What is the Truth Worth?
By J. H. W.
THERE are many who believe the present truth, who are deterred from obeying the commandment of God only by their worldly feelings. They fear they cannot succeed in business and lose the seventh day. They cannot trust God, and sacrifice one-sixth of their time to please him and to secure the eternal inheritance. They hazard the salvation of their souls for a mere trifle, while the Saviour said it would not profit them to gain the whole world. Speaking of the commandments of God, David said they were more to be desired "than much fine gold." Psa. 19. Again he said, "The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." Psa. 119: 72. And in verse 127, "I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold." We shall be able to justify David's expression of the value of the commandments by reading Rev. 22: 14: "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." The city here means the New Jerusalem, which the prophet had just described as most glorious. The inhabitants of that city have no care, no pain, no tears, no death. There all is joy, and they shall evermore "delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Thousands of gold and silver, much fine gold, cannot purchase admittance into that glorious city. But they who keep the commandments of God may enter there. Truly they are worth more than all the treasures of this poor world. This view I have often contemplated with a thankful heart that the Lord has enabled me to sacrifice the hopes and riches of this world, to keep the commandments of God. But never was the poverty of earthly hopes more strongly contrasted to my mind, with the value of God's truth, than by the words of a brother with whom I was conversing recently. He had introduced me to a friend who was a professed believer in the Bible. He was also a believer in the Sabbath, but not openly. He thought we were right—that the commandment is binding, and the seventh day is the Sabbath—but he could not keep it without losing one-sixth of his time. For, where he is laboring he could not work on the first day, and therefore, said the brother, "he cannot obey God, as it would cost him fourteen dollars a month!" This is a just view of the value that many professed Christians put upon the word of God, in this age. There is much that is superficial; little that is deep and substantial, much formality, and little power. The religion of the day is worldly and selfish. "Luke warm" is its best description. To the professed Christians of these times these words of the Lord well apply: "With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Ex. 33: 31. We are often led to wonder that people with Bibles in their hands can be so deluded as to indulge a hope of salvation while the truth of God is everywhere sacrificed for worldly considerations. Perhaps the true explanation is found in the scriptures: "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." Isa. 29: 13, 14. They that do not love the truth, who have pleasure in unrighteousness, are left to strong delusions. 2 Thess. 2. Unrighteousness is sin, which is transgression of the law. 1 John 5: 11, and 3: 4. They who turn away from the law of God lose their discernment in sacred things. Their wisdom becomes folly. Their understanding is perished. The Saviour quoting this made a more direct application of "teaching for doctrine the commandments of men," to those who have "made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." Matt. 15: 4-9. This is the sin of this age: things taught only by tradition are magnified, while the weightier matters of the law are made of none effect. The danger, however, is not with those classes who reject the truth; who do not confess the commandments before the world. We who have accepted and heard the message need to pay the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest at any time we let them slip. Heb. 2: 1. To us the words of Peter have special application: "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Pet. 3: 17, 18. Brother, sister, how much is the truth worth to you? What is its value to you in the sight of the world? in the work of overcoming? in your every-day life and calculations? in your hopes and joys? Is it first, greatest, chief of all? "Examine yourselves." We mourn the folly of the world in their not accepting the truth. Let them not be led to wonder at our inconsistency in our profession of it.