VOL. XIV. August 1-15, 1931 Nos. 15-16 The
Institute’s Annual Meeting A
Christian’s Privilege of Fellowship Half
Hour Meditations on Romans “Be
not Dismayed, I am Thy God” “It
is High Time to Awake out of Sleep” VOL. XIV. August 1-15, 1931 Nos. 15-16 God’s Comprehensive Law“And
they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and
marvelous are, Thy works, Lord God Almighty; GOD’S
wisdom, love, and justice decide on what is best, and that decision is His will or law.
But, strictly speaking, only so much of God’s will as He expresses to His creatures is law to them. Hence, while His laws never
conflict, they may be more or less fully expressed on one occasion than on another. All of
God’s intelligent creatures are under instruction, being taught those laws which His
in finite love, wisdom, arid justice have enacted for the well being of all. Though
created perfect, each in his plane of being, yet they all lack that scope of knowledge and
wisdom which belongs in full measure to the Divine nature only. They all lack experience;
hence, in giving them instruction in the wisdom and propriety of His laws, it has pleased
Jehovah to make an illustration which would manifest and practically exemplify His own
character and prove to His creatures the wisdom and righteousness of His laws. It is
evident that the spirit of His law is not to take advantage of some transgressive slip,
occasioned by lack of experience on the part of His creatures but that He intends it to
apply to the thoughts and intents of the hearts. That this is the real intent of God, we
shall see illustrated by His dealings with those who have from lack of knowledge become
sinners. His law in
full, as we now see it in the light of His Word, is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God, with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength,” and “thy neighbor as
thyself”; and the penalty attached to the slightest deviation from that law is,
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die” -- that no being shall be permitted to
live, who, when fully informed of God’s righteous will, and enabled to obey it, shall
not conform thereto; that all such be cut off from life. But this is as it may be seen
now. Once it was not so clearly expressed, nor so clearly seen. God’s Plan a Wise EconomyTo fully
exemplify, this law, God caused man to be used as an illustration before this extreme
penalty was placed upon the angels. So man was placed under the extreme penalty of His law
-- death; God knew that through inexperience man would violate that law and come under its
penalty; but He purposed to make an illustration to all His creatures of the exceeding sinfulness of
sin and its sure consequences, while at the same time His love and wisdom so marked
out the Plan, that mankind, the illustration, might not suffer loss, but be blessed by the
lesson as learned. Nor should
we forget that God’s dealing with man was perfectly just. He had a right to demand
perfect obedience from a perfect creature; and the fact that He at first did not inflict
death upon the angels was a favor toward them; even as toward man He has displayed His
favor also, though in a different manner -- through a ransom, and Savior, and restitution,
and future trial for life, more favorable than the first, because of the knowledge of sin
and its effects, meanwhile acquired by experience. This was a masterly stroke of wise
economy on God’s part; for had the death penalty been pronounced on the angels who
sinned, a redeemer of their own kind would have been necessary for their recovery; and not
only one, but many -- one redeemer for each transgressor; for they were legion and were
individually on trial; and the requirement of God’s law is, Eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, life for life. Let us
briefly view the exhibition of God’s character as displayed in His dealing toward
mankind whom He made a spectacle to angels. (1 Cor. 4:9.) In so doing, let us guard
against the .common error which judges of God’s actions exactly as of our own. Let us
remember that justice, love, wisdom and power, as commonly displayed by the fallen race,
in dealing with each other, and by human parents with their children, are far from
perfect. In our first parents those qualities were perfect: they were in the image of
Jehovah; but in our experience, in consequence of the fall, these qualities are constantly
at war with each other. Sometimes love has a victory over justice, and sometimes justice
has a victory over love. But with
Jehovah there can be no conflict; and neither ever gains a victory or ascendancy over the
other. Both are perfect, and work only in perfect harmony. Divine Attributes all Displayed in Perfect AccordBefore man
was created, the Justice, Wisdom, Love, and Power of God held conference on the subject,
and devised the Plan which has since then been developing. The Plan was suggested by
Wisdom and concurred in by the other attributes; the arrangement and execution of it being
left in Wisdom’s hands. Wisdom
designed to have the largest returns from the experience of man, and the most valuable
illustration of God’s character to all His creatures on every plane of being.
Accordingly Wisdom said, Let the man come under the control of Justice, Love and Power, separately, that the force and operation of each
may be the more forcibly illustrated. Let Justice first have complete control, let men be
dealt with by the strict law, “Thou shalt not” -- “In the day that thou
dost . . . dying thou shah die.” And it was so. Man,
inexperienced and unused to self-control. and liberty, violated the law, and experienced
the full weight of Justice, as Wisdom had foreseen and prepared for. The lesson
under Justice has been long and severe, but the lesson must be thorough, so that it shall
never need repeating. Men and angels must learn that Justice is relentless, irrevocable
and unalterable. Then, too, before it could be realized that the remedy for man lay only
in Jehovah and nowhere else, an opportunity was offered for the trial of other methods for
man’s recovery. First, the angels .were given rulership (during the Age before the
flood), and made a miserable failure; for, while man became more and more corrupt
himself,’ his evil influence led to the fall of some of those who attempted his
assistance -- “those angels which kept not their first estate.” With the
deluge that order of affairs passed away. Then, under the Law Covenant, given to one
selected nation, another and different opportunity was presented, to prove to man that
even if God should cancel all enmity, or resentment, and receive the world unto covenant
relations, they would require a Restorer, so that they could continue in harmony with God,
even after being forgiven. Hence sacrifices and offerings for sin were instituted, and God
treated that nation as though original sin and guilt had been removed, and then placed
them under laws to prove to them, to us and to all, their inability (as degenerate
creatures) to keep His law without a restitution to perfection to His likeness. Meanwhile
Love stood ready to manifest itself at the moment Wisdom should give the word. Love would
have done so at once, but for two reasons: First, it could note oppose or interfere with
the action of Justice in condemning man and delivering him over for the execution of the
prescribed penalty. Second, though Love might have acknowledged Justice and approved its
action by promptly providing a ransom (an equivalent price), Wisdom objected and did not
permit this course at that time, because it saw
best to make the lesson complete and thorough. Hence for
over four thousand years Love was not permitted to manifest itself, and might only speak
in shadowy sacrifices and ceremonies, and more or less obscure promises. But, finally,
when the right time had come, “in due time,” “in the fullness of
time,” Wisdom gave the word, and Love began to manifest itself far man’s relief.
The first act was to produce a perfect and sinless man to be a suitable “ransom for
all”: one not under the Adamic curse -- who would lay down His life for the race, and
whose sacrifice would meet all the requirements of Justice, and therefore be acceptable as
a ransom and propitiation for man’s sins. And Love’s great exhibition was seen
in the gift of the grandest and greatest and first of all God’s creation, who stooped
and became man, to redeem men and “they called His name Jesus.” “Ah!”
says one who judges by his own feelings, “Now comes Love’s victory over Justice.
We shall see that God is more loving than severe.” But not so;
God is not more loving than severely just: He is perfect in both respects. It will be
indeed a victory for Love, but not over Justice. It will be much grander than that. It
will prove a victory for both Justice and Love; for it will be gained by Love’s paying the price demanded by Justice -- a ransom, “an equivalent price.” (1 Tim.
