The Way Is Too Hard by J. M. HOPKINS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 6, 1910

“The Way Is Too Hard”

By J. M. HOPKINS

J. M. HOPKINS

How often these words are spoken by those who have known and once loved the truth, but because of the hardness of the way have turned their back upon the Lord, and joined the ranks of his enemies.

The truth is, when one becomes a child of God, when through grace one has become a “new creature” in Christ Jesus, has “put on the new man,” has risen in baptism to “walk in newness of life,” the whole life is changed. In every one in whom this blessed experience has become a fact, a heart and life reality, then that person’s whole aim, his whole ambition and effort, will be to advance the interests of Christ’s kingdom in the hearts of men. Christ’s interests will be his interests; Christ’s cause will be his cause. In everything they will be identical.

Then as Christ suffered; as Christ bore hardness, and pain, and toil, and everything that the foe could invent to bear upon and against him to thwart the plan of human redemption; as Christ endured all this even from the time when Herod sought to destroy him in his infancy until the day of his crucifixion; even as he suffered, so will his followers be willing to suffer. Nothing, not even death, should ever turn one from principle, from the right, from Christ and obedience.

Paul exhorts Timothy to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” His own life was one of toil, of imprisonment, of betrayal by false brethren, of stripes. But he says: “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24. Even so he finished his course.

That was a noble spirit, a spirit of undying devotion to a noble cause. It was even the spirit and mind of Christ. And this alone will succeed in this warfare. It matters not how hard the fight may go; it is a fight for God, a fight for truth, for one’s highest, noblest, present and eternal interests. What is or can life be worth apart from these considerations?

One of the revolutionary patriots said, “Give me liberty, or give me death.” The truly patriotic soldier of the cross will say: “Give me Jesus, give me loyalty to the commandments of God, give me consecration and fidelity to the cause of Christ and humanity, or give me death.” This is the spirit and the meaning of the third angel’s message, the last message that will ever go to a fallen world. And what a poor, beggarly exchange one makes when he forsakes these and accepts this poor old sin-cursed world and the devil in its stead.

I have heard men say they couldn’t make a living and keep the Sabbath. Well, I have been connected with this movement for more than thirty years, and I never knew a man who gave up present truth to get along any better for so doing. And I have known quite a number who have made a fearful mistake, both financially and spiritually, by making this change. And even though property might be accumulated in this way, what is that in lieu of honor and manhood! Jesus said: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” A man who believes and knows that ere long all earthly interests and considerations will forever pass away, and who barters away principle, truth, salvation, and eternal life for a few acres of the surface of this old world, or for a few dollars in money—what an unwise, what a foolish transaction!

The fact is that neither pain or gain should receive a moment’s consideration when placed in the balance opposite truth and eternal life.

In Rom. 8:35-39 Paul thus states the truth upon this subject: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Again: in the closing part of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, Paul makes quite extended mention of what the ancient people of God suffered for the truth’s sake, and in chapter 12:4 he says, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

Of the martyrs whom John in prophetic vision saw, he wrote, “They loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev. 12:11. Noble testimony! Shall it be ours? or shall we weakly and faintly falter and surrender?—No, never! In the strength of Israel’s God let us stand firmly and loyally for truth, for principle, for Christ and humanity.

Hewitt, Minn.