LOST-RESTORED by Lillian S. Connerly

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 1, 1903

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 29, No. 26.

LOST—RESTORED

By Lillian S. Connerly

When God created man, He made him in His own image, and thus God gave to the world a specimen of Himself. Man was the crowning act of creation. David, in contemplating this part of God’s workmanship, said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” And again, “Marvelous are Thy works.” God Himself was pleased, for “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

Since that time, however, something has gone wrong. Man is still the crowning act of creation, but when we look for the image of God we fail to find it. Truly the “Wise Man” said, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” These “inventions” must therefore have corrupted man from the high, holy, and pure state, to the narrow, dwarfed, and sin-stained characters that may be seen to-day.

To man was given a dominion, and a mind to rule that dominion, and his body as well; but man’s inventions have so changed this order of things that we see men to-day unable, by any force of their minds, to bring their bodies into subjection, so that “Ye can not do the things that ye would.” We saw a forcible illustration of this a short time ago,—a gentleman of fine physique, well calculated, one might think, to show forth the glory of his Creator, but, as he dangled from his finger a tiny cotton sack drawn together at one end with a string, and filled with a choice quality of tobacco, he said, “Do you know that I must confess that I am a slave to that little sack? I’ve had many a battle with it, and it downs me every time, and I have no power to overcome it.” What a testimony! and yet how many there are who would testify to the same lack of power.

The mind was intended to control the tongue, but we hear men, contrary to their better judgment, engaging in vain and foolish conversation, speaking unkind and foolish words, or driving sunshine and happiness from their lives by indulging the fault-finding spirit which will insinuate itself into the life, and turn to bitterness every blessing. Contrary to the mind God has given them, men allow their ears to listen to evil surmisings, wicked songs and words, and a multitude of unprofitable things. Each of these has an important part to play in

dwarfing and lowering the the character of man.

The eyes are permitted to see those things which are unlawful for the sons of God to look upon, in spite of the statement that the upright man “shutteth his eyes from seeing evil.” The lips allow the enemy, through perverted appetite, to control them so far that the food of the glutton, tobacco, whisky, and their associate evils, are permitted within their precincts, there to carry on their soul-and-body-destroying work in the members of the body until the image of God is well-nigh obliterated from the whole man. The feet carry the body into strange and forbidden paths. The hands are allowed to meddle with that which is not theirs; and thus it goes on until the heart, which the Psalmist admonishes us to keep with all diligence, becomes the stronghold of every evil thing, and the man stands before his Creator with every faculty of the mind impaired; the body, with its ruined functions and organisms, bearing witness to the ruin that has been wrought within. In this condition the men are LOST. We see them daily.

But here let us turn from the sad picture; and in letters of gold, emblazoned with the light of eternal love, we read: “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The Gospel is “the power of God unto salvation,” salvation from self, salvation from sin, and complete deliverance from this present evil world. It will restore to man all that has been lost through sin, and cause him once more to show forth the glory of Him who created him.

LILLIAN S. CONNERLY.

Mayaguez, P. R.