Signs of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 46. (11/21/1895)

Signs of the Times

Nov 21, 1895

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 21, 1895

The Promise of the Spirit

In John 14: 15-17 we have the following condition and promises concerning the Spirit of God: “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

The Condition

The condition of the promises is, “keep My commandments.” In the commandments of God—for Jesus represents the Father (verses 9-11)—is contained the whole duty of man (Eccl. 12: 13). As elsewhere expressed, this rule of action is God’s law or will. (Ps. 40: 7, 8.) Of himself man can not keep God’s law, but he can submit to do what God commands, and in the command is the power to perform it. Such submission is faith, and it is by faith that we receive the promise of the Spirit. (Gal. 3: 14.) This is evident from another consideration. The Spirit promised is the Spirit of God; the commandments are the law or will of God, and the Spirit works according to God’s will (Rom. 8: 27); when, therefore, man willingly submits to do the will of God, he places himself in the channel of God’s working, and God “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph. 1: 11). He therefore who receives the promise must submit by simple faith to do the Lord’s will.

The Promise

The promise is the promise of the Comforter, the Holy Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost. It is God dwelling with man and in man. (John 14: 23.) It is so contrary to the spirit of the world that the world does not see that Spirit, nor can it know it. Nay, more, the world, as the world, can not receive it. It is promised in its intimate relations only to those who are Christ’s. It will be with them and in them “forever,” or to the end of the age, the period in which the Gospel is preached. (Matt. 28: 18-20.)

Its Office to the World

And yet it has a work for the world. It comes to bless, not to curse; to save, not to destroy. Its office work to the world is, therefore, to reveal the fruitlessness and vanity of the world’s way and the fullness and blessing of God’s way, even though that way is the way of the cross. Jesus says again in speaking of the Spirit: “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” John 16: 8-11. It convinces of sin through God’s holy law (Rom. 3: 20; 7: 7), that man may see his own undesirable condition. (Rom. 7: 24.) It convinces of righteousness by revealing Him in whom is found perfect righteousness and deliverance. (Verse 25; Gal. 3: 22-24.) It convinces of the judgment to come by the same Gospel (Acts 24: 25), that man may see the fate of the sinner and the righteous, and therefore choose righteousness. This is the work of the Spirit to the world, to sinners. Through God’s word taught and preached, by the ministry of holy angels, in various ways, God’s Spirit pleads with unrepentant man to turn, and look, and live, that he may not die, pleads that he may open his heart and let in the heavenly Guest, the Comforter, that God’s presence may abide with him forever. “Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?” When that Spirit is admitted into the life by submission to the will of God, then and then only will the child of the world know the blessedness of it; but then he will no longer be a child of the world, but a child of God, “born of the Spirit,” “born from above.” (John 3: 3-5.)

All Blessings

All blessings of God come with the incoming of the Spirit of God in our lives. It is all power. By it the heaven and earth were created (Gen. 1: 2; Ps. 33: 6); by it the earth is renewed and the desert becomes a fruitful field (Ps. 103: 30; Isa. 32: 15); by the same power the children of disobedience (Eph. 2: 2) become the sons of God (John 3: 3-5; Gal. 4: 6); by that same Spirit the barren, blasted life of the sinner is made to bloom with righteousness and to bring forth fruits of heavenly origin (Gal. 5: 22, 23), against which there is no condemnation, because in it is all the righteousness or doing of God’s law (Rom. 8: 1-4); by the same Spirit at last is the mortal made immortal, and death gives place to life eternal and immortal (Eze. 37: 14; Rom. 8: 11). Truly the reception of the Spirit of God brings all blessings with it.

What the Spirit Is

All this is evident from what has gone before. The Spirit, to the believer, to him who receives it, is the life of God. “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Rom. 8: 9, 10. From this life, “the life of God,” the wicked are “alienated,” that is, they are strangers to it (Eph. 4: 18), they see God not, neither know him (John 14: 17). In a certain sense the wicked all have the life of God, for he is “the Fountain of life;” but the life of those who are sinning against God is a perverted life, even as the law of sin is God’s perverted law. It is not working out God’s life of righteousness in the character, but the death of sin; for perverted righteousness is sin, and perverted life is death.

