International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 3, 1886
General Articles.
By Mrs. E. G. White
The Permanence of Truth.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
DURING all the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, Jesus, who was equal with the Father, was their leader and guide. Enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, his presence was ever with them. There were symbols and shadowy types pointing to a Saviour to come; there was also a present Saviour, who gave commands directly to Moses for the children of Israel, and who was set forth before them as the only channel of blessings. The sacrificial system was designed to typify the Saviour, who was to become the perfect offering for sinful man.
In the Jewish age, all the revealings of God to his people, everything relating to his worship, was closely connected with the sanctuary,—with the tabernacle in the wilderness, and afterward with the temple. Here God was worshiped; here the sacrificial offerings were presented before him. Here was the breastplate of the high priest, set with precious stones, from which messages from Jehovah were received. Here, in the holy of holies, overshadowed by the wings of cherubim, dwelt the perpetual token of the presence of the Holy One, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Here was the ark of the covenant, containing the tables of the law,—the ark which was to Israel the symbol of the divine presence, and the pledge of victory in battle. Idols could not stand before the sacred ark of God, and death was the penalty of a rash, irreverent touch or the glance of curiosity.
All through the pages of sacred history, where the dealings of God with his chosen people are recorded, there are burning traces of the great I AM. Never has he given to the sons of men more open manifestations of his power and glory than when he alone was acknowledged as Israel's ruler, and gave the law to his people. Here was a scepter swayed by no human hand; and the stately goings forth of Israel's invisible King were unspeakably grand and awful.
Truly this was a wonderful dispensation, and those who speak derisively of the old Jewish law and the Dark Ages, should remember that they are treading on holy ground. While we rejoice to-day that our Saviour has appeared on earth, and that the offering for sin typified in the ceremonial law has become a reality, we are not excusable in harboring feelings of disrespect for that period when Christ himself was the leader of his people. Those who do this may not know what they are doing; but they are showing themselves ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. They show that they need divine enlightenment, a more intelligent knowledge of God and his word.
The Christ typified in the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish law is the very same Christ that is revealed in the gospel. The clouds that enshrouded his divine form have rolled back; the mists and shades have disappeared; and Jesus, the world's Redeemer, stands revealed. He came just as the prophecies foretold that he would come. In his life and death, type met antitype, and the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish church found their fulfillment. He appeared among men, not as the Messiah that the Jews expected,—a king coming in power and glory to conquer their enemies and to exalt their favored nation, but as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He, the Majesty of Heaven, condescended to be our friend, our counselor, our guide, our perfect pattern, as well as our redeemer. "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
God's work is the same in all time, although there are different degrees of development, and different manifestations of his power to meet the wants of man in the different ages. Commencing with the fall, down through the patriarchal and Jewish ages, even to the present time, there has been a gradual unfolding of the purposes of God in the plan of redemption. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses understood the gospel through Christ; they looked for the salvation of the race through man's substitute and surety. These holy men of old held communion with the Saviour who was to come to our world in human flesh; and some of them talked with Christ and heavenly angels face to face, as a man talks with his friend.
Through the sacred record, we may hold converse with the patriarchs, and listen to Moses as he legislates for Israel. We hear the warnings of the prophets as they look down through the ages, and reveal scenes that are to take place even down to the close of time. And as we see the events which they have foretold transpiring just as they predicted, we are brought into closer sympathy with these men of God, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
As time rolls on, and new truths are revealed, light is thrown on that which has been known from the beginning; we see new beauty and force in the inspired word, and we study its sacred pages with a deeper and more absorbing interest. We see the significance of the Jewish economy, and the character and purposes of God are made manifest in his dealings with his chosen people. How grand was the arrangement of God to preserve the knowledge of himself, and of his law, which is the foundation of his government in Heaven and upon earth. Although darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people, the Lord would not leave himself without a witness.
In the solemn service of the temple, the grand truths were typified which were to be revealed through successive generations. The cloud of incense bore upward the prayer of the contrite heart. The bleeding victim on the altar of sacrifice testified of a Redeemer to come, and from the holy of holies the visible token of the divine presence shone forth. Thus through age after age of idolatry and apostasy, the star of hope was kept shining in the darkened moral heavens, until the time came for the advent of the promised Messiah. Now, Christ, the true sacrifice, has shed his blood for the remission of sins, and is presenting it before the Father in our behalf. But the increased light that shines upon our pathway should not tempt us to despise the beginning. Every additional ray of light that we receive gives us a clearer and more distinct understanding of the plan of redemption, which is the working out of the divine will in the salvation of man.
