VOL. XXVIII NOVEMBER 1945
NO. 11 Patient Endurance the, Final Test Thanksgiving
"Oh give thanks unto
Jehovah; for He is good; TO THE
Christian, every day is a day of thanksgiving. The Psalmist expresses this attitude:
"O Lord.... we Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture will give Thee thanks for ever."
"Giving thanks always," says the Apostle, "for all things in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ unto God, even the Father." - Psalm 79:13; Eph. 5:20. The
appointment by the head of the nation of a special Day of Thanksgiving is profitable to
the Christian, however, for it prompts him to an enumeration of his many and infinite
blessings. When we attempt this we are impelled to exclaim with Paul: "Thanks be to
God for His unspeakable bounty" -- which is just another way of saying "The half
has never been told." "Unspeakable" here means not something which cannot
be spoken of, but that which has not been fully spoken or declared. For the gift
of Jesus, our Savior; for the "peace with God which comes as a result of His
sacrifice; for the further "grace wherein we stand" -- the great High Calling to
the Priesthood -- as a result of which "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God":
for the daily experiences, testings, trials, and for the daily supply of grace which
enables us to benefit eternally by these temporal afflictions --all these are but a part
of His "unspeakable bounty." Eternity, and the cumulative capacity of
"all saints" will be required to realize and to tell the complete story of our
Father's munificence. - 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 2:18. Not the
least of our present and particular blessings is that of living under a civil government
that assures to every citizen complete liberty of religious assemblage, worship, and
expression -- in speech and in print. For such a government we may well heed the Apostle's
words: "I exhort, therefore, first of all, that thanksgiving be made for . . . kings
and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil
and quiet life in all godliness and gravity." - 1 Tim. 2:1, 2. Today the
true Christian stands, as alien as was Paul in Athens, in the midst of another and
greater Mars' Hill -- a world preponderantly committed to reliance for safety and well
being upon force of arms, and the god of war. Few indeed hear the Voice speaking behind
them, saying: "Yet have I set My king upon My holy hill of Zion. Ask of Me and I will
give thee the nations for Chine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy
possession. Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron!" - Psalm 2. This
prospect fired the minds and hearts of the Hebrew bards and seers of old. Like the angel
Israel, of whom legends say, "his heartstrings are a lute," the heartstrings of
the "sweet singers of Israel" were swept by the glorious vision, and they broke
forth in rhapsodies of praise and thanksgiving.
-
H. E. Hollister Victorious Living"And we should bear each other
in mind, for an incitement of love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the custom with some; but exhorting to it, and so much the more
as you see the day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24, 25, Diaglott. ON EVERY
hand we have seen the warring nations striving for victory, but the victory they have been
bending every effort to achieve will not be an everlasting one. While the world is in
turmoil and men's hearts are failing them for fear, the great God of heaven, our Father,
is grandly working out His great designs. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection." (Rev. 20:6.) When God's will has been accomplished in the
selection of the Body of Christ, the Church of God, which we hope by His grace to attain
unto, it will be a lasting victory, bringing peace to all the world. "As truly as I
live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah." - Num. 14:21. All about us
are the evidences of war between right and wrong. The Christian is on the side of God and
right; he carries in his right hand the sword of the spirit, and on his left arm the
shield of faith. Day in and day out, battles must be fought, temptations must be
overcome, troubles and trials must be borne. The hosts of evil never sleep, but constantly
press the conflict, seeking to demoralize and defeat the Christian in the development of
the Christlike spirit, necessary to the attainment of our hope. What the
Lord desires to see in His people is not merely an outward manifestation of devotion to
Him and to the brethren, but a development of the Christian graces in our hearts,
thereby manifesting that the transforming power and influence of the Holy Spirit of God
and Christ is operating in our lives; old things have passed away, and a new life has
begun -- new desires, a new hope, and new ideas of propriety of conduct. It is
encouraging to know that this warfare is not merely our own against our weakness and sin,
but that God is for us, has called us, is helping us by His word of promise, and will
continue to do so if we continue to heed His counsel. God, our Counselor, is wise,
infallible, unerring. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows, therefore, how to
direct the affairs of His people. How wonderful is the thought that the Almighty has
promised to guide His people through the difficulties of the present life! As David
expressed it: "Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to
glory." -- Psalm 73:24. Being a
Christian, a footstep follower of the Master, means going all the way with Him, shaping
our lives after His, and showing to the world that we "have been with Jesus and
learned of Him." We see in Him a perfect example of all to be desired, and One who
was deeply moved at the sight of human degradation. What deep solicitude of a noble heart,
which grieved for a nation that refused to be helped and comforted by the One sent of God! The
conquering power in the life of our Master was His love and loyalty to His heavenly
Father, and the same must be true in the life of the Christian. Love and loyalty to our
God and Christ will assure us the victory that God has promised to all who love and obey
Him. This conquering power of Christ in our life is first evident in the mind, where
anxiety and worry once dwelt, where now trust and peace abide. Jesus said: "Let not
your heart be troubled," and "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.
Do not doubt, be of good cheer, be free from anxiety. "I have overcome the
world;" victory over death has been accomplished. Yes, the conquering power of love
for the Father's Name -- and the faithful obedience to His will and plan have prevailed.
Thus, with abounding compassion and tenderness, our Lord on the last night of His earthly
life bestowed upon His people a parting blessing, His legacy of peace, a legacy of
priceless value. The divine
character, "Love," is constructive. It not only tends to build up characters
after the divine pattern, but it makes us laborers together with God. Our sufficiency is
not of ourselves, but of God. He it is who for the asking will so fill us with His spirit
that we can go forth from victory unto victory. In Hebrews 6:10 we have the assurance that
"God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye showed toward
His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." It is very
important that we keep in mind that we are ambassadors of the Lord, and as His
representatives we have a ministry of comfort to perform. This honor "showed
toward" God's name, is revealed in the ministering to the saints. Whatever is done
for, our brethren is done for God. Our ministry of comfort, then, is toward all in Zion,
the consecrated Church. They must have our love, our cooperation, our sympathy, our aid,
that they may be strengthened, established in their endurance as good soldiers of Christ.
