A Line of Precious Texts
By Augusta Wolcott Heald
WAKING before dawn in a dark winter morning, these precious texts connected themselves in my mind, and impressed me strongly with their clearness and beauty: The beginning: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen. 1: 1, 2. Christ the agent in the work of creation: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that hath been made.” John 1: 1, 2. Christ upholds the universe: “All things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist [hold together].” Col. 1: 16, 17. Christ manifest in the flesh: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.” John 1: 14. Rejected by the world: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and they that were His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1: 10-12. Christ prayed for His own: “Father, I desire that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.” John 17: 24. The Saviour’s promise: “Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14: 1-3. Slain by cruel hands: “But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of Life.” Acts 3: 14, 15. The resurrection: “Whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.” Acts 2: 24. The ascension: “And when He had said these things, as they were looking, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Acts 1: 9. The promise of angels: “And while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as He went, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye behold Him going into heaven.” Acts 1: 10, 11. The Saviour comes to receive His own: “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17.