God made man in his own image. He laid the foundations of the earth, and dressed it in the garb of beauty; he created all the wonders of the land and the sea. And he requires man to reverence his commandments, which were spoken amid such displays of divine power and majesty, and to obey them without questioning the feasibility or convenience of such obedience. The example of Adam and Eve should be a sufficient warning to us against any disobedience of the divine law. Their sin in listening to the specious temptations of the enemy, brought guilt and sorrow upon the world, and, had it not been for the goodness and mercy of God, would have plunged the race into hopeless despair.
Let none for a moment deceive themselves with the thought that their sin will not bring its merited punishment. Their transgressions will be visited with the rod, because they have had the light, but have walked directly contrary to it. God will not more lightly pass over any violation of his law now than in the day when he pronounced judgment against Adam. The Saviour of the world raises his voice in protest against those who regard the law of God with carelessness and indifference. Said he: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven."322It is the grossest presumption for mortal man to venture upon a compromise with the Almighty, in order to secure his own temporal interests. "I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God," is thundered from Sinai; and we may not disregard that voice because the words were spoken more than three thousand years ago, and were addressed to the lineal descendants of Abraham. The Lord requires willing sacrifice. No partial obedience, no divided interest, is accepted by Him who declares that the iniquities of the fathers shall be visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him, and that he will show mercy unto thousands of them that love him and keep his commandments.
There is nothing in the word of God to be thrown aside; there is nothing in the plan of redemption that is unimportant or that may be lightly disregarded. The Bible gives us an account of the dealings of God with man from the creation to the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven; it carries us even farther in the future, and opens before us the glories of the city of God, and the beauty and perfection of the earth made new, the saints' secure abode. But although the long line of events extends through so many centuries, and new and important truths are from time to time developed, that which was truth in the beginning is the truth still. The increased light of the present day does not contradict or make of none effect the dimmer light of the past.
All the truths of revelation are of value to us; and in contemplating things of eternal interest, we shall gain true perceptions of the character of God. The cultivation of reverence for him will affect the daily life. The entire character will be elevated and transformed. The soul will be brought into harmony with Heaven. The believer will become Christ-like, and will finally obtain an abundant entrance into the city of God.
"YET ALWAYS REJOICING."
By Malachi Taylor
THERE comes the clear, commanding word
Across the current of the years,
"Behold the Bridegroom, Christ your Lord!"
Is this a time for tears?
The ringing word calls out response
From myriads, in the time so brief;
Thousands who slept arouse at once,
Is this a cause for grief?
And eager hearts take up anew
The precious things which we have had
In Christ, above all failure true;
Come, let us all be glad!
And truths return, long left unknown,
Vistas of glory opening,
And rich realities full-grown;—
Shall we not rather sing?
The gospel of God's grace is still
Proclaimed; and many gladly hear
And live; for God his house will fill;
Sure, this is cause for cheer!
Meanwhile, the clearer glows the way
As sides are taken. Ah, no doubt,
We're moving toward the perfect day!
Lift up the heart and shout!
And soon, in answer to all this,
The longed-for One himself shall come!
We cannot grieve before such bliss,
Not weep in sight of home.
—Malachi Taylor, in Christian at Work.
The Two Resurrections.
(Concluded.)
BUT in all this there is no reference to those who are living or sleeping out of Christ. What is the destiny of such? They surely have no part in this glorious resurrection. They are not once mentioned as being raised or changed, as will be the case with those who are in Christ. They are sharers in the common lot of mortals. "Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." They are sharers also in the resurrection wrought by Christ. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
"But every man in his own order." The divine system and order which is so beautifully described in the first epistle to the Thessalonians, is more fully explained in the twentieth chapter of Revelation. While Paul is silent respecting those who sleep out of Christ, the revelator is not. After speaking of the glory and authority of resurrection life, he says: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Is it possible for language to speak with greater clearness? "The dead in Christ shall rise first," "but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." Side by side they were buried, and side by side their ashes repose in the city of the dead. Husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends and enemies. Here they have been gathered for their long repose. A common dissolution claims them all, a common sod covers their graves. They are all alike undisturbed by the solemn tramp of the multitude or the voice of mirth above them. But oh, how unlike are their destinies! When the glory of the Lord's coming shall penetrate even to the resting-place of the dead, it will be charged with no life-giving power for those who sleep out of Christ.