2:4-6.) The love of God, so long veiled from sight, was manifested in the gift of His Son
to be our Redeemer and Savior. The record is : “Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [satisfaction or
appeasement] for our sins.” “In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into
the world, that we might live through
Him.” When Love
had ransomed man, and was ready to reveal
itself by restoring the willing and obedient of mankind to perfection and harmony with
God, Wisdom postponed this on the ground that a further development of the Plan would
ultimately enhance Love’s glory, and perfect the work; that an interlude (the Gospel
Age) must occur in which should ‘he selected some from among the redeemed, some
sharers in Christ’s sufferings and reproach, who should be counted worthy to share
His glory and to be His associates in the execution of Love’s triumph .in “the
restitution of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets.” Long and
faithfully has Love labored; but all her labor will yet be lost, unless in due time Wisdom
shall commission. Power to do its special part in the great Plan. Power has
thus far stood in the background, doing nothing directly in man’s relief, save in the
resurrection of our Lord, and in the miracles, which shadowed forth its coming work. Now, we are
living in the day when Power begins to act, not in opposition to justice, but in harmony
with Wisdom, Justice, and Love. Oh, blessed day! The Lamb who was slain and who redeemed
us by His blood is now invested with Power to bless all whom He bought; and He is now
about taking unto Himself His great power, and shall reign until He has subdued all
enemies. -- Rev. 20:6; 1 Cor. 15 :25. ‘God
has chosen the Plan which most fully and grandly exemplifies His unalterable justice, and
exhibits the exceeding riches of His grace -- His love; and in the restoration of man
(“all who come to the Father by Him”) from destruction, from death, to
perfection and life, will God’s power be illustrated far snore forcibly than even
man’s creation. And as men and angels come to recognize the full fruition of
God’s Plan in the ages to come, will they not with one consent exclaim with our
Brother and Apostle Paul, as he caught a glimpse of it: “O the depth .of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways
past finding out! For who bath known the mind [Plan] of the Lord? or who bath been His
counselor? . . . Because out of Him and through Him, and for Him are all things. To Him be
the glory for ever.” -- Rom. 11 :33-36. The Institute’s Annual MeetingINTERESTED
brethren are again reminded of the Annual Meeting of the Pastoral Bible Institute. As
previously announced, the meeting will be held this year on Saturday, September 5, at 2 p.
m. at the offices of the Institute, 177 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, New York. The purpose
of the meeting is the election of directors for the ensuing year, as well as the
consideration and transaction of such other business as may properly come before it. On
such occasions ample opportunity is given the members to freely discuss the various
features of the work, and suggestions calculated to improve the ministry of the Institute
are invited., We therefore trust that all members who find it possible will be present at
this meeting, which is designed especially to accelerate the service of the Lord and His
people. In this
connection, we desire to extend a cordial invitation to all our brethren who can make it
convenient to attend this meeting, regardless of whether or not they hold membership in
the Institute. Reports will be submitted covering various features of the ministry of the
Lord’s people, which we believe will be of interest to a%11 who are bearing the
welfare of the Church upon their hearts. The names of
the brethren who have been serving as directors during the past year, and whose term of
office expires September 5, are as follows BLACKBURN, J. J. ............. Toronto, Ont. In harmony
with a, resolution adopted by the membership at the Annual Meeting held two years ago,
which gave opportunity for members of the Institute to place the names of brethren in
nomination in advance of the Annual Meeting, we are pleased to submit the additional names
which have been sent in as follows HOLLISTER, H. E. ............... New York, N.Y.
In drawing
attention to this meeting we desire once more to urge upon the brethren the importance of
this obligation resting upon each individual interested in the activities of the
Institute. To this end we are hopeful that the number present this year will be
considerably larger than heretofore, and we are also anticipating a more active interest
on the part of many who are hindered by distance and other circumstances from being
personally present. For the benefit of these, provision is made whereby all the members
may have a voice in the election by indicating on a proxy form the names of those whom
they desire elected as directors for the coming year. These proxy forms will be mailed to
each member before the election, and those who do not expect to be present at the Annual
Meeting should fill out this form and return it to this office before the election date. Realizing
the carefulness that should characterize all our efforts to carry on the Lord’s work,
we do well to remember that the needed wisdom is promised to those who take full advantage
of the privilege of prayer. We therefore entreat all the brethren to keep these
responsibilities much before the Lord, that thus we may enjoy the fullest possible measure
òf Divine guidance and blessing, in our united efforts to serve Him and His people. A Christian’s Privilege of Fellowship(Continued
from last issue) Fellowship with Jesus by being His yoke-fellowCONTINUING
our reflections on the glorious possibilities of fellowship with Jesus, we are reminded of
His words in Matt. 11:29, 30: “‘Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and
My burden is light.” Do we understand what is meant by the yoke of Christ? And why
should our Lord after inviting the weary and heavy-laden to come unto Him to obtain rest,
mention in almost the same breath a “burden”? Another, writing on this text
inquires: “Is the Christian life, after all, what its enemies take it for -- an
additional weight to the already great woe of life, some extra punctiliousness about
duty, some painful devotion to observances, some heavy restriction and trammeling of all
that is joyous and free in the world? Is life not hard and sorrowful enough, without being
fettered with yet another yoke? “It is
astounding how so glaring a misunderstanding of this plain sentence should ever have
passed into currency. Did you ever stop to ask what a yoke is really for? Is it to be a
burden to the animal which wears it? It is just the opposite. It is to make its burden
light. Attached to the oxen in any other way than by a yoke, the plough would be
intolerable. Worked by means of a yoke it is light. A yoke is not an instrument of
torture; it is an instrument of mercy. It is not a malicious contrivance for making work
hard; it is a gentle device to make hard labor light. It is not meant to give pain, but to
save pain. And yet men speak of the yoke of Christ as if it were a slavery, and look upon
those who wear it as objects of compassion. For generations we have had homilies on
‘The Yoke of Christ,’ some delighting in portraying its narrow exactions; some
seeking in these exactions the marks of its divinity; others apologizing for it and toning
it down; still others assuring us that, although it be very bad, it is not to be compared
with the positive blessings of Christianity. How many, especially among the young, has
this one mistaken phrase driven away from the Kingdom of God? Instead of making Christ
attractive, it makes Him out a taskmaster, narrowing life by petty restrictions, calling
for, self-denial where none is necessary, making misery a virtue under the plea that it is
a yoke of Christ, and happiness criminal because it now and then evades it. According to
this conception, Christians are at best the victims of a depressing fate; their life is a
penance, and their hope for the next world purchased by a slow martyrdom in this. “This
mistake has arisen from taking the word ‘yoke’ here in the same sense as in the
expressions ‘under the yoke’ .or ‘wear the yoke in his youth.’ But in
Christ’s illustration it is not the ‘jugum’ of the Roman soldier, but the
simple ‘harness’ or ‘ox-collar’ of the Eastern peasant. It is the
literal wooden yoke which He, with His own hands in the carpenter shop, had probably often
made. He knew the difference between a smooth yoke and a rough one, a bad fit and a good
fit; the difference also it made to the patient animal which had to wear it. The rough
yoke galled, and the burden was heavy; the smooth yoke caused no pain, and the load was
lightly drawn. The badly-fitted harness was a misery; the well-fitted collar was
easy.” How is a heavy Burden made Light?And what was
the “burden”? It was not some special burden laid upon the Christian, some
unique affliction that they alone must bear. It was not an extra burden at all. It was not
another burden over and above what they were already staggering under. The burden was not
a weight of some kind which Christ had carried for a-while, and which He was now having
transferred from His own shoulders to the shoulders of His followers. Christ did not say:
“Take My burden upon you, and learn of
Me.” He said, “Take My yoke upon you
and learn of Me,” and He goes ,on to say, in effect, that by so doing, “the
burden which you now carry, which you find so difficult, will no longer be heavy; it will
become light, just as My burden which I Myself carry is made light because of the easy
yoke I wear.” The burden “was what all men bear. It was simply life, human life
itself, the general burden of life which all must carry from the cradle to the grave.
