Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 25, 1904
GOD, THE WONDERFUL CREATOR.
The Word of God is manifest in His works, for by His Word were all things created. “He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Much labor and controversy, also such sacrifice of truth to make way for error, would be spared to well-meaning men if they would but believe this simple truth. Verily “the way of transgressors is hard.”
Black Butte and Mount Shasta, in Northern California.
“God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” The light dispersed the darkness that enshrouded chaos, and made way for order. “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” So there are waters under the firmament and above it. This was demonstrated at the time of the great Deluge, when “the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened,” to flood the earth with water.
“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so.” The dry land was called earth, and the cumulated waters were called seas. “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night.” These were for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; also for lights in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth.
“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kinds, and every winged fowl after its kind.” There was no hitch in all this work, for God makes no mistakes, and He saw that it was good. “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind.” And this, too, was good.
And then came the crowning act. “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” After creating the man and the woman, “God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” The Lord then gave the entire dominion of the earth and everything in it into the hand of the man. “And God saw everything He had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
THERE could be no flaw in that which, in the eyes of a perfect Creator, was “very good.” But the adversary came in and tempted the man to do as he had done in the heavenly courts, namely, disobey God. In this way he overcame the man, and usurped the dominion. In disobeying God the man became obedient to the adversary. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
By reason of the fall of man, a curse came upon the earth, and it brought forth thorns and thistles, and all manner of nauseous and poisonous plants, together with savage beasts, and sorrow and death. Thus was the original beauty of the earth marred. And the continued sin of the race brought about the complete change of the earth’s surface by the flood. Where once were the seas, there may now be seen the towering upheavals called mountains, and some places where the dry land was, is now covered with water. This is shown by shells of ocean being found on the mountain tops. Another evidence of the great change is the enormous coal beds, formed of the extensive antediluvial forests overturned and covered by the action of the awful Deluge.
NOTWITHSTANDING the general curse, and the effects of the flood, and the changed conditions from other causes, there are still scenes of grandeur that call forth praise to the almighty Creator from those who believe His Word. And there is enough in sight anywhere to convince even the “untutored mind” that these things were created and are sustained by some great Master Spirit. It is only the wisdom of man, inspired by the adversary whose purpose is the perversion and destruction of God’s Holy Word, that assumes to find evidence of chance work in the production of the earth and the wonderful works that it contains.
“O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are all things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships; there is that leviathan, whom Thou hast made to play therein. These wait upon Thee; that Thou mayest2 (322)give them meat in due season.” “The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
RULING THE SPIRIT.
By Ellen G. White
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” He has conquered self,—the strongest foe man has to meet.
The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self-control. He who can stand unmoved amidst a storm of abuse is one of God’s heroes.
To rule the spirit is to keep self under discipline; to resist evil; to regulate every word and deed by God’s great standard of righteousness. He who has learned to rule his spirit will rise above the slights, the rebuffs, the annoyances, to which we are daily exposed, and these will cease to cast a gloom over his spirit.
It is God’s purpose that the kingly power of sanctified reason, controlled by divine grace, shall bear sway in the lives of human beings. He who rules his spirit is in possession of this power.
In childhood and youth the character is most impressive. The power of self-control should then be acquired. By the fireside and at the family board influences are exerted the results of which are as enduring as eternity. More than any natural endowment, the habits established in early years will decide whether a man shall be victorious or vanquished in the battle of life.
In the use of language, there is perhaps no error that old and young are more ready to pass over lightly in themselves than hasty, impatient speech. They think it is a sufficient excuse to plead, “I was off my guard, and did not really mean what I said.” But God’s Word does not treat it lightly. The Scripture says: “Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
The largest share of life’s annoyances, its heartaches, its irritations, is due to uncontrolled temper. In one moment, by hasty, passionate, careless words, may be wrought evil that a whole lifetime’s repentance can not undo. O, the hearts that are broken, the friends estranged, the lives wrecked, by the harsh, hasty words of those who might have brought help and healing!
