MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEANS.
By M. E. S.
A lukewarm church will not let the Lord alone nor yet do his will. Come, come into the light of God's law and see that thou art neither cold nor hot. Apply there the eye-salve and perceive that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. You distinguish yourself as the class brought to view by the third angel's message: "Hear are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." You urge theoretical religion upon unbelievers, but where is the life and spirit of your practice? Do you daily examine your life in the light of all God's precepts and find them to be a law of liberty to you? In perceiving and endeavoring to heal one breach made in the law of God you have thought you discovered your whole duty and had need of nothing, while at the same time you were pressing wide open other breaches therein. I refer to the first and last commandments. You are very tenacious for the letter of the decalogue, but can you see no spirit in it? Jesus did when he said on two commandments (of love) hang all the law and the prophets. So did Paul when he declared, "Love is the fulfilling of the law." The lukewarm church has neglected the spirit of this pure unsectarian love, while it has been adhering so tenaciously to the letter of the law. Dear brethren and sisters we cannot keep God's law till we get into the position where we can love him supremely and our neighbor as ourselves. Now can it be said of us "Here are they that keep the commandments of God while we neglect the two greatest of those commandments? Come let us buy of the faithful Witness white raiment (without spot or wrinkle or any such thing) which is the righteousness of the saints. Rev xix, 8. Since righteousness is right doing, this white raiment must be a perfect conformity to God's requirements. Let me ask, Can we in our own strength get into the position where we can keep all God's law, where we can love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves? If we can secure this white raiment through our own efforts why are we counseled to buy it of the faithful Witness? Come let us try to reason together. We consent to the law that it is good; we see it now in its spirit of love; but on endeavoring to follow its requirements, we find, like Paul, that another law exists in our members which wars against the law of God, and while we would do good, evil is present with us. The more we endeavor to follow God perfectly, the nearer we get to the light which reveals to us more and more of our depravity and weakness, till in despair of delivering our own hearts from the law of sin, we cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" God requires perfect obedience to a law that is spiritual. I am naturally carnal, and the "carnal mind is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be." God is just, and therefore since he requires obedience and I cannot divest myself of the carnal mind which opposes obedience, he must open some other way whereby I may be freed from it and thus be brought where I can obey him. Paul says his word is sufficient to make me perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works; so the way must be revealed in the Bible. I search its pages and read that the blood of Jesus can purge my conscience from dead works to serve the living God, i. e., can take away from me the law or habit or sin (dead works) which prevented my entire obedience to God. This is just what I want, but how am I to lay hold upon it? Peter says, speaking of the Gentiles [Acts xv], "God put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Then the blood of Jesus is secured by faith. Faith in what? In the sufficiency of the blood to cleanse, and in the promise of God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. See 1 John i, 9. I would call particular attention to this point. We cannot exercise faith without evidence to found our faith upon; but in this instance, instead of founding our faith upon feeling i. e., believing our hearts are cleansed because we feel it, we are to believe it because God has promised to do it, and his promises are infallible. Is not this sufficient? It ought to be ground for stronger faith than feeling could possibly be; for our feelings may mislead us, but God can never. No we have not got to wait to feel that our hearts are cleansed before we can believe it, but we may know it at once if we will take God at his word. Let us perform our part and we may then trust fully that God performs his. What does he require of us? We cannot give him more than all we have and are, or more at any one moment than what we see to give (if he asks for more he will make it known and it only becomes duty to give as we see it); hence God being just does not require more. Can we give him less and receive full salvation? Certainly not, since he does not force salvation upon us in any degree. When he says "Son give me thine heart," he means the entire heart. If we are reserving any part, feeling179that we cannot let the Lord have that, we certainly know it, God cannot in such a state accept us; but he does receive us when we come casting our care and our burdens upon him, committing all our ways to him and bringing all our tithes into the storehouse. Come then dear brethren and sisters, don't wait to get rid of every or any wrong feeling before you come. Evil thoughts and feelings are the fruits of the fleshly or carnal mind, the effects of the law of sin. Instead of keeping us from the Lord, they should bring us immediately to him for deliverance. Remember this law of sin is not taken from us till we are the Lord's; hence we must not look for pure thoughts and feelings till we have given ourselves to God and take hold of his promises. Oh then come, come immediately, not only for forgiveness, but come to be freed from the law that would lead us into the same sins again. Can you not trust in the promise of a Being that is perfect? Yes you can; say that you will and do, all the devices of Satan to the contrary notwithstanding. God claims your heart completely; for the blood of Jesus which is applied is sufficient to take away the sin of the world with all the stains it has ever made. He then fills it with love for himself, and loving him so deeply, you cannot fail to love all his creatures. You stand on a footing with them, and hence love them as yourself, while your brethren are yet dearer. Did you ever think that as we cannot love God and mammon, neither can we love him supremely and any sin at the same time, for they are opposites; and since the purified heart is filled with love for God, for holiness, there is no room in it for love for anything that is sinful? Still the Devil may tempt such a heart at times as he did our Saviour, with a pleasing view of the things of this world. Thank God, temptation is not sin, for Jesus was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin; and as he overcame so may we while trusting in him. Dear Brn. and sisters do you desire to receive of the latter rain? Be assured God will not send his Spirit upon an unsubmitted, unholy heart. Your limited experience can already testify that you have not confidence to ask God for his Spirit while you indulge in known violation of his will. Do prepare for the time of refreshing, and thus prepared you will be fitted to meet that blessed Saviour who has purchased this salvation for us. Blessed Jesus! Come into the place where you can exclaim, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death," and then "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (the law of sin). Oh it is so good to be free, to let our heavenly Father bear all our burdens and take the entire charge of us, body soul and spirit, while we do his will as he reveals it to us. Why our peace and joy is unspeakable while our faith reaches to that within the veil. O be persuaded then to arise. Get the eyesalve that thou mayest see thy need of salvation, then beg of Jesus the gold (yea buy it with the exchange of all thou hast) which shall procure of him the white raiment, and being thus made holy, thou wilt be prepared to sup with Jesus here, and reign with him hereafter.
M. E. S.
Moscow, Wis.