1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

11.07.2015 Views

and Divine aid is needed. The Christian has this Divineaid in his access to God through his Great Advocate, theRedeemer.Cain heeded not God's warning. He ruled not thebeast. He was overcome by it. His brother's blood cried,figuratively, to God. In other words, all injustice criesout to the God of Justice, and sooner or later the Divinepenalty will be meted out. But as we have seen, the judgmentsof the Lord are "just and righteous altogether."His judgments are left for the Great Mediator of theNew Covenant to execute in sympathy and in kindness,during the Millennial Age. That will be the World'sJudgment Day. Only accepted believers in Christ, begottenof the Holy Spirit, are now on trial for life eternal ordeath eternal.BROTHER-HATERS ARE MURDERERSThe Great Teacher, addressing, not the world, but theChurch, declares that brother-haters are murderers inGod's sight. In other words, a spirit of hatred is a spiritof murder. Alas, how many have vicious, wicked, hatefuldispositions, merely controlled by their fear of the law!Yet it is not the world, but only the Church, that is beingspecially dealt with thus far. But alas! how many of theprofessed followers of Jesus occasionally harbor a spiritof hatred, and sometimes manifest it in anger, malice, envy,strife, works of the flesh and the devil!Christians are accounted as New Creatures becausebegotten of the Holy Spirit. These are to fight a goodwarfare against their own flesh and its imperfections.Sin crouches before the door ready to devour them asNew Creatures. They must watch and pray and striveagainst the fallen nature. They must cultivate the fruitsand graces of the Holy Spirit--meekness, gentleness, patience,brotherly-kindness, love. If they do not do so, if,on the contrary, they are brother-haters and manifestthe murder spirit, they have the warning that they willlose the great Prize--joint-heirship in the Kingdom.The Scriptural assurance is, "We know that no murdererR5151 : page 393hath eternal life abiding in him." (I John 3:15.)Whatever elements of the spirit of murder may still lurkin our flesh must be determinedly warred against, and,proportionately, we must become copies of our HeavenlyFather and of our Lord Jesus. Thus we shall ultimatelyshare with our Lord in His great Kingdom, which isshortly to be set up, and to bless the world with the lightand the knowledge of the glory of God.====================R5151 : page 393

"WISE AS SERPENTS--HARMLESS AS DOVES"MATTHEW 10:16.PRESUMABLY all of the Lord's people rememberthe Master's words quoted in thetitle. Yet apparently very few have appreciatedthem; for otherwise they would surelybe putting this advice into practice--seekingto do the Lord's will. When we think ofblundering mistakes which others make andwhich we ourselves have made in presentingDivine truths to others, we are silent. Theconsolation we seem to find is in the furtherword of Jesus, that God is sometimes praised by the prattlingof the mouths of babes. As children of God we havea period of infancy, of childhood.St. Paul refers to this, saying, "When I was a child, Ispake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as achild; but when I became a man, I put away childishthings." (I Cor. 13:11.) So we all need to exercise ourselvesto some extent in order to counteract the results ofthe childishness and the mistakes of our earlier experiencesin the family of the Lord. Let us not be content toremain children long. Let us rapidly grow in grace andknowledge and love. Let us take such earnest heed to theMaster's words, that we may speedily become acceptableand profitable ambassadors for the King Eternal.How often we have advised the dear readers of thisjournal not to choke Christian brethren who, so far asknowledge of God and His Word are concerned, aremerest babes, no matter if their consecration dates twentyor thirty years back! When such come into our midst,their presence implies that they are hungering for spiritualfood. Shall we stuff them to nauseation? Shall we feedthem strong meat of Divine Truth which they cannot appreciateand which will choke them? Or shall we actmore wisely and give them meat in due season--spiritualfood adapted to their condition?Some dear friends, full of zeal and greatly appreciatedboth by the Lord and by ourself, are so unwise that theywould probably do the Cause more good if they never attemptedto expound the Heavenly things to others--if theywould content themselves with merely saying, "I willgive you something to read which will make that subjectvery clear to you." On the contrary, there is danger that,when good meetings have been held for the public, andearnest souls are seeking the Lord, hungering and thirstingfor the Truth, they may be injured by those whosehearts are the very best, but whose judgments are poor.THE POINT ILLUSTRATEDAn illustration of this is before us in a letter. Afriend writes, "I took friends to our regular meetingsseveral times--people who have read some and manifested

"WISE AS SERPENTS--HARMLESS AS DOVES"MATTHEW 10:16.PRESUMABLY all of the Lord's people rememberthe Master's words quoted in thetitle. Yet apparently very few have appreciatedthem; for otherwise they would surelybe putting this advice into practice--seekingto do the Lord's will. When we think ofblundering mistakes which others make andwhich we ourselves have made in presentingDivine truths to others, we are silent. Theconsolation we seem to find is in the furtherword of Jesus, that God is sometimes praised by the prattlingof the mouths of babes. As children of God we havea period of infancy, of childhood.St. Paul refers to this, saying, "When I was a child, Ispake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as achild; but when I became a man, I put away childishthings." (I Cor. 13:11.) So we all need to exercise ourselvesto some extent in order to counteract the results ofthe childishness and the mistakes of our earlier experiencesin the family of the Lord. Let us not be content toremain children long. Let us rapidly grow in grace andknowledge and love. Let us take such earnest heed to theMaster's words, that we may speedily become acceptableand profitable ambassadors for the King Eternal.How often we have advised the dear readers of thisjournal not to choke Christian brethren who, so far asknowledge of God and His Word are concerned, aremerest babes, no matter if their consecration dates twentyor thirty years back! When such come into our midst,their presence implies that they are hungering for spiritualfood. Shall we stuff them to nauseation? Shall we feedthem strong meat of Divine Truth which they cannot appreciateand which will choke them? Or shall we actmore wisely and give them meat in due season--spiritualfood adapted to their condition?Some dear friends, full of zeal and greatly appreciatedboth by the Lord and by ourself, are so unwise that theywould probably do the Cause more good if they never attemptedto expound the Heavenly things to others--if theywould content themselves with merely saying, "I willgive you something to read which will make that subjectvery clear to you." On the contrary, there is danger that,when good meetings have been held for the public, andearnest souls are seeking the Lord, hungering and thirstingfor the Truth, they may be injured by those whosehearts are the very best, but whose judgments are poor.THE POINT ILLUSTRATEDAn illustration of this is before us in a letter. Afriend writes, "I took friends to our regular meetingsseveral times--people who have read some and manifested

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