Overwork sometimes causes a loss of self-control. But the Lord never compels hurried, complicated movements. Many gather to themselves burdens that the merciful heavenly Father did not place on them. Duties He never designed them to perform chase one another wildly. God desires us to realize that we do not glorify His name when we take so many burdens that we are overtasked, and becoming heart-weary and brain-weary, chafe and fret and scold. We are to bear only the responsibilities that the Lord gives us, trusting in Him, and thus keeping our hearts pure and sweet and sympathetic.
There is a wonderful power in silence. When impatient words are spoken to you, do not retaliate. Words spoken in reply to one who is angry, usually act as a whip, lashing the temper into greater fury. But anger met by silence quickly dies away. Let the Christian bridle his tongue, firmly resolving not to speak harsh, impatient words. With the tongue bridled, he may be victorious in every trial of patience through which he is called to pass.
In his own strength man can not rule his spirit. But through Christ he may gain self-control. In His strength he may bring his thoughts and words into subjection to the will of God. The religion of Christ brings the emotions under the control of reason, and disciplines the tongue. Under its influence the hasty temper is subdued, and the heart is filled with patience and gentleness.
Hold firmly to the One who has all power in heaven and in earth. Tho you so often fail to reveal patience and calmness, do not give up the struggle. Resolve again, this time more firmly, to be patient under every provocation. And never take your eyes off your divine Example.
God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” This command is a promise. The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan. Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. He came to destroy the works of the devil. And He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning.
The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act. Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is attainable by every repenting, believing child of God.
GIVING THE GREAT GIFT.
By H. A. St. John
BY H. A. ST. JOHN.
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Luke 11:13. The wise parent exercises discretion in the matter of giving good gifts to his children. He will not only present good gifts, but he will endeavor to present them in a manner, and at a time, to make them of the most value to the child. He knows what good gifts are; and he knows how to give them. And our heavenly Father knows all this much better than any earthly parent can know.
The sum total of all good gifts that heaven bestows upon mortals, is the gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact, it includes every other gift. The forerunner of the first advent of the Messiah, said of himself, that he was not worthy to stoop down and unloose the shoes of Him who would come after him, and that while he baptized with water, the coming One would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.
Thus we see that John Baptist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, when presenting the exalted character and blessings of the coming Messiah, passed over all the mighty words and works of Jesus while among men, to reveal the love of God, and mentioned only the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the one culminating blessing of Jesus to the world, which was not given during the period of His humiliation, but after His ascension, when He was glorified.
The Lord knows how to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. The Holy Spirit is a gift of God to men; it is the greatest of God’s gifts to men. And from the circumstance of His not bestowing that invaluable gift upon His most intimate disciples during the whole period of His personal association with them, we may be assured that it is a gift of too great value to be bestowed upon men at an inappropriate time or place, or in an inappropriate manner.
A period, longer or shorter, of discipline, experience, education, and preparation is necessary in order to the reception of this enduement of power from on high; and the Lord alone knoweth how and when to crown His work of grace for the individual by the bestowal of this inestimable gift, which will constitute the “fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.” It is the Lord’s good pleasure, yea more, it is His most earnest desire, that every one of His children should hasten with all possible speed the intelligent consecration of themselves as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto the Lord, their reasonable service, and thus become wholly transformed by the renewing of the mind; and then, and not till then, can they prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Then may they go about doing good, teaching, both by precept and example, that perfect will.
Always Doing One’s Level Best
By Russell H. Conwell
I ATTRIBUTE my success to always requiring myself to do my level best, if only in driving a tack straight.—Russell H. Conwell.
AFTER MANY DAYS.
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
BY MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE.
“See, Master, see! we have toiled all night
'Mong the shadows dark and grim;
Tho the pale moon hid her face from sight,
And the stars were shining dim.”
“We have toiled all night, till the morn's grey light
Shines faint in the eastern sky,
And still, my Lord, at Thy gracious word,
We will lower the net and try.”
They cast the net on the ship's right side,
As the Master bade them do;
And tho the net was strong and wide,
The fish came bursting through.
E'en thus it is on the sea of life;
We strive, and we strive again;
But we see no gain for our toil and pain
As we fish for the souls of men.
