Data publicării
01.08.1901
Volumul
22
Numărul
15
Turnul de veghe
Balancing Earthly Good with Divine Favor
../literature/watchtower/1901/15/1901-15-2.html
AUGUST 
1, 
1901 
ZION'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(243-245) 
If 
v.e 
even 
ask 
the 
average 
nominal 
Christian 
to 
weigh 
his 
"loving 
kindness" 
has 
comparatively 
little 
weight 
in 
their 
thIS 
matter, 
and 
tell 
us 
if 
willing 
to 
exchange,-putting 
in 
the 
lives. 
one 
side 
of 
the 
balance 
all 
the 
good 
things, 
hopes, 
ambitions, 
Are 
we 
to 
suppose, 
then, 
that 
there 
were 
no 
saints 
in 
the 
family 
ties, 
social 
position, 
churchianity, 
petty 
office 
and 
es- 
past, 
because 
in 
the 
past 
these 
false 
Ideas 
of 
God 
hcld 
tull 
teem 
of 
men, 
and 
putting 
into 
the 
other 
side 
of 
the 
scale 
sway 
amongst 
his 
professed 
children? 
Are 
we 
to 
suppose 
Gods' 
favor,-he 
will 
hesItate 
and 
eventually 
decide 
that 
he 
that 
Luther, 
Melanchthon, 
Zwingli, 
Calnn, 
Knox, 
the 
Wes­ 
wIll 
do 
nothing 
of 
the 
kind. 
The 
reason 
with 
many 
is 
that 
leys 
and 
others, 
were 
not 
saints, 
and 
not 
joint-inheritors 
they 
do 
not 
appreciate 
divIne 
favor. 
They 
have 
heard 
and 
be- 
with 
Christ 
III 
the 
kingdom? 
No; 
on 
the 
contrary, 
we 
pre­ 
lieved 
certain 
thlllgS 
respecting 
the 
AlmIghty, 
some 
of 
them 
sume 
that 
these 
were 
saints, 
and 
that 
they 
laid 
down 
their 
true 
and 
some 
of 
them 
false; 
and 
the 
misrepresentations 
of 
lives 
in 
the 
Lord's 
service; 
and 
we 
merely 
mentIon 
these 
God's 
character 
have 
so 
neutralized 
and 
offset 
and 
made 
non- 
prominent 
names 
as 
illustrations, 
and 
not 
by 
way 
of 
saying 
effective 
the 
truths 
which 
they 
have 
learned, 
that 
they 
lack 
that 
they 
were 
the 
only 
saints 
of 
their 
times, 
and 
not 
dis­ 
confidence 
in 
the 
unseen: 
with 
such, 
worldly 
interests 
out- 
puting 
either 
that 
there 
were 
saints 
before 
them, 
all 
through 
weIgh 
appreciation 
of 
divine 
favor 
ten 
to 
one. 
The 
truths 
the 
dark 
ages, 
as 
well 
as 
in 
the 
primitive 
church. 
they 
learned 
were 
respecting 
God's 
love 
and 
his 
gracious 
pro- 
.What 
we 
do 
claim, 
however, 
IS 
that 
the 
mixed 
theology, 
vision 
for 
his 
fallen 
creatures 
through 
the 
redemption 
which 
whICh 
represent~ 
~od 
as 
half 
l?ve 
and 
hal.f 
devil, 
never 
pro­ 
IS 
in 
Christ 
Jesus 
our 
Lord; 
and 
that 
he 
willeth 
not 
the 
duced 
the 
sanctIfymg 
effect 
whIch 
we 
see 
III 
tIle 
lives 
of 
tIle 
death 
of 
him 
that 
dieth, 
but 
would 
that 
all 
should 
turn 
unto 
class 
we 
have 
mentioned. 