"Wherefore, comfort yourselves together and edify one another," counsels the
Apostle. (1 Thess. 5:11.) Except we have this spirit of helpfulness we can never hope to
become copies of God's dear Son. Therefore, in proportion as we are filled with the spirit
of the truth, the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of love, in that proportion we will be
able to "comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God." - 2 Cor. 1:3, 4. Addressing
the Israel of God, the Apostle admonishes: "Be ye kind one to another, tender
hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
('Eph. 4:32.) In exercising sympathy and compassion we will be copying the divine
character and the influence upon our hearts and lives will be ennobling. The Word of God
reveals that our heavenly Father delights in all those who seek to cultivate the sweet
spirit of Christ, who allow it to control their conduct, extending mercy, generosity and
sympathy to others. David says: "The Lord taketh pleasure in His people; He will
beautify the meek with salvation." - Psalm 149:4. Again the
Psalmist says: "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity." (Psalm 133:1.) We see in these words of David that all who have the spirit
of the Head must and will be in sympathy with all the fellowservants of the Body. The
victory of Christ will then he evident in the Body. It would
indeed be very easy to love the brethren and to lay down our lives for them, if they were
all like our Master, but they are not. The inspired Apostle tells us that God has chosen
the mean things of the world, not many great, not many wise, not many learned, not many
rich, not many noble; and so it pleased the Father to pass by some of the noblest of our
race and accept some of the meanest to discipleship. What thanks have we if we love only
them that love us? If we love as Christ loved us, we shall be glad to give our lives to
the brethren, according to the needs of each. What a blessing and how profitable and
helpful to us in our preparation for the kingdom! The battle
that begins at the time of our consecration continues unto the end. It must be a real
battle, a real conflict, bringing us to gladly lay down our lives for the brethren,
assisting them in bearing their burdens, helping them to "overcome" -- and if at
any time we are tempted to deal harshly or speak rudely, yes, even to think unkindly, let
us remember and consider our own weaknesses and unwilling imperfections. Remembering
that God forgave us and that we are subjects of His interest and care, we ought to
exercise the same interest and care for our brethren. This is termed by the Apostle in 1
Thessalonians 1:3, a "labor of love." The spirit of the Lord's people should
be the desire not only to tell others of God's mercy and the good news of the Kingdom, but
to comfort all those that mourn in Zion. The Apostle says: "Do good unto all men as
ye have opportunity, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." - Gal.
6:10.
- J. W. Foley. Satan's
devices are employed against those who are trying to live godly. In the Word of God Satan
is pictured as a great fowler setting snares for the feet of the unwary. One of his
devices is to make unimportant things seem important, thus leading some of God's dear
children into thinking they are contending for the faith and for righteousness, when
really they become contentious, causing strife and divisions among the brethren, and
refusing to fellowship those who do not quite see and agree with them. The
Scriptures reveal that there is "one fold and one Shepherd," and that there is
"one Lord, one faith, one baptism." "For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal. 3:27.) The Christians are separate from the
world, separate from sinners, because they have accepted salvation through the redeeming
blood of Christ, and have their names "written in the Lamb's book of life," and
so have become probationary members of the one true Church. Let us more and more come to
see that the Church of Christ is not a sect, but is one and indivisible, united to Him,
joined by a living faith in the ransom, His redemptive work. The victory
of Christ will be complete when by the grace of God the members of the Church have been
transformed into the likeness of their Head, and given new bodies, divine bodies, in the
first resurrection. "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:57.) When He has attained the victory in the Church, His
Body, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their
Father." (Matt. 13:43.) This victorious Christ will, rise and shine with healing in
His beams, curing a sin sick world. What a glorious work lies ahead of God's people! - T. G. Smith. Patient Endurance the, Final Test"Let patience have
her perfect work, THE
SCRIPTURES everywhere represent patience as an important element of character. In every
phase of human experience we can see its need. To be just under present conditions, one
must be patient, not rash; for it would be unjust to be impatient and severe with the
unavoidable imperfections and weaknesses of our fellowmen. Therefore the spirit of a sound
mind demands that we be patient in dealing with fallen humanity. God Himself possesses
this quality of patience, and has long exercised it. In dealing with the world in the
next Age the Church will need to have much patience, and under our present environments we
need it constant ly in order to develop the character necessary for a place on the throne
with our Lord. Patience is
closely allied to love and mercy. If God were unloving, unmerciful, He would be without
patience. In man's present blemished, fallen condition, patience is sadly lacking,
although it is often exercised outwardly for policy's sake. This Godlike quality, like
all the other qualities of character inherent in God and in all perfect beings created in
His likeness, has been largely obliterated in humanity by the fall of the first pair. In the New
Testament there are two Greek words translated patience. One of these words signifies
forbearance, longsuffering. The other carries the thought of cheerful or hopeful
endurance. The latter is the word used in our text, and has a much deeper significance
than attaches ordinarily to our word patience. This constancy -- the endurance of evil
in a cheerful, willing manner-represents an element of character, and not merely a
temporary restraint of feeling- or of action. It signifies a development of heart and
character which manifests itself in an endurance of wrong or affliction with
contentment, without rebellion of will, with full acquiescence in the requirement of
divine wisdom and love, which, while permitting present evils, has promised in due time to
overthrow them. It will
surely be profitable for us to cultivate carefully this element of Christian character
of which our Lord speaks in such high commendation, and without which, His Word assures
us, our character cannot be perfected. The Christian requires patient endurance to put
on the whole armor of God, and having put it on, to keep it securely buckled. We
need it in dealing not only with others, but also with our selves, with our own blemishes.