And our hearts grow sick, and our spirits faint,
And our souls in anguish cry,
And we speed to the heavens our sad complaint:
“Must the toil of a lifetime die?”
Ah, fisherman lone, on the sea of life,
When the spirit is sick with pain,
Smile on, in spite of the toil and strife;
For thou shalt not fish in vain.
LONG-FACED RELIGION.
A LITTLE girl had been to a revival and been happily converted. She came home laughing and singing, her little heart so light and full of joy. “O grandpa,” she cried, rushing into the room where the old man sat, “I have got religion! I have got religion.” He took her by the shoulders and set her down hard on a chair. “You don’t know what religion is. People don’t shout and skip when they have religion. You look like it, don’t you! Now, sit still.”
The child sat there a while, then crept away, all the joy and gladness gone from her little heart. She went and climbed on the lot fence, where she went each day to feed sugar to an old donkey. The old donkey put his head up, and as she stroked his face she said pityingly: “Poor old donkey! Poor old donkey! You have got religion—I know you have; your face is long, just like grandpa’s.”—Sel.
The Industrial Conflict in the Light of Revelation.
By Geo. W. Rine
By Geo. W. Rine.
MONEY AND THE GOSPEL.
PROPERTY is one of the most potent factors of human society. As a means to the attainment of the highest human ends it is indispensable. We too often forget that it is only a means, not an end. As a means it is a gift from God, and as such it is to be enjoyed and legitimately used. But, like many other instrumental blessings, money has been sought for its own sake—has been made a fetish, an idol. Hence, with most persons, property is the supreme incentive to endeavor, the paramount good to be realized at all hands. This fact has made property the great cause for discontent, and one of the gravest sources of danger.
If all Christians apprehended their true relation to property and of property to the kingdom of God, the many perplexing social and economic problems of to-day would soon be solved. The only permanent and efficient corrective of present-day evils, perplexities, and dangers in the industrial as well as in the moral world, is found in the Gospel. If all men should accept and practise the precepts of the Bible concerning property, the world would soon become an economic and social paradise.
There is no human duty more clearly defined and more insistently emphasized in the Bible, than that which pertains to the ethics of ownership and to the attitude of the rich to the poor. Both Testaments are replete with passages upon this phase of human duty. If the doctrines of the Inspired Word, touching the possession of riches, were taught and lived by the Christian church, miracles of social and industrial reform would inevitably follow. “What is needed,” declares Dr. Josiah Strong, “is not simply an increased giving, an enlarged estimate of the Lord’s share, but a radically different conception of our relations to our possessions.” An honest perusal of the Scriptures would soon convince us that we are not proprietors or absolute owners, but simply the trustees or custodians of property, all of which belongs to God.
It is not in a merely poetical or sentimental sense that the Lord declares Himself to be the absolute owner of all wealth, but in a very real and practical sense. We shall note a few striking passages: “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord.” Deut. 10:14; Ps. 24:1; Hag. 2:8. Many Christians gladly and practically concede God’s claim to a portion of their possessions, perhaps a tenth or even a fifth. This portion they hold themselves in duty bound to use for God. The foregoing Bible citations, however, show most conclusively that God did not, for the yielding of a part, renounce all claims to the remainder. In language, clear-cut and oft-repeated, we are taught that we and all our possessions belong absolutely to God. Not only our property, but we, body, soul, and spirit, are God’s. “Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine.” “Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price.” Eze. 18:4; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20. God’s eternal and unqualified ownership of all things created, rests upon the dual fact that He created us and all things, and that all are upheld “by the word of His power.” If we do not have any claim even to ourselves, how much less to the riches which God has entrusted to our care-taking. By this is not meant that we do not have any personal rights as touching property, or that private property is in itself a wrong, as Socialists would have it, but it does mean that between God and the individual soul there can never be any such distinction as thine and mine.