Christ saw that men took life painfully. To some it was a weariness, to others a failure,
to many a tragedy, to all a struggle and a pain. How to carry this burden of life had been
the whole world’s problem. It is still the
whole world’s problem.” And here is Christ’s solution: First, He offers
them salvation through faith in Him and in view of the sacrifice of His life which He was
about to lay down, and after that His words are an invitation, a direct appeal from One
who knew how to live, to all who did not know how to live, to those who had not made much
of life, who were weary and heavy-laden, to come unto Him, and begin life over again, upon
a new principle,, upon His own principle. In effect, He says: “Having trusted in Me
for salvation, follow Me. Take life as I take it. Be meek and lowly, and you will find
rest stealing its way into your heart and life. Take My yoke and you will find the burden
of life easy. For My yoke is easy, works easily, sits right upon the shoulders, and
therefore My burden is light.” There is no
suggestion here that the yoke of Christ will absolve any man from bearing burdens. That
would be to absolve him from living, since it is life itself that is the burden. What
Christ offers is to make it tolerable. “Christ’s yoke is simply His secret for
the alleviation of human life, His prescription for the best and happiest method of
living. Men harness themselves to the work and stress of the world in clumsy and unnatural
ways. The harness they put on is antiquated. A rough, ill-fitted collar at best, they make
its strain and friction past enduring, by placing it where the. neck is most sensitive;
and by mere continuous irritation this sensitiveness increases until the whole nature is
quick and sore. “This is the origin, among other things, of a disease called
‘touchiness’-a disease which, in spite of its innocent name, is one of the
gravest sources of restlessness in the world. Touchiness, when it becomes chromic, is a
morbid condition of the inward disposition. It is self-love inflamed to the acute point; conceit,
with a hair-trigger. The cure is to shift the yoke to some other place; to let men and
things touch us through some new and perhaps as yet unused part of our nature; to become
meek and lowly in heart while the old nature is becoming numb from want of use. It is
the beautiful work of . . . [Christ] everywhere to adjust the burden of life to those
who bear it, and them to it . . . . [Christ] has a perfectly miraculous gift of healing.
Without doing violence to human nature . . . [the yoke of Christ] sets it right with life,
harmonizing it with all . . . [its stress] and restoring those who one jaded
with the fatigue and dust of the world to a new grace of living. In the mere matter of
altering the perspective of life and changing the proportion of things, its function in
lightening the care of man is altogether its own. The weight of a load depends upon the
attraction of the earth. But suppose the attraction of the earth were removed? A ton on
some other planet where the attraction of gravity is less, does not weigh half a ton. Now
. . . [the yoke of Christ] removes the attraction of the earth, and this is one way in
which it diminishes men’s burdens. It makes them citizens of another world. What was
a ton yesterday is but half a ton today. So without changing one’s circumstances,
merely by offering a wider horizon and a different standard, it alters the whole aspect
of the world. “Christianity
as Christ taught it is the truest philosophy of life ever spoken. But let us be quite sure
when we speak of Christianity that we mean Christ’s Christianity. Other versions are
either caricatures, or exaggerations, or misunderstandings, or short-sighted and surface
readings. For the most part their attainment is hopeless and the results wretched . . . .
[But it matters not] who the person is, or through what vale of tears he has passed or is
about to pass, there is a new life for him along this path.’’ “Take My yoke
upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” The Powerful Influence of PeaceBrethren,
are we doing this? .It is such an easy thing to quote this Scripture from the platform, or
to discuss and expound it in an article of this kind, but unless its teaching finds a
practical place in our hearts and. lives, it will avail us nothing. To take the yoke of
Christ and learn of Him will take time. It will not only take time in a general way, but
it will take time (perhaps with a wrench) that is at present absorbed in other matters. It
will mean making Him our most constant companion. It will mean taking time to commune with
Him in prayer, taking time to study, and to bathe ourselves in the water of the Word.
But then if we do this, what is the promise that is ours? “Ye shall find rest unto
your souls.” Perhaps instead of rest unto our souls we would have preferred power,
power to influence men aright. But His promise is rest, not power. Yet who that knows the
peace of Christ, does not realize its power? We all know some who have taken Christ’s
yoke and day by day are learning of Him. Perhaps one enters their presence lacking
something of the peace of Christ, but after a season of fellowship with them, he .comes
away feeling that he has been in an atmosphere of peace. Such friends have had fulfilled
in their experience the promise -of His Word. By taking the yoke of Christ and learning of
Him they have found rest unto their souls. But more than this: that rest has its own
peculiar power; a power perhaps, of which those who possess it are quite unconscious, but
it reaches out to all with whom they come in touch. There is none who comes in touch with
them but realizes that they have been with Jesus and learned of Him. They have become His
yoke-fellows in deed, in practice, in the experience of daily life. They know something
of what the Apostle John meant when he said that his fellowship was with the Son, Jesus
Christ. Fellowship with Jesus by Eating TogetherThen, too,
we may have fellowship with Jesus in another way. In Revelations 3:20 we read:
“Behold, I stand at the door anal knock; if any man hear My voice, and will open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me.” In this precious
word, sent to us from heaven by Jesus after His resurrection, we have His own suggestion
that we may have fellowship with Him by partaking of food together. Is not that just the
way we have fellowship with one another to a very large extent here on earth? When friends
meet, it is not long before they arrange to have a meal together, and if a friend is
expected to visit our home, and share our hospitality, we endeavor to arrange a meal which
will be one thoroughly enjoyed by our friend. Brethren, when the Lord knocks at the door
of our heart and says that He will come in and sup with us, is it not a very searching
matter for us to decide what kind of food we shall prepare for His enjoyment? Surely we shall not
wish to keep Him waiting as it were, at the door, while we rush back from the dining-room
to the kitchen, and perhaps to the garbage can, with certain stuffs whose presence on the
table we know would give offense. If our fellowship is really with the Son, those things
which offend Him will be equally offensive to us. We know that the food He can partake of
with pleasure is that of His own providing. And so, when He comes to the door of our
heart, and we open and humbly bid Him enter, if He find our mind running on the principles
of His Father’s character and attributes, justice, isdom, love, and power, and if He
find us meditating upon the Father’s glorious plans and purposes, upon the love that
He Himself manifested in dying far our sins, He will delight in partaking with us of such
rich and soul-cheering food, and thus will keep His Word, and sup with us and we with Him.
Let us then occupy our minds more and more with “whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report.” So doing we shall find ourselves at one with Him in the spirit of our minds,
enjoying fellowship indeed. Fellowship with Jesus in His SufferingsThere is
another way in which we may have fellowship with Jesus, and that is in His sufferings. The
Apostle tells us in Philippians 3:8-10, that he personally counted all things but loss
that he might know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. Here the Apostle
makes a practical application of his knowledge of the Sin-offering, Covenants, etc. But
let us add a word of caution. Sometimes it is possible for us to make the mistake of being
too insistent upon what, perhaps, we may speak of as terminology. In an earthly court a
fair-minded judge always tries to determine the issue of a case by the substance and not
by the mere form of the matter which comes before hint. So with our understanding of the
Sin-offering, Covenants, etc. There are many minds amongst us, each of us seeing things
just a little differently perhaps to the way another views matters. Our heads vary in
shape and size, and what may seem very plain to one may not be nearly so plain to another.
