relationships. The natural man
loves and enjoys natural fellowship, and is constantly seeking it, properly recognizing
that though he be free to choose the life of a recluse if he so desire, yet his best
interests are served by a proper recognition of his need of the assistance and association
of others. We properly view the hermit life as being abnormal, and as being a useless
life, both to the hermit and to the community at large. Likewise the New Creature craves
fellowship, and seeks for it on his higher plane, with even greater realizations of its
need. Indeed, this is so important, that if the fellowship of the spiritually minded is
not appreciated above all others, is not longed for and sought after, and every
opportunity improved to enjoy it, he may well understand that there are unhealthy
indications as respects his spiritual condition. If he be deceived with the thought that
such association is not conducive to his best interests, and that he can rise to greater
things without it, he will find neither example nor precept in the Scriptures to sustain
his perverted judgment, but repeated warnings against attempting a thing so unnatural and
unspiritual. Who are to be Recognized as Brethren But before we ,proceed to examine the
good and pleasant aspects of Christian fellowship, it would seem necessary to again review
briefly a question that lies at the foundation of endless difficulties experienced by
many, a number of whom we have reason to believe are truly sincere. Their question
presented in a variety of forms is -- With whom can we fellowship, and co-labor as
brethren in Christ? This is an age-long problem. It appeared very early in the history of
the Church, and received much attention from the Apostles, particularly Paul. Extremes of
opinion, swinging from a wide open door policy to the narrowest bigotry, fill volumes of
Church literature, and even yet the discussion and war of words continues unabated. Even in this day of greater light and
tolerance the same extremes prevail. Indeed comparatively few seem to find the happy
medium between liberty and license, between the unity of the Spirit and the jots and
tittles of the letter. Shorn of all its accumulations of definitions, and its appendages
of Church contradictory precept and practice, and the question left to be answered
according to the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus, the problem is simple enough.
Concisely and finally, Jesus comprehends the entire brotherhood in His one statement:
"One is your Master, even Christ: and all ye are brethren." Could we have any
real difficulty in understanding a statement so simple as that, or experience further
difficulties in adopting it as a rule for finding the brotherhood? Summarizing the
teachings of Jesus, it means that He will recognize as His, any one who will come to the
Father in His name. If he cone in humble faith seeking forgiveness and cleansing from
guilt, he will in no wise be cast out. If his gratitude manifests itself by a full
consecration of his heart to God, then he is received into the probationary membership, of
the anointed class. Thereafter, his conduct bearing testimony to a desire to conform life
and character to the will of God, he is to be acknowledged by us as a brother in Christ,
eligible to the rights, the love, and the assistance due to every member of the Body. Only
a repudiation of the atoning blood, or a deliberate course of sinful conduct contrary to
righteousness, would exclude him from the number of the Lord's people, or release us from our obligation to love him, and to
do all in our power to lay down life on his behalf. Not until God lets him go, are we
free from our responsibility toward him. Love Produces Unity A people who have professed disapproval
of manmade creeds, and protested against limiting Christian fellowship to requirements not
Apostolic, should, by reason of such a protest, be prepared to follow this Scriptural
rule. Furthermore, a people who invite "all believers in the Ransom," to share
with them their feasts of love at the Master's table, should be well informed regarding
the liberties enjoyed in Christ Jesus. A clear working distinction should by this time, be
easily made between doctrines more or less important, between the vital essentials of
Christian unity and service; otherwise we are still in need "that one teach us again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are ;become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat." -- Heb. 5:12. Granted of course that the questions of
leadership, etc., are also involved, we will consider it sufficient to remark here, that
wherever the simple rules of Apostolic order are followed, and their true broad, standard
maintained, there will be comparatively little difficulty in maintaining primitive
simplicity. If this be not true, the Apostolic instructions are misleading and worthless!
But of a certainty, they will produce a unity, where the brotherhood will be properly led
into a fellowship and service that will function true to Scriptural ideals throughout the
entire Body. When love, which is the fulfilling of the law, pervades the Church,
everything will adjust itself to that rule, for "love suffereth long, and is kind:
love envieth not, love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thiniketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all thins, believeth all things, endureth
all things." (1 Cor. 13:4-7.) Let the leaders be examples to the flock in these
things and there will be little schism in the Body. Blest be the Tie that Binds Us Together The Lord never intended that man-made
creeds written or unwritten, should be the vital bond that would hold us together. Such
cords are too external and cold, and usually fail in times of strain and stress. "The
love of Christ constraineth us," holds us together and makes our fellowship a
heavenly association. Many have been the grateful hearts, touched by that spirit of Divine
love, that have experienced the uniting influence of, the old familiar hymn:
Under the mellowing effect of that
hymn, when sung in the spirit of sincerity, it is easy to feel the Spirit at work
destroying all bitterness, and preparing the heart for a more generous expression of
Christian sympathy. At such times it is not so difficult to strike a proper balance of
mind regarding the things that differ, and to put the weight of love on the right side --
on the side that really matters for time and eternity. And this is just the influence our
opening text declares is that good and pleasant atmosphere, so conducive to the loftiest
degree of spiritual fellowship, where the Lord gathers us in His farewell prayer, and
spreads over us His banner of love. Fenton, in his modern English gives us
this translation: "See how good and sweet it is,
when brothers rest as friends. 'Tis like the sweet oil from his head, that flowed down to
the beard. And from the beard of Aaron ran down to his garment's hem: Like Hermon's dew
that falls upon the height of Zion's Hill, for there the Lord His blessing gives, and life
for evermore." The Letter and the Spirit Under this anointing, what a blessing
He has given us! What a feast is ours! Sufficient surely to supply all our needs and equip
us for both fellowship and service: God's plan of redeeming love unfolded before us to
rejoice our hearts; His great high-calling invitation presented to us in so many that our
trembling faith may lay hold with confidence; our grand future work and its glorious
outcome reaffirmed by the testimony of all the holy Prophets and Apostles, with "Ages
to come" of untold blessings awaiting us -- all this set before us as a joy, for
which we are willing, yea, glad, to suffer for now, that we may share therein with Christ.