We should always take into account the various circumstances -and conditions surrounding
ourselves and others. As we look around, we see that, the world is in a condition of
blight, of sin. This knowledge should give us great sympathy with humanity, without which
we would have but little patience. All of our brethren in Christ, like ourselves, are by
nature members of this fallen human race. Therefore we should have a great deal of patient
endurance with the Lord's people, as we would have them exercise this grace toward us. THE PATIENCE OF GODAs the
quality of justice will always persist, so will the quality of patience, though nott in
the sense of patient endurance of evil. God patiently works out His own glorious designs,
in perfect equipoise of mind. At present this requires the exercise of patient endurance
with evil, sinful conditions; and in the ages of glory to come God will, we believe, still
work cut His purposes in perfect patience, probably in worlds yet uninhabited. But in the
exercise of patience under present evil conditions, Wisdom must have a voice. God has
declared that in His wisdom the time will come when He will cease to exercise patience
toward the world. That is to say, He will no longer bear with the world in their present
sinful, imperfect condition. That time has almost arrived. The great cataclysm of trouble,
now about due, will sweep away the entire present order preparatory to the establishment
of the Kingdom of God under the whole heavens. Then God will give men the fullest
opportunity of coming into harmony with Himself and righteousness before He will deal with
them summarily. The time is
coming when there will be no more sin. God will have a clean universe by and by. But He
will first give everybody an opportunity to rise out of sin. If they will not avail
themselves of the opportunity, then God's patience, longsuffering, will cease to be
operative toward such. This will not mean that God's patience has ceased, but that its
activity has ceased in that direction. God's
patience has arranged the thousand years of Messiah's reign for man's blessing, and His
wisdom has decided that those thousand years will be sufficient for the elimination of
evil; Whoever will not learn to live righteously under
those favorable conditions would never learn, and it would not be the part of divine
wisdom longer to exercise patience with such. Likewise also, in our dealings with
ourselves and others, there is a limit to the proper exercise of patience
--longsuffering. We should not be patient with ourselves beyond a certain point. There are
circumstances in which we would- properly feel that we should have known better and should have done better than we did. LET US JUDGE OURSELVESIf a child
of God realizes that he has been derelict with himself, he should say, I will not be
.patient with myself any further. I will take myself in hand and conquer this weakness
which I have permitted in a measure to assert itself to the weakening of my own character
and probably 'to the discomfort and pain of others. I cannot do this in my own
unaided strength, but by the grace of the Lord I am determined to overcome in this
matter. Parents
require much patience, forbearance, in dealing with their children. The limit of patience
might differ in regard to different children. There fore the wise parent will judge how
nearly each child has been doing the right thing,
and how well each has received and profited by instruction. If he finds that any child of
his is wilfully doing wrong, he should not continue to be patient, but should administer
the rod. This would not mean that the parent had ceased to be patient. He might have
patience the next day with the same child, and subsequently the application of the rod
might come again. We are rather to be too patient,
too sympathetic, than to have too, little patience, too little sympathy. Remembering our
own weaknesses, we are to exercise patience toward others who are seeking to overcome
their imperfections, even as we are seeking to overcome our own. We
all need that patience, forbearance, be exercised toward us. OUR LORD'S LESSONS ON PATIENT ENDURANCERecurring to
the word patience as used in our text, let us glance backward to our Lord's Parable of the
Sower, as recorded in Luke 8. In verse 15 we read, "That on the good ground are they,
which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit
with patience," patient endurance, constancy. The thought here is that to be of the
fruit-bearing class which the Lord will approve and accept in His Kingdom we must do more than to receive the Word of His
Testimony, 'even though we receive it with joy. It means more; for the stony ground class
at first thus received it. For a brief time these seemed to give evidence of
fruitfulness and vigor; but when the hot sun of persecution arose, they withered away,
because of lack of depth of soil. In this
parable the Lord shows that patient endurance, constancy, is the final test of
character. It follows after the receiving and the sprouting of the seed; it follows
after love, hope, joy and faith have caused the seed to spring forth and begin to bear
fruit. Patient endurance, then, is necessary in order that the fruit may be developed and
thoroughly ripened, that the grain may be made ready for the garner. Ah, how important
this grace is seen to be, in the light of God's Word! But remember that the endurance must
be cheerful. We cannot suppose that He who judges
the thoughts and intents of the heart would be pleased with His children, even when He saw
them bearing much for His sake, if they endured it in an impatient or dissatisfied or
unhappy frame of mind. Those who
thus endure surely would not be copies of God's dear Son, whose sentiment found expression
in the words, "I
delight to do Thy will, O My God!" All
of the royal priesthood are sacrificers, as was our great Chief Priest; and God who
accepts our sacrifices through the merit of our dear Redeemer, informs us that He
loves a cheerful giver -- one who performs his
sacrifices gladly, with a willing. heart. This does not mean that our bodies will never grow weary; but that our spirit
will rejoice in the privilege of suffering weariness of the flesh in so noble and wonderful a service. But if our Father
should see best to lay us aside from active work for a time, when our hearts are longing
to serve, this too will be an opportunity to endure cheerfully
His will for us. It may also be a test of our full submission of our wills to His, and
thus be an important stepping stone upward toward the Kingdom glories and privileges. The other
instance in which the Lord used this word patience, or patient endurance, is recorded in Luke 21:19. He had just
been telling His followers that they must expect tribulations as the result of being His
disciples during the present time, when sin abounds, when Satan is the prince of this
world. They must expect opposition from various quarters; but He assured them that
nevertheless they would be fully under divine care and protection, even though
persecutions would be permitted to reach and to affect them. Then follow the words,
"In your patience [patient endurance, cheerful constancy] possess ye your
souls." - Luke 21:19. Our faith
and our trust in the Lord and His gracious promises should be so strong and unwavering
that they will far more than counterbalance the oppositions of the world, of false
brethren, and of Satan's blinded servants. So implicit should be our faith in our Father's
love and care that all 'these' persecutions will be recognized and rejoiced in as the agencies of His providence in
chiseling, shaping and polishing us as living stones for the glorious Temple which He is
constructing, and which is now
so soon, we believe, to be
set up. Viewing our
trials from this standpoint, we can indeed rejoice and can possess our souls, our lives, as New Creatures, . even amidst
tribulations, with cheerful endurance. Yea, we may realize that the soul, the real being,
to whom God has given the "exceeding great and precious promises" of
the future, cannot be injured by the persecutions of the flesh, or by anything that man
can, do unto us, so long as we are faithful to the Lord, accepting every experience that He
permits to come to us as ministrations of His providence
for our, ultimate good and His glory. THE NECESSITY FOR PATIENT ENDURANCELet us here
examine carefully into the reason why it is necessary for us to develop this grace; of
patient endurance. It appears that the development of this quality is one of the
conditions which God has attached to the call to joint-heirship with our Lord in the
Kingdom, and one of the same conditions required of
Him. The wisdom of this is manifest when we consider the work to which we are called the
work of blessing all the families of the earth, as God's Millennial Kingdom, in joint-heirship
with the Only Begotten Son of God, our great Redeemer. That will be a mighty work
and it is eminently proper that Jehovah should require that those whom He shall account
worthy of that exalted position shall not only appreciate His goodness and His glorious
character, and prefer His service to sin and iniquity, but demonstrate their thorough
loyalty to the principles of righteousness and to His will to the extent of a joyful
willingness to suffer on behalf of these principles. A transitory endurance of one or two or
three brief trials would not prove the individual to have an established character for
righteousness; but a patient, cheerful, endurance even unto death would be necessary to
demonstrate such a character. We might
illustrate this with the diamond. Suppose that we were able to make diamonds out of some
plastic material with the brilliancy of the real diamond; and suppose that they became-hard,
but not so hard as the genuine diamond. Would these imitation diamonds have the value of
the true diamond? By no means. If they were subjected to severe pressure, they would
be crushed. And so with the Christian. If we supposed him possessed of every grace of character that could belong to the sons
of God, save this one of firmness, endurance, he would not be fit to be amongst the Lord's
jewels. Hence we see the necessity of the Lord's demand that patient, cheerful endurance
shall be a characteristic of each one, who shall be accepted to a place in His
Royal Diadem. The
importance of this quality in the Christian character is again emphasized by the Apostle
Paul. In His Epistle to Titus (Titus 2:2), when enumerating the character qualities
of an advanced Christian, he declares that they must be "vigilant, grave, temperate,
sound in faith, in love, in patience." The final test of patient endurance
must be passed before we can be accepted as of the Very Elect. The same
Apostle in writing to Timothy, thus reminds him, "Thou hast fully known my
doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patient endurance." We
need this important grace more and more as we speed along on our race course and
near the end of the way. Feet grow weary; trials and testings abound; therefore we
need to "gird up the loins of our mind" and, looking to our great Exemplar
for the needed inspiration and strength, to set our faces like a flint for the home
stretch. TRIALS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIALOur,,.
