Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 23, 1894
Free Access to the Royal Fountain.
"For by Grace are ye saved through Faith." Eph. 2:8. This is God's means of saving men. It is by grace that we are saved; it is by or through faith that the grace is brought to us.
Grace.
Grace is defined as "unmerited favor." It sets forth in the above text God's unmerited favor to man. It is, in fact, the revelation to man of what God is and of what he wants to be to every soul.
What God Desires.
God desires to make man like himself. He chose us in Christ "before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." Eph. 1:4. The character desired in man is "after God," "created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. 4:24. As stated in other places: "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [conduct]; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15, 16. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48. Therefore, as God desires that man shall be like himself, he must reveal himself to man, and grace is that revelation of himself.
What God Is.
He is a Being of absolute infinity and eternity. He is omnipotent; all power is his. "He doeth according to his will;" "None can stay his hand;" "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places," are expressions used of his eternal might. He is "the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth." "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and they stood fast." He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He not only knows all things, but he knows how to use all things to his glory. "There is no searching of his understanding." That which is "deceitful above all things," the human heart, God knows perfectly. "Thou understandest my thought afar off." "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" Truly, "great is our Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite." He is infinite in power and knowledge and wisdom.
God's Character.
Well might we fear and tremble before such a Being if these were all of the attributes revealed to us. But the character which sways the mighty power and exercises the infinite wisdom is the character of infinite love. It is infinite power ruled by infinitely wise love. Such a Being is infinite perfection, and the glory of the perfection is the moral element—love. God's glory is his character; and that character or glory is goodness or love. Moses prayed, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory;" the Lord answered, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee." "And the Lord descended . . . and proclaimed the name of the Lord, . . . the Lord God, merciful and gracious; long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth," etc. (See Ex. 33:18, 19; 34:5, 6.) Truly "God is love," and everything that he has done for man, or will do, or can do, is done in love.
The Creation.
In love God created the earth for the home of man. In love he made man a free agent, to choose or refuse the good. In love he made life the result of righteousness and death the end of sin. God's glory is always for man's highest good; and man can only enjoy the highest happiness by voluntary choice of the way which leads to happiness, by choosing to coöperate with God in the work of character building.
The Fall and Redemption.
Man sinned and fell, and met the fruit of sin,—death. But God did not leave man in this sad condition. He revealed to man more of his grace. All that God could reveal of his love to man under his sinless condition he had revealed. Now when man had sinned, had broken truce with God, had lost connection with the Source of life and power, had sold himself to Satan and the bondage of sin, God revealed more of his favor. He even placed man on a better footing than before, "for when sin abounded, grace did superabound." Grace triumphed over sin; God's love furnished a substitute. Christ, the Creator, gave himself, that man might live.
"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7.
This is God's grace, the revealing of himself, of his infinite love, which withheld not the best of heaven's treasures, of the infinite desire to save man shown in these manifestations of love, of the infinite power and wisdom by which this love may be directed and made effectual to save every soul which will be saved.
The Infinite Fountain.
Grace is, then, the manifestation of God to us. The glad tidings is "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24); God's word is "the word of his grace" (Acts 20:32); Christ's sacrifice for us was "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 8:9); it was "the grace of God" (Heb. 2:9), which gave him to die; Christ as priest sits now upon a "throne of grace," to which we may "come boldly" (Heb. 4:16); the Holy Ghost is "the Spirit of grace" (Heb. 10:29); it is the grace of God "that bringeth salvation" (Titus 2:11)—but it is all of grace, and our God is "the God of all grace."
Access by Faith.
God's favor is extended by his providence to all. "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," and abundance of other blessings, in order that the goodness, or grace, of God may thus lead them to repentance. (See Acts 14:16, 17; 17:24-30; Rom. 2:4.) But that this grace may be effectual, it must be abundant, must reign in our lives. Rom. 5:17, 21. We must be connected with the fountain of the riches of grace; and this connection comes by faith; "for by grace are ye saved through faith." It is not the faith of itself which saves; it saves by bringing us into connection with God.
Faith.