Under such a banner "how happy are we, who in Jesus agree." Let us "rest as
friends" on this foundation, and henceforth dwell "where the Lord His blessing
gives." Thus "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing
one another in love: endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of,
peace," we shall "love as brethren," and know thereby that we have truly
experienced a passing from death unto life. Out text supposes, by inferred
contrast, two classes of brethren, those who dwell closely together in union, and those
who do not. Let us note the characters of these two classes as they are presented to us in
the Scriptures. Paul's teaching and example will serve to illustrate the pleasant aspect
of the first class. First of all, he was wholly enslaved to Jesus, the Head of the Church.
That of course accounts for his devotion to the Church, and incidentally it also explains
why the Church has always had so few real pastors; though surfeited with orators and
preachers. No man can, in the very nature of things, be a true under-shepherd of the
flock., until he shares the love and sympathy of the great Shepherd for all the sheep.
Secondly, Paul was a strong advocate of correct doctrine, and he is therefore a fitting
example to follow in respect to the place of doctrine in the associations of the brethren.
He delighted to see the Church reach proficiency in the understanding of doctrine, and to
become sound in the faith. But above all he longed to see them exhibit maturity of
character as a result of the truth received. Thirdly, Paul knew where to put the emphasis
as respects the vital issues of faith and practice. He knew the coldness of the letter
would chill and dwarf any Church, abut that the "spirit of the truth" would warm
and unite bond and free, Jew and Gentile, in a brotherhood of love. Let Your Moderation be Known unto All As we have observed, Paul was,
"sound on doctrine," but have we been careful to also observe that in all his
ministry, he is ever on guard against making his own opinions, pro or con, on any subject
aside from the fundamentals of the faith, a part of the doctrine that must be necessarily
accepted as essential to fellowship. This is important, for let it be remembered that
conflicting "opinions" have given the Christian Church a thousand times more
trouble than basic doctrines. Furthermore, have we been careful to note that even on some
points seemingly quite closely related to vital doctrines, Paul was an example of
tolerance in his demands of others, willing to let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind, asking only that nothing be permitted to obscure the believer's vision of the
all-sufficiency of the blood of Christ. But perhaps even more important still, have we
been observant enough to note that on points where Paul "had the truth" and his
'brother was in error, he had the greatest respect for his brother's conscience, and was
more afraid of his "liberty" stumbling that brother than he was worried about
his brother's brother than he was worried about his brother's standing with the Lord.
Finally, have we yet learned that Paul repeatedly taught and warned that the
"strong" brother "in the truth" was in as much danger of the Lord's
adverse judgment, because of his lack of sympathetic consideration and love, or his
contentiousness, as was the less enlightened brother, and possible in more danger, because
of his greater knowledge. Search and see, for this is a decidedly important matter in
these days when "what we are" may be of greater moment than "what we
know" if that knowledge be just knowledge of all mysteries without love. More often
what "we know" never permits us to receive our brother, except "to doubtful
disputations" and to harass him with our opinions, but what "we are" -- if
we be Christlike -- will warm our greeting, modify our judgments, control our fellowship,
demanding unity only on the same foundation as our noble example -- Paul. Then like Paul,
our greatest interest in our brother's standing will be in respect to his. spiritual
relationship to the Head of the Church. Seeing "eye to eye" on
doctrine is admittedly important and earnestly to be sought by all, but it is not a whit
less important that we feel "heart to heart" on the many, many vital matters
that search the very depths of our characters, perhaps revealing that many need yet to
learn that the Kingdom of Heaven is not ":meats and drinks and holy days" but
"peace' and joy in the Holy Spirit." Behold how good and how pleasant it
would be for brethren to dwell closely together, around, and with Christ, as Paul taught
and practiced. If like him they made "the end of the commandment love out of a pure
heart," and put spirituality, bearing .each other's burdens, essential doctrine, and
practice in the forefront always, there would then be in many communities where the
witness has well nigh ceased "a city set upon a hill whose light cannot be hid."
For "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to
another." Blessed are the Peacemakers In view of our Lord's statement, that
peacemakers would in a special sense be identified as children of God, how earnestly we
should seek to bear that stamp of identification. The qualities of a peacemaker are
beautiful wherever found; but like every other virtue it is made even more beautiful when
found as an adornment of Christian character. A true peacemaker is one who is capable of
seeing the merits or demerits on both sides of a question. He is one who possesses a
sound, calm judgment, unaffected by personalities, and who can give advice and counsel
impartially. .His is in truth "the spirit of a sound mind." Most judgments being
naturally and easily biased, others hopelessly prejudiced, and some impossible of anything
but snap judgment, makes the sound judgment of the brother who is a peacemaker most surely
a boon to the Church. It occasions no surprise then to learn that such brethren are
greatly loved of the Lord, when we acknowledge their rarity and the urgent need of such
service. Doubtless, there frequently are
developments in the Church locally or at large, that are serious, involving principles
that cannot be -ignored, and requiring courageous, drastic treatment. There are times when
peace at any price would be decidedly wrong, and would manifest a deplorable lack of
character. But, we are just now lamenting the fact that so many conflicts are wholly
unnecessary. Perhaps they may be defended as "contending for the faith," or
"standing for the truth," but perhaps we need to go back and visit with Paul in
his Epistles to the Ephesians, Galatians, or Corinthians for a little while and get a
better view of things. "If the mists were rolled away" or "If we only
understand, we would often find it (better than we thought we would," for we have
been told, yes and we know it is true, that "most of our Church troubles are due to
misunderstandings." Years ago, an observing commentator, thinking of just such
regrettable conditions, gave us these words: "But what they fought each other
for, Brethren, have there not been some
"victories" in the past over which we were disposed to feel elated, that today
seem rather questionable? As with maturer and kindlier judgment we now consider all the
circumstances, are we not ready to confess that much of our feelings and conduct under
those tests represented a large measure of defeat? Surely so! Then let us now covet that
wisdom, patience, and justice, that will put us henceforth . among the blessed
peacemakers, the children of God. "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and
satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered
garden; and like a spring .of water, whose waters fail not [margin, "lie or
deceive"] and they that be of thee, shall build
the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; [the
age-long fundamentals] and thou shah be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer
of paths to dwell in." -- Isa. 58:11, 12. We have also suggested that there were
Scriptures intimating that some are not disposed to peace and constructive fellowship. May
we not dismiss this unfortunate and much to be regretted fact, from our present
discussion, with but one very descriptive quotation: "These six things doth the Lord
hate : yea, seven are an abomination with Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands
that shed innocent blood. An heart that deviseth wicked
imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh
lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
-- Prov. 6:16-19. Fenton renders verse 16 thus:
"There are six things the Lord Himself
hates and a seventh is abhorred by His soul."