Since all things are the Lord’s, He necessarily has a right to the use or service of all. We and all our possessions should, therefore, through the service of humanity, be dedicated to the service of the Lord. Jesus and His inspired writers uniformly denounce the accumulation of wealth for its own sake, and enjoin the obligation of sharing it with the helpless and the needy. Invariably they speak of material possessions as in the nature of stewardship, a distinct responsibility, for the right or wrong use of which the owner will be held to strict account. The amassing of great riches, the adding of house to house, of farm to farm, that the owner may enjoy them without regard to the needs of others, is always branded as a sin. Our first and highest duty, we are taught, is to fulfil the law of Christ, and to fulfil this law is to “bear . . . one another’s burdens,” to share with the less fortunate our strength, our joys, and our dollars. To do this is to serve humanity; to serve humanity is to serve God; to serve God is to fulfil the supreme mission of human life; and to fulfil this mission is the divine pledge that we shall be entrusted with infinite riches and endless life in the world to come.
Property is a trust from God, a “talent” to be scrupulously employed—to be put “out to usury.” How very, very many are doing even worse than burying this talent in a napkin! They are sinking it in the mire of self-indulgence, squandering it in the gratification of vicious appetites and animal lusts. Such are unjust stewards, betraying their trust by embezzling their Lord’s property, which was graciously given them as a blessing to themselves and as a means of blessing the less fortunate. “Freely ye have received, freely give,” is our Lord’s explicit instruction. He would have us understand that we receive in order that we may give; that He blesses us that we may be a blessing to others; that He makes us the recipients of good, in order that under His guidance we may become the dispensers of good. Wealth is a blessing; but no real blessing can ever become actually and permanently mine until I permit the Giver to bless some one else, through me, with that blessing. It is only by giving them away that the gifts of God can be retained. As a man soweth (gives) so shall he also reap (receive).
Every believing Bible student knows that there can be no personal righteousness without personal self-denial. But there is a sort of self-denial that is essentially unrighteous. I mean the self-denial which has for its object the hoarding of wealth, with no reference to using or giving. Such is the self-denial of the miser, who is, of all men, most miserable. But there is a noble and Godlike species of self-denial, without which Christian character is unattainable and salvation impossible. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” This applies to the rich as well as to the poor. The richest of men are recreant to their divinely-given trust if they do not use every penny of their wealth in a way that will best glorify God. But God is glorified not only by our ministering to the needs of the poor and helpless, but by ministering to our own needs as well. Asceticism has no place in Christian character. Jesus “came eating and drinking.” But He ate and drank only to the extent that would insure His highest mental and physical integrity—a condition absolutely necessary to His greatest usefulness and efficiency as the servant of God. Every Christian is a servant, and he is morally bound to make that service as effective as possible. Hence, whatever expenditures are necessary to his greatest growth and efficiency are not only permissible, but obligatory. Our Lord has not left us without an infallible rule, by which to test the legitimacy of every expenditure: “Whatsoever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Dr. Strong once wrote: “All the money which will yield a larger return of usefulness in the world, of greater good to the kingdom, by being spent on ourselves or families than by being applied otherwise, is used for the glory of God, and is better spent than it would have been if given to missions. And whatever money is spent on self that would have yielded larger returns of usefulness, if applied otherwise, is misapplied; and if it has been done intelligently, it is a case of embezzlement.” Dr. Strong has here given us a very luminous and concise commentary on the Bible rule above quoted.
The rich need ever to remember that wealth is not self-creative. For every dollar of wealth some one has expended labor. Each dollar represents hours of hard work, a part of some one’s life given to its production, in the mine, in the forest, in the shop, in the office, or at the desk. It is so much stored energy, so much work in the concrete. Hence, every one that inherits wealth virtually receives free the fruits of as many days of toil as was originally required to create the amount he inherits. He is, therefore, morally bound to render to society the equivalent of his inherited toil, either in some form of personal service or in some form of ministry made possible by his unearned wealth. Failing to do so, he becomes a social parasite, a pauper, tho he may have millions of money at his command. He is virtually eating bread in the sweat of another’s face. One of the greatest evils and dangers that confront society to-day is the world-wide phenomenon of opulent pauperism. It is costing the world’s workers vastly more to support the great army of wealthy drones than it is to support the helpless poor.