Faith is not mere belief, nor assent to a proposition or fact. It is a principle, a power of will, of choice, which brings man into connection with God, and which is always based upon God's word. It is, in other words, submission to God's will, as expressed in his word, whether by precept or promise. Is it a precept?—faith submits, to obey implicitly. Is it a promise?—faith accepts it and the conditions on which it is based. And the words of God's grace to which faith submits always possess the potency of its performance, the power to do what the word commands. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." John 6:63. The word of God is a living word. Its life runs in the channels of infinite power, wisdom, and love; and when we in simple386faith submit to that word, we place ourselves in the channel of its working. Our will is laid aside; we have accepted of God's will; and God "worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will." Faith is to the human soul what the trolley is to the electric car. The track is all laid; the car stands on the track with perfect machinery; overhead runs a "live wire," charged with a plentitude of power, but the car does not move. But make connection with the trolley, the car is vitalized by the mysterious power, and becomes a thing of life. Just so the Christian lives by reaching up the arm of faith and grasping God by simple submission to his will; and life comes from the great Source of life. Read Rom. 5:12; Eph. 3:17; Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8:9.
How Submit.
Willingly submit to God. It is not submission to Providence to say, "I might as well bear it;" "I'll grin and bear it;" or, "I suppose I will have to do it or be lost." Only those who "receive" Christ will be truly sons of God. John 1:12. Not only receive him, but seek him, choose him first of all and above all,—Christ the way, the truth, and the life.
According to Need.
By faith we connect with God, and are justified from sin through Jesus Christ, the One in whom "all fullness" of grace dwells. By continued faith we have continued and constant access to the Fountain of grace. Rom. 5:2. But while in this fountain is "abundance of grace," the "exceeding riches of grace," we may draw from it only what we need. It is given "in all wisdom and prudence." God does not give grace to waste; to use a homely expression, he does not give a bushel of grace for a spoonful of need. He always gives just enough. Was Paul's trial great?—"My grace is sufficient for thee," is God's message. Do we need all things?—"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." Does sin abound within?—By faith open the Fountain, and grace will much more abound. The grace will exceed the sin, the trial, the need. The "exceeding riches of his grace" will supply all need here, and throughout all the eternal "ages to come" God will be continually revealing to those who are his the inexhaustible treasures. Sinner, God calls you by his grace, that he may make you "to the praise of the glory of his grace." His grace is the revelation of his character. His character is his glory; and, if you will trust him, "God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
It Is Not Compulsory.
By Editor
The Examiner, in referring to the ministers who desire the Midwinter Fair closed on Sunday, makes the following point, which is doubly worthy of their consideration, and the consideration of everyone else who believes in compulsory religion or morality:—
The memorialists appear to overlook the fact that the Fair is situated a considerable distance from the settled portions of the town, that it employs no emissaries to kidnap unwilling citizens and force them to witness its godless sights, and that even people who voluntarily undertake the long journey to its gates are compelled to yield up fifty cents apiece before they are allowed to enter. Certainly the churches have no reason to complain of such competition as that. They charge no admission fees, and if they want the public to attend their services instead of flocking to the Fair, all they have to do is to make their entertainment as interesting as that at the park.
The Spirit and the Law.
By Editor
“If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” Gal. 5:18. “Under the law” is under condemnation of law, guilty before God. This is shown by the fact that if a man who has been made free from sin through grace again yields to sin, he becomes a servant of sin. Rom. 6:14-16. When the sinner comes to God by faith, the blood of Christ washes away all past sin, and the Spirit of God regenerates the heart. The man is born of the Spirit, begotten through the word. But the law which condemned is of God; the Spirit which quickened is of God. Both are the same in nature. Man cannot obtain righteousness by doing, because he is weak, and has sinned; therefore God furnishes power by his Spirit. But the Spirit gives power to enable man to do what man of himself cannot do,—obey God’s law. Therefore “if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law,” because by the Spirit’s power ye obey the law. Rom. 8:3, 4.
Under the Law.