He gives the seventh particularly hateful thing as "the sender of strife among
friends." We are Laborers together with God Workers together with God ! What a
suggestion of condescending grace this is! God engaged in creative work of the most
stupendous importance and yet condescending to invite our co-operation with Him in that
work! And what is this work of God in which we are privileged to engage? Let the
Scriptures answer: "Ye are God's building," His New Creation, "His
workmanship created in Christ Jesus" -- "In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth
unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through
the Spirit." (1 Cor. 3:9; Eph. 2:10, 21, 22.) Building together with God, and all the building being builded together for His habitation -- what
oneness and co-operation is here revealed! With what fervent hearts we should pray that we
might in all our labors be truly working "together with God," for there is the
ever present danger of our working apart from Him, on buildings, and with materials of our
own preference. Behold how good and how pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell closely together in union in a work so grand as this work of God!
With the foundation laid by Paul "as a wise master builder," and the "gold,
silver, and precious stones," put in our hands for a work so wonderful, will we not
meditate deeply upon its real; eternal verities. The most unskilled laborer may pull down
and destroy the most costly building, but it requires skill, intelligence, patience, and
conscientiousness to erect such a structure. So it has been in the Church. This was the
lament of Paul that there were so few like-minded as his co-laborer Timothy, zealous for
the deeper, spiritual side of Church life, while he wept many tears over the destructive
influences of the greater number of concisionists, traditionalists, factionists, and
ritualists, who made much of the letter, but were strangers to the spirit. It was ever the
effort of Paul to urge the brethren on in the
work of building one another up in their most holy faith, the faith once delivered, to
provoke them to love and good works, assuring them that in this, their labor would not be
in vain in the Lord. How repeatedly he thought of a well organized human body as
illustrating the unity of the Church under Christ its Head. "From whom the whole
Body, being fitly joined and united, by means of every
assisting joint, according to the proportionate energy of each single part, effects
the growth of the Body for the building up of itself in love." (Eph. 4:16, Diaglott.)
The hand cannot say to the foot, or the foot to the hand, I have no need of thee, for
neither can dispense with the services of the other. In this Body the sympathies are so
acute, that the suffering or joy of one is felt by all. Surely this is the thought of the
Holy Spirit's "together" in the texts we have quoted, and we cannot ignore their
solemn import. God is building only one Church, one building, and the Pattern He has given
us, as well as the materials indispensable to such a building, forbid that any part of its
construction should be subcontracted to any builders, who would attempt to build after the
style of "us four and no more." When God's building is complete, it will stand
without a flaw, a "thing of beauty and a joy forever." But what a grotesque
structure it would be, if built sectionally by "many men of many minds" at war
amongst themselves, as to who are members in particular of the Church of Christ. Out unto the Higher Levels But, beloved brethren, all who stand
"together" on Christ the solid Rock, how good and pleasant and profitable it is
to step out into the full maturity of manhood in Christ -- to step out unto the higher
levels -- of a truly sanctified spiritual life, and to see with clearer vision the
thoughts and ways of God; to stand where we get a true perspective of the futility of our
own little limited schemes, and receive instead the needed revelation, that as the heavens
are high above the earth, so are God's plans transcendently more lofty than ours. This is
a most salutary lesson to learn. Let us for the sake of our present joy learn it. As we
value the joys to come let us not forget it. An abundant entrance, or a bitter
disappointment, awaits us at the end of the way. "Together with God" and
"'being builded together" now, will mean "together" there in that
abundant entrance. If we are obedient to the Lord in this,
and we work "together" with Him, how blessed it will be. His is the building of
a temple that will yet be filled with His glory, and endure forever. If we build alone,
apart from Him, our structure will be a tower of Babel filled with confusion here and now.
If we build "lawfully" with Him, He builds a Church, against which the gates of Hades shall not
prevail. If we prefer to build on our own plan, we build a sect, a faction, destined to
rejection and overthrow. If we love to build "together" in Him, we have a unity
that is "good and pleasant" and encouraging, for then "they helped every
one his neighbor: and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage." (Isa. 41
:7.) If we prefer to build according to a multitude of personal ,preferences, then let us
not be surprised, to find "every man's hand against his neighbor" and no peace
within or without. If we build "together" in the deep fellowship of heavenly
places, we will be occupied with things of "gold, silver and precious stones."
