1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
this age, and who prove faithful to the trust, will in the next agebe yet more highly exalted and honored.Three times Paul most solemnly and earnestly repeats thischarge. He thanked the Lord that though he had been ablasphemer and persecutor of the church, yet he had obtainedmercy, because he did it ignorantly, and verily thought that in sodoing he was doing God service, and had been put into theministry, the glorious gospel of the blessed God beingcommitted to his trust. (1 Tim. 1:11-13.) And now knowing thatage was creeping on, and that perils surrounded him on everyhand, and before writing the second letter, saying that he wasabout to be offered, he commits this charge to the faithful oneswho must carry on the work after his departure.The charge was to keep the blessed gospel untarnished and"without spot," to keep it in its glorious simplicity and purity,unmixed with human theories andR1128 : page 5false doctrines, which even then the enemies of the cross ofChrist were laboring to introduce. The rising errors must beguarded against, first, by maintaining a clear conscience; andsecondly, by faithful study of the word of God. To study theWord of God with a clear conscience is to study it with thesingle and only purpose of knowing and doing God's will. This,Paul says, some in his day did not do; they had theories andplans of their own, and endeavored to wrest the Scriptures togive their theories seeming support; and thus they madeshipwreck of their own faith and turned others out of the way.As the end of the age should approach such false teachers hesaid were to multiply and gain great influence, and overthrowthe faith of all who should not meekly and devoutly walk withGod, trusting alone in his faithful word.Next to guarding ourselves thus--and those who thus do so havethe power of God pledged to keep them from falling-- is thecharge to help others to stand: to help them by earnestlycontending for the faith; by pointing out the snares of theadversaries of the truth, and by calling attention boldly andfearlessly to every pitfall and placing the light of truth over it.To preach this "glorious gospel of the blessed God," to present itin its purity and grandeur, to contend against the errors whichfriends and enemies seek to engraft upon it, is the charge givento and the duty devolving upon the church in the present time--the charge which we must keep and labor to sustain until theappearing (manifestation, or bright-shining) of our Lord JesusChrist. Before the brightness and glory of his presence thedarkness of ignorance and error shall flee away, and no hidingplace shall be found for them; for the knowledge of the Lordshall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea, when his presenceis fully revealed to all.
Till thus relieved of this duty of guarding the truth, the churchmust wait for her victory, must watch against the dangers ofabounding and wide-spreading error, and the seducingtemptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, must pray forand use divine strength in enduring hardness as good soldiersunto the end, and must boldly and nobly contend for the faithdelivered in charge to the saints. "Blessed is that servant whomhis Lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Those not sodoing will not be counted worthy to be gathered among Christ'sjewels.It should be borne in mind also that in the days of his presence,before his manifestation to the world, there is even greaternecessity for watching and contending for the faith than at anyprevious time,--since his presence is discerned by the churchonly by faith in the foretold indications, and since the perilsoccasioned by numerous false doctrines and many antichrists aregreatly increased; so muchR1128 : page 6so, that only those who have on the whole armor of God are ableto stand and to contend for the faith in the face of such subtleand crafty opposition. The charge is to stand well armed, and tocontend for the faith until his manifestation to the world, in theclose of the perilous times of this harvest.How solemn the obligation:--"I give thee charge in the sight ofGod who quickeneth all things"--the great Life-giver or Fatherof all, Jehovah. We are his representatives in the earth; the honorof his name is to be vindicated in the presence of his enemiesand before many of his deceived children; his glorious plan is tobe published broadcast in opposition to all the worldly-wiseschemes which men are and have been trying to invent. And hiseye is upon us, marking how faithfully or unfaithfully we as hisambassadors represent him.Not only do we receive this charge in the sight of God, but also"before the anointed Jesus," our great example and forerunner,who also bore witness to the truth, sacrificing all things for theprivilege of witnessing to it--even unto death.All told, the church is but a little flock: they are generally alsothe humble poor of this world, who have little influence amongmen. Nevertheless their charge is an important one. They must"hold the fort" until the Lord himself shall in power and greatglory establish the truth and exalt his church. He will completewhat we in our present condition accomplish only in part: Hewill scatter all the mists and let in the broad sunlight of his truth,until none need say to his neighbor, "Know the Lord--for allshall know him from the least unto the greatest," as representedin his plan, work and office. Already the light of his presencebegins to dawn. Already he begins to lift the veil of error and to
- Page 103 and 104: of the human will into the will of
