A Cloud of Witnesses

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Oct 17, 1854

A Cloud of Witnesses.

"WHEREFORE, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Heb. xii, 1-6.

Faith is the subject of the Apostle's remarks in the last verses of the tenth, and in the eleventh chapter of his epistle to the Hebrews. He speaks of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, and others, and what they did by faith. In this chapter is introduced a cloud of devoted witnesses of God's faithfulness to his trusting people.

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." Chap. xi, 13, 14.

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Verses 39, 40.

These worthies compose the cloud of witnesses of which the Apostle speaks. In them was found proper samples of true faith, and patience in suffering. They were in their day safe examples for all coming time. In their day the true worship of God was exceedingly unpopular. It is now. The brightest pages of their history tell of sacrifice and suffering. They died in hope of immortal life at the resurrection of the just. The history of those who share with them the same "blessed hope" will be similar. Those worthies will reign with Christ; and all who enjoy that reign must suffer with him here.

As the Christian beholds this cloud of witnesses, and contrasts their afflictions which were but "for a moment," with the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" that awaits them, he is induced to "lay aside every weight," and "run with patience" the heavenly race.

To be freed from every weight is more than some suppose. Sin in all its forms is indeed heavy. And these weights must be put off, before the heavenly race can be run successfully. The Bible points them out. Hear Paul:—

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." Col. iii. 8-21.

"That ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. iv 22-24.

Hear Peter: "Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil-speaking, as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Pet. ii, 1-3.

"The sin which doth so easily beset," is evidently some definite sin with which all are more or less tempted. What is this sin? Faith is the subject of the Apostle's remarks. And does not this sin hold an opposite position in his subject? If so, then it is unbelief. There is but little faith among men in the plain testimony of God's word. The traditions of the Elders are preferred by the mass. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Matt. xviii, 8.

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while and he that shall come, will come and will not tarry.

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." Heb. x, 33-39.

Not only are the worthies, the cloud of witnesses who died in faith of the "better resurrection," set before the Christian as examples; but the Apostle says: "Looking unto Jesus." He is the author and finisher of his faith. He is a perfect example of benevolence and holiness. Guile was not in his mouth. And not a selfish act can be found in his mission and ministry. "Looking unto Jesus." What a mark to which the Christian may look, and ever learn. "Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. v, 7, 8. Christ says: "love one another, as I have loved you." John xiii, 34.

"For the joy that was set before him." What was that joy set before Christ which induced him to endure the cross, despise the shame &c.? Certainly, it was not joy realized in this world; neither while an advocate, or minister of the heavenly Sanctuary, sympathizing with the church on earth, sharing their woes. By faith we look to the bright future, beyond the resurrection of all the Just, and we see that joy. There the blood-washed throng will be gathered home to the great Jubilee, from every nation, tongue and people. With immortal beauty, crowned with eternal glory, they will stand around the throne, and adore Him who was slain to redeem them to God. This is the joy set before the Son of God. Then will he "see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied," for all his sufferings to save man. And if the Saviour shall feel thus, what must be the emotions of the saved? We may get a faint idea of their gratitude and joy, by their song.

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation: and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels

round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Rev. v, 9-13.

The Christian should not wait till he reaches the other shore before learning the song, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." What wondrous love? "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Christ bore the sin of the world, in the garden and on the cross. He endured the contradiction of sinners during his life of sorrow, and even in his agony on Calvary. All this the man of sorrows meekly suffered while on his mission of benevolence to save lost sinners.

Christian brother, are you getting weary, and are you fainting by the way, because the hardened sinner scoffs, and the proud professor frowns, as you run the heavenly race? Do consider Jesus. Follow him from Bethlehem's manger throughout his entire life. He was a man of sorrows. See him weeping at the grave of Lazarus, then in the mountain, all night in prayer. In the garden his soul was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," and "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Have you felt the weight and grief of your own, or others' sins? Then consider Jesus while bearing the sins of the whole world.

Behold him before the deriding priests and elders who sought false witness against him. "But Jesus held his peace." "Then did they spit in his face, and buffet him: and others smote him with the palms of their hands." In the common hall they took from him his seamless garment, and, in shameful mockery, dressed the innocent Christ in a scarlet robe. They placed a crown of thorns upon his head and a reed in his hand, and bowed the knee, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" On Calvary "his soul, was made an offering for sin," while he died the shameful death of the cross.

Dear brother, Jesus suffered all this for you. He left his Father's glory, and the society of holy angels, to fulfill his mission of mercy and benevolence, that sinners might be saved, and be exalted to his throne. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne," Rev. iii, 21. Weary brother, look to Jesus and be refreshed. Fainting, lonely soul, look up. Heaven will impart strength that you may bend your footsteps to Mount Zion with quicker pace.

"Don't talk about trials here below, But talk about loving Jesus."

"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." No, no. Very many who talk of bearing the cross and suffering for Christ, are ignorant of what they say. Woe to the professed church of Christ that her religion is popular. Where is the rebuke of sin by her ministry, and the resisting of it by her membership? It cannot be found. She is black with the sins of the age. And should He who was holy, harmless and separate from sinners, preach in her assemblies, and rebuke sin as he did eighteen centuries since, Crucify him! Crucify him! would be heard from the professedly pious crowd.