When the redeemed of God shall feel the thrill of divine life and rise in the beauty of immortal glory, "the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." The Lord's triumphant shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, do not arouse them from their deep, awful sleep. Though the earth is enswathed with millennial glory, and resounds with the triumphant shouts and songs of ten thousand times ten thousand ransomed ones; though the voices of many whom they loved and cherished in life join in those shouts and songs—"the rest of the dead lived not again." They refused to be awakened in life by the calls and offers of the gospel of Christ, and now they cannot be awakened though the Lord himself draws near, and though all earth and heaven are vocal with his praise. Oh, that awful sleep out of Christ! What language can portray the loss of those who have no part in "the first resurrection"? What folly and madness to deliberately and persistently go down to the grave, without any preparation for "the resurrection of life." Some of you who hear me to-day, some of you who join with us in these joyful Easter services, are even now pursuing that path of folly and madness. Soon the grave will claim you, and there your ashes will remain through all the period of millennial glory. And then to what a resurrection will you be awakened! "Some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Which will be your lot, my dying fellow-man?
"Marvel not at this," says the blessed Saviour, "for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5 : 28, 29. Or that day of glory may burst upon you while pursuing the path of sin, and the living in Christ may be caught up from your side to meet the Lord in the air.
Side by side you may mingle with them in the activities of life; side by side you may sit with them in the social or family circle, or in the house of God, but they will be taken and you will be left. Let me make this so plain and impressive that all these little ones will understand and be influenced by it. See these clippings of metal which I have placed upon this cardboard. Some are brass and some are iron. Let the iron represent those who are in Christ, and the brass those who are not. See how they are promiscuously intermingled as are the saved and the unsaved of the children of men, both in the activities of life and in the slumber of the grave. And now as I pass this magnet over these intermingled clippings of metal, see how these pieces of iron leap up and adhere to it, while not one clipping of brass is moved in the least by its attractive power. "Caught up" and clinging to this attractive magnet is every particle of iron, but unmoved is every particle of brass. The approach of the magnet seems to awaken the pieces of iron into resurrection life, and they rise up from their resting-places and cling to the magnet as with the grasp of joyful affection.
The same God by whose mysterious law this wonderful result is secured, solemnly assures us that when the Lord Jesus shall descend from heaven, the scattered ashes of all who sleep in him shall feel the impulse of his attractive power, and be thrilled by the life of his own Spirit, and rise to his presence in the strength and beauty and glory of his own divine nature and perfections. And all who are alive, and "love his appearing," will "be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" and "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." But as the brass yields not to the attractive power of this magnet, so the unregenerate, whether sleeping or awake, will not be drawn to the skies by the mighty power of the Lord's appearing.
As all these pieces of brass lie unmoved where they were when the iron was mingled with them, so the living and the dead who are out of Christ will remain unmoved though the living and the dead in Christ have risen from their very presence and have ascended to the presence of the Lord.
Oh, my beloved hearers, which destiny shall be yours? Shall it be that of the iron caught up by and clinging to the magnet, or that of the brass, possessing no affinity for it?
Shall it be that of those who have been lifted up into newness of life by the attractive power of divine love, and who joyfully greet the returning Lord as he comes to claim his own? Or shall it be that of those who reject the invitation of the gospel, and so remain "dead in trespasses and sin," dead to the attractive power of divine love, and dead to the attractive power of the Lord's coming and glory? Which, oh which of these destinies shall be yours? Now is the time to decide this question. "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. 9 : 10. "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." Rev. 3 : 8. But "when once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door," it will be too late to heed the calls of divine wisdom and love. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."—From a sermon by Rev. E. S. Chapman, D. D. (Presbyterian).
Itching Ears.
The following instance related by the Herald and Presbyter is an excellent comment upon 2 Tim. 4: 3, and shows that religious teachers are too often just what the people require them to be. They demand of their ministers that they speak smooth things and prophesy deceits, and then they accept these utterances as the word of God:—
“Some years ago a minister was invited to the pastorate of a city church. He was talented. He began by preaching the old, old gospel with all the eloquence that was in him. But the crowds that he hoped to attract did not come. He found in the popular literature of the day new theories of eschatology—suggestions as to a possible probation after death. He thought: ‘Well, now there may be something in those theories, and at any rate they will please not a few of the nicest people in my congregation who think that hell is too harsh a word for ears polite.’
