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STUDY XVI
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Our Duty Toward the Truth--Its Cost, Its Value, Its Profit.
IN THE preceding chapters we have seen that both the
light of nature and that of revelation clearly demonstrate
the fact that an intelligent, wise, almighty and righteous
God is the Creator of all things, and that he is the supreme
and rightful Lord of all; that all things animate and inanimate
are subject to his control; and that the Bible is the
revelation of his character and plans so far as he is pleased
to disclose them to men. From it we have learned that
though evil now predominates among some of his creatures,
it exists for only a limited time and to a limited extent,
and by his permission, for wise ends which he has in
view. We have also learned that though darkness now covers
the earth, and gross darkness the people, yet God's light
will in due time dispel all the darkness, and the whole earth
will be filled with his glory.
We have seen that his great plan is one that has required
ages for its accomplishment thus far, and that yet another
age will be required to complete it; and that during all the
dark ages of the past, when God seemed to have almost forgotten
his creatures, his plan for their future blessing has
been silently but grandly working out, though during all
those ages the mysteries of his plan have been wisely hidden
from men. We have also seen that the day or age which is
now about to dawn upon the world is to be the day of the
world's judgment or trial, and that all previous preparation
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has been for the purpose of giving mankind in general as
favorable an opportunity as possible, when, as individuals,
they will be placed on trial for eternal life. The long period
of six thousand years has greatly multiplied the race, and
their buffetings and sufferings under the dominion of evil
have given them an experience which will be greatly to
their advantage when they are brought to judgment. And
though the race as a whole has been permitted thus to suffer
for six thousand years, yet as individuals they have run
their course in a few brief years.
We have seen that while the race was undergoing this
necessary discipline, in due time God sent his Son to redeem
them; and that while the mass of mankind did not recognize
the Redeemer in his humiliation, and would not believe
that the Lord's Anointed would thus come to their rescue,
yet from among those whose hearts were toward God,
and who believed his promises, God has been, during these
ages past, selecting two companies to receive the honors of
his kingdom--the honors of sharing in the execution of the
divine plan. These two select companies, we have seen, are
to constitute the two phases of the Kingdom of God. And
from the prophets we learn that this kingdom is soon to be
established in the earth; that under its wise and just administration
all the families of the earth will be blessed with a
most favorable opportunity to prove themselves worthy of
everlasting life; that as the result of their redemption by the
precious blood of Christ, a grand highway of holiness will
be cast up; that the ransomed of the Lord (all mankind--
Heb. 2:9) may walk in it; that it will be a public thoroughfare
made comparatively easy for all who earnestly desire to
become pure, holy; and that all the stumbling-stones will
be gathered out, and all the snares, allurements and pitfalls
removed, and blessed will all those be who go up thereon to
perfection and everlasting life.
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It is manifest that this judgment, or rulership, cannot begin
until Christ, whom Jehovah hath appointed to be the
Judge or Ruler of the world, has come again--not again in
humiliation, but in power and great glory: not again to redeem
the world, but to judge [rule] the world in righteousness.
A trial can in no case proceed until the judge is on
the bench and the court is in session at the appointed time,
though before that time there may be a great preparatory
work. Then shall the King sit upon the throne of his glory,
and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall
judge them during that age by their works, opening to them
the books of the Scriptures and filling the earth with the
knowledge of the Lord. And by their conduct under all that
favor and assistance, he shall decide who of them are
worthy of life everlasting in the ages of glory and joy to follow.
Matt. 25:31; Rev. 20:11-13
Thus we have seen that the second advent of Messiah, to
set up his kingdom in the earth, is an event in which all
classes of men may have hope, an event which, when fully
understood, will bring joy and gladness to all hearts. It is
the day when the Lord's "little flock" of consecrated saints
has the greatest cause for rejoicing. It is the glad day when
the espoused virgin Church with joy becomes the Bride, the
Lamb's wife; when she comes up out of the wilderness leaning
upon the arm of her Beloved, and enters into his
glorious inheritance. It is the day when the true Church,
glorified with its Head, will be endued with divine authority
and power, and will begin the great work for the world,
the result of which will be the complete restitution of all
things. And it will be a glad day for the world when the
great adversary is bound, when the fetters that have held
the race for six thousand years are broken, and when the
knowledge of the Lord fills the whole earth as the waters
cover the sea.
