p. 123 | God's Peculiar People

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 15, 1864

God's Peculiar People.

"THE Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." He sends rain on the evil and the good, on the just and the unjust; yet he has a peculiar people, or one whom he calls his own. When the children of Israel had been led out from the land of bondage, the Lord said to them, "Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people;" and of the Saviour it is said, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

This then must we do, if we would be beloved of our Heavenly Father, "Obey his voice indeed, and keep his covenant," and be zealous of good works. "His voice;" we know that once it woke our world into being, it gladdened Eden while the perfect law of love remained unbroken; it made his covenant people fear before Sinai;" it was full of love and majesty as it spake the words, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

To us the voice from Sinai still speaks in thunder-tones; its commands are plainly written in our memories, are they as plainly acted out in our lives? Many of us have entered into covenant with God, do we faithfully keep that covenant in spirit as well as form? The law, proclaimed amid thunders and lightnings, came by Moses; grace and truth, heralded by angels singing the sweet chorus, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good-will toward men," came by Jesus Christ, who summed up the commandments thus, "Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself." By his blessed example making more potent his words, he taught how to be zealous in good works, and they who have his spirit follow in his footsteps. Meek and lowly, like him, they shrink from no service which love to God and man dictates. Compassion fills their hearts for all the sorrowing sons of men, and words of sincere sympathy, and deeds of kindness attest their discipleship. The cup of sorrow is oft-times pressed to their own lips, and the heavy cross laid upon their weary shoulders till they cry, "If it be possible, remove this cup from me, O Father; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

So are they brought into fellowship with Christ's sufferings, and so does he, year by year, "purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."—Advocate.