If we reject the commonwealth of a united Israel, we will be occupied with "wood, hay
and stubble" human tests, theories, channels, etc., and we may be preparing ourselves
for an experience which, though a merciful deliverance, will mean being "saved so as
by fire." Send Thy Beauty upon Us Ere long we shall enter in to that
fellowship above, of which the present good and pleasant associations, have been but a
little foretaste. May "the little while between in its golden light be seen,"
and may the prayer of every saint be henceforth in unison with our Lord for the oneness of
soul that means our greatest peace. May our work be in full accord with His work, our
hands so occupied that we may further pray, "Let Thy work appear unto Thy
servants," give us a knowledge of Thy great purposes; let us see with a single eye
Thy gracious favors. "Send Thy beauty upon us"; order and harmonize our devoted
labors according to Thy great wisdom; and establish Thou the work of our hands; graciously
take the little stones, the little things that we can bring, and build these stones which
we have gathered and polished, into Thy great building, so that they too may endure
forever. "Yea, the work of our hands, establish Thou it." And in so far as God
may yet give us opportunity to witness to His Plan, let us be prepared for these
responsibilities, by keeping in remembrance the wise counsel :of the Apostle, "Only
behave yourselves worthily of the glad tidings of the Anointed One, so that whether coming
and seeing you, or being absent, I may hear concerning your affairs, that you stand firm in One Spirit, with one soul vigorously
co-operating for the faith of the glad tidings." -- Phil. 1:27, Diaglott.
HALF
HOUR MEDITATIONS No. 5 "Paul,
a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, Separated Unto the Gospel IF THERE is one thing more than another
in the Apostle Paul's life which calls for our respect and admiration, and which provokes
us in the only way we should ever allow ourselves to be provoked, namely unto love and.
good works (Heb. 10:24), it is the fact, manifest again and again in the sacred records,
that he was, in deed and in truth as well as in word, separated unto the Gospel of God. What that Gospel
is, in all the fullness that Paul preached it, we shall see when we come to the study of
the Epistle proper. At this time our attention is drawn more especially to the fact that
to these Good Tidings of God he was set apart.
With him the preaching of the Gospel was not incidental to other matters more important.
It was not even one important thing among others that held place in his life. No! it was the business of his life to which all else was
incidental, and to which all else was held subservient. And in this, in the complete,
wholehearted abandonment to the Gospel, to which from his conversion and call he devoted
his life, his strength lay. If when we see him publicly rebuking Peter for dissembling
(Gal. 2:11), we find ourselves asking where he got the strength to speak against one whom
he dearly loved, we shall know; for we shall remember that to the Gospel of God he has
been set apart, yes, apart from Peter if needs
be, and we shall under stand how he was able to perform that duty which must have been
agony itself to one of so tender a heart. When we see him on another occasion separating
from his close friend over the question of John Mark (Acts 15:37-40) and we are tempted to
wonder at his ability to reconcile himself to the absence of one who had proved to be such
a son of consolation and comfort as had Barnabas, we shall remember what he now tells us,
and understand. We shall remember that to the Good Tidings of God his life is devoted. To the Gospel he has been set apart. Not for any consideration can he
consent to what may put its progress, in the slightest degree, in jeopardy. In the words
of another: "Such is the sole essential work and purpose of his life. He is separated to the Gospel of God; isolated from all
other ruling aims to this. In some respects he is the least isolated of men; he is in
contact all round with human life. Yet he is 'separated.'
In Christ, and for Christ, he lives apart from even the worthiest personal ambitions.
Richer than ever, since he 'was in Christ' (16:7), in all that makes man's nature wealthy,
in power to know, to will, to love, he uses all his riches always for 'this one thing,' to
make men understand 'the Gospel of God.' -- Moule. The Heavenly Calling comes First That we may not lose the practical
application of this lesson to our own lives, this writer goes on to say: "Such
isolation, behind a thousand contacts, is the Lord's call for His true followers
still." And with this we are in very hearty agreement. Yet even here, it may be well
to add a word of caution. As Brother Russell has so wisely observed: "The 'spirit of
a sound mind' is to govern the Lord's people in all of their affairs, both temporal and
spiritual . . . With many of us, as the Apostle explains, it is the Lord's will
that we should abide in the vocation in which we were when the message of grace first
reached us. (1 Cor. 7:20-22.) Not all are called to an open, public ministry, devoting all
of time, talent, effort and interest to the Gospel message. The majority of the called the
Lord evidently intends to instruct as His disciples while they are about their ordinary
business, the duties and responsibilities of life. "With these, however, it is
necessary .that there be a forsaking of boats and fishing tackle, etc., in the heart from
the moment that a full consecration is made to. the Lord. We cannot serve God and Mammon.
We cannot have two objects in life, both equally prominent to our attention. The Lord will
not have it so with those who are to be His joint-heirs in the Kingdom. This class must
appreciate the privilege oaf fellowship in His labor, sufferings, and hopes of glory to
such an extent that their hearts will no longer The in the ordinary affairs of life; their
ambitions wild no longer The for wealth or name or fame from the world's standpoint. All
such ambitions and hopes we must 'forsake' if we would be His disciples. He must be first,
joint-heirship with Him must be our ambition; otherwise our hearts would not be in a
condition that would be pleasing to the Lord or that would be single for His service; we
would be of the kind described. as double minded, unstable in all our works and ways.
