THE WARFARE AND THE VICTORY.
By John Q. Foy
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.” 2 Pet. i, 10. While contemplating the heavenly inheritance and feasting our minds upon the rich glories of the kingdom of God, we become enraptured with the thought, and are forced to make the inquiry: Shall all this be mine to enjoy? Shall I be among that unspeakably happy company that will be saved in the kingdom of immortal glory? And although the thought of coming short seems unendurable, yet we can hardly bring ourselves to really expect that blessings of such magnitude and infinite worth should ever be bestowed upon us; but upon further consideration of the foundation upon which our hopes are based, we conclude that not only is there a bare possibility of a full realization of all these blessings, but that we may, with confidence and certainty, answer these questions in the affirmative. True, there is something to be done on our part; there is a battle to be fought, a victory to be achieved, an enemy to be conquered; but, unlike those who engage in the battles of this world, or those warfares by which nations conquer or are conquered, where the issue is uncertain, and which are even lost to those who engage in them most zealously; those who enlist all their energies in the warfare for eternal life, no matter how weak, or how fearful the odds against which they may have to contend, may be sure of success. This idea, at first thought, may seem like presumption, but is tenable from the ample provision made in the glorious plan of salvation, as revealed in the word of God, and evident to every one who is fully established in the truth that God is such a being as his word declares him to be. Of the almost numberless promises which we find in the Bible, there are many that bear directly upon, and clearly sustain this position; nor do the conditions upon which these promises are based in any way militate against it. Indeed, the complying with these conditions, constitutes the very warfare above mentioned. It is true that in this warfare we are not only opposed by the great enemy of man, with whom we cannot, in our own strength, cope successfully, but our own natural desires and propensities are directly at variance with our efforts in this direction. Sinful in our very natures, we have so long followed the bent of our own depraved minds as to render it utterly impossible for us, independent of any other aid, to do that which is right. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jer. xiii, 23. Unless aided by the Spirit of God all our efforts would be vain; and, indeed, without its influence upon our hearts, we should have no inclination to engage in this work. Realizing this to be true, we are prepared to appreciate the infinite compassion and condescension of God in permitting his spirit to strive with us; and, oh! the dangers of grieving it from our hearts by neglecting to heed its gentle monitions; for should it take its everlasting flight, hopeless, and terrible beyond description, would be our case. The Lord is “long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,” and while in our blindness and ignorance, we sin, he graciously condescends to bear with us, and, in tones of love and pity, says, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you;” but to presume upon his mercy, and reject, or neglect to walk in the light that shines upon our pathway, is dangerous indeed. By the grace of God alone we are what we are. Have we made any attainments toward perfection—any progress in the heavenly journey? Are we any better than the vilest hypocrite, or the most hardened criminal? We owe all to the grace of God. Even the worldling who may, in point of external morality, be better than his fellows, is indebted to the grace of God being brought to bear, either directly or indirectly, upon his nature. By this grace, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, there are begotten within us good desires; and by carefully and cheerfully yielding to this faithful monitor, these desires will increase and strengthen, until we are thoroughly transformed by the renewing of our minds, and are prepared to prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, and for the society of saints and angels in his glorious kingdom. God has not undertaken a work and left it incomplete. The plan of salvation is a perfect success. The efforts of Satan to thwart this plan were futile, and if in the end there is a failure in our case, we alone shall be to blame. We have a whole Saviour, and ours may be a full salvation. To bring our wills in subjection to the will of God; to bear the cross after Christ; to endure the trials which may be necessary to fit us for the kingdom, with patience and resignation, may, and will, require an effort on our part, but there is no need of a failure. Jesus trod the rugged way before us, and was tempted in all points like as we are. He overcame; why may not we? To say that we cannot, to say even that there is a possibility of a failure, after that we have done all we can do, is to limit the power of the Holy One of Israel, and to charge the Son of God with practicing deception upon the human family. Judging from our apparent indifference in these things, one would naturally conclude either that we had but little regard for our best, our eternal interest, or that we were rather incredulous with regard to God’s promises. That the former is not the case is shown by the zeal we manifest in securing to ourselves the ordinary blessings of this life; and while the latter, in some cases, is doubtless true, it seems utterly inexcusable, not to say criminal, in those who have once tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. That many of us who profess to believe present truth are not as zealously engaged as we ought to be; that we have but little sense of the value of eternal things, is too true, and furnishes evidence of the blindness and depravity of the human heart. At times we may be aroused by the Spirit of God, to a sense of our danger, and make some efforts, and perhaps gain a victory; but the great enemy, taking advantage of our lack of confidence in the promises of God, or of our want of zeal in the matter, soon gets the ascendancy, and we are again brought into bondage by his cruel power; and thus we continue rising and falling. And what is the effect? Are we gaining ground? are we growing stronger? or are we, as the almost certain result of being so often wounded, becoming weaker and weaker, and less prepared to resist his attacks? It is our privilege to maintain a victory, and to go on from strength to strength. It is also to be feared that some who have enlisted in this war, have not fully made up their minds to go through, cost what it may; have not taken into account the trials and hardships they will have to undergo; the foes to be conquered, the crosses to be borne. Such are not really expecting to overcome, but are hoping that the way will be made easy, and that they, after all, may gain Heaven without making any sacrifice. But they deceive themselves, and will be disappointed. Only those who count the cost, and consecrate themselves unreservedly to God, can be sure of Heaven. What though our way lie through fiery trials? What though friends forsake us, and the storm-clouds of adversity may lower above, and the deep waters almost overwhelm us? Shall we faint beneath these light afflictions which are but for a moment, and which will, if patiently borne, work out for us, “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?” The dross must be consumed, the gold refined; and who shall say that these things are not the greatest blessings that our Heavenly Father can confer upon us? In this, as in almost every other enterprise, determination is the synonym for success; while to be faint-hearted, to be wavering and undecided, is to be defeated. “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear.” Isa. lix, 1. It is yet our privilege to confess our sins, and to draw near to God, and the promise is, that he will draw near to us. We may draw fresh supplies of grace from the sanctuary daily. We may have his Spirit to witness with our spirit that we are the children of God; “And” says Paul, “if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Rom. viii, 17. God has taken great pains to save us; a great price has been paid for our redemption; but we, as rational, intelligent beings, are to decide our own destiny. Life and death are placed before us. We may choose which we will. Choosing the former, we gain everything; while if the latter be our choice, our loss is equally great. However successful the great enemy may be in closing our eyes to this fact, or in blunting our sensibilities so that we shall fail to appreciate it, however much we may underrate the plan of salvation, and the inestimable blessings in reserve for the overcomer, it is a solemn truth that the fate of those who finally find themselves shut out of the kingdom of God—lost, irrecoverably lost—will be awful and agonizing beyond description. On the other hand the reward of those who shall overcome, who have willingly, cheerfully borne the cross after Christ, who “have not counted their lives dear unto themselves,” to whom it may be said, They have done what they could, will be equally joyous and glorious. “Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke xii, 32. JOHN Q. FOY.
Madison Co., N. Y.