Surely the substance in connection with our part in the Sin-offering is of more importance
than the words in which some of us may express ourselves. Now, we all agree that the substance of the matter is our personal possession
of the Spirit of Christ which led Him to be a willing sacrifice, and the more of this
spirit of sacrifice that we develop, the more will he our fellowship with Christ in the
substance of the matter. Down through the Gospel Age there were many of the Lord’s
faithful ones who had a large experience of fellowship with Jesus in this sacrificial
spirit, whose verbal explanations of the matter were far from exact. In all the various
church associations of Christendom today there are doubtless still some dear people whose
hearts are very much in advance of their heads. After all, it is, “My son, give me
thine heart:” Let us then seek, not only to hold what seems to us the Scriptural
presentation of the matter, but also to earnestly strive to have the substance; namely the
spirit of sacrifice, more fully developed in us. After all, facts not theories really
matter, and our actions on this subject as an any other will speak louder than any words
we may utter. In our own
experiences we share our joys with many, but our sorrows with only a few. If we have happy
experiences, we share them with almost any one. We are glad to let our gladness extend to
all with whom we come in touch. But if we have sorrow, we are apt to be very reserved.
Only a few close friends, only those who are very much one with us, are permitted to enter
into our sorrows. We do not feel like sharing these with many. And so it is with our Lord.
While He will extend to the whole world in due time the privilege of enjoying the
blessings His death has secured for them, He does not invite them to share His
sufferings. He does, however, invite His Bride to do so, and the Apostle in the text we
have noted counted all else loss that he might not miss the privilege. This is
beautifully shown in 1 Cor. 10:16. “The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the
communion of the blood of Christ?” Some have fellowship in the thought that .the
memorial of our Lord’s death must be celebrated precisely on the exact date once a
year in the Spring, but the real fellowship with Christ is had by those, who, while not
overlooking or disregarding the above, yet are still more interested in keeping the spirit
of this memorial three hundred and sixty-five days in the year. And, brethren, the cup of
blessing for which we give thanks, is it not the communion of the Christ Company? Brother Russell has suggested
the word “participation.” Another word which is an equally good translation is
“fellowship.” The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the Body of Christ, “for we being many are one
loaf”? Two Feasts in OneThis feast
which we celebrate outwardly once a year, and in the spirit of our minds every day in the
year, may be thought of as partaking of the nature of two feasts. To illustrate: At
Christmas time, in most of the communities of our civilized lands, people who are blessed
with a surplus of this world’s goods, arrange a feast for the benefit of the poor of
the neighborhood. To this feast all who will may come. Indeed they are
urged to attend, and those who do come are given a bountiful repast; plenty of good food
is furnished, perhaps supplies are pressed upon them to carry home with them; the whole
intention being to fill the hungry with good things, and if these poor people do not get
well fed at any other time of the year, they are certainly well fed on this occasion. Now,
that is one kind of a feast, and it has one intention. Let us now speak of another. Take
for example the occasion of a king’s birthday. A feast is arranged in his honor. The
poor of the neighborhood are not invited to attend; only the members of his court can
secure admission. The purpose of this feast is not to fill those who come with the
necessities of life. The whole idea of this feast is to honor the king. Now as we think of
the feast in which we celebrate the memorial of our Lord’s death, may we not think of
it as partaking of the of the nature of the first feast described, which as poor and needy
ones we have been urged to attend? Then as we find ourselves dwelling in peace and safety,
“filled with the fat things” from the bounty of our Lord, the nature of the
feast seems to change. We, too, change from being poor and needy ones and become members
of the court at the palace of the king, and realize that after all, the feast is prepared
solely and absolutely in His honor. “Who is
this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?” “What a
fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms!” Dear friends, may it
be our to know more and more what such fellowship means. (To be
continued) Half Hour Meditations on RomansNo. 18. “My
spirit shall not always strive with man.” -- Gen. 6:3. CONTINUING
his elucidation of the proposition that apart from a faith-righteousness the Gentiles are
without hope (Romans 1:18-32), the Apostle proceeds to show that they are proper subjects
of God’s anger. They have had the truth and rejected it. Those who teach that belief
in the One true God has been the “slow and difficult issue of a long evolution in the
religious thought of mankind, which has led through far lower forms of thought, the
fetish, the nature-power, the tribal god, and the national god,” to the idea of a
Supreme Being, do not quote the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in support of
their teaching. St. Paul has shown us, on the contrary, that idolatry, far from being a
progressive step towards Monotheism, is the result of a degeneracy, an obscuring of the
understanding, a darkening of the heart. As we have followed his discussion we have seen
him presenting man as capable, ever since the creation of the world, of a true knowledge
of God. (Verse 20.) He has assured us “that man’s lower and distorted views of
nature and of personal power behind it are degenerations, perversions, issues of a . . .
primeval dislocation of man from his harmony with God.” Having thus presented on the
one hand the fart of God making Himself known to man (verse l9), and on the other, the sin
of man in stifling this truth (verse 21), he now proceeds to expound the third idea of
verse 18, namely, the terrible manifestation of God’s anger on that sin -- that sin
“in which the whole of human impiety (ungodliness, verse 18) was concentrated.” Man given up by God “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves;
who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than
the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” -- Ver. 24, 25. “In
these words there is expressed the feeling of indignation raised in the heart of the
Apostle by the thought and view of the treatment to which God has been subjected by the
creature to whom He revealed Himself so magnificently. The verses have something of that .
. . exasperation of heart, of which the author
of the Acts speaks, when describing St. Paul’s impressions during his stay at Athens.
[“While Paul waited for them at Athens, his
spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.” --
Acts 17:16.] This feeling is expressed forcibly by the two conjunctions . . . [translated]
wherefore also.” The first, (wherefore) “refers to the justice of
punishment in general”; the second, (also) “brings
out more especially the relation of congruity between
the nature of the punishment and that of the offense. They sinned, wherefore God punished them; they sinned by
degrading God, wherefore also God degraded
them.” The word translated “gave them
up,” “does not signify that God impelled
them to evil, to punish the evil they had already committed. The holiness of God is
opposed to such a sense, and to give over is
not to impel. On the other hand, it is
impossible to stop short at the idea of a simple permission
[and to understand the Apostle to mean that] God let them give themselves over
to evil. God was not purely passive in the terrible development of Gentile corruption. [Is
it asked:] Wherein did His action consist? [We answer:] He positively withdrew His hand;
He ceased to hold the boat as it was dragged by the current of the .river. This is the
meaning of the term used by the Apostle, Acts 14:16; ‘He suffered the Gentiles to walk in their own way.’ . . . It
is not a case of simple abstention, it is the positive withdrawal of a force.” See
also the quotation from Genesis 6:3 at the head of this article. That man
should be given up or given over by God “is a dire thought; but the inmost
conscience, once awake, affirms the righteousness of the thing. From one point of view it
is just the working out of. a natural process, in which sin is at once exposed and
punished by its proper results, without the slightest injection, so to speak, of any force
beyond its own terrible gravitation towards the sinner’s misery. But from another
point it is the personally allotted, and personally inflicted, retribution of Him who
hates iniquity with the antagonism of infinite Personality. He has so constituted
natural process that wrong gravitates to wretchedness; and He is in that process,
and above it, always and forever.” Relationship of Unbelief to ImmoralityMany people
living in civilized lands seem to be quite unaware of the fact that idolatry is invariably
attended by the vilest immorality. Such understand idolatry to signify merely an
intellectual misunderstanding, which manifests itself in the belief drat there are many
gods instead of only the One. Far from realizing that this intellectual misunderstanding
is associated in any way with a wrong condition of heart, many appear to be under the
impression that the idolater seeks in his unenlightened way to render as true homage to
his many gods as the consecrated. Christian does to “Our Father.” For this
reason it may not be amiss to pause a moment to observe the relationship which exists
between wrong belief (or lack of true belief), and wrong conduct. This relationship, which
St. Paul assumes as an axiomatic truth, is not always understood by well meaning
Christians, and is bitterly resented by atheists. Such reason: Why does St. Paul represent
God as giving over to immorality those who did not keep Him in their memory? If men did by
their own fault become so unintellectual as to believe in a multitude of idols, and if
this were considered worthy of punishment, would not the proper punishment be to give them