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A knowledge of these things, and the evidences that they
are nigh, even at the door, should have a powerful influence
upon all, but especially upon the consecrated children of
God, who are seeking the prize of the divine nature. We
urge such, while they lift up their heads and rejoice, knowing
that their redemption draweth nigh, to lay aside every
weight and hindrance, and to run patiently the race in
which they have started. Look away from self and its unavoidable
weaknesses and imperfections, knowing that all
such weaknesses are covered fully by the merits of the ransom
given by Christ Jesus our Lord, and that your sacrifices
and self-denials are acceptable to God through our Redeemer
and Lord--and thus only. Let us remember that the
strength sufficient which God has promised us, and by use
of which we can be "overcomers," is provided in his Word.
It is a strength derived from a knowledge of his character and
plans, and of the conditions upon which we may share in
them. Thus Peter expresses it, saying, "Grace and peace be
multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of
Jesus Christ our Lord, according as his divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him who hath called us to glory and
virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises, that BY THESE ye might be partakers of the
divine nature." 2 Pet. 1:2-4
But to obtain this knowledge and this strength, which
God thus proposes to supply to each runner for the heavenly
prize, will surely test the sincerity of your consecration
vows. You have consecrated all your time, all your talents,
to the Lord; now the question is, How much of it are you
giving? Are you still willing, according to your covenant of
consecration, to give up all?--to give up your own plans and
methods, and the theories of yourselves and others, to accept
of God's plan and way and time of doing his great
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work? Are you willing to do this at the cost of earthly
friendships and social ties? And are you willing to give up
time from other things for the investigation of these
glorious themes so heart-cheering to the truly consecrated,
with the certain knowledge that it will cost you this self-denial?
If all is not consecrated, or if you only half meant it
when you gave all to the Lord, then you will begrudge the
time and effort needful to search his Word as for hid treasure,
to obtain thus the strength needful for all the trials of
faith incident to the present (the dawn of the Millennium)
above other times.
But think not that the giving will end with the giving of
the needful time and energy to this study: it will not. The
sincerity of your sacrifice of self will be tested in full, and
will prove you either worthy or unworthy of membership in
that "little flock," the overcoming Church, which will receive
the honors of the kingdom. If you give diligence to the
Word of God, and receive its truths into a good, honest,
consecrated heart, it will beget in you such a love for God
and his plan, and such a desire to tell the good tidings,
to preach the gospel, that it will become the all-absorbing
theme of life thereafter; and this will not only separate
you from the world and from many nominal Christians,
in spirit, but it will lead to separation from such
entirely. They will think you peculiar and separate you
from their company, and you will be despised and counted
a fool for Christ's sake; because they know us not, even as
they knew not the Lord. 2 Cor. 4:8-10; Luke 6:22;
1 John 3:1;
1 Cor. 3:18
Are you willing to follow on to know the Lord through
evil and through good report? Are you willing to forsake
all, to follow as he may lead you by his Word?--to ignore the
wishes of friends, as well as your own desires? It is hoped
that many of the consecrated who read this volume may by
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it be so quickened to fresh zeal and fervency of spirit,
through a clearer apprehension of the divine plan, that
they will be able to say, "By the grace of God, I will follow
on to know and to serve the Lord, whatever may be the sacrifice
involved." Like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11), let
such studiously set themselves to prove what has been presented
in the foregoing pages. Prove it, not by the conflicting
traditions and creeds of men, but by the only correct
and divinely authorized standard--God's own Word. It is
to facilitate such investigation that we have cited so many
scriptures.
