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Review and Herald, Vol. 78, No. 44.

MRS. E. G. WHITE

Review and Herald

Oct 29, 1901

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 29, 1901

MRS. E. G. WHITE

By Ellen G. White

JUDGE NOT.— NO. 1.

MRS. E. G. WHITE

“JUDGE not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
These words were spoken by the divine Teacher, our Lord Jesus Christ, for us to hear and to obey. God has not given men the power to read hearts. He has not placed them in the judgment seat, to pass sentence upon their fellow men. God has committed all judgment to His Son. Why, then, are human beings not more careful in regard to passing judgment upon one another? Let us seek to realize our own ignorance. When we have a full realization of this, we shall not speak evil of our brethren.
God has forbidden us to think or speak evil of one another. “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” Those who act toward their fellow men without mercy will one day themselves feel the need of mercy.
Christians have a most important work to do. They are commissioned by God to watch for souls as they that must give an account. They are to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering. God said to the prophet Ezekiel, “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”
To speak the word of God with faithfulness is a work of the greatest importance. But this is an entirely different work from continually censuring, thinking evil, and drawing apart from one another. Judging and reproving are two different things. God has laid upon His servants the work of reproving in love those who err; but He has forbidden and denounced the thoughtless judging so common among professed believers.
Actions speak louder than words, and those who draw apart from their brethren show plainly that they do not wish to work with them, that they surmise evil of the men to whom the Lord has given a place in His work.
Those who show this lack of faith and confidence in their brethren grieve the Spirit of God. The Lord calls upon us to put away all haughtiness, to manifest sincere sympathy for the erring, who are seeking to recover themselves from the snare of the enemy.
“Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.” Let not those who cherish feelings of envy and strife claim advanced spiritual knowledge, for by so doing they lie against the truth. “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. . . . The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. . . . The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Only by the Lord’s help can we bring our thoughts and words into subjection to the will of Christ.
The very first work we are to do is to unite in the bonds of Christian fellowship. Those who are working for God should put away all unkind criticism, and draw together in unity. Christ desires His soldiers to stand shoulder to shoulder, united in the work of fighting the battles of the cross. He desires the union between those who work for Him to be as close as the union between Him and His Father. Those who have felt the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit will heed the lessons of the divine Instructor, and will show their sincerity by doing all in their power to work in harmony with their brethren.
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the Judge standeth before the door.” “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
“Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?”
It is the one who has every reason to distrust his own principles who is keenly alive to the failings of others. If there were not some lack in our own experience, we would not be so suspicious of our brethren. It is the one whose conscience condemns him that so readily passesjudgment. Let every one tremble and be afraid of himself. Let him see that his own heart is right with God. Let him weed his own garden; he will find enough to keep him busily employed. If he does this work faithfully, he will not have time to find fault with the gardens of others. Instead of judging our brethren, let us judge ourselves. Let us make sure that we are among the number who are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”

TRUST

“None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.” Ps. 34: 22.
Though the rain may fall and the wind be blowing, And cold and chill is the wintry blast; Though the cloudy sky is still darker growing, And the dead leaves tell that summer has passed, My face I hold to the stormy heaven, My heart is as calm as the summer sea, Glad to receive what my God has given, Whate’er it may be.
When I feel the cold, I can say, “He sends it,” And His wind blows blessing I surely know, For I’ve never a want but that He attends it, And my heart beats warm though the winds may blow.
The soft sweet summer was warm and glowing; Bright were the blossoms on every bough; I trusted Him when the roses were blowing, I trust Him now.
Small were my faith should it weakly falter, Now that the roses have ceased to blow; Frail were the trust that now should falter, Doubting His love when storm clouds grow. If I trust Him once, I must trust Him ever; And His way is best, though I stand or fall; Through wind and storm He will leave me never; He sends it all.
Why should my heart be faint and fearing? Mighty He rules above the storm, Even the wintry blast is cheering, Showing His power to keep me warm. Never a care on my heart is pressing, Never a fear can disturb my breast, Everything that He sends is blessing, For He knows best.
— Episcopal Recorder.

THE CITY OF TRUTH.