Union with God

It is by the Spirit that we are united with God through faith. Everywhere present is God’s Spirit (Ps. 139: 7-12); through all parts of the universe of being pulses the streams from the Fountain of life. But to him who throws against the life-giving current his own unsanctified heart, who opposes the righteous will of Heaven by his own evil will, the power of God works out death; while to him whose heart is wholly submitted to the divine influence, to the all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving will, God’s life works out life. It comes into man as a life-giving, creative force, bringing forth the fruits of righteousness.

How May We Receive It?

In a threefold way, which after all is but the one way: (1) By prayer, “ask,” “seek,” “knock,” and “it shall be given,” “ye shall find,” “it shall be opened.” (Luke 11: 9-13.) God is willing, nay, anxious, to give it, even as is the loving father to give good food to the children. He pleads: “Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die.” “Choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (2) By the word of God. “The words that I speak unto you,” says Jesus, “they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6: 63. He who receives God’s word, feeds upon God’s

word, becomes saturated as it were by the word, builded up by the word, will be filled with the life-giving power of the Spirit of God. (3) By faith we receive the promise of the Spirit. (Gal. 3: 14.) Of course it is by faith that we must ask, seek, and knock. It is by faith that we receive the word. It is all of faith. But faith is not the power; it is the channel through which the power flows. The life—the Spirit—may be likened to the strong electric current flowing in the trolley wire overhead; the person, to the helpless and dead car on the track underneath. A little rod is lifted to the wire, and the car becomes a thing of life and action. The rod is not the power, but it forms a connecting link with the power, and so brings action to what were otherwise dead.

A Particular Day

A Particular Day.—Those who observe the first day of the week as the Sabbath frequently accuse those who observe the seventh day of laying undue stress on a particular day. It is called a secondary consideration, haggling over trifles, etc. But who has been more particular about the particular day than the Lord himself? Did he not rest on a particular day of the seven? Did he did not bless a particular day,—the seventh of the cycle? Did he not set apart that particular day? Gen. 2:1–3. Did he not specially and clearly indicate that particular day by a threefold weekly miracle for forty years? Exodus 16. Did he not make that particular day the first religious institution of which the Bible gives us record? Did he not make it the memorial of his creative power, of his wondrous works for the children of men? Ps. 111:4; Ex. 20:8–11. Did he not make that particular day, so set apart, the sign of his Godhead and power to sanctify? Eze. 20:12, 20. Does he not honor it by declaring himself its Lord, and declaring it to be “my holy day”? Mark 2:28; Isa. 58:13. The day was no secondary consideration with him, and in the light of his acts and his law, who can call it a secondary matter? Of all the unwarranted traditions regarding the Sabbath which Christ condemned in the Jews, he never once intimated that they were wrong in regarding the particular day. How could he when he himself set it apart?

Another Particular Day.—But there are those at the present time who are making much ado over another particular day. The very ones who declare that the fourth commandment is so flexible that it may designate any day of the seven, demand that it shall be applied to that one particular day of the week which could never have been made the Sabbath; for Sabbath means rest, and implies necessary labor previously performed. This could have been true of the second day, third day, etc., but never of the first day. And yet it is demanded that this day shall be enforced by civil law as the Sabbath of the Lord. Those who keep “the Sabbath day according to the commandment” are satisfied with the day God has given. They revere that day so sanctified by God for the Lord’s sake, but they have no desire to compel its observance by a single soul, for that would be contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. Now here are two particular days—the one of God’s planting, resting upon his living word, the other of man’s planting, resting on tradition and human law. Which particular day, reader, will you choose? “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted,” says Jesus, “shall be rooted up.” Matt. 15:13.

UNIVERSAL JUDGMENT.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Ps. 1:1, 2.

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Prov. 2:1–6.

Here we have the secret of the understanding of the Bible. It is study and meditation, coupled with an earnest desire to know the will of God in order to do it. “If any man will to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” John 7:17. Repetition—review—is one of the prime essentials to knowledge of the Bible. Not that any amount of study will compensate for lack of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, but that the Holy Spirit witnesses through the word.

A Look Backward.

In this study of Romans we wish to carry along with us as much as possible of what we learn. We will therefore take a view of the first chapter as a whole. We have found that it is naturally divided somewhat as follows:—

Verses 1–7, the salutation, containing an epitome of the whole Gospel.

Verses 8–15, Paul’s personal interest in the Romans, and his sense of obligation to them and to all mankind.

Verses 16, 17, what the Gospel is, and what it contains.

Verses 18–20, God’s revelation of himself to men.

Verses 21–23, the corruption of wisdom.

