The Sermon by Eld. C. O. Taylor

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 2, 1867

The Sermon.

By Eld. C. O. Taylor

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom,

PREACH THE WORD. 2 Tim. iv, 2.

THE COUNSEL OF THE TRUE WITNESS.

BY ELD. C. O. TAYLOR.

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.” Rev. iii, 18.

The words of my text stand in connection with a very important testimony to the people of God. Its importance is seen, 1. In its addressing the last church. 2. In its being the last counsel. 3. In view of the importance the Holy Ghost has attached to it, in the following words: “The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs.”

I know of no scripture that the Spirit has attached more importance to. We form our estimate of the value of a thing by the price given. We get some estimate of the importance of this testimony by looking at the worth of the church. We form our estimate of the church by the price paid for it. As valuable as is the price, so valuable is the church, and of such value is this testimony, if the destiny of the church hangs on it. Such a portion of the word of God, on which hangs such great interest, should be well understood by the church, and should be obeyed in each and every department. We find in this testimony what the apostle Paul declares of all scripture, i. e., doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction.

The last solemn message of mercy had fallen on the ears of mortal man. It aroused a few. They stepped out on the message as far as they could see, and seeing more of the coming One than they did of the preparation, and knowing they had the truth, it had a tendency to exalt them; and they find themselves at last in their own estimation rich and increased with goods, and in need of nothing, when in fact a deplorable state of wretchedness and poverty then marked the progress of the church of Christ. It was not for the want of the truth that they were thus poor, &c.; it was a want of a realizing sense of its importance and value. They failed to sense the time in which they lived. They fell into the too common idea that if they professed faith in the coming of the Lord, and were with the people thus believing or professing, it was enough. But the faithful One did not leave them at ease, or to be deceived. Yet how easy on his part to have left them, so that they should have found themselves in the final end among the lost and ruined ones. Many a heart has felt, and tongue has confessed, the truthfulness of the True Witness, wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. What a sad state! How deplorable to have just enough of the salvation of God in one's heart to be miserable; too much truth and light to give it up, and just enough to be wretched; boasting of light, yet blind; professing great righteousness, while naked, and slaves to appetite, passion, and lust; waiting for God to do what they should have done long before.

It is at this point of time, when lukewarmness sets in like a flood, and is like to ruin all, that the language of my text has its application. I will notice the following points in the counsel: 1. I. 2. Counsel. 3. Thee. 4. Buy. 5. Me. 6. Gold.

1. The origin of a message has much to do with its being obeyed with dispatch. When it comes from the King, President, or those in authority, we tremble at its word, and obey its voice. This being the case, we should give earnest heed to this counsel; for the I in my text is no other than the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. I have the keys of hell and death. I, is the one who walks in the midst of the candlesticks, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches. I, is the one who knows thy works. I, is the one who loves. I, is the one who rebukes and chastens. I, is the one in whose hands are all authority and power, both in Heaven and in earth. I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. I am he that testifieth, Surely I come quickly.

Should we not give earnest heed to the voice of such an one? Should we not obey with dispatch a command coming from such authority?

2. Counsel. I am favorably impressed with this word. It is not the language of wrath; it is clothed with mercy, soft mercy. It conveys to the mind, love. Yet we fail to see how the faithful One can see anything lovely in the characters described in verse 17. Mark the expression: I entreat, I advise, or exhort, warn, &c.; all of which shows bowels of compassion, and that the persons thus addressed are the people of God, although they are not what they should be. They have made themselves miserable, have placed themselves where this counsel finds them. Yet Jesus' matchless, boundless love, reaches out after them. He even stoops, as it were, down to give them this timely word of entreaty.

“In Jesus compassion reigns alone.” or, “Blessed Jesus! wouldst thou know him? Oh! how he loves.”

Jesus has ever been true to his people and church. He comes to the last stage of the church, in her warfare with the powers of darkness, and gives her this kind and faithful counsel. Church of Christ, turn not a deaf ear to it. Let it not fall powerless on thy heart.

