BY ELD. JAMES WHITE.
TEXT.—"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.
"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly." Joel ii, 1, 12-16.
THE word of the Lord by the prophet represents the day of God as near at hand, as a day of wrath, a day of darkness. And in view of it, the people of God are called upon to proclaim a fast. They are exhorted to rend their hearts, and not their garments. This fast is not merely an outward work. It is that which takes hold of the heart, and affects the life.
How far abstinence from food should enter into this fast, I shall not at this time undertake to show. Daniel fasted three full weeks, in which time he ate no pleasant bread. That which he ate was the most simple food. Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, and in those days he ate nothing. His abstinence was total. But whether we abstain from food totally, or in part, in the season set apart for confession, solemnity and prayer, if they consist in outward forms only, the blessing of God cannot attend them.
The prophet Isaiah, chap. lviii, speaks also to the point: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."
Mark this! The command of the Lord by the prophet is to lift up the voice like a trumpet, and show the professed people of God their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins. "Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God. They ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God." I know they are spoken of as a nation. It is also true that they are God's professed people. We therefore conclude that what follows in this chapter in reference to fasting has no reference whatever to the national fasts. But the prophet is speaking of fasts which are proclaimed and observed by the professed people of God, which are not approved of Heaven. He also points out an acceptable fast to be celebrated by them.
"Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our souls, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high." We see no difficulty in applying this to the professed people of God.
"Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him." I understand the prophet here to have reference to the outward form which does not really affect the heart.
"Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day unto the Lord?" Certainly not. This outward affliction, this form of bowing down the head like a bulrush, this appearing to men to fast, while the heart is not rent, is not an acceptable fast unto the Lord.
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"
In the wrong use of church authority, and in the undue influence which individuals may exert in a religious capacity, may be seen the yoke of bondage, the oppression and burdens. These, wherever they may exist, must be broken.
"Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"
We answer in the affirmative. This is the fast, the very one that is spoken of by the prophet Joel. It is the fast that is to be proclaimed and celebrated just before the great and terrible day of the Lord. I repeat, it is not a fast that consists in outward form, in appearing to men to fast, but it is that which takes hold of the heart. It is that which is carried out in doing good. Such a fast is acceptable to God. Such a fast will bring the rich blessing of Heaven to the church. In proof of this last statement, let me read on:
"Then shall thy light break forth as the morning." Those who are sitting in darkness, and who mourn on account of their darkness, should take courage from this expression of the prophet.
"And thine health shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousness shall go before thee. The glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward." I know not of any scripture language which expresses more fully the blessing of God in abundance than this.
"Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer." Those who have realized no signal answer to their prayers, should again look about them and learn the cause. As sure as they celebrate this fast, just so sure the abundant blessing spoken of by the prophet will come upon them.
"Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am." The Lord here virtually says, I am not at a great distance, but I am present with you. What will you have? What shall I do for you? Those who strictly follow out this fast may expect the Lord to do great things for them.
"If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke." I would not be too delicate this evening in my feelings upon this subject, to hesitate to say that this applies very close home to our people. In many of our churches, and in the hearts of many of our brethren, there is too much willingness that a yoke of bondage should rest upon some from whom it should be lifted.
"If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul." The hungry have claims on the church. These in affliction have claims on the church. We are to labor for them till they shall be satisfied.
"Then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday; and the Lord shall guide thee continually." I repeat it, No scripture language sets forth the great blessings of God with any more fullness than this. And these are the blessings to follow the acceptable fast to the Lord.
"And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drouth, and make fat thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not." May the living water spring up in all our hearts.
"And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." This language is certainly figurative of the restoration of truths that have long been neglected.
"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words." Here we think is evidence that this entire chapter applies to the period of the third angel's message, at which time there is to be a Sabbath reform. And among other items of the great fast in which men are to rend their hearts, and mightily turn to the Lord, they are to turn from a violation of the Sabbath. And if they do this, what will follow?
"Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." I shall do but little more than to read this chapter, and pass to354another important portion of Scripture. But before I leave it, I wish to remark that the fast spoken of which is acceptable unto the Lord, is free from that form, from that outward show, from that appearance of humility which have characterized fasts in past ages. But the acceptable fast consists in a heart work, in which the heart is rent open, and the soul is drawn out to the hungry, and to the afflicted; in which there is a thorough change carried out in the life, and in acts of mercy and benevolence toward those that need help. Such a course, such a fast, will be recompensed, and there will come, as the result of it, the richest blessings that ever Heaven promised to men. Their darkness is to pass away, and their light is to break forth as the morning, their health is to spring forth speedily, their soul to be as a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not. They are to ride upon the high places of the earth, and when they call, the Lord will answer, and when they cry, he will say, Here I am. They will not have to plead and cry for days, and weeks, and months. But if they draw near to him by benevolent acts, and draw out their souls in good works, the Lord will draw very near to them, and when they cry, will say, Here I am; what will you have? what can I do for you?