Verses 24–32, the result of unthankfulness and of forgetting God.

A careful reading of the chapter shows that the main thought is that God has made himself known to every soul in his creation, and that even the most degraded heathen know that they are guilty and are worthy of death for their wickedness. “Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Verse 32. So “they are without excuse.” This leading thought of the first chapter should be well in mind before beginning the second chapter, for the second is a continuation of the first, and dependent upon it.

A Wider View. Rom. 2:1–11.

“Therefore 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? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in welldoing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil; of the Jew first, and also of the gentile; but glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first, and also to the gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God.”

Questioning the Text.

What declaration does the apostle make to man?

“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man.”

What man is it that is inexcusable?

“Whosoever thou art that judgest.”

Why is the man that judges inexcusable?

“For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.”

How is it that he condemns himself?

“For thou that judgest doest the same things.”

Of what may we be sure?

“We are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.”

Therefore what is the man who judges evildoers not to think?

“That thou shalt escape the judgment of God.”

What leading question is asked of the self-righteous judge?

“Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering?”

Of what is such an one ignorant?

“Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.”

What do such treasure up for themselves?

“Treasurest up unto thyself wrath.”

In accordance with what is this wrath treasured up?

“After thy hardness and impenitent heart.”

Against what time is this wrath treasured up?

“Against the day of wrath.”

What will then be revealed?

“Revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

What will God then render?

“Who will render to every man according to his deeds.”

To what class will he render eternal life?

“To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality.”

What will he render to them that are contentious, and that do not obey the truth?

“Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish.”

Unto how many will this be rendered?

“Upon every soul of man that doeth evil.”

In what order?

“Of the Jew first, and also of the gentile.”

Is God as impartial in his rendering of rewards as of punishment?

“But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first, and also to the gentile.”

What is not found with God?

“For there is no respect of persons with God.” He “without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work.” 1 Peter 1:17.

Acknowledging their Guilt.—The truth of the apostle’s statement concerning the heathen and their deeds, that they know that they who do such things are worthy of death, is easy of demonstration. When Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, they were afraid to meet God, and hid themselves. Fear is a necessary accompaniment of guilt, and a proof of it. “Fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18. “The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Prov. 28:1. “But the fearful . . . shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire.” Rev. 21:8. If the heathen did not know that they were guilty, they would not expect punishment for murdering or stealing, and would not arm themselves for defense.

An Unanswerable Charge.—There is wonderful shrewdness in the way that the apostle works up the charge made in the first verse of the second chapter of Romans. The first chapter is confined to the heathen. All will agree with the apostle’s statement that they are guilty of most abominable wickedness. “They ought to know better,” is the almost involuntary exclamation. “They do know better,” is the apostle’s reply, or, at least, they have a chance to know better, and they do know that they are not doing right. “They are without excuse.” Whatever men may think about the responsibility of the heathen, all agree that their practices are to be condemned. Then comes the crushing rejoinder: “Therefore 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.” We are caught, and can not escape. If we know enough to condemn the unrighteous deeds of the heathen, we by that very judgment acknowledge ourselves to be without excuse for our own misdeeds.

All Alike.—“Thou that judgest doest the same things.” It is clear enough that anybody who knows enough to condemn evil in another is without excuse for his own sins; but all will not at once see that the one who judges another does the same things. Read, therefore, the last verses of the first chapter again, and compare the list of sins with that found in Gal. 5:19–21, and it will be seen that the things which the heathen do, and for which we can readily see that they are guilty, are but the works of the flesh. They are the sins that come “from within, out of the heart of men.” Mark 7:21–23. Whoever is included in the term “man” is subject to just such things. “The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.” Ps. 33:13–15.

Self-condemned.—Therefore, since all men are alike sharers in one common human nature, it is evident that whosoever in the world condemns another for any misdeed thereby condemns himself; for the truth is that all have the same evil in them, more or less fully developed; and the fact that they know enough to judge that a thing is wrong, is a declaration that they themselves are worthy of the punishment which they see that the other one deserves.

Sympathy, Not Condemnation.—The robber often cries out, “Stop, thief!” after some other man, in order to direct pursuit away from himself. So people condemn sin in others, in order that it may not be suspected that they are guilty of the same things. Often, too, people

“Compound for sins they are inclined to / By damning those they have no mind to,” but of which they are actually guilty by reason of their human nature. Since all flesh of man is the same, we ought to be filled with humiliation, instead of contempt, when we hear of a gross sin that is committed; for it is really a picture of what is in our own hearts. Instead of saying, “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men,” we should bear the burden of the erring, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted. Very often the man whose weakness we feel inclined to condemn, has not failed so badly as we should have done if we had been tempted in the same way, and to the same degree.

