p. 1 | A LESSON FOR THE AGES

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 8, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 32.

A LESSON FOR THE AGES.

GOD is one, and His way is one. In one-ness there is unity and order and beauty and power. In division there is confusion and destruction.

IN all effective military operations of earth there must be unity and central control. Even now in the allied operations against China the allies feel themselves fettered because there can not be that unity which should exist. The unity of an earthly army is arbitrary and absolute power; but it is impossible to exercise this where leaders of divisions of an army meet as equals, responsible to different governments.

BUT in God's government the unity is not the result of arbitrary control; it is voluntary—the union of love. Men seek to obey God through fear, the fear that hath torment. This is not true service; it is not true unity. It is the obedience of expediency. The obedience is chosen to escape an evil that is feared. It is really taken as the choice of two evils. But true obedience is the obedience of love, reverential love. "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous." True obedience chooses God and His ways as the greatest delight. "Great peace have they which love Thy law; and they shall have no stumbling-block." It matters not what men may do, it will not affect their service for God. They have chosen that as their supreme delight, their highest happiness. The language of such an one is, "O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day."

THIS union and this blessed experience are wrought by choosing the simple faith of Jesus Christ, in voluntary submission to all God's will. "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching;" he will know its eternal glory and the bliss of doing it. He is free and happy in God, tho an exile or the inmate of a prison cell.

The Tower of Babel—an Object Lesson for the Ages.

MAN'S ways are departure from God's way. They are the setting up of another standard as preferable to that of the Infinite. If two rallying standards are erected on the battlefield, it means confusion if not antagonism. If more than two, the confusion is increased accordingly. If the soul erects another standard from that of God, confusion must surely result. Not only will the soul become confused at the limitation of its own power, but, having opposed God, it has lost confidence in Him, and has opened itself to all the delusions of a perverted, fallen humanity.

AND this is all that has made Babylon, the tower of which (Genesis 11) is portrayed on this page. Lucifer became the king and originator of Babylon when he aspired to dethrone God and exalt himself. (See Isa. 14:4-14.) He promised himself in that course exaltation and freedom and life, but he found abasement and bondage and death; for he separated from the Central Source of life and freedom. God's way is life to all who walk therein. But "there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." And that way is departure from the way of God.

THIS was the spirit the fallen Lucifer infused into the postdiluvians. The Lord told them to spread abroad and replenish the earth; they said, We will keep together. The Lord's way was to honor Him, to exalt His name, to become themselves temples of Him, who is righteousness and power and love, and so be honored by Him; but they said, "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad." And so they builded, and called their city, so their ancient records tell us, "Bab-il," the Gate of God. It was their

way to happiness and heaven. They named it what they in their desire wanted it to be, the selfish way to exaltation and happiness; but God named it just what man's unaided selfish efforts will always prove to be, Babel, Babylon, confusion.

THE tower of Babel, the city of Babylon, long since buried under the sands of the Chaldean desert, their only records—exhumed by the delving archeologist—speaking but of their folly, are lessons for all ages that departure from God, however feasible and laudatory and great seems the scheme, is sure to breed confusion, and confusion will end in utter destruction. Reader, where are you? Are your ways your own ways or the ways of other men?—Then they are Babylon. Or are they the ways of God in Jesus Christ, irrespective of men? Then are they at one with the great Heart of the universe, and the end is everlasting life and glorious immortality as a son and prince with God.