(Jas. 1:8.) Undoubtedly this is a difficulty with a large number of those who have named
the name of Christ and professed consecration to Him and His service. That We do not Look Back "It is high time that we learn
that we cannot serve God and Mammon, and that we choose as between these. If we do not
choose the Lard and His service and place these first before our hearts' affections, we
will be counted as ,placing the others first, the interests of the natural man; and the
Lord's appreciation of us and the reward He will give us will correspond. He has indeed
blessings for all the families of the earth, but, the special blessing presented in the
exceeding great and precious promises of glory, honor and immortality are for those who
love Him supremely, more than they love houses or lands, business or wealth, family or
kindred or self. "Our exhortation to all who have
forsaken all to follow the Lord is that we do not look back, that we estimate that we have
made the grandest bargain imaginable, that we are in the way for obtaining the grandest
prize imaginable, together with association with our Lord in His wonderful work and with
the Divine approval. "This seems to be the thought of
the Apostle when he urges us to lay aside every weight and entanglement that we may run
with patience the race set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author of our faith, until
He shall have become its finisher. Let us as promptly as possible, at the beginning of our
Christian experience settle once for all the matter of surrendering our wills to be
followers of the Lamb; let us once for all arrange as wisely as possible our temporal
affairs and interests in accordance with the reasonable demands of others respecting the
same, and let us then faithfully persevere to the end of the race course." Three great Missionary Journeys But to return to the author of our
Epistle. In our last. "meditation" we saw the Lord going before him to, Antioch
of Syria. He whose interest in His own Gospel of mercy and love never flags or falters had
not only prepared. with wondrous patience and skill a "choice" vessel, but had
prepared the sphere of influence in which that vessel was to labor "a whole
year." (Acts 11:26.) For this purpose the Lord had used some brethren whose names
have not been preserved to us. All we know of them is that they were men of Cyprus and
Cyrene. (Acts 11:20.) Little did these humble followers of Jesus realize the
"increase" which should follow their faithful "planting." Jerusalem
had indeed. been 'the cradle of Christianity,' but our Lord did not intend that it should
also be its grave. And, as the sequel shows, from the testimony which these humble unknown
brethren planted in Antioch of Syria, watered as it was by the rich teaching of the
Apostle Paul and Barnabas, there arose a new capital of Christianity. To quote from Godet: "After the martyrdom of Stephen, a
number of believers from Jerusalem, from among the Greek speaking Jews (the Hellenists),
fleeing from the persecution which raged in Palestine, had emigrated to Antioch, the
capital of Syria. In their missionary zeal they had overstepped the limit which had been
hitherto observed by the preachers of the Gospel, and addressed themselves to, the Greek
population. It was the first time that Christian effort made way for itself among.
Gentiles properly so called. Divine grace accompanied the decisive step. A numerous and
lively church, in which a majority of Greek converts were associated with Christians of
Jewish origin, arose in the capital of Syria. In the account given of the founding of this
important Church by the author of the Acts (11:20-24), there is a charm, a fascination, a
freshness, which are to be found only in pictures drawn from nature, The Apostles and the Church of
Jerusalem, taken by surprise, sent Barnabas to the spot to examine more closely this
unprecedented movement, and give needed direction. Then Barnabas, remembering Saul, whom
he had previously introduced to the Apostles at Jerusalem, went in search of him to
Tarsus, and brought him to this field of action, worthy as it was of such a laborer.
Between the Church of Antioch and Paul the Apostle there was formed from that hour a close
union, the magnificent fruit of which was the evangelization of the world." Never Loses Its Inspiration It would be beyond the scope of this
series to trace in detail the steps of our Author during the (perhaps fourteen) years
which intervened until he came to pen the immortal chapters of the Epistle to the Romans.
Perhaps in the Lord's providence it may be our privilege at another time to meet together
in these pages for that purpose -- to accompany the Apostle in spirit, as he undertakes
those three great missionary journeys which have been so marvelously blessed in their
results. Familiar as we all must he with the history of this period of the Apostle's life,
the story of those eventful years never seems to lose its inspiration in the retelling. If
we who today find ourselves living in the closing days of the Gospel Age are sometimes
betrayed into a mood of discouragement, we have only to take time to review the grand "sowing"
time to become animated anew with zeal and .courage. Just to read: the story .of those
early days is enough to make the heart !beat faster. But our present purpose will have
been accomplished if we come to the study of the letter .to the Romans with a lively sense
not alone of undying gratitude to "our beloved 'brother Paul," but also of
appreciation of the fact that he was one to whom as unto a faithful steward God entrusted
the Gospel. Coming thus we shall find ourselves not merely sitting at the feet of a Master
in Israel, though that were enough to elicit our most .respectful attention, 'but we
-shall find also the Spirit of the Lord speaking peace to our souls through Jesus Christ,
to whom he was faithful unto death, and whom in this Epistle he will preach to us in words
which notwithstanding all the centuries are yet aflame with all the passionate earnestness
of which his heart of loving faithfulness was capable. How was the Church at Rome Founded? Thus far in these meditations we have
sought to picture before our minds the author of our Epistle. Before examining the Epistle
itself it will be proper for us to make inquiry concerning those to whom the letter was
addressed. Much has (been written by many minds on this question, but it remains true that
"The name of the original founder of the Roman Church has not been preserved to us by
history nor even celebrated by tradition. This is a remarkable fact, when we consider how
soon the Church, of Rome attained great eminence in the Christian world, both from its
,numbers, and from the influence of its metropolitan rank. Had any of the Apostles laid
its first foundation, the fact :could scarcely fail to have been recorded." -- CONYBEARE AND HOWSON. Barnes has summed up his conclusions as
follows: "At what time, or by whom, the
Gospel was first preached at Rome has been a matter of controversy. The Roman Catholic
Church have maintained that it was founded by Peter, and have thence drawn an argument for
their high claims and infallibility. On this subject they make a confident appeal to some
of the fathers. There is strong evidence to be derived from this Epistle itself, and from
the Acts, that Paul did not regard Peter as having any such primacy and ascendancy in the
Roman Church as are claimed for him by the Papists. "(1) In this whole Epistle there
is no mention of Peter at all. It is not suggested that he had been, or was then at Rome.