We 
hold 
that 
all 
those 
who 
reached 
him 
and 
live, 
in 
the 
enjoyment 
of 
endless 
blessing. 
the 
point 
of 
saintship 
described 
in 
our 
text, 
and 
who 
were 
These 
truths 
are 
found 
in 
the 
sure 
Word 
of 
God; 
the 
able 
to 
balance 
the 
present 
life 
and 
its 
earthly 
good 
things 
untruths 
wInch 
they 
have 
learned 
came 
from 
human 
source, 
with 
the 
loving 
favor 
of 
God, 
and 
to 
prefer 
God's 
favor 
or 
rathpr 
more 
remotely, 
from 
the 
great 
Adversary 
himself, 
:ather 
than 
life, 
so 
that 
they 
were 
willing 
to 
sacrifice 
earthly 
Satan, 
"the 
god 
of 
this 
world," 
as 
the 
Apostle 
calls 
him. 
As 
mterests, 
that 
they 
might 
have 
the 
divine 
favor, 
both 
as 
re­ 
he 
tells 
us, 
"The 
god 
of 
this 
world 
hath 
blinded 
the 
minds 
of 
spects 
the 
life 
which 
now 
is, 
and 
that 
which 
is 
to 
come,­ 
them 
that 
believe 
not"-blinded 
them 
to 
the 
real 
character 
these 
never 
reached 
this 
position 
through 
their 
mixed 
the. 
and 
plan 
of 
.Jehovah, 
and 
deluded 
them 
into 
thinking 
of 
him 
ology, 
but 
attained 
this 
grand 
position 
only 
in 
proportion 
as 
most 
unkindly, 
most 
disreputably 
we 
might 
almost 
say 
they 
were 
able 
to 
forget 
or 
ignore 
the 
human 
and 
Satanic 
most 
bla~pbemousl.v. 
He 
has 
blinded 
them 
into 
thinking 
that 
blasphemies 
respecting 
the 
divine 
character, 
and 
to 
think 
of 
thc 
Almighty, 
while 
declaring 
that 
he 
has 
all 
power, 
has 
God 
from 
the 
standpoint 
of 
pure 
justice 
and 
love. 
Some 
of 
dedared 
also 
that 
he 
will 
exercise 
this 
power 
beneficially 
them 
have 
told 
us 
in 
their 
writings 
how 
terribly 
this 
devil­ 
only 
over 
mere 
handful 
of 
earth's 
teeming 
millions-that 
inspired 
theology 
weighed 
upon 
them; 
how 
they 
found 
the 
he 
will 
take 
out 
this 
sample 
to 
show 
his 
power 
and 
what 
t~eory 
so 
antagonistic 
to 
all 
their 
conceptions 
of 
divine 
jus­ 
he 
could 
have 
done 
for 
all 
if 
he 
had 
wanted 
to, 
and 
exercise 
tICI', 
~ercy 
and 
love, 
that 
the 
only 
thing 
they 
could 
do 
under 
his 
power 
in 
hurling 
the 
great 
mass 
of 
his 
creation 
into 
eter- 
the 
Clrcum<;tances 
was 
to 
shut 
the 
eyes 
of 
their 
mmds 
to 
the 
nal 
torment 
;-that 
he 
made 
provision 
to 
this 
end 
before 
the 
nightmare 
of 
hell 
and 
devils 
and 
torments, 
and 
to 
say 
to 
the 
creation 
of 
mankmd,-prepared 
great 
and 
awful 
place 
of 
Lord, 
Lord, 
cannot 
understand 
this, 
but 
accept 
thee 
as 
torturC',-prepared 
the 
fuel 
for 
eternitY,-and 
prepared 
the 
very 
God 
of 
love 
and 
justice, 
and 
know 
that 
when 
shall 
devils 
to 
see 
that 
nothing 
was 
lacking 
in 
the 
worst 
form 
of 
see 
thee 
as 
thou 
art, 
and 
when 
shall 
see 
all 
the 
works 
of 
torture. 
thy 
great 
and 
wonderful 
plan, 
then 
shall 
realize, 
as 
can- 
Is 
it 
any 
wonder 
that 
those 
who 
have 
thus 
received 
hu- 
not 
now 
realize, 
wherein 
divine 
justice 
and 
love 
are 
compati­ 
man 
traditions 
instead 
of 
the 
Word 
of 
God, 
those 
who 
believe 
ble 
with 
this 
awful 
theory 
of 
eternal 
torment 
for 
all 
except 
snch 
tcrrible 
thing<; 
respecting 
the 
Creator 
and 
his 
plans, 
the 
little 
flock, 
the 
elect. 