over to such foolish errors of the mind only? Why should they be given over to immorality
also? What have morals to do with belief? What has immorality to do with unbelief? With
questions such as these in mind an able writer has remarked: “There is a dark
sequence, in the logic of facts, between unworthy thoughts of God and the development of
the basest forms of human wrong . . . It is so in the nature of the case. The individual
atheist, or polytheist, may conceivably be a virtuous person, on the human standard; but
if he is so, it is not because of his creed. Let his creed become a real formative power
in human society, and it will tend inevitably to moral disease and death.” Another
writing on this subject asks: “Is it not one of the most fatal errors of unbelief
that it has separated what God has joined together, and presumed to feed man’s moral
and spiritual nature without the light of God’s Word, or the light of His Son? Hear
what many are saying today -- that the knowledge of a personal God is not necessary in
order that one should be virtuous; that the light of conscience is not dependent on the
light of Christ to keep it burning; that goodness is entirely possible without God; that,
in a word, the inward moral life is independent of any outward illumination. Now, it is
possible, no doubt, for righteousness to exist in the heart of an atheist. There are dead
virtues just as there are dead works; there are consciences whose action is simply the
unexpended momentum of Divine influences long since rejected; there are virtuous instincts
which are simply the reminiscences of a lost and forgotten state of innocence; there are
exhibitions of truth and justice, and honor, which are simply the old coins of
righteousness still passing current after God’s image and superscription have been
worn off from them, so that they who trade in them know not whence they are. And as there
are dead virtues, so there is a dead light which they send forth. If you have ever
witnessed at night that strange glow which is emitted from decayed wood in the forest, you
have the best illustration of it. There is light, indeed, but it is utterly cold. Not a
spark could be gotten from it to kindle a fire to illumine the way for a bewildered
traveler. It is the light of death. And, alas! this is all that many have who, while
denying God, still boast they are walking in the light.” My Spirit shall not always Strive with Man“So He ‘gave them up, in their desires of their hearts’; He left them
there where they had placed themselves, ‘in’ the fatal region of self-will,
self-indulgence; ‘unto uncleanness,’ described
now with terrible explicitness in its full outcome, ‘to
dishonor their bodies,’ . . . ‘among themselves,’ or
‘in themselves’; for the possible dishonor might be done in a foul solitude,
or in a fouler society and mutuality; ‘Seeing
that they perverted the truth of God,’ the eternal fact of His glory and claim, ‘in their lie,’ so that it was
travestied, misrepresented, lost, ‘in’ the falsehood of polytheism and idols; and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”‘ The Apostle “casts this
strong doxology into the thick air of false worship and foul life, as if to clear it with
its holy reverberation. For he is writing no mere discussion, no lecture on the genesis
and evolution of paganism. It is the story of a vast rebellion,, told by one who, once
himself a rebel, is now altogether and for ever the absolute vassal of the King whom he
has ‘seen in His beauty.’” “On this account God delivered
them over to infamous passions,” etc. -- Ver. 26, 27, Diaglott. “As if
animated by the word of benediction, he returns to denounce ‘the abominable thing
which God hateth’ with still more terrible explicitness. ‘For this reason, because of their preference
of the worse to the infinite Good, God gave them up to passions of degradation; He handed
them over, self-bound, to the helpless slavery of lust; to ‘passions,’
eloquent word, which indicates how the man who will have his own way is all the while a ‘sufferer,’ though by his own fault; the victim of a mastery which he has conjured from
the deep of sin.” “The
picture which follows, of the unnatural vices then prevalent in (gentile society is
confirmed in all points by the frightful details contained in the works of Greek and Latin
writers.” History has thus abundantly proved the soundness of the Apostle’s
position. In the words of the writer last quoted: “The moral sentiment in man is
based on the conception of the holy God. To abandon the latter is to paralyze the former.
By honoring God we ennoble ourselves; by rejecting Him we infallibly ruin ourselves. Such,
according to the Apostle, is the relation between heathenism and moral corruption.
Independent morality is not that of St. Paul.” False worship -- Foul LifeThe Apostle
“has described the ungodliness of the
Gentile world, idolatry, and its punishment, unnatural impurities. He now describes the other aspect of
the world’s sin, unrighteousness [see verse 18], and its
punishment, the overflowing of monstrous iniquities committed
by men against one another, and threatening to overwhelm society. “And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things
which are not convenient.” -- Ver. 28. “To
retain God as an object of distinct knowledge . . . is to keep alive in the mind the view
of that Holy Being; so that His will shall give law to our whole conduct. This is what the
Gentiles refused to do. Ceasing to contemplate God, they were given over to all
unrighteousness.” God gave them over “to a mind void of discernment . . . ; having refused to appreciate God, they lost the true
sense of moral appreciation, and this loss, with all its consequence is a
judgment.” In the words of another: “And
as they did not approve of keeping God in their moral knowledge, God gave them up to an
abandoned mind, ‘a reprobate, God-rejected, mind’; meeting their
disapprobation with His just and fatal reprobation. That mind, taking the false premises
of the Tempter, and reasoning from them to establish the autocracy of self, led with
terrible certainty and success through evil thinking to evil doing; to do the deeds which are not becoming, to expose
the being made for God, in a naked and foul unseemliness, to its friends and its foes; filled full of all unrighteousness, wickedness,
viciousness, greed; brimming with envy, murder, guile, ill-nature; whisperers, defamers,
repulsive to God, outragers, prideful, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to
parents, senseless, faithless, loveless, truceless, pitiless; who morally aware of
God’s ordinance, that they who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do
them, but assent and consent with those who practice them. “Here
is a terrible accusation of human life, and of the human heart; the more terrible because
it is plainly meant to be, in a certain sense, inclusive, universal. We are not indeed
compelled to think that the Apostle charges every human being with sins against nature,
.as if the whole earth were actually one vast City of the Plain. We need not take him to
mean that every descendant of Adam is actually an undutiful child, or actually
untrustworthy in a compact, or even actually a boaster, . . . a pretentious claimant of
praise or credit which he knows he does not deserve. We may be sure that on the whole, in
this lurid passage, charged less with condemnation than with ‘lamentation, and
mourning, and woe,’ he is thinking mainly of the then state of heathen society in its
worst developments. Yet we shall see, as the Epistle goes on, that all the while he is
thinking not only of the sins of some men, but of the sin of man. He describes, with
tremendous particularity the variegated symptoms of one disease -- the corruption of
man’s heart; a disease everywhere present, everywhere deadly; limited in its
manifestations by many circumstances and conditions, outward or within the man, but in
itself quite unlimited in its. dreadful possibilities. What man is, as fallen, corrupted,
gone from God, is shown, in the teachings of St. Paul, by what bad men are. Who can Understand His Errors?“Do we
rebel against the inference? Quite possibly we do. Almost for certain, at one time or
another, we have done so. We look around us on one estimable life or another, which we
cannot reasonably think of as . . . [consecrated], if we’ take the strict Scriptural
tests of . . . [consecration] into account, yet which asks and wins our respect, our
confidence, it may be even our admiration; and we say, openly or tacitly, consciously or
unconsciously, that that life stands clear
outside this first chapter of Romans. Well, be it so in our thoughts; and let nothing, no
nothing, make us otherwise than ready to recognize and honor right doing wherever we see
it, alike in the saints of God and those who deny His very Being. But just now let us
withdraw from all such, looks outward, and calmly and in a silent hour look in. Do we, do
you, do I, stand outside this chapter? Are we definitely prepared to say that the heart
which we carry in our breast, whatever our friend’s heart may be, is such that under
no change of circumstances could it, being what it is, conceivably develop the forms of
evil branded in this passage? Ah, who, that knows himself, does not know that there lies
in him indefinitely more than he can know of possible evil? ‘Who can understand his
errors?’ Who has so encountered temptation in all its typical forms that he can say,
with even approximate truth, that he knows his own strength, and his own weakness, exactly
as they are? “It was
not for nothing that the question was discussed of old, whether there was any man who
would always be virtuous if he were given . . . the power to be invisible to all eyes. Nor
was it lightly, or as a. piece of pious rhetoric, that [one of] the saintliest of the
chiefs of our Reformation, seeing a murderer carried off to die, exclaimed that there went
John Bradford but for the grace of God. It is just when a man is nearest God for himself
that he sees what, but for God, he would be; what, taken apart from God, he is,
potentially if not in act. And it is in just such a mood that, reading this paragraph of
the great Epistle, he will smite upon his breast, and say, ‘God be merciful to me the
sinner.’ -- Luke 18:13. “So
doing he will be meeting the very purpose of the writer of this passage. St. Paul is full
of the message of peace, holiness, and the Spirit. He is intent and eager to bring his