If he had been, and the Church had been founded by him, it is incredible that Paul did not
make mention of that fact. This is the more striking, as it was done in other cases where
churches had been founded by other men; see l Cor, 1:12-15. Especially is Peter, or
Cephas, mentioned repeatedly by the Apostle Paul in his other epistles; 1 Cor. 3:22; 9:5;
15:5; Gal. 2:9; 1:18; 2:7, 8, 14. In these places Peter is mentioned in connection with
the Churches at Corinth and Galatia, yet never there as appealing to his authority, but
in, regard to the, latter, expressly calling it in question. Now, it is incredible that if
Peter had been then at Rome, and had founded the Church there, and was regarded as
invested with any peculiar authority over it, that Paul should never once have even
suggested his name. "(2) It is clear that Peter was
not there when Paul. wrote this epistle. If he had been, he could not have failed to have
sent him a salutation, amid the numbers that he saluted
in the 16th chapter. "(3) In the Acts of the Apostles
there is no mention of Peter's having been at Rome, but the presumption, from that history
is almost conclusive that he had not been. In Acts 12:3, 4, we have an account of his having :been imprisoned by Herod Agrippa near the
close of his reign. (Comp. 5:23.) This occurred about the third or fourth year oaf the
reign of Claudius, who began to reign A. D. 41. It, is altogether improbable that he had
been at Rome before this. Claudius had not reigned more than three years, and all the
testimony that the fathers give is that Peter came to Rome in his reign. "(4) Peter was at Jerusalem still
in the ninth or tenth year of the reign of Claudius; Acts 16:6, etc. Nor is there any
mention made then of his having been at Rome. "(5) Paul went to Rome about A. D.
60. There is no mention made then of Peter's being with him or being there. If he bad
been, it could hardly have failed of being recorded. Especially is this remarkable when
Paul's meeting with the brethren is expressly mentioned (Acts 28:14, 15), and when it is
recorded that he met the Jews; and abode with them, and spent at Rome no less than two
years. If Peter had been there, such a fact could not fail to have been recorded or
alluded to, either in the Acts or the Epistle to the Romans. "(6) The Epistles to the
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, to Philemon, and the second Epistle to Timothy were
written from Rome during the residence of Paul as a prisoner; and the Epistle to the
Hebrews probably also while he was still in Italy. In none of these epistles is there any
hint that Peter was then or had been at Rome; a fact that cannot be accounted for if he
was regarded as the founder of that Church, and especially if he was then in that city.
Yet in those epistles there are the salutations of a number to those churches. In
particular, Epaphras, Luke the beloved physician' (Col. 9:.12, 14), and the saints of the
household of Caesar are mentioned; Phil. 4:22. 1n 2 Tim. 4:11, Paul expressly affirms that
Luke only was with him, a declaration utterly irreconcilable with the supposition that
Peter was then at Rome. "(7) If Peter was ever at Rome,
therefore, of which indeed there is no reason to doubt, he must have come there after
Paul; at what time is unknown That he was there cannot be doubted without calling in
question the truth of all history. "When, or by whom, the Gospel was
preached first at Rome, it is not easy, perhaps not possible, to determine. In the account
o£ the day of Pentecost (Acts 2 :10); we find, among others, that there were present
strangers of Rome, and it is not improbably that they carried back the (knowledge of Jesus
Christ, and became the founders of the Roman Church. One design and effect of that miracle
was doubtless to spread the knowledge of the Savior among all nations. In the list of
persons who are mentioned in Rom. 16, it is not improbable that some of those early
converts are included; and that Paul thus intended to showy honor to their early
conversion and zeal in the cause of Christianity. Thus, 16:7, he designated Andronicus and
Junia his kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who were distinguished among the Apostles, and who
had been converted 'before himself, i. e., before A. D. 34, at least eight years before it
was ever pretended that Peter was at Rome. Other persons are mentioned also as
distinguished, and it is not improbable that they were the early founders of the Church at
Rome.-- Chap. 16:12, 13, etc." To All who in Rome are God's Beloved Ones "Wonderful collocation, wonderful
possibility!" writes Moule " 'Beloved
ones of God,' as close to the eternal heart as it is possible to be, because 'in the
Beloved'; that is one side. 'In Rome,' in the
capital of universal paganism, material power, iron empire, immeasurable worldliness,
flagrant and indescribable sin; that is the other side. 'I know where thou dwellest,'
said. the glorified Savior to much tried disciples at a later, day; 'even where Satan has
his throne.' (Rev. 11 :13.) That throne was conspicuously present in the Rome of Nero. Yet
faith, hope, and love could breathe there, when the Lord 'called.' They could much more
than breathe. This whole Epistle shows that a. deep and developed faith, a glorious hope,
and the mighty love of a holy life were matters of fact in men and women who every day of
the year, saw the world as it went by in forum and basilica, in Suburra and Velabrum, in
slave-chambers and in the halls of pleasure where they had to serve or to meet company The
atmosphere of heaven was carried down into that dark pool by the believing souls who were
bidden to live there. They lived the heavenly life in Rome . . . . What a deadly air for
the regenerate soul -- deadly not only in its vice, but in its magnificence, and in its
thought! But nothing is deadly to the Lord Jesus Christ. The soul's regeneration means not
only new ideas and likings, but an eternal Presence, the indwelling of the Life itself. That Life could live at Rome; and
therefore 'God's beloved ones in Rome' could
live there also, while it was His will they should be there. The argument comes a fortiori to ourselves." Shall we not, both writer and reader,
take these words to heart? Would the writer prefer other circumstances in which he feels
that he could labor better in the service of the Lord? Does the reader chafe sometimes and
fret perhaps at his or her lot?' Do we think that in almost any other place than our
"Rome" we could do better than we do, that elsewhere than where we find
ourselves our. progress in the Christian way would be assured? Let us remember the lilies,