“So he quit preaching about future punishment, and threw beautiful rainbows of speculation over the dark clouds that overshadow the grave. At once he became popular. The daily papers sent reporters to take down his sermons. His church was crowded. His name was trumpeted all over the land. Thus suddenly finding himself famous, he rejoiced, for now his sphere of usefulness was enlarged, and he determined to fill it with faithful work. But he soon found that popularity is a relentless tyrant. It demanded weekly new concessions, and more startling novelties. To hold his congregations he was compelled to keep on tickling their itching ears, and the result is that he has made shipwreck of the faith.”
The Lord Speaks Righteousness
"I THE Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right." Isa. 45 : 19.
God Reigns Forever
By Zihn
God liveth ever! Wherefore, soul, despair thou never. Our God is good; in every place His love is known, his help is found; His mighty arm and tender grace Bring good from ills that hem us round. Easier than we think can he Turn to joy our agony. Soul, remember 'mid thy pains God o'er all forever reigns! —Zihn.
Scriptures Which Forbid "Our Thought."
By C. P. Bollman
IN reply to a question asked by a correspondent some time since, the Sunday School Times said:—
"As we read in the Scriptures, we find in them no distinct declaration that the blessed dead are fully cognizant of the doings of their dear ones on earth, or that they have any part in a watchful ministry over those dear ones; neither do we find any declaration there which forbids our thought that such a state of things exists."
With the first part of this statement I am in full accord; and not only so, but I can go further and say that there is no text of scripture, which, fairly interpreted, even implies "that the blessed dead are fully" or at all "cognizant of the doings of their dear ones on earth," or indeed that they are "cognizant" of anything either in Heaven or on the earth. But the words, "Neither do we find any declaration there which forbids our thought that such a state of things exists," causes me to wonder if the editor of the Times ever read the Bible. If so he must have quite forgotten such texts as Job 14:21, where, speaking of man in death, the patriarch says: "His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them."
Here is certainly one "declaration" "which forbids our thought" that the dead are "cognizant" of things which are taking place upon the earth. And that Job did not give utterance to this sentiment in the bitterness of unbelief is evident from verses 13-15, and also from chapter 19:23-27. These scriptures show plainly that he of whom the Lord said: "And that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil," had no hope but in the resurrection of the dead, when his Redeemer "shall stand at the latter day upon the earth." And, strange as it may seem to many, the apostle Paul, too, believed just as Job did; for he said that if the dead rise not "then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." 1 Cor. 15: 16-18. But this cannot be, if by death they have simply been transferred to a higher and holier state of existence. The resurrection can add nothing to a being who is already glorified—one who has already become "as the angels which are in Heaven" (Mark 12:25); and this is one of the texts which the Sunday School Times quotes, coupling it with Heb. 1:14, to prove that dead people minister in sacred things to their living friends! What, if any difference, is there between such views and the soul-destroying doctrines of Spiritualism?
But Job and Paul were not the only holy men of old whom God inspired to speak concerning the condition of man in death; the psalmist exclaims: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. 146: 3, 4.
David evidently did not believe in the conscious state of the dead; much less did he think that they had any part in the affairs of the living; and it would seem that he so taught his children, for his son Solomon said:—
"For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun." Eccl. 9: 4-6.
This is another "distinct declaration that the blessed dead" (for it includes all the dead) are not "cognizant of the doings of their dear ones on earth;" and it ought to be allowed to set the whole question at rest; especially with the Sunday School Times, since, after offering, presumably, the best arguments which he could in support of his view, the editor candidly admits "that none of these things [the arguments which he has urged] are conclusive on the one side; but," he adds, "it is equally true that they are by no means to be construed on the other side." That is indeed a novel idea: that because arguments offered to prove one thing do not prove the opposite, therefore they do prove the proposition on whose behalf they are urged!
However, "as we read the Scriptures, we find in them" other "distinct declarations that the blessed dead are" not "fully" nor at all "cognizant of the doings of their dear ones on earth;" but, in view of the confession just referred to, it is scarcely necessary to pursue the subject further. Such confessedly weak arguments can weigh nothing against "the law and the testimony;" and when "they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
C. P. BOLLMAN.
Separation from Sinners.