In the parable of the unjust steward our Lord has forcefully illustrated the true attitude of His followers toward property. He speaks of a steward who is charged with having wasted his master’s estate. The proofs of his guilt are so flagrant that he is sure to lose his position, with its perquisites. He calls together his lord’s debtors, and knavishly cuts off fifty per cent from the debt of one, twenty per cent from that of another, and by this piece of roguery he hopes to make friends who will receive him into their homes, at least for a time, when he has lost his office. Tho his master discovered the fraud, he is represented as having no remedy. The steward being his lord’s4legal representative, the steward’s orders were necessarily valid. Tho an unscrupulous knave, the steward had the forethought to provide for his future interest. “The sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of light.” Jesus commands His disciples (and us) to learn a lesson from the unjust steward. Of course it is not the dishonesty of the steward, but his foresight, that Jesus would have us note and imitate. “Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”
It is obviously because wealth has had so much to do with human selfishness and cruelty, and because it is so often unjustly acquired and so wickedly used, that Jesus brands it as “the mammon of unrighteousness.”
The following words afford a concise interpretation of this parable: “He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who will give you that which is your own? . . . Ye can not serve God and mammon.”
Temporal riches, the things of this world, are here represented as of very little value compared with eternal riches. But faithfulness in the inferior trust is a test of fidelity in the far greater matters of the world to come. We shall not receive from God the real and enduring riches, if we have not been faithful in using the material riches committed to us.
Again, how strikingly this parable teaches what I said before, that our material possessions are not really and essentially ours, but God’s. They are placed in our hands for the purpose of testing our fitness to be entrusted with the imperishable riches of the coming kingdom. And just as certainly as our Lord spoke the truth, just so certainly can no one have a part or share in the eternal riches, if he has been faithless to his Master in the use of perishable riches.
It is just as imperative as it ever was that we should forsake all and follow Christ. This is the fundamental law of His kingdom. To the man of the world this may sound like a stern tyrannical law, calculated to make life hard and gloomy. He can see no happiness in such a life. He is looking through eyes that have back of them a covetous, grasping heart. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. To the spiritually enlightened heart this law of self-renunciation is the only law that can make life free, glad, joyous. Its practical acceptance cleanses the heart from the blighting passion of avarice, relieves the soul of that carking care, that corroding anxiety, that hot restlessness, which are inseparable from a life devoted to money-getting. It is then that we become children of God in spirit as well as in name, and the true temper and blessedness of God’s children fill our hearts. We now realize that God is our common Father, that we are all His children, that our property all belongs to our Father, and we are ever ready to share it with all who are in our Father’s household. We see truly that there is no happiness like the happiness that comes from making others happy. With our Elder Brother, we can say from the heart that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
LIFE IN SCRIPTURE SIMILES.
By William Covert
BY WILLIAM COVERT.
To EVERYTHING, as to every intelligent being, there is given a work. Every creature has its mission, and every object has its voice. The rocks and the rills, the hills and the dales, the mountains and the plains, the rivers and the seas, the days and the nights, the clouds and the storms, the heavens and the earth with all their elements, instruct in divine lore, and none are misguided who rightly comprehend and heed their lessons.
David, while hiding among the ramparts of nature from king Saul, said, “The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my salvation, and my high Tower.” Ps. 18:2.
By faith David beheld the power of God as an impenetrable rock, upon every side protecting him from his jealous pursuer. Nature surrounded him with visible fortresses, and the psalmist saw in these similes of invisible protection. Through all these means the Lord was speaking to His servant of deliverance from a foe more wily than the Benjaminite king, and from a fate more to be feared than death by sword or javelin. Every object that served him as shield or tower, spoke to him of salvation from sin and final triumph over death. He saw life from God manifested in His preserving care. In the midst of constant danger,325he was led to praise the Lord for manifold blessings.