how they grow; let us remember about them if we
forget. all else that they do indeed grow, and
let us allow the argument to come a fortiori to
ourselves. Let us determine that His grace not only can be, nor yet alone that in the days
to come it will be, but that here and now it is sufficient for us. Thus we shall each in
our several spheres of influence prove to be more than conquerors through Christ who
strengthens us: Amen. Dear ones in Christ: I am sorry to be a little late on
account of moving and changing my address. I am sending the money to pay for another
year's subscription for your precious message sage, which I do need so much to cheer me;
for I am a shut-in most of the time, suffering with a poor worn out body and nerves:, But
I do thank God every hour for all the blessings He sends me, and that He gives me grace
and strength each hour and day through all the many trials. Were it not that I know God is all-sufficient for every trial I would have sunk
beneath my cross long ago. May God bless you all and give you strength and grace for all the
trials He may see best you shall have in these dark days that Daniel told us we might
expect now at the end of this Age -- the end of the Devil's reign on this earth. I was so glad to see our dear Pastor
Russell so grandly thought of at your grand Convention. I wished I could be there, but I
am too old now to travel any more. I am hoping soon to take the last journey and see my
dear Master face to face, -- with you all, and be parted .no more. I wish you all a very blessed
Christmas. Love and greetings to you all in His dear name. Remember me at the throne of
heavenly grace, where we can all meet together this side the veil. Thank God for this
great privilege of praying for each other. Although miles separate us, we can meet in
spirit and pray for one another. Hoping to get your precious message of
comfort, I remain Your loving sister in Christ, Mrs. F. H. -- Ohio. Dear Brethren in Christ: I cannot find words to express my
appreciation of the articles that have appeared in the "Herald" since I became a
reader. They are all good. I mention two that were to me "a feast of fat
things": "The Hidden Life in Christ," and "The Life of
Separation." In reading the report in the
"Herald" of the Pittsburgh Convention, my heart was glad. It brought back
memories of days gone by, when we did not need any introduction; there was no formality,
but love was welling up in every heart and speaking of the gracious things the Lord had
done for them. I had the privilege of meeting and hearing Brother Russell the first time
he visited Canada, and was a reader of the Watch Tower for forty years -- until the first
of the present year. It was then that the words of the Prophet came to me so forcibly:
"Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that
which satisfieth not." To me there was nothing to sustain or to develop the new
creature, or to build one up in the most holy faith . . . . My experience from 1922 to June of 1927
is something I would not wish to pass through again, as I think of the sleepless nights
and of the long heart-rending days, with a bondage I cannot find words to describe. . . .
Perhaps it was needful to pass through these experiences and feel to the utmost the evil
effects of such teaching and bondage that I might more fully appreciate the "perfect
law of liberty," the "liberty wherewith Christ bath made us free." I did
not know that I was in such bondage, nor did I know there was any passing through this
experience but myself. I did not know there was such a journal as the "Herald."
. . . I prayed earnestly for guidance and was making plans, when . . a sister in Toronto
sent me a double number of the "Herald." I believe this was the answer to my
prayer. The Lord will provide chose who hunger and thirst for the Truth with the needed
food. He also "takes the wise in 'their own craftiness." "Precious is the night of sorrow Your brother in Christ, "by
grace," J. E. -- Ohio VOL. XIII. February 15, 1930 No. 3 WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS ! "But lest we should offend them,
go to the lake, throw a hook, and take the first fish coming up, and opening its mouth,
thou wilt find a stater; take that, and give it to them, for Me and thee." -- Matt.
17:27, Diaglott. IN the earlier days of our Lord's
ministry, following His rejection by His own townspeople of Nazareth, He seems to have
resided for some considerable time in Capernaum. According to Matthew's order of events it
would appear that very shortly after His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had made His way to
Capernaum, and had there attracted much attention to Himself by healing the servant of the
Centurion and also restoring Peter's mother-in-law to health. Days of popularity followed,
until Jesus found it expedient to depart to amore quiet place. But this popularity which
at first promised so much, had sadly waned when in after days our Lord again visits this
greatly privileged city. The hatred of the religious leaders had grown in volume, and they
had succeeded in influencing many of the people against Jesus and His work. The incident
recorded in Matthew 17, and from which our text is chosen, was a very manifest evidence of
this changed attitude on the part of the people of Capernaurn. Jesus had been absent with His
disciples for some time, but now returns once more to this scene of many of His early
activities. Shortly after their arrival, the tax collectors had encountered Peter with the
challenge, "Doth not your Master pay tribute?" This tribute was a voluntary tax
imposed only upon the Jews for the upkeep of the temple services, etc., having had its
beginning in the days of Moses. By general consent it was understood that religious
teachers were exempt from this tax, and in former days this courtesy seems to have been
given to Jesus also. Now, however, He had lost caste, and was no longer thought worthy of
this exemption. Hence the demand made upon Peter. As the narrative shows, Peter
entertained no doubt about Jesus being prepared to pay such a tax, and therefore in his
usual impulsive way virtually promised it. By this promise he obligated both himself and
his Master. We may judge therefore his surprise when he found himself being questioned by Jesus as to the propriety of His
paying such tribute. Surely the hasty promise was scarcely consistent with the confession
he had made but a few days before, when he had confessed his Mater "the Son of the
living God." Jesus did not contest the payment of
the tax, and recognizing that no principle was involved, He provided for its payment.