things 
which 
outrank 
in 
cruelty 
the 
doctrines 
of 
the 
heathen, 
Thus 
b~ 
shutting 
their 
eyes 
to 
the 
error, 
and 
opening 
their 
received 
from 
the 
same 
Satanic 
source, 
should 
doubt 
the 
love 
eyes 
by 
faIth 
to 
the 
real 
character 
of 
God, 
substantiated 
by 
of 
sndl 
God? 
It 
IS 
no 
wonder 
that 
such 
find 
themselves 
so 
many 
declarations 
of 
his 
Word, 
the 
clasA 
we 
refer 
to, 
una 
hIe 
to 
reconcile 
such 
human 
theories 
with 
the 
plain 
Scrip- 
through 
all 
the 
darkness 
of 
the 
dark 
ages, 
was 
indeed 
enabled 
tural 
declaration 
that 
God 
is 
love, 
very 
pitiful, 
very 
merci- 
to 
love 
God 
supremely, 
so 
that 
they 
counted 
not 
their 
lives 
ful, 
anfl 
that 
his 
mercy 
endureth 
forever; 
and 
that 
he 
doth 
dear 
unto 
them, 
that 
they 
might 
have 
his 
favor' 
they 
were 
not 
WIllingly 
afflict 
the 
chIldren 
of 
men. 
The 
two 
thoughts 
willing 
to 
lay 
down 
life 
and 
earthly 
advantage; 
and 
hopes 
arc 
in 
violent 
conflict. 
the 
one 
represents 
God 
as 
loving 
and 
and 
favors, 
that 
they 
might 
have 
the 
divine 
favor 
now 
and 
kind: 
the 
other 
represents 
him 
as 
demon 
of 
the 
worst 
everlastingly. 
And 
if 
God's 
people 
in 
the 
past 
were 
enabled 
imaginable 
character: 
and 
it 
is 
no 
wonder 
that 
those 
who 
!o 
triumph 
.i~ 
spite 
of 
blindness, 
what 
shall 
we 
say 
respect­ 
have 
in 
their 
minds 
this 
mixture 
of 
human 
traditions 
which 
mg 
our 
pOSItIOn 
today, 
now 
that 
the 
due 
time 
has 
come 
for 
make 
void 
the 
'Vord 
of 
God, 
are 
unable 
to 
see 
God 
from 
the 
this 
vail 
that 
was 
.spread 
over 
all 
nations 
to 
be 
taken 
away, 
right 
standpoint 
implied 
in 
our 
text-unable 
to 
see 
his 
lov- 
so 
that 
the 
true 
lIght 
of 
the 
knowledge 
of 
God, 
shining 
in 
ing 
kindness, 
so 
great, 
so 
gooa, 
so 
beneficent, 
toward 
all 
of 
his 
the 
face 
of 
JMUS 
Christ 
our 
Lord, 
should 
Ahine 
into 
our 
creatures.-unable 
to 
reconcile 
such 
human 
theory 
with 
the 
hearts 
ana 
give 
us 
to 
see 
through 
his 
Word, 
and 
freed 
from 
Scriptural 
declaration, 
that 
Jesus 
Christ 
by 
the 
grace 
of 
God 
human 
tradition 
and 
Satanic 
misrepresentation, 
the 
justice 
tasted 
death 
for 
every 
man, 
and 
that 
this 
grace 
of 
God 
in 
and 
the 
loving 
kindness 
of 
our 
God! 
Chri<;t 
is 
yet 
to 
be 
testified 
in 
due 
time 
to 
every 
creature, 
How 
shall 
we 
today 
balance 
this 
question 
of 
earthly 
life 
and 
that 
thus 
all 
are 
eventually 
to 
come 
to 
knowledge 
of 
and 
its 
advantages 
and 
privileges 
and 
hopes 
and 
aims 
with 
the 
the 
truth, 
and 
thus 
all 
eventually 
to 
have 
an 
opportunity 
for 
favor 
of 
God? 
