RULES FOR DISCIPLES by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 13, 1900

RULES FOR DISCIPLES.

By Uriah Smith

“Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path.” “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.” So prays David, in Ps. 27: 11 and 36: 11; and these are but samples of many petitions of this kind in the inspired record, which find an echo in the heart of every believer. The desire of the true disciple is, above everything else, to know the will of the Master, to understand his ways, and have his heart molded into harmony with the Lord’s desires and designs concerning him. To this the heart of every true believer will spontaneously answer, when he knows what it is.

This is set forth by the language used in the texts quoted. Thus the passage last referred to literally reads, “Guide me, Jehovah, in thy ways; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.” “The common version,” says J. A. Alexander, D. D., “of the first verse, ‘Teach me,’ is too vague, as it fails to bring out the peculiar suitableness of the term to express the kind of teaching here specially meant. The original meaning of the Hebrew word is to point out, or to mark out, the way. According to the usage of the psalms, the way of God is here the course of his providential dealings; and his truth, the truth of his promises; to walk in which is to assent to them, or acquiesce in them, and trust them. That he may be able to do this without distraction or reserve, is the last clause. The idea of a united heart is the opposite of a double heart.”

This accords with the complaint of the Lord, against his people, in Hosea 10: 2, because their “heart was divided;” and with the warning, in James 1: 6–8, against being wavering, or double-minded. “Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” The figure in Psalm 86 is that of directing any one by pointing the finger to indicate the way in which he should go. The verb “walk” is in the intensive form, “I will walk earnestly in thy truth;” that is, according to all that thy revealed truth shall prescribe. “Unite my heart,” combining all its powers. Help me to concentrate every thought and affection upon filial, reverential obedience. Let not my heart be divided, so that it shall be given in any measure to other objects besides thyself. “Having taught me one way, give me one heart to walk therein; for too often I feel a heart and a heart,—two natures contending,—two principles struggling for the mastery. A man of divided heart is weak; the man of one object is the man. God, who created the bands of our nature, can draw them together, tighten, strengthen, fasten them; and so braced, and inwardly knit by his uniting grace, we shall be powerful for good, but not otherwise. To fear God is both the beginning, the growth, and the maturity of wisdom; therefore should we undividedly give up to it heart and soul.”—Spurgeon.

Sincerity drives but one design; and that is to please and enjoy God. And what can more establish and fix the soul in the hour of temptation than this? The reason the hypocrite is unstable in all his ways is given by the apostle: He is a double-minded man—a man of two souls in one body. All the designs of a gracious heart are united in one, and so the entire strength of his affections runs strong.—Flavel.

James Russell Lowell, contrasting the weight and influence of action with mere profession and sentiment, says:—

Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action, and that while tenderness of feeling, and susceptibility of generous emotions, are accidents of life, permanent goodness is an achievement, and a quality of the life. The only conclusive evidence of man’s sincerity is that he gives himself for a principle. Words, money, all things else, are comparatively easy to give away; but when a man makes a gift of his daily life and practice, it is plain that the truth, whatever it may be, has taken possession of him. For that sincerity, his words gain the force and pertinency of deeds; and his money is no longer the pale drudge ’twixt man and man, but by a beautiful magic what erewhile bore the image and superscription of Cæsar, seem now to bear the image and superscription of God.

It will impress the reader to notice how frequently and fully the Lord has placed in his word the instruction that will meet these aspirations of a truly converted soul for the Lord to teach him his way, and to make known to him his will. In the twelfth chapter of Romans a course of life is minutely drawn out, which if a man would strictly follow, he would not be far from a perfect man. In the thirteenth of Hebrews we find further instruction on similar topics, and its statements form interesting and profitable themes for study and meditation for those who desire to be taught the way of the Lord, and walk therein. In Heb. 13: 1 the apostle writes thus: “Let brotherly love continue.” From the use of the word “brotherly,” it is generally understood that this is an exhortation to Christians, where we look for this kind of love. It is the same word that, in 2 Peter 1: 7, is translated “brotherly kindness,” a grace placed high in the list of Christian attainments. It is a more restrictive word than the one used in Titus 3: 4, which is philanthropia, or love for mankind in general. This is philadelphia, or love of the brethren.

The word “continue” implies not merely duration, but involves the idea of that which causes a thing to endure; namely, the fact that it stands fast, or is established, and rests upon a sure and firm foundation. Let this love be established and rest upon such a foundation that it will endure, and then let it ever rule in the church. “Let brotherly love continue.” If it has grown cold, take means to revive it. If it has waned away, let it be restored. For the loss of this love the whole church of Ephesus was severely reprimanded, so far as to be told that such a state of things endangered the removal of their candlestick out of its place: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,” said the True Witness, “because thou hast left thy first love. . . . Repent, and do the first works.”

The next duty enjoined upon Christians, in this chapter, is hospitality: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Unprincipled and designing men have of course not overlooked this verse, and have occasionally sought to impose upon the credulous, and turn it to their own selfish advantage. While this verse enjoins the grace of hospitality, it does not forbid our taking precautions against being imposed upon by hypocrites and deceivers. And some have found that they could not pose as “angels unawares,” with breath smelling of whisky, and mouths full of tobacco; for they have been reminded that angels do not go around in that condition.

Well may we be surprised and startled at the exhortation of verse 3: “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” What, Christians in bonds,—in bonds for conscience’ sake, in this age of boasted liberality and enlightenment, and in this land which plumes itself on its political and religious liberty?—Even so. And what does this show?—It shows that God knew what his people were to meet; and it shows that the human heart, unenlightened by God’s word, and unrestrained by his grace, is the same in all ages; that education and so-called culture are no bar against religious bigotry, tyranny, and oppression. And the Lord has left his people instruction what to do in the cases of those who fall under these evils: Remember them. And here they are, right in our own day, and in our own land, needing our sympathy and material help. Are we heeding the instruction of this scripture? The Revised Version, in place of the words “suffer adversity,” reads, which “are evil entreated;” and “them which are in bonds,” literally reads, “the prisoners;” all of which shows that the oppression referred to comes upon believers on account of their faith in Christ. When one member suffers, all suffer with it. We are to put ourselves in the place of our persecuted brethren, and then do to them as we would wish to be done by, in like circumstances.

In verse 5 we have instruction that covers the whole life: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do unto me.” The word “conversation” means the whole manner of life, or course of action. Henry Cowles, D. D., remarks, on the use of this word:

“The word ‘conversation,’ as used in our version, illustrates the instability of language. The translators seem to have had special partiality for this word, using it once (in this verse) for the Greek tropos, manner; thirteen times for the Greek anastrophe, mode of life; twice, in Philippians, for polis, citizenship and its compounds. They did not foresee that, within two and a half centuries, it would lose every one of these meanings, and settle down into a sense quite remote from any of them.”

“Without covetousness.” When the apostle warns us of the perils of the last days, he names covetousness as the overmastering sin of the age: “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous.” This is only another phase of this same self-love. It is this which is heaping up the massive money accumulations of these days, threatening human society with irretrievable ruin. It is this which leads to so much individual crime, and even to national war and revolution. If there is any one thing the Christian should keep clear from the taint of, that thing is covetousness. And why should we not keep clear of it, when God, the financial center of all the universe, says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”? And this promise rests on the strength of five negatives, every one of which, in the Greek, strengthens, instead of nullifying, those that stand before. Literally this promise would read, “I will not, not, leave thee; I will not, not, not, forsake thee.” With such a promise as this, well may the apostle tell us to say, boldly, “The Lord is my helper; and I will not fear what man can do unto me.” U. S.