Peter is sent down to the lake with the instructions contained in our text, and of course
returns with the coin the Master had promised. As to how the money came to be in the mouth
of the fish, a reasonable suggestion is that the bright coin had been thrown or had
dropped into the water from a passing boat and was quickly seized by this particular fish,
lodging in its throat in such a way as to prevent its getting rid of it. Doubtless in some
such way, in the unlimited, overruling power of God, the matter was properly timed; the
special feature of the miracle being in our Lord's power to find it there at the
appropriate time. Jesus Pays the Debt of His Disciple This is the historical narrative as it
pertains to the little incident itself, but like so many other things in our Lord's
intimate associations with His immediate disciples, this incident with Peter is replete
with suggestive lessons possible of present and personal application -- lessons that are
surely calculated to draw us close to Him in a deeper appreciation of His love. It should be observed that the fish did
not provide two half shekels, but only one, a stater, which was in value equivalent to the
one shekel needed -- "for Me and thee." Thus Jesus linked Himself in the payment
of this demand in the most intimate way with His disciple. That little word
"and" should not be overlooked, for it is laden with significance, not only to
the weak and impoverished Peter, but full of encouragement to us -- to you and to me. Our
blessed Master still pays the charges for all His penniless disciples, who like Peter have
become indebted beyond their ability to pay, and who also in their extremities rejoice to
hear Him say, "That take, and give for Me and thee." "Let our debts be what they may, "'Tis perfect poverty alone At the call of Jesus, Peter had left
all to follow Him. His fishing business had been abandoned, at least in so far as giving
attention to it might go. No income would therefore be forthcoming from that source. In
common with his fellow disciples he had "forsaken all to follow" the Lord in His
ministry, and apparently is now without funds. When, therefore, he finds himself face to
face with this demand for the tax, he makes his appeal to Jesus. His extremity, however,
becomes the Lord's opportunity to teach him how graciously "the Lord will
provide" for every need. To us also the lesson is taught that when we too can
truthfully say, "Lord I have left all to follow Thee," I am therefore, "Not my own, my time, my talent, that He is ever ready to become our
surety for demands made upon us for His name's sake, or because we have given up all for
His cause. Casting all Our Care upon Him As in the days of His earthly ministry,
when three years of absence from home and business had passed over the heads of His
disciples, He could turn to them with the inquiry, "When I sent you without purse,
and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything?" and they could promptly reply,
"Nothing" (Luke 22:35), so it has been with all the long line of His faithful
followers. With one voice all would say with Paul, "I have all and abound." All
things needful and best have been supplied according to His riches in glory, for "I
have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content," fully assured that
"He knows and loves and cares." If all has been given up for Him, He cannot fail
to meet our needs, for His acceptance of our gift becomes His pledge that all our needs
are now His special care. As a devoted life-long disciple has well expressed it,
"Whenever you give yourself absolutely to Christ and His service, not at your whim,
but by His direct invitation, you may reckon absolutely on His thoughtful provision, and
even if your faith should give out, He will remain faithful, for He cannot deny
Himself." Let us note that when Peter found
himself involved by his promise, he did not attempt to carry the burden alone. He took it
to the Lord for His attention. By His summons to leave all, and Peter's acceptance of that
call, Jesus had now become his burden bearer. As Peter might interpret it, this experience
was traceable to the fact that he was so vitally associated with Jesus that their
experiences were one. What a relief it must then have been to him, when he found that the
need had already been anticipated and provided for. And what a lasting impression must
have been left on his mind to strengthen his faith in after days. He could always remember
that no emergency could arise in the Lord's service that could not be met by Divine help.
Jesus, by this act, had shown him, that even before he had any realization of his own
need, ample provision had already been made for it, by One who makes the burden of His
disciples first of all His own, before it touches those who have become the objects of His
special love and care. O that by some means our patient,
loving Master might teach us this lesson also. What fully consecrated heart does. not long
for a deeper realization of "What a friend we have in Jesus"-One who really does
"stick closer than a brother" to every sincere disciple, One who in every
experience of burden or trial never fails to assure and encourage by reminding us that
this also is shared by Him. The trial is for our discipline and instruction in
righteousness, and for Him, wherein He shows Himself gracious, sympathetic, and strong on
behalf of those who flee to Him in every time of need. Like Peter, we may often be
unmindful of the fact that before we found ourselves in the trial, He had already provided
a way of escape; but oh, if we could only emulate Peter in our unquestioning confidence in
His abundant provision, and roll our burdens on Him, then what a blessed afterward of joy
would come into our experience. How wonderful it would be if we could only truthfully say:
"I will neither murmur nor repine at what the Lord's providence may permit, because
'faith can firmly trust Him, come what may.'" His method of sharing our burdens may
not be in some miraculous way, as in Peter's case, yet, though heaven and earth pass away,
His word of promise can never fail. He will meet the need of His weakest and most
impoverished, devoted disciple. None that put their trust in Him can ever be forsaken, or
overburdened with a trial too great to bear. The tax
gatherer may be ever at our door in many forms, but if we take his demands to Jesus,
and lay them at His feet, we will be able to face every demand with His "grace
sufficient" in our possession, and inexpressible joy in our hearts, for to us He will
have also said, "That take, and give for Me
and thee." Our Master links Himself to Sinful Men How often Peter must have recalled that
memorable day, when Jesus first took him into partnership, and filled his boat to the
brim, giving evidence of His power to assist those who obey Him. How often the same
impulse that threw him at the Master's feet on that occasion, must have moved him again
and again to acknowledge his unworthiness -- "depart from Me, for I am a sinful
man." Beloved Peter, impetuous, yes, aggressive sometimes beyond discretion, yes,
presumptuous, to the point of rebuking his Master, yes, but indeed, Peter with a heart of
gold, and a power of affection sensitive to the slightest hint of its possible
insincerity. "Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee." Now
once mare his heart is thrilled, for again Jesus has linked him with. Himself in words
that must have been music to his soul -- "For Me and thee." Again the lesson
comes to us, for this also is our blessed privilege today. We too have enjoyed the
privilege of turning our boats over to the Lord, and because we did so there are now
hallowed memories deep down in our hearts, too sacred to parade before others who might
not understand. Precious 'moments, when the very abundance of His blessings overwhelmed us
with a sense of our utter unprofitableness, and, like Peter, we too have realized at such
times more deeply than ever the depth of that condescending love that bridged the gulf
between ourselves and the Blessed One who had so graciously accepted us into fellowship. God's Love Broader than the Measure of Man's Mind Surely this is the greatest wonder of all the "wideness in God's mercy"that we, unworthy mortals, should be called into such partnership. But even partnership was too cold a word for Jesus to convey His meaning to us, and to call us servants was unthinkable, for there were some confidences He sought that could not be enjoyed by servants, so He chose to call us friends. But He delights in even a more intimate term than that, for "He is not ashamed to call us brethren." And does He not like that term best, for the Prophet .has Him saying, "I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto Thee." (Heb. 2:12.) And not alone in the house of |
