July 17, 1884 "Walk in the Light."
By Mrs. E. G.
White.
"There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Ignorance is no excuse for error or sin, when there is every
opportunity to know the will of God. A man is traveling, and comes to a place
where there are several roads, and a guide-board indicating where each one
leads. If he disregards the guide-board, and takes whichever road seems to him
to be right, he may be ever so sincere, but will in all probability find
himself on the wrong road. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 1}
God's word is given us that we may become
acquainted with its teachings. We there read that if we do his will, we shall
know of the doctrine. Ignorance will not excuse young or old, or release them
from the punishment due for the transgression of God's law, because there is in
their hands a faithful presentation of that law and of its principles and its
claims. It is not enough to have good intentions; it is not enough to
do what a man thinks is right, or what the minister tells him is right. His
soul's salvation is at stake, and he should search the Scriptures for himself. However strong
may be his convictions, however confident he may be that the minister knows
what is truth, this is not his foundation. He has a chart pointing out every waymark on the heavenward journey, and he ought
not to guess at anything, but to know what is truth. He should search the
Scriptures on bended knees; morning, noon, and night, prayer should ascend from
secret places, and a continual prayer should arise from his heart that God will
guide him into all truth. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 2}
The word of God gives men no liberty to
set up a standard of righteousness of their own, as many do who claim to be
without sin. They do not compare their characters with the great standard, the
law of Jehovah. While they are holy, judged by their own imperfect standard,
the Scriptures present them as sinful Pharisees, under the condemnation of the
law of God, which they transgress daily. They walk after the imagination of
their own heart, and follow their own devices. Yet many of these persons are
sincere. They think they are right; for "there is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Feeling is
no criterion for any one; the assertions of men are no evidence of truth.
"To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this
word, it is because there is no light in them." {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 3}
Men present many theories and doctrines,
and this is the reason that so many claim to be sinless while they are
transgressors of the law. Should they look into God's great mirror, they would
start back with horror. They would say with Paul, "I was alive without the
law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." Oh, how
many forsake the "Fountain of living waters," and hew them out
"cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." This is a
correct representation of the spurious holiness so prevalent in the world
today. But God's way is the humble way of penitence, faith, and
obedience, and no human substitute will be accepted. "Thou
desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; thou delightest not in burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." But all this
vain boasting of holiness is not of God. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 4}
The Lord declared to ancient Israel,
"Ye shall not do . . . . every man what is right in his own eyes;"
but ye shall "observe and hear all these words which I command thee."
And he promised them, "if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the
Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear
to his commandments," he "shall keep unto thee the covenant and the
mercy which he sware unto thy fathers," and "thou shalt be blessed
above all people." {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 5}
Will you, dear reader, examine critically
the reasons of your faith by the law and the testimony? Satan has many by-paths
strewn with tempting flowers, that lead directly to the broad way to death and
hell. Our only safety is in the path of obedience. Men cannot follow their own
desires, and be right. They not only involve their own souls in ruin, but by
their example they imperil others also. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 6}
God is exact to mark iniquity. Sins of
thoughtlessness, negligence, forgetfulness, and even ignorance, have been
visited by some of the most wonderfully marked manifestations of his
displeasure. Many who have suffered terrible punishment for their sins,
might have pleaded as plausibly as do those of today who fall into similar errors,
that they meant no harm, and some would even say that they thought they were
doing God service; but the light
shone on them, and they disregarded it. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 7}
Let us look at some of the examples found
in sacred history. Assisted by his sons, Aaron had offered the sacrifices that
God required; and he lifted up his hands and blessed the people. All had been
done as God commanded, and he accepted the sacrifice, and revealed his glory in
a most remarkable manner; for fire came from the Lord, and consumed the
offering upon the altar. The people looked upon this wonderful manifestation of
divine power with awe and intense interest. They saw in it a token of his glory
and his favor, and they raised a universal shout of praise and adoration, and
fell on their faces, as if in the immediate presence of Jehovah. {ST, July 17,
1884 par. 8}
As the prayers and praise of the people
were ascending before God, two of the sons of Aaron took each his censer, and
burned fragrant incense thereon, to arise as a sweet odor
before God. But they had partaken too freely of wine, and used strange fire,
contrary to the Lord's commandment. And the wrath of God was kindled against
Nadab and Abihu for their disobedience, and a fire went out from the Lord, and
devoured them in the sight of the people. By this judgment God designed to
teach the people that they must approach him with reverence and awe, and in his
own appointed manner. He is not
pleased with partial obedience. It was not enough that in this solemn season
of worship nearly everything was done as he commanded. {ST, July 17, 1884 par.