reader into sight and possession of the fullness of the eternal mercy, revealed and
secured in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Sacrifice and Life. But for this very purpose he
labors first to expose man to himself; to awaken him to the fact that he is before
everything else a sinner; to reverse the Tempter’s spell, and to let him see the fact
of his guilt with open eyes.” ConclusionSince this
revolting and melancholy picture or the Gentile world was a true representation, all must
admit that the Apostle has established his proposition that apart from a
faith-righteousness (justification by faith) the Gentiles are without hope. “It will
be remembered that, in these charges, the Apostle speaks of the enlightened and refined
nations of antiquity; and especially that he speaks of the Romans at the very
height of their power, intelligence, and splendor. The experiment whether man could save
himself by his own works, had been fairly made. After all that their greatest philosophers
could do, this was the result, and it is clear that there was need of some better plan
than this. More profound . . . philosophers than had arisen, the pagan world could not
hope to see; more refinement and civilization than then existed, the world could not
expect to behold under heathenism. At this time, when the experiment had been made for
four thousand years, and when the inefficacy of all human means, even under the most
favorable circumstances, to reform mankind, had been tried, the Gospel was preached to men. It disclosed another plan; and its effects were seen at once
throughout the most abandoned states and cities of the ancient world.” As the Apostle
in another place said: “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of
you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and
patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ . . . knowing,
. . . how ye turned to God from idols.” --
1 Thess. 1 :2, 3, 9. “Be not Dismayed, I am Thy God”“Fear thou not; for 1 am with
thee: Be not dismayed; for 1 am thy God: THE WORDS of
the above text may very properly be regarded as peculiarly in season for the Lord’s
people in these times; they are words filled with comfort to those who by faith properly
ponder them. While the language of the Prophet may be understood as applying to natural
Israel, and based upon the covenant and dealings of the Lord with that people, yet the
words were doubtless written under Divine inspiration and evidently of a prophetic
character, for the edification and comfort especially of the true Israel of God. The
preceding verse reads: “Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called
thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art My servant: I have chosen
thee, and not cast there away.” Such language is, applicable in the fullest sense to
the Gospel Church alone. The admonition to them to fear not and to be courageous has all
along been in order from the beginning of the age, inasmuch as the course of the true
disciple of Christ has been a stormy and difficult one; and the closing days of this Age
in which we are now living are no exception. There are tests upon the Church today of
peculiar and searching character; there are conditions that tend to cause fear and to beat
down the courage unless one is faithfully observing the Master’s instructions and
exercising that faith that rests in the conviction that the God of heaven is with him and
causes His strength to be sufficient for every time of need. The word
dismayed signifies to have the courage broken down, “as by sudden danger or
insuperable difficulties; overcome with fear of impending calamity or failure; to fill
with despairing; apprehension; utterly dishearten,” etc. The Christian if permitted
to drift into this attitude is surely in a; helpless .condition and unable to battle with
his adversaries. Nearer My God to TheeIn order
that the children of God may not be dismayed or cast down, they must constantly rely upon
the Divine assurance that the Lord is with them. Not only so, but their hearts should be
kept full of the spirit of loving and warm devotion to the Lord, as a result of their
continual remembrance of His goodness, of how much He has honored them by making them His
children and placing before them those blessed and exceeding great and precious promises.
The Lord by His Word and providences would draw us very close to Himself in love and faith
and childlike confidence. It is that sense of the Lord’s nearness, of His protecting
care over us that should constitute our support in a large sense, in the hour of trial. We
must be seated together by faith m heavenly places in Christ Jesus if we would be secure. While reason
and common sense have their rightful place and are indispensable to a religious life, the
soul that never mounts upon the wings of holy and fervent devotion, that is never stirred
to its depths by a sense of Divine goodness and beneficence, has never yet experienced the
blessedness of the relation of sonship. A true son of a beloved and approving father
naturally experiences the fervor of tender emotion; especially is this so of a true son of
God who recognizes in his Heavenly Father the perfection of every grace, the crowning
glory of all excellence, and who lives in close union and fellowship with Him and has the
constant witness in himself of His love and approval. Ah, those
were no empty words of our blessed Lord Jesus when He said, “The Father Himself
loveth you.” “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love
him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” It is under such
conditions that all those holy emotions of love, tenderness, faith, gratitude, and praise
fill to the brim our cup of joy; and with holy ecstasy we exclaim, “My cup runneth
over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord for ever.” Was it not
in view of the Lord’s providences and of His many deliverances from the power of his
enemies and of the uniform kindness and mercy of God as he meditated upon them, that led
David to exclaim, “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? the Lord
is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” This consolation, variously
expressed throughout the Scriptures, comes with all its blessed potency in our times of
greatest need. The more desperate and determined the foes we encounter and the more fierce
the conflict with the powers of darkness, the more glorious is the deliverance and the
clearer are the manifestations of Divine grace. As a consequence, faith takes deeper root,
and with renewed confidence and assurance lays hold upon all these precious promises of
God; love and gratitude well up from a heart refreshed with an increased sense of the
Divine favor and blessing. “Whom Shall I fear?”It is in
view of the sureness of the Lord’s promises and this glorious outcome portrayed, that
the Christian is to be filled with holy boldness and courage. These qualities are not only
born of faith, but they increase and grow strong by a living faith developed and
strengthened by the lessons of experience. Courage born of faith and strengthened by
endurance, cries with humble boldness in the midst of the deepest darkness of the most
perplexing difficulties, and in the midst of the wildest storms and most threatening
dangers, “Whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life.” The Apostle
Paul surely caught this blessed inspiration, when he said, “Rejoice in the Lord
always and again I say rejoice . . . . Be careful for nothing,. but in everything by
prayer and supplication with, thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto,
God.” Mark how all through the Word of God we are taught not only to be sober,
vigilant, diligent, thoughtful, careful, and always abounding in the work of the Lord
through whatsoever it may bring of toil or care or reproach or persecution, but in the,
midst of any or all of these experiences we are taught to be happy and to be filled with
the inspiration of a holy joy. We are confident that the peace and rest of heart to the
Lord’s people will be much enhanced during the days before us, by keeping prominently
in the mind, in the midst of all their triads, reverses, and vicissitudes by the way, this
appealing admonition of the Lord, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee.” “It is High Time to Awake out of Sleep”“And that knowing the time, that
now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed. PREVIOUS TO
this exhortation the Apostle had been giving some wholesome counsel concerning the proper
course of the Lord’s people in the every-day duties of life. His advice seems to
cover a wide range of the little vexing cares and trials that every one must meet, and
shows us how to triumph in them through the mighty power of love. He evidently thought of
the thin veneer of politeness in the world which so often covers deep-seated selfishness,
and showed that our politeness and love should be only the genuine solid article, saying,
“Let love be without dissimulation [pretense or hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil
[abhor all shams and pretenses; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to
another; in honor preferring one another.” He thought of the temptations and
vexations of our business intercourse with the world, and of its natural tendency to
engross time, energy and thought in worldly things, and therefore counseled, not that we
should give up ail business, but that, while we should be energetic and “not slothful
in business,” we should be careful always to be “fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord.” He thought
of the depressing tendency of the ever-present cares of life, and of the persecutions in
one form or another that are sure to come to those who will live godly; and so, while
admitting that no trial can for the present be otherwise than grievous, he tells us that
we may rejoice in hope; for the trial will not continue forever, and by and by it will
bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness if we are rightly exercised thereby, and
in the end the rewards of righteousness; and therefore he says we should be “patient
in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” for that grace which is promised
according to our needs. He thought
of the poverty and losses of some, and therefore counseled sympathy and hospitality --
distributing to the necessity of the saints, given to hospitality. “Rejoice with them
that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another.