The last Old Testament prophet spoke of the sun as an emblem of Christ’s righteousness, and restoration from the effects of sin. Through him the Lord says to His people, “The Sun of Righteousness” shall “arise with healing in His wings.” The coming up of the morning sun to dispel the darkness of the night, renews the assurance of salvation day by day. The driving away of the clouds of night and the warming of the earth by day tells anew from sun to sun the story of redemption.
To Judea’s weeping prophet the gushing spring spoke of the Saviour as a “Fountain of living waters.” Jer. 17:13. Each time he quenched his thirst at the living stream that flowed from the rock, his mind by faith applied the blood of salvation which came from the stricken Saviour.
To Solomon, the teacher and admirer of nature, the “rose of Sharon” and the “lily of the valley” were object lessons, illustrating to his mind the beauty of character possessed by the Lord. The blooming althea among the graceful shrubs spoke to his mind of the supreme goodness and excellent glory of Jesus. The lily of the valley, in its exquisitely bright hue, told him of the Carpenter of Nazareth and the peculiar richness of the graces which adorned His life.
Christ said of Himself, “I am the true Vine.” With Him there was no variation in the quality of life. In this Vine all branches bear fruit. He is the “good Olive Tree.” His quality of life is so vigorous that all wild scions grafted into this stock are so changed as to bear tame fruit. He is “that great Shepherd of the sheep,” the one Shepherd of all other shepherds, and the One who owns all the sheep in every fold.
He is Priest, and He is King. He is man’s Peace and his Joy. He is man’s Song and exceeding great Reward. He is Friend, Helper, Father, Creator, Redeemer, and everlasting Father. He is wisdom, sanctification, righteousness, and redemption. He is “Alpha,” the beginning, and “Omega,” the ending,—the source and the sum of all things.
One of the most beautiful emblems of the Lord’s grace is the rainbow. After the flood of waters had receded from the earth, to assure Noah and his family of God’s love, and of their safety in dwelling upon the earth, the Lord said to them:—
“This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations; I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Gen. 9:12–16.
The shining of the sun through the falling raindrops, makes the rainbow, but there must be a cloud to produce the rain, else the bow is not seen. This transient picture, which seems like a glorious crescent of the sky chasing away the storm, is a visible representation of the glory that illumines God’s throne in the heavens. The gorgeous coloring of the bow behind the departing storm most pleasantly and gracefully illustrates the wonderful beauty and richness of the righteousness, mercy, and love of God. It is a vivid reflection of that glory which the heavenly host constantly behold as they come to the throne.
From that throne the life of God sends forth beams of light, shining with marvelous brilliancy, of which the pen of Inspiration writes: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” Eze. 1:28. John, in vision, beheld the same glory, and, in attempting to picture it, said, “Behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. . . . And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Rev. 4:2, 3. The emerald is one of the most precious stones, and is greatly prized for the pureness and richness of its coloring, being a six-sided prism of green or bluish green.
As the glorified arch in the wake of the receding storm has a dark background, so does the bow about the great white throne have behind it a cloud to intensify the glory. For, says the Lord, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins; return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.” Isa. 44:22, 23. Hezekiah, praising God for his recovery, says: “Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” Isa. 38:17.
These sins are dark clouds, which have spent their fury and are being borne away. The Lord has so ordered nature that man can look upon the bow of promise in the cloud, and by faith see the glorious bow of eternal peace around the throne in heaven. It is to men the bright symbol of the everlasting covenant—a visible token of his salvation. The rainbow in the visible heaven is the Lord’s painted ensign of redemption. It is hung out in plain view for man to behold with his natural eyes, and study its significance. The bow announces that the storm has abated, and that the sun is shining again. It is the Lord’s memorial of peace; a variegated banner of love stretching across the sky; a token in the window of heaven inviting us home; a light on the shore to guide the traveler to the haven of rest.
Every Christian should place these Bible similes in as beautiful setting in practical life as the Christian teacher, in love for his school, is pictured in Goldsmith’s “Deserted Village”:—
“To them his heart, his love, his griefs were given,
But all his serious thoughts had rest in heaven;
As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form,
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm;
Tho’ round its breast the rolling clouds are spread,
Eternal sunshine settles on its head.”