9}
The Lord sent Samuel to King Saul with a
special message. "Go," he said, "and smite Amalek,
and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man
and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." Saul was
faithful and zealous in performing a part of his commission. He smote the Amalekites with a great slaughter; but he took the
proposition of the people before the command of God, and spared Agag, the king, and "the best of the sheep, and of the
oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good." {ST,
July 17, 1884 par. 10}
The Lord commanded Saul to "utterly
destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against
them until they be consumed." The Lord knew that this wicked nation would,
if it were possible, blot out his people and his worship from the earth; and
for this reason he had commanded that even the little children should be cut
off. But Saul had spared the king, the most wicked and merciless of them all;
one who had hated and destroyed the people of God, and whose influence had been
strongest to promote idolatry. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 11}
Saul thought he had done all that was
essential of that which the Lord commanded him to do. Perhaps he even flattered
himself that he was more merciful than his Maker, as do some unbelievers in our
day. He met Samuel with the salutation, "Blessed be thou of the Lord; I
have performed the commandment of the Lord." But when the prophet asked
what meant the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen which he heard,
Saul was obliged to confess that the people had taken of the spoil, sheep and
oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to
sacrifice to the Lord in Gilgal. {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 12}
Did the Lord accept this justification of
Saul's conduct? Was he pleased with this partial obedience, and willing to pass
over the trifle that had been neglected out of so good a motive? Saul did what
he thought was best, and would not the Lord commend such excellent judgment?
No. Said Samuel, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,
to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also
rejected thee from being king." {ST, July 17, 1884 par. 13}
These instances show how God looks upon
his professed people when they obey part of his commandments while in other
respects they follow a course of their own choosing. Let no one flatter himself
that a part of God's requirements are nonessential. He has placed no command in
his word that men may obey or disobey at will, and not suffer the consequences.
If
men choose any other path than that of strict obedience, they will find that
"the end thereof are the ways of death." E.G. White, ST,
July 17, 1884 par. 14}
July 24, 1884 "Walk in the Light."
Part II
Concluded
By Mrs. E. G.
White
Says the psalmist, "The law
of the Lord is perfect." It is also changeless, the standard of
righteousness, or right-doing, through all the ages. It is "the perfect
law of liberty;" hence the happiness of man as well as the glory of God
demand that it be respected and obeyed. {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 1}
God has highly honored his holy law. The
ark of the testament, containing the law engraven on
tables of stone, was the symbol of his presence with his people. This sacred
ark was interwoven with the national history of the Israelites as well as with
their religious faith. It was with them in their wanderings in the wilderness;
and when the people passed over Jordan to take possession of the promised land,
by the command of God the ark was borne by the priests into the midst of the
river, and there remained until all Israel had passed over in the path that
through the favor of God had been opened for them. It was often borne by the
armies of Israel as a token that God was with his people, and made their cause
his own. When this was the case, their enemies were terrified; for they knew
that nothing could stand before the mighty God of Israel. But if they
transgressed that law, they forfeited the divine protection, and were delivered
into the hands of their enemies. {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 2}
In consequence of the wickedness of the
people, and because they rashly carried the emblem of his presence into the
camp when the Lord was not with them, God gave the children of Israel into the
hands of their enemies, the Philistines, and the ark was taken. But the heathen
were not permitted to regard the sacred ark of God as a common thing. Dagon,
their god, was humbled before it; and in every city where the ark was taken,
the people were sorely afflicted. And the Philistines said, "The ark of
the God of Israel shall not abide with us; for his hand is sore upon us, and
upon Dagon our god." {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 3}
"The Philistines called for the
priests and diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? Tell us
wherewith we shall send it to his place." These men counselled the people
not to send the ark away empty, but to return a trespass offering with it. Said
they: "Ye shall make images of your emerods, and
images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of
Israel; peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your
gods, and from off your land. Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the
Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had wrought wonderfully
among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? Now therefore
make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart." And the Philistines did so; and
they put the ark in the new cart, with the jewels of gold for a trespass
offering in a coffer beside it. {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 4}
The kine came
with a straight course to Bethshemesh on the borders
of Israel, and the men of Bethshemesh offered them as
