Our Ground of Hope by D. Downer

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 16, 1875

Our Ground of Hope.

By D. Downer

“THE Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” Psalms 138:8.

This text promises that God will do for us just what we want done, but never can do for ourselves. The psalmist did not say, “I have grace enough; my faith is strong enough; my love is warm enough, and nothing can move me.” No; his dependence was in the Lord. If we have a confidence not founded in God that confidence is worse than none. If I must depend upon myself for salvation, I am lost. Our confidence must not rest in what we have done or promised to do, but entirely in God. If we had to fashion ourselves into vessels of honor for the Master’s use, we might well despair.

The psalmist said, “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” His confidence was for the future. I have heard people say of an individual, I will trust him as far as I can see him. That is just as far as some trust God. They believe he will provide as long as meat is on the table, but would they believe if the table was bare? No; their faith is strong when they see the ravens coming, but if no ravens could be seen would they believe their bread and water sure? May our faith be increased before the time arrives that we are to have nothing but bread and water, and have to trust God for that.

The psalmist looked through life, and for our encouragement gave the assurance that “the Lord will perfect that which concerneth” us. Oh! we who tremble, let us now rest in this sweet promise. How often we look into the future, and see strange things which portend some trouble. Let us leave the future all to God. Once in my early experience, I was reproved by an older Christian because I expressed myself as having confidence that God would save us through this message. He thought I was presumptuous, but I now believe my confidence was proper. I believe the truest Christians are those who dare not doubt God. What an opportunity there was for Moses to doubt when told to hold his rod over the sea. How easily might unbelief have come in when Abraham was called upon to destroy his only son. They faltered not at God’s promises, and we are permitted to read the history of the results of perfect faith and obedience. It is right to speak diffidently of ourselves, but confidently of God.

“The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” What a wonderful work! There are those who believe they are perfect. I believe that a state of perfection can be reached, but many professing sanctification are full of faults. Ministers professing sanctification war against God’s holy law, and many of them declare their holiness with lips stained with tobacco juice. How must God look upon them?

I talked with a man recently who prided himself on the belief that he was sanctified. He invited me home. I expressed a willingness to visit such a man, and receive instruction from one so fortunate as to have reached such a nearness to God. I began to talk of God’s rule of righteousness, the law, and his face was red with anger. Preach Christ, said he, preach Christ. I convinced him that we must see our sins by the law, then preach Christ.

Does God sanctify people, then give them holy indignation against his law? To talk sanctification and shelter themselves under it while in willful transgression of God’s law is as useless as to hide under a sieve and expect protection from a shower of rain. It is a cloak that will be rent from them in the day of God, and they will be numbered among hypocrites. Oh! it is sweet to know God will perfect all his saints; but sweeter still to know we may be numbered among them, and thus his promises extend to us. And here is implied a personal work to be done by each of us.

What a noble work is toiling onward to perfection. When we begin, the cross is our battle cry. When the enemy gathers for battle, it is still the cross. The battle fought and victory won—then what? It is the cross still. Good works alone will no more carry us through than they would have held Peter above the waves. Works are essential; but to trust in them is fatal. Form is not power; but we seldom see the power where there is no form. Where is the church which has departed from God’s forms that has not suffered spiritually, and lost the power? Take care, despisers of forms, despisers of the Sabbath and the ordinances of God’s house, God may smite you as he did the Philistines who despised the ark.

Lastly, let us all subject ourselves to God’s pruning-knife, till all our fruitless branches are lopped off. Let us leave ourselves passive in his hands; for He is faithful who has promised, and will “perfect that which concerneth” us. D. DOWNER.

Osseo, Wis.