ability and strength to patiently endure should increase as we progress in the narrow way. We should grow "strong in the Lord
and .in the power of His might. But we cannot possibly develop this essential trait
of character without trials-experiences intended to call for the exercise of cheerful
endurance So let us not think it strange if we are called upon to pass through protracted trials which make
necessary the nerving of ourselves to bear. But let us repeat that the virtue is
not merely in the bearing; for the world has much to bear, but it is
particularly in the manner
in which we endure. At
heart we must be sweet and submissive -- in fullest harmony with the Lord's processes of
development. This may be hard at times; but His grace will be sufficient, if we constantly
apply for it. "Having done all," let us "stand!" Ah, yes! We
can see a new reason for the Lord's arrangement that we should have our trial as
our Master had His -- under an evil environment -- that we might not only have
all the necessary qualities of Christian character, but have them rooted, grounded,
fixed, established. The Apostle
James likewise draws our attention to the importance of this quality. Hee says, "The
trying of your faith worketh patience"that is to say, if our faith stands the
trial, it will work out in our character this patient endurance. On the other hand, if we
do not attain this development, it will mean that our faith has not stood the test
satisfactorily, and that we are not fit for the Kingdom. Thus we see clearly what a great
mistake has been made among Christian people in general in supposing that religion is a
thing to be gotten suddenly as an answer to prayer, or by going to the mourner's bench, or
by standing up for prayers, or in response to some divine or human appeal-just as one
would get a dollar and put it into his pocket. On the contrary, the step of repentance
from sin and justification is only the beginning, and not the end, of the Christian way.
The next step is consecration of ourselves and our all to God. But this also is far from
the end. Not only must we go on and. on, to the attainment of faith, fortitude,
self-control, meekness and love, but having attained all these, we must patiently endure. We must "run with patience
[cheerful endurance] the race set before us." Or, to use another figure of speech, it
is merely starting in the School of Christ; merely having our names enrolled as pupils, to
be taught of the Lord. "THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION"The Church of the Philadelphia period
were promised of the Lord that because of their faithfulness, because they had "kept
the Word of My patience," they should be kept from "the hour of temptation"
which was to come upon all the world a little later. The Church of Laodicea -- the Church
of our day -- is not kept from entering into the "hour of temptation"; but we
may be sure that we will be kept while in it, if we are faithful and true. Our dear Lord's special message
to the Laodicean phase of the Church has been, "Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me ,in
My Throne." - Revelation 3:20, 21. Though we
are not spared from this hour of temptation, we have a counterbalancing blessing as a
reiult of living in the time of our Lord's
parousia.* We may have His instruction, His dispensing to us of spiritual food, "meat
in due season," in a manner and to a degree never before enjoyed by His saints. And,
as we might expect, this greatest favor is offset by the subtle and severe trials and
testings of this special "hour of temptation." If there was ever a time when
patient endurance was needed by the Lord's faithful, it is now. If ever they needed the counsel,
"In your patience possess ye your souls," they need it now. Those who are able to patiently
endure will stand in this evil day. All others will fall. As the Apostle forewarned
us, the fiery ordeals of this day "will try every man's work, of what sort it
is." ----------------------------------------------- * Any one
interested in the Scriptural evidences that our Lord has now returned in the manner
foretold, as "a thief in the night," will be sent the "Parousia" booklet,
upon receipt of 10 cents. We find this
quality of patient endurance lacking everywhere throughout Christendom today, even among
the majority of the professed followers of Christ. It is becoming more and more scarce.
Few wish to endure anything-for righteousness' sake, for Christ's sake, or for any one
else's sake; and if endurance of anything unpleasant is absolutely necessary, the
trial is borne with much of impatience, complaint and chafing. Moreover, a spirit
of defiance and rebellion against everything dike self-denial or resignation, a spirit of
intense bitterness, is daily growing in the hearts of mankind. This general
tendency of the civilized world today toward non-endurance, impatience and rebellion
against restraint necessarily has its influence upon those who are seeking to walk in the
narrow way. Only by divine grace can this tendency be successfully resisted, and
progress be made toward the development of the likeness of Christ. This special grace,
needed today by the Lord's children, will be withheld from those who are not walking
close to the Lord, following in the footsteps of Jesus. It is, because the professed followers of
Christ are living so far from Him that we see today the tendencies are developing which we
have noted amongst those who profess His name. This spirit
so prevalent is at the bottom of mob violence which is kept down largely by military
force, in the outbreaks against law and order which we hear of so frequently. We may
expect this spirit to continue to grow. There is a feeling amongst the masses that in the
past they have been too patient, not sufficiently aggressive -- the feeling that if they
had taken things into their own hands long ago -- present conditions might have been
averted. But those who have kept the Lord's Word of patient endurance, who have sought
from Him the wisdom from on High, which is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy
of entreatment, full of mercy and of good fruits," have learned that He has a due
time in which His purposes shall be accomplished, and they are willing to abide His time
patiently, knowing that it is best. They have learned that "God's
plans, like lilies white, unfold; The Apostle
counsels us respecting this "hour of temptation" which is now upon us. Its
besetments and trials will be many, and some of them will be so subtle and deceptive that all who
are not thoroughly, rooted and grounded in the Truth will be carried away by the false
arguments of those whom Satan is now permitted to use as his agents in trying all those
who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. ST. PAUL'S PICTURE OF PRESENT CONDITIONSThe hour of
trial is not coming alike upon all, for all of Christendom are not upon the same plane --
mentally, morally or physically. The trial as it is coming upon Christendom in general,
however, is pictured by the Apostle Paul in 2
Timothy 3:1-5. He here enumerates certain characteristics of this "hour of
temptation." He says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves-covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
truce breakers, false accusers [enticers to strife], incontinent [not under restraint,
impetuous], fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors [those who cannot be
trusted, would sell out their best friends for selfish considerations], heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof." This is a
graphic picture of present day conditions in the Christian world, so-called. Because
they received not the Truth in the love of it, therefore God has sent them "strong
delusions, that they should believe a lie, and should be condemned thereby. This hour of
temptation has not yet reached its greatest intensity, but we believe this stage will be
reached in a very short time.. Blessed are all they who have made the Lord, "even the
most High, their Habitation." These shall not be moved; yet many of them will pass