By E. K. Slade

ELDER E. K. SLADE.
(Detroit, Mich.)
He who truly prays, “Thy kingdom come,” will love and live the principles upon which the kingdom of God is founded, just as far as he can know them. By his own choice every soul lives either for the kingdom of man or the kingdom of God, the kingdom of bondage or the kingdom of freedom. This testing privilege of choosing between the two kingdoms, was, in a special way, granted to the Jewish people when Christ, the true King, was before Pilate; and that event still serves as an important lesson to all who have the choice to make.
Christ, the King of kings, came to our earth to represent the one true kingdom, the kingdom of God. In answer to Pilate’s question, “Art thou a king?” He said, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” As a true ambassador He came in the interest of His own country. He came to represent, to a rebellious people, the virtues of the kingdom of heaven. In doing this He lived the life of God, whose life is the law of the kingdom. Therefore He could say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”
The Father is a “God of truth.” He is “abundant in goodness and truth,” and “keepeth truth forever.” For Him to live is to keep truth, for that is His nature. Christ, in order to represent Him and His kingdom, must keep truth, or live truth, thus bearing witness unto the truth by His life. He could rightfully say, I am the truth, and stand forth holding up His life as the standard of the universe, which rebellious man might either love or loathe.
The Jewish people were in bondage to sin; their nation and city were in bondage to a heathen power. They rejected the King of the universe, who would have made them free, by saying, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” In declaring, “We have no king but Cæsar,” they chose the one they professed to hate, to rule over them, accepting “Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children,” as their portion. They chose to be bound in the kingdoms of earth, rather than to be born into the kingdom of God. Had they received and known the truth, which they rejected, it would have made them free, in that they would have been “translated . . . into the kingdom of His dear Son.” They might have been children of the metropolis of the heavenly Canaan, the Jerusalem which is above, which John saw coming down from God out of heaven. She is free, and the mother of all that are free. Her children are all made free by the truth, Christ the king, enthroned in the heart.
Every child of God will live the truth as did Christ, and thus be a representative of the kingdom of heaven. He will be an ambassador in a foreign country, looking for a city to come. But to live the truth, he must have it as his nature, or written in his heart, as worded by the psalmist: “Thou desirest truth in the inward parts.” Only those who have the truth, the law of God, or His character, in their heart, will be able to “lift up a standard for the people.”
This standard is not a flag of silk and symbols, nor of stars and stripes, but it is a life. It is a life of love and loyalty to the law of Him who has “prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.” Such a life is the banner mentioned in the following words: “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.” It is by this means that God is gathering His loyal subjects from the countries into which they have been scattered. He is calling them out by the truth, and by it He is making them free, that they may dwell in the free city, where bondage and force will never again be known.
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.” Zech. 8:7, 8. Ezekiel speaks of the same city in the following language: “And the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.” The presence of God in the city is declared by John as follows: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
The truth will be the law and character of the city, and its subjects will all be law abiding. “Thus saith the Lord: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth.” Zech. 8:3. Only they that keep the commandments, the truth (Ps. 119:151), will be permitted to enter its gates. “In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.”
Every subject of the kingdom of God, of whom it may be said, “The kingdom of God is within you,” will hold the standard high; he will unfurl the banner of truth to the nations of the earth in such a way as clearly to display the desirableness of the kingdom to which he belongs, the law of which is the rule of his life. Such lives will, as did the life of Christ, furnish an answer to Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” They will represent and recommend the kingdom of God, and the free city of truth.

HOW SHALL WE ANSWER?

By S. O. James

S. O. JAMES. (Terril, Iowa.)
Do you truly believe that Jesus will soon, very soon, visit this earth again; and that every unprepared soul will then meet with a dreadful doom? that only a few, a very few, of those who claim to know the Master will be recognized and accepted by Him? Do you believe that you may know, while here on earth, that you are saved by His blood, and that you are hourly walking in His light,—by His loving side, perhaps you prefer to say, stepping safely in His footsteps? Do you have a new and fresh experience daily in dying with and for Him? Does the spirit in you mourn deeply sometimes at the thought that He is so little loved by those whom He died to redeem, and that you are so poorly prepared to help them?
If it were announced from heaven that your probation would end in the course of another year, can you tell how you would act between this time and that? Would you sleep as do others? would you let trifles hinder you from working? would you yield to sin as readily as in the past? Would you not rather be remarkably earnest, using every means in your reach, that you might meet the mind of the Holy One, the Judge of all the earth, that when called to lay off the armor and meet your Captain, it might be with joy instead of shame? Some time in the near future, the last precious year and month and day will come to you. Could you answer to your loving Creator to-day, if called so to do, saying with Paul, “I have fought a good fight, . . . I have kept the faith”?
I ask these questions with a tender regard; for many are being cheated of that which Christ has dearly bought for them. “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

DIETETIC REFORM AMONG LEADING EDUCATORS.

