MARY W. HOWARD by Mary W. Howard

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 30, 1865

MARY W. HOWARD

By Mary W. Howard

Suggested Thoughts. No. 2.

How carefully do we preserve in our memories, the dying words, much more the dying injunctions, of a friend. How almost as sacred, do we cherish these last words, even of an ordinary friend; and how infinitely more, if this friend occupies a position high in the estimation of the multitude. With what weight then, come to us the dying words of David, king of Israel,—David, whose sweet songs, inspired of the Holy Ghost, have thrilled thousands of Christian hearts in every age; and to-day, this power to stir the depths of the soul, can be attested by all who truly love God. With what soul-stirring eloquence and pathos, comes his parting behests to the son chosen of God "to sit upon the throne of the Lord over Israel to build the house and the courts of the Lord." "And thou Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off forever." 1 Chron. xxviii, 9.

At the standpoint from which these words were uttered, how fraught with significance of his coming life; from the standpoint from which we may look back upon it, how almost terrific, as we ponder upon Solomon's career, coming down from his hights of glory and world-wide renown, to his position as a pitiable idolater, whose end is obscured in gloom! Did David in this last admonition to his son, speak the true inspiration of God? and is it of general application? All Christians are ready to say at once, that the words, "If thou seek him he will be found of thee" were written for all coming time; but why so many inclined to flinch, if not "prevaricate," when it is claimed to be equally true that "if thou forsake him he will cast thee off forever." It is all very true that Solomon had been chosen of God. He (Solomon) had chosen wisdom and had walked in uprightness, aye in righteousness, yet the word of God declares, that "When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity . . . he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done, shall not be remembered." Eze. iii, 20. The Scriptures throughout, enjoin an active zeal in seeking after God, even "to stir up the heart to seek after God," to be careful to maintain good works; a "continuing to the end;" through "patient continuance in well doing seeking for glory and honor and immortality;" "giving earnest heed, lest at any time we should let them slip." But why multiply proofs? Is it not enough that Paul should express a fear, "lest after having preached to others, he should himself be a castaway?" 1 Cor. ix, 27.

True, when about to end his life of self-denying usefulness, Paul could, and did, confidently say, "I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me in that day, and not to me only, but to all them that love his appearing." But all along the journey of his Christian life, were dropping from his lips, such words as "Take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." We are made partakers of God, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence, steadfast unto the end. "Let us fear, lest a promise being left us, of entering into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it."

I have been led to this expression of my conviction of the teachings of God's word, from the fact that upon quoting Eze. iii, 20 referred to above, also Eze. xviii, 24, it was taken up by one, who made the whole sentiment hinge on the word when; thus "Yes! when a righteous man forsakes his righteousness, and dies in his unrighteousness, it was to be granted that such would be the case, but the presumption is, he will not do so."

Arguments seldom convince, and words were useless here; but I thought, Oh! what fallacious reasoning! Has God indeed been so kind as to scatter throughout his word such a multiplicity of earnest warning against an improbability? How sorrowful that any should blindly suffer themselves to be beguiled into such an error, Bible in hand and with good sense, that is quick enough in discerning the truth in matters other than religious. And it would seem that the array of quotations already cited, might lead one to pause, reflect, and consider the scriptural validity of even a pet theory to which they were constitutionally biassed. But as I before said, argument seldom convinces in such cases, nor will reason prevail; so with one more quotation I drop the matter, simply asking the unconvinced readers to decide before they drop it, what God's word means, when it saith, "Neither shall the righteous be able to live in his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trust in his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it." Eze. xxxiii, 12, 13. From verses 14-16 we are taught that when the wicked turn from their wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, none of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him; and this we know too, from the words of James, "Whoso converteth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins." Now the question arises with me, and may with others, Do sins once pardoned to those who "afflict their souls," or in other words, who repent of their sins and become conscious of reconciliation with God, ever again be recharged to them; if they "turn from righteousness and die in their iniquity?" From Acts iii, 19-21, we must infer, that this process of blotting out of sins does not occur at the time by many supposed, at the time the consciousness of pardon is experienced; so that in case of relapse into iniquity, the whole dark catalogue of sins may meet the backslider in the hour of doom. For in the words of another "those sins are gone forward to the judgment of the great day, and they will meet the sinner there, unless they are blotted out by the blood of Christ." But this does not imply that repentance and faith in Jesus do not bring a sense of pardon and reconciliation. To this, every child of God can testify. And this is just the prerogative of faith,—faith being the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.

With Prof. Bush, I incline to think that "the resurrection of the righteous is their full acquittal and redemption, their sins being blotted out when the times of refreshing shall have come, while the fact that the wicked come not forth at the first, but are reserved to the second resurrection, proves that they were previously condemned." Now as the blotting out does not occur till the refreshing, I see no reason, but all sins for which Jesus has not provided a covering, and been appropriated through faith by us, must be confronted by the sinner in that day, and be requited by the penalty—the second death.

MARY W. HOWARD

Malone, N. Y., May, 1864.