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own
conceits. Bless [even them which persecute you; bless and curse not. Recompense to no man
evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” He thought
of the numerous vexations arising from contact with those of undisciplined hearts and
said, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is
written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of
fire on his head. [You will thus make him ashamed of his own conduct in contrast with
yours.]” Finally, he
says, “Be not overcome of evil [do not allow the trials of life to make you sour, or
vindictive, or cold and unsympathetic; nor allow the more favorable circumstances to make
you proud or high-minded or wise in your own conceits]; but overcome evil [of every kind]
with good.” Love the Fulfilling of the LawThen he
instructs us to be law-abiding and God-honoring citizens in the communities in which we
live – “rendering to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to
whom custom; fear [respectful deference or submission] to whom fear; honor to whom
honor.” And after pointing to the several commandments of the moral law, he adds,
“If there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore
love is the fulfilling of the law.” Yes, love;
supreme love: to God and then to the neighbor as to self, is that disposition of heart
that will make us victorious in every trial and temptation In its operations toward God it
lays hold by faith upon His mighty power; it trusts His wisdom and His guidance; it takes
His standpoint o£ observation and patiently waits the outworking of His deep designs,
rejoicing in hope; and is persevering and faithful through all the painful processes that
lead on to victory. In its operations toward ,our fellow men it is pure, peaceable, kind,
forbearing, gentle, sympathetic, tender, and in strict conformity to the golden rule. “Do
this,” says the Apostle -- cultivate this Godlike disposition of love. And not only
so, but he would have us be diligent in its
cultivation, “knowing the season,” knowing that the time is short in which to
build up in ourselves the Godlike and Christlike character. We have not a moment to lose
if we desire to be finally approved of God as meet for the inheritance of the saints in
light. What Manner of Persons Ought We to BeIf the
Apostle could say to the saints of his day, “Knowing the time, that. now it is high
time to awake out of sleep,” etc., because they had then entered upon the Gospel Age
with its privilege of running the race for the prize of our High Calling, with haw much
greater force do his words apply to these closing days of the Age. In the clear light of
unfolding prophecy we see that we are now living in the very end of the harvest time; that
only a short time yet remains, and that before its close all the overcoming saints will
have passed the veil of the flesh and entered into the joy of the Lord as co-workers with
Him in the great work of the Kingdom. Yes, “the night is far spent” and
“the day [the glorious Millennial day] is at hand.” Even now the gray streaks of
dawn appear. It is the day when the kingly Bridegroom shall receive unto Himself His ready
and waiting Bride, and the time is short in which to make ready for our gathering together
unto Him. It is high time indeed to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation, our
glorious deliverance, very near. It is
possible that some, even of the very dear and fully consecrated children of God,
surrounded by the cares of this life, or weary in the struggle against sin and evil, or
somewhat beguiled by the present things of time and sense, may have become more or less
drowsy, and so stand in special need of the stirring exhortation, “It is now high
time to awake out of sleep.” It is a time for earnest, searching self-examination,
for a more diligent feeling after God, for a closer walk and more intimate fellowship with
Him, for more thorough self-abnegation, more diligent and persevering cross-bearing, and
more faithful conformity in every respect to the whole will of God concerning us. The Apostle
says, “Let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of
light”; and again, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” A careful, prayerful
searching of our hearts will make plain wherein we lack of conformity to the perfect will
of God. And if we discover in ourselves any perverse way we will want to correct it and
the more fully to put on the armor of light -- the armor of righteousness and truth. Thus
we put on the Lord Jesus Christ -- the mind or disposition of Christ, that spirit of love
which St. Paul says “is the fulfilling of the Law”-that love which worketh no
ill to its neighbor; that suffereth long and is kind, that envieth not, that vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up, loth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil, that rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth: beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things;
and without which, though we speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have it not,
we are only as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; and though we have the gift of
prophecy (teaching) and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though we have all
faith so that we could remove mountains, and though we bestow all ,our goods to feed the
poor, and even give our bodies to be burned, it profiteth nothing. -- 1 Cor. 13:1-7. How
important, then, in the short time that remains to us here, that we awake fully and apply
ourselves most diligently to the cultivation of that Christlike character of holiness
without which no man shall see the Lord, or have a part in the privileges of the glorified
Church. Thus St. Peter also exhorts, “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for
such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and
blameless.” -- 2 Pet. 3 :14. All must Render Account of Their StewardshipBut we are
to remember also that there is another feature of our faithfulness to the Lord that must
never be overlooked. Not only are we to be cleansed and sanctified by the knowledge of the
truth, but we have a responsibility or stewardship in connection therewith that represents
an important factor in our final approval before Him. We recall
the words of St. Paul, “Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found
faithful.” Here is a positive element of character and a recognized obligation to
activity on the pare of a faithful steward who would merit his master’s approval. A
steward is not merely a person of righteous character, whose life and conduct are above
reproach, but having been entrusted with his master’s property, he is expected to be
diligent and careful in the use of his talents, and not to fold them away in a napkin to
be returned to his master unused, just as he received them. Rather, he is to be
continually exercised in mind with the thought of the master’s return, and his
expectation of finding not only his own, but as large and substantial an increase as
possible, as an evidence of the zeal and faithfulness of his appointed steward. Thus we see
that there is no encouragement given to indolence and ease, but a definite requirement of
diligent and enterprising activity -- not the service of an hireling, whose chief
incentive is wages, nor service as men-pleasers, seeking present advantages, but the
intelligent, loving, spontaneous zeal of sons of God, as ministers of Christ and stewards
of the mysteries of God; holding fast to the faith once delivered to the saints, and
“as to all things exhibiting thyself a pattern of good works, uncorruptedness in the
teaching, seriousness.” -- Titus 2:7, Diaglott. “Who is Sufficient for these Things?”This
ministry, which all the consecrated, as ambassadors for Christ, have received, is one of
tremendous import. It greatly influences the final .destiny of those to whom we preach
this Gospel of the Kingdom, the tendency being either to life or to death. “For we
are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To
the one we are the savor of death unto -death: and to the other the savor of life unto
life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we of God of God, in
the sight of (2 Cor. 2:15-17.) The Apostle’s language here is another of the solemn
warnings of the inspired Word against the danger of the Second Death, and should awaken to
a sense .of their danger any who have been deluded into the idea that there is no such
possibility, and are permitting the great Adversary thus to deceive them. There is an
equal responsibility on the part both of those who undertake to preach the Gospel and of
those who hear it. The truth is God’s truth, and the responsibility of speaking as
well as hearing it is very great. The
Apostle’s words show that many in his day, as in ours, failed to realize this
responsibility, and, to answer their own selfish ends, corrupted the Word of God. To
willfully or recklessly corrupt the Word of God -- to vitiate its pure and holy doctrines;
to add to it than vain philosophies of ambitious men and seek to support their theories by
perverting its truths; to underrate its exceeding great and precious promises and mystify
the conditions upon which they may be realized; or to minimize or make void the solemn
warnings of the Word of God -- is indeed dangerous business, in which the faithful saints
will never engage, but in which those who fall away from the faith are usually most active
-- deceiving and being deceived. To be
faithful ambassadors for Christ-faithful representatives of the truth and faithful
proclaimers of it requires great humility and simplicity of heart. It necessitates the
complete ignoring of all worldly ambitions and aims, and the cultivation of a brave spirit
of endurance which will not shrink from any reproach which fidelity to the truth may
bring. And such service, the Apostle here shows, is acceptable to God as sweet incense, no
matter what may be the effect upon those to whom .we minister, whether they acceptor
reject the Message of Divine grace. What God is looking for in His people, is loyalty to
Him and devotion to His cause; and this condition of heart He appreciates, regardless of
their success or failure to secure large results. What a comfort it is amidst all the
discouraging circumstances of life, to know that the Spirit of Christ in the saints, is as
sweet incense to God. And the reward of His constant approval is richer than all the
unwholesome sweets of ambition gained by corrupting the Word of God. By the Renewing of Our MindsHow
responsible then is the position of those who are building character in themselves and in
others! Remember that our characters are manifested by our habits of life; and each act,
even the smallest, tends to form some new habit, or to confirm .one already established.