By David Paulson

DAVID PAULSON, M. D.
Leading educators are beginning to recognize that there is an intimate relation between right living and clear thinking. The man whose dietary consists of the natural products of the earth, properly prepared, is rewarded not only with greater power of endurance, but he possesses a clearer head than he would if his brain were continually bathed with blood more or less contaminated with the waste products that are always present in animal flesh.
There are students in all the large educational institutions who carry a stock of health foods, and who prefer to dine in their own rooms upon a simple variety of the same, rather than eat at the regular boarding houses, where the bills of fare are largely made up of unwholesome and practically indigestible articles of food.
A large number of students at the Chicago University are deeply interested in dietetic reform, and some of these have at times improved the opportunity to come to our Chicago Branch Sanitarium to enjoy the advantages of a wholesome and palatable meal. To afford an opportunity for a large number of this class to meet together, we arranged a Sunday afternoon dinner, and extended to them a personal invitation. This company numbered nearly fifty. Among them were some of our most distinguished educators. While dinner was being served, Drs. Rossiter and White, Pliny Haskell, Annie Tabor, Mrs. Paulson, and the writer were kept busy, going from table to table explaining the special values of particular foods, and answering questions relating to dietetic principles.
At the conclusion of the meal, one of the leading scientists of the day, and dean of the great school over which Colonel Parker presides, favored us with an enthusiastic speech in support of right living, and in commendation of the work of which our health institutions are the exponents.
As this company of influential men and women left us, we could but feel thankful that God had given us such an opportunity to sow good seed in receptive soil.
Professor Jackman and others pleaded for the establishment of a pure food restaurant in the immediate vicinity of the University, so that the teachers and students could have an opportunity of daily partaking of wholesome and nutritious food.
During the heated summer season, there were one thousand six hundred students in attendance at the University of Chicago. During the coming school year the number will, of course, be much greater. It seems as though there ought to be some one who can see greater returns in expending a thousand dollars in the establishment of such a missionary project as a health restaurant in this important educational center, than he can see in investing the same in land.The land will soon melt with fervent heat, but some of these men and women who become favorably impressed with the wholesome flavor of a right dietary, would soon secure an equal relish for the flavor of the glorious truths that God is now unfolding to the children of men.

REMEMBER THE FORMER DAYS.