- Page 105 and 106: purer tastes, until finally he give
- Page 107 and 108: Brotherly kindness,Temperateness,Ch
- Page 109 and 110: "If these things be in you and abou
- Page 111 and 112: Of all this mass of "Stuff," but tw
- Page 113 and 114: plan is so broad and comprehensive,
- Page 115 and 116: how the new conditions, into which
- Page 117 and 118: every matter, whether in our shorts
- Page 119 and 120: elationships. Those whose ambitions
- Page 121 and 122: of my pilgrimage have been few and
- Page 123 and 124: celebrate Thee; they that go down i
- Page 125 and 126: shown, water is a symbol of truth;
- Page 127 and 128: poor starved sheep of Christ and th
- Page 129 and 130: CREDIT FOR THE POOR.Those unable to
- Page 131 and 132: page 1DAMAGED DAWNS.Our supply was
- Page 133 and 134: torment, either of themselves or th
- Page 135 and 136: living faith in the true Word of Go
- Page 137 and 138: his cause before an astonished worl
- Page 139 and 140: Sometimes we look into a face which
- Page 141 and 142: that the God-like element of sympat
- Page 143 and 144: change in his attitude toward his c
- Page 145 and 146: any continuance of life, in any oth
- Page 147 and 148: knowledge of God; as it is written:
- Page 149 and 150: upon all, will be released from the
- Page 151 and 152: shall be selected and given this ve
- Page 153: provided our ransom price; yea, he
- Page 157 and 158: THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, NO. I.That
- Page 159 and 160: The world, then, being the portion
- Page 161 and 162: world admitted into any system of p
- Page 163 and 164: you; but that ye be perfectly joine
- Page 165 and 166: It follows that conceit springs fro
- Page 167 and 168: in order that he may thereby indire
- Page 169 and 170: VIEW FROM THE TOWER.Old readers wil
- Page 171 and 172: This conclusion, which we consider
- Page 173 and 174: SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN--FORBID THEM
- Page 175 and 176: e sure that we give no occasion for
- Page 177 and 178: with none to molest and make us afr
- Page 179 and 180: R1138 : page 3Yours in Christ, Dr.
- Page 181 and 182: The underlying principle of the Gre
- Page 183 and 184: applied to themselves all the title
- Page 185 and 186: to the "clergy" by divine arrangeme
- Page 187 and 188: synods, as final settlements of the
- Page 189 and 190: may perform the service. [With some
- Page 191 and 192: While glad to acknowledge that Bapt
- Page 193 and 194: Dishonorable, ignoble, hypocritical
- Page 195 and 196: ====================R1139 : page 6C
- Page 197 and 198: y vergers, followed by their 'tail
- Page 199 and 200: correction. They were proud, and bo
- Page 201 and 202: general footing with all men and al
- Page 203 and 204: of the great reward, the grandest f
this age, and who prove faithful to the trust, will in the next agebe yet more highly exalted and honored.Three times Paul most solemnly and earnestly repeats thischarge. He thanked the Lord that though he had been ablasphemer and persecutor of the church, yet he had obtainedmercy, because he did it ignorantly, and verily thought that in sodoing he was doing God service, and had been put into theministry, the glorious gospel of the blessed God beingcommitted to his trust. (1 Tim. 1:11-13.) And now knowing thatage was creeping on, and that perils surrounded him on everyhand, and before writing the second letter, saying that he wasabout to be offered, he commits this charge to the faithful oneswho must carry on the work after his departure.The charge was to keep the blessed gospel untarnished and"without spot," to keep it in its glorious simplicity and purity,unmixed with human theories andR1128 : page 5false doctrines, which even then the enemies of the cross ofChrist were laboring to introduce. The rising errors must beguarded against, first, by maintaining a clear conscience; andsecondly, by faithful study of the word of God. To study theWord of God with a clear conscience is to study it with thesingle and only purpose of knowing and doing God's will. This,Paul says, some in his day did not do; they had theories andplans of their own, and endeavored to wrest the Scriptures togive their theories seeming support; and thus they madeshipwreck of their own faith and turned others out of the way.As the end of the age should approach such false teachers hesaid were to multiply and gain great influence, and overthrowthe faith of all who should not meekly and devoutly walk withGod, trusting alone in his faithful word.Next to guarding ourselves thus--and those who thus do so havethe power of God pledged to keep them from falling-- is thecharge to help others to stand: to help them by earnestlycontending for the faith; by pointing out the snares of theadversaries of the truth, and by calling attention boldly andfearlessly to every pitfall and placing the light of truth over it.To preach this "glorious gospel of the blessed God," to present itin its purity and grandeur, to contend against the errors whichfriends and enemies seek to engraft upon it, is the charge givento and the duty devolving upon the church in the present time--the charge which we must keep and labor to sustain until theappearing (manifestation, or bright-shining) of our Lord JesusChrist. Before the brightness and glory of his presence thedarkness of ignorance and error shall flee away, and no hidingplace shall be found for them; for the knowledge of the Lordshall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea, when his presenceis fully revealed to all.
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