THE SUPREME WILL AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER.
By Roderick S. Owen
BY RODERICK S. OWEN.
God's Will.
God has established his will as supreme, and requires on the part of every creature a perfect obedience to it in even the most minute details. This he has abundantly taught in his word, not only by commanding obedience, but also by giving repeated examples of punishments inflicted for disobedience in matters to human minds of seemingly small import.
But is not this an arbitrary course on the part of God? and does it not greatly abridge the liberties of his creatures? Why is God so particular? Why does he demand such entire submission to his will? Order is said to be the first law of heaven, and Inspiration tells us that “God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace.” 1 Cor. 14:33. It is evident from this that God desires perfect harmony in all his universe, and unbroken accord among all his creatures. But this condition will be found only where there is established a fixed and uniform rule of action, accompanied by an entire compliance to the same on the part of all. All confusion is but the result of differences of opinion which find expression in discordant actions. Hence it is necessary that a supreme will be established and perfect submission to the same required.
Since this rule of action is to control every intelligent creature, great wisdom should be employed in marking it out. And since God is the all-wise One, and his will must be the expression of the sum total of all wisdom, therefore his will should be the one established.
The truly wise father is impartial, seeking the highest good for each one of his children. Therefore God, as the all-wise father of all, points out in his will that course of action which, if followed, will ultimately result in the greatest possible good to all. In following this course, then, is our liberty abridged? What is true liberty? It is not, as some say, “the right to do as I please.” But it is, in God's sight, in the highest sense, the right to do that which will result in my highest good. True liberty, therefore, is found only in perfect submission to the will of God. The psalmist sounded the keynote to the whole question when he said, “I will walk at liberty; for I seek thy precepts.” Ps. 119:45. And he whom the Son makes free is free indeed, for when Christ sets one at liberty, it is done by creating him anew unto good works, by the renewing of the mind, by writing the6law of God in the heart, by imparting to us the divine nature, so that we will conform to his commandments.
But is it not selfish in man to seek his own highest good?—Yes, if he seeks it for self alone, but not if he seeks it in God's way; for his highest good is simply the highest possible development of all the right powers of his being. This will render him the greatest possible blessing to all about him, and in this condition he will reflect the most glory and honor upon his Creator. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Rev. 4:11. It was not selfish for God to seek his own pleasure in the creation of all things; for his pleasure, as we have seen, is the highest good of all, the perfect development of each one. And when every one shall seek the perfect development of his powers, that he may be able to contribute to the best good of all about him, then all will be in one accord with God's purpose, and harmony will exist everywhere. O, how the thought thrills the heart, and how we long to see that time!
For envy then shall flee away,
From the clear light of that glad day,
And hate and strife shall not be seen,
But happiness shall reign supreme.
Peace shall abide on every hill,
And joy shall dwell by every rill,
And love shall flow in channels broad
Throughout the universe of God.
And this condition of harmony will be experienced when all shall have developed characters in keeping with the divine will, providing his will is settled and unchanging. Upon this condition only could the creature proceed with any assurance of success; for should there be at any time a change, he would find himself out of harmony both with the Creator and with those who should develop under the revised will. But we are persuaded that God's will, like himself, is the same to-day, yesterday, and forever, without variableness or shadow of turning.
Character Development
We now come to consider the development of character. Character differs from reputation. Reputation is what a man appears to be. Character is what he is. A man may love his reputation, but not his character. Christ was made of no reputation (Phil. 2:7), but his character was untarnished. Only known acts, or others' attitude, affects our reputation; but every act of ours affects our character. Most men are influenced in their actions by both their reputation and their character. But the man upon whom you can rely is the one whose every act rightly represents his character, independent of his reputation. Ultimately, when the character is fully developed, it will control every act, and then the reputation will be the true reflection of the character.
A character is a bundle of habits. A habit is a bundle of acts. An act is the representative of a thought. Thus, act, habit, and character all are the outgrowth of thought. To form right characters we must learn to think aright. But we are affected by the thought whether it be expressed in an outward act or not. Thus the man who determines to do a wrong but never has the opportunity has marred his character with the wrong. For this reason God has said, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,” and, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” Then let us always remember that in the secret worship of the mind we are constantly building character.
