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IT TAKES ALL

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 7, 1868

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 31, No. 17.

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IT TAKES ALL.

By R. F. Cottrell

Nothing short of the whole heart and all the powers of our being are the sacrifices acceptable with God. Will we cheerfully give all? Jesus the Son of God gave himself—his glory, life, and being—for us, and can we not surrender all to him? Can we think that any thing short of an entire yielding of ourselves a living sacrifice is our reasonable service? Are we so lost to all sense of obligation of love and gratitude as to desire the sacrifice on our part to be less? No; God forbid that we should desire to live for ourselves; but rather let us live to him who died for us. Shall we not love God with all our hearts? This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. Shall we yield a grudging obedience to these commandments? Shall we not rather delight ourselves in the law of God?
The law of God is holy, and just, and good. It is perfect, and pure, and altogether lovely, as the character of Christ, which was a living illustration of the holy principles of that law. He did no sin—he did not transgress this holy law—but on the contrary he could say, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart. Shall not this law be equally our delight. It is not only holy and just, but pure and good. Do we believe it? and shall we not love that which is for our own best good, as well as for the honor of God?
How can we esteem Christ as the one “altogether lovely,” and yet not love the law that was in his heart, by which he lived, and for our transgressions of which he laid down his life? Shall we not rather follow his example, love righteousness, and hate iniquity? We do not truly love Christ while we hate that which he loves.
If the whole heart is given to the Lord, we shall not wish his requirements any the less. His commandments will be to us precisely as we would have them. We shall not wish to amend them, or to avoid the cross of keeping them before a scoffing world.
If our whole heart is given to the Lord, we shall love also and greatly desire the guidance of his Holy Spirit. And when the Lord condescends to teach us by his Spirit through the gift of prophecy, we shall not object to any part of it, or wish it otherwise; but cheerfully follow it all, delighting in it because we are perfectly satisfied that it is all for our good. How many pray for the Lord to lead and teach them, who, if their petition be granted, immediately object, murmur, oppose. The heart is not fully given to the Lord, or his teachings would be accepted with joy and followed with a cheerful alacrity.
When I was a beginner in the present truth, and had not the evidence that I now have of the truth of the gift of prophecy that is among us, I decided that it would be safe for me to follow and obey its teachings, until I was certain that something was taught by it contrary to sound Bible doctrine, and the morality of God’s law. Such a thing has not yet been discovered by me, nor by the opposers of the truth; therefore I am bound to go on cheerfully and heartily. Seventeen years of experience has taught me that I shall find no error in this gift of prophecy. And just before I was, for the first time, to be reproved by it, I was led, by the providence of God no doubt, to write an article on Spiritual Gifts which was published in the Review, and also as a preface to The Great Controversy, or Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, which cut off every reasonable chance for an honorable retreat. I thank the Lord for it. Brethren, has the Lord dealt so by any of you, when you were about to be tried?
In harmony with this idea is the fact that leading men who have left us denouncing the visions, have almost invariably been compelled just before departing, to confess their wrongs, pointed out and reproved by this gift, and thus leave behind them a written testimonial in the columns of the Review, over their own signature, of the truth of the gift which reproved them, and their own wrongs and falseheartedness. The spirit of God compelled them to leave a testimony for the truth, and to their own condemnation, and then let them go their own way.
Pardon this digression, dear reader. And let us give our whole hearts to the Lord, and willingly, cheerfully, yea, joyfully, follow him fully.
R. F. COTTRELL.