It will be useless to attempt to harmonize the divine plan
herein set forth with many of the ideas previously held and
supposed to be Scriptural, yet not proved so. It will be observed
that the divine plan is complete and harmonious
with itself in every part, and that it is in perfect harmony
with the character which the Scriptures ascribe to its
great Author. It is a marvelous display of wisdom, justice,
love and power. It carries with it its own evidence of
superhuman design, being beyond the power of human
invention, and almost beyond the power of human
comprehension.
Doubtless questions will arise on various points inquiring
for solution according to the plan herein presented. Careful,
thoughtful Bible study will settle many of these at once;
and to all we can confidently say, No question which you
can raise need go without a sufficient answer, fully in harmony
with the views herein presented. Succeeding volumes
elaborate the various branches of this one plan, disclosing
at every step that matchless harmony of which the truth
alone can boast. And be it known that no other system of
theology even claims, or has ever attempted, to harmonize
in itself every statement of the Bible; yet nothing short of this
we can claim for these views. This harmony not only with
the Bible, but with the divine character and with sanctified
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common sense, must have arrested the attention of the conscientious
reader already, and filled him with awe, as well
as with hope and confidence. It is marvelous indeed, yet just
what we should expect of the TRUTH, and of God's infinitely
wise and beneficent plan.
And while the Bible is thus opening up from this standpoint,
and disclosing wondrous things (Psa. 119:18), the
light of the present day upon the various creeds and traditions
of men is affecting them in an opposite manner. They
are being recognized even by their worshipers as imperfect
and deformed, and hence they are being measurably ignored;
and though still subscribed to, they are seldom
elaborated, for very shame. And the shame attaching to
these human creeds and traditions is spreading to the Bible,
which is supposed to uphold these deformities of thought as
of divine origin. Hence the freedom with which the various
advanced thinkers, so-called, are beginning to deny various
parts of the Bible not congenial to their views. How striking,
then, the providence of God, which at this very time
opens before his children this truly glorious and harmonious
plan--a plan that rejects not one, but harmonizes every
part and item of his Word. Truth, when due, becomes
meat for the household of faith, that they may grow thereby.
(Matt. 24:45) Whoever comes in contact with truth, realizing
its character, has thereby a responsibility with reference
to it. It must be either received and acted upon, or rejected
and despised. To ignore it does not release from responsibility.
If we accept it ourselves, we have a responsibility TOWARD
IT also, because it is for ALL the household of faith;
and each one receiving it becomes its debtor, and, if a faithful
steward, must dispense it to the other members of the
family of God. Let your light shine! If it again becomes
darkness, how great will be the darkness. Lift up the light!
Lift up a standard for the people!
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The Divine Weaving
"See the mystic Weaver sitting
High in heaven--His loom below.
Up and down the treadles go.
Takes, for web, the world's dark ages,
Takes, for woof, the kings and sages.
Takes the nobles and their pages,
Takes all stations and all stages.
Thrones are bobbins in His shuttle.
Armies make them scud and scuttle--
Web into the woof must flow:
Up and down the nations go!
At the Weaver's will they go!
"Calmly see the mystic Weaver
Throw His shuttle to and fro;
'Mid the noise and wild confusion,
Well the Weaver seems to know
What each motion, and commotion,
What each fusion, and confusion,
In the grand result will show!
"Glorious wonder! What a weaving!
To the dull, beyond believing.
Such no fabled ages know.
Only faith can see the mystery,
How, along the aisles of history,
Where the feet of sages go,
Loveliest to the fairest eyes,
Grand the mystic tapet lies!
Soft and smooth, and ever spreading,
As if made for angels' treading--
Tufted circles touching ever:
Every figure has its plaidings,
Brighter forms and softer shadings,
Each illumined--what a riddle!
From a cross that gems the middle.
"'Tis a saying--some reject it--
That its light is all reflected;
That the tapet's lines are given
By a Sun that shines in heaven!
'Tis believed--by all believing--
That great God, Himself, is weaving,
Bringing out the world's dark mystery,
In the light of faith and history;
And, as web and woof diminish,
Comes the grand and glorious finish,
When begin the Golden Ages,
Long foretold by seers and sages."
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