through most severe trials and temptations. Through the mails we learn of the struggles
and prayers of many of God's children -- some because of their own imperfections and
frailties, and some because of the imperfections of others; and still others are tried
because of earthly cares and burdens which they seem unable to fully overcome or to cast
upon the Lord. LET US HAVE THE PROPER FEARWe
sympathize with these dear ones, and counsel them as best we can,
remembering the Master's words, "Blessed are ye that weep now; for ye shall
laugh." (Luke 6:21.) Our heart is especially solicitous for those whose letters give evidence that
they are in temptation, but realize it not --who are being swallowed up of ambition or
business or other "cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches" -- whose
love for the Truth seems to be growing., cooler instead of hotter, and who seem to feel less and see less than they did years ago. These seem to be
sleeping when they should -be watching and praying; and this hour of trial, we fear, is
finding them unprepared; while some who are weeping, praying and striving are more like
our dear Master in Gethsemane; and like Him, they will be strengthened. for the
final trial. Let us each,
dear brethren, be very solicitous for ourselves and for each, other, and counting the
prize held out to us as far dearer and more precious than all else beside, "Let us
fear, lest a promise being left to us of entering into His rest, any of us should seem to
come short of it." Let us so love all the Lord's dear children that their welfare
will be our chief concern; and this will mean our own spiritual health. Yet we must not
allow our love even for the brethren to hinder our fullest confidence in the Lord's love
and wisdom in the choice of His Bride, even though siftings should take from us some whose
fellowship we have cherished. Let us patiently
hold on our way -- this blessed way! Let us do with our might what our hands find
to do. Soon will come the Harvest Home! Soon, if faithful, we shall gather, as a glorious
company, to go out no more forever. We shall come with rejoicing, bringing our sheaves
with us! But let us remember that "we have need of patience, that after. we have done the will of God,
we might receive the promise"! - Heb. 10:36. "How
light our trials then will seem! "Then
peace, my heart! and hush; my tongue! -
R5650, March 15, 1915. "Adoration""Adoration
is devout meditation on what Jehovah is the praise of the divine perfection. Thanksgiving
is delighted meditation on what the Lord has done for us, or others. Praise for His
mercies. There is a gracefulness and majesty in habitual gratitude. It is pleasant. It
is the full heart, the praising disposition that makes the life blessed. "Thanksgiving
must flow from a full spring. The best way to secure it is to fill the mind with worthy
themes. They who have accustomed themselves to walk on lofty levels within sight of the
majesty of God and beside the cataract of "Redemptive Love" their haunts are
alpine heights, not valley paths, nor the streets of a city. Their sanctuary is spacious.
Their feet are often found on Calvary's hill. The light of the "cross" shines
about them, and the sight of the dying Savior awes them into tremulous love. "I will
thank Him for the pleasures given me through my senses, for the glory of the thunder, for
the magnificence of music, the singing of birds, and laughter of children. I will thank
Him for the pleasures of seeing, for the delights through color, for then awe of the
sunset, the beauty of flowers, the smile of friendship, and the look of love, for the
changing beauty of the clouds, for the wild roses in the hedges, for the form and beauty
of birds, for leaves on the trees, and the scent of flowers. But what shall we say when we
think of our redemption and of the hope of life to come? What does it mean? That I am a
member of Christ, and a child of God, that Christ loved me and gave Himself for.me
that there is pardon for all my sins, that I have means of 'grace, and the hope of glory.
What can I say to all this, but 'Praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not all His
benefits: Who forgiveth all my sin and healeth all my diseases. Who saveth thy life
from destruction and crowneth thee with loving - kindness.'" - Selected. The Perfecting of the Saints"The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one
toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end He may
stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our bather, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with
all His saints." - 1 Thess. 3:12, 13. THESE WORDS
are addressed to saints; and saintship, despite the beliefs of many, is not conditioned
upon being perfect in thought, word, and deed, but upon covenant relationship with God.
Covenant relationship during this Age is one of sacrifice, made possible by our Redeemer,
through whose merit, our offering is reckoned perfect-"A living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto God." (Rom. 12:1.) This special -covenant class, foreseen in the
purpose of God, is brought to our attention in Psalm 50:5; where in prophetic command God
says, "Gather My saints together unto Me: those that have made a covenant with Me by
sacrifice." God does not
covenant with sinners (John 9:31); and so, before He could enter into an agreement with
one who is by inheritance asinner, some provision must be made whereby that one may be
considered righteous in His sight. Such a provision was made; and for this reason, Paul
can say: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ -
Jesus." (Rom. 8:1.) This does not mean that the one justified has become sinless, or
that he may even hope to become sinless so long as he must needs operate through these
imperfect human bodies. Paul,
painfully aware of this fact, tells us that even though 'his whole desire was to
righteousness, evil was present with him: he could not- do the things that he would; and
he cries, "0 wretched ,man that I am! Who shall deliver me out of this body of
death?" Then he gives the answer-the solution that has comforted the heart of -every
true believer who, like Paul, has dedicated his life to the good fight of faith: "I
thank God [for deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord. So: then, with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Paul's words are a
clear intimation that it is from the standpoint of his will, his heart's desire, that God
judges him, and not according to the weaknesses of his flesh. The Apostle
John recognized this same fact; and in his first epistle (written about 90 A. D., when he
was nearing the close of his long saintly warfare) , declared that, "If we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He
is faithful {having promised] and just [the satisfaction for our sins having been
provided through Christ] to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
- l John 1:8, 9. In the light
of these facts (actual imperfection on the one hand and imputed righteousness on
the other) , what are we to understand from the words of . our text? Is imputed righteousness all
that is required to make us increase and abound in love? No, there is nothing gained by
imputed righteousness as an end in itself. The justified standing God grants us is for the
purpose of enabling us to present our "bodies an acceptable sacrifice" which,
when accepted by the Father, as indicated in our begetting by the Holy Spirit, opens up,
to us the hope of attaining to the divine nature, if and when we prove responsive to the
operation of His Spirit, working in us that which is well pleasing in His sight. Imputed
righteousness, therefore, has been granted solely for the purpose of making it possible to
select and perfect a class who become saints through a covenant of sacrifice that
obligates them to walk in the footsteps of their Lord. And if faithful in the performance
of this covenant, they are promised a share in His glory and dominion. "If any man
will come after Me [said Jesus], let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me." "If we suffer [with Him], we shall also reign with Him."