3. Thee. It is a trait in fallen nature to give to others that which would do ourselves much good, and more so when it is crossing to nature, or when designed by the Author of all good for the special benefit of the one addressed. This counsel is to thee. Brother, give it not to thy brethren who walk with thee to the house of worship. Give it not to thy sisters who assemble in the house of prayer. Give it not to those who go with thee to the mercy-seat, who talk of the coming One, and the coming glory. Take it to thyself. It belongs to thee. Thou art the one. Thou art the man. Do not look at another one in the wide universe but thyself. I counsel thee! When you shall thus feel that the faithful and true Witness is talking to you, you will be more apt to give heed, and your soul will receive great good.

4. Buy. To buy is to acquire the right or title to anything, by paying a consideration, or an equivalent.

We call your attention to two points under this head: First. Acquiring. This implies labor. Labor implies exertion, or toilsome work, the exerting of one's powers of body or mind, or both. To toil, to be burdened. Something must be done on the part of the one who buys. He cannot fold his arms in lazy lock and obtain the thing desired. It will not come to him. He must put forth exertion for it. Second. He must pay a consideration, or equivalent. Something is to be given in exchange, and it is supposed to be equal to the thing received. What you receive is gold—gold tried in the fire. Something better than the dust just from the mine. It has gone through the melting process, and has been purified. It has proved itself genuine, having passed through the refining process. This makes it of great value, and you must pay an equivalent. Fasten your mind's eye on the glittering dust for a moment. How it sparkles! How rich! Of what immense value! It swells to great worth as you gaze upon it. You look about for an equivalent. You have but little of this world's goods. You turn your eye within, and see nothing but poverty there. The heart faints. You can never reach the prize; can never buy the gold. But listen, my brother. You are dealing with One who is just, holy, and true. One who is not a hard master, reaping where he does not sow, gathering where he does not strew. He requires only what thou hast to give. At a certain time he spoke in great praise of one who only gave two mites, not for its great value, but because it was all she had; it was even all her living.

Something must be given in exchange. We will name some things that you are to give. Your idols. That would come under the name of appetite. You must eat and drink to the glory of God. You must renounce all that would be included in the various passions, or the works of the flesh. Gal. v, 19–21. You will have to give your body a living sacrifice to God your Maker. You will have to give your time, talent, strength, reputation, name, and affections. In a word, it will cost all you are worth or possess, to buy this gold. Then in return for your sins you get gold. For your idols, that in the end would be your ruin, you get gold. The good Master takes nothing of value from you. He only asks what is an injury to you, and for it offers gold. He will take your wretchedness, misery, poverty, blindness, &c., and in return will give you gold, white raiment, and eye-salve. Don't fail to make the exchange, and buy.

5. Me. We call your attention to the one from whom you are to buy. I counsel you to buy of me. This gold is not to be had of every one. All do not have it to sell. We are to buy it of only one person, and he is the one who counsels. The pronouns I, and me, refer to the same person, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are not to buy of our neighbor, but of him; not of our brother, but of the Lord; not even of our minister, but of Christ. There is no other name given, from whom it can come, but of Jesus. We now come to consider