Again, if a man should be overcome and forced to perform an act against his will, he would not really be involved in that act, since he is only an instrument, a mere machine, in the hands of his superiors in power; and since the powers of his mind are not involved in such an act, it is evident that it could not affect his character in the line of the act. But he is affected by it, for the rebellion of the mind in not consenting to the act will develop character in the opposite direction; thus it is clear that God can not assist us in developing right characters by compelling us to do right. And these considerations show that character is developed only by the exercise of the will in choosing. Every evil thought retained is a wrong choice, while every good thought cherished is a right choice. Consequently, to develop right characters, the mind must be entirely submissive to the will of God, so that we will think the thoughts of God. In keeping with this we read, “Casting down imaginations [reasonings], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:5. Then since it all depends upon our choice, upon the attitude of our will upon every question, it is clear that the man who continually holds his will on God's side is advancing, even though his way may be dotted with failures because of his weaknesses and surroundings. If his choice is always to do right, ultimately, by the grace of God, he will find his character so developed that he will rise above his surroundings and overcome his weaknesses.
Then we conclude that since God desires perfect harmony among all his intelligent creatures, and since this end could be attained only by uniformity of action, it was therefore necessary to establish his will as supreme, since only by willing obedience is right character developed. It is therefore necessary that God give to every creature the power of choice.
SPIRITUAL WORSHIP ESSENTIAL.
By Ellen G. White
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
The Lord Jesus in his lessons of divine truth sought to lead the minds of his hearers to look beneath the typical sacrificial offerings to the essential things which were symbolized by the Jewish ordinances. He exalted the law of God, showing that it is more comprehensive in its character than any civil law for the government of earthly kingdoms. He had inspired the prophets to discern the pure and holy principles which they had communicated to the world. He had presented before them his work of divine instruction; but notwithstanding the fact that Christ had laid down line upon line and precept upon precept, yet the Jewish nation had sunk into painful idolatry. They made everything of form and ceremony and neglected spiritual worship. They clothed themselves with zeal in making rigid external observances, and concluded that their nation had fallen into decay because they had been too lax in their outward forms. The teachers made a study of formulating new exactions in their religious ceremonies. The people were called upon to go through a weary round of offerings for purification. The rabbis were not content to follow the specifications that had been given through Moses to the people; but they made minute specifications that must be fulfilled. They must engage in long, tedious prayer, take part in various fasts, in the washing and cleansing of vessels, and in many meaningless ceremonies. When the Lord chose John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ to prepare his way before him by announcing to the world the coming of the divine Teacher, he was specially directed not to receive his education in the schools of the rabbis; for they had mutilated the law, burdening it down with such requirements that men could not obtain a correct idea of truth. He must go far back of their teachings, and on no account be moulded by their imposing display. Their religion was barren of spirituality, was a mere mechanical piety. John must obtain his education in the wilderness, breathing the pure air, and studying the unadulterated word of God through his prophets. Christ had taught them righteousness,—love to God and their neighbor, which were the requirements of the law. When the great Teacher himself came from heaven, he stripped the law of the rubbish of men's opinions, and repudiated their human traditions. He lifted up the royal law, which had been degraded by priest and rabbi, and presented it as the expressed character of the only true God. He showed that in its least as well as in its greatest enactments it would be forever binding upon the inhabitants of both heaven and earth.
The rabbis saw that the teaching of Christ was counteracting the traditions of the elders, and making of no effect the religious ceremonies that they had been taught as all-essential. Christ's explanation as to what constitutes true virtue and true principles condemned them in their mere external observances. He openly rebuked their hypocrisy, saying to his disciples, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
The Pharisees were charged with breaking the commandments of God. Christ himself was the divine Word, and had instructed Israel; but they had interpreted the word of God in their own way. In their blindness, in their separation from God, they sought to make the holy teachings of the prophets, seem to sustain them in their unrighteous course of action. Thus they were misleading the nation and causing them to drink from corrupted fountains. They were confused in their conceptions of truth. The rabbis magnified trifles into mountains of importance, while matters of eternal moment were depreciated in their eyes. The true principles of morality were boldly undermined.