- Matt.16: 24; 2 Tim. 2:12. MADE PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERINGWe read
concerning our Lord, who is declared to have been holy, harmless, separate from sinners,
and undefiled, as a man, that He "was made perfect
through the things that He suffered." (Heb. 5:8,
9.) It is evident therefore, since He was already perfect as a man, that this perfecting
must relate to Him as a New Creature; and if such a work was necessary in the case of
Jesus, we can begin to realize what a great transformation must also take place-
in us, if we are to "be like Him and see Him as He is." This transformation is not, a perfecting of these physical
bodies, but has to do with the development of the New Creature which, when the work is
completed, will be clothed with the nature of God. "Whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born
among many brethren." (Rom. 8:29.) While this Scripture may include
the contemplated change in nature that will be ours, its primary application into the work of
the Holy Spirit in transforming our characters until we become like our Lord, and this
cannot be done without suffering. Our text
says, "The Lord make you to increase and abound in love." We are apt to forget
that the pattern of our development is God's work, and we take upon ourselves a
responsibility which we are wholly unable to carry. The Jew under the Law was obligated to
the keeping of a covenant that would grant life only through perfect
works of the flesh. But they found that this could not be done, for the Law made no
allowance for human frailty -- it was "thou shalt" and "thou shalt
not"; consequently, they were burdened, heavy laden; the agreement they made through
Moses was a yoke too heavy to bear. When Jesus
began His ministry, He offered them release: "Come unto Me, ye that are weary and
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me: . . . for
My yoke is easy.and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30.) Those who were Israelites
indeed, and were conscientious in their endeavors to keep the Law, could appreciate to
some extent the gracious opportunity that was being offered them, but the rest indifferent
or insincere, were blinded. We as
Christians, must take heed that we do not burden ourselves as these Jews were burdened; we
are not able to commend ourselves to God by perfect work. Satan would like nothing
better than to have us think that we must work out our own salvation, with fear and
trembling, apart from God's aid; but such is not the case, "For it is God that
worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." But Satan might argue, Do
not the Scriptures inculcate the requirement of perfect works when they say: "Be ye
perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48)? and is it not the
Christian's work that is referred to when we read: "Every man that hath this hope in
him, purifieth himself even as He is pure"? - l John 3:3. We would not
for one moment convey the thought that these admonitions of the Lord's Word do riot mean
what they say, for they do: the purity of God is the ideal set before, us, and we dare not
lower that standard.. But how is it possible for us to attain to such a degree of
perfection? It will be
recalled that the Galatian brethren were having trouble along this line through the
perversion of. the Gospel by Judaizing teachers, and Paul said to them, (Gal. 3:3),
"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the
flesh?" You will
note that the Apostle John, in the same Epistle in which he says: "Whosoever abideth
in Him sinneth not," also says, "If we say we do not spin, we deceive
ourselves." Then again in this same Epistle he says: "Whosoever is begotten of
God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin because he is begotten of
God." Of one thing
we may be sure: John does not here contradict himself, but states facts which, when
rightly understood, are in perfect harmony. All of God's work being perfect, it follows
that that which is begotten of Him must also be perfect; and as long, as that seed
remains in us, it remains perfect. But it is possible to lose this seed; we have this
treasure in earthen vessels that are very imperfect; and so this seed, begotten in us,
must needs continually struggle in its endeavor to bring the old mind and body into
subjection. But even when subjected, our works will still be imperfect, for faulty tools
cannot produce perfect results. The struggle
that the 'new mind has in subduing the flesh is necessary to its development and
stablishing, that it may eventually come to the birth. If this were not true, then our
Lord need never have gone through three and a half years of trial and suffering. But that
period was necessary to His development as a New Creature, and the same is true of the
Body members. God is not perfecting these 'human bodies, but is bringing forth unto
perfection a New Creation. In this work
of development, we do well to keep in mind the fact that God does not do for us the things
we are able to do for ourselves. If we were able to perfect ourselves, then Paul would
never have said, "The Lord make you to increase and abound"; consequently, if we
gain a place in the Kingdom, the glory of that achievement will not belong unto us, but
unto the Lord. Paul would have us understand that "We are God's workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works." - Eph. 2:10. It is only
when we are fully aware of this fact that we are in a proper condition of mind and heart
to permit the Father to work in us that which is well pleasing in His sight. We must
realize that we are dependent upon Him to shape our course -- to direct our path in life,
in order that His Spirit may transform us into the image of His Son. It is not possible
for us to know what we need in the way of experience or chastisement; nor what things
constitute means of grace unto us; we do not know even how far we may have progressed in
the transforming of our characters; but we do know that if we will continue, to cooperate
with Him in this work of His Spirit, we can fully trust Him to finish the work He has
begun in us, for this is His promise. This, then, is the thought expressed in our text:
"The Lord make you to increase and abound in love." LOVE THE END SOUGHTBut why does
the Apostle mention only "love", why not faith, hope, doctrine, etc.? It is
because love is the only thing that constitutes an end in itself, God is love, and we must
'become Godlike. Paul's argument in 1 Cor. 13 shows that all other things are valuable
only in so far as they help perfect love in us. His argument is not intended to deprecate
knowledge or faith or hope or pure doctrine, for to do so would be to show a lack of
appreciation for the helps that God has given us. A child of God should have no sympathy
with the attitude that views doctrine as only a "bone for contention." It is not
doctrine that causes unseemly controversy, it is the lack of the Lord's spirit in its
discussion. To use doctrine as a club against our brethren, is not to contend earnestly
for the faith, but with the faith, as with a weapon to hurt those in God's family whom we
should seek to help. The dark ages are a monument to the results of false doctrine,, but
pure doctrine, rightly used, !is of great, assistance to growth in love. While God is
not concerned with perfecting these old bodies in which we tabernacle, yet, through His
overruling providence, they prove very valuable to us by way of exercise in our
development as New Creatures; for our cooperation with God is involved, to a large extent,
with our struggle to keep these bodies in subjection to His will. This struggle is as
necessary to our development, as is the struggle of the larvae, in order that it may
emerge from the cocoon a fully developed butterfly. Without this struggle, it would never
fly; and, likewise, if we did not have the world and the flesh to struggle with, we would
never develop hardness as good soldiers. EXAMPLE A BETTER TEACHER THAN PRECEPTIt is
important that we note the stress that our text puts upon example as an aid in the
cultivation of the graces of character -- "Abound in love, one toward another
and toward all men, even as we do toward you." In a comparison of precept and
example, it is generally conceded that example is the better teacher. The thing with
which Jesus most found fault with the Pharisees was, that they told others what to do, but
did not practice what they preached. Jesus, on the other hand, left "us an example,
that we should follow His steps." This example was the most lasting and effective
lesson He could give us, in that it demonstrates how to perform the precepts He has given
us; and Paul, following in His footsteps could say: "Even as we do toward
you." MEANS OF GRACEThere are
various means of grace through which God operates in making our love to increase and
abound; and inasmuch as He requires our cooperation in this work, it behooves us to know
what these are. First in importance, is the Word of God. The development and requirements
of the New Creature are very much like those of the natural man. We require food on which
to grow; water with which to cleanse and renew the vital fluids; air with which to
oxygenize and purify the blood (life); exercise to keep the various functions of the body
healthy and active; and rest to recuperate the physical powers. The analogy
is clear. The Word of God is both food and drink to the new mind, and if study and
meditation upon that Word are neglected, development will cease, and if neglected too
long, we sicken and die. Then the New Creature's breath of life, the Holy Spirit, is
supplied us through the Word. Jesus said: "The words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit and they are life." (John 6:36.) Then too, faith, the basis or soil, so to
speak, in which we grow, "Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."