Well, 
it 
will 
be 
test 
to 
us, 
as 
it 
has 
been 
life 
everlasting.-l 
Tim. 
2:4: 
test 
all 
through 
the 
ages. 
Those 
who 
are 
merely 
alad 
to 
find 
Is 
it 
any 
wonder 
that 
those 
who 
entertain 
so 
mixed 
con- 
out 
that 
there 
is 
no 
eternal 
torment, 
and 
whose 
he~rtA 
are 
not 
ception 
of 
the 
Almighty's 
character, 
when 
they 
attempt 
to 
touched 
~i~h. 
the 
"loving 
kindness" 
of 
G?d, 
will 
go 
on 
in 
the 
balance 
the 
loving 
favor 
of 
God 
with 
earthly 
good 
things, 
find 
world, 
reJolcmg 
that 
they 
have 
been 
delIvered 
from 
bondage 
that 
the 
scale 
weighs 
down 
toward 
the 
earthly 
things, 
be- 
of 
error, 
but 
not 
returning 
to 
give 
glory 
to 
God 
and 
to 
offer 
cause. 
altho 
they 
appreciate 
some 
features 
of 
the 
divine 
char- 
themselves 
in 
his 
service. 
And 
these, 
alas! 
are 
the 
rna­ 
acter, 
these 
are 
practically 
neutralized 
by 
such 
misrepresen- 
jority; 
like 
the 
ten 
lepers 
who 
were 
cleansed 
by 
our 
Lord, 
of 
tations 
of 
the 
adversary 
through 
false 
theories. 
Wen 
does 
whom 
only 
one 
returned 
to 
give 
thanks 
and 
to 
become 
the 
Apostle 
explain 
the 
ob.iect 
of 
thiq 
blindness 
on 
the 
part 
follower 
of 
Jesus. 
Thus 
the 
test 
goes 
on 
today, 
as 
ever; 
for 
of 
Satan. 
sayin~, 
"The 
god 
of 
this 
world 
hath 
blinded 
the 
the 
Lord 
is 
now 
seeking 
only 
the 
kingdom 
class, 
only 
the 
lit­ 
minds 
of 
them 
that 
believe 
not, 
lest 
the 
light 
of 
the 
glorious 
tIe 
flock, 
and 
he 
wishes 
to 
have 
in 
it 
only 
such 
as 
love 
him 
Gospel 
of 
Christ. 
who 
is 
the 
image 
of 
God, 
should 
shine 
unto 
supremely-only 
such 
as, 
having 
tasted 
that 
the 
Lord 
is 
gra· 
them." 
(2 
Cor. 
4: 
4) 
Ah 
yes, 
here 
it 
is! 
The 
goodness 
of 
cious, 
desire 
to 
and 
do 
feast 
upon 
his 
favor, 
enjoyin 
cr 
it 
rel­ 
God, 
the 
loving 
kindness 
of 
God, 
God's 
favor, 
does 
not 
shine 
ishing 
it, 
appreciating 
it 
far 
beyond 
any 
earthly 
piea;ure: 
any 
into 
the 
hearts 
of 
many, 
and 
while 
it 
does 
ghine 
little 
into 
earthly 
hope, 
any 
earthly 
ambition, 
any 
earthly 
love. 
some 
hearts, 
thic\: 
darkness 
of 
error 
hinders 
their 
hearts 
This 
class 
today 
and 
at 
all 
times 
has 
been 
the 
same 
-of 
from 
receiving 
the 
fun 
benefit 
of 
the 
light, 
and 
its 
blessing 
o~J.e 
spirit 
with 
their 
Head. 
The 
Apostle 
Paul 
voices 
their'sen. 
and 
joy. 
Such 
as 
are 
in 
this 
position 
find 
it 
impossible 
to 
tlments:. 
spea~ing 
on 
t?i~ 
very 
subject, 
and 
weighing 
the 
love 
the 
Lord 
with 
all 
their 
heart, 
with 
all 
their 
mind. 
with 
earthly 
.hfe 
WIth 
the 
dIVIne 
favor, 
he 
says: 
"What 
things 
all 
their 
being, 
with 
all 
their 
streng1h; 
because 
from 
all 
that 
were 
gaIn 
to 
me, 
tho~e 
counted 
loss 
for 
Christ. 