6. The gold. This field is large; it is immense. Gold! O thou glittering dust of earth! how thou dost fill the mind of the worldling! how thou dost dazzle the eyes of the miser. Gold is the most valued mineral of all the earth's vast treasure. To obtain it, men toil early and late, endure hardship, suffering the loss of earthly comfort and good. For gold, hundreds have left home and loved ones, gone to the mines, broken down good constitutions, and lived the rest of their days in pain and misery. True there is great power in it. It builds large cities. It makes long railroads, and puts on them immense wealth in rolling stock. It digs canals of great length. It lays the telegraph wire wherever man thinks it best—around the globe if need be. It fits out and arms large fleets. It raises immense armies and puts them into the field, armed and equipped. For it, men will lie, steal, cheat, murder. Life is of no account with many, when it stands in the way of getting gold. We can safely say, in the language of another: “Gold is the only idol that is worshiped in all lands without a temple, and by all sects without hypocrisy.” But it cannot be earthly gold that we are counseled to buy; for it is quite impossible for man to have it and not love it; and the loving of it is the root of all evil. The church at this time is already wretched and miserable; it would only make her more so to have earthly gold. May we not suppose that the faithful and true Witness is talking of heavenly things? that he is urging us to buy something that does not grow on earthly soil? While gold is the highest mineral of earth, the first in value, we think in this case it must represent the highest and most valuable gift or grace of Heaven; that which is of the first in value. The one that gives us this counsel deals only in earthly, to represent heavenly. We ask again what, or which, is the first grace of Heaven? and answer, Love. Gold is defined as a precious metal. It is said of love, that it never faileth. Gold is very durable. Love abideth forever. Gold is current in all countries and among all nations. Love is more so; it is current in the world to come. Gold will supply all the wants of this life. Love has purchased eternal life for our race, and will supply all wants there. It is said that love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench it, neither can the floods drown it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned. It was this principle that moved the church in 1849 and ’54. Love for the truth, love for each other, love for the perishing and lost, love for the coming One, the kingdom, and eternal life. The church in her lukewarm state is quite the opposite. The holy, heavenly, elevating principle, that leads us to love the Lord our God with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the mind, is wanting. Faith lies dormant for the want of this grace of all graces. Would to God that the church possessed it in all its fullness. She must, she will yet.

Let us look at this grace in the light of the word of God. The true Witness says it has been tried in the fire. Let us call your attention to a few instances. Look at the case of the three worthies. The decree has gone forth that all must worship the golden image. These three worship not. The rage and fury of the king calls them to his presence to give a reason why his orders are not obeyed. They are not careful to answer in the matter. They had learned of a higher authority and power. They loved it. They knew a God above all earthly kings. They loved him more than they feared the wrath of the king. The furnace is heated up one seven times hotter than it is wont to be heated, and they must be cast into its burning flames. What sustains them in the thought of being thrown in? We answer, Love; love to God, love for his law, love for the right. These they loved more than life. Strong men at last cast them in. The furnace is red with heat. It leaps out and destroys those that take them up. Still they are unharmed. The king with his own eyes sees the form of the fourth, walking in the midst. Yes, he whom they loved came to their rescue. They came out safe, not even the smell of fire was on them. Here is love that was tried in the fire. Such must the church have to meet the coming storm.

Again we will speak of other times when love has been tried at the stake. Look if you please at the martyrs, the hundreds and thousands that were put to death during the dark ages, in ways too cruel to mention. Look at that husband and father. He has found Jesus of whom Moses and the prophets did write. He is prepared to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. He has resolved to renounce error and take the truth. But stop, he is in the dominion of Rome, and under the power of the church. He must take along with him her traditions, no matter how absurd or foreign from Scripture. It is reported that his belief differs from that of the church. An officer is sent to arrest him. He is called to leave home, wife and children. They are to be left in a cold, heartless world, surrounded by the worst of enemies. Yet he leaves them and goes to the dungeon. Is it that he has no regard, no love for them? Oh! he has tender love, and warm affection for them; but he loves Jesus and his truth more. After suffering many long days in the cold, damp cell giving him ample time for reflection, he is brought before a tribunal of men in priestly robes. A few questions are asked him. A common one on such occasions is,

“Do you believe that in the wafer is the real body and blood of Christ?” His answer is clear and plain, “I do not.” It seals his fate. He is pronounced a heretic. He must go to the stake. The strong arm of the law hurries him to the place of execution. Again the thought of home and loved ones comes fresh to his mind. He is about to leave them forever, perhaps to want and to suffer; perhaps to be abused by the same rude hands that are tormenting him. Can it be that his love for them is all gone, all dried up? No, his heart never clung to them with such warm affection; but his love for his Saviour and the sacred word of God outweighs all other considerations. It is love that drives his chariot wheels. We follow him to the stake; he is bound; the wood is piled around him; the torch sets all in a flame. But hark! he is shouting. Is he mad? No. It is the love of God that is filling the whole being. Listen! his voice grows louder and louder still. His tormentors are astonished. They look with wonder and amazement. Has he no love for life? He has; but love for the life to come is stronger. Has he no ties to bind him here? He has; but strong ties of love bind him to the throne of God. Has he no fear of the future? No. Love has cast them all out. Death must yield to love. He goes down to the dark chamber leaving the bright, clear evidence that love never faileth. The love that in his bosom burns for his God, his Saviour, the angels, and all that is good, holy, and just, holds him in sacred remembrance. In the blessed resurrection morn he will come forth to dwell forever with him whose nature and being is love.