But Jesus presented the law in its original significance. In clear, distinct language he opened before the multitudes the misleading principles of these hypocritical teachers, who were twisting the plainest precepts of the royal law, through the means of their traditions, so that an entirely opposite conclusion would be reached than the plain precept of God required. The man who was punctilious in the matter of observances was looked up to with the greatest reverence, although his inner life was selfish, immoral, and depraved. The teachings of the prophets were not regarded, and the principles not obeyed which wrought holiness of life. All these were set aside as unessential; but the exactions of the rabbis, in which was not a particle of divinity, in which was only darkness, were regarded with superstitious reverence.
With what pity and sympathy the Lord looked upon these misled people; but in the sermon on the mount he announced the royal law in clear and decided utterances. Those who served under his banner must possess a piety, a righteousness beyond anything presented in the precept or example of the scribes and Pharisees. He would not permit men to think that he had come to do away with the law or the prophets. This was not his errand. He said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
The principles of Christ's kingdom are to be carried out in practical life, in the practice of self-denial and self-sacrifice for the good of others. Christ revealed the Father as one who loved humanity from the very beginning of the world. The love of God was made evident by the flowers growing in beauty around them. He had given them these beautiful things. He cares for the flowers and the birds, and would he not have a greater love for one formed in his own image? The whole world, the evil and the good, lay in the sunshine of his eternal love. In view of the Father's love, we are exhorted by the Saviour to love others. In the sermon on the mount he said: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
A HYMN.
By Gertrude E. Judson
BY GERTRUDE E. JUDSON.
SAVIOUR, come with pitying voice,
Bid this darkness dread depart;
At thy word of power divine,
Peace and light will fill my heart.
Thou, O Christ, my portion be,
Fill, O fill, this aching heart
With such love and zeal for thee
Earthly cares shall have no part!
I would have no love but thine,
Have no will, but in thee move;
Cleanse my heart from earthly dross,
There may dwell the Heavenly Love.
EXODUS IN THE SEPTUAGINT.
By F. D. Starr
BY F. D. STARR.
The name “Exodus,” as well as “Genesis,” is distinctly a Greek word. Several of the books of the Old Testament are named in English according to the names given them by the Greek translators. The meaning of the word “Genesis,” as is well understood, is the generating, beginning, or creating of things. “Exodus” signifies a going out, a departure, or the way out. The word itself is found in the sixteenth verse of the twenty-third chapter of this book. In speaking of the feast of ingathering, in the end of the year, the Septuagint says, “in the ἐξόδου (exodus, or going out) of the year.” This word is also found in Lev. 23:36. Mention is there made of a solemn assembly. The term used for “solemn assembly” in the Greek is ἐξόδιον (exodion). This would signify that this solemn feast was a feast of the exodus, and certainly the feast of tabernacles, celebrated at this time, would bring the exodus, following which the children of Israel dwelt in tabernacles or tents so many years, vividly to mind.
Pharaoh Preserved.—Ex. 9:16 presents something that, to many minds, is quite a problem. That verse reads, “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power; and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.”
The idea which many get is that God had raised Pharaoh up for the special purpose of destroying him. A little different view is presented in reference to this matter by reading the Greek version. Verses 16 and 17 of this chapter read thus: “And for this purpose hast thou been preserved, that I might display in thee my strength, and that my name might be published in all the earth. Dost thou then yet exert thyself to hinder my people, so as not to let them go?” God had mercifully preserved the life of Pharaoh, as he has that of every other human being, that in him his strength might be made manifest. This thought ought to call forth the gratitude of the monarch. God might have displayed his strength in Pharaoh in the same way that he displayed his strength in Paul, who stated that he would glory because the power of God was manifested in him; for God’s strength is made perfect in man’s weakness.
Pharaoh lived at a very important epoch in this world’s history. He had come to the throne for a divine purpose, the same as Esther had, and indeed the matter was presented to her in a very similar manner by her uncle: “Who knoweth whether thou hast come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14. Esther acted the part which God would have her act, that she might be an instrument in his great plan of delivering his people. Had she not done so, God’s power would have been manifest the same, but she, like Pharaoh, would have been destroyed; for it is further stated of her, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed.” The statement to Pharaoh, “Dost thou then exert thyself to hinder my people so as not to let them go?” would seem quite plainly to imply that the meaning of the reasoning of the Lord and his servant to Pharaoh was to this very point. As he was living at the important time when God was about to deliver Israel, it was his privilege to be an instrument in helping to accomplish that deliverance and assisting in freeing the bondmen; but if he chose not to have the power of God manifest through him in a manner beneficial to the race, the power of God would be manifest in him in a manner very humiliating to himself and his nation.
