Light: Present Truth Through the Generations
By Calvin Green
Not only has our kind Benefactor given light to enliven and beautify nature, but an inward light is provided to gladden the soul of the righteous and the upright in heart. None but those who seek this light and joyfully walk in it, are blessed and benefited by its gentle rays. From the fall of man, until the present time, God has provided this light for his people. Each generation has had its present truth, to accept or reject; and to the righteous it has been the light to keep and guide them in the way to Heaven. Ancient Israel had their offerings and sacrifices, to keep them near to God; the ribbon of blue, to keep them a distinct people, and a healthful diet, which rendered them strong to endure hardship without complaint. Prosperity attended them while heeding these lights given, while disaster and defeat were their portion when they disobeyed the precepts of Jehovah. When Jesus came, he introduced new truths and new light, but the humble lessons of the wise Teacher were repulsive to the self-righteous Jews. They rejected the light, crucified the Son of God, were cast off, and became extinct as a nation. The veil to this day has not been removed, so they wander in darkness. The light of truth visited the darkened regions of Europe, and for a time paganism yielded to its beneficent teachings. But ambitious men and proud monarchs loved not the humble way pointed out by a wise and just God, so they followed their own ways, and in their zeal, thought to bring all men to conform to their views. Darkness soon covered the earth, and, for generations, the feeble rays of light were only seen amid the fastnesses of the Pyrenees, and occasionally in other parts of the land, when some bold reformer dared to expose his life for the truth. During the “dark ages,” ignorance and superstition enshrouded the minds of men like a funeral pall, and the powers of darkness prevailed against the light. Like the surges of the sea, persecution swept millions of the devoted light-bearers from the earth. But the prayers of God’s people were treasured up in the sanctuary of Heaven. The time drew near for the destroyer to be destroyed. From a monk’s cell at Wittenberg, and a shepherd’s cot in the Alps, came the humble instruments to proclaim the truth, and bear aloft the light that gives life and peace to the repentant sinner. Error trembled and darkness fled before it. Justification by faith in Christ, and not works, was the light given by God in the Reformation. The light that truth sheds forth upon her devoted followers, never made the heart of man more glad than when it broke the shackles of error and destroyed the power Romanism had so long held over the minds of men. Since then, from time to time, new truth has emanated from the same great source of light to gladden the hearts of men. But it is for us in these last days to understand the final mystery of man’s salvation. New truths and greater light have been reserved for this age and generation. The commandments of God—in which a breach has long been made—and the testimony of Jesus are to be the burden of the church triumphant. The Spirit of prophecy, pointing out sins and errors, and making known new duties, will be manifest. Those rejecting this light, after a clear conviction of its necessity and importance in the last church, and those neglecting the reproofs given, will alike come short of the favor of God. The time is near at hand when the earth will be lighted by a message that will startle and alarm the world. But first, a few tried ones, like the remnant of Gideon’s army, must be fitted to proclaim this message. Not all who profess this truth will share in this blessing; but those who obey from the heart may hope to be chosen of God to awaken a sleeping church and save a remnant to hail the advent of a soon-coming Saviour. Yes, all the light of the past is ours, and additional rays are shining on our pathway. Let us then heed the admonition of our Lord, “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.”