By J. G. Saunders

J. G. SAUNDERS. (Brockport, Pa.)
“But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.” Heb. 10: 32, 33.
It is well many times to recall the past; for when we see how God worked with His people in past conflicts, it gives us courage and fortitude to meet the future. The coming conflict is the last, and the most severe, that His people will have to meet. So, like Peter, I would stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.
I was in the First Angel’s Message from 1842–44, and know a little of how God wrought for His dear people in those days. The Spirit of God says the power attending the Third Angel’s Message will far exceed that which attended the first. Now let us see how God led His dear people in the closing of the Philadelphian state of the Church. At that time we expected to see our Lord coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, to take His waiting people to His Father’s many-mansioned house. This sublime and awful event we firmly believed would take place on the tenth day of the seventh month of 1844; then our conflicts would be over. The sanctuary (the earth) would be cleansed, and Christ’s kingdom set up, and He would reign forever; for of His kingdom there would be no end.
The state of the Church at this time was indeed that of brotherly love, as its name signified. This was true of those who accepted the message, and especially so of those who joined in sounding the midnight cry: “Behold the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.” Matt. 25: 6. That message went with power far and near, and led to perfect union of action in all who believed it. There were no schisms, no sectarianism, but all were of one heart and one mind, with only one object in view,—to get ready and to help others get ready. Self was lost sight of in our earnest desire to help others. “Get ready” was the watchword, “the Lord is coming; get ready to meet Him!”
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Mal. 4: 5, 6. This was also fulfilled in that Midnight Cry. Let me give you a description of that time. Do you see that man plowing in yonder field?—Yes. Well, do you see a man with something in his hand, coming with rapid step from another farm to see the plowman? They meet, shake hands, and then both are seated on the plow beam. The Bible, which the man carried in his hand, is soon opened, and they begin reading and conversing about a subject of great importance, the soon coming of Christ. After reading a short time, they bow in prayer, after which the man with the Bible gives the other another hearty hand-shake, and away he goes to tell another neighbor the glad news, “The Lord is coming; get ready to meet Him.”
The man who was plowing leaves his plow in the furrow, turns his horses out, returns to the house, gets his Bible, and goes to see a son who is unconverted, and such a scene takes place as causes rejoicing in heaven. The father pleads with his son; and, like Jacob, he cannot give up until his son yields to the Spirit of God, and in agony of grief over his sinful life he begs his father to pray for him, that his sins may be forgiven, and he be ready to meet Jesus. They pray, sins are confessed as far as known, and soon the scene changes. The Lord forgives. The son is made a happy, new man, converted and cleansed. The father leaves him, and goes to find another unsaved one. The son goes to his unconverted wife and tells her what the Lord has done for him, and that the Lord is coming on the tenth day of the seventh month. She sees a change in her husband, and she wants the same change wrought in her, so they have another prayer-meeting, and they pray until the Lord hears and graciously pardons, and she is born again. How happy they are! But they do not sit down in idleness; no, indeed! but they begin to work for their loved ones, and the story is told to them, and they are entreated to get ready for the Lord’s coming.
In other homes sons were pleading for father and mother, mothers for daughters, brothers for sisters, and sisters for brothers, neighbors for neighbors, and so the good work went on. Grove meetings were held, no church being large enough to hold the crowds. The people came many miles to attend the grove meetings. It would have done your soul good to see them as they came, from ten to twenty in a load, and to hear their song as it echoed from hill to hill, “Behold the Bridegroom cometh,” and the response from another company, “Go ye out to meet Him.” When all had assembled, the meeting began. Earnest prayers, full of love, sympathy, and tenderness, were offered for all. Now was the time for all to get ready; then the preaching,—the evidence of Christ’s coming on the tenth day of the seventh month, 1844. It was all plain and easy to be understood. The burden was, Get ready, get ready. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3: 19–21. Oh, such soul searching, such consecration, as took place among the people at those meetings! such confessions to one another, settling up of all difficulties in families and among neighbors, all getting ready to meet the Lord! Some shouting, others weeping, some pleading, the meetings often lasting many hours, many conversions being the result. And so it went from place to place right up to the very hour—the tenth day of the seventh month.