It is not unfrequently the case that you will see churches and individuals apparently enveloped in clouds of darkness. They pray as though the Lord was at a great distance from them. Their souls seem like the parched ground. And they are as barren as the mountains of Gilboa, on which there came neither dew nor rain. Examine their course of life, and you will generally find them selfish, shut up to themselves, and not laboring for the temporal or spiritual good of the needy. If they fast at all, it will be the outward ceremony, while the heart is untouched. The heart is not drawn out after the needy, the hungry, and the afflicted. No. They have no missionary spirit to go out after those that need help. And when those who have upon their lives the very stamp of Heaven, and possess the self-sacrificing spirit of Jesus Christ, come among them, they do not know it. God pity the church! And may there be brought around that fast that shall be acceptable to God, that shall bring down upon us all these gracious blessings.
I call your attention to one more portion of Scripture, and I am done for the evening. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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."
In the persons of the needy and suffering children of God, we may do all these things to our Lord. He places himself not with the rich and full, the clothed and the warmed, with those that have their abundance, but out with the homeless poor, the hungry, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. Be assured, dear Christian friends, that as oft as ye do these things to the poor and suffering saints, ye do it to Jesus Christ. Because the righteous had done these things to Christ in the person of his saints, it is said to them, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom."
But how do these thus addressed feel on the subject? Their impression is, that they have done nothing more than common humanity required them to do. This is seen in their response. Lord, when have we done these things to thee? They had performed these acts of mercy and benevolence to the afflicted wherever they had seen them, but they did not realize that they were doing them to Jesus Christ. Either they acted from feelings of natural benevolence, or, which is probably the case, from the influence of the spirit and power of truth on their hearts. Naturally and abundantly had their acts of benevolence followed the needy everywhere. In the benevolence of their noble souls, they thought they were doing no more than what humanity required of them. They did not get the idea that they were really doing it to Christ. The fruit that these bear is not tied on. It is some that grew there. Practical truth had taken deep root, and had reached their hearts, and the principles of benevolence and love had naturally grown up, and the fruit was abundant.
"Then shall he say unto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels." Terrible sentence this, and why? "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they say unto him, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."
This terrible decision is made in reference to the course which the two classes take in this life. While the first class are doing only that which they naturally do from choice, and from feelings of philanthropy, they are doing it for their Lord, and are laying up treasure in Heaven. The other class are not feeding the hungry, are not clothing the naked, are not visiting the sick, are not welcoming the stranger, and yet they think they are doing their whole duty to Christ. Lord, when saw we thee hungry? We never saw it. When saw we thee naked? when saw we thee a stranger? when saw we thee sick? or imprisoned? When did we neglect to do our duty? "Inasmuch as ye have not done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have not done it unto me."
This class may have been outwardly very pious, yet everlasting punishment is their doom. This punishment is not their doom because of the sins they have committed, in trespassing, in wronging, in oppressing, in ill-treating; but everlasting punishment is their doom because they have not done. I say, they may be outwardly very pious; they may pray morning and evening, attend church, speak in meeting, pray in the prayer-meeting, help build the meeting-house, and help support the minister; they may deal honorably and uprightly with all men with whom they have to do, yet not do that which is required in this parable, and the result is, they have everlasting punishment. Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or a stranger? If thou hadst been in our streets, as in those of Bethlehem, how gladly would we have given thee food; how joyfully would we have taken thee in; a stranger hadst thou come to our doors, how we would have welcomed thee. Their Lord was in Heaven, and their covetous and stingy souls did not feel for those around them. But although they may have gone through all the rounds of Christian duty, yet if they fail to do these things, they fail to do it to Christ, and everlasting punishment is their due. The men who oppress the widow and the orphan, those who oppress the poor, however pious they may profess to be, are not fit to be represented by goats. They are too wicked. See that man who passes for a gentleman who is very pious. He may be the superintendent of the Sunday-School, and one of the elders of the church to which he belongs. He is, outside, a very pious man, and worth a hundred thousand dollars. He pays the minister liberally, helps build the meeting-house, and donates to other charitable objects. But how has he gotten his money? Perhaps by selling goods to the poor, by taking notes, then obtaining mortgages on their farms, and when these could not pay, by playing the snap game upon them, taking their farms, and after keeping them awhile, sell them for ten times the amount of the debt. In this way has he robbed the widow and the fatherless, and oppressed the poor. Such a man may be covered with a garb of religion, yet he is not worthy to be represented in the parable by the goats. The goats represent a class who may have been outwardly honest, yet because they neglect to do for Christ in the person of his saints, everlasting punishment is their due.