Yea, 
doubt­ 
they 
know 
of 
him, 
through 
this 
false 
representation 
of 
his 
less, 
count 
all 
things 
but 
loss 
for 
the 
excellency 
of 
the 
character, 
he 
is 
not 
worthy 
of 
much 
love. 
The 
fear 
of 
the 
knowledge 
of 
Christ 
Jesus 
my 
Lord; 
for 
whom 
have 
suf­ 
Lord 
might 
operate 
upon 
them 
under 
such 
circumstances, 
and 
fered 
the 
loss 
of 
all 
things, 
and 
do 
count 
them 
but 
dung, 
that 
might 
be 
balanced 
against 
the 
world 
and 
its 
good 
things, 
but 
may 
win 
Christ 
and 
be 
found 
in 
him 
That 
may 
know 
[2851] 
Aucust 1, 1901 If we even ask the average nominal Christian to weigh this matter, and tell us if willing to exchange,—putting in the one side of the balance all the good things, hopes, ambitions, family ties, social position, churchianity, petty office and esteem of men, and putting into the other side of the scale Gods’ favor,—he will hesitate and eventually decide that he will do nothing of the kind. The reason with many is that they do not appreciate divine favor. They have heard and believed certain things respecting the Almighty, some of them true and some of them false; and the misrepresentations of God’s character have so neutralized and offset. and made noneffective the truths which they have learned, that they lack confidence in the unseen: with such, worldly interests outweigh appreciation of divine favor ten to one. The iruths they learned were respecting God’s love and his gracious provision for his fallen creatures through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus our Lord; and that he willeth not the death of him that dieth, but would that all should turn unto him and live, in the enjoyment of endless blessing. These truths are found in the sure Word of God; the untruths which they have learned came from a human source, or rather more remotely, from the great Adversary himself, Satan, “the god of this world,” as the Apostle calls him. As he tells us, “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not”—hblinded them to the real character and plan of Jehovah, and deluded them into thinking of him most unkindly, most disreputably we might almost say most blasphemously. He has blinded them into thinking that the Almighty, while declaring that he has all power, has declared also that he will exercise this power beneficially only over a mere handful of earth’s teeming millions—that he will take out this sample to show his power and what he could have done for all if he had wanted to, and exercise his power in hurling the great mass of his creation into eternal torment;—that he made provision to this end before the creation of mankind,—prepared a great and awful place of torture,—prepared the fuel for eternity—and prepared the devils to see that nothing was lacking in the worst form of torture. Is it any wonder that those who have thus received human traditions instead of the Word of God, those who believe such terrible things respecting the Creator and his plans, things which outrank in cruelty the doctrines of the heathen, received from the same Satanic source, should doubt the love of such a God? It 1s no wonder that such find themselves unable to reconcile such human theories with the plain Scriptural declaration that God is love, very pitiful, very merciful, and that his mercy endureth forever; and that he doth not willingly afflict the children of men. The two thoughts are in violent conflict. the one represents God as loving and kind; the other represents him ag a demon of the worst imaginable character: and it is no wonder that those who have in their minds this mixture of human traditions which make void the Word of God, are unable to see God from the right standpoint implied in our text~—unable to see his loving kindness, so great, so good, so beneficent, toward all of his creatures.—unable to reconcile such human theory with the Scriptural declaration, that Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man, and that this grace of God in Christ is yet to be testified in due time to every creature, and that thus all are eventually to come to a knowledge of the truth, and thus all eventually to have an opportunity for life everlasting —-1 Tim. 2:4: Is it any wonder that those who entertain so mixed a conception of the Almighty’s character, when they attempt to balance the loving favor of God with earthly good things, find that the scale weighs down toward the earthly things, because, altho they appreciate some features of the divine character, these are practically neutralized by such misrepresentations of the adversary through false theories. Well does the Apostle explain the object of this blindness on the part of Satan. saying, “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ. who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 4:4) Ah yes, here it is! The goodness of God, the loving kindness of God, God’s favor, does not shine into the hearts of many, and while it does shine a little into some hearts, thick darkness of error hinders their hearts from receiving the full benefit of the light, and its blessing and joy. Such as are in this position find it impossible to love the Lord with all their heart, with all