“For love of God he has laid down, His life ’mid hottest strife. And thus has won a starry crown— Life, life, eternal life.”

And here, again, we find love that has been tried in the fire. It proved itself true and genuine. It comes out in the end worthy of a place in the earth made new, when it shall be filled with the glory of God. And this is but one case amidst thousands that could be mentioned. Hear the sweet words of counsel, Buy love.

Take other cases of the nature and worth of love mentioned by the apostle Paul. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” There is an individual filled with this principle. His whole being goes out in love to Christ. He has no gods but the one God; no Saviour but the one provided by that God; no rule of action but his law; nothing in his heart toward his fellow-man, but love. The enemy of all good hates him. He commences a warfare of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. He hurls one at a time, or all at once. Hear the conclusion of the matter: “I am persuaded [or convinced] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Oh! matchless power! breathe all thy fullness into my soul, that I may ever abide with Christ, and never more depart from him.

“When the church comes up to the requirement of the word of God in love, other graces flow in as a consequence. If it was not so, we find her wanting only in three graces—‘gold, white raiment, and eye-salve,’ at the time this counsel is given. In Rom. xii. 9, and onward, we find a list of good qualifications that follow in the train of love. Love abhors that which is evil, it cleaves to the good, it is affectionate toward the brethren, it prefers others, it don't allow a man to be slothful in business, it makes him fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; it rejoices in hope, is patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer; it gives where the saint is in need, and the poor in want; it blesses him that persecutes, and curses not. No grace has its equal here. It rejoices with the cheerful, and has many tears to shed with those that weep. Here it finds a large field for exercise. We live in a world of much sorrow. Earth groans beneath a burden of woe and anguish that often wrings from the stricken heart burning tears. Love leads to oneness among the people of God. It looks not to earthly greatness as it reads the path of life. It sees the man in low estate. It is not wise in its own conceit. It renders no evil for evil. It walks honestly before all. It lives quietly with all, if possible. It never seeks revenge, but leaves that with the Lord, feeling confident that he will repay; or it may be said, it has a way of its own to retaliate, that is, by giving food and drink to its enemy, if he is in want. It overcomes evil with good.

What a rich mine and treasure is love! We are entreated to buy it. Don't stand about the price. We repeat the counsel, Buy it. We read in Rom. xiii, 10, ‘Love worketh no ill to his neighbor.’ It would not destroy its neighbor's prosperity, or his character, even if it was not the best. It puts the most favorable side out. Love dwells peacefully wherever it is. There is no ill in love; therefore it is the fulfilling of the law; or, as expressed in verse 8, he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. May we not say that all nature acts on this principle, where not perverted by the fall of man? The tree, the plant, the grass, the flowers, all dwell quietly together. Look at all the planetary system, the worlds on worlds that are constantly in motion, revolving round and round, each having its sphere, all so perfectly carrying out this principle that the one does not harm the other. And through nature, can we not see the character of her Creator, even if we were not told that God is love? Like begets like; principle begets its own. Love is God's name or principle; therefore all that comes from him is governed by the law of love. So long as this principle is carried out, the law will be fulfilled, and so long as the law is fulfilled, no harm will happen to any; for love worketh no ill. God created this world, or its inhabitants, on this principle; and all would have moved in harmony and love had not sin entered. When it did mar the handiwork of God, we see this principle immediately in exercise in the gift of his Son, to bring back this wandering planet to its first order or arrangement, and when this time comes for which we look and wait, there will be nothing to harm or destroy in all the holy mountain of God.

