Earlier text: EditorialCONVICTION FOR SIN.
By William Covert
IN a former article it was shown how man has been perverted by sin. Sin is manifest ingratitude to the Creator, and is exceedingly unbecoming in man. If God in love to man gave him a beautiful world, abundantly supplied with everything that was essential to his happiness and comfort, and placed him in a garden of delights, all glorious and fragrant with sweetness, there, with life, companion, home, and title, all a gift—what should have been the emotions of his heart for God? Certainly he should have loved God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind. Matt. 22:37. If that love had been there, obedience would have been the result; "for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5:3. This love cannot be restored to the heart unless it is softened through the process of conviction. There can be no love for holiness unless there is hatred for sin. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8:7. But how can man be made to hate sin or feel any compunction for his transgressions? With the faculties of Satan alive in him, ruling all his passions, he is helpless to relieve himself. The apostle says: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. 2:14. The power and life of the Spirit of God must energize every step that man can take toward God. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Zech. 4:6. This Spirit leads by the way of the cross of Christ Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6. They come because they are drawn. Jesus made a statement concerning the wonders of his grace, when he said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:32. It is the mystery of this wonderful love that attracts the attention of the sinner. It is something that they see not in all the dominion of darkness. Such a spectacle as the Son of God in holy love dying for his enemies to save them from destruction, will soften the heart of the one who will behold it. The Spirit of God will quicken the mind to a sense of its guilt, as the enormity of sin’s defilement is seen in the light that shines from Calvary. It was this mighty truth which the Holy Spirit put in the mouth of Peter on the day of Pentecost, that caused conviction, which resulted in three thousand becoming Christians. The scenes of Calvary were fresh in their minds, and many were doubtless personal witnesses to the sufferings of Christ. They well knew that great injustice had been done him, and that he was innocent of any crime; but all this knowledge had not affected their hearts so as to bring conviction for sin. But when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle convinced them that it was the Son of God that had died, that they were guilty of his death, and that in love for them he bore all the shame and the pain, they ceased to taunt and to offer insult. Their mocking gave place to conviction, and remorse. Their sins, which, before this, had given them no special burden, now became like a loathsome disease that was taking their lives. The writer relates it in the following words: "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37. They were no longer accusative nor boastful, but earnest men asking what steps next must be taken. They were told to repent and be baptized, and that they should receive the Holy Spirit. This they gladly did. On another occasion Peter told the wondering multitude that they had delivered up and denied the Holy One, and had killed the Prince of Life. Acts 3:12-17. The whole congregation were guilty of the death of the Son of God. But he died through love for them. The fact that each sinner is guilty of the same thing that Peter accused this people of, should not be lost sight of. Each transgressor is guilty of the blood of Christ. This thought brings conviction, because the death of Christ is for each individual. For sinners he died, and each individual is alike guilty of sin. Had it not been for sin, Christ need not have died. Had not unbelief entered the heart of man, he would never have transgressed. Of the sinner, Christ said, he "is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God." John 3:18. Again, he taught that the Holy Spirit will convince the world of sin, "because they believe not on me." John 16:8, 9. The deepest sorrow should characterize repentance, because unbelief made the sacrifice of Jesus essential to man’s eternal happiness. Both the guilt of man and the love of God are marvelously shown in the scenes which cluster around Calvary. So forcible did the apostles make the point that all were guilty of the blood of Christ that the hardened rulers accused them of intending to bring this man’s blood upon them. Acts 5:28. The sorrows of conviction that followed the preaching of the apostles as they charged the people with the death of Christ, are set forth in the book of Zechariah:— And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zech. 12:10.
This world has never beheld other scenes of penitence like those which transpired at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and after the healing of the lame man who was laid at the gate of the temple; nor has it seen elsewhere such glorious results. We cannot at this distance from those scenes enter into the reality of what had just transpired there, only as the facts are pressed home by the same Spirit which wrought such wonderful conviction in their hearts. But all should be equally interested with those who were immediately associated with the tragedy of Calvary. Yet how few in the present age really mourn on account of sin "as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn"! But the fact that God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son to die for sinners, and that Christ loved them, and gave himself for them, begets a love in the affections that did not before exist there. The emotions which fill the soul of the penitent for sin are well described in the following language:— O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath; neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. Ps. 38:1-4.
