(180 181) felon’s death. Under a cross which he had not the strength to bear he passed through the streets of the same Jerusalem over which he had wept—but five days previously lined with the crowds that then were shouting, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38), but that now were eager for his death. In the midst of this throng for whom he was about to die, the just for the unjust, he permitted himself to be stripped of his clothing, nailed to the cross, and hanged between two thieves until the sacrifice was completely finished in death. WEARIED AND PAINT IN MIND The Apostle says we should consider this, ‘lest we be wearied and faint in our minds.’ The word ‘wearied’ here (Greek kamon) is the same word that is translated sick in the passage of James 5:15. Thus the Lord would tell us that the surest protection against soul-sickness is to keep our sacrifice on the altar as Jesus did and to comfort ourselves with the assurance that in some degree the experiences which were permitted to come to him are permitted also to come to us. When that sincere and zealous man, Saul of Tarsus, had met the Lord on the way to Damascus, and in prompt obedience to the heavenly vision had said, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10) and had remained without sight and without food or drink for three days (Acts 9:9), the Lord sent him a message of comfort by the hand of Ananias, one of his faithful servants, The message was: “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Sentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15, 16) The Apostle Paul never forgot this lesson. On his first missionary tour, after he had preached the gospel at Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, and after the Jews from Antioch and Iconium had persuaded the people of the latter city to stone him into insensibility so that they supposed he was dead, then it was that “as the disciples stood around about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned again to Lystra, and to Ieonium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and {telling them how] that we must through much tribulation enter Into the kingdom of God.”—Acts 14:20-22, The Revelator shows that the experiences of the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul constitute a picture of the experiences of those members of the Lord’s body who come in contact with the earth—“his feet were like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace.” (Revelation 1:15) No doubt in a very special sense too, this picture is true of the last members, the feet members, of that glorious hody. NONE WITHOUT CHASTENINGS We have the Father’s Word for it that “if we be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are we spurious, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:8) It does not follow that all will be partakers in the same degree, nor in the same manner. For some a look is sufficient, for others a word, still others require scourgings, and some repeatedly, but the chastisements, whatever they may be, serve the grand purpose of giving us opportunities for overcoming, for proving our fidelity, for developing self-control, sympathy, forgiveness, gentleness and patience. The children of Isracl were to eat their passover lamb “with bitter herbs’ (Exodus 12:8), so that they might be able to partake of i more freely. Christ is our passover; and the effect of every bitter experience, on one who belongs to the Lord, is to drive him closer to the Lamb of God that he may feed more and more upon that Lamb. Tn the typical ceremonies of Israel one of:the duties of the high priest was to dress the lamps which burned in the Holy. (Exodus 30:7) Those who live in country districts understand very well what this means. If one would have good light, not only must a lamp be kept filled with oil and the burner and globe be kept clean, but the burned portion of the wick must be cut off from time to time. This represents the trimming off of the dross of the old nature—the wick through which the holy Spirit operates. If the wick could speak it would protest that it was being injured or wronged by the sharp shears which cut it in two. but the one who trims the wick is thinking not of the wick but of the beautiful light which later shall give joy to all who are in the house. “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”—Matthew 5:16. The heavenly Father is developing and training the royal priesthood so that they may be merciful and faithful priests of the poor world when it shall be given its opportunity of reconciliation. They could not become merciful and faithful THE WATCH TOWER Brookiyn, N. Y. priests without experiences such as their fellowmen have had; for even of Chriat Jesus himself it is written: ‘Wherefore in all things it behooves him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest.” NEED OF PERSEVERANCE There would be scanty satisfaction in receiving chastisements if we could not see the end to be gained; but, since we can see, “we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed.” (Romans 5:3-5) Those who are inspired by the hopes which animate God’s sons experience no sense of shame under the discipline and trials they must endure, but glory in tribulations and rejoice to be counted worthy even to suffer shame for his name’s sake. The apostle tells us: ‘‘Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36) The tribulation which brings that patience is seen in its true light as a friend, and not as an enemy. How could we ever expect to be made strong enough, as new creatures, for the great future work to which we are called, unless, while stil} in this tabernacle and by the means which God provides, we are “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness?”—Col. 1:11, We are hoping to be earth’s future kings and _ priests (Revelation 5:10; 20:6); but we shall not be fitted for that relationship unless, as a result of the Lord’s disciplines, we have first learned to rule our own spirits, for “he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Proverbs 16:32) To take a city one must have the skill and equipment necessary for so great an undertaking. Small wonder then that the Lord is giving us experiences of a kind that the world cannot at all understand. Now that we are seeing the good results which are alréady coming to us and which will forever continue to come as a result of the trials which the Lord permits, let us reflect on what our attitude should be toward these trials. The Apostle tells us: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” (James 1:2) It may take us a little time before we are able always to “count” it just this way; but after a time we shall reach the point where, like the Apostle, we can “reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”-—~Romans 8:18. EVEN GOLD IS TRIED Most men and women at the present time think that gold is a very precious thing, but we who know of the new order of things know that its value will diminish when it will be easy to have all that we require. We know something which the world does not know; and we are able to rejoice in the conviction “that the trial of our faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7) Here and now, “many shall be purified, and made white, and tried’ (Daniel 12:10); and here and now our Lord urges us: ‘I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.”—Revelation 3:18, It seems a very strange thing to the world that any who profess to be true Christians should have special trials above those which come to other men, but we are specially forewarned to ‘think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try us, as though some strange thing happened unto us: but rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ's sufferings.’ (1 Peter 4:12, 13) Some time we shall be glad when we see how these experiences have proven to the Lord cur Jove and loyalty, how they have strengthened our characters and caused the principles of truth and righteousness to take deep root in our hearts. God does not purpose that our sufferings shall continue beyond this life; and even here it is not his design that they should be incessant. They are to be only for “a while.” Most of us had many years of childhood in which our sufferings were very slight. And if we have some during the time that yet remains to us here, it is all intended to fit us for the eternal glory to which we are invited: “The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile. make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.”—1 Peter 5:10. How else would the Lord know to a certainty who are his truly loyal people except by the trials of faith and love which he permits to come upon them? By these, “the Lord your God proveth vou. to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”—Deuteronomy 13:3, [6274]
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