No man said aught of what he possessed was his own, but even the last dime was spent. They showed by their works that they believed what they preached. No one could doubt their sincerity. And truly it was a sweet morsel to all who really believed that they were soon to leave a world of sin and death, sorrow and pain, afflictions and persecutions, for a world of glory, joy, love, and peace, there to enjoy the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This gave the message power as nothing else could. All wanted to see Jesus and hear His voice saying, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25: 34–40. Oh, the glory of that message! It rings in my ears yet, and touches the tenderest chords of my heart as I sing—
“O how I long to see that day When the redeemed shall come To Zion, clad in white array— Their blissful, happy home.”
This is a brief sketch of those days in the close of the First Angel’s Message of Rev. 14: 6, 7. Now if the Third Angel’s Message is, at its close under the loud cry, to far exceed the First Angel’s Message in giving the warning and getting a people ready for translation when the Lord shall come,—if this is so, where are we now in the message? How much longer are we to wait for the loud cry? Let us see what Jesus says we may look for just before His coming as signs of His coming. The sun should not give her light, the moon should refuse to shine, and the stars should fall from heaven. Matt. 24: 29–35; Mark 13: 24–30; Rev. 6: 12–17. The sun was darkened on the nineteenth day of May, 1780; and the moon, the following night. And this was immediately “after the tribulation of those days” (papal persecution) when the earth helped the woman by swallowing up the flood of persecution. Then in 1833, on the thirteenth day of November, the stars fell from heaven “as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Then was to come upon the earth “distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Now to make it more emphatic, Jesus says: “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” How nigh?—“Even at the doors.” Jesus says again, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”
Mark, “This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilled.” The signs in the sun, moon, and stars began in 1780 and ended in 1833. In 1780 God’s people were to look up and lift up their heads for their redemption was drawing nigh. A great many did witness the falling stars, Nov. 13, 1833. I beheld that celestial scene, and though a child in my seventh year, it stamped its impress upon my mind never to be effaced. So now let me ask the question, Is not Christ’s coming right at the door? This generation is nearly gone, but it will not pass until our Lord shall come. The distress of nations is here truly. The whirlwind will soon take place. Jer. 25: 30–38. Are we as a people ready to give the loud cry of the third angel? If not, why not? If this message is to far exceed the first message, it is time this people were awakened. Many prayers were offered for something to be done at the last General Conference that would arouse us as a people and bring in unity and harmony, and cause a turning to the Lord as never before. And I am indeed thankful for the results of that Conference. As we read the Bulletins, we daily praised the Lord for the answer to our prayers. The loud cry will be heard if the principles there laid down are carried out. And just as soon as we all get rid of self, those principles will be carried out. “He . . . will cut it [His work] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” Rom. 9: 28.
I was also glad to be at the camp-meeting in Erie, Pa., and see the love and harmony there manifested—all seeking for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to qualify them for the work of God. God bless the Pennsylvania Conference and all the Conferences, and prepare them to give the loud cry of the Third Angel’s Message. Oh, I am so glad for the influence the General Conference has given to all our people!
Brethren and sisters, let us not be satisfied until we receive the fullness of the promise, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Let us each examine ourselves, and make room for Christ. Let Him have His own without reserve. Let us hasten the coming of the Lord. We work out our salvation by working for others. Let me give you one fact that illustrates this: A man was passing over the Green Mountains in the winter. It was a terrible day, cold and stormy;and before he reached the top of the mountain, he gave up in despair, and sank down between two snow-drifts. But he heard the moan of a traveler in advance of him, and as he realized that another was in distress, it gave him new strength; and finding the man worse off than himself, he went to work to save him, dragging him through snow-bank after snow-bank, sometimes up and sometimes down, until he succeeded in reaching a place of safety. In trying to save his fellow traveler he saved himself. Let us work in the same manner. There is enough for us all to do.

THE SOCIETY OF HEAVEN.

By B. G. Wilkinson

ELDER B. G. WILKINSON.
(Paris, France.)
Many times when Jesus was tempted to become discouraged, He would direct the thoughts of His mind to the joy that was set before Him, and then He would press on, with rejoicing, to the cross and the shame which He was to endure. With the eye of faith He saw himself brought back again to His Father’s house. His Father, whom He had left that He might come to earth, He beheld seated upon His throne and surrounded by a multitude of redeemed. Then the Saviour’s work became a pleasure, and His life breathed forth an inspiration upon those who surrounded Him.
By thus encouraging himself through God’s promises, Jesus has placed an example before the human race. And why should not this example be followed? It is natural for us all to plan for future pleasures. The only difference between Jesus’ method and ours is simply a difference of time. We labor hard to save a little money simply that we may enjoy some pleasure a little in the future. And, moreover, that pleasure does not have a long duration. Jesus, however, planned for a joy that was a little further distant, but a joy that would last throughout eternity. He has succeeded, and He calls upon us all to secure the same prize. What is it?
In the first place, it is a blessed hope. There are many kinds of hope in the world, but there is nothing which so greatly lightens the sorrows of life as does hope. To the merchant who is anxious lest his business fail and he become a pauper, hope brings a cheering assurance of future success. Hope stays the hand of him who, sinking in despair beneath his sorrows, is about to take his life, and bids him try again. Hope comes to the mother who stands, uncomforted, by the bedside of her dying child, and speaks to her of a new and better future, where she shall meet her child again. But how great is the Christian’s hope! It is not shrouded in any dark and uncertain future. It clasps hands with the great events of eternity, and lifts the veil upon a glorious scene. This is how the apostle describes it: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Oh, there is a God somewhere! I look out upon the sky, the stars, the sun, and I ask, Who made them? Who made the birds which fly in the air? Who made the men which walk upon the earth? Did the legislature of the United States, or Germany, or England, or all the nations combined?—No. Who made me? I have reason. Is it possible that He who made men with reason, does not himself have reason, and does not know our great longing to know Him?—Impossible. But who is He? He has spoken to us. He has talked directly to us, and said, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” He has told me who He is, but shall I never see Him?—Yes. He has spoken further, and has directed us to consider “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Can we imagine a more glorious future event than this? If He clothed the heavens and the earth with the beauty which we now see, when He shall appear, will He not clothe himself with much more splendor? Truly the heaven itself, with the glory which is now concealed, will break forth in all its grandeur.
I place before you the first members of the society of heaven, God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. If it is natural to desire to associate with the great of this earth, it ought to be a desire more intense to associate forever with God. He is a God of love; for while we were yet rebels against Him, He gave His only Son to die for us. He is merciful; for though we sin continually now, He does not strike us down. He is benevolent; for He sends the rain on the just and on the unjust. He appreciates good things; for He has clothed the heavens and the earth with beautiful colors and scenes, and the courts of His heavenly temple are filled with enchanting music. He is generous; for He opens the doors of His house, and with stretched-out arms bids us, through Jesus, become members of His family. Behold how lovable is our God! Who would not associate with Him? Who would not say with the psalmist, “In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” And in the near future this our God will gloriously appear. And as surely as He shall appear, so surely will He take, to associate with Him, those who have obeyed Him and associated with Him now.
“A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Prov. 18:24. That friend is Jesus. Blessed are the redeemed, who shall have right to His society. The life which He lived upon earth was a constant record of how sweet it was to enjoy His company. The dead came forth from the tomb in response to His invitation. Mary, out of whom He had cast seven devils, sat at His feet, and followed Him with loving glances. Bitter tears flowed from the eyes of sinful Peter until he was restored to the Saviour’s company. If such was the pleasure in His company that they found who merited nothing from His hands but punishment, how great will be the pleasure at the last when the redeemed, transformed into His image and character, have earned the right to associate with Him forever. Such was Jesus upon earth, and as such will He come again. This is the declaration of the eternal word of God, which cannot be broken. And who shall enjoy His society? “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 7:21. Let friends depart and relatives despise, but we cannot afford to lose the society of Jesus.
If God and Jesus were the only company which heaven offered, it would be glorious to live there. But other company is there. When Abraham, the friend of God, sat in the shade of a tree, three beings possessed of a politeness he had never seen elsewhere,—and he had come from the great cities of Babylon and Egypt,—visited him and partook of his hospitality. They were the angels of God. In this act they showed how friendly and sociable is their nature. What a stern rebuke this is to those who pride themselves upon being cold, stiff, distant, and unapproachable. These angels are also beautiful beings; for when John saw the messenger who led him through the scenes of glory, he says that he fell at his feet to worship him. The angels can sing most beautifully. The shepherds watching on the plains of Bethlehem heard them sing the anthem, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” And I fancy that often, as the saints of old gathered in some quiet place to sing their songs of praise to God, the angels joined their songs with their melodious voices. And as the messenger of God traversed the lonely plain, he might have heard, as Isaiah did, the choir of angels about him sing the joyful strains. What pleasure it will afford to be entertained by their great knowledge, as Daniel was by the one who said that there was none wiser than he in those things, save Michael the Prince. Beloved friends, behold the innumerable company of heavenly guests who always compass us about. And these also will come. “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.” Matt. 25:21.
Such are some of the members of the heavenly society. And what shall we say about the redeemed themselves? We shall see the loved and loving John, the earnest Paul, and the ardent Peter. There we can walk and talk with noble Daniel, with Isaiah, with Elijah, with the faithful Joseph, and with Moses. There is a glorious future before us. Let the rich of this earth roll by in their carriages, let the honored walk by with haughty step. Their society will continue for only a moment; but the society of heaven will never be broken. Let us confess that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, who look for a city whose builder and maker is God.
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