Outcry against Sin.—

When Talkative left it with Faithful to decide upon the subject of their conversation, Faithful proposed this question: “How doth the saving grace of God discover itself when it is in the heart of man?” And then Bunyan proceeds thus:—

Talk.—I perceive then that our talk must be about the power of things. Well, it is a very good question, and I shall be willing to answer you; and take my answer in brief thus: First, where the grace of God is in the heart, it causeth there a great outcry against sin. Secondly—

Faith.—Nay, hold; let us consider of one at once. I think you should rather say, it shows itself by inclining the soul to abhor sin.

Talk.—Why, what difference is there between crying out against and abhorring sin?

Faith.—O, a great deal! A man may cry out against a sin, of policy; but he can not abhor it but by virtue of a godly antipathy against it. I have heard many cry out against sin, in the pulpit, who can yet abide it well enough in the heart, house, and conversation. Joseph’s mistress cried out with a loud voice, as if she had been very chaste; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed uncleanness with him.

A keen perception of right and wrong, and

a vigorous denunciation of sin, will never justify any man. On the contrary, they only deepen his condemnation. It is a sad fact that too many of the so-called reformers of the present day, seem to think that Gospel work consists largely in the denunciation of evil practices. A detective is not a minister of the Gospel.

Judgment According to Truth.—“But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.” “Hold,” says one, “I am not sure of that.” Well, you may very easily assure yourself of it. 1. God exists. We are agreed as to that. 2. He is the source whence every created thing comes. 3. Every creature is absolutely dependent upon him. “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” 4. Since all life depends on him, it is evident that the continuation of man’s life depends upon his agreement and union with God. 5. Therefore God’s own character must be the standard of judgment. 6. But God himself is truth. “There is no unrighteousness in him.” 7. But he has made a revelation of himself and his righteousness to all men. “His righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.” Ps. 97:2. 8. Therefore all men, from the least to the greatest, are without excuse for their sin. 9. Then it is plain enough that when God judges all men, without exception, his judgment is according to truth; and earth will be constrained to join with heaven in saying, “Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.” “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.” Rev. 16:5, 7.

No Escape.—No one need think that he can escape the righteous judgment of God. It is usually the most enlightened who flatter themselves that they shall escape. It is so easy for us to think that our great knowledge of right and wrong will be counted for righteousness. It is very easy for us to persuade ourselves that our condemnation of the sins of others will make the Lord believe that we could never be guilty of such things. But that only makes our condemnation the more clear. The first chapter of Romans knocks all the props from under every man. If the lowest are justly held guilty, there is no escape for the “higher classes.” “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:14.

Goodness Leadeth to Repentance.—“Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” God is the perfection of purity and holiness; man is altogether sinful. God knows every sin, yet he does not despise the sinner. “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17. Christ said, “If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not.”

John 12:47. And in everything that he said and did, he was simply representing the Father. God “is long-suffering to usward;” and “the long-suffering of our God is salvation.” 2 Peter 3:9, 15. Now it is impossible that one should consider the goodness and long-suffering of God without being humbled and moved to repentance. When we consider how tenderly God bears with us, it is not possible that we should deal harshly with our fellow-men. And if we do not judge, we shall not be judged. Luke 6:37.

Repentance a Gift.—“By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Eph. 2:8. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:30, 31. But it was not to Israel alone that God gave repentance through Christ. “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:43. And so plainly did God make this appear that even the exclusive Jews were forced to exclaim, “Then hath God also to the gentiles granted repentance unto life.” Acts 11:18.

Incentives to Repentance.—The goodness of God leads men to repentance. Therefore the whole earth is full of incentives to repentance; for “the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Ps. 33:5. “The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy.” Ps. 119:64. God may be known through his works, and “God is love.” All creation reveals the love and mercy of God.

And we need not try to improve on the Scriptures, and say that the goodness of God tends to lead men to repentance. The Bible says that it does lead them to repentance, and we may be sure that it is so. Every man is being led toward repentance as surely as God is good. But not all repent. Why?—Because they despise the riches of the goodness and forbearance and long-suffering of God, and break away from the merciful leading of the Lord. But whoever does not resist the Lord, will surely be brought to repentance and salvation.