The term “under the law,” as used in Rom. 6:14, “For ye are not under the law, but under grace,” does not mean that man is not under obligation to obey the law. All are under obligation to obey the law, for otherwise the law could not condemn all as sinners. The apostle says, “We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.” Rom. 3:9. Again: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law [en tō nomō, within the law, subject to the law]; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Verse 19. All, therefore, are within the jurisdiction of the law, obligated to obey it, or the law would not adjudge them guilty. This is absolute proof that the law which points out sin is obligatory upon all, and this is the Decalogue, or the law which says, “Thou shalt387not covet.” Rom. 7:7. The expression in Rom. 6:14 is not the same as that in Rom. 3:19. The former we have stated above. The latter is hupo nomon, under law. Such an one is under condemnation, “under sin,” the transgression of the law, in the bonds of iniquity. But he whom Christ has made free is justified by grace through faith. The righteousness of God is imputed to him, and he is freed from the bondage of sin; he is in Christ. The law no longer condemns, but witnesses to his justification. Rom. 3:21, 22. In Christ man is not its debtor; he owes all to the grace of the pardoning power. But owing all to God, who pardons, he will yield every power of his being, and every faculty of mind and soul, to do God’s service, to obey his will, to follow the teachings of the Spirit. See Rom. 6:11, 12, 17, 18; 8:4. In so doing he will by the faith that worketh by love (Gal. 5:6) keep all of God’s commandments, and count them not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
Abounding Lawlessness.
Our Saviour declares in Matt. 24:12 that just before the end iniquity shall be multiplied, and the love of many shall wax cold. Certainly we have had the last few weeks plenty of evidence of abounding lawlessness. First, we had the disorders which have stirred the city of Denver and the State of Colorado to their very depths, and well-nigh precipitated a civil war. This was scarcely over before trouble broke out in South Carolina over the Dispensary law, between Governor Tillman and the State militia on the one side, and the liquor dealers and many of the people on the other, in which some were killed. And following immediately upon this are the scenes of disorder which have resulted in destruction of property and loss of life in the coke regions of Pennsylvania. Infuriated mobs of strikers have marched from plant to plant, committing the most atrocious outrages, and the last news at this writing says that as a result of it five men have been killed, and more than that mortally wounded. Even the women became so transformed by their thirst for blood that they beat to death one of their own friends before they recognized him. These things, with the almost instantaneous uprising of the industrial army in all parts of the United States, bodes no good to the country. The evil does not lie so much in these outbreaks themselves, but in the condition of things which breeds them. When a country like the United States, unequaled in resources, presents such a state of things as does this country to-day, it certainly shows a condition of the body politic which is anything but healthful. This we are not saying to the detriment or advantage of either of the two great political parties, for we have no reason to believe that it would be any different if the other party were in power. The root of the evil lies deeper than the surface, or political parties, it lies in the innate selfishness and greed of men, which no party platform can eradicate, and which can only be removed by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"WHATSOEVER."
Jesus says: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. Again, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do." John 14:13.
From a misunderstanding of the above scriptures there has often grown fanaticism on the one hand, and discouragement on the other. Unsanctified hearts have taught that God must give everything asked of him, and that we have a right to demand it. Good, humble souls have been filled with such teaching, have not received answers to unwise prayers, and have doubted and become discouraged. But God's word is not given to breed either fanaticism or doubt. God means what he says. Faith will obtain his answer.
But do not the above texts say "whatsoever," and does not "whatsoever" mean anything, without an exception?—Yes. But there are conditions always on which God bestows the blessings of his grace; and his promises are limited by the conditions. We may not take one text on a certain truth and base all upon its mere wording apart from other texts upon the same subject; for it is in this way that Satan obtains advantage of us. He told Jesus to cast himself from the pinnacle of the temple; and, to make the temptation effectual, quoted the promise: "He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."
The promise was all true, every word of it, and a little later in the mission of Christ, at Nazareth, it was demonstrated. But the text quoted by the enemy did not apply to a presumptuous or selfish act, and so Jesus says, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Here was another text which had a bearing upon the question, and the first must be understood to apply only when in harmony with the second. "All thy ways" would be all the ways in harmony with God's way.
So, while it is written, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them," "it is written again," "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." 1 John 5:14, 15.
But in the very texts used at the beginning of this article there are the same limitations. In the first—that of Mark 11:24—is faith (see verses 22, 23), and in the second—that of John 14:13—is the expression "in my name."