The reader will notice that this is a prayer of conviction and confession. The arrows of conviction make the penitent loathe himself because of sin. Further on he says, "I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin." Verse 18. In another place he says: "Innumerable evils have compassed me about; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head; therefore my heart faileth me." He then prays, "Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me." Ps. 40:12, 13. Again the Psalmist writes: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Ps. 51:17. Sinner, you are asked in the word of the Lord to accept Christ just as you are, and where you are. Will you do so now? IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALVATION AND REWARD?
By Chas. F. Wilcox
BY CHAS. F. WILCOX.
(Concluded.) WE will now briefly consider works, and the relation of faith to works. Faith works, and so does unbelief. One may be energized by an unbelief which will lead him to work with a zeal akin to the strength of desperation. Another, a child of faith, may work with an untiring and constant activity. Here are the two extremes of cause—faith and unbelief—one of God through Jesus Christ, the other of the devil. The faith which comes through Jesus Christ will work constantly, steadily, mightily. It may operate so meekly and quietly that it may pass unnoticed by the world. The zeal and activity of unbelief are often mistaken for faith; its praise is sounded in the market places; its possessor is called the child of the Highest, and yet the whole thing is a deception of the most deadly character. Unbelief does not rest upon facts, the basis of faith, for they are wanting. The facts for the foundation of faith are only revealed in the word of God. Man is quickened or made alive by the word.22 But says one, “If faith alone brings salvation, why work?” The answer is evident, For faith works. Faith is the cause, and the work is the result. Faith insures salvation, and it is counted for righteousness. The works follow as a natural result. It was by faith that the worthies of old “wrought righteousness,” and it will be the same to the end of time. Do not be misled with the thought that there is somewhere in the Bible such a doctrine as “faith and works,” for there is not. It is the doctrine of the faith which works. Faith itself does the work. Faith brings life, and life is activity, and activity is work. If one has works of righteousness, it will be because faith has “wrought righteousness” in him. It is impossible for one to have faith and not have works; the two can never be separated. The word of God is the only basis of faith. The counterfeit article which often passes for faith is merely human speculation; it will never profit its possessor; it rests on imaginations suggested by the arch-deceiver, and the end will be ruin, disappointment, and death. When God’s word is received in the heart, it works at once, operates, governs, and controls the man. There is a danger at this point of man’s thinking that when work is wrought, he himself has done it. But let us note carefully how work is brought about. We have just seen that faith works; and the cause of faith is the word of God. When the word—the word of God spoken through holy prophets of old—is received in the heart, it constitutes a living, acting principle. This principle is undying and all powerful, “for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” The gospel is conveyed to man in words—just such words as men speak; but gospel words were first spoken by God, and the one who receives these words, receives in them, and with them, the mighty life-giving power of God. He may resist this power so that it will not work effectually, but if he gladly lets the word of life operate, he will find that it works the works of God in him. And when this is true, it will not be the man who does the work, but it will be God working in him, “both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” When the rewards are given, it will be to “every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22: 12. The Psalmist prayed: “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” Ps. 90: 17. David saw that man could do nothing except God worked in and through him. And the work which God sees fit to perform through the weak frame of mortal flesh is to be established upon man; it is to be reckoned to man as though he had wrought it himself; for at the judgment the result is to be given to him for his own. It is, however, wrought in man by Christ, and when it is given to him for his own, he is rewarded for what has been wrought through him. Let no one think for one moment that his salvation depends upon what he can do himself. If you are saved, it will be through faith on the Son of God who gave himself for you, and not alone for you, but for both you and your sin. You cannot free yourself from one single sin, not even the stain of a sin. It requires the blood of Christ, and his blood has been given for that very purpose, that he might “purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2: 14. He accepts sinners, and if they submit themselves to him, he will cleanse them from all their sins, keep them from sinning, energize them by his Spirit, and then work in them the works of God. Christ will work in man, as God worked in Christ when he was upon the earth. Christ totally denied any power exhibited in his life as being of himself; and he is our example. He said: “I can of mine own self do nothing.” “I have not spoken of myself.” And again, “The Father that dwelleth in me, he [the Father] doeth the works.” John 5: 30; 12: 49; 14: 10. These statements are from the lips of the Saviour. Do you believe them? Do you think it possible for the servant to do what the Master did not, and that which he could not? Individually, let us accept the truth that man can do nothing, and let us believe that God will work in us that which pleaseth him, even as he wrought in Christ. Then shall the works of God appear; self will die—be crucified daily—and Christ will live within us, as he did in Paul, the hope of glory. Mark this, there is work, yea, much work to be done, and God’s way is for us to submit ourselves to him, that he may work through us. Look at the mighty apostle Paul, for he worked in labors more abundant than all, and yet he was dead; but Christ was living in him, and by Christ were the works of Paul wrought. The only thing required of us is that we let God have his way and purpose in us. But with the evident truth that we can do nothing, and that God expects nothing of us,—the fallen mortal man,—let us not again be deceived in thinking that it is self that is trying to work when the impulse to do good is felt, and that therefore we must repress it, thinking to wait till Christ shall work in us with some irresistible power. From the point of surrender Christ stands ready to will and work, and we should recognize both the desire to do, and the power to do, as coming from God, for he designs both to “will” and “work” in us effectually and mightily. It may appear to others that we are doing, and we may deceive ourselves by thinking so, but it is not of ourselves, it is God working in us. It matters not to us what others may think; but if we deceive ourselves upon this point, we take credit and glory to self that belong to God, thereby putting self in the place of God, setting self above God, attempting to do what God only can do, hence frustrating and defeating the purpose of God. Friends, brethren, sisters, one and all, let God work. THE SACRED DUTIES OF HOME LIFE.
By Ellen G. White
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” “And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. . . . Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” If we are doers of the word, we shall daily bear the cross after Jesus, subdue self, and thus bring harmony into the home life. The sweetest type of heaven is a home where the Spirit of the Lord presides. If the will of God is fulfilled, the husband and wife will respect each other, and cultivate love and confidence. Anything that would mar the peace and unity of the family should be firmly repressed, and kindness and love should be23 cherished. He who manifests the spirit of tenderness, forbearance, and love, will find that the same spirit will be reflected upon him. Where the Spirit of God reigns, there will be no talk of unsuitability in the marriage relation. If Christ indeed is formed within, the hope of glory, there will be union and love in the home. Christ abiding in the heart of the wife, will be at agreement with Christ abiding in the heart of the husband. They will be striving together for the mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those who love him. Those who are constantly at disagreement in the home life, who do not practice the words of the Lord, will not enter into the heavenly mansions, because they would find that which did not suit their taste even in heaven. Heaven is to be the home of those only who are sanctified, refined, and made meet for the society of the saints in light. If we manifest the character of Christ here, keeping all the commandments of God, we shall be cheered and blessed with glimpses of the pleasant home in the mansions Jesus has gone to prepare. Those who, through the grace given us, represent, not their own crude ideas, their own peculiar, hereditary, and cultivated objectionable traits of character, but the character of Christ, will be fit inhabitants for the heavenly city. Our ways, our will, are to be under subjection to God's will, to be disciplined by his Holy Spirit. If we are courteous and gentle at home, we shall carry the savor of a pleasant disposition when away from home. If we manifest forbearance, patience, meekness, and fortitude in the home, we shall be able to be a light to the world. All murmuring, all complaining, will be put aside by the true Christian. We are children of the Heavenly King, members of the royal family, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. The mansions Jesus has gone to prepare are to receive only those who are true, who are pure, who love and obey his words. In the mansions above we shall meet to part no more. We shall know each other in our heavenly home. But if we would enjoy eternal bliss, we must cultivate religion in the home; for the home is to be the center of the purest and most elevated affection. Peace, harmony, affection, and happiness should be perseveringly cherished every day, until these precious things abide in the hearts of those who compose the family. The plant of love must be carefully nourished, else it will die. Every good principle must be cherished if we would have it thrive in the soul. That