Treasuring up Wrath.—In the first chapter we learn that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” Therefore all who sin are treasuring up for themselves wrath. It should be noted that in the judgment God is clear. Men receive only what they have worked for. God is not arbitrary. He has not fixed arbitrary decrees, and declared that whoever violates them shall be visited with vengeance. The punishment that will come upon the wicked is the necessary result of their own choice. God is the only source of life. His life is peace. Now when men reject him, the only alternative for them is wrath and death. “For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; they would none of my counsel;

they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” Prov. 1:29–32. Trouble and death are bound up in sin; they are what men choose when they refuse the Lord.

“According to His Deeds.”—Unbelievers often say that it is not just for God to condemn a man simply because he does not believe a certain thing. But he does not do so. Not a word can be found in the Bible about judging a man according to his belief. Everywhere it is said that all will be judged according to their works. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matt. 16:27. “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12. He “judgeth according to every man’s work.” 1 Peter 1:17. The man who says that his work is all right, sets himself up as judge in the place of God, who says that every man is all wrong. God is Judge alone, and he judges strictly according to a man’s work; but a man’s work is decided by his faith. “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29. It is not for any man to judge himself, and say that his work is all right. It is for him simply to trust the goodness and mercy of the Lord, that his work may be wrought in God.

Immortality and Eternal Life.—God will render eternal life to them who seek for glory and honor and immortality. Christ “hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” 2 Tim. 1:10. Life and immortality are two different things. Whoever believes on the Son of God has eternal life. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3. We have eternal life as soon as we know the Lord; but we can not have immortality until the Lord comes, at the last day. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Cor. 15:51–53. We are to seek for immortality; that of itself is proof that no man has it now. Since Christ has brought it to light through the Gospel, it is evident that immortality can be found in no other way than through the Gospel. Therefore those who do not accept the Gospel will never have immortality.

Tribulation and Anguish.—Those who sin are the children of wrath. Eph. 2:3. Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, are sure to come upon evil doers. But tribulation and anguish will have an end. The fact that none receive immortality except

the ones who are Christ’s at his coming, shows that all others will eventually cease to exist. There will be torment in connection with the punishment of the wicked, but the torment, however long it may continue, will come to an end in the utter destruction of the wicked. God’s indignation will come to an end. “For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.” Isa. 10:25. The call is: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.” Isa. 16:20, 21. “He will not always chide; neither will he keep his anger forever.” Ps. 103:9. His anger will cease, not because he will become reconciled to iniquity, but because iniquity will come to an end with its workers.

“To Every Soul.”—Tribulation and anguish will come upon “every soul of man that doeth evil,” and glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good.” None will be left out. There is not a soul so poor and ignorant that he will be passed by, nor one so wealthy and learned that he will be allowed to escape. Wealth and position will have no influence in that court. God has made the revelation of himself so plain that every man has had an opportunity of knowing him. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness.” Note well that his wrath is revealed against sin. Only those persons will suffer who cling to sin, and will not allow God to take it from them. In the final blotting out of sin, they are necessarily blotted out with it.

To the Jew First.—This statement is sufficient to show that God is no respecter of persons. Indeed, the apostle states as a necessary conclusion that “there is no respect of persons with God.” “First” does not always refer to time. We speak of a man as being the first man in the country, not because there were no men before him, but because he is the chief man. In school a certain man is the first man in his class, because he is the best scholar. The Jew is the one who has had the greatest revelation made to him, and therefore it is just that he should be chief in the judgment. The text shows, however, that God has no special favor to the Jew over other men. If glory, honor, and peace come to the Jew first, so also do indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. The question is not, “What is the man’s nationality?” but, “What has he done?” God will render to every man according to his deeds, “for there is no respect of persons with God.” E. J. W.

Awaits Us

Awaits Us.—The life of God awaits every soul who will receive it, who will reach up helpless hands, in the darkness of sin, trouble, or sorrow, and connect with the current of life. Nay, but the hands may be impotent, powerless; if the heart will but choose God’s will, the Spirit of life, which works “according to the will of God,” will take possession of the sin-burdened heart, will consume the sin, cleanse the soul, create power and love within, and bring forth fruit unto eternal life. Reader, why not open your heart and let the Spirit of God in? It will never disappoint you.

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