Its Necessary Adjunct by J. O. CORLISS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 31, 1911

Its Necessary Adjunct

By J. O. CORLISS

Tracings of the Prophetic Gift—No. 17

Its Necessary Adjunct

J. O. CORLISS

FROM what has thus far been said, it will hardly be necessary to state that true prophetic instruction is by no means of an independent order. God being over and above all things in mortals, his prophets must ever speak and teach in accordance with his will. To do otherwise would be to reveal one's disloyalty to Jehovah, and place him in the ranks of heaven's pronounced enemies. The Logos, or Word, being that from which creation sprang (Ps. 33:6), and that by which all things are upheld (Heb. 1:3), it must hold first place in the guidance of minds in the path of its operations.

Again, Christ having come to earth as that creative and sustaining Word, sent by, and with the authority of, High Heaven, he must be acknowledged as the principal actor in the race for life. The true prophet's words must therefore be the “testimony of Jesus Christ,” the eternal Word. So to pay heed to the utterances of a loyal prophet, is not to worship the prophet, nor to pay undue respect to him, but to reverence the word of the Lord in his tongue, which the Holy Spirit causes him to speak. 2 Sam. 23:2.

The prophet's work, therefore, must not only find its limit within the bounds of the original Word, but it must look to the same end as that Word. To do this, the prophet is bound to be controlled by the same Spirit which underlies and animates that Word. This clothes the prophet with the same power of mind penetration that the Word contains. How great this power is may be learned from the following acknowledged authority: “The word of God is quick [living], and powerful [energetic], and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12.

To gather the force of this text, one should consider the illustrative picture it contains. It is said that the ancient Hebrew custom was to have all flesh meats officially pronounced free from disease before the flesh was eaten. This was the task of the priest. His examination was to cover more than a cursory observation of the beast's heart, liver, and other viscera; he was to sever the leg joints, for the examination of the lubricating substance, and even to penetrate to the very marrow, in search of physical contamination.

The text uses this figure to convey the searching power of the Word, showing that it penetrates to the innermost depths of soul and spirit to search for sin's corruption. It thus becomes a discerner—that is, a discriminating and thorough judge—of one's thoughts, and also of his secret intentions. This being a preeminent quality of the Word itself, in order for the prophet to penetrate beyond the surface of that Word, and so be able to teach its subtle significance to the obtuse human heart, he must be endowed with a special dispensation for that purpose. The same illuminating vision will also grant a spiritual discernment of erring minds to whom the prophet may be divinely sent, because this is the power of the Word which the prophet is sent to unfold.

This may seem an overdrawn picture; but judged by historical statements in Holy Writ, it appears a sane and safe conclusion. One reference will suffice on this point. At a time when the king of Syria went to war with Israel and secretly laid careful plans to overthrow that people, he found that all his schemes were fully anticipated and provided against by the king of Israel. Being greatly troubled about the matter, an investigation was made which revealed that the prophet Elisha had kept his people warned of every design upon them. The conclusion was therefore drawn—and rightly, too,—that the prophet was a able to tell the king of Israel the very words his enemy spoke in his own bed-chamber. 2 Kings. 6:8-12.

This was further made clear when, with his attendant, the prophet went forth to the limit of the city, where they saw the Syrian host spread abroad before them. The young man was greatly alarmed at the sight, and cried: “Alas, my master! how shall we do?” In calmness the prophet replied: “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” The prophet was able to answer thus because his inner vision viewed a sight which was till then hidden from the young man. To give his attendant confidence, the prophet asked the Lord to open his companion's eyes to see the true situation. Then the young man saw the mountains round about lined with chariots of war in heavenly array.

In the same way God opens blind eyes to behold wondrous things out of his law. Ps. 119:18. The fact that men in sin are in darkness, and need the help of God's Spirit to give them understanding, is proof that he provides the remedy needed. It is not designed to ignore in these studies the gift of a personal Holy Spirit for every one. It is well known that his work is to convince of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8. All will readily grant that the Spirit does his office work in darkened minds, calling them to repentance. But he points all these to the Word for definite instruction in the way of reform.

The Word, then, is the foundation of righteousness. But even though the Spirit has said to the individual, “Repent,” God does not leave him to grope his way alone through the apparent difficulties of understanding the inner sense of the Word, especially the requirements of the fundamental rule of all righteousness. The Spirit of God was just as available to the Jews in their day as he is to the present generation. But after they rejected the voice of their prophets, they wandered in darkness farther and farther from God, because they could not of themselves, with all their zeal, see that the life of Christ was in the law, and that he was the real aim and purpose of its teaching. Rom. 10:1-4.

Prophets have not been in the habit of calling attention to themselves, but they have invariably pointed souls to God and to the principles of his government. Their work has been the same as that assigned to Christ, to “magnify the law and make it honorable.” Isa. 42:21. They could not help doing this, since they are commissioned to bear the “testimony of Jesus” to the world. The law and the prophets being inseparable in purpose, it follows that when the law shall have been dishonored by persistently substituting a man-prescribed duty in the place of a divinely and definitely marked service enjoined by the law, God himself is dishonored, and his prophetic entreaties to such a people cease.

Especially must this be the case with a people who openly boast of having

abolished a requirement which they say was instituted, and especially consecrated to God's honor, as was the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. But having gone so far in dishonoring Jehovah, the head of the papal church has assumed to speak in the place of God in the earth, as his divinely appointed prophet.

The Papacy, having departed from the principles of God's law, has shown that it, together with the whole system it represents, is under the censure of that Word to which true prophets ever direct the minds of men. God is, however, zealous to maintain his honor against all competitors, not from a selfish motive, but because when men lose sight of his power and authority, they place themselves beyond the pale of salvation. He therefore sends a special message to the last living generation, asking them, in view of the judgment they must soon meet, to “fear God, and give glory to him.” Rev. 14:6, 7.

The thought of the text is further extended by exhorting all to “worship him that made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters.” This implies that the world has been worshiping one not entitled to the honor,—one who has in some way robbed the Creator of his own standing in men's minds. This calls for reform which will cause men to change masters. What will such a reform involve?—Much, indeed. But this phase must wait for another study.

Mountain View, Cal.