which Satan plants in the heart,—envy, jealousy, evil surmising, evil speaking, impatience, prejudice, selfishness, covetousness, and vanity,—must be uprooted. If these evil things are allowed to remain in the soul, they will bear fruit by which many shall be defiled. Oh, how many cultivate the poisonous plants, that kill out the precious fruits of love and defile the soul! Some of these who cherish evil, think they have a burden for souls. They make public profession of their love to God, and yet see no necessity for weeding the garden of the heart, for uprooting every unsightly, unholy weed, for letting the beams of the Sun of Righteousness shine into the soul temple. They do not know Jesus. They have no knowledge of what it is to be a practical Christian, that is, to be Christlike. There is need of prayer, of genuine faith, of patient, untiring effort to war against every evil disposition, so that even our thoughts may be brought into subjection to Christ. That which will make the character lovely in the home is that which will make it lovely in the heavenly mansions. The measure of your Christianity is gauged by the character of your home life. The grace of Christ enables its possessors to make the home a happy place, full of peace and rest. Unless you have the Spirit of Christ, you are none of his, and will never see the redeemed saints in his kingdom, who are to be one with him in the heaven of bliss. God desires you to consecrate yourself wholly to him, and represent his character in the home circle. When religion is manifested in the home, its influence will be felt in the church and in the neighborhood. But some who profess to be Christians, talk with their neighbors concerning their home difficulties. They relate their grievances in such a way as to call forth sympathy for themselves; but it is a great mistake to pour our trouble into the ears of others, especially when many of our grievances are manufactured, and exist because of our irreligious life and defective character. Those who go forth to lay their private grievances before others might better remain at home to pray, to surrender their perverse will to God, to fall on the Rock and be broken, to die to self that Jesus may make them vessels unto honor. When self is crucified, and Christ lives in the soul, they will cherish sincere and noble affections, such as will give fragrance to the character, and be revealed to the world in consistent words and actions. Let us all heed the words of the Lord,—"Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." In many families there is a great lack in expressing affection one for another. While there is no need of sentimentalism, there is need of expressing love and tenderness in a chaste, pure, dignified way. Many absolutely cultivate hardness of heart, and in word and action reveal the Satanic side of the character. Tender affection should ever be cherished between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters. Every hasty word should be checked, and there should not be even the appearance of the lack of love one for another. It is the duty of everyone in the family to be pleasant, to speak kindly. Children are to respect and reverence their parents, and parents are to manifest patience, kindness, and affection for their children. Each one should seek in every possible way to please and make happy the members of the family circle. Our words and actions in the home bear testimony to our true character, and they are recorded in the books of heaven. The daily acts of life tell the measure and mould of our disposition and character. Where there is a lack of home religion, a profession of faith is valueless. Then let no unkind words fall from the lips of those who compose the home circle. Make the atmosphere fragrant with tender thoughtfulness of others. Only those will enter heaven who in probationary time have formed a character that breathes a heavenly influence. The saint in heaven must first be a saint upon earth. The habits of speech, the character of our actions, put a mould upon us; and that which we cultivate in our association with others in this life, goes down into the grave with us, and will be unchanged when we come up from the grave. Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that the character will be transformed at the coming of Christ; but there will be no conversion of heart at his appearing. Our defects of character must here be repented of, and through the grace of Christ we must overcome them while probation shall last. This is the place for fitting up for the family above. Then, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, do not educate yourselves in the line of vulgarity of action, word, or thought. Coarse sayings, low jests, lack of politeness and true courtesy in the home life, will become as second nature to you, and will unfit you for the society of those who are becoming sanctified through the truth. The home is too sacred a place to be polluted by vulgarity, sensuality, recrimination, and scandal. Silence the evil word, put away the unholy thought; for the True Witness weighs every word, sets a value on every action, and declares, "I know thy works." Then let love, truth, kindness, and forbearance be the precious plants that you shall cultivate in the garden of the heart. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Miscellaneous.