We must ask in faith; but faith is founded on God's word. That is not faith which is not founded on the word of God; it is presumption. But the word of God expresses the will of God; it is the revelation of his will. Then if our faith is founded on God's word, as it most assuredly is, if we possess faith (Rom. 10:17), and we submit to all that word, both in precept and promise, as we will if we "have faith in God," we will desire nothing so much as we desire God's will, and will, therefore, ask in accordance with God's will. We, therefore, may plead with unlimited confidence all that God has promised us in his word.
The second text uses the expression, "In my name." Christ's name; yea, names are indicative of character. See Ex. 34:6, 7; Matt. 1:21; Jer. 23:6. But God's character is revealed to us in God's word by faith. Asking in Christ's name is, therefore, again asking in faith, asking according to God's will; and in thus asking God will surely answer.
Upon this we may rely. Let us begin by pleading such promises as these: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." This is to be made like Christ; it is to have Christ dwelling within; and in him are all blessings.
THE PERFECTION OF THE LAW. NO. I.
By T. H. Starbuck
BY ELDER T. H. STARBUCK.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Ps. 19:7.
The divine perfection of the law of Jehovah is far beyond the power of the finite intellect to comprehend. “God is love,” and his great and wonderful love is revealed in his government of all rational beings by moral law. The Creator of worlds would have all his intelligent creatures to be sinless, and to reflect in their lives his divine perfections so far as they are capable. For this purpose he mirrored his perfections and attributes in the form of moral law for the government of his creatures, that obedience to it might insure peace, love, and righteousness throughout his illimitable dominions. The felicities of heaven can be secured only by perfect obedience to a perfect law.
But God’s law cannot be perfect unless it embodies all the divine perfections of his character. It must reflect every characteristic of the Godhead. It would have to embody every moral principle, and be universal in its adaptations, naturally fitted for the moral government of all morally accountable beings. That it is of this character is proved from the nature of God as revealed in his word. Its Author is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is universally and eternally the same being, which would necessarily make his moral rule the same in all worlds. If the intelligent beings of one world are made subject to one moral code, and those of another world to a different code, the two codes would not agree, and could not manifest to their respective subjects the perfect character of the same God. He could not exercise one kind of moral government in one world, and another kind in another world, for that would make him inconsistent with himself, and show him to be imperfect as a moral governor.
A perfect moral law cannot be limited in its adaptations or jurisdiction. Two perfect moral codes are an impossibility. The inhabitants of this world, and the different orders of angels in heaven, are subject to the same moral principles. This becomes apparent when the true nature of sin is fully understood. Sin is the transgression of the law—the same law which Inspiration says is perfect. But sin originated with Satan in heaven long before this world existed. Then the sin of the fallen angels was the transgression of the moral law, which proves that they were amenable to it before man was created.
This is obvious from another consideration—whatever evil disposition was in Satan after his fall was the same which he instilled into man’s nature when he led him to disobey God in Eden, for he could not impart to man a disposition which he did not possess himself. As the trend of character which he imparted to man was a disposition to violate the moral law, it is clear that he had transgressed that law long before in heaven, for the evil nature is obtained only through disobedience. But it would be impossible for him to transgress a law to which he was not amenable.
From such considerations it necessarily follows that all intelligencies in heaven and earth are amenable to the same moral law. It might here be objected that it would be impossible for the inhabitants of other worlds to observe the same exact time for the Sabbath that is required in the fourth commandment. But this apparent objection vanishes when the nature and object of the institution are carefully considered. 1. The institution is commemorative of God’s creative act. 2. It expresses Jehovah’s will in regard to the proper use of time. 3. It affords uniform opportunity for the worship of God. Should God create a world with reference to any definite number of days, making the last day of the cycle the Sabbath by a command, as in the fourth precept of the law, the inhabitants of that world would be under the very same moral principles in regard to a weekly rest day that men are.
It might also be objected that angels are not amenable to the seventh commandment, because the marriage relation does not exist among them; but there is nothing here to militate against the absolute perfection of the law. If there is a moral relation among men that does not exist among the angels, they are not subject to that moral principle, while men are. The law is broad enough in its scope to cover the moral relations of all created intelligences. If it were not, it would not be perfect. If, in certain conditions of life, the moral relations of the creatures do not cover all the moral principles embraced in God’s perfect law, then such beings are not under the jurisdiction of that part of the law not contained in their relations to each other. God is infinite in his ways, and adapts his moral government to the nature and requirements of his creatures in any state of existence.