(Rom. 10:17.) Hope, likewise, "The anchor of our souls within the veil," is
based upon the promises of God's Word. Joy and peace also exist because of belief in that
Word, for we read in Rom. 15:4, 13 that, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures
might have hope.... Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is
evident also that the Word is the basis for our love, for "We are begotten by the
Word of Truth," and God's spirit is received through that begetting. Furthermore,
feeding upon the Word of Truth makes us to grow in spirit stature; and the more of the
Spirit that we have, the more fruitage our lives will show, for Paul tells us that
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace," etc. Since then, through the Word
we receive the Spirit, the Word must of necessity, be the basis for love and all
spiritual grace. "But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write
unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another"; taught
through the precepts and examples of the Word. "Now abideth faith, hope and
love." Elsewhere Paul shows that this is the order in which these appear in our
lives; for "The hearing of the Word brings faith" (Rom. 10:17) , and "Faith
is the basis of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1), and "Hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God [by this means] is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." - Rom. 5:5. Other means
of grace that minister to our development are God's Providences, by which our course in
life is directed; His chastenings,
which mellow and
ripen us; and fellowship
with those of life
precious faith, which is often the means by which opportunity is provided for the exercise
of the graces of character. In this connection we would also note the Scriptural badge of
a Christian, a badge that he should always wear: It is not some form of dress, a rosary
hung about the neck, nor even a cross and crown pin. No, "By this .shall all men know
that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." Aside from this, all other
badges are of very little significance. In addition
to the many admonitions to love, which the Bible sets forth, there is recorded for us
God's own example; and we are told that if we will continually hold this up before our
minds, and meditate upon the glory and beauty of character revealed therein, we will be
changed into the same image. "We all with open face [the veil that darkens the faces
of unbelievers having been taken away], beholding as in a glass [the mirror of God's
Word] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18.) This shows that it is God's Spirit, operating
upon our minds and hearts, as we study and meditate upon His Word, that brings about the
transformation in our lives. It is God, therefore, that makes us to increase and abound in
love. The greatest
example we have of love in action, is the gift of God's only begotten Son.
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish." But His grace did not end here; for not only did He
sacrifice the dearest treasure of His heart, but He also provided that those who would
learn to appreciate and manifest a like spirit, might be given the opportunity of
becoming joint heirs with His son. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God . . . Beloved, now are we the
sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." - 1 John 3:1, 2. What effect
is the sublime hope having upon our lives? In the next verse, John says: "Every one
that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as He is pure." True faith and
hope will cause us to put forth every effort to become Godlike; and although we are
rewarded according to our faith, yet God judges the quality of that faith by the effort
that we put forth to bring both mind and body into
subjection to the perfect law of love. The Scriptures agree with the saying that
"Actions speak louder than words," for we read: "Hereby perceive we the
love of Christ, because He laid down His life for us. And," continues the
Apostle, "we [followers in His footsteps] ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren." Real love will
find ways to express
itself. Divine
Providence, we believe, ranks second in the work of establishing our hearts in love.
When Paul says, "All things work together for good to them that love God, he is
telling us that God, through His providences, is, supervising and overruling all the
circumstances and experiences of our lives. If, then, we accept our experiences as coming
from the Father, and are rightly exercised thereby, they will unfailingly work out to our
good. Satan may seek to harm, and foes may hate and friends may scorn, but if God be for
us, who can be against us? The means of
grace we experience in the chastenings of the Lord, may at times result from, our own
wrong doing, but usually they are administered as a spiritual tonic. "Ye have
forgotten," says Paul, "the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children: My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of Him; for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He
receiveth." - Heb. 12:6. Peter says:
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning- the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ's sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy." - l Pet. 4:12, 13. But as Paul
observes: "No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of rightousness unto them that
are exercised thereby." (Heb. 12:11.) And so it is that the Lord works in us to make
us to increase and abound in love. Love is the
goal for which we strive -- the "end of the commandment." But, like a
beautifully finished photograph, it must be fixed, made permanent. And so our text says,
"To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God." It
is not enough, therefore, that the image of love be developd in our hearts; we must be
unalterably fixed in love and righteousness. And the trials and difficulties that attend
our course, are no doubt intended to accomplish this in us. Realizing this fact, we should
patiently endure, and faith and hope should enable u' to rejoice therein, for it is
wonderful to confident' y expect that the Lord will stablish our, hearts in holiness, and
present us before the throne of His glory without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN ILLUSTRATIONThe
processes in the art of photography furnish us a very good illustration of the steps that
are necessary in our development. The uncoated film would represent us in our fallen
state-unfit for the Master's purpose. The coating of silver nitrate, which makes
the film a suitable medium for the photographer's use, might well represent the imputed
righteousness of Christ, which makes us suitable material for the Father's use. The placing
of the film in the camera, and its exposure to the light rays, which convey the image
desired on the film, would illustrate, first: the step of consecration which brings us
into Christ; and second, the begettal of the Holy Spirit which impregnates us as the
children of light. The image is now on the film, though unperceived, and if carelessly
exposed to the light of day, it will be ruined; it cannot endure unlimited light.