their mind. with all their being, with all their strength; because from all that they know of him, through this false representation of his character, he is not worthv of much love. The fear of the Lord might operate upon them under such circumstances, and might be balanced against the world and its good things, but ZION’S WATCH TOWER (243-245) his “loving kindness” hag comparatively little weight in their lives. Are we to suppose, then, that there were no saints in the past, because in the past these false 1deas of God held full sway amongst his professed children? Are we to suppose that Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli, Calvin, Knox, the Wesleys and others, were not saints, and not joint-inheritors with Christ in the kingdom? No; on the contrary, we presume that these were saints, and that they laid down their lives in the Lord’s service; and we merely mention these prominent names as illustrations, and not by way of saying that they were the only saints of their times, and not disputing either that there were saints before them, all through the dark ages, ag well ag in the primitive church, What we do claim, however, 19 that the mixed theology, which represents God as half love and half devil, never produced the sanctifying effect which we see in the lives of the class we have mentioned. We hold that all those who reached the point of saintship described in our text, and who were able to balance the present life and its earthly good things with the loving favor of God, and to prefer God’s favor rather than life, so that they were willing to sacrifice earthly interests, that they might have the divine favor, both as respects the life which now is, and that which is to come,— these never reached this position through their mixed theology, but attained this grand position only in proportion as they were able to forget or ignore the human and Satanic blasphemies respecting the divine character, and to think of God from the standpoint of pure justice and love. Some of them have told us in their writings how terribly this devilinspired theology weighed upon them; how they found the theory so antagonistic to all their conceptions of divine justice, mercy and love, that the only thing they could do under the circumstances was to shut the eyes of their mmds to the nightmare of hell and devils and torments, and to say to the Lord, O Lord, I cannot understand this, but I accept thee as a very God of love and justice, and I know that when I shall see thee as thou art, and when I shall see all the works of thy great and wonderful plan, then I shall) realize, as I cannot now realize, wherein divine justice and love are compatible with this awful theory of eternal torment for all except the little flock, the elect. Thus by shutting their eyes to the error, and opening their eyes by faith to the real character of God, substantiated by so many declarations of his Word, the class we refer to, through all the darkness of the dark ages, was indeed enabled to love God supremely, so that they counted not their lives dear unto them, that they might have his favor; they were willing to lay down life and earthly advantages and hopes and favors, that they might have the divine favor now and everlastingly. And if God’s people in the past were enabled to triumph in spite of blindness, what shall we say respecting our position today, now that the due time has come for this vail that was spread over all nations to be taken away, so that the true light of the knowledge of God, shining in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord, should shine into our hearts and give us to see through his Word, and freed from human tradition and Satanic misrepresentation, the justice and the loving kindness of our God! How shall we today balance this question of earthly life and its advantages and privileges and hopes and aims with the favor of God? Well, it will be a test to us, as it has been a test all through the ages. Those who are merely glad to find out that there is no eternal torment, and whose hearts are not touched with the “loving kindness” of God, will go on in the world, rejoicing that they have been delivered from a bondage of error, but not returning to give glory to God and to offer themselves in his service. And these, alas! are the majority; like the ten lepers who were cleansed by our Lord, of whom only one returned to give thanks and to become a follower of Jesus, Thus the test goes on today, as ever; for the Lord is now seeking only the kingdom class, only the little flock, and he wishes to have in it only such as love him supremely—only such as, having tasted that the Lord is gracious, desire to and do feast upon his favor, enjoying it, relishing it, appreciating it far beyond any earthly pleasure, any earthly hope, any earthly ambition, any earthly love. This class today and at all times has been the same,—of one spirit with their Head. The Apostle Paul voices their sentiments: speaking on this very subject, and weighing the earthly life with the divine favor, he says: “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him. . . . That I may know [2851]

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