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PRAYING AND DOING;

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 1, 1868

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 23.

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PRAYING AND DOING;

By R. F. Cottrell

—OR—

Formal Worship and Practical Godliness.

BY ELD. R. F. COTTRELL.
TEXT.— “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke vi, 46. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” Matt. vii, 21.
It is not our object to contrast praying and doing, forms of worship and moral duties, as being naturally opposed to each other; and then choose the one to the exclusion of the other. Both are necessary in the plan of salvation. Neither must be excluded. Earnest prayer should be continually offered, as though our all depended upon it; and, at the same time, obedience to moral law should be as scrupulously circumspect as if our salvation depended entirely upon that. Put the two together, and, by the grace of God, we can work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
  • But prayer alone, however earnest it may be thought, and faith that does not produce good works—humble obedience and holy living—will never give us a passport into the kingdom of God. “Faith without works is dead,” and prayer that is not seconded by right doing, i. e., obedience to the will of the Father, as expressed in his moral law, the ten commandments, is not only vain in the sight of God, but abominable, as we shall show. We do not then undervalue prayer and the instituted ordinances of the church, while we attempt to prove that faithful work is more acceptable to God than the most zealous and, thought-to-be, holiest worship. True worship consists in working together with Christ. Prayers, exhortation, and talk, are cheap fruits which are frequently tied on, but fruits that are manifested in good works, in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows, are genuine fruits, and grow naturally upon a good tree.”
Three things are required of man in his present state, neither of which may be omitted: 1. To do justly; 2. To love mercy; 3. To walk humbly with God. Micah vi, 8. The first is fulfilled by uprightness and honesty in rendering to all their dues according to the commandments of God; the second in being merciful and benevolent to the afflicted and needy, which is godlike and a fulfillment of the golden rule, the keeping in spirit of that spiritual law which hangs upon love to God and man; and the third—walking humbly with God—includes faith, prayer, and obedience to all the ordinances of religion. Each of these must have its proper place. But when we make faith, prayer, and the form of worship, supersede obedience to the commandments of God, it is like punctiliously tithing mint and anise and rue, and omitting the more weighty matters of the law—judgment, mercy, and the love of God. “These,” said the Saviour, “ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
Well doing, acts of benevolence and mercy, keeping the commandments of God, rather than prayer and ceremonial observances, will give us a passport into the city and kingdom of God.
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Ps. xv.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt. xxv, 34–40.
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. xxii, 14.
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified; . . . in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Rom. ii, 13, 16.
Thus it is as commandment-keepers, as doers of the law of God, that people are to pass the test of the Judgment, and the gates of the city of God. They must, however, in the first place, through the grace of God, be justified from their past sins by faith in the blood of Christ; then as doers of the law, they are justified in the Judgment, and have a right to the tree of life in the paradise of God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Rom. iii, 23–26.
Some, however, purpose to spend their lives in the service of self and sin, and then in the last extremity, perhaps on a dying bed, call on the name of the Lord, and pray themselves into the kingdom. They comfort themselves with this text: “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. x, 13. They should remember that it is said to those who refuse the call of Wisdom, and will not turn at her reproofs, “When distress and anguish come upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early but they shall not find me.” See Prov. i, 24–28. So there is such a thing as praying and not being heard. Those who would have the Lord hear when they call, should get the clue to prevailing prayer from I John iii, 22: “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do these things that are pleasing in his sight.” Doing is that which makes prayer prevailing.
Worship is not acceptable without obedience to God. All worship is in vain which substitutes the commandments of men for the commandments of God. “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matt. xv, 7–9.
The Jews, to whom Jesus addressed this language, had, by a seemingly pious tradition, released men from their obligation to honor their parents, thus making void the fifth commandment of the decalogue. If the wealthy son would dedicate his property to the Lord, he might say to an aged and needy parent, It is a gift to the treasury of the Lord, all that I might otherwiseuse to supply your wants, and I cannot recall it for your benefit, though I may use what I need for my own. In this case the tradition said they were free, i. e., exempt from their obligation to honor their parents with their substance. “Thus,” said the Saviour, “have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”