How important, then, that our thoughts and actions should not be aimless, but with a
purpose (1 Cor. 10:31); and above all, that our lives should be “transformed
[reformed] by the renewing of our minds”; that, putting aside the evil, and all
influences which tend toward evil, we should receive of the Lord, through His Word, the
“spirit of a sound mind,” the “mind of Christ.” In this view of the
case, it is indeed a solemn thing to live, a solemn thing to think, and to act; and it
behooves us to guard well our words, our thoughts and our actions, and ever to bear in
mind our responsibility to God, both for ourselves and for others as ambassadors for
Christ. “And
who is sufficient for these things?” Surely none of us in our own strength. We need
first of all to give ourselves to the Lord without reserve, and then daily to drink in
more and more of His Spirit by communion with Him through His Word and in prayer; and
constantly to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. Let all the
consecrated endeavor more and more to realize their responsibility, both in the matter of
their own character-building and also in that of building up others in the most holy faith
and in the character which is the legitimate result :of that faith. The issues of eternal
life and eternal death are before us, and before those to whom we present this Gospel;
therefore it behooves us carefully and prayerfully to present the pure truth of God in all
sincerity and in the spirit of Christ before God, ever bearing in mind that it is a savor
either of life unto life or death unto death. Letters of EncouragementDear
Brethren in Christ: On renewing
subscription for “Herald” we would like to take the opportunity of adding a few
encouraging words expressing our appreciation of your “labor of love” on behalf
of His people. Christian fellowship is indeed a precious thing, particularly in these last
days; and the “Herald” has played its part faithfully and well in providing this
through its pages for the lonely remnant scattered throughout the earth. We are glad
of the firm stand you have always taken concerning the true mission of the Church this
side of glory. We also heartily endorse the view that there is only one Gospel of the
Kingdom given to Christians to preach-that which relates to the “strait gate”
and “narrow way”; and that we have not the slightest authority -- nor is there
any purpose served -- in preaching any other. It is a matter of surprise that such a hoary
old snare of the master Fowler should have entrapped so many among the Truth-enlightened
of these last days. Yet the old story has once again been re-enacted, before our eyes --
of the headlong rush to the World with the Truth, which was sown only for the righteous.
No longer is it for “thinking Christians” but for the crowd! Therefore make it
popular; make it appeal in every way at any cost! Consume as much time anal money as you
can in this “great work” of “casting pearls.” Surely, if “they
turn again and rend you,” then one is not suffering for Christ’s sake but for
one’s own folly. We are grateful for the clear lead the “Herald” has always
given the brethren in this ever recurring issue, and trust it will continue to the end in
its good work of “confirming the souls of the saints.” May we
suggest as a very helpful “confirming” feature, a more frequent review of
“the progress of events” as per your last one of February 15, under this, title
.... We much
enjoyed the privilege of entertaining recently our dear Brother Hoskins during his
pilgrimage this way. The friends here greatly appreciated and were much benefited by his
ministry and fellowship. The
L________ friends unite in sending their warm Christian love. Your brother by His grace, O. E. K. -- Ire. Dear
Brethren: We feel that
you will be interested to know of our efforts here, and the surprising way the Lord has
blessed us and given us privileges to serve Him by declaring His glorious Message of
Salvation. About two
months ago a number of the Lord’s people seemed to find and be drawn to each other,
after several years of searching and hoping, and not without praying for our Master’s
guidance. This we surely feel we have had. Altogether about fourteen are assembling
regularly, having a First Volume study Sunday evenings, and a prayer and praise service
Wednesday evenings. Oh, how our hearts have rejoiced! It has seemed like old times. when
the spirit of the friends was the spirit of humility and love, placing the Truth above
all, striving for purity in doctrine. Shortly
after beginning our Class, a call came from friends living out in the country’ for a
public talk at their school house, on the subject of “Hell.” A revivalist had
been preaching along that line, to the sorrow of those who knew the truth of God’s
great love. One of our brethren responded. On Sunday afternoon with the temperature around
110 degrees over fifty came -- a very attentive audience hungering for the Truth, which
had been denied them. At their invitation we again returned for two more Sundays. At the same
time, another brother served a class of people gathered in the city park at G____. The
first, meeting being such a success they asked for a return,. so the following Sunday one
of the brethren served there and another at the schoolhouse. The attendance at the park
has increased -- over 60 being present this Sunday, and a meeting being arranged for next
Sunday. We have
designated our Ecclesia “Associated Bible Students,” and have cast off all
entangling earthly connections. At a regular meeting on Sunday, we unanimously extended to
the Pastoral Bible Institute our cooperation in the work of the Lord, and ask that we be,
placed on your regular Pilgrim list . . . . I am sure you will rejoice with us in these
blessed privileges and receive of the joy they have brought to our hearts. Sincerely, Your brother in Christ, R. S. -- Ariz. A Second General ConventionIn harmony
with the announcement made in the “Herald” of March 15 of this year, we are now
privileged to remind the brethren of the Convention being arranged by the friends of
Greater New York, to be held here on September 5, 6, and 7. When considering the matter in
the earlier part of the year, it was thought that holding several general conventions
throughout the country this year would be decidedly advantageous to the friends at large.
Word had already been received from Dayton, Ohio, that the friends there were planning for
such a gathering of this general nature, and by making special effort to arrange an
attractive program of a representative character it was expected that many from nearby and
more distant points would attend; and we are glad to know that these expectations were
realized. This also is
the desire of the brethren of New York in connection with the forthcoming conference here.
It is their hope that the Labor Day holiday season will leave many of the brethren free to
join in this convention, and that it will therefore be attended by friends representing a
very wide territory. Program
arrangements have been made which will assure all present of a rich blessing, such as may
well be expected at a gathering of Goal’s separated people today. And in this
connection it may be appropriate: to emphasize the fact that this assembly of saints will
be beneficial or otherwise in proportion to the spirit of’ prayer and expectation of
all interested in it. If the Lord go not up with us, and make ready our hearts, and speak
through our lips as we minister one to the other,, then our gathering will be barren of
those encouragements, reinvigorations and heavenward attractions so essential at this
time. Therefore in the meantime let us make these three days of coming apart with the Lord
a special feature of our prayers for Zion’s sake. Any desiring
information regarding accommodations, etc., may address the Secretary of the Class, Miss
N. G.. Mitchell, 360 Third Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. |