By Methodist Recorder
ONE of the conditions on which God has promised to receive us and recognize us as his children, is that we come out from the world and be separate from sinners. This is not an arbitrary requirement, but a condition founded in the nature of things. Persons in their social intercourse naturally influence each other, and the influence which they exert is similar to the character which they possess. A good man will naturally and necessarily influence those with whom he intimately associates, to be good, while a wicked man will necessarily influence others to be bad. David was deeply impressed with this truth, and declared, "Depart from me, ye evil doers, for I will keep the commandments of my God." The implication here is very clear that in order to obey God we must break off our associations with evil doers—wicked, ungodly persons, who transgress the divine law. One of the most fruitful sources of backsliding and spiritual declension, especially among young converts, is unnecessary association with the ungodly. If any man will keep the commandments of God, and lead a life of true obedience and piety, he must come out from the ungodly, separate himself from sinners, and partake not of their evil deeds. A person who will not do this in the true sense in which the requirement is made, cannot reasonably hope to lead a Christian life.
But by this separation from the ungodly we are not to understand the abandonment of all association with them in the transaction of the lawful business of this life, or the necessary intercourse which the social relations that we sustain to them properly involve. While we are in the world, and connected with the business of the world, we must necessarily associate to some extent with all classes of men, with whom we are brought in contact in the transaction of our lawful business. To avoid this kind of association, as the apostle says, we "must needs go out of the world." But even in this respect, when there is a choice presented, we should prefer association with the godly. Then, sometimes, intimate contact with the ungodly necessarily arises from the social relations which we sustain to them, which cannot lawfully be dissolved, and which render such association unavoidable. The believing wife must not forsake her unbelieving husband, nor the believing husband abandon his unbelieving wife. Believing parents must not cast off their unbelieving children, nor believing children forsake their unbelieving parents. These are necessary relations which we are not required to break off. God does not intend in converting men to disrupt society and destroy relations based upon his own ordinances. Such association is lawful, and God's grace will be sufficient to preserve us while maintaining it.
Nor are we required to abandon association with the ungodly, when such association is for the purpose of instructing, reforming, and saving them. This kind of association, instead of being prohibited, is enjoined as a duty. Christ has enforced it by his own example. He mingled with publicans and sinners, both publicly and in social life, that he might instruct and save them. And Christians are justified in going anywhere, and mingling with any class of society, in his name, and in his Spirit, and in imitation of his example, to do good to the souls and bodies of men. In this way there is nothing improper in our associating with evil doers, because we do not enter into sympathy with their sins, but faithfully endeavor to save them from their evil courses.
But we must not unnecessarily, and from choice, make evil doers, ungodly, wicked persons our companions, and seek pleasure from their society and partake of their spirit. It matters not how intelligent, refined, and agreeable in many respects they may be, there is an insidious, spiritual poison in their influence, the natural tendency of which is to corrupt and destroy. "Evil communications"—evil associations—in their very nature tend to "corrupt good manners." This is universally true. "He that walketh with wise men," we are told, because of their example, and the influence which they exercise over him, "shall be wise;" but "a companion of fools," because of the influence they exert over him, shall become like them, and "shall be destroyed." If a man would obey God, lead a pious life, and save his soul, he must break away from the companionship of the ungodly, and abandon their evil ways. He must associate with those of similar spirit with himself, and become a companion of all them that fear God.
Beware, then, of the society of the ungodly. If you are a young convert, we especially warn you against it. Their influence is corrupting, and their example is calculated to lead you astray. If you would obey God, and lead a consistent, upright, Christian life, you must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. Avoid, so far as possible, every evil influence which is calculated to abate your zeal and turn your feet aside from the path of duty. Beware that you tread not on dangerous ground, and in an unsuspecting moment be overcome.
How It Is Done.
I REMEMBER a man who had been a Christian for two years, but he was bemoaning his hard and sinful heart. I said to him one day, "Did you ever know a sinner who had not a hard heart?"
"No;" he said, "but mine is getting no better."
I arose and closed all the shutters, and made the room quite dark.
"Why do you do that?" he asked.
"I want to teach you how to drive away the darkness," I said; so I handed him a long broom and a duster. "Now, sweep out the darkness."
"I can't," he said.
"Can't you if you try very hard? Will no amount of physical force do it?"
"Certainly not," he said.
Then I opened the shutters, and the room was beautifully illuminated. "So you see that, if you want the darkness and dreadings of your heart to be dispelled, it is not by any amount of effort of your own, but by letting in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. But now that we have such a beautiful light in the room, we may close the shutters again; we shall want no more, I suppose, for a month," I said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that we are not to expect to have a stock of grace laid up, on which we may draw; but that, if we would continue in the light, we must keep looking up to the Sun, and receiving his blessed rays into our souls."—Sel.