I have read this portion of Scripture because I regard it as setting forth the duties in the great fast that is to be celebrated just before the coming of Christ. One of these duties is to take in the poor that are cast out. The language of the prophet is addressed to the people of God, the repairers of the breach, to those that turn their feet from the Sabbath, during the period of the third message, just before the day of the Lord. His statement is, that the trumpet is to be blown. The proclamation of a fast that is not merely a theory of truth is to be made. The people of God are called to give their attention at this time to labor in their Master's vineyard; to practical lessons, and practical duties, to do all they can to save souls and make them ready when the Master shall appear.
When in this period, under the third angel's message, unpopular truths are to be proclaimed, in many families will there be some who will receive the truth, perhaps a child, it may be a brother, or a sister. Other members of the family will oppress them. They will be cast out, homeless strangers. Are you willing to take them in, to bring those who are cast out to your houses? Perhaps in no other way has the cause in which we are engaged suffered more than for the want of the proper inducements to persons who are in the fiery furnace of affliction, trembling between duty and the consequences, trembling for fear of the result if they followed the convictions of their minds. There are no hearts open, no doors open, no acts of benevolence and love in this direction are seen. They are left to tremble, to fear, and to give up the truth of God.
Persons who have spent years in the employment of others, in the employment of this or that society, in this or that position, have their minds arrested by the truth. They have the heart to love it and receive it, and obey it. They embrace it, but where are the men and women whose souls are drawn out for these afflicted saints? Where are the men that search them out, that assist them, that feed them, that clothe them, that take them to their house as they would Christ if he were here in person? Seldom found. Could the church of the living God be impressed with the idea that every act of such benevolence and kindness, and mercy, to one of the Lord's poor was done to Christ; could the Marys and Marthas and Lazaruses enjoy the society of these poor outcasts, as they did eighteen centuries ago, how gladly would they be engaged in the work. But they may enjoy it when this fast is really embraced, and its principles carried out, when the soul is drawn out for those for whom Christ has died. When these are put forth from feelings of benevolence, love, and choice, your hearts may beat with joy equal to that of the three persons that I have named who entertained my Lord; for the promise is, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Shall we work in this direction, and have it said unto us ere long, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom; for in the persons of the poor and suffering, ye have done acts of benevolence unto me? Or shall we let our souls dry up and remain dead and unfeeling, though Christ may come to our doors hungry, may walk our streets naked, may be sick, may be in trouble, may be in affliction, in the person of some little one?
Christ naked and shivering in the cool of the night, while the damp dews are falling upon him, and you, with your house filled with every good thing. Christ suffering hunger, you have plenty; Christ sick and in prison, you are well and free; Christ in affliction, you are happy. He comes within your reach, may be to your door, yet you do not think to ask him in. You forget to invite him. He goes away naked, hungry, afflicted, in the person of his saints. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting punishment, is the sentence,355for I was sick, I was hungry, I was naked, and ye did not minister to me.
O, my dear friends, the gospel of Jesus Christ is close work. But let me call your attention again to the promise of the prophet. These are rich, full, and abundant. They will repay you for all your efforts in the work, in carrying out this fast. Think of it. Your light to break forth as the morning. Your soul to be as a watered garden, you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and to be fed with the heritage of your father Jacob. When you call, he will answer. When you cry, he will say, Here I am. What can I do for you? Is it possible that there is a fast that will do so much for us? That will open Heaven, and call down such rich blessings? God help us to celebrate it. It will richly repay us here. And we who have made so many mistakes, so many blunders, have often felt, Oh! for a good friend at our elbow, to tell us just what to do. What a fine thing to always do right. The promise of the prophet is, He shall guide thee continually.
Dear brethren, can we thus return to the Lord? And will he thus return to us and stand by our side, ready to bless us and guide continually? Is not this very state of things contemplated in the testimony of the True Witness? "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."
But not only is it our privilege to enjoy these gracious blessings here; the promise applies also in the future. Shall we do these things? If so, it will be said unto us, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The subject is one of thrilling interest. May the Lord add his blessing, and lead us to that position where we may enjoy more faith, more hope, greater assurance, more sacred nearness to God, consecration, sanctification, joy unspeakable and full of glory, and finally may we meet all the flock of God around his throne. Amen.