MERCY IN THE LAW.
Many Bible students have taken too limited a view of the law of the great King. Much has been taught concerning it which, if true, proves it to be imperfect. The general trend of theological instruction is that the law is stern justice, and knows no pardon—that it points to no remedy, gives no388information in regard to salvation through Christ, or any means of escaping its penalty. If such views are correct, how can they be harmonized with many passages of Scripture setting forth the perfection of the law? Would it be like God to give a law designed for the moral development of his intelligent creatures which does not reflect to them every phase of his moral character? A law reflecting every phase of God's moral character would be a necessity in order to develop in them his own divine perfections. But his law falls short of this conception if mercy is not a principle inherent in it. Human laws are imperfect at best, but God's law embraces every perfection. Such limited views as those above are the product of measuring God's perfect law from the basis of imperfect human laws. Without the aid of inspiration man's finite mind is incapable of reasoning to correct conclusions concerning the nature of a law that is infinite in its scope. It does not belong to the finite to scan the infinite.
The true merits of the law can be understood only in the light of what the Scriptures say of it. David says it "is perfect, converting the soul." If mercy and pardon are principles foreign to its nature, how can it convert the soul? An instrument devoid of the principles of mercy cannot be used as a channel through which to dispense mercy. A principle which does not inhere in the law cannot be manifested by the law. "I will never forget thy precepts; for with them thou hast quickened me." Ps. 119:93.
This Old Testament idea of its perfection was advanced by Paul to the Galatians. Gal. 3:24. From the import of this scripture it is evident that the law is constituted a monitor, or disciplinarian, to bring men to Christ, that they might be justified by faith. It is in this manner that its converting power is exercised. If there is nothing but condemnation in it, how can it bring to Christ for justification? That would be inconsistent with its true nature. If it were destitute of mercy, it could have no converting power. The Psalmist again testifies, "Thy commandment is exceeding broad." But it is not exceeding broad so long as there is any moral principle not embraced in it. To deprive it of one moral principle would curtail its exceeding breadth.
True Dignity
“True dignity is never gained by place, and never lost when honors are withdrawn.”
“WE WOULD SEE JESUS.”
By Margaret J. Preston
BY MARGARET J. PRESTON.
We would see Jesus when our hopes are brightest,
And all that earth can grant is at its best,
When not a drift of shadow, even the lightest,
Blurs our clear atmosphere of perfect rest.
We would see Jesus when the joy of living
Holds all our senses in a realm of bliss,
That we may know he hath the power of giving
Enduring rapture more supreme than this.
We would see Jesus when our pathway darkens
Beneath the dread of some impending ill,
When the discouraged soul no longer hearkens
To hope, who beckons in the distance still.
We would see Jesus when the stress of sorrow
Strains to their utmost tension heart and brain,
That he may teach us how despair may borrow
From faith the one sure antidote of pain.
We would see Jesus when our best are taken,
And we must meet, unshared, all shocks of woe,
Because he bore for us, alone, forsaken,
Burdens whose weight no human heart could
know.
We would see Jesus when our fading vision,
Lost to the consciousness of earth and sky,
Has only insight for the far elysian;
We would see Jesus when we come to die.
—S. S. Times.
CHRIST CAME TO BREAK SIN'S CHAIN.
By Mrs. E. G. White
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
(Concluded.)
Fathers and mothers, are you laborers together with God? How are you bearing the weighty responsibilities that rest upon you? How are you educating and training your children? Are you from their babyhood teaching them habits of self-control? Do you educate them to know that they cannot have everything they want? Are you teaching them to become missionaries for God, that they may go to the islands of the sea and proclaim the message of mercy to those who are in the darkness of error? Teach them that Christ, the precious Saviour, came to our world to save men from the transgression of the law of God. When God gave Jesus to the world, he gave all heaven in one rich gift. God made it manifest to the world, to angels, seraphim and cherubim, that his gift could not be excelled; for in the gift of Christ all was given.