Is not the Sabbath commandment made void at the present day, by a similar tradition of men? This commandment requires men to rest from their secular employments on the seventh day, the day on which God rested from the work of creation. But there is a tradition that it is said comes down to us from the apostles, as the Jewish tradition we have referred to claimed to have come to them from the days of Moses, which sets men free from their obligation to keep the day which the Lord blessed and sanctified, and from an equally pious motive, i. e., that of honoring the Lord Jesus Christ by observing the day of his resurrection instead of the Sabbath of the decalogue. Thus the commandment of God is made of none effect by this tradition. The words of Jesus are as true in this case as in the other: “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Men may imagine that the Lord is not very particular to have them do just what he says. But they are mistaken in this. His language is, “In all that I command thee, be circumspect.” When we disregard his moral precepts, the worship we offer is not only unacceptable and vain, but it is an abomination to the Lord. “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” Prov. xv, 8. “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Prov. xxviii, 9. Thus we see that if men disregard the moral law, the ten commandments, all their worship, their sacrifices, and their prayers, are not only vain, but abominable. Their observance of church ordinances is that which the Lord hates. Even the forms of worship which he has appointed are rendered an abomination and iniquity by a disregard of his moral requirements.
“Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah; to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams; and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear; your hands are full of blood; wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isa. i, 10–20.
Substitutes will not answer instead of what God has commanded, whether of a moral or ceremonial character. Voluntary worship, or following our own devices instead of what he has required, will never be accepted by Him whose right it is to prescribe what we shall do. Cain's sacrifice was not accepted, because he did not do well, i. e., he did not do as God had commanded. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord and died. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them; and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.” Lev. x, 1–3.
They may have reasoned like this: Fire is fire; and we see no difference between the fire from our own hearth and the fire which the Lord has kindled upon his altar. Common fire will burn the incense just as well, and it cannot make any difference. But they were mistaken; and so are all those that reason in the same way. Some reason in a similar manner, as follows: A day is a day; one is as good as another; and I don't believe it makes any difference which day we keep, if we only keep one as it ought to be kept. To such we would say, As God had hallowed fire upon the altar, so he has a hallowed day, one which he has appointed and reserved to himself. It is the seventh day, the day on which he rested from his creative work, and though you may adopt the sum and substance of the skeptic's creed—I don't believe—the time will come when you will know that God is just as particular as to what day you keep, as he was in regard to the kind of fire the sons of Aaron used in burning incense before him. Sentence against an evil work is not always executed thus speedily; but the time will come when every one shall receive according to his works; and the ignorance of our pious ancestors will be no excuse to screen us from the justice of Him who slew those priests because they did not sanctify the Lord by doing just what he had commanded them, but chose to offer him something else which they thought would do just as well.
The case of Saul the king of Israel, will illustrate this subject further by showing that God is better pleased to have men do as he bids them, than to offer him pretended sacrifices and hypocritical prayer and praise. The Lord had commanded Saul by the prophet Samuel, to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites on account of their sins, sparing nothing, neither man nor beast. Saul and the people executed the order in part, but spared the king of Amalek and the best of the sheep and oxen and fatlings, and “all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” They had, seemingly, a very pious motive for doing so; namely, to offer sacrifices to the Lord. They would more than make up for their disobedience by offering extra worship. But what was the result? We will read:
“And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord; I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 1 Sam. 15, 13–15.
This was the plea of Saul. But what was the answer of the Lord to him? “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” Verses 22, 23.
These illustrations show us that the Lord would have us, first of all things, do as he commands; and no amount of formal worship, of sacrifices and prayers, or outward observances, will compensate for our disobedience. These things are required by the Lord, and are right and acceptable, when offered from the heart. But to offer them thus, there must also be a hearty obedience to all else that God requires. We cannot make up our want of doing by any amount of praying. Nay, unless we are willing to yield a cheerful obedience to all his commandments, our prayers are not only vain worship, but an insult to the Majesty of Heaven, and terribly displeasing in his sight.
Then, my friends and brethren, let us realize that to obey is better than sacrifice. There is no danger of our doing too much in the way of obedience to the commandments of God, or in the cause of the salvation of our fellow-men. But if we neglect these things, and still hold on to the forms of worship, it may be asked of us, “Who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?”
And the fact that many will be deceived in this matter, should awaken all our energies to do the whole will of the Lord. “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The blessed Saviour will not acknowledge any as his servants in the Judgment, that do not the will of his Father. If we would be accepted of God, let us keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Then we may pray, and he will hear. And when the decisive day shall come, we shall hear our Saviour say, Well done. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.