an offering unto the Lord. But when the Israelites, from motives of idle curiosity, looked
familiarly into the ark, fifty thousand of them were slain for their rashness. The ark was
then taken to Kirjath-jearim, and remained many years
in the house of Abinadab. {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 5}
Then came King David, with thirty thousand
chosen men of Israel, to bring it to his own city, with music and rejoicing,
with great display and with signal honors. The ark was carried in a new cart;
and when they came to a rough place in the road, Uzzah
put forth his hand to steady it. God had commanded that no hand but that of a
consecrated priest should touch the sacred repository of his law, and special
ceremonies of purification and preparation were enjoined; but Uzzah touched it with sinful, unhallowed hand, and was
slain before the Lord. "And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and
said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" And he left the ark in
the house of Obed-edom; and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household because of the ark. {ST, July
24, 1884 par. 6}
Thus God guarded with jealous care the ark
that contained his holy law, that all might be deeply impressed with the sacred
character of that law. It is no wonder that as the people witnessed the judgments inflicted
upon those who despised the law of God or treated it with disrespect, they
exclaimed, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" The law
was ordained unto life, and is an expression of the love of God to man. To despise it is to despise its Author; for
it partakes of the perfection of the divine character. To the transgressor
it becomes, not a savor of life unto life, but of
death unto death. Jesus magnified the law and made it honorable, by dying to
satisfy its claims. He gave his life an offering for transgressions, that
through his righteousness imputed to them, men might be reconciled to God, and
escape the punishment due to disobedience. {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 7}
And yet the law of God is almost
universally despised and trampled upon, while human laws are exalted. There is
a power that is called in the Scriptures the man of sin, that has thought to
change this great standard of righteousness. He has torn the fourth commandment
from the bosom of the decalogue, and in place of
God's holy Sabbath has substituted one of his own invention. Those who accept
this spurious Sabbath do great dishonor to the God of
Heaven, and their offense is greatly exaggerated when they not only break the
law themselves, but endeavor to lead others to disregard it also. {ST, July 24,
1884 par. 8}
The Lord has specified that the seventh
day is his Sabbath. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
thy God." But a human institution has been made to take the place of the
divine; another day has supplanted God's holy, sanctified rest-day. The
Christian church accept this day in place of the one God has chosen, and
present it to the world to be observed and reverenced. They thus show
that they do not love the law of God, nor prize its righteous, restraining
influence. {ST, July 24, 1884 par. 9}
God has laid down the conditions of
salvation. He requires that men keep his commandments as obedient children. The Holy
Scriptures are full of lessons showing that God is satisfied with no partial
obedience. He does not leave men to rely on their human judgment, and select
that portion of his law which they choose to obey. They are
required to have correct views of duty. They are not at liberty to accept what
ignorant, sinful, feeble man may suggest, believe, or urge upon them; but they
must take God's word, and walk in accordance with his revealed will. {ST, July
24, 1884 par. 10}
God has given men
reason, and the noblest use to which the intellectual faculties can be put is
the study of his word. And when through diligent and prayerful application the will of
God has been discerned, nothing should be allowed to come in between God and
the soul to swerve it from the path of strict obedience. No suggestions of propriety,
no motives of expediency, no selfish desire for gain, no fear of loss, dishonor, or reproach, should be considered for a moment.
God commands, and that is enough. The light
shines, and it is our duty to walk in it. If men substitute human customs and traditions
for the precepts of God's law, and proclaim to the world that that law, or any
part of that law, is no longer in force, however honest they may be, they are
under the condemnation of the law, and will perish as transgressors. {ST, July 24,
1884 par. 11}
If you accept unpopular truth, ministers
may say, "You are too particular. In order to have influence with the
world, you must do as the world does." But such men are acting as
mouth-piece for Satan. They are preaching a doctrine that pleases him well. No authority of
church or State, no decrees of kings or emperors, no commands of bishops or
priests, can absolve you from obedience to the law of God, or justify the least
departure from his requirements. Finite reasoning must not take the place of
simple trust; self-will must not lead us in a course of disobedience. {ST, July
24, 1884 par. 12}
Do not let the words of men who profess to
be wise in the Scriptures deter you from searching them for yourself, or keep
you back from obeying the precepts of Jehovah. Do not harbor
the thought that some of the things taught in the Bible are nonessential.
"To the law and to the testimony" for proof. The problems of duty and
destiny become clear only when studied in the light of God's revealed will.
Amid the devices of Satan to which we are exposed, and the varied temptations
that surround us, we have the sure promise of divine guidance. "Thy
word," says David, "is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path." "Blessed
are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." E.G. White, {ST,
July 24, 1884 par. 13}