Neither could we endure to be ushered immediately into the divine presence following
our begettal, for there is much work to be done with us, just as there is with a film
following its exposure to the image-bearing rays of light, and it would be premature at
this point to expect any permanent results. Following
exposure, the film is passed through a developing process which brings out the picture so
that every detail stands out clearly. This fitly illustrates the development that takes
place in us, perfecting the New Creature to the point where every detail of the image of
Christ stands out clearly in the sight of the Father. The film cannot develop of itself,
but must, be subjected to the knowledge and skill of the phtographer, who has to exercise
considerable patience with films that curl and twist. Likewise, the glory in the
development of the New Creation will not belong unto it, but unto the Lord, who alone has
the necessary knowledge and skill to perform the task, and the patience to continue with
it when we fail to restrain the perversity of these old minds and bodies. When the
photographer sees that he has a perfect image on the film, he then proceeds to stablish or
fix that image so that no amount of exposure will cause it to fade. This he does by
subjecting it to an acid bath. God does the same thing with us; He subjects us to
experiences that fix in our hearts the image of His Son so that no amount of exposure or
temptation could ever cause us to change. Those experiences sometimes seem very acid,
very trying. In
completing the film, the photographer has a purpose in view: namely, the reproducing of
the image upon sensitized paper. This reproduction or printing, as the process is called,
is accomplished by the infiltration of light though the film, and by this process an
unlimited number of photographs can be made. Likewise, when
God has finished with the development and establishing of the New Creation, the light of the glory of His character
will flow through it to perfect His image in the willing and obedient of mankind, so that
.all may know and reflect His glory. The experiences of the Church, and the
events in the world, indicate that our Lord is present; and that for some time.
now, He has been trying the hearts, sifting us as wheat, that He might demonstrate who are
the ones that are established in love, and who
still come short of that image. If under these tests and trials we find that we are not
fully established, we must riot lose courage or give up the fight, but must remember that "He who has begun a
good work in us, will also finish it" if we will continue to trust Him and in
meekness strive to do His will. "Now
may the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle you. To Him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." - John T. Read. Encouraging Messages[We regret there has been a delay in
finding space for the following letter.] Dear Brethren
in Christ: In reading the
letter by Brother C. J. C. of Athens, Greece, in the March issue of the
"Herald," I could not help but lift up my heart in gratitude to a gracious
Father who in His love has seen fit to spare us thus far the destruction and want of war
in this, our country. And at the same time I have been reflecting upon the statement in
Romans 15:25, 26, concerning Paul's bringing the contribution of the Church to the poor
saints at Jerusalem. It was an offering of the love and devotion of the Gentile believers
to their Jewish brethren in Christ residing at Jerusalem. What a blessed portion is ours
who are able to minister to some of the Lord's poor, if we wi11 avail ourselves of this
opportunity, even as the early Church did in the days of Paul. "And God
who continually supplies seed for the sower and bread for eating, will supply you with
seed and multiply it, and will cause your almsgiving to yield a plentiful harvest."
(2 Cor. 9:10, Weymouth.) In Psalms 127:1, we read: "Except the Lord build the house
they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but
in vain." But we are
assured that God will increase the benefits of our almsgiving, not only to the receiver
but also to the giver. For we 'read further, "May you be abundantly enriched so as
to show all liberality, such as through our instrumentality brings thanksgiving to God.
For the service rendered in this sacred gift not only helps to relieve the wants of God's
people; but it is also rich in its results and awakens a chorus of thanksgiving to
God." - 2 Cor. 9:11, 12, Weymouth. My reflections
have been thus: God has favored us above many others. We are aware of the need of our
brethren in war-torn Europe. We have the promise of God's blessing to those that will
minister to the poor. The following points are made by Paul in his beautiful treatise on
giving to the poor saints in 2 Corinthians 9: First: We are
supplying their needs. Second: We are
assured that God will increase the benefit of it. Third: We will
be enriched in every way ourselves. Fourth: It will evoke thanksgiving to God in the
hearts of other saints. Fifth: It will
redound to the glory of God. Sixth, and
last: It will cause other saints to bear us up in prayer to God. What a wealth
of blessing is ours! Shall we not avail ourselves of this blessed portion to minister to
the necessity of the saints? - Rom. 12:13. "For by
the practical proof of it which you exhibit in this service, you cause God to be extolled
for your fidelity to your professed adherence to the Good News of the Christ, and for
the liberality of your contributions for them and for all who are in need, while they
themselves also in supplication on your behalf pour out their longing love towards you
because of God's surpassing grace which is resting upon you. Thanks be to God for His
unspeakably precious Gift."
- 2 Cor. 9:13-15, Weymouth. With these
precious promises in mind, we are constrained to send a love offering for the poor
saints in war devastated Europe. . . . I could wish that all the friends would make a
careful reading of the ninth chapter of Second Corinthians and then make it a matter of
prayer to see what part the Lord would have them to share in this ministry of giving to
the necessity of the poor saints, so that they too will feel the deep joy of ministering
to some of the Lord's own. Yours by His
Grace, Brother
and Sister F. F. -- N. J. Dear
Brethren: For some time
I have been wanting to write the Editors of the "Herald" and get their opinion
as to the best translations of both the Old and the New Testaments. May I have the
consensus of opinion of the editorial staff as to the best translations. So far, as to
my own opinion, I hold Rotherham as the "king" of versions, both for the Old
as well as the New Testament; as second choice I consider the Interlinear word for word of
the Diaglott, together with Young's Concise Critical Comments; and as third choice I have
selected a good free translation to balance the literalness of the other three mentioned
above. And this free translation I have selected is Weymouth's third edition, without
Notes. As an extremely free translation, along with Weymouth's (that is of the
letters of St. Paul only) I use Arthur S. Way's, "The Letters of St. Paul and
Hebrews." I consider on
the four Gospels, the translation of C. C. Torrey as very fine. His renderings are so much
in keeping with the context as a good translation should be, and it is one of the latest.
But as one of the very latest and perhaps the best translations of the New Testament it
appears that the New Revision of the Re-. vised American Standard Version . . . may prove
to be the ideal translation. But since it is to be a free translation I would have to
examine it before recommending it. With much
Christian love, I am, Your brother
by His grace, L.
C. -- Wash. Dear
Brethren: There was a
time when I wrote quite often, expressing my devotion to the "Herald." For
several years I have been ill most of the time, and not capable of writing much. The
"Herald" is one of my first loves and still remains the same. I read the back
issues and find such articles so interesting that it is like reading the Bible anew. I
know too that some of your help have "gone on before." We will go on in the
blessed hope of meeting our brethren soon, as the night is far spent and the Day is
dawning when our trials and pains are over, our journey ended. "Even so, Come, Lord
Jesus." Bring peace to the groaning creation. Your sister
and friend, Mrs.
H. R. -- Ill. Recently Deceased
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