By Eliza H. Morton
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16. HE who formed the world
And all therein
Can read the human heart
And see its sin. No costly robe, no cloak,
No veil of pride
Can cover one dark blot,
Or error hide. The world with flattering praise
May sing its song,
But know, O mortal man,
'Tis not for long. Messiah, Christ, the Lord
Seeks moral worth.
His children all must be
Of royal birth. He takes the sinner vile,
Forgives his wrong,
And puts within his heart
Redemption's song. And then henceforth that heart
Honest must be,
Honest with God and man.
Jesus can see. Mistakes he covers o'er,
And loves the same,
For Jesus pities man,
He knows his frame. But no deceit can stand
Before his frown;
All hypocrites at length
Will be cast down. “WHEN you find God’s plow at work in your heart, you may know that he intends to raise a crop there.” WHAT BRINGS PEACE.
By The Truth
A DOCTOR who was once visiting a Christian patient had himself long been anxious to feel that he was at peace with God; the Spirit had convinced him of sin and need, and he longed to possess “that peace which the world cannot give.” On this occasion, addressing himself to the sick one, he said: “I want you just to tell me what it is, this believing and getting happiness, faith in Jesus, and all that sort of thing that brings peace.” His patient replied: “Doctor, I have felt that I could do nothing, and I have put my case in your hands; I am trusting to you. That is exactly what every poor sinner must do in the Lord Jesus.” This reply greatly awakened the doctor’s surprise, and a new life broke in upon his soul. “Is that all,” he exclaimed, “simply trusting in the Lord Jesus? I see it as I never did before. He has done the work. Yes, Jesus said on the cross, ‘It is finished,’ and whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” From that sick bed the doctor went a happy man, rejoicing that his sins were washed away in the blood of the Lamb. "I GLORIFIED Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do." John 17:4. This is the true and only way to glorify God. The Psalmist says, "The heavens declare the glory of God," and again, "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord." How is it that the works of God glorify him?—It is because they are passive in his hands, for him to manifest his power through them. They take no honor to themselves, but show forth the eternal power and Godhead of the Creator. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." Ps. 62:11. All good works must come from him. "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Phil. 2:13. When men come to the light, that by reflecting the glory of God it may be manifest that their deeds are wrought in him, then they truly glorify God. Only he who allows God to work in him can finish the work that God has given him to do. The soul, therefore, who recognizes and acknowledges that he is nothing, but that God is everything, will truly glorify God, because he will allow God to exhibit his power in him. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God hath afore prepared that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:10, Revised Version. So the one who is in Christ is, like the heavens, the workmanship of God, and, like the heavens, he glorifies God. No matter how eloquently a man may talk about the exalted character of God, if he thinks8 that he has in himself power to do any of the works of God, he thereby dishonors God; for he virtually says that God is no greater than he is. He tries to pass off his own works as God's works. But in the divine plan there is no place provided for the exhibition of self. God must be all in all. "But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9.—The Present Truth. GOD'S MEMORIAL OF HIS POWER.