There is certainly a lesson in this for us. We have come to a very important epoch in this world’s history. It is the design of God to manifest his power in or through us. His design will be carried out. Shall we gladly consent to have that power manifest in us to his glory and the good of our fellow beings? If not, it will be manifest in us in the opposite manner.
Dipping the Hyssop.—Ex. 12:22 mentions the ceremony of dipping a bunch of hyssop into the blood, preparatory to sprinkling it on the lintel and side posts of the house. As is well understood by those whose attention has been called to this fact, the word for “dip” is here, as in numerous other places in the Old Testament, the same word from which the word “baptize” of the New Testament comes. This, with all other like expressions, shows that it was well understood that to baptize meant to dip, to plunge, to submerge. Wherever the word “sprinkle” occurs, there is an entirely different expression, as, for instance, Ex. 24:8, etc.
The Sojourning of Israel.—Ex. 12:40 reads: “Now the sojourning of the children of7Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” This has been a puzzle to many minds, as Scripture chronology does not seem to show that they were in Egypt so long. It appears evident that the period of four hundred and thirty years covers not only the time which Israel was in Egypt, but also the previous period of sojourning in Canaan. The Septuagint comes to our relief. We will give its rendering of this verse: “And the sojourning of the children of Israel which they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was four hundred and thirty years.” The addition of the expression “and the land of Canaan” makes all clear and satisfactory. [The Samaritan gives the same.—Ed.]
Go Forward.—At the border of the Red Sea Moses was to give to the children of Israel the command that they should go forward, as stated in Ex. 14:15. The command to go forward seems to have been rather more comprehensive than we would understand it to be from the English term. The Greek renders it, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they harness (or yoke up) again.” This would signify that there was some work of preparation to do to get their teams and wagons ready, that they were to prepare for a march, as they had previously made a temporary halt. It would seem from the statement of verse 21 that a few hours’ time was necessary before they could actually accomplish this march. We there read: “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.” Often in a command for a forward march is implied the necessary preparation for that march.
Axletrees Bound.—Verse 25 of this chapter states that the Lord “took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily.” While this may have been the correct rendering, we would here state that the reading of the Septuagint is this: “And bound the axletrees of their chariots, and caused them to go with difficulty.” This is certainly a far more common occurrence, for it is not an unusual experience to have a wheel become bound to an overheated axle, so it will not move. This would certainly make the chariots move very heavily.
The Order of the Commandments.—Perhaps the reader has noticed that quite frequently in New Testament quotations of the Ten Commandments, what in the usual enumeration is the seventh commandment is quoted before the sixth and other commandments. This will be noticed in Mark 10:19; Luke 18:18; Rom. 13:9. This would seem to indicate that the Septuagint arrangement was followed in this respect. As in the giving of the Decalogue, as recorded in Ex. 20:13–15, the order of the commandments in that translation is, “Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill.” Of course this is very immaterial, although the fact here stated will help to show us why the exact order that we observe in the enumeration of the commandments was not always used in the New Testament quotations.
The Peace Offering.—A kind of sacrifice called peace offerings is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. Ex. 20:24 mentions this species of offerings, with burnt offerings, etc. Just what was signified by these peace offerings we doubtless do not fully comprehend. It is worthy of notice that the word used for “peace offerings” in the Greek version, σωτήρια (sōtēria, from sōtēr, Saviour), is the same word elsewhere used for “salvation.” Among many other places, the expression “peace offerings” occurs in Ex. 24:5; 29:28; 32:6. We would be glad if the reader would examine these Scriptures, and then remember the fact that in the New Testament this same word occurs in many instances, as we have stated, where it is rendered “salvation.” As instances we give Luke 1:77; 19:9; Acts 4:12; Rev. 7:16; John 4:22. These scriptures have plain reference to the salvation wrought by the Saviour of the world. With this view of the subject, the sacrifices might perhaps be more properly called “salvation offerings,” and the believer, who understood the signification of those sacrifices, would clearly see in this type Him in whom alone is salvation, and who came as the Saviour of the race, to fulfill all these types and shadows.
OUR COUNTRY'S FLAG.