The importance of having the gold is seen in reading 1 John iv, 8. A knowledge of God depends on our having it, and without a knowledge of him, we can have no eternal life. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. Verse 16. Oh! the depth of the meaning of this sentence! What power in this kind of gold! What wisdom, what a fullness when we possess it! In verse 17, we are carried forward to the solemn, trying hour of the Judgment, and there the overcomer stands calm and serene, dwelling in his God, encircled in a halo of the gold we are now called to buy. Now we can get it, but soon it will be too late.

Go with me while we examine Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter xiii, where the great mind of this holy man of God is fully drawn out on the subject of the gold under consideration. He speaks with wisdom, both from earth and Heaven, from experience, from revelation. He informs us that, should we have a diversity of tongues, so that we could speak all languages, and have not love, we are as sounding brass; we may add, the tongue of an angel, without love we are a tinkling cymbal. We may be able to look far into the future, and fathom the great mine of knowledge, and be able to solve the greatest mysteries, we are nothing without love. We may have all faith, so that we could say to the solid mountain, Be thou stirred from thy bed, and have not love, we are nothing. I have millions of this world's goods. I give with a liberal hand to supply the wants of the poor and needy; it avails me nothing without love. I lay my body on the altar to be burned, in the best of causes, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. I get no reward in the day of recompense unless I have bought the gold.

It is a grace that suffers long. How wise it would be for the hundreds and thousands that are called to suffer, to buy it. It leads to great kindness. There is no envy about it. It looks cheerful and happy at the prosperity of others, and wishes them all success. It is the opposite of vanity. It never shows itself unbecoming. It is not always seeking after the interests and wants of self. It may be excited or provoked, but not easily. It is not given to evil thoughts. It has no voice to shout when iniquity is rife in the land. It sets itself beside the truth and there it abides. It suffers with the truth, it mourns with it. If the truth is driven away and called to go homeless, it goes with it. If the truth is called to persecution and base reproach, love bears a part, ever rejoicing in the truth. O, thou fountain! Is there no exhausting thee? Will thy streams never cease to flow? Is there no end to thy endurance? No; love beareth all things. Can not the ocean of unbelief drown thee? No; love believeth all things. Is there no fire that can burn thee? No; love hopeth all things. Is there no dark wave of sorrow that can roll over thee and crush thee? No, not one, or all combined; for love endureth all things. Will not pinching poverty and want, will not pain and anguish, will not earth's bitter disappointments drive thee away? No; love never faileth. Prophecies shall all come to an end. Tongues shall cease. Knowledge shall vanish like the wind (all of them, graces, important to the church now); but love never.

We now come to the summing up of this important case and question. It remains for the apostle, yet to close up his argument, and give us the final decision, in answer to the inquiry, which is the greatest Christian grace? or in other words, which Christian grace or principle, holds the same relation in Heaven and in the church of Christ, that gold holds on the earth among the children of this world. In the 12th chapter he speaks concerning spiritual gifts, shows their relation to, and importance in, the church; all good in their place. In the 13th chapter he shows the superiority of love over them all. Then in order to place the subject beyond a doubt, he takes three of the most important Christian graces, Faith, Hope, and Love, and tells us, that they all abide, but the greatest of these is Love.

In view of what he has said in regard to this grace, or principle, we are not surprised to hear him say still farther, Follow after love. And in view of the sad fact, that love was dying out of the church at the time this counsel was given, and she becoming miserable, poor, &c., we are not surprised to hear the faithful and true Witness urging her to buy this kind of gold, buy love. Oh! thou vast fountain of all blessedness and good! There is no measuring thee, no weighing thee, no bounding thee! If we go to Heaven or hades, thou art there. If the wings of the morning carry us to the sea's remotest bound, there thou sittest, O love, to bid us welcome. We have not exhausted thee, thou bottomless, shoreless ocean, Love!

But lest we weary others, we leave the subject for the present, promising to examine it farther at some future time. I listen; I hear the sweet voice of counsel. I will buy the love tried in the fire, that I may be rich; rich toward my God, and my neighbor; rich in love toward my brethren and those that are going to ruin, hoping thereby to save some; rich toward the truth, and all that is right, just, good, and holy. Amen.