By Anna Agee
IN 1 Cor. 8:6 we read of Christ, "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." And thus we read in the simple statement of Gen. 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." In these and other scriptures is revealed the fact that the Father was not alone in the wonderful work of creation, but that he had associated with him his well-beloved Son. So when we read, "Let us make man in our image," we hear the words of counsel with that Son who is the express image of his Father's person, and by whom God created all things. We read again: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth." "He was in the world, and the world was made by him." John 1:1-3, 14, 10. The lowly Nazarene who had "not where to lay his head" is the great Creator. And he is God—yes, he inherits the sacred name from his Father. "Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Heb. 1:4. The Father himself, addressing the Son, says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever." Verse 8. Not only were all these things made by our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, but "all things were created . . . for him" (see Col. 1:14-16)—for his pleasure and his glory (Rev. 4:11; Isa. 43:7). We might inquire, By what means was this great work done? Inspiration answers, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Ps. 33:6, 9. "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Gen. 1:31. There are no degrees of goodness in the sight of the righteous God—good is good—perfect. The same great God who spoke all things into existence, now upholds them "by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3); and "by him all things consist" (Col. 1:17). Thus the Bible shows us that it is the power of Christ, the Creator, that upholds the worlds and their contents in their proper places, and causes the atoms of matter to cohere and adhere. "This same Jesus" while on earth healed the sick, cast out devils, raised the dead, and stilled the waves, thus demonstrating to mankind his power to control that which he has made. The same power that created the heavens and earth performed those miracles. "He spake and it was." None but he who has power to create can preserve and control perfectly all creation. It is this same power that redeems. A corrupt man (and "all have sinned," "they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable") cannot do good any more than a corrupt tree can bear good fruit. Matt. 7:18. Therefore, in order to be kept or saved from sin, man must be made a "new creature;" he must experience the creative power of God within his heart. That being true, plainly redemption is creation; the power to redeem is the power to create. And when the Lord makes us new creatures, he does it. He never does his work half way. When it is done we know it is done. When he creates a thing it is not a shoddy piece of work—even in the eyes of the omnipotent, omniscient God; it is "very good." The only point that need concern us is will we let him perform the work in us? We have his word for it that he is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory (Jude 24); and he is just as willing to make us new creatures and sustain us by his creative power as he is able. All this he has promised to do; for he says: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you." "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." Eze. 36:26, 27. The power to redeem being the power to create, "the power of God unto salvation" is nothing more nor less and none other than the creative power of God. Whatever professes to be the true gospel—which "is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16)—must point us continually to God's creative power, or it is counterfeit. THE MEMORIAL OF THAT POWER.
God has given us a memorial to keep his power in continual remembrance, the observance of which is to show our faith in his power, not alone to create and uphold the universe, but to create and keep us new creatures in Christ Jesus. That memorial is the Sabbath day. Thus reads the Sabbath law:— Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work. [Why?] For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore [for which reason] the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Ex. 20:8-11. This memorial was instituted at creation (Gen. 1:1-3) and it is to continue not only throughout all generations of this present world (Ps. 135:13), but also throughout eternity, when God's original purpose concerning this earth and its inhabitants will be carried out—when this earth shall be renewed, recreated, and all made perfect, a fit habitation for the righteous. 2 Peter 3:13; Isa. 65:17; Ps. 37:9-11. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." Isa. 66:22, 23. This memorial would always have been observed had man never have fallen, for "the Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27), before there was any sin in him. If man in his innocency had need of a memorial of God's power, who can say he does not need it now when Satan has gained the sway he has, and places so many things in man's way to cause him to forget God? The Sabbath answers the purpose for which it was instituted perfectly. It keeps in continual remembrance the power of God, for we are commanded to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy;" that keeps us remembering it all the week, from the ending of one Sabbath to the beginning of the next. This we must do in order to have everything so planned or carried out as to enable us to keep it holy when it comes, from the moment it begins to its close. If we rightly observe it, how can this memorial do otherwise than cause us to be "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might," and awaken in our hearts gratitude and thanksgiving toward the One who has done and is doing such wondrous things for us? When we remember God's wonderful power, how can we doubt but that he will not fail to keep us from the very evils to be saved from which he invites us to come to him? He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." This is the power of God to everyone who believes, to everyone who will let it work (Phil. 2:13); and his power is creative power—almighty power—a power that can make something out of nothing. That power is coupled with infinite love—a love as great for poor, fallen humanity as for his only-begotten Son; for the Saviour prayed: "That they all may be one; . . . I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." John 17:21-23. Our Redeemer says, "Come," and he promises to establish us and keep us from all evil. Rev. 22:17; 2 Thess. 2:3. "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised." Heb. 10:23.