Christ came to the world as a sin bearer. John exclaims, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." Jesus takes our sins away, and then imparts his own righteousness. The whole world is lying in wickedness. We see on every side crime, murder, embezzlement, pleasure seeking, gambling, horse racing, and every manner of evil. Who is the leader in all this engrossing of the minds of men in evil? It is Satan, who soon expects to gather in the harvest of the whole earth. But when the judgment shall sit, and the books be opened, every man shall be judged out of those things which are written in the books according to his works. What preparation are we individually making to meet that great day? Are we seeking to remove temptation from the rising generation? Are we making the name of Christ a familiar one in our homes? God grant that you may educate your children for heaven.
Fathers and mothers, a sacred trust has been committed to you. You are to be godly, firm, temperate. Let no one find you smoking or drinking. Remember that you transmit these depraved appetites to your children. God wants you to keep before them the fact that there is a heaven to win, a hell to shun. He wants you to keep them pure from the vicious, vile habits of the world. Keep your children at their home, and if people say to you, "Your children will not know how to conduct themselves in the world," tell your friends that you are not so concerned about that matter, but that you do want to take them to the Master for his blessing, even as the mothers of old took their children to Jesus. Say to your advisers: "Children are the heritage of the Lord, and I want to prove faithful to my trust. The presence of God must be in my household, in order that as a family we shall present to the world evidences of his divine power. My children must be brought up in such a way that they shall not be swayed by the influences of the world, but where, when tempted to sin, they may be able to say a square, hearty no. They must be trained in such a way as to be able to say, 'I will cling to the promises of God.'" "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Tell your friends and neighbors that you want to see your family inside the gates of the beautiful city. Teach your children to know God; teach them that eternal life is of more value to them than the fleeting pleasures and honors of the world. Train them, mothers, from their earliest years in the principles of Christianity, in love, in truth, in genuine Christian politeness.
The wealthy classes are not excused from serving Christ, and from educating their children for the courts of heaven. What difference will it make with the judgment of your children if you have lived in palaces equal to that of Solomon? Is not Christ everything to us? and is it not necessary for us to be laborers together with God? We should tell our children that we desire them to join the army of the Lord. We should teach them to have beauty and loveliness of character. Jesus says, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Teach your children that the beautiful flowers that God has caused to grow are the expression of his love for us. Clothe your children in simple garments, and take time to open the Scriptures to them.
It is a most grievous thing to let children grow up without the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God did not unfit Daniel to be one of the greatest statesmen in the proud court of Babylon. The God of heaven recognized him as his child. He would not defile himself with strong drink and with the rich food from the king's table. And God gave him wisdom. But would God have given him wisdom if he had not walked in his counsel? Satan does not give true wisdom to men. When Daniel and his fellows were examined by the king, they were found to be ten times better than all the astrologers that were in the king's court. The record declares: "As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. . . . And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm."
We need the wisdom of God to carry with us through this life into the future, immortal life. We know not when our probation shall end. I have just read of a man who went out with his cart to his business, and in one hour he was killed. We hear of many who are cut off in a moment. We value every human soul, because God has given great opportunities to men, and in eternity alone can the length of the chain be measured by which you are to be saved. You can measure the love of God only as you look to Calvary.
What have you done with your intellect, in order that you may be complete in Christ Jesus? If mothers and fathers had learned of Christ, the greatest Teacher the world ever knew, we should see families that would be symbols of the family of heaven. If God endowed them with wealth, they would not use it all for the adornment of their poor bodies, but would realize that God had given it to them in trust, to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked.
The Bible is the garden of God. Are you discouraged? Are you bereaved? The word of God tells you not to sorrow as those who have no hope, for there will be a relinking of the family chain. When we look upon our dead, we think of the morning when the trump of God shall sound, and when the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Christ proclaimed, "I am the resurrection and the life." A little longer, and we shall see the King in his beauty. A little longer, and he shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. A little longer, and we shall have a robe of purity, whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten it. It is the garment woven in the loom of heaven, not to cover over our sins, for Jesus takes away the sin of the world, but to clothe us in the righteousness of Christ. I want to behold him until I shall be changed into his likeness; for by beholding we become changed. We should talk of the crown of life, of the heaven of bliss that awaits the faithful. May God help us to press the battle to the gate. He will place the crown of life upon our heads as we proclaim, "Worthy, worthy is the Conqueror." We shall exclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and389wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing."
Do you want heaven? Then will you show the line of demarkation between you and the world, and hear at last the words of approbation, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."