By H. P. Phelps
BY H. P. PHELPS.
Its Meaning.
“Unfurl the glorious banner, the banner of the free,
The emblem of our country's pride, on every land and sea,
The emblem of our liberty, borne proudly in the wars,
The hope of every freeman, the glorious Stripes and Stars.”
Yes, unfurl it; lift it up on high; honor it; respect it; but O, do not forget the principles that it represents! To shout the praises of “Old Glory,” and at the same time ignore the very principles which brought it into existence, would be but folly. To unfurl the flag before the world, upon the capitol dome and “the little red schoolhouse,” while we forget and ignore the principles for which our fathers fought, as they followed it on to victory, would be but hypocrisy. It would be more. It would be treason to the flag itself. There is danger of exalting the symbol while trampling upon the principles represented by the symbol. What, then, are these principles which gave birth to the nation's flag?—The answer is that they are the very principles that gave birth to the nation. It was civil and religious liberty, as recognized in the nation's bill of rights as a self-evident truth.
The New York World of August 12 says: “The law of equality is the foundation of the law of liberty. It is solely because men are ‘created equal’ that they have an ‘inalienable right’ to liberty. If men were not created equal, then one man or some men would have the right to rule others, to dominate their wills, to control their conduct, to direct their consciences. Every instinct of the American people denies the existence of such a right anywhere on earth.” Indeed, such a right does not exist in the universe, for it was the eternal purpose of the Creator that man should be God's own freeman. And the Creator himself does not seek to compel, but says, “Whosoever will, let him come.” Then no men or set of men should try to compel, or rule over, others. The foundation stone of a republic is that every man should govern himself. Said Abraham Lincoln, “This is a government of the people, for the people, and by the people”—not in government of others, but in self-government, recognizing the inalienable right of all men to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” which means the free exercise of one's own faculties. As stated by W. A. Blakely, Esq., in “American State Papers:” “Pagan and Mahometan, Gnostic and Agnostic, Jew and gentile, Catholic and Protestant, are all entitled to the unrestricted exercise of their equal rights, and to an impartial protection by the government in such exercise. These are the principles characteristic of American institutions; these were the principles of the founders of the government; these are the principles of Anglican liberty, and the ideals of Anglican philosophy.” And Bancroft, the historian, very justly remarks: “Vindicating the right of individuality even in religion, and in religion above all, the new nation dared to set the example of accepting in its relations to God the principle first divinely ordained in Judea. It left the management of temporal things to the temporal power; but the American Constitution, in harmony with the people of the several states, withheld from the federal government the power to invade the home of reason, the citadel of conscience, the sanctuary of the soul, and not from indifference, but that the infinite spirit of eternal truth might move in its freedom and purity and power.”
These are the principles for which the fathers of the republic gave their all, the very principles upon which the government itself is founded. These are the principles represented by the nation's flag; and wherever that flag is unfurled, it is as a pledge before all the world that we, their children, still remember these principles, and that they shall ever be maintained and perpetuated.
The boast of our educational principles is in this individuality of thought and action, individuality in all matters of conscience, each deciding for himself upon the great questions of the day. It will not answer, therefore, to deny the right of every man to display his loyalty to the nation's flag in his own way, whether it shall be wafted to the breeze from his own housetop, or whether he may be content to see it unfurled from the national buildings, lest in compulsion by law we deny the very principles represented by that flag. It will not answer, as is now being done in some of the states, to prohibit certain ones from the advantages of equal educational privileges because of their color. Nor will it do to allow that old spirit of religious bigotry and intolerance to so far get the better of the finer feelings of the human heart, as is now being done in some of the states, so far as to send men—good citizens, conscientious men, who were charged with no other crime than that of resting on the seventh day of the week and exercising their individual right of working six days—to jail and to the chain-gang, thus repudiating these principles, while we vainly boast of our liberties, lest we make the flag to be despised. But rather let the sons of those noble sires stand by and maintain those eternal principles; then shall “Old Glory” ever be respected.
“We'll stand by the flag of our country,
Columbia's banner of glory;
Her stars as they shine,
Her stripes as they line,
Tell liberty's grand old story.
We'll stand by the flag, our beautiful flag, in union none can sever;
We'll honor the flag, our liberty's flag; we'll stand by the flag forever.”