The true Christian will stand out boldly but meekly, against sin in all its forms, and it is not for him to faint, or repine, even if he is called to resist unto blood. Christians are no better now than Paul's cloud of witnesses who suffered, or the millions of martyrs for "the witness of Jesus and the word of God."

God has never been able to make anything very good or great of man. In the days of Noah, men had corrupted the earth with their wickedness, and the Almighty poured the flood around the world to wash it of its pollutions. Only eight souls were saved. In less than 500 years from the flood, two angels were sent to hasten righteous Lot to the mountain, while fire and brimstone were rained from heaven, which destroyed the vile inhabitants of the cities of the plain. And as God was about to establish with his people the system of religion of the first covenant, a series of events in his plan must occur calculated to humble them, and prepare them to receive the law, and build the Sanctuary of the Lord. Joseph must be sold into Egypt, there must be a famine in all the land, and Jacob and his children must go down into Egypt there to become bond-men. With a mighty hand, God delivers the children of Israel from the house of bondage. But mark, how soon they rebel! They murmur, they make the golden calf and worship it, they are a stiff-necked people still, notwithstanding all the means employed to humble them, and lead them to the worship of the living God. On almost every page of their history is written rebellion, and departure from the true worship of God, till you come down to Christ's first advent, and there they crucify the Lord of life and glory.

Read the acts of the Apostles, and learn their humility and plainness of speech, as they went forth, imbued with the Spirit of their Master, to preach the gospel in its purity. They sacrificed and suffered for what was then the despised present truth, and, all excepting John, were slain for the witness of Jesus. As we pass on down through the history of the true church, we see her persecuted and afflicted. More than fifty millions of the saints have lost their lives in resisting Papal heresies.

But many suppose this to be a favored age, the dawn of the temporal millennium, when men may join the world in all its pride, luxury and wealth, yet with a profession of religion pass to the eternal reward of the righteous, to share with those who have suffered. O! what a delusive dream. Why! should they reach the home of the saints, who will have "come out of great tribulation," it would be no home for them. Shame would cover them, and they would wish to come back and suffer with Christ. We repeat it, Woe to the professed church of Christ that her religion has become popular. The damning sins of pride, love of this world, and its treasures, have found their way into all her temples. She has left her true Spouse, and walks arm in arm with a lost world sunken in lewdness. How can it be expected that she would love the news of her true Lord's return? "Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Mal. iv, 1.

Dear reader, we have not only the cloud of witnesses of which the Apostle speaks, as examples of true faith, and patience in suffering; but we have also the Apostles and martyrs who died for the word of God and the witness of Jesus. In every age God's true church has been separate from sinners, has been persecuted and afflicted.

And now, as the "remnant" church leaves the beaten path of Sunday-keeping, and keeps all the commandments of God, most certainly she may expect to see the dragon's ire stirred, and feel his wrath. But let us run with patience the short race set before us. We have all to induce us to toil on, and suffer for the word of God, that others before us had; and as we draw nearer home, the glory to which they looked brightens.

THREE WEEKS SINCE WE STATED THAT.

"In order to meet the expenses of the season, and pay for our Winter's stock, we must receive $800, within four weeks. We are aware of the difficulties in raising money at this time, and would not overurge any; but it seems indispensably necessary that our readers should immediately forward to us the small sum of $1, for the REVIEW one year."

Within the three weeks we have received about one eighth part of the sum necessary to be raised in four weeks. We need $200 this morning to pay debts that are due, and a debt of $360 will be due in two weeks. When it was stated that the terms of the REVIEW were $1 a year, in advance, we did expect that our friends would be prompt, and that by the influence of Preachers, Agents and leading brethren, we should immediately receive from one to two thousand dollars. But we have been greatly disappointed. Only about one fifth of our subscribers have paid in advance. Therefore we have been obliged to give up the publication of the Hymn Book for the present, at least, and get out very small editions of Brn. Hall's and Stephenson's works. We abhor duns in an Advent paper; but this plain statement of facts relative to the condition of the Office seems necessary.

The object in setting a price to the REVIEW, was not that it might be better sustained, for it was freely and fully supported by the liberal portion of its readers: but the small sum of $1 was stated that all its readers might be encouraged to pay for their own paper, and that it might be widely circulated.

The REVIEW is extremely low at $1 a year. We use better stock than most publishers, which is an additional expense. We insert no advertisements, on which most papers rely for a large portion of their support. And the matter is mostly original, which requires more labor than selections from other papers and works. When it was decided that the price of the REVIEW should be $1 a year, we were aware that a sacrifice must be made on the part of all connected with it, of at least one-third common wages. But this sacrifice is cheerfully made, to advance the cause of truth. In such an enterprise, under such circumstances we had reason to expect the prompt co-operation of all our friends.

We now want a great increase of subscribers, which would add but little to our expenses. We want those of our subscribers, who have not, and think it is just, to send to the Office, at their earliest convenience, the small sum of $1 for the REVIEW one year. And we want the friends of the cause to send in their donations to the Tract fund, and to send the REVIEW to the